History VideoGame / IdentityV

{{Yakuza}}: Michiko’s [Geisha] "Blood Fan" skin was inspired by and designed after them, giving her a Dragon Lady look.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Wu Chang [White and Black Guards]. The Heibai Wuchang in the original Chinese myths were tasked with escorting spirits of the dead to the Underworld and judging them accordingly. Xie Bi'an would reward others for their good deeds while Fan Wujiu would punish unrepentant souls. In this game, both of them hunt Survivors indiscriminately and while many of them have shady pasts, some of them actually feel remorse for their actions. Xie Bian also [[spoiler: became a spirit that manipulates his victims through their grief, manipulating a depressed Jose Baden, the First Officer, into turning against his team]].

* UnlockableContent: Every player starts out with 5 Survivors and 1 Hunter for free. The survivors are Emily Dyer [Doctor], Freddy Riley [Lawyer], Kreacher Pierson [Thief], Emma Woods [Gardener] and Lucky Guy, while the hunter is Leo Beck [Hell Ember]. The rest of the character roster has to be unlocked using Clues, a free currency obtained through the Logic Path, Login Rewards and Events. Of course, someone could choose to [[BribingYourWayToVictory buy them all]] using Echoes, the game's PremiumCurrency.

** Alice DeRoss [Journalist] was the child of the wealthy DeRoss couple and lived a comfortable life in Oletus Manor, alongside her playmate Orpheus. Everything changed when bandits raided the manor and slaughtered the DeRoss couple. She spent the rest of her childhood miserable in an orphanage that blamed her for the deaths of her parents, and her teenage years subjected to a series of cruel experiments.

* UnlockableContent: Each player starts with 4 survivors and one hunter for free, but can obtain more by playing the game.

** [[spoiler: Novelist, Entomologist, Novelist and Prospector, the last set of guests]].

** In the beta version, survivors were hung by a noose (equivalent to DBD's Hooks) when caught, and the hunters had more menacing features. When a hunter knocked down a survivor, they would transport the survivor via dragging them by the leg. In the current version, the noose has been changed to a Rocket Chair (a chair with rockets attached to it that will either blast into the sky or descend into the ground), and hunters now transport survivors by balloons (or in slightly different ways, depending on the accessory the hunter carries). The hunters themselves were changed, with their menacing looks being heavily toned down and receiving more cartoonish weapons (ex: Leo Beck [Hell Ember]’s shark club).

** In the Chinese Hastur version, Feaster has blue eyes instead of red.

** The Will Brothers [Breaking Wheel] can eliminate survivors in a single hit if they have been affected by three spikes previously.
* PremiumCurrency: The game has two: Echoes and Inspirations. The former is only obtainable by purchasing with real money, while the latter can be obtained for free from the Logic Path, Login Rewards and some events. Echoes can be used in place of the game's primary free currencies (Clues and Fragments) to buy Characters, Costumes and Accessories, or outright buy other currencies. Inspirations are used to buy Essences and Memory Spheres, the game's [[GachaGames gacha]]. Notably, there are some items only available for Echoes (i.e. real money), such as most crossover Costumes, some special offers, and high-tier Custom Lobbies.

* SchizoTech: Theoretically the should be set somewhere in the late Victorian/early Edwardian era, but it has technology and equipment that would only be invented some time later (some that are advanced even to 2020's decade) being shown in a casual and unquestioned manner.

* SchizoTech: Theoretically the should be set somewhere in the late Victorian/early Edwardian era, but it has technology and equipment that would only be invented some time later (some that are advanced even to 2020's decade) being shown in a casual and unquestioned manner.

* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: Theoretically it should be set somewhere in the late Victorian/early Edwardian era, but it has technology and equipment that would only be invented some time later (some that are advanced even to 2020's decade) being shown in a casual and unquestioned manner.

* 20MinutesIntoTheFuture: Theoretically it should be set somewhere in the late Victorian/early Edwardian era, but it has technology and equipment that would only be invented some time later (some that are advanced even to 2020's decade) being shown in a casual and unquestioned manner.

** Joker [Smiley Face]'s face was disfigured by acid and the injuries were stated to be so bad that he could no longer work as the crying clown for the Hullabaloo Circus.

