History YMMV / Ys

* CommonKnowledge: A common fan in-joke (one perpetuated by Falcom themselves) is that any ships Adol boards will always sink. In reality, he only got shipwrecked a total of two times (in the [[VideoGame/YsIAncientYsVanishedOmen first]] and [[VideoGame/YsVIIILacrimosaOfDana eighth]] games to be specific), while in the [[VideoGame/YsVITheArkOfNapishtim sixth]] game, he simply got thrown overboard. Other games have him come on the ship with him and said ship being intact or not having him on a ship (like arriving to a place on foot).

* MainstreamObscurity: ''Ys'' is one of the oldest and most-distinguished EasternRPG series of all time, in company with (if not, ''nearly on'' the same level as) ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'', ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' and ''VideoGame/DragonQuest''. Until ''Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim'' was released in English on the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 Sony PlayStation 2]], the games were practically unknown outside of Japan, and still maintains itself as a CultClassic series.

** Several ports of ''Ys I'' and ''Ys II'' are this: the [[UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 TurboGrafx-CD]] version included excellent voice acting, CD audio, {{Anime}} cutscenes and character portraits, combined both games into a single campaign and kept player stats, which all subsequent ports would follow up on, and fine-grained movement when the UsefulNotes/PC88 version only had FM audio and movement restricted to one tile at a time. The UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable version that was subsequently ported to Steam has some expanded areas, significantly upgraded visuals with high-resolution sprites, a more expansive, colorful script, and allows players to pick between the ''Ys Complete'' midi arrangements, the PC-88 originals with unused tracks or a remixed symphonic rock score with live band and orchestra (though it lacks voice acting).

** The UsefulNotes/NintendoDS versions of ''Ys I'' and ''Ys II'' has awkward polygons, another stiff attempt at melee combat, the bottom screen map is distracting from the top's game-play. While the Bump Attack combat can be used, it can only be done via touch controls that are choppy and unresponsive. These ports might have had some unique additions (CoOpMultiplayer), but they don't make up for their lack of quality. However, its musical arrangements are very solid as it uses ''Ys Eternal'' as a basis.

* VindicatedByHistory: ''Ys III'' and ''Ys IV'' - the former was such a radical shift in the series' game-play, going from a top-down ActionRPG to a side-scrolling perspective with active melee combat, while the latter returned to its traditional roots, yet lacked direct involvement by Falcom (who only provided an outline of the story and its soundtrack), while featuring many contradictory versions. The [=TurboGrafx-CD=] and UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis ports of ''Ys III'' use [[DubNameChange altered translations]], leaving the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis port as the best with FM music ; even though the Super Nintendo version had a decent translation, [[PortingDisaster its visuals were muddy and the music samples were terrible]]. Fortunately, thanks to definitive reworkings by Falcom themselves, ''Ys: The Oath in Felghana'' and ''Ys: Memories of Celceta'' iron out problems pertaining to both games, revamping them to reflect modern game-play elements in the style of ''Ys VI'' and ''Ys SEVEN'', respectively, alongside live music. Meanwhile, for those that prefer the original ''Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys'', a FanTranslation of the [=TurboGrafx-CD=] game was released complete with an English fan dub, giving players the opportunity to see what the game was like upon release.

* CommonKnowledge: A common fan in-joke (one perpetuated by Falcom themselves) is that any ships Adol boards will always sink. In reality, he only shipwrecked a total of two times (in the [[VideoGame/YsIAncientYsVanishedOmen first]] and [[VideoGame/YsVIIILacrimosaOfDana eighth]] games to be specific), while in the [[VideoGame/YsVITheArkOfNapishtim sixth]] game, he simply got thrown overboard. Other games have him come on the ship with him and said ship being intact or not having him on a ship (like arriving to a place on foot).

