History VideoGame / SuperRobotWarsZ

* CharacterExaggeration: [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny Lunamaria Hawke]] and her accuracy. Thanks to [[NeverLiveItDown an incident]] in ''Gundam SEED Destiny'' where she cleanly misses hitting a ''battleship'' with a beam rifle, she has the "honor" of having the Spirit Command "Strike"[[note]]For one turn, increase accuracy to 100%[[/note]] at the unusually high cost of 30 Spirit Points (normally, it costs about half or a third of that) - a figure only matched by Mr. NoSenseOfDirection [[Characters/SuperRobotWars2 Masaki Andoh]]. This is reflected in ''Tengoku-hen'', where her shots miss when she's in the "ZAFT Combination" attack used by Shinn.

* CrutchCharacter: [[spoiler:Kamina]] in ''Hakai-hen''; [[spoiler:if he didn't bite it]] halfway through the game, he would've been a GameBreaker.
** To elaborate, he has extremely high stats for a SuperRobot pilot, gains the Spirit Command "Valor"[[note]]Deal twice the amount of damage for the next successful attack[[/note]] the earliest out of any character in the game, and his "Ace Bonus" raises maximum Will by 30, which, combined with the "Will Limit Break" pilot skill[[note]]Raise maximum Will to 170 instead of 150[[/note]], would set his maximum Will to 200. Should players decide to LevelGrind, he'll learn the Spirit Command "Soul"[[note]]Deal 2.5 times the damage for the next successful attack[[/note]], making it likely he can outdamage even Ryouma.
** This is suddenly inverted if the player {{Level Grind}}s Simon to achieve his "Ace Bonus": while the "Ace Bonus" for [[spoiler:Kamina]] raises maximum Will, Simon's bonus raises Will by 30 ''at the start of a scenario'', [[SimpleYetAwesome meaning he begins each stage with an advantage in power, durability, and the use of all of the Gurren Lagann's attacks out the gate]].

* WhamEpisode[=/=]TheReveal: Many from the various franchises, such as the nature of the Elda, but the biggest one is the revelation [[spoiler:the Black History is not just the past, but the possible ''end of the multiverse'', brought about by ZEUTH]].
** In terms of stages/episodes, Scenario 50 is a megaton-wham since it begins as a mission to get back [[Anime/AfterWarGundamX D.O.M.E]], cuts to the above reveal [[ExpositionBreak in a lengthy story sequence]], then goes on to introduce the [[Anime/TurnAGundam awakening of the Moonlight Butterfly]], complete with its ominous Black History {{Leitmotif}}.
** [[spoiler:Scenario 49 of ''Hakai-hen'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTPWJABzfEY it turns out those pesky Dimensional Beasts ZEXIS has been fighting]] [[WasOnceAMan were once humans]]]] (although this particular development was {{Foreshadowed}} to hell and back by [[spoiler:nearly half of the dialogue from [[Characters/SuperRobotWarsZ Marguerite Pistail]]]].
** Throughout the ''Z'' saga, the Ba'al is seen as this inevitable calamity. ''Tengoku-hen'' reveals their nature [[spoiler:as a misdirection concocted by the four Honorable Servants (who cursed Asakim), who manipulated the Dimensional Generals to fight ZEUTH and ZEXIS in order to acquire their Spheres for the Supreme God]].

*** Kira gets flak for attacking ZEUTH together with the Earth Federation without trying to talk with them first. Later, he gets called out by Harry Ord for always fighting trying to disable other pilots in combat, putting himself in danger.

** Best example hands down is the redesigned [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack Nu Gundam]] and its "[[AttackDrone Fin Funnel]]" [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWEKrTKhrCs attack]] in the ''Second Z''. There's a reason why the fans say Banpresto [[MemeticMutation blew the animation budget on the Nu Gundam]].
** All hail [[http://www.mmcafe.com/nico.html#http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm26128915 Arios-san.]]