** [[spoiler: Painter, Perfumer, First Officer and Enchantress]] the [[spoiler: fifth]] set of guests.

** Margaretha Zelle [Female Dancer], based on dancer and spy Mata Hari.

** Mary [Bloody Queen], based on UsefulNotes/MarieAntoinette.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Wu Chang [White and Black Guards]. The Heibai Wuchang in the original Chinese myths were tasked with escorting spirits of the dead to the Underworld and judging them accordingly. Xie Bi'an would reward others for their good deeds while Fan Wujiu would punish unrepentant souls. In this game, both of them hunt Survivors indiscriminately and while many of them have shady pasts, some of them actually feel remorse for their actions. Xie Bian also became a spirit that manipulates his victims through grief, manipulating a depressed Jose Baden, the First Officer, into turning against his team.

** As the Coordinator, Mercenary and Forward trained their bodies (for the military for the first two and for sports for the latter) they can vault faster than the other Survivors such as the Doctor and Mechanic, who have less physically demanding occupations, and thus are much slower.

%%How?* AbandonedHospital: Sacred Heart Hospital.

* AbusiveParents:
** In Violetta [Soul Weaver]'s and Murro [Wildling]’s cases, abusive [[ParentalSubstitute adoptive father]] and [[EvilUncle uncle]]. Max, the owner of a freak show physically abused Violetta and sold her off once the audience lost interest in her. Murro's Uncle Bernard, ringmaster of Hullabaloo Circus, kept him locked up in a cage for the first ten years of his life and then forced him to perform dangerous stunts.
** Jerry Carl took in Aesop Carl [Embalmer] after the death of his mother and is implied to have isolated the boy to ensure his loyalty to him.
** Anne [Toy Merchant]'s father saw her as a ReplacementGoldfish for her mother, and was implied to have abused her because she was nothing like the woman he loved. He also conspired with Annie's fiance in an attempt to steal her inheritance.
* AdaptationInspiration: The love triangle between Margaretha Zelle [Female Dancer], Sergi, her ex-husband and Joker [Smiley Face] is based on the movie ''Film/TheLastCircus''. Margaretha (or Natalie, her real name) and Sergi are named after the main characters, Natalia and Sergio.
* AdaptationalVillainy: Wu Chang [White and Black Guards]. The Heibai Wuchang in the original Chinese myths were tasked with escorting spirits of the dead to the Underworld and judging them accordingly. Xie Bi'an would reward others for their good deeds while Fan Wujiu would punish unrepentant souls. In this game, both of them hunt Survivors indiscriminately and while many of them have shady pasts, some of them actually feel remorse for their actions.
* AmusementParkOfDoom: Moonlight River Park used to be a popular tourist attraction until something nightmarish happened one night during the festivities. Currently, it serves as one of the game stages for a series of deadly games.

* AngstySurvivingTwin:
** Joseph Desaulniers [Photographer] who is revealed in his Character Day letter to blame himself for surviving the illness which caused his twin brother to pass away.
** [[spoiler: Chloe Nair [Perfumer]. With the added twist of being responsible for her twin sister’s death.]]
* AnimalCompanion: Several of the Survivors and Hunters have these. Examples include Eli Clark [Seer] with his owl, Murro [Wildling] with his boar, Victor Grantz [Postman] with Wick the Post Dog, and Ann [Disciple] with her cats.

