Line #62 Manga/TheDisastrousLifeOfSaikiK


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saiki_k_7.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Does [[OnlySaneMan common sense]] also count as a {{psychic power\|s}}?[[note]]Clockwise from the bottom: [[ComicallyInvincibleHero Kusuo Saiki]], [[CloudCuckooLander Kaidou]], [[LoveableSexManiac Toritsuka]], [[InLoveWithLove Yumehara]], [[BigEater Mera]], [[ManChild Kuniharu Saiki]], [[ThePollyanna Kurumi Saiki]], [[BitchInSheepsClothing Teruhashi]], [[LovableJock Hairo]], and [[DumbIsGood Nendou]]. Not pictured: [[HairTriggerTemper Kuboyasu]], [[{{Fanboy}} Yuuta]], and [[CombatSadomasochist Kusuke Saiki]][[/note]]]]
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4	Kusuo Saiki is an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent...or at least [[IJustWantToBeNormal he tries to be one]].
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6	He's actually a boy with PsychicPowers--an [[TheOmnipotent incredibly powerful boy]] with [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands every imaginable psychic ability]]. If he wanted to do so, [[PersonOfMassDestruction he could wipe out humanity]] [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt in only three days]].
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8	It sounds like [[GodModeSue he is perfect and has everything]], right? [[BlessedWithSuck Wrong!]] He can't [[PowerIncontinence shut off his powers]], therefore his life is void of [[SpiderSense surprises]], [[NoChallengeEqualsNoSatisfaction challenges]], or [[ComicallyInvincibleHero sense of accomplishment]]. He also needs to avoid [[FriendlessBackground social]] [[CelibateHero interaction]], both because he wants to keep his powers secret and because he thinks of himself [[EvolutionaryLevels as too different]] to relate to normal people.
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10	Unfortunately, life has other ideas.
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12	''The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.'' (斉木楠雄のΨ難 / ''Saiki Kusuo no PSI Nan'') is a gag series by Shuuichi Asou, which was serialized in ''Magazine/ShonenJump'' from 2012 to 2018 (spending most of its run in ''Weekly Shonen Jump'', then moving to ''Jump GIGA'' in May 2018 until its conclusion). It follows Kusuo's attempts in [[SliceOfLife living quietly]], [[CoverBlowingSuperpower hiding his powers]] and [[ObfuscatingStupidity avoiding standing out]]. It's something that would be easier if not for his [[AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents quirky parents]] and a number of [[WackyHomeroom quirky classmates]] who insist on being friends with [[OnlySaneMan him]]. Cue lots of [[FirstPersonSmartass inner]] [[DeadpanSnarker snarkery]].
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14	The series concluded in 2018, followed by a short series of {{Yonkoma}} and then two final chapters published in Jump Giga. It has a couple of anime adaptations: a 2013 web-anime developed for the Jump LIVE app, and a TV anime for the summer of 2016, this time produced by Creator/JCStaff and directed by Hiroaki Sakurai. A second season of the anime premiered on January 17, 2018. The last anime adaptation is currently licensed by Creator/{{Funimation}} in the U.S. and is divided in four minute "shorts" that are aired daily during the weekdays, and collected in twenty minutes "episodes" every Sunday. This anime wrapped up with a special covering the last few chapters of the manga, released in 2019. The last anime series, titled ''The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. Reawakened'' was produced by {{Creator/Netflix}} and adapts chapters not covered by the first three seasons, as well as the epilogue.
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16	A live-action movie adaptation was released in October 2017, starring Creator/KentoYamazaki as Kusuo Saiki.
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18	----
19	!!This series features examples of:
20
21	* AbandonedPetInABox: Finding a cute puppy in a box is discussed as a cliche method of humanizing JapaneseDelinquent-type characters when the truth about Kuboyasu's past comes to light.
22	* AffectionateParody:
23	** Saiki's main friends are all a parody of a recurring anime and manga trope.
24	*** Nendou is a parody of the DumbIsGood BumblingSidekick type whose positive demeanor won't shine through TheStoic main character.