* ScrappyMechanic: The Bump Attack system of combat in ''Ys I'', ''Ys II'' and ''Ys IV'', where attacking enemies doesn't involve hitting a button to strike with a weapon, but rather running into an enemy from any angle except directly in front of them in order to deal damage while avoiding it simultaneously. [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny It's especially unpopular with newer players]], even those who try out the enhanced remakes of ''Ys I'' and ''Ys II'', who often come in expecting a battle system like ''The Legend of Zelda'' or ''VideoGame/{{Crystalis}}''. However, there have been some old and newer fans of the franchise who will defend it on grounds other than nostalgia, citing it can be fun to simply bulldoze over enemies and that it requires a different kind of strategy (although it's telling the game-play was radically altered in ''Ys III'' and changed to be more "traditional" for installments by ''Ys V'').
* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: [[http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3133778&did=13 1UP called the original duology one of the most boring games of all time in 2004]]. It isn't hard to see why - an "ActionRPG" where players don't actively attack much of the time. Even by 1988 it was getting stale, and the next three games were all about the franchise essentially trying to find its footing in an industry with plenty of competition. These days, seeing what made the early ''Ys'' titles significant in any way can be extremely difficult (the impressive-for-the-era graphics, amazing music and the fact the games were voiced ''at all'' - nowadays, meh; in ''1990'', absolutely '''mind-blowing''').

* {{Adorkable}}: Despite Adol’s status as a HeroicMime, many fans found many traits of his to very endearing. A lot of his dialogue choices range from super sweet to hilariously snarky, he’s constantly polite to everyone he meets and he gets ''very'' ecstatic in finding undiscovered ruins like a child in a candy shop.

** The PC port of ''Oath in Felghana'' stands out for its ''outrageously'' bad controller optimisation- the game was clearly designed with no intention that you should play it with anything other than keyboard and mouse (ridiculous for a top-down action RPG) as all the control prompts in the in-game tutorials list keyboard buttons rather than controller buttons, the default settings for a standard Xbox controller are ''awful'' (B to jump, A to attack, X to use magic, Y to overcharge, Start or L1 to toggle your equipped magic, and you cannot pause or open the in-game menus with your controller ''at all'') and you ''cannot rebind these controls'' without going into the game folders and editing the .ini files yourself.

* FanPreferredCouple: There have been plenty of {{Ship Teas|e}}ing between Adol and the heroine of each game, even though there's never any confirmation. Nevertheless, fans have wanted to see Adol catered towards specific girls.
** Feena remains a popular choice in spite of the minimal screen-time she had with Adol. It helps that Falcom has confirmed Adol shared an anonymous connection with her throughout ''Ys I'' and ''Ys II'', and their last moments together could be interpreted as romantic. Fans still hold out for Feena's reappearance in future installments, no matter how unlikely that may be.
** Elena Stoddart from ''Ys III'' has the slight lead over the other "[[GirlOfTheWeek love interests]]" in terms of general popularity, largely due to her appearance in SpinOff MassivelyMultiplayerCrossover ''Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga'' (where she TookALevelInBadass), which a lot of fans want to see explored more rather than as proof-of-concept (''Ys vs.'' being non-canon). Moreover, the popularity of ''VideoGame/YsTheOathInFelghana'' in the West undoubtedly helped garner her reception.
** After ''VideoGame/YsMemoriesOfCelceta'' was released, Karna won a lot of character polls online, beating out several other female characters throughout ''Ys'', but only lost occasionally to [[HeterosexualLifePartners Dogi]]. Not only is she the one who has gotten the most physical with him (via a {{Glomp}}), but Karna's essentially the ActionGirl DistaffCounterpart to Adol.
** Although the titular Dana in ''Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana'' is the {{Deuteragonist}} of the game, Laxia von Roswell is the one whom most players desire to see paired with Adol, thanks to how alike she and Adol are in certain aspects, obvious BelligerentSexualTension for Adol before she becomes a DefrostingIceQueen (thanks in part to ''Adol himself''), and their ways of life complementing one another (Adol is an adventurer and traveling wanderer who loves exploring ancient ruins and Laxia is an aspiring AdventurerArchaeologist), with some players wishing she would make an appearance in future games.

* ClicheStorm: The plots for each installment often face accusations of this. When the franchise was new, the accusations didn't have as much teeth (since the entire medium, let alone [[EasternRPG the genre]], was still in its infancy), but most people agree it slowly got less predictable with ''Ys V: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand'' and ''VideoGame/YsVITheArkOfNapishtim'', whereas the older games suffer from it too much. As for ''VideoGame/YsSEVEN'', much like the game-play is significantly changed up from its predecessors, the story deliberately sets up an apparently cliche experience, only to turn player expectations completely on their ear on just about every front, such as [[spoiler:TheReveal that friendly {{Non Player Character}}s who were deemed allies are actually in cahoots with the BigBad and deconstructing tropes regarding TheChosenOne]].