* AntiHero: A lot of Survivors have done rather shady things.
** Helena Adams [Mind's Eye] [[spoiler: lied about being deaf on instruction from her tutor, who wanted to gain fame from teaching a blind and deaf girl]].
** Vera Nair [Perfumer][[spoiler: (who is actually Chloe Nair)]][[spoiler: murdered her twin sister, the actual Vera and assumed her identity]].
** Servais Le Roy [Magician] [[spoiler: might have]] [[spoiler: killed his mentor so that he could inherit his reputation and fame]].
** Naib Subedar [Mercenary] is a ProfessionalKiller, with vague motivations, who nevertheless is said to believe in the idea of equality for all human beings.
** Andrew Kriess [Gravekeeper] [[spoiler: robbed graves]].
** Melly Plinius [Entomologist] is [[spoiler: implied to be responsible for the death of her husband]].
* ArtifactOfAttraction: Norton Campbell [Prospector]'s Meteorite Magnet. In one issue of Famitsu (a Japanese gaming magazine), it is revealed that the magnets affected his cerebrum. Due to these magnets, his personality became extreme (grumpy, depressed and angry).
* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Emma Woods [Gardener]'s deductions reveal that she was subjected to electroshock therapy sometime around 1890-1891. In reality, electroconvulsive therapy wasn't invented until the late 1930s.
* AssholeVictim:
** Kreacher Pierson [Thief]. [[spoiler: He ends up getting burned to death by Emma Woods but considering that he tried to rape her earlier and may have abused and/or exploited the children at his orphanage, he kinda brought it on himself.]]
** Jerry Carl, who is revealed to be a serial killer. He manages to escape from the manor, apparently barely holding onto life, only to be killed by the man he had groomed to follow in his footsteps, [[KarmicDeath through the same method he used to kill his victims.]]
* AsymmetricMultiplayer: The goal of the survivors is to escape by decoding cipher machines; the goal of the hunter is to prevent this by eliminating the survivors. Additionally, every character has a unique skill set.
* AxCrazy:
** Jack [The Ripper], who just like the real-life version, enjoys murdering his victims in cold blood and seeing them suffer, all the while putting on the facade of a gentleman.
* BadBoss:
** Max, the owner of the freak show Violetta performed at would regularly abuse her and the other attractions and would sell them off after the audience lost interest in them.
** Yidhra [Dream Witch] towards her followers. One of her idle animations involves her toying with one of them and knocking her down. She also laughs when they are hit by a pallet.
* BadLuckMitigationMechanic:
** The game has a pity system for [[GachaGames Essences or Memory Spheres]], where opening a certain amount of them gurantees an item of a specific tier will be awarded. An A-Tier item is guranteed at 60 openings, while an S-Tier item is guranteed at 250 openings.
** In gameplay, Lucky Guy can "wish" for an item when he opens his Lucky Parcel or a chest, which greatly increases his odds of receiving it. If he does not receive the item he wished for, he will be guranteed to receive it the next time he opens a chest. Some items also have a 100% drop rate, such as the Syringe and Toolbox.
* BedlamHouse: Doctors at White Sand Street Asylum performed electroshock therapy on children. Justified considering the game is set during the Victorian Era.
* {{Bowdlerize}}: In the beta version, survivors were hung by a noose (equivalent to DBD's Hooks) when caught, and the hunters had more menacing features. When a hunter knocked down a survivor, they would transport the survivor via dragging them by the leg. In the current version, the noose has been changed to a Rocket Chair (a chair with rockets attached to it that will either blast into the sky or descend into the ground), and hunters now transport survivors by balloons (or in slightly different ways, depending on the accessory the hunter carries). The hunters themselves were changed, with their menacing looks being heavily toned down and receiving more cartoonish weapons (ex: Leo Beck [Hell Ember]’s shark club).
** Luchino [Evil Reptilian]'s weapon was changed from a knife to a pair of tweezers in the Chinese version of the game to avoid breaking Chinese law.
* BribingYourWayToVictory: Mostly averted given most purchases exclusively made with Echoes (a PremiumCurrency only bought using real money) contain cosmetic-based content, but there are some notable exceptions.
** The 4-sided Dice Enthusiast is a monthly purchase for 60 echoes that gives the player 3 additional free dice each day (to a total of 4). This allows them to progress through the Logic Path much faster and earn more Clues, Inspirations and other reward overall. There's also the 20-sided dice that can be bought daily for 20 echoes, which gives a large amount of Logic Path progress in a small burst.
** Each playable character can alternatively be bought using Echoes instead of Clues (the game's free currency), allowing people to essentially buy characters with real money if they don't want to grind. Martha Behamfil [Coordinator] notably only costs 1 Echo but a typical amount of Clues, meaning she can be obtained for dirt cheap if one spends real money on the game.
* CainAndAbel: Vera [[spoiler: actually Chloe]] Nair [Perfumer] is the Cain to her sister's ([[spoiler: the actual Vera's]]) Abel. However, the Perfumer is horrified at what she has done after finding out the truth about her sister.
* CareerEndingInjury:
** Joker [Smiley Face]'s face was disfigured by acid and the injuries were stated to be so bad that he could no longer work as the crying clown for the Hullabaloo Circus.
** After a mining accident that killed his fellow miners and scarred his face, Norton Campbell [Prospector] quit his job as a miner and became a prospector, so he wouldn't have to go down into the mines again.
* CharacterBlog: The Japanese twitter will occasionally have in-character Twitter replies from both Survivors and Hunters. A fan translation can be found here[[https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1F8mXOabPgxUE9erBy9LWY9wLrbbexQZ1]].
* ChargedAttack: For the Hunter, they usually will use a charged attack by holding down the attack button.
* ChildProdigy: Tracy Reznik [Mechanic]. Young Tracy Reznik invented a new clock mechanism which gained the praise of many of her father's patrons.
* CircusBrat: Both Murro [Wildling] and Mike Morton [Acrobat]. Murro was actually the Ringmaster's nephew and was forced to perform dangerous stunts at a young age while it is implied that Mike joined the circus as a child.