25	*** Kaidou's appearance and the set-up of the Jet Black Wing is is a deliberate cliché straight from the Battle Shounen genre.
26	*** Teruhashi parodies the archetype of the sweet beautiful girl who causes the boys to be DistractedByTheSexy, as well as the "hot girl seeks a mysterious loner" type.
27	*** Yumehara is a parody of a typical lovesick Shojo protagonist.
28	*** Hairo's a parody of hot-blooded, sports manga protagonists.
29	*** Despite not being a major character, Yuuta also fits as a parody of the standard TagAlongKid rooting for the hero in a SaturdayMorningCartoon who usually just comes across as annoying.
30	*** Saiko is a parody of fabulously rich jerks.
31	** The first opening and endings of Season 2 parody {{Shounen}} and {{Shoujo}}. The opening is straight out of a battle shounen, casting Saiki and friends as superpowered individuals (of course, it's later revealed to be a daydream of Kaidou's). The ending would not be out of place in a shoujo romance, and is about Teruhashi trying and failing to win Saiki's affections.
32	* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Saiki's parents, who act [[SickeninglySweethearts lovey-dovey]] all the time as if they were still teenagers... for his own misfortune.
33	* AmusingInjuries: In full effect, thanks to Saiki [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve brainwashing the entire world]] into seeing nothing wrong with injuries healing instantaneously. This is one of his changes which has the most dramatic impact on the world - thanks to the entire population essentially gaining a HealingFactor, doctors are almost obsolete.
34	* AnAstralProjectionNotAGhost: In episode 9, Kusuo uses astral projection to punch the ghost of Nendo's dad. Toritsuka briefly believes Kusuo died, but soon realizes the truth.
35	-->'''Toritsuka:''' Oh no, Saiki's dead!
36	* AndTheAdventureContinues: The last regular chapter closed on Saiki and friends entering their third year together, and from the looks of things the wackiness isn't over yet.
37	* ArcNumber: Parodied. Saiki starts seeing and hearing the number 100 ''everywhere''. It turns out to be because it's the manga's 100th chapter.
38	* ArtEvolution: Compared to the first season, the second season of the anime features more fluid animation and smoother and less harsh outlines of textures, while using more detailed designs of characters and objects.
39	* BackForTheFinale: To a [[ContinuityCavalcade ridiculous]] degree in the second season finale. Many minor and oneshot characters (such as the baseball team, Kaidou's mother and siblings, the kid who lost his prized signed baseball, etc.) show up throughout the episode (including characters whose [[AdaptedOut stories weren't adapted]]). Saiki hangs a lampshade on it.
40	* BeachEpisode: The series features some of them:
41	** In Chapter 12, Saiki reluctantly visits the beach with Nendou and Kaidou after being threateningly persuaded by his mom to do so.
42	** During the Okinawa's school trip arc, in chapter 60, Saiki's class goes to the beach as part of their ClassTrip schedule. The fanservice comes from the girls in Saiki's team (Teruhashi, Yumehara and Mera), presenting their bathing suits to the rest of their classmates and usual beachgoers.
43	* BettyAndVeronica: In a parody of this trope, Teruhashi and Mikoto would be this respectively to Saiki's Archie, except that Saiki is not interested in being an Archie AT ALL. Teruhashi is the WorldsMostBeautifulWoman that plays up a sweet and supposedly relatable side that makes people fawn over her, while the haughty Mikoto is a more traditional MsFanservice with her revealing getup and voluptuous figure, while also sporting actual psychic powers she uses for her own ends. That said, in terms of social status the two invert this as Teruhashi is wealthy while Mikoto is from an average family, and also because Teruhashi is popular and a BitchInSheepsClothing while Aiura is a NiceGirl. This is parodied in the [[https://youtu.be/ZHDhzmoHTsA?t=1m29s second credits music video from season 2]] where Teruhashi and Aiura try to flirt with Saiki in their different ways, Aiura appealing to her psychic powers and Teruhashi to her innocence. Saiki doesn't care.