** The UsefulNotes/NintendoDS versions of ''Ys I'' and ''Ys II'' has awkward polygons, another stiff attempt at melee combat, the bottom screen map is distracting from the top's game-play. While the bump-based combat can be used, it can only be done via touch controls that are choppy and unresponsive. These ports might have had some unique additions (CoOpMultiplayer), they don't make up for their lack of quality. However, its music arrangements are very solid, as it uses ''Ys Eternal'' as a basis.
* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: However, reviewers of the Android and [=iOS=] versions of ''Ys I'' and ''Ys II'' state the bump attack system works exceptionally well on touchscreen devices because it eliminates the need for a virtual button to initiate a physical attack.
* ScrappyMechanic: The Bump Attack system of combat in ''Ys I'', ''Ys II'' and ''Ys IV'', where attacking enemies doesn't involve hitting a button to strike with a weapon, but rather running into an enemy from any angle except directly in front of them in order to deal damage while avoiding it simultaneously. [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny It's especially unpopular with newer players]], even those who try out the enhanced remakes of ''Ys I'' and ''Ys II'', who often come in expecting a battle system like ''The Legend of Zelda'' or ''VideoGame/{{Crystalis}}''. However, there have been some old and newer fans of the franchise who will defend it on grounds other than nostalgia, citing it can be fun to simply bulldoze over enemies and that it requires a different kind of strategy (although it's telling the game-play was radically altered in ''Ys III'' and changed to be more "traditional" in installments by ''Ys V'').

* ThatOneBoss: [[ThatOneBoss/{{Ys}} Has it's own page]].

* FanPreferredCouple: Inevitably, Flame Bait ensues when there have been plenty of {{Ship Teas|e}}ing between Adol and the heroine of each game, even though there's never any confirmation.

%%** Although the titular Dana in ''Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana'' is the {{Deuteragonist}} of the game, Laxia von Roswell is the one whom most players desire to see paired with Adol, being the most prominent party member in the game, obvious BelligerentSexualTension for Adol and heavy promotion by NIS America in marketing and DownloadableContent.

* TastesLikeDiabetes: The Roos are the only cute, innocent demons of the franchise. Likewise, thanks to the simplistic, colorful graphics and SuperDeformed art style, older versions of the first four ''Ys'' games look adorable compared to its successors, who slowly eschew SuperDeformed in favor of 3D models and sprites.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: While the ''Ys'' franchise has always been well respected and popular in its home country, Falcom's financial earnings consistently show the games sell more in North America, whereas the Japanese market prefer the ''Kiseki Series'', though there are certainly fans of both (see FriendlyFandoms). To English-speaking players, ''Ys'' is the more popular title from the company due to its obscurity and infrequent release schedule with their older works.

* ''YMMV/YsOrigin''

** Hugo's Force Shield gives him a temporary barrier that can absorb one hit when uncharged and two hits when charged. This gives him a lot of room for error that the other two characters don't have, since they have to time their skills' invincibility frames. While there are some downsides to this skill, such as its high MP cost and ability to interfere with Hugo's normal shots, the damage it can negate more than makes up for it.
** Hugo's Burst is the only one that allows him to move during its animation, making it useful in ensuring that he's in a safe spot after the invincibility frames end.

* ThatOneLevel: The "Tower of Darm" in ''Ys I'', a [[MarathonLevel 24-floor tall structure]] taking up a good half of the game, even if it's not a particularly long segment, has a confusing maze-like environment that's easy to get lost in, features a gratuitous instance of back-tracking at the very end (such as a mandatory traversal ''back down the tower'' to collect the "Blue Armlet" accessory), contains several GuideDangIt moments, and is full of DemonicSpiders. This is before mentioning Adol loses his best equipment six floors in due to in-game events.