* CostumePorn: And ''how!'' Identity V lets you dress the characters with skins and cosmetics, ranging from C-Tier to S-Tier. The A-tier (SSR in the JP/CN version) and S-tier(UR in the JP/CN version) skins and accessories comes with incredible details, special effects and are as pretty as they are rare and/or expensive, but damn don't they make the characters look good. Some skins ended up being popular and iconic to the characters as well.
* CrapsackWorld: Considering how many of the characters get screwed over by betrayal, [[KarmaHoudini Karma Houdinis]], and even the occasional EldritchAbomination among other things, the world of Identity V is not a pleasant place to live in.
* CreepyBasement: In each of the maps, there is a cellar located underground where all of the Rocket Chairs are unbreakable (We're talking to you, Emma). This guarantees that the Hunter will always have a place to put incapacitated Survivors.
* CreepyCrows: Crows will circle around a Survivor if they have not touched a cipher for an extended period of time or are the last remaining one on the map.
* {{Crossover}}: Has its own page[[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Crossover/IdentityV]]
* {{Cult}}: There was one located in Lakeside Village where the followers worshipped Hastur.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Many of the characters, Survivors and Hunters alike, have gone through some rough times. Most of the Survivors are participating in the DeadlyGame in hopes of winning a reward or otherwise reversing their fortunes.
%%* DeadlyGame
* DeathOfAChild: Robbie White [Axe Boy] dies after being decapitated by a broken window.
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Strangely enough, for a game with a large number of supernatural elements, this happens a lot. Many of these examples also overlap with TruthInTelevision considering the time period the game takes place.
** Given the time period in which her backstory was set, when Ann ["Disciple"]'s eyes were altered by a plague, she was blamed for said plague and branded a devil. She later on gets impaled through the chest by a stake and left to die.
** Martha Behamfil [Coordinator] was a tomboy and because of that, her mother gave her hell for not wanting to conform to the gender roles of the time.
** Despite excelling over her brother, Keigan [Clerk's] parents arranged for her to be married due to gender norms at the time.
** Had the game been set in present day, Max, the owner of a freakshow and Violetta [Soul Weaver]'s adoptive father figure probably would been charged for child abuse (since he took her in when she was a baby), exploitation of the disabled, and human trafficking for his treatment of her. However, since the game takes place in the late 19th to early 20th century, his abuse and eventually selling her off is treated as acceptable and just business.
** [[BedlamHouse The staff at the White Sand Street Asylum]] used electroshock therapy on their patients (many of which were children), which was once considered an acceptable form of treatment.
** After losing their parents, Robbie White [Axe Boy] was forced into long hours of child labor while his older sister Dolores had to beg on the streets. In modern day England, the youngest a child can be to legally work is 13 years old (which Robbie is implied to be younger than) and they can only work a maximum of 12 hours a week.

* DistractedByTheLuxury: Despite being worried and hesitant, Margaretha Zelle [Female Dancer] still agreed to leave her home in Lakeside Village, as her boyfriend, Sergi (who afterward became her husband) promised her a better life in the "Big City".
* DomesticAbuse: It's implied that Margaretha Zelle [Female Dancer]'s ex-husband Sergi, Hullabaloo Circus' smiling clown, was physically abusive to her (as evidenced by the marks Joker [Smiley Face] is detailed to have seen on her back and the fact that he said to have torn up any letters his wife would presumably send to her aunt and uncle).
* DontLookAtMe: Michiko [Geisha] loses her ability to go through objects when pursuing a Survivor if they look at her face.