44	* BirthdayEpisode: The first season finale. Saiki's friends plan a surprise party for him -- but not only does Saiki sniff them out immediately, they get the date wrong -- it's actually Saiki's ''father'''s birthday.
45	* BitingTheHandHumor: At the time that ''Manga/{{Nisekoi}}'', ''Pajama na Kanojo'' and ''Koisome Momiji'' were all being serialized, Saiki monologues about how lately everything has been about love and that romance isn't an interesting matter, [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial but clarifies he's not talking about]] ''Magazine/ShonenJump''. ''[[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial Twice]]''.
46	* BlatantLies: When Hairo, Saiki, Nendou, Kaidou shaved their heads Hairo claimed they just wanted to change their look when reminded that they didn’t have to.
47	* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: The three most major female students: Yumehara is the blonde, Teruhashi is the "brunette" (she has dark blue hair), while Mera is the redhead.
48	* BookEnds: Saiki's first and last lines (from the pilot and the final epilogue chapter, respectively) are the same description:
49	-->'''Saiki''': My name is Saiki Kusuo, and I am an Esper.
50	* CastingGag: Creator/JerryJewell getting cast as Kusuo in the dub is a Funimation inside joke, since he usually excels in roles where he doesn't have to match lip flaps (most infamously his role as [[Manga/CrayonShinChan Happiness Bunny]]).
51	* ChainOfDeals: A variant. When Saiki realizes that he doesn't have cash to pay for a snack he ordered, he uses his Apport power[[note]]one that can exchange an item for something of around the same value[[/note]] multiple times to eventually exchange his socks for a thousand-yen bill (ruining his friends' and father's day in the process). He even namedrops Straw Millionaire.
52	* ChristmasEpisode: Multiple, due to ComicBookTime, and usually followed by [[NewYearHasCome a New Years' Episode]]. One focuses on Nendou spending Christmas with Saiki's family, another follows Saiki dressing up as Santa for the neighborhood, and yet another has the cast visiting him.
53	* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve:
54	** A bunch of unnatural phenomena[[note]]basic shonen tropes such as WorldOfTechnicolorHair, MusclesAreMeaningless, and MagicPants[[/note]] suddenly became real because Saiki brainwashed people into thinking they were natural occurrences. Most were done for his personal convenience.
55	** To prevent his pink hair from standing out in a country full of black haired individuals, Saiki brainwashed the entire world into believing that "pink hair is a natural hair color". Their belief in this statement resulted in the sudden existence of [[WorldOfTechnicolorHair other unnatural hair colors]].
56	** Saiki did the same with several other tropes. For example, he made it so "injuries that heal immediately are not unnatural" after arousing suspicion when he healed a kid who badly scraped his knee.
57	* ClassTrip: Saiki's class goes to a school trip to Okinawa. And the disasters start to happen even ''before'' they all ''land'' in Okinawa. Nonetheless, they are mostly solved by Saiki (and some were caused by his psychic powers).
58	* ClicheStorm: InUniverse, Saiki discusses the fact that PK Academy's baseball team is a hodgepodge of SportsStory cliches -- from characters[[note]]an energetic captain, an aloof prodigy pitcher, an ace who's currently absent, etc.[[/note]] to plot details[[note]]on the school team chopping block, up against a powerhouse during the first game, etc.[[/note]]. Nendou and Kuboyasu joining the team derail the cliche plot, forcing Saiki to step in. Saiki also argues that Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad, since even the most cliche baseball drama contains plenty of inspiration and character growth.
59	* {{Cloudcuckooland}}: Played with. Saiki used his power to make people believe unnatural things were natural, essentially creating all the weirdness so his own bizarre appearance blends in.
60	* ComicBookTime: Bizarrely, ''justified''. No matter how long the series runs, Saiki and his friends are still going to be 2nd year high-schoolers. The reason? [[spoiler: He uses his time reversal ability to restore Earth's life "a year behind the present" to prevent a catastrophic volcanic eruption that can destroy the entirety of Japan and keeps repeating the process every year until his powers are strong enough to fully neutralize the disaster. Then, he brainwashes the populace into thinking it is still the same year. As a result, even though memories of many of those past events and seasons remain, the time spent doesn't change ''at all'']].