* BreatherLevel: The fifth area in ''Ys Origin'', "The Blighted Blood" - while not remotely "easy", it's at least easier than the previous area "The Silent Sands", and even the one before that. There are definitely fast, hard-hitting enemies around, but unlike The Silent Sands, The Blighted Blood doesn't throw things like [[QuicksandSucks quicksand]], [[CollisionDamage moving spike pillars]], [[GoddamnedBats health-draining flies]], slippery floors or [[ThatOneBoss Khonsclard]]. As for area's boss, depending on the difficulty chosen at the start of the game and the protagonists' CharacterLevel, it either provides a good challenge or turns out to be one of the easiest bosses in ''Origin''.

* DemonicSpiders: Enemies in the lower mines for ''Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished - Omen'', especially in the ''Ys Eternal'' port, mainly due to their movement speed and attack power, coupled with the mines' limited visibility. EliteMooks in the upper levels of the "Darm Tower" can also quickly mow down players, even if they have [[InfinityPlusOneSword the best armor, shield and weapon in the game]] equipped.
* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** Dogi in ''Ys I''; due to his popularity, he has became a BreakOutCharacter who went from a random side character who helped break out Adol in ''Ys I'' to his only permanent traveling companion.
** Epona from ''Origin'' gets appreciation for her enthusiastic and snarky personality with a [[SirSwearsALot sharp tongue]]. Her interactions with Hugo for many players are a highlight of the non-Claw paths.

* ItsEasySoItSucks: ''Ys V'' was so easy, Falcom had to make an UpdatedRerelease entitled ''Ys V Expert'' '''three months''' after the UsefulNotes/SuperFamicom original.

* MoralEventHorizon: Members of the Clan of Darkness have a knack at this in ''Ys Origin''.
** During Hugo Fact's scenario, Dalles [[spoiler:not only petrifies his ImpliedLoveInterest Epona, but also shatters her to pieces right in front of Hugo]]
** in Yunica Tovah's route, [[FemmeFatale Zava]] [[spoiler:kills [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend Roy]] right in front of Yunica]].

* ObviousJudas: In Hugo's route in ''Origin'', a flashback shows that [[spoiler:Cain Fact]] groomed Hugo to be disloyal to his goddesses, told him that power is everything, and played on his inferiority complex towards his brother. Even if Hugo's route is skipped, [[spoiler:The Claw/Toal Fact's route indicates that Cain somehow knew of Toal's survival and defection to the Darklings before the search party did]]. This makes the reveal of [[spoiler:Cain being the true BigBad in Toal's route]] less surprising.

* PortingDisaster

** ''Ys Origin'' was ported to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 and UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation Vita}} by Dot Emu, yet the former came with a lot of glitches that weren't present in the original PC version during launch: the game could crash at any moment, persistent frame-rate and sound issues, with certain boss fights being plagued by these glitches. Thankfully, Dot Emu fixed most of the problems with patches, but some issues remain. Meanwhile, the Vita port was free from the bugs seen in the initial [=PlayStation 4=] release, but still suffers from lower frame-rates, missing sound effects, unresponsive controls and long loading times post-launch. Speaking of frame-rate, some boss fights in the Vita version, particularly against Zava, can drop to '''single digits''' as a result of her on-screen attacks, turning the game into an unplayable slideshow. In fact, playing as The Claw and fighting the TrueFinalBoss, the present issues may wind up turning the game into an {{Unwinnable}} scenario. Dot Emu has yet to release a patch to fix the Vita version.

* ThatOneLevel:
** The "Tower of Darm" in ''Ys I'', a [[MarathonLevel 24-floor tall structure]] taking up a good half of the game, even if it's not a particularly long segment, has a confusing maze-like environment that's easy to get lost in, features a gratuitous instance of back-tracking at the very end (such as a mandatory traversal ''back down the tower'' to collect the "Blue Armlet" accessory), contains several GuideDangIt moments, and is full of DemonicSpiders. This is before mentioning Adol loses his best equipment six floors in due to in-game events.
** ''Ys Origin'' has The Claw's version of the Devil's Corridor, which requires him to use Boost in order to avoid taking damage. Unfortunately, Nightmare cuts down the duration of Boost mode, meaning The Claw has to spend most of the trip in his normal form. Defeating all the red enemies in one attempt becomes a LuckBasedMission because this character will be relying on enemy herb drops to stay alive, as his Thunder Claw won't be able to heal him quicker than the corridor can damage him.