* DysfunctionJunction: Most of the characters in this game have [[DarkAndTroubledPast a dark backstory]].
* Main/{{Easter Egg}}s: Has its own page[[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/EasterEgg/IdentityV]].
* EldritchAbomination: Both Hastur [Feaster] and Yidhra [Dream Witch] are based on deities from the Franchise/CthulhuMythos.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes:
** Leo Beck might have come back as a VengefulGhost and it's clear that he still holds a grudge against Freddy Riley [Lawyer] but he still genuinely loves his daughter.
** Xie Bi’an [White Guard] and Fan Wujiu [Black Guard] have always been as close as brothers. The main reason why Xie thinks that he doesn't deserve happiness is that he believes that he was responsible for Fan Wujiu's death.
** In one of his Deduction Star lines, Robbie White [Axe Boy] states that he wants to see his sister again.
** Joseph Desaulniers [Photographer] seemed to be close with his twin brother Claude as the latter's death was the reason why he became obsessed with parapsychology and preserving life in photographs.
** Michiko [Geisha] still thinks about her husband Miles and wonders if he still remembers her.
* {{Expy}}:
** Joker [Smiley Face], Margaretha Zelle [Female Dancer], and Sergi are expies of Javier, Natalia, and Sergio from ''Film/TheLastCircus''.
* FantasyKitchenSink: Among the Hunters are [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos an Outer God]], [[Myth/ChineseMythology two Chinese deities tasked with escorting the spirits of the dead]], and [[Literature/TheKingInYellow the god of nihilism, decadence]] and [[Creator/AmbroseBierce shepherds]].
* FauxAffablyEvil: Jack [The Ripper]. He seems like a polite and courteous gentleman though unfortunately, this isn't going to stop him from [[SerialKiller murdering people in a horrific fashion.]]
* {{Foil}}:
** Leo Beck [Hell Ember] to Freddy Riley [Lawyer]. Both of them were married to Martha Remington at one point and played a role in the life of Emma Woods [Gardener]. While Leo was and still is a loving father to Emma and [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes his love for her is one of his redeeming qualities as a Hunter]], Freddy is a Survivor who is [[FourEyesZeroSoul lacking in morals]] and is responsible for many of the hardships she endured. In addition, Freddy is [[GeekPhysique skinny and physically weak]] compared to Leo who has a muscular build.
* FourManBand:
** Doctor, Gardener, Lawyer, and Thief's diary stories take place within the same time at the manor, as the first set of guests.
** Forward, Mercenary, Magician, and Explorer's diary stories take place within the same time at the manor, as the second set of guests.

