History VideoGame / YandereSimulator

''Yandere Simulator''[[labelnote:§]][working title][[/labelnote]] is an indie stealth game for PC, made in the UsefulNotes/{{Unity}} engine by Alex "[=YandereDev=]" Mahan. Its protagonist is a high-school girl, the titular "Yandere-chan" (real name Ayano "Yan-chan" Aishi), who until recently [[EmotionlessGirl was incapable of experiencing emotion]] until she met her "Senpai" Taro/Taeko Yamada, the first person in her life to actually make her ''feel'' something. Addicted to the new emotions her Senpai stirred in her, she developed an obsession with him ([[GayOption or her]]) at first sight. Unfortunately, Senpai is starting to get pretty popular at school, leading Ayano to dispose of her romantic rivals in any way possible.

* BrandX: While the SAIKOU Corporation's products don't normally fit this trope, there's a notable exception – the video game console owned by Ayano and Pippi is a [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 SaikouStation 4]].

** In the debug builds, you can adjust the size of Ayano's chest from supermassive to [[UsefulNotes/{{Pettanko}} nearly concave]] on the fly. Though the Dev has said that Yan-chan will be customizable in the final game, it is unknown if her bust will still be adjustable (either in a pre-game menu like Senpai's features, or in-game like the debug builds).

%%* RhymesOnADime: See above.

* DrivenByALoveInterest: Ayano Aishi is the EmptyShell variant. Her backstory explains that before she met Senpai, Ayano didn't feel anything. But after meeting him she finally started to feel something. In order to not lose that love, she spends the rest of the game to get rid of Senpai's love rivals.

* RhymesOnADime: See above.

* SchoolForScheming: [[spoiler:Akademi was founded in the 1980's as basically one big training simulator for Megami's aunt to learn how to become a better company leader, and the other students would later receive jobs at Saikou Corp. In the present, Saikou Corp still has a strong grip on the school, including some mysterious, unknown purpose.]]

*** While every student in the game (aside from Senpai) is killable during regular play, Kokona was designated the "Test Rival" way back in 2015, and as such was often used as the example girl in builds and videos to demonstrate the various... ''creative''... methods you can use to eliminate your rival (such as faking her suicide, planting bogus evidence to get her expelled, brainwashing her best friend to kill her, etc.). Crosses over into [[TheWoobie woobie]] territory since Yan-chan can eavesdrop on [[spoiler:her conversation about her father]] and use ''that'' to kill her, and can have her bullied badly enough through malicious gossip that she is DrivenToSuicide.

** Midori Gurin is meant to be one of these. She's a TakeThat at everyone who sends [=YandereDev=] unwanted questions or suggestions. All the other characters -- especially the teachers -- consider her an annoying idiot who wastes their time, and many development videos featuring her end with her being killed by either Ayano or [=YandereDev=] himself. However, depending on one's sympathy (or lack thereof) for [=YandereDev=] regarding his e-mail situation, she may instead come off as a [[TheWoobie woobie]] or an UnpopularPopularCharacter.

** Most early videos showcasing elimination methods used [[TheWoobie Kokona]] as [[TheChewToy a guinea pig]], but the June 1st 2016 update video finally showcased a method that does not require harming her in any way. Instead, Yan-chan befriends her and helps her out of an unpleasant situation. Then, when Kokona visits Yan-chan's home to thank her, Yan-chan simply asks Kokona to back off Senpai, which she agrees to out of a sense of honor. The end of that video states the next elimination method to be added to the game would be [[MatchmakerQuest Matchmaking]], which meant that unless Dev picked a different guinea pig (unlikely), we would get to see Kokona happy with another boy.

** You can sabotage a rival's social standing, [[ManipulativeBitch damaging your rival's reputation]] to the point that [[TheWoobie she stays home in fear of bullies]] and Senpai refuses to accept her confession. Beyond that, you can further trash her reputation until she is DrivenToSuicide – note that doing this is not required, as you will have already ruined her chances with Senpai; the only reason to do it is if you ''really'' have it in for the girl and want to twist the (proverbial, in this case) knife.

-->'''''WARNING:''' This game contains bullying, kidnapping, torture, murder, suicide, graphic violence, partial nudity, [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers kittens]], raw sewage, [[RunningGag cooked sewage]], [[RuleOfThree microwave-ready sewage]], true nightmares, [[EldritchAbomination eldritch monstrosities]], [[VideoGame/{{Hitman}} bald assassins]], [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry DK]] [[VideoGame/Goldeneye1997 Mode]], [[Manga/DragonBall fake tans]], [[Manga/AttackOnTitan Titans]], [[Franchise/TouhouProject murderous ice fairies]], [[Webcomic/OnePunchMan impossibly-strong]] [[VideoGame/FZero punches]], [[VideoGame/{{Hatred}} genocide crusades]], [[DemBones spooky scary skeletons]], [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain STANDING ON THE EDGE]], zombies, vampires, succubi, lewd manga, [[ParodySue busty pink-haired schoolgirls]], [[GameBreakingBug game-breaking bugs]], [[SelfDeprecation an overworked programmer]], and much worse.''