61	* CrashIntoHello: PlayedWith. Chiyo plans to [[InvokedTrope set up a romantic meeting]] with Saiki by carrying a bunch of books and "coincidentally" bumping into him. Saiki, aware of her plan and not interested in her scheme, [[DefiedTrope uses his psychic powers to dodge her attempt]].
62	* CreatorCameo: Shuuichi Asou has a habit of showing up wherever:
63	** In the last segment of Episode 20 (which is an adaptation of the 100th chapter), Shuuichi Asou voiced his author avatar god persona telling Saiki that it’s the 100th segment and is airing on its 100th week, only for Saiki to correct him stating that it’s the 20th week.
64	** He does it again in the Season 2 finale, which is the adaptation of chapter 275. He tells Saiki that it’s the season finale, but that it will be renewed for an anime conclusion special and later continue as a Netflix series.
65	** He manages this ''again'' in the live action movie adaptation, but this time as a student of PK Academy.
66	* CringeComedy: It would have far less cringe if you couldn't see the story from Saiki's point of view. Having constant telepathy and X-ray vision sucks.
67	* {{Crossover}}:
68	** In a one-shot chapter, Koro-sensei (from ''Manga/AssassinationClassroom'') and Saiki visit Iruma and compete over the last piece of "Irumanjuu", a local delicacy. [[spoiler: Saiki eventually splits it in half and shares it with Koro-sensei]].
69	** There is a two-page Jump special where Saiki and his dad visit Soma (from ''Manga/FoodWars'') at the Yukihara restaurant for a bite to eat. Unfortunately, Saiki's psychic powers grant him the ability to view every mental "[[OrgasmicallyDelicious foodgasm]]" at the restaurant. He promptly loses his appetite after seeing [[FanDisservice what his father's looks like]].
70	* CruelToBeKind: Once Kuboyasu and Kaidou found out exactly why Saiko wasn’t eating they wrestled him to the ground and force feed him.
71	-->'''Kuboyasu''': '' If you’re going to keep being stubborn, THEN WE’LL HAVE TO BE STUBBORN ABOUT MAKING YOU EAT!!''
72	* CruiseEpisode: "The Saiko Conglomerate's Luxurious Cruise" episode starts with Saiko inviting Saiki's friends to an extravagant cruise, but the ship gets wrecked and they all find themselves on a DesertedIsland.
73	* CryingWolf: In the AprilFoolsDay episode, Kaidou tells a bunch of lies that are quickly proven false, so nobody believes him when Saiki carelessly uses his psychic powers to make a book float in front of him and later to move a falling camera away from him.
74	* DebutQueue: The major characters are all added to the story in this way, with a segment introducing them and discussing their initial relationships with Saiki.
75	* DeconstructiveParody:
76	** Each psychic ability is discussed, relentlessly torn apart, then taken to its logical and hilarious conclusion.
77	** Iridatsu Yuuta is a deconstruction of the TagAlongKid obsessed with the SaturdayMorningCartoon, as he filters his experiences through his Cyborg Ciderman show that is also an obvious ad telling him to drink an unhealthy beverage.
78	** Hell, the comparison between Saiki himself and Kaidou is a deconstruction of {{Chuunibyou}} tendencies; Saiki's amazing powers, how he uses them for everyday life, his aloofness, and even his internal monologues about why he can't use them all the time sound remarkably like chuuni daydreaming on paper-- everything Kaidou already thinks he does. It's even telling that his closest acquaintances are part of the "losers" bracket. The key difference is that Saiki keeps his mouth shut so nobody figures out while Kaidou blurts his delusions out for everyone to hear and shrinks when he has to back them up.
79	* DemotedToExtra: Soul Shout (the musician having trouble selling his [=CDs=]) appears in the anime in a nonspeaking cameo so Saiki can identify him as the musician who was only in the manga.
80	** Teruhashi in the ''Reawakened'' episodes has a notably reduced role, having less screen time than she did in the first two seasons.