* FromNobodyToNightmare: All of the Hunters, save for perhaps Hastur [Feaster] and Yidhra [Dream Witch], whose careers are listed as 'Deity'.
* GoodParents: In contrast to the AbusiveParents mentioned above, there truly are parents in this game that care about their children.
** When he was still alive, Leo Beck [Hell Ember] was a kind and caring father to his daughter Lisa (AKA Emma Woods [Gardener]) and would make toys for her. Even after becoming a Hunter, he is still shown to love her very much.
** Helena Adams [The Mind's Eye]'s father. When his daughter lost her sight due to an illness, he decided to gift her a specially designed cane to her so that she could find her way around and even hired a special tutor to help her. In addition, all throughout Helena's deductions, he is nothing but proud and supportive of her.
** Patricia Dorval [Enchantress]' foster mother who cared for Patricia as if she were her own child and loved her unconditionally.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter:
** William Ellis [Forward], based on the creator of [[UsefulNotes/RugbyUnion rugby.]]
** Servais Le Roy [Magician], based on the real-life Belgian magician of the same name.
** Margaretha Zelle [Female Dancer], based on dancer and spy Mata Hari.
** Helena Adams [The Mind's Eye], named after and based on Helen Adams Keller, the first blind-deaf person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. Her tutor Sullivan is based on Helen Keller's own tutor, Anne Sullivan.
** Jack [The Ripper], [[UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper who honestly needs no background information.]] What little lore we do have on him, however, does imply that he may also be based on London painter, and Ripper suspect, Walter Sickert.
** Violetta [Soul Weaver], based on the disabled performer, Aloisa Wagner, who went by the stage name Violetta.
** Joseph Desaulniers [Photographer], named after and based on Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, the French inventor credited for the creation of photography. His late brother is named after Niépce's older brother and partner, Claude.
** Mary [Bloody Queen], based on UsefulNotes/MarieAntoinette.
** Antonio [Violinist], based on enigmatic musical composer, Niccolo Paganini. Shares the first name of Paganini's father.
* HonorBeforeReason: According to White[=/=]Black Guard's backstory, Xie Bi'an told Fan Wujiu to wait under the bridge while he went to get an umbrella. While he was waiting, Fan saw that the water was rising, but chose not to move so that he wouldn't break his promise. Xie returned to find the bridge fully submerged and his friend nowhere in sight. That being said, Wu Chang's character deductions reveal that the [[DrivenToSuicide full story was]] [[TheScapegoat actually far more complicated.]]
* HopelessWithTech: Murro [Wildling] spent most of his life isolated from society, so it makes sense that he wouldn't be good with decoding cipher machines.
* InterfaceScrew: One of Wu Chang [White and Black Guard]'s abilities makes Survivors unable to interact with the environment while another one reverses their movement directions.
* InstantWinCondition: For the group of Survivors, it's a least three of them escaping either through an Exit Gate or the dungeon. Even if they are knocked down and crawling on their knees, if they manage to get past a certain point in the gate, they escape.
* KarmaHoudini:
** The governor's son from Wu Chang [White and Black Guard]'s deductions. He was causing an incident at a local tavern but due to good old nepotism, both Xie Bi'an and Fan Wujiu were blamed for it while he got away scot-free. With that being said, Wu Chang's backstory contains the detail that the government of the town fell into chaos shortly after the souls of the guards were seemingly exorcised from the umbrella they were trapped in, so it's possible that the duo may have posthumously got their revenge.
** Freddy Riley. He tricked Leo Beck [Hell Ember] into buying an arms factory that was severely in debt and convinced Leo's wife, Martha Remington, to run off with him. As a result, Leo was forced to put his daughter in an orphanage (where she would suffer severe psychological trauma) and then committed suicide. During his game, Freddy not only was able to get revenge on the woman who (accidentally) killed Martha Remington but he also appeared to be the only participant who was able to avoid trouble.
** Unsurprisingly, Jack [The Ripper], who managed to get away with at least five murders.

* LighterAndSofter: Compared to ''Dead by Daylight''. That being said, the game is still pretty dark.

* LoveTriangle:
** There was one between Margaretha Zelle [Female Dancer], her husband Sergi, and Joker [Smiley Face] with Joker's feelings for Margaretha being unrequited.
** Another example is between Leo Beck [Hell Ember], Martha Remington, and Freddy Riley [Lawyer]. Martha chose to elope with Freddy but regretted her decision once she found out how it affected her family.

* MalevolentMaskedMan: Jack [The Ripper] and Joker [Smiley Face].
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: [[spoiler: The Time of Reunion reveals that at least some of the hunter's supernatural appearances are only drug-induced hallucinations]].
* MonsterClown: Joker [Smiley Face].
* MultinationalTeam: In the sense that this can be the case in matches. While most of the characters are of British origin, there are some characters from different countries.
** On the Survivor side there is Kevin Ayuso [Cowboy] and Patricia Dorval [Enchantress] (American), Naib Subedar [Mercenary] (Nepalese), Vera Nair [Perfumer] (French), Ganji Gupta [Batter] (Indian) and Servais Le Roy [Magician] (Belgian). It is also implied that Eli Clark [Seer] is Welsh.
** For the Hunters there is Luchino [Evil Reptilian] and Antonio [Violinist] (Italian), Joseph Desaulniers [Photographer] and Mary [Bloody Queen] (French), Xie Bi'an [White Guard] and Fan Wujiu [Black Guard] (Chinese) and Michiko [Geisha] (Japanese). Where [[EldritchAbomination Yidhra [Dream Witch] and Hastur [Feaster] ]] are originally from has yet to be specified in this game (though the latter does technically live in the lake in Lakeside Village).
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Bane Perez [Gameskeeper] once showed kindness and mercy to a boy who was trespassing on the manor, letting him off easy by not turning him over to the authorities. Said kindness was repaid by him getting mutilated by the group of poachers the boy was a part of and being left for dead.
* OffWithHisHead: Both Robbie White [Axe Boy] and Mary [Bloody Queen] died via decapitation. For Robbie, it was because of a broken window while Mary was executed by a guillotine.
* OhCrap: Lucky Guy's reaction upon coming across Joker [Smiley Face] in the tutorial stage.
* OlderThanTheyLook:
** While the Survivors look like lanky, button-eyed ragdoll children, the backgrounds and careers of many imply that they're adults. Some even have yarn facial hair.
** A more specific example would be Joseph Desaulniers [Photographer]. Although Joseph looks like a young man in his 20's, his deductions imply that he was an elderly man by the time that people began to suspect that he had something to do with the disappearances of the residents of the village where he resided.
* OneDegreeOfSeparation: Several of the playable characters' deductions are related to each other. (Ex. Murro, Joker, Margaretha, and Mike were all performers at the Hullabaloo Circus and mention each other in their deductions.)
* OneHitKill: If the Hunter has Detention, they can down Survivors in one hit for a duration of 120 seconds once the last cipher is activated. However, it takes a while for Naib Subedar [Mercenary] to go down since he can ignore the damage for 30 seconds.