* {{Woolseyism}}

** In the first ten minutes of ''Ys I'' of ''Chronicles Plus'', Slaff warns Adol of Nurse Ayla's formidable temper by singing the chorus of "Maneater" by Hall & Oates to him.
** XSEED Games is not alone in using this trope, however: Falcom's own translation to English for the "Shrine of Solomon" in the Android/[=iOS=] versions by [=DotEmu=] that use Nihon Falcom's original title cards instead of localized title cards reveal Nihon Falcom's English name of this place is actuall the "Shrine of Salmon". Hudson Soft renamed it to Solomon Shrine in the English localization of the [=TurboGrafx-CD=] version, and the latter has stuck for almost every other English localization since.
** Another attempted example Hudson Soft did was change the name "loo" to "quay" because the former is used in British English slang to mean "toilet". However, it didn't stick, and subsequent localizations changed the name to "roo".
** Hudson Soft renamed the Fukt family the Fact family, which is the name most English localizations used. [[spoiler:However, the original name might have been turned into a hint as to the family's status because Cain Fact did turn all of its members into demons or human demon hybrids.]]

** RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: However, reviewers of the Android and [=iOS=] versions of ''Ys I'' and ''Ys II'' state the combat system works exceptionally well on touchscreen devices because it eliminates the need for a virtual button to initiate a physical attack.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: [[SuspiciouslySimilarSong/Ys See here]].

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: [[See here]].