81	* DoItYourselfThemeTune: The anime's first season's first opening "Seishun wa Zankoku Janai" and second ending "Kokoro" are both sung by Creator/NatsukiHanae, who voices Toritsuka.
82	** Later [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] when Toritsuka's band [[DiegeticSoundtrackUsage performs a parody of it]] about peeking in the girls' bath and the band comments that [[CelebrityParadox he sounds just like Hanae]].
83	** The second season's first opening is sung by Creator/NobunagaShimazaki, in character as Kaidou. Creator/HiroshiKamiya also has spoken lines as Saiki (though no sung vocals), and Creator/DaisukeOno contributes some musical "Oh!" sound effects as Nendou.
84	** The second season's second ending is also sung by Creator/EriKitamura and Creator/AiKayano, in character as Aiura and Teruhashi respectively. Like the second season's first opening, Kamiya again has spoken lines as Saiki, but this time Saiki also has "sung" lines in character, though they are actually provided by Yoffy, vocalist of Japanese rock duo Psychic Lover.
85	* {{Eagleland}}: In one episode, Saiki is cleaning out his parents' house when he panics and teleports himself away because [[EekAMouse he saw a cockroach]]. He ends up in ''El Paso, Texas'', which is depicted as a wildly anachronistic, stereotypical Wild West town.
86	* DontTryThisAtHome: When Nendou gets distracted and starts reading a manga while Kaidou is explaining to him how to play a certain card game, Kaidou gets mad and proceeds to hit Nendou with the stack of cards, then Saiki emerges from the background to say this.
87	-->'''Kaidou:''' There's another rule. When someone isn't listening, you can stab him hard in the eyeballs!\
88	'''Saiki:''' Don't try this at home.\
89	'''Kaidou:''' ''[stabs Nendou from behind]'' Listen!
90	* EarlyBirdCameo: Of a fashion. Saiki's grandparents show up in the first opening credits, however they don't appear until long after the opening had already changed.
91	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In Saiki's first appearance as Kusuko/Kuriko, he still used his male voice while speaking to the audience. Subsequent appearances of Kusuko/Kuriko would give her an actual female voice.
92	* EmbarrassingDampSheets: Played with in that it's not actual bedwetting, but Saiki having issues with PowerIncontinence when he was asleep until fourth grade. To Saiki's annoyance, however, his parents describe it very much ''like'' bedwetting, describing occurrences as "accidents" they had to clean up after, and going so far as to call it "onecho", a {{Portmanteau}} of ''one''sho (bedwetting) and ''cho''noryoku (psychic powers).
93	* EvolutionaryLevels: Saiki thinks he's different enough to be considered a different species, the next step in the human evolution. He also thinks Nendou is below the modern man and above the neolithic one.
94	* ExactWords: Class 3 bet that if they lost to Class 2 in the school festival they would all become Buddhist Monks and shave their heads. Though they lost the last event they still had more points then class 2. Unfortunately in all the excitement Hairo, Nendou, Saiki and Kaidou forgot that and ended up shaving their heads anyway.
95	* FacelessMasses: When Saiki puts the Germanium ring on and cancels his powers, everyone turns into a Nendou clone. He even goes on to call them "Nendou #[X]" when he refers to a person in his monologue.
96	* FamilyThemeNaming: All of Saiki's family members have the name Saiki[[note]]his mother's maiden name is also Saiki[[/note]], and a first name that starts with "Ku".
97	* FanCommunityNicknames: InUniverse, members of Teruhashi's fanclub call themselves "Kokomins", and members of her brother Makoto's fanclub call themselves "Mugamians" (after his stage name, Toru Mugami).
98	* TheFatEpisode:
99	** Chiyo becomes fat one episode because of eating so much sweets. She manages to lose the weight she gained all in one day when Saiki tells her that her crush Kaidou may become disinterested in her.
100	** Chisato gains sudden weight once after taking a suspicious pill given to her by some doctors then going overboard on dinner.
101	* FateWorseThanDeath: One arc had Kusuo go back in time and not only accidentally avert his parents RescueRomance, but create a scenario where his mother could end up with Riki’s father. He saw the FaceOfAThug he would have if that happened as this.
