History VideoGame / Parodius

** The reason why is obvious, since adult jokes, fanservice, and nudity aplenty.
*** Not to mention a certain ultra-patriotic boss (though, its sprite was changed in some of the European releases as well).
**** The former didn't stop ''{{Otomedius}} Excellent'' from coming out recently (which contains less humor and more Fanservice).
** You think in this day and age Konami would relent and release a collection pack. Sadly, it's 2011, and they still have yet to bring it to American shores. Today, we have a better sense of humor and can take this stuff. But the damn ESRB may keep it from arriving here in the states.

Parodius plays much like the Gradius series, but much [[LighterAndSofter Fluffier]] and [[DenserAndWackier Nuttier]]. Many of the characters are drawn from other {{Konami}} games, including the [[{{Gradius}} Vic Viper]] (whose [[AttackDrone Option]] is itself playable in ''Sexy Parodius''), VideoGame/{{Twinbee}}, [[GanbareGoemon Goemon]], [[AntarcticAdventure Pentarou the penguin]], KidDracula, and Upa (the baby hero of ''Bio Miracle Bokette Upa''). Characters original to the series have included:

** The mermaid boss in the second stage of ''Fantastic Journey'' attacks with laughter in Hiragana.

* ''Gokujou Parodius ～Kako no Eikou wo Motomete～''[[labelnote:translation]]"Ultimate Parodius: Seeking the Glory of the Past"[[/labelnote]] (1994, for arcade and Super Famicom) -- Released in Europe as ''Fantastic Journey''.
* ''Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius''[[labelnote:translation]]"Live Chatting Parodius"[[/labelnote]] (1995, for Super Famicom, [=PlayStation=], Saturn)

** One stage in ''Jikkyo Oshaberi Parodius'' is a blatant pastiche of the Konami shoot-em-up ''Xexex''.
* ArtShift: In ''Jikkyo Oshaberi Parodius'', the stages themed after Xexex and Lethal Enforcers use this.

* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever:In Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius, giant versions of Hikaru and Akane become the level 2 boss. Also, Rika Chichibinita, the giant Vegas dancer, in almost every game save the MSX Parodius and ''Sexy Parodius''.

* BlushSticker: Archangel pig Michael in pachislot-game Gokuraku Parodius.
* CameraAbuse: The ending of Parodius DA!.

* ContinuityNod: the second level of ''Gokujou Parodius'' (a.k.a. ''Fantastic Journey'') has you going underwater at one point. There you will find the [[TakenForGranite corpses of the Pirate Penguin, his crew]], and the remains of the Cat Battleship MK I, who were the first boss and miniboss in Parodius DA! respectively.
* CoolOldGuy: According to Parodius Da! [[SapientShip Vic Viper]] is 58 years old, and his upgrades are pretty average compared with the other characters, but he is also the only character that appears from the first Parodius to Sexy Parodius.
* CoolShades: The front face of the Moai Battleship likes wearing them

** ''Gokujou Parodius''. [[spoiler: After several stages of wackyness, you have finally defeated the Octo-Queen. You find the treasure you've been looking for...only to find that there is a sentient classic cartoon bomb that has taken the place of the treasure. It's fuse has already burned to its last moments, and as a result, the dance club base is utterly destroyed by the ensuing explosion. During the credits, enjoy watching your character float amongst the shattered remains of the club you just raided. However, [[NotQuiteDead that doesn't stop you from entering the]] [[BrutalBonusLevel Special Stage.]]]]
* {{Eagleland}} (Flavor 1): Eagle Sabu, a bald eagle dressed as Uncle Sam, serves as a boss in ''Parodius Da!''.

* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: There's plenty of them. Two almost always serves as playable characters, another (Penclaw, of the ''Taisen Puzzle Dama'' series) is one of the bosses of ''Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius''' Boss Rush stage, and the rest are either {{Mook}}s or [[FunnyBackgroundEvent background elements.]]

* [[{{Expy}} Exported Weaponry]]: The angelic pig Michael (and even moreso Mike in Jikkyo Oshaberi Parodius) has the attacks of ''VideoGame/{{Darius}}'''s Silver Hawk, and Hikaru uses weapons from the ''Thunder Cross'' ship. And Ran is the [[RType R9 Leo]]. Mambo has Screw Laser from MSX's ''Nemesis''-series and Search Laser from ''Xexex''.

* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:Takosuke]] in Sexy Parodius does one of these just before the last level in an attempt to escape with all the money you earned in-game. [[spoiler: He doesn't get far.]]
* FlyAtTheCameraEnding: Parodied (of course) in ''Parodius DA!''. After having destroyed the Bacterian base, our hero flies at the camera and... [[CameraAbuse smashes]] the screen! [[http://www.vazcomics.org/mamend/P/parodius.htm See for yourself]]!

* HomeVersionSoundtrackReplacement: The song that was used originally in the first stage of ''Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius'', "That's the Way I Like It," was changed in the PSP version (to the song [=Brilliant2U=] by Naoki Maeda), presumably by avoiding copyright issues, since it's an American song.
** This happened to other tracks in the collection as well. Prior to it, the PlayStation and SegaSaturn release of Sexy Parodius replaced a arrangement of "El Bimbo" with "Symphony No. 40".
* InertiaIsACruelMistress: Just like in Gradius, too many Speed Ups can make it even harder to maneuver in tight spaces

* MarshmallowHell: An actual attack of a boss in Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius. Mind you, the fact that the "chest" consists of [[ChestBlaster two missiles]] makes it considerably deadlier.
* MisplacedWildlife: Most certainly [[RuleOfFunny intentional]]. One of the later levels in ''Parodius DA!'' is an icy underwater stage... swarming with tropical-looking fish.
* MoodWhiplash: The ending of ''Gokujou Parodius''. See DownerEnding above to see why.

* NintendoHard: Just because the games look cute does not mean they are easy. The MSX Parodius also had shades of this.

**** The former didn't stop OtomediusExcellent from coming out recently (which contains less humor and more Fanservice).

* PandaingToTheAudience: As seen in the page picture, a dancing panda is the first boss of ''Gokujou''. And its fight BGM is ''March of the Toreadors'' from ''Carmen''. HilarityEnsues, especially when you shoot it and its eyes pop out of its head like [[StreetFighterII Blanka]].
* PantyShot: You get one from Anna Baburowa,the first boss in Gokujyou Parodius(Pictured above).You also get another one from her sister Zyiude in the sequel,Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius

** And some are from other Konami properties, like the Castlevania theme remix and such. Holy fuck they just used [[VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution Brilliant2u]] in the first stage of Jikkyo Oshaberi Parodius (originally That's the Way I Like It) in the PSP collection!
* RecurringBoss: If a boss has appeared in the series, chances are that it will show up again in another game. Mind you, not all bosses return ever game. Some are forgotten and not seen again until Konami wakes the hell up and goes back to see what else they made. The Cat Battleship has seen the most appearances, having appeared from ''Parodius DA!'' all the way to ''Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius!'', and that's not even getting into some of the other bosses.

** The most blatant example of the trope may be the flashing Moai's from ''Jikkyo Oshaberi Parodius'', complete with pixelated genitalia...

* TakingYouWithMe: Decoration Core MK II, or also known as Lips (Stage 5 boss) in ''Jikkyo Oshaberi Parodius'' tries to do this after defeating it. If you know this is coming, you won't have trouble avoiding it. Of course, one must be careful of suicide bullets too...
* TrueFinalBoss: [[spoiler:The Mecha Penguin]], fought at the end of the [[BrutalBonusLevel Special Stage]] in ''Gokujou Parodius''.
* UpdatedRerelease: A compilation of most of the games (except the SpinOff Paro Wars) was released for the PSP in 2006. It contained a remake of the MSX original, the PSX version of Jikkyo Oshaberi, and the arcade versions of rest. Due to copyrights involving some of the songs, Konami replaced a few of the tracks with replacement music.

** The mermaid boss in the second stage of Gokujou Parodius attacks with laughter in Hiragana.

[[quoteright:256:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/parodius_snes.jpg]]

** ''Gokujou Parodius''. [[spoiler: After several stages of wackyness, you have finally defeated the Octo-Queen ("Yukari" officially). You find the treasure you've been looking for...only to find that there is a sentient classic cartoon bomb that has taken the place of the treasure. It's fuse has already burned to its last moments, and as a result, the dance club base is utterly destroyed by the ensuing explosion. During the credits, enjoy watching your character float amongst the shattered remains of the club you just raided. However, [[NotQuiteDead that doesn't stop you from entering the]] [[BrutalBonusLevel Special Stage.]]]]