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong:
** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmZFhK1zUWI item acquisition fanfare]] used throughout the ''Ys'' series is a blatant copy of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQgjLtJLw6I item fanfare]] from ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'', as admitted by Yuzo Koshiro in his [[https://web.archive.org/web/20181108020351/www.geocities.jp/yzymo_matan/yuzo_koshiro/yuzo/avg_rpg3.html liner notes]] (see comments for track #17, "Lucky".) Note that the fanfare cribs from the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQgjLtJLw6I Famicom Disk System version]] of ''Metroid'' specifically, which was the only version released in Japan, and was the basis for later iterations.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ0U9C6lxas "A Great Ordeal"]] from ''Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys'' is lifted straight from [[Music/YngwieMalmsteen Yngwie Malmsteen's]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6MSnZdFmkE "Far Beyond the Sun'']], being practically note-for-note at several points. The track was conspicuously omitted from the remake, ''VideoGame/YsMemoriesOfCelceta''.
** In ''Ys IV: The Mask of the Sun/The Dawn of Ys'', [[https://youtu.be/mFrwGFdGw8s "Lava Field"]] sounds very similar to the [[https://youtu.be/wY4iUol6YkE first level theme]] from ''VideoGame/DemonSword''.
** In ''Ys III: Wanderers from Ys'', the beginning of "[[https://youtu.be/rBxrmB3Sdzw A Searing Struggle]]" resembles "Cross Fire" from ''[[VideoGame/{{Gradius}} Life Force/Salamander]]''. In turn, the [[https://youtu.be/RkkbWl9uOeM first level theme]] from ''Jim Power'' for Amiga and SNES bears a ''striking'' resemblance to "A Searing Struggle". Chris Hülsbeck had indeed played ''Wanderers From Ys'' before composing the music for ''Jim Power'', but claims that the inspiration was purely subliminal-- he had mostly forgotten about the Ys soundtrack by that point.
** [[https://youtu.be/4wsrUR_7ZMQ "Termination"]] also somewhat resembles the aforementioned "Cross Fire", and in turn it has a suspiciously similar song in ''Gradius III'', [[https://youtu.be/7KCdahc5q9M "Fire Scramble"]].
** The primary riff of "Holders of Power" from ''VideoGame/{{Ys}} I and II'' sounds like a faster version of the opening riff of "Flash of the Blade" by Iron Maiden.
** [[https://youtu.be/38dR1YYulio "Palace"]] from the first game, especially the latter half, is suspiciously similar to their song [[https://youtu.be/loNv0yB5Bqs "Strange World"]].
** [[https://youtu.be/xPXK0OkB04U "Tower of the Shadow of Death"]] from the first ''Ys'' game sounds suspiciously similar to [[https://youtu.be/LVZu2U6RcGc&t=622s BGM 11]] from ''720 Degrees''.
** [[https://youtu.be/XDm9LaJeN9w "First Step towards Wars"]] subtly resembles the ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget'' [[https://youtu.be/psnCd3aFLmc opening theme]].
** [[https://youtu.be/JV2c5TfROM8&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLBF5B904D5938377C "Bronze District"]] from ''The Dawn of Ys'' is a soundalike of the [[https://youtu.be/6XxmFd6CaE0 Area 1 music]] from ''VideoGame/TheGuardianLegend''.
** The intro of the [[https://youtu.be/VSxg5iGhS9I Five Disciples]] theme has a suspicious similarity to [[https://youtu.be/BcL---4xQYA Stairway to Heaven]] by Music/LedZeppelin.
** [[https://youtu.be/C7d0Fn-fN70 "Valley of Quicksand"]] is similar to [[https://youtu.be/byOOlUfLGg4 Guile's theme]] from ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'', as well as cribbing elements of the [[https://youtu.be/-sQgSvias6k Stage 4]] (second half) and [[https://youtu.be/rL8BA3E93Bg Stage 5]](first half) themes from ''VideoGame/RaidenII''. In turn, [[https://youtu.be/w4RSrEsXUY8 "Tragedy Flame" (Stage 2 & 8)]] from that game sounds similar to [[https://youtu.be/5lcI-A1RFyE "Ice Ridge of Noltia"]] from ''Ys II''.
** [[https://youtu.be/v_ujvRZSIlI Ruins of Moondoria]], to [[https://youtu.be/WqWW0PTkjR8 Bloody Tears]] from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIISimonsQuest''.
** [[https://youtu.be/qhvMar5qZ94 Moat of Burned Bless]] sounds suspiciously like [[https://youtu.be/80m9X6b89XE Heart of Fire]].
** [[https://youtu.be/K6G_nFcAjDk The Ruined City Kishgal]] from ''Ys VI'' sounds like a hybrid of [[https://youtu.be/rYbINBnYeFA Underwater Rampart]] from ''VideoGame/BattleGaregga'' and [[https://youtu.be/gdlIJ3g6dFI Aquarium]] from ''VideoGame/RayStorm''.
** "Underwater Rampart" is itself a sped-up ripoff of [[https://youtu.be/xQv3dCkY2Tk "Jupiter Jazz"]] by Underground Resistance.
** [[https://youtu.be/Zo5bbB25nJM "Feena"]] is suspiciously similar to the ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'' [[https://youtu.be/M-U3sVX2G3w title theme]].
*** The composer for ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' apparently returned the favor, as [[https://youtu.be/Ai2dhNW0-sc&list=PL0BCE0BA953AC33E4 "Brinstar Red Soil Swamp Area"]] sounds suspiciously like [[https://youtu.be/LdMU0rZjOog "Beat of the Terror"]].
** The main melody of [[https://youtu.be/MdlKl8Nev5Y A Teary Eyed Young Swordsman]] sounds like the riff of the italo-disco song [[https://youtu.be/EL3QAuJnwDY Boom Boom Dollar]] by King Kong & D Jungle Girls.
** [[https://youtu.be/OFL9ZlPqMtQ "A Still Time"]] is similar to the name entry music [[https://youtu.be/UGdYyMAj05Q "Last Wave"]] from ''VideoGame/OutRun''.
** The [[https://youtu.be/ULDHBMzj-8M "House"]] theme from ''Dawn of Ys'' (Riverside Village in ''Mask of the Sun'') is strikingly similar to [[https://youtu.be/01rpPco3L8A "Simoon"]] by Music/YellowMagicOrchestra.
*** Speaking of YMO, the B-section of [[https://youtu.be/HozAnvz-gBo "Noble District of Toal"]] from ''Ys II'' is similar to that of [[https://youtu.be/OkkFST5qrLg "Firecracker"]].
** The beginning of [[https://youtu.be/b6I69y12r5k "See You Again"]], the credits theme from the first game, sounds like a cross between Music/{{Prince}}'s [[https://youtu.be/rblt2EtFfC4 "1999"]] and Music/VanHalen's [[https://youtu.be/bq-potK_7Ts "Jump"]].
** In the Famicom version of the first game, the TrueFinalBoss [[https://youtu.be/b1wbiLmtE2E theme]] sounds like the ''VideoGame/PacMan'' [[https://youtu.be/HwyAwPLHqnM "Game Start" fanfare]] combined with the [[https://youtu.be/Ldhwc3FqaPI Robot Master battle theme]] from the first ''VideoGame/MegaMan''.
** The [[https://youtu.be/R3dMtkRJp84 Bronze District]] theme in ''Mask of the Sun'' is similar to [[https://youtu.be/ptgaCJSF7j8 Beginning]] from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse''.
** [[https://youtu.be/GuW_s62dhUI Crater]], originally composed for ''Mask of the Sun/Dawn of Ys'' but not used until ''Memories of Celceta'', sounds like a composite of [[https://youtu.be/AK33c2rV2Do Aquatic Ruin Zone]] from ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'' (A-section) and the [[https://youtu.be/dHjckK7uLYc Albatross battle theme]] from ''VideoGame/BionicCommando'' (B-section).