In September 2023, [[https://www.thegamer.com/yandere-simulator-grooming-allegations-16-year-old-voice-actors-quit allegations against [=YandereDev=] of grooming a minor were brought forward]], something that he would apologize for. Many volunteers and voice actors working with the game, including [[https://twitter.com/VAMichaelaLaws/status/1706472248909939194 Michaela Laws]] (who voiced Ayano and several others) plus [[https://twitter.com/NikoCrucio/status/1706517574056325510 Austin Hively]] (who played Senpai and Jokichi), have pulled out of the game's development and cut ties with [=YandereDev=] in response. [=YandereDev=] would ultimately announce that development would be on indefinite hiatus as a result of the allegations.

* MurderByProxy: the developer has considered the idea of being able to manipulate your romantic rivals into killing the people they hate and getting them arrested. In "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=908F0cP0j4c&t=0s Driving Your Rivals To Murder in Yandere Simulator]]", Ayano tells Kokona that Musume's father is the loan shark keeping her father in debt and suggests the idea of hurting Musume to make him stop. She leads Kokona to a shed where Musume has been tied to a chair, and hands her a baseball bat. At first Kokona doesn't want to hurt her, but when Musume starts calling her a slut because she has a large chest and engages in CompensatedDating, and then calls her dad pathetic, Kokona snaps and beats Musume to death with the bat, and gets arrested for murder. The video ends with Ayano stroking a photo of Senpai on her bulletin board, whispering, "You're safe now..."

[[OhCrap "Wait… I recognize those panties! This person is extremely dangerous! Avoid her at all costs!"]] [-(July 2017 – present)-]

* HollywoodDrowning: Zig-Zagged. You have the option to drown your rivals in the courtyard fountain, the locker room bathtub, pool[[labelnote:†]](this and the bathtub coming eventually[[TradeSnark ™]])[[/labelnote]], or a [[CampingACrapper toilet]]. Yes, the unfortunate victims do the stereotypical "thrash and scream," but, considering the context, this is much more realistic than such a reaction would be in an accidental drowning.

** This also applies to any character known to constantly be on their cellphone – notably the Gaming Club, which is full of joke characters and [[{{Expy}} expies]]. If a phone addict sees you commit a crime, they'll snap a photo and run away from you while trying to upload it to [[BrandX Instagraph or Fakebook]]. If you don't catch and kill them by the point the timer runs out, you lose.

** Ayano's family name, Aishi, can be rendered using these kanji – 愛死 – which mean "love" and "death", respectively. Fitting, although said sequence doesn't exist as a last name in reality.

* BlamingTheVictim: After learning [[spoiler:Kokona gives the money she earns via CompensatedDating to her father so he can repay his debt, Musume (whose father is extorting Kokona's dad) calls them both "pathetic" and states people shouldn't borrow money in the first place if they can't pay debt. She even says [[UsefulNotes/VictimBlaming Kokona's dad deserves anything that happens to him if he cannot repay her father]]]].

In September 2023, [[https://www.thegamer.com/yandere-simulator-grooming-allegations-16-year-old-voice-actors-quit allegations against [=YandereDev=] of grooming a minor were brought forward]], something that he would apologize for. Many volunteers and voice actors working with the game, including [[https://twitter.com/VAMichaelaLaws/status/1706472248909939194 Ayano]] and [[https://twitter.com/NikoCrucio/status/1706517574056325510 Senpai’s]] voice actors, have pulled out of the game's development and cut ties with [=YandereDev=] in response. [=YandereDev=] would ultimately announce that development would be on indefinite hiatus as a result of the allegations.

* StockholmSyndrome: In the game's backstory, Ayano's father [[spoiler:was kidnapped by and forced to love her mother]]. In the present day, it's made obviously clear that [[ItRunsInTheFamily he's terrified of his wife, and that he's scared that Yan-chan will continue the family tradition]]. Imagine raising a child, only to learn that she's become a stalker who will hurt people to get what she wants [[spoiler:— just like her mother, who did exactly the same things to you and other people]].

* KatanasAreJustBetter: Downplayed. It's one of the weapons available in the game, and people who do playthroughs of the debug builds often choose it. There is a bit of AwesomeButImpractical to it, however, since Ayano cannot hide it in her inventory and has to carry it in plain sight unless she hides it in a cello case, a weapon bag or trash can. Also, the katana, like all two-handed weapons, is considered an "unsuitable" weapon for the struggle minigame, meaning you automatically lose if a heroic student or a teacher intercepts you while you're carrying it. In addition, the Katana leaves bloodstains on Ayano's unifrom and the ground should she use it to kill someone, which is not the case for other two-handed weapons (with the only other exception being the axe). Finally, you cannot give a katana to a mindslave[[note]](anymore; earlier builds allowed you to, but doing so resulted in severe clipping issues – the katana would already be through the mindslave's head before she stabbed herself with it)[[/note]].

* FoodComa: All the rivals from the 1980' mode state that they sometimes fall asleep after eating too much.

** Occult Club: All of them have black hair and cover one of their eyes (excepet for the leader and the substitude leader).

** Science Club: They all have greish hair and wear labcoats while class is not in session.