* ArcWords: "Z" is a letter that refers to many important figures in the series. The names of the BadassCrew of each part each begins with letter Z. The Twelve Spheres draw power from the western Zodiac. [[spoiler: And the series' TrueFinalBoss is literally "Z"]].

* ArtShift: See {{Retraux}} entry below; classic mecha use a different, very old-school animated art style for their strongest attacks.

* BashBrothers: ''Z'' started the tradition of pairing Kamille and [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny Shinn Asuka]], one of the many reasons the plot of ''Gundam SEED Destiny'' turns out much better. Also applicable to [[Anime/AfterWarGundamX Garrod Ran]] and [[Anime/EurekaSeven Renton Thurston]]; [[Anime/OvermanKingGainer Gainer Sanga]] sometimes form a team of three with the latter two.

** [[Characters/SuperRobotWarsZ Rand Travis]] experiences extreme pain due to tapping into the Sphere of the "Wounded Lion", while [[Characters/SuperRobotWarsZ Mel Beater]] can't CantGrowUp, although in her case she had her time stopped to keep her alive.

* BookEnds: [[Anime/SuperDimensionCenturyOrguss Kei]] was the one who started the whole saga by messing up the Space Time Oscillation Bomb. [[spoiler: He says the last voiced lines in the series.]]

* CerebusSyndrome: Rand's route in ''Z'' is generally a silly, lighthearted romp until the point where he gets his Gunleon's MidSeasonUpgrade, where everything becomes serious from that point on (not to say the silliness is completely gone, of course).

** The in-game database notes the in-series CharacterExaggeration[=/=]VillainDecay [[Anime/{{Xabungle}} Hola and Gelaba]] went through in the later half of their show.

* ChekhovsGun: Near the beginning of ''Hakai-hen'', Lelouch places a Geass command to force [[Characters/SuperRobotWarsZ Carlos Axion Jr.]], the richest man in the world and president of the Axion Foundation that created Crowe's Brasta, to answer any questions Lelouch has for him so he can steal his financial information to fund the creation of [[Anime/CodeGeass The Order of the Black Knights]]. [[spoiler:However, Carlos is working against ZEXIS, and when they get their hands on him, ZEXIS interrogates him as to Gaiou's whereabouts. When he doesn't comply, Lelouch-as-Zero recalls the Geass command and asks him personally; Carlos instantly reveals Gaiou's location. Everyone else is confused by Carlos' sudden change of heart, since they don't know that Zero is Lelouch or what Geass is]].

** Since ''Saisei-hen'' doesn't inherit pilots' kill counts from ''Hakai-hen'' ([[DiscOneNuke for obvious]] [[GameBreaker reasons]]), it invariably makes the player feel weird when [[Anime/GodMars Takeru Myojin]] isn't a Super-A Class psychic, or Gainer ceases to become a Game Champion and others, despite ''Saisei-hen'' occurring one year after ''Hakai-hen''. The same can be said about former ZEUTH members from ''Z''.

* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Char still has the unfortunate habit of switching sides in the ''Z'' series and coming back if the conditions are right. He sides with one half of ZEUTH in ''Z'', aligns with [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 A-LAWS]] in ''Saisei-hen'' and returns to the Neo Zeon for ''Jigoku-hen''.

** In the case of ''Grendizer'', some fans believe it's not in ''Hakai-hen'' due to ''Battle of the Flying Saucers'' potentially being part of the line-up ''Saisei-hen'' (both shows are created by Creator/GoNagai, with the latter considered a prototype for the former). Once ''Saisei-hen'' was revealed, Banpresto stated they apparently forgot about ''Grendizer''.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Setsuko's route in spades for ''Z''; one of the reasons why some prefer her route to Rand's. It's like the game separates DarkerAndEdgier and LighterAndSofter into two concentrated masses of suck and fun.