* MoralEventHorizon: Members of the Clan of Darkness really love crossing this in ''Ys Origin'' - during Hugo Fact's scenario, Dalles [[spoiler:not only petrifies his ImpliedLoveInterest Epona, but also shatters her to pieces right in front of Hugo]]; likewise, in Yunica Tovah's route, [[FemmeFatale Zava]] [[spoiler:kills [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend Roy]] right in front of Yunica]].

** Adol Christin - '''[[MemeticBadass HE EATS GODS FOR BREAKFAST]]'''[[note]]Adol consistently defeats each game's BigBad with little to no difficulty, something others from the past had trouble doing. Bear in mind he's only a simple swordsman who cannot use natural magic (except via rings, swords or wands), yet he's so skilled with a sword it's enough that ancient demons and dark gods cannot thoroughly trounce him. Suffice to say, Adol has an effortless, yet extensive laundry list of slaying what's conventionally unbeatable InUniverse (of note, he's still in his early 20's as of ''Ys VIII'')[[/note]]

** Epona from ''Origin'' gets appreciation for her enthusiastic and snarky personality with a [[SirSwearsALot sharp tongue]]. Her interactions with Hugo for many are a highlight of the non-Toal paths.

* GeniusBonus: The Roos "speak" using runes - one might even call it a "[[IncrediblyLamePun Roonic]]" language[[note]]One may notice that these are runes similar to those used in the ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' series. While the Roos make silly quotes in ''Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished - The Final Chapter'', they actually say things relevant to the plot in ''Ys: Origin''. In fact, this is a substitution cipher where each rune replaces a specific Latin letter[[/note]].

* FriendlyFandoms: In spite of occupying the polar opposites in the StoryToGameplayRatio and being a more traditional EasternRPG compared to ''Ys'' and its ActionRPG stance, expect fans of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky'' and the overall ''VideoGame/KisekiSeries'' to also be ''Ys'' fans. This is likely because they share the same developer, art style, and are localized and published by XSEED Games, except for ''Ys VIII'' (NIS America was the one doing it).

** The [[https://youtu.be/FmZFhK1zUWI item acquisition fanfare]] used throughout the ''Ys'' series is a blatant copy of the [[https://youtu.be/sQgjLtJLw6I item fanfare]] from ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'', as admitted by Yuzo Koshiro in his [[https://web.archive.org/web/20181108020351/www.geocities.jp/yzymo_matan/yuzo_koshiro/yuzo/avg_rpg3.html liner notes]] (see comments for track #17, "Lucky".) Note that the fanfare cribs from the [[https://youtu.be/sQgjLtJLw6I Famicom Disk System version]] of ''Metroid'' specifically, which was the only version released in Japan, and was the basis for later iterations.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ0U9C6lxas "A Great Ordeal"]] from ''Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys'' is lifted straight from [[Music/YngwieMalmsteen Yngwie Malmsteen's]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6MSnZdFmkE "Far Beyond the Sun'']], being practically note-for-note at several points. The track was conspicuously omitted from the remake, ''VideoGame/YsMemoriesOfCCelceta''.