** ''Gokujou Parodius''. [[spoiler: After several stages of wackyness, you have finally defeated the Octo-Queen. You find the treasure you've been looking for...only to find that there is a sentient classic cartoon bomb that has taken the place of the treasure. It's fuse has already burned to its last moments, and as a result, the dance club base is utterly destroyed by the ensuing explosion. During the credits, enjoy watching your character float amongst the shattered remains of the club you just raided. However, [[NotQuiteDead that doesn't stop you from entering the]] [[BrutalBonusLevel Special Stage.]]]]

** Kid Dracula uses the attacks of the ship from ''{{Axelay}}'', another Konami shooter. Michael had the Morning Star (as "Round Shot") from Axelay as well.

* EverythingsBetterWithChickens: Especially chicks. They are mostly {{Mook}}s.

** ''Gokujou Parodius''. [[spoiler: After several stages of wackyness, you have finally defeated the Octo-Queen. You find the treasure you've been looking for...only to find that there is a sentient classic cartoon bomb that has taken the place of the treasure. It's fuse has already burned to its last moments, and as a result, the dance club base is utterly destroyed by the ensuing explosion. During the credits, enjoy watching your character float amongst the shattered remains of the club you just raided. However, [[NotQuiteDead that doesn't stop you from entering the]] [[BonusLevelOfHell Special Stage.]]]]

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: This series is weird even after the CuteEmUp design.
* WidgetSeries: It's not a surprise that Western audineces are weirded out by this series.

* EverythingsBetterWithBunnies: The Moon Rabbit level in ''Gokujou Parodius''

Parodius plays much like the Gradius series, but much [[LighterAndSofter Lighter And Fluffier]]. Many of the characters are drawn from other {{Konami}} games, including the [[{{Gradius}} Vic Viper]] (whose [[AttackDrone Option]] is itself playable in ''Sexy Parodius''), VideoGame/{{Twinbee}}, [[GanbareGoemon Goemon]], [[AntarcticAdventure Pentarou the penguin]], KidDracula, and Upa (the baby hero of ''Bio Miracle Bokette Upa''). Characters original to the series have included:

* EenieMeenieMinyMoai: A huge battleship of them, [[{{Darius}} approaching fast]]. They also often appear in pre-stages.

* [[{{Expy}} Exported Weaponry]]: The angelic pig Michael (and even moreso Mike in Jikkyo Oshaberi Parodius) has the attacks of ''{{Darius}}'''s Silver Hawk, and Hikaru uses weapons from the ''Thunder Cross'' ship. And Ran is the [[RType R9 Leo]]. Mambo has Screw Laser from MSX's ''Nemesis''-series and Search Laser from ''Xexex''.

* ''Parodius Da! 〜Shinwa kara Owarai〜''[[labelnote:translation]]"It's Parodius! From Myth to Comedy"[[/labelnote]] (1990, for arcade, SNES, PC-Engine, NES, Game Boy) -- Released in Europe as ''Parodius: Non-Sense Fantasy''.

* ''Parodius ～Tako wa Chikyū o Sukū～''[[labelnote:translation:"The Octopus Saves the Earth"]] (1988, for {{MSX}})
* ''Parodius Da!''[[labelnote:translation:"It's Parodius!"]] (1990, for arcade, SNES, PC-Engine, NES, Game Boy) -- Released in Europe as ''Parodius: Non-Sense Fantasy''.
* ''Gokujou Parodius ～Kako no Eikou wo Motomete～''[[labelnote:translation:"Ultimate Parodius: Seeking the Glory of the Past"]] (1994, for arcade and Super Famicom) -- Released in Europe as ''Fantastic Journey''.
* ''Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius''[[labelnote:translation:"Live Chatting Parodius"]] (1995, for Super Famicom, [=PlayStation=], Saturn)

Parodius is pretty much ''{{Gradius}}'' [[ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs on acid]]. The series spans six games, including a turn-based strategy game. Leave your common sense at the door.

The weapons and powerups are largely derived from ''{{Gradius}}'', ''Salamander'' and ''VideoGame/{{Twinbee}}'', but later games have characters equipped with weapons modeled after Konami's lesser-known {{Shoot Em Up}}s, such as ''VideoGame/ThunderCross'', ''{{Axelay}}'' and ''XEXEX'', and from other shooters such as ''{{Darius}}'', ''{{R-Type}} Leo'' and ''TruxtonII''. The enemies are [[EverythingTryingToKillYou all over the place]], but if there are two common themes, it's [[EverythingsBetterWithPenguins penguins]] and [[EenieMeenieMinyMoai moai]].

