History YMMV / ShallWeDateNinjaShadow

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: According to some fans, [[spoiler:Toru Nakagawa]]'s Normal Ending may be better than his Sweet one. While the Sweet Ending isn't bad or sad ''at all'', it has [[spoiler:Saori and Toru leaving Japan and rebuilding their lives elsewhere with the blessing of the Vigilantes]]; the Normal one has [[spoiler:Toru and an OlderAndWiser Saori reuniting after some years and living together in her rebuilt village]], which some find far more in-character for Saori.

** Surprisingly, [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys Toru's]] route has several of these. The most notorious ones are [[spoiler: Makoto's completely heartbroken MotiveRant in which he explains how angry and sad he is after his brother's abandonment and FaceHeelTurn]], [[spoiler: Saori choosing the Vigilantes over her and Toru's love despite how it breaks her heart as well as Toru's]], and [[spoiler: their Normal Ending where, after years of being separated, Toru is allowed to spend the rest of his life in Saori's village, which [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure she]] managed to rebuild and make flourish.]]
* WhatAnIdiot:
** At the end of Ukyo's route, [[spoiler: Saori and Ukyo have abducted Suetsugu from his prison cell and are confronting him over his role in the death of Kaname, with both vigilantes making it clear they're here to kill him for his crimes.]]\\
'''You'd Expect:''' [[spoiler: Suetsugu to try begging for mercy or feigning remorse or at least not to do anything to further antagonize the pissed-off, armed woman standing in front of him.]]\\
'''Instead:''' [[spoiler: He does nothing to mask what a vile waste of skin he is, openly mocks Saori's brother for [[HeroicSacrifice dying to save another person]], and then tries to buy her off, [[EvilCannotComprehendGood as if money is perfectly reasonable compensation for her dead twin.]] Needless to say, Saori puts a permanent end to him and his stupidity moments later.]]

* {{Anviliciously}}: One of the main themes of the game is that '''discrimination is BAD'''. And it's very bluntly drilled into the plot via making Kaname die protecting people that are being treated badly, making Eduard and [[spoiler: Yuzuki]] the victims of lots of prejudices in their respective routes, giving [[spoiler:Tsubaki]] a FreudianExcuse based on how he and others have been judged unfairly by the Japanese society, etc.

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: One of the main themes of the game is that '''discrimination is BAD'''. And it's very {{anvilicious}}ly drilled into the plot via making Kaname die protecting people that are being treated badly, making Eduard and [[spoiler: Yuzuki]] the victims of lots of prejudices in their respective routes, giving [[spoiler:Tsubaki]] a FreudianExcuse based on how he and others have been judged unfairly by the Japanese society, etc. But hey, it ''is'' a genuinely good message at its core, and one that ''every'' society should follow.

* MagnificentBastard:
** Under the facade of a rich and calm Dutch merchant, Willem a cold and ambitious enemy who takes over the role of BigBad from under [[SmugSnake Suetsugu's]] nose in at least one route, and does so with lots of style and manipulations.
** Tsubaki Kusunoki incarnates the trope in both [[spoiler: Hijikata]]'s route (where he becomes the de facto antagonist) and in his own (where he's [[DatingCatwoman the main love interest]]). In the first case, he [[spoiler: tries to tempt Hijikata into becoming his informant in exchange for something he ''desperately'' needs]], doesn't lose his cool when [[spoiler: he fails]], then acts as the main BigBad since [[spoiler: Suetsugu [[DroppedABridgeOnHim gets killed off early]] ]] and he ''near succeeds'' in his plan to [[spoiler: use the dead Suetsugu's supplies and wealth to build a small army and take over Edo/Tokyo itself.]] In the second, in either of his route's endings, ''he will [[VictoriousLoser win even if he loses]]'': [[spoiler: rather than just executing, exiling or imprisoning him for trying to overthrow the Shogunate, the Shogun recognizes Tsubaki's sympathetic motivations among other things and will make him ''join the Vigilantes'', meaning that he keeps a relative freedom (even if under tight surveillance, especially in the Normal Ending) ''and'' stays with Saori, [[LoveRedeems whom he has genuinely fallen for AND has given him his faith in people back]].]]

** Tsubaki Kusunoki incarnates the trope in both [[spoiler: Hijikata]]'s route (where he becomes the de facto antagonist) and in his own (where he's [[DatingCatwoman the main love interest]]). In the first case, he [[spoiler: tries to tempt Hijikata into becoming his informant in exchange for something he ''desperately'' needs]], doesn't lose his cool when [[spoiler: he fails]], then acts as the main BigBad since [[spoiler: Suetsugu [[DroppedABridgeOnHim gets killed off early]] ]] and he ''near succeeds'' in his plan to [[spoiler: use the dead Suetsugu's supplies and wealth to build a small army and take over Edo/Tokyo itself.]] In the second, in either of his route's endings, ''he will [[VictoriousLoser win even if he loses]]'': [[spoiler: rather than just executing, exiling or imprisoning him for trying to overthrow the Shogunate, the Shogun will make Tsubaki ''join the Vigilantes'', meaning that he keeps a relative freedom (even if under tight surveillance, especially in the Normal Ending) ''and'' stays with Saori, [[LoveRedeems whom he has genuinely fallen for]].]]

** In [[spoiler: Shintaro]]'s route, his and Saori's would-be FirstKiss [[MomentKiller is interrupted]] when they notice that [[spoiler: Ukyo, Eduard and Kagura]] are [[DatePeepers peeping on them]]. The hilarity is amped up by the arrival of Asagi, who chastises the other three for spying on Saori and her boyfriend... only for [[spoiler:Kagura]] to point out that ''he'' was [[MundaneUtility using his shikigami]] [[HypocriticalHumor to peep too]], [[CovertPervert flustering the Hell out of him]].