* OrphanageOfLove: What Kreacher Pierson [Thief] tries to pass his orphanage off as.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Jack [The Ripper]'s "Count's Banquet" and Joseph Desaulniers [Photographer]'s "Bloody Sword" skins are vampire-themed.
+ ParentalAbandonment: This seems to be a common occurrence in the characters' deductions.
** Dissatisfied with her marriage to Leo Beck [Hell Ember], Martha Remington ran off to elope with Freddy Riley [Lawyer], abandoning her daughter Lisa Beck (AKA Emma Woods [Gardener]) in the process.
** Fiona Gilman [Priestess]'s father left his family due to wanting to go after "heroes and beauties".
** Violetta [Soul Weaver] was abandoned by her parents underneath a seat at a freak show, presumably because they didn't want to take care of a limbless child.
* ParentsAsPeople: Martha Remington eloped with Freddy Riley [Lawyer], abandoning her daughter because she was dissatisfied with her marriage with Leo Beck [Hell Ember].
* PolarOppositeTwins: Vera Nair [Perfumer] and Chloe Nair. Vera, the cheerful twin, was loved by everyone for her elegance and flattering beauty. On the other hand, Chloe, the nervous twin, was seen as strange for her weird and comical endeavors.
* PremiumCurrency: The game has two: Echoes and Inspirations. The former is only obtainable by purchasing with real money, while the latter can be obtained for free from the Logic Path, Login Rewards and some events. Echoes can be used in place of the game's primary free currencies (Clues and Fragments) to buy Characters, Costumes and Accessories, or outright buy other currencies. Inspirations are used to buy Essences and Memory Spheres, the game's [[GachaGames gacha]]. Notably, there are some items only available for Echoes (i.e. real money), such as most crossover Costumes, some special offers, and high-tier Custom Lobbies.
* PressXToNotDie: While being ballooned, Survivors can break free by struggling enough. If you are playing the mobile version of the game, this is done by repeatedly tapping the screen.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: If the Hunter has Detention then, when the last cipher is activated, their eyes will glow red and they will be able to deal double damage for 120 seconds.
* RichesToRags:
** Tracy Reznik [Mechanic] has spent all of her inheritance upon various projects and found herself in debt, and is drawn to the manor not just for the promise of riches, but the chance to examine the various gadgets there.
** Margaretha Zelle [Female Dancer] lost her husband and with him her financial security.
* SadClown: Joker [Smiley Face]'s job before he was physically disfigured and became a Hunter.
* SerialKiller:
** As it turns out, Jerry Carl who had taken in Aesop Carl [Embalmer] hoping to groom the latter into following his footsteps.
** The one and only Jack [The Ripper].

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Leans more towards the cynical end as the characters deal with heavy issues such as racism, sexism, and abuse and very few of their deductions end on a high note.
* TakingTheBullet: If struck while carrying a female Survivor, Kevin Ayuso [Cowboy] will take double damage, sparing her the hit. Male Survivors he might be trying to help out aren't so lucky.
* RunOrDie: Survivors are faced with this if the Hunter finds them.
* TheRunaway: '''The Circus Runaway''', Margaretha Zelle [Female Dancer], who ran away with the circus. She left her home in Lakeside Village where she lived with her uncle (Eugene Hayward) and aunt (Majorie Hayward) in order to run away with her boyfriend (who later became her husband), a circus performer known as "The Happy Clown".