** Sometimes of other properties: the Moai Battleship is most likely a parody of {{R-Type}}'s infamous huge spaceship from the 3rd level.

The weapons and powerups are largely derived from ''{{Gradius}}'', ''Salamander'' and ''VideoGame/{{Twinbee}}'', but later games have characters equipped with weapons modeled after Konami's lesser-known {{Shoot Em Up}}s ''VideoGame/ThunderCross'', ''{{Axelay}}'' and ''XEXEX'', and from other shooters such as ''{{Darius}}'', ''{{R-Type}} Leo'' and ''TruxtonII''. The enemies are [[EverythingTryingToKillYou all over the place]], but if there are two common themes, it's [[EverythingsBetterWithPenguins penguins]] and [[EenieMeenieMinyMoai moai]].

* CoolOldGuy: According to Parodius Da! [[SapientShip Vic Viper]] is 58 years old,and his upgrades are pretty average compared with the other characters,but he is also the only character that appears from the first Parodius to Sexy Parodius

** Takosuke and Takohiko's name are a portmanteau of the word ``tako''(Octopus in japanese)and common endings for japanese names.

* Hikaru & Akane: [[RocketRide Torpedo-riding]] girls in PlayboyBunny outfits.

The weapons and powerups are largely derived from ''{{Gradius}}'', ''Salamander'' and ''VideoGame/{{Twinbee}}'', but later games have characters equipped with weapons modeled after Konami's lesser-known {{Shoot Em Up}}s ''VideoGame/ThunderCross'', ''{{Axelay}}'' and ''XEXEX'', and from other shooters such as ''{{Darius}}'', ''{{R-Type}} Leo'' and ''{{Truxton II}}''. The enemies are [[EverythingTryingToKillYou all over the place]], but if there are two common themes, it's [[EverythingsBetterWithPenguins penguins]] and [[EenieMeenieMinyMoai moai]].

* CuteEmUp

* DownerEnding:

* [[{{Expy}} Exported Weaponry]]: The angelic pig Michael (and even moreso Mike in Jikkyo Oshaberi Parodius) has the attacks of ''{{Darius}}'''s Silver Hawk, and Hikaru uses weapons from the ''Thunder Cross'' ship. And Ran is the [[RType R9 Leo]]. Mambo has Screw Laser from MSX's ''Nemesis''-series and Search Laser from ''Xexex''.

* GorgeousGorgon: One serves as the end boss of one of two possible third levels in ''Sexy Parodius''. Of course, given that level pays homage to {{Castlevania}}, and [[{{Konami}} who made both]], this is a given.

** This happened to other tracks in the collection as well. Prior to it, the PlayStation and SegaSaturn release of Sexy Parodius replaced a arrangement of "El Bimbo" with "Symphony No. 40".

** Takosuke and Takohiko´s name are a portmanteau of the word ``tako´´(Octopus in japanese)and common endings for japanese names.

** And some are from other Konami properties, like the Castlevania theme remix and such. Holy fuck they just used [[DanceDanceRevolution Brilliant2u]] in the first stage of Jikkyo Oshaberi Parodius (originally That's the Way I Like It) in the PSP collection!

* SapientShip: [[{{Gradius}} Vic Viper and Lord British]] seem to be sapient beings, rather than mere ships with pilots in them. Of course, this being ''Parodius'', this is played up for comedy.
* ShoutOut: Even past the [[{{Expy}} exported characters]] and ShootEmUp homages. Starting with the third game, many levels have been based on other Konami properties, including but not limited to ''TokimekiMemorial'', ''VideoGame/GanbareGoemon'', ''VideoGame/LethalEnforcers'', ''Taisen Puzzle Dama'', ''{{Castlevania}}'', ''VideoGame/YieArKungFu'', and ''[[LivePowerfulProBaseball Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu]]''.

* WeHelpTheHelpless: The plot in Sexy Parodius revolves around Takosuke opening an agency to help people in whatever problem they have. [[spoiler: In the end, however, Takosuke isn't exactly intent on staying faithful to that.]]