* DownerBeginning: At the start of ''Tengoku-hen'', Sidereal invades the Blue Earth and conquers most of it. They proceed to the "Gaia Empire".

* WhatTheHellHero: Kira gets flak in ''Z'' for his OmniscientMoralityLicense of disabling other pilots in combat and putting himself in danger from Harry Ord.
** Shinn gets two or three himself in the same game: from Amuro, for letting his anger drive him in battle and for being a little too happy to hate and kill the enemy (while Amuro knows it's necessary, he also believes killing isn't something that should be done lightly, and restraint is important), from Holland for being more sympathetic to Stella than his allies in ZEUTH, even though Stella was an enemy and destroying Berlin, and from ''everyone'' in ZEUTH if he sides with Durandal.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: If the player chooses the ZAFT Route at around Scenario 45 of ''Z'', Haman simply [[PermanentlyMissableContent vanishes from the plot after a certain point]]. [[spoiler:Fortunately, this doesn't happen if the player manages to take the ZEUTH Route, where she's playable]]. However, [[TheBusCameBack she's back]] for ''Jigoku-hen''.

* ADayInTheLimelight: ''Z'' is this to ''Anime/{{Zambot 3}}'', which had previously been frequently overshadowed by its sibling series ''Anime/{{Daitarn 3}}'', as well losing a good deal of its plot to lessen the [[KillEmAll copius deaths]] and child abuse. However, ''Daitarn 3'' in ''Z'' is reduced to a supporting role, while the ''Zambot 3'' plot has a larger presence in the route for [[Characters/SuperRobotWarsZ Setsuko Ohara]], with a lot more of the plot retained.

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: When Wing Gundam Zero shows up for the first time in ''Jigoku-hen'', Shinn appears to be the only person aware of the machine's appearance had changed since the last time they saw it, unwittingly lampshading the redesign it got in the transition from the TV series to ''Endless Waltz'':

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: When Wing Gundam Zero shows up for the first time in ''Jigoku-hen'', Shinn appears to be the only person aware of the machine's design changing from the TV version seen in ''Saisei-hen'' to the ''Endless Waltz'' version:
-->'''Shinn:''' Is it just me, or does it look a little different?
* LetsSplitUpGang: Subvertedin ''Z''; ZEUTH splits up for a while mid-way, which is pretty standard for the franchise, [[spoiler:but it turns out to be [[LetsYouAndHimFight a very bad idea]]]].

*** Happens again at the end of ''Hakai-hen'': Zero orders ZEXIS to disperse and go their separate ways, as their mission to destroy Gaiou is complete. However, Lelouch is doing this because his crusade against Britannia isn't over. Again, this becomes another bad idea because the "[[Anime/CodeGeass Black Rebellion]]" fails without ZEXIS's support; the Black Knights are captured (aside from Kallen and [[Anime/CodeGeass C.C.]]), while Zero is apprehended and {{Brainwashed}}. Celestial Being and [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing the colony Gundams]] are promptly targeted with their protection from the United Nations revoked, rendering the former nearly wiped out, with the ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Ptolemaios]]'' battleship and most of its Gundams destroyed, and scattering the colony Gundams. The ZEXIS forces on the Dark Continent are understaffed and unable to stop [[Manga/GetterRobo Professor Saotome]]. ZEUTH Gundam pilots are forced to turn to the Organization of Zodiac for protection and shelter, and the rest of the ADW is helpless to stop the rise of the A-LAWS and the hegemony by [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Ribbons Almark]].

* SpeedRun: ''Rengoku-hen'' has one of the smallest numbers of stages in the series so this trope is possible to do so as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kM16_4HRf0 this video suggests]].