** As the Coordinator, Mercenary and Forward trained their bodies (for the military for the first two and for sports for the latter) they can vault faster than the other Survivors such as the Doctor and Lawyer, who have less physically demanding occupations, and thus are much slower.
* TownWithADarkSecret: Lakeside Village. There are unusual religious activities that are investigated by Volcker Berglund, a Surveyor for an unnamed organization with ties to several Survivors.
* TragicVillain: Most of the hunters are this. Some examples are:
** Leo Beck [Hell Ember]. Had his wife stolen by someone he considered a friend, tricked into poverty by said 'friend', and had to give up his daughter to an orphanage before finally [[DrivenToSuicide burning himself in his own factory]].
** Michiko [Geisha], who fell in love and married a foreign man only to be murdered by her racist in-law when her husband was away.
** Bane Perez [Gamekeeper] who had the moose he took care of killed, was betrayed and tortured by a boy he once tried to help, and was left for dead.
** White Guard[=/=] Black Guard [Wu Chang] (Xie Bi'an and Fan Wujiu). They were slighted by their governor for an accident, ending with Fan Wujiu drowning in the Nantai Bridge to shoulder the blame. Xie Bi'an was so distraught over this that [[DrivenToSuicide he hanged himself on the same bridge where Fan Wujiu had drowned]].
** Violetta [Soul Weaver ] was born without limbs and was abandoned by her biological parents at a freak show. Max, her adoptive and owner of said freak show physically abused her while she was growing up and sold her off to third-rate circuses once the audience lost interest in her.
* UsedToBeASweetKid: According to a letter written by his mother, Aesop Carl [Embalmer] was a kind and gentle boy.

* {{Villain Protagonist}}s: One of the players gets to play as one of the Hunters to chase and eliminate Survivors who are the other players.

* WellDoneDaughterGirl: Implied in Fiona Gilman [Priestess]'s and to a lesser degree, Violetta [Soul Weaver]'s deductions.

** Mike Morton [Acrobat] is implied to have sadistic tendencies and would experiment with dangerous chemicals for the fun of it.

* PremiumCurrency: The game has two: Echoes and Inspirations. The former is only obtainable by purchasing with real money, while the latter can be obtained for free from the Logic Path, Login Rewards and some events. Echoes can be used in place of the game's primary free currencies (Clues and Fragments) to buy Characters, Costumes and Accessories, or outright buy other currencies. Inspirations are used to buy Essences and Memory Spheres, the game's [[GachaGame gacha]]. Notably, there are some items only available for Echoes (i.e. real money), such as most crossover Costumes, some special offers, and high-tier Custom Lobbies.

** Upon fulfilling the basic requirement for a character's final deduction, the player recieves a "Worn Clothes" skin for said character.

The game was adapted into a three-part [[Theatre/IdentityV stage play series]] in Japan, in 2019-2021.

* DaylightHorror: In the Arms Factory, Red Church, and Sacred Heart Hospital maps it appears to be daytime.

Its FramingDevice is that a [[HelloInsertNameHere a mysterious benefactor]] hires a detective suffering from amnesia and multiple personality disorder to find a missing person. To this end, the detective reconstructs various twisted games documented in a mansion's library.

''Identity V'' is an asymmetrical multiplayer SurvivalHorror game developed and published by [=NetEase=] (of ''VideoGame/Onmyoji2016'' fame) in which one player is a monstrous Hunter, and the remaining players take on the role of survivors struggling to escape from them. Its mechanics are extremely similar to ''VideoGame/DeadByDaylight'', with the overall aesthetic changed from Main/SlasherMovie to a Creator/TimBurton-esque design and atmosphere.

''Identity V'' is an asymmetrical multiplayer SurvivalHorror game developed and published by [=NetEase=] (of ''VideoGame/Onmyoji2016'' fame) in which one player is a monstrous Hunter, and the remaining players take on the role of survivors struggling to escape from them. Its mechanics are extremely similar to ''VideoGame/DeadByDaylight'', with the overall aesthetic changed from Main/SlasherMovie to a ''Creator/TimBurton'' esque design and atmosphere.