* ShoutOut: Even past the [[{{Expy}} exported characters]] and ShootEmUp homages. Starting with the third game, many levels have been based on other Konami properties, including but not limited to ''TokimekiMemorial'', ''GanbareGoemon'', ''Lethal Enforcers'', ''Taisen Puzzle Dama'', ''{{Castlevania}}'', ''YieArKungFu'', and ''[[LivePowerfulProBaseball Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu]]''.

* HomeVersionSoundtrackReplacement: The song that was used originally in the first stage of ''Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius'', "That's the Way I Like It," was changed in the PSP version (by the song [=Brilliant2U=] from Naoki Maeda), presumably by avoiding copyright issues, since it's an American song.

* MoodWhiplash (The ending of ''Gokujou Parodius''. See DownerEnding above to see why.)
* MoonRabbit (Moon bunny stage!)
* NintendoHard (Just because the games look cute does not mean they are easy. The MSX Parodius also had shades of this.)
* NoExportForYou (Japan has it, Europe has most of them, but if you live in North America? Too bad!)

*** Not to mention a certain ultra-patriotic boss (though, to be fair, its sprite was changed in some of the European releases as well).

* RefugeInAudacity (Neutered cats? Bunny girls flying on torpedoes? Using a condom as a shield (for the stick figures on airplanes)? And that's even before getting into the contents of ''Sexy Parodius''.)

* PublicDomainSoundtrack (Most of the background music is based on classical and folk music.)

* ShoutOut: Even past the {{Expy}} characters and ShootEmUp homages. Starting with the third game, many levels have been based on other Konami properties, including but not limited to ''TokimekiMemorial'', ''GanbareGoemon'', ''Lethal Enforcers'', ''Taisen Puzzle Dama'', ''{{Castlevania}}'', ''YieArKungFu'', and ''[[LivePowerfulProBaseball Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu]]''.

* [[{{Expy}} Exported Weaponry]]: The angelic pig Michael has the attacks of ''{{Darius}}'''s Silver Hawk, and Hikaru uses weapons from the ''Thunder Cross'' ship. And Ran is the [[RType R9]]. Mambo has Screw Laser from MSX's ''Nemesis''-series and Search Laser from ''Xexex''.

*** Also, Tako/Octopus has the ''Salamander'' configuration while Pentarou has the ''Gradius III''configuration... heck, almost everybody is probably this in some way or another.

** ''Sexy Parodius'' can end this way, as failing to find the weak point of the Special Stage's boss will [[spoiler:make her roll over and ''crush Takosuke to death'']]. The ending is partially based on whether you can prevent this or not.

* DownerEnding: ''Gokujou Parodius''. [[SuddenDownerEnding And]] [[MoodWhiplash HOW!]]
** [[spoiler: To elaborate, after several stages of wackyness, you have finally defeated the Octo-Queen. You find the treasure you've been looking for...only to find that there is a sentient classic cartoon bomb that has taken the place of the treasure. It's fuse has already burned to its last moments, and as a result, the dance club base is utterly destroyed by the ensuing explosion. During the credits, enjoy watching your character float amongst the shattered remains of the club you just raided. However, [[NotQuiteDead that doesn't stop you from entering the]] [[BonusLevelOfHell Special Stage.]]]]
** However, at the end of ''Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius'', [[spoiler: while the entire island the game takes place on is destroyed, your character does manage to escape the explosion, and unlike most of the other games, (for ''Parodius DA!'', your character got injured from running into the screen, and above mentioned game has your character out cold and floating through space) your character is unharmed.]]
** ''Sexy Parodius'' can end this way, as failing to find the weak point of the [[ThatOneBoss Special Stage's boss]] will [[spoiler:make her roll over and ''crush Takosuke to death'']]. The ending is based on whether you can prevent this or not.
** Actually, the goal is to get to the end as quickly as possible to prevent [[spoiler: Takosuke from running off with the money. If he succeeds, the real downer ending happens, with Takosuke surrounded by women and the player characters broke and frustrated.]]

* {{Expy}}: not in appearance but in abilities - the angelic pig Michael has the attacks of ''{{Darius}}'''s Silver Hawk, and Hikaru uses weapons from the ''Thunder Cross'' ship. And Ran is the [[RType R9]]. Mambo has Screw Laser from MSX's ''Nemesis''-series and Search Laser from ''Xexex''.
** Kid Dracula uses the attacks of the ship from ''{{Axelay}}'', another Konami shooter.