* ArmorPiercingSlap: [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Sumeragi Li Noriega]] delivers one to [[Characters/SuperRobotWarsZ Elgan Laudic]] in the ''Second Z''

* OverratedAndUnderleveled: A variation, though not exactly a straight example, either - Quattro is statistically one of the best pilots in ''Z'' but never gets his own top-of-the-line mobile suit, relegating him to the so-so [[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Hyaku Shiki]], which has nothing on the more powerful units later in the game (unless he's placed in the Turn A as most players do).
** Kira and the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny Strike Freedom]] in ''Z'': unless the player has been deliberately saving credits in Rand's route to upgrade the Freedom in the two or three scenarios he's with ZEUTH, by the time the Strike Freedom is available, it will have a paltry three bars of upgrades and Kira will have bonus Pilot Points to use, yet the player's squads are likely filled up with specifically designated leaders.

* DifficultySpike: Scenario 15 of ''Saisei-hen''; until this point, the game's a cakewalk, especially if it's imported a save data from ''Hakai-hen''. However, this stage pits the player against [[spoiler:Marilyn and her Firebug Squad]]. Not only are they powerful, accurate, and mobile, Marilyn has a high level of the "Command" pilot skill[[note]]Pilot emits an aura boosting accuracy/evasion rates to allies; the higher the level, the greater the aura, and the closer to the pilot allies are, the greater the accuracy/evasion rates[[/note]], granting adjacent enemies immense accuracy/evasion boosts. Several other scenarios also qualify, particularly ones where [[Characters/SuperRobotWarsZ Geraud Garce Bantail]] appears.
** The space route in the first route split of ''Jigoku-hen'' offers players ''Zeta Gundam'' units (who typically are some of the weakest units in franchise history) sans the Zeta, Heero and [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Duo Maxwell]] (using [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Leos]] instead of their Gundams), Hibiki, and Shinn. One scenario in this route pits the party against a bunch of real robots with conspicuously high HP and evasion rates escorting the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn Kshatriya]] (who must be defeated in a set number of turns to receive the "SR Point") and [[ThatOneBoss Haman]] with her trademark [[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Quebeley]], alongside her having the "Leadership" pilot skill, making the fight against the {{Mooks}} even harder.

* TrueCompanions: ''[[{{Deconstruction}} Gleefully]]'' toyed with, but [[OlderThanTheyThink this isn't the first time]] - back in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars64'', Wufei will leave the party if the player decides to join the Organization of Zodiac, while ''Destiny'' forces the player to [[EnemyMine align]] with the Neo Zeon to fight the aliens. In ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAdvance'', actual fistfights occur between [[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam Domon Kasshu]] and [[Anime/{{Daimos}} Kazuya Ryuuzaki]]. Still, ''Z'' takes it to a whole new level, [[spoiler:with half of ZEUTH in ''Z'' split into sides ready to kill each other]].

* UnskilledButStrong: [[Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion Evangelion 13]] in ''Tengoku-hen'' might lack an ALL Attack, but it sure has some power, specifically its "[[BladeOnAStick Spear of Longinus]]", a mere 100 points fewer for base attack power of matching the Super Galaxy Gurren Lagann's "Giga Drill Break"..

* AMillionIsAStatistic: In Scenario 53 of the "Trust [[Anime/CodeGeass Zero]]" Route in ''Saisei-hen'', [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Chang Wufei]] asks [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Treize Khushrenada]] how many people have died because of him. As per ''Gundam Wing'', Treize states an exact number - 999,822. For the record, only 99,822 people died because of him in the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing After Colony]] universe alone, but due to the multiple dimensions and alternate Earths combined to form the ADW, the body count has jumped close to a million.

* TheComicallySerious: ''Z'' enjoys placing deadpan characters in the middle of comedic situations. Roger comes to mind, with jabs at his constant failures at "negotiation" and having to resort to force. Taken UpToEleven in ''Jigoku-hen'' (see RunningGag).

** Goes UpToEleven in ''Hakai-hen'' by adding in Lelouch, [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Ribbons Almark]], [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Treize]], and [[Anime/MacrossFrontier Grace O'Connor]], not to mention the team of [[SpannerInTheWorks spanners]] that comprise the entirety of [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Team Dai-Gurren]]. Then ''Saisei-hen'' introduces the [[KnightTemplar Anti]]-[[EldritchAbomination Spirals]]...

** [[Anime/{{Gravion}} Klein Sandman]] and [[Anime/GenesisOfAquarion Gen Fudo]] are [[UpToEleven even more hammy than they were in their own series]]. The ham level of Gym and [[Anime/OvermanKingGainer Asuham Boone]] have also gone off the scale; they even try to out-ham each other in one of the save-quit intermission dialogues, and they're [[Creator/TakehitoKoyasu voiced by the same person]].
** Lelouch and Kamina in ''Hakai-hen''. The UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable will be able to spit out roast hams after that game is inserted. Turned UpToEleven when Kamina hijacks Sheryl's concert stage.

* UpToEleven: ''Saisei-hen'' is the only [=SRW=] to date to surpass the [[http://akurasu.net/wiki/Super_Robot_Wars/Z2.2/Series number of series in a single game]] (Which had a whopping '''39''' series featured) previously set by ''Alpha 3'' (Which had 31 series featured).

** [[spoiler:Although there were other factors, such as natural personality conflicts, the actions of the ''Archangel'' in antagonizing Setsuko's team, but siding with Rand's causes one group to detest the crew of the battleship and the other to defend their new friends. In addition, Duke Freed appears at a poor time to witness the cast of ''Zambot 3'' taking out their anger on an alien enemy, and mentions to the other team the report of ZAFT's side being violently anti-extraterrestrial seems to be true. The faked reports are only the tip of the iceberg]].

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: ''Z'' contains over 20 different series, each bringing in numerous characters. The sheer amount of characters by itself is more then enough, but the ''Second Z'' takes it UpToEleven by bringing the series count to ''over 30'', resulting in one of the largest series headcounts in the franchise.

* ThoseTwoBadGuys: Girtar and Sardías in ''Tengoku-hen'' seem more like comic relief than villians. At the very least, they're portrayed as being a more bumbling buffoons than the other members of Sidereal.

* LetsPlay: Saint-ism has one for ''[[http://www.saint-ism.com/lets-play-super-robot-wars-z2/ Hakai-hen]]'' and ''[[http://www.saint-ism.com/lets-play-super-robot-wars-z2-saisei-hen/ Saisei-hen]]'', the latter featuring "arranged battles" where attack animations are edited into into extended battle sequences.
** A thorough screenshot LP of Z and the Special Disk was done by Brunom, Dr. Pepper, & Caphi, with a combination of line-for-line translation and summaries. It can be found ''[[http://lparchive.org/Super-Robot-Wars-Z/ here]]''

*** Gym, the Frost Brothers and Dewey Novak

** Deathscythe Hell's "Hyper Jammer ECM Suite" attack in ''Saisei-hen'' loses its built-in "accuracy down" StandardStatusEffect of the original Deathscythe's "Hyper Jammer" attack, making it stronger but less useful, overall.

* BagOfSpilling: Every major series character in ZEUTH loses something when they appear in ''Hakai-hen'', either a CombinationAttack (provided they have one) or their unit's strongest attack. Only [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack Amuro Ray]] and [[Anime/{{Daitarn 3}} Banjou Haran]] avert this, the latter actually ''gaining'' a new CombinationAttack; however, they appear much later in ''Hakai-hen'' than the others. A smaller case occurs in ''Saisei-hen'', notably Dai-Guard having its weapons overhauled and the [[Anime/EurekaSeven Nirvash Spec3]] mysteriously devolving into the Spec2.

* TookALevelInBadass: Mazinger Z's "[[EyeBeams Koushiryoku Beam]]" is usually the weakest attack it has. However, in the ''Second Z'', it surpasses its "[[ChestBlaster Breast Fire]]" in damage potential, making it one of Mazinger's most powerful attacks. Why? Because that's what ''Shin Mazinger'' strongly suggests.

* CloseOnTitle: Scenario 32 of ''Hakai-hen'' are [[spoiler:Kamina's last words]]

* CloseOnTitle: Scenario 32 of ''Hakai-hen'' are [[spoiler:Kamina's FamousLastWords]]

** Some of the explicit hooks in ''Z'' includes Kouji watching the Black History recording and talking about seeing a [[Anime/ShinMazinger "Mazinger-like" machine he doesn't recognize]], Ryouma getting shocked after watching the same recording and asking "Is that machine with the fearsome movements a Getter?!" (really, the Shin Getter), with his remarks in the final scenario about sensing the presence of another version of himself that [[FutureMeScaresMe flat-out terrifies him]] (none other than fan-favorite "[[CrazyAwesome Batshit]] [[SlasherSmile Ryouma]]" from ''Getter Robo Armageddon'' and the ''Getter Robo'' manga) and Banjou deciding to leave for Mars and talk about "his true battle just beginning".

* BashBrothers: ''Z'' started the tradition of pairing Kamille and [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny Shinn Asuka]], one of the many reasons the plot of ''Gundam SEED Destiny'' turns out much better. Also applicable to [[Anime/AfterWarGundamX Garrod Ran]] and [[Anime/EurekaSeven Renton Thurston]]; [[Anime/OvermanKingGainer Gainer Sanga]] sometimes form a PowerTrio with the latter two.

* FlameWar: Have an urgent need for supernova-grade heat? Go on a forum (preferably Website/GameFAQs) and ask the dreaded question "Who's better: Rand or Setsuko?" or just mention them both in the same sentence and hide in a nuclear shelter.
** When ''Hakai-hen'' was released, complaining about the inability to save [[spoiler:Kamina, Lockon and Euphemia]] was enough to release A LOT of heat. For a while, fans of old school ''Mazinger'', who has [[WolverinePublicity appeared in every SRW]], were upset ''Shin Mazinger'' is the one appearing in the ''Second Z''.

* {{Retcon}}: ''Z'' completely writes out ''Char's Counterattack'' in favor of keeping Char in line with his ''Zeta Gundam'' persona. Still, it's odd since ''Char's Counterattack'' is only in ''Z'' to give Amuro the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterAttack Re-GZ]] and eventual Nu Gundam, while Char gets stuck with his Hyaku Shiki and doesn't get the Sazabi. Nevertheless, the moment where he and Amuro learn about the possible future and Char wholeheartedly declaring to stop it from happening. Eventually this paves way to including ''Char's Counterattack'' but executing it differently that Char gets to keep his positive CharacterDevelopment.
** One of the things ''Z'' is known for is its handling of the ''Gundam SEED Destiny'' plot in a way that is believable and more enjoyable.
** It's implied in ''Tengoku-hen'' [[spoiler:Apollo and Sirius were sealed with the Aquarion since the ending of ''Z'', in spite of ''Jigoku-hen'' having members of ZEXIS being afflicted with LaserGuidedAmnesia in regards to the Aquarion, and ZEUTH members, including Simon, outright referencing Apollo like they knew him in the ''Aquarion Evol'' finale. The problem is that it's never outright stated any members of [[Anime/GenesisOfAquarion DEAVA]] weren't present for the events of the ''Second Z'', meaning ZEXIS would be meeting them for the first time, but only ZEUTH would act like they know them]].

* AfterTheEnd: ''Z'' uses by far the highest number of post-apocalyptic series in any ''Super Robot Wars'' entry to date: [[spoiler: Anime/TheBigO, Anime/EurekaSeven, Anime/TurnAGundam]], Anime/OvermanKingGainer, Anime/Xabungle and Anime/AfterWarsGundamX are all set after some sort of unthinkable disaster that struck humankind.