102	* FirstPersonSmartass: Much of the humor of the series comes of Saiki mentally [[DeadpanSnarker snarking]] at [[OnlySaneMan everyone else's craziness]].
103	* FollowTheLeader: Invoked. Saiki's dad is a manga editor and when hearing a pitch from an author of a realistic sports drama, he tells the author to just "bring me something like ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''".
104	* FoodEnd: DiscussedTrope as a common aftermath of SportsStory games. As part of the InUniverse ClicheStorm about the baseball team, they all go out to eat yakiniku, and Saiki not only emphasizes that it's a cliche ending, he also points out numerous other cliches used with this trope (eg. the server turning into an AngryChef, the aloof character refusing to socialize, running into another team, etc.).
105	* ForeShadowing: The school song lyrics that everyone sings at the graduation ceremony in season 2 episode 3, contain lyrics like "Our everlasting school" and "Our everlasting youth" foreshadowing the ending of the series.
106	* FourthWallObserver: Saiki's inner monologue is specifically addressed to the reader. He's aware of the existence of his series (and the pilot manga one-shots, for that matter) and often makes snide remarks [[SelfDeprecation about his series]], his author, ''Shonen Jump'', and Creator/TVTokyo.
107	* GagSeries: The series relies on parodying many shounen and slice-of-life tropes or playing them for laughs.
108	* GiftOfTheMagiPlot: Saiki's parents have consecutive birthdays; his father gets a giant bear so his mother can use her sewing and craft supplies on it; his mother gets a display case for his father's action figures. It turns out that his mother got rid of the sewing supplies to make space for the display case and his father sold his action figures to pay for the bear.
109	-->'''Saiki:''' I guess it really is the thought that counts.
110	* GoldenSnitch: Played for laughs in the trash pickup competition. Each team earns points based on the amount and kind of trash they pick up - cigarette butts at 10 points each, bulk trash is 5 points per kg, etc. However, a {{tsuchinoko}} corpse is worth ''900 million points''.
111	* HalloweenEpisode: Has one; Kaidou invites the guys to his house for a small costume party.
112	* HeroStageShow: In the anime episode "Summer Break! A Date With Teruhashi", Yuki Teruhashi invited [[TheProtagonist Kusuo Saiki]] to the fair grounds for a date. To keep it from becoming that, Saiki brings along Yuuta, his neighbour's son, so they can watch the live performance of Cider-man Ramune going on there. The actor playing the monster L. Ginger kidnaps Teruhashi and brings her on-stage, but can't bring himself to attack her after she [[WorldsMostBeautifulWoman uses her charms to stop him]]. When the actor playing Cider-man Ramune beats him, L. Ginger gets angry at looking weak in front of her and kicks him away. Saiki is ultimately forced to become Cyborg Cider-man No. 2 (because that's who Yuuta thinks he really is) and go up onstage to beat L. Ginger, much to his chagrin.
113	* HighSchool: PK Academy is a small private high school which most of the characters attend.
114	* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: The "hero" who acts as a guest lecturer at the school accuses Saiki's friend group of lacking specific heroic qualities. While that sounds accurate, he is completely wrong about ''which'' qualities they lack: saying that [[CowardlyLion Kaidou]] lacks courage, [[KindheartedSimpleton Nendo]] lacks kindness, and [[BadassBiker Kuboyasu]] lacks strength.
115	* InfectiousEnthusiasm: Hairo causes this kind of situation with the rest of his classmates and Saiki plays the grumpy guy. Saiki doesn't become really infected, but ends being dragged along anyway.
116	* InnocentInnuendo: Nendou creates this kind of situation sometimes, verging into the AmbiguouslyBi territory.
117	* LeaningOnTheFourthWall:
118	** The physical education teacher has the students play dodgeball because [[Manga/KurokosBasketball basketball]], [[Manga/{{Kurogane2011}} kendo]] and [[Manga/{{Haikyuu}} volleyball]] are already being played ''somewhere''.
119	** Chiyo is often aware of being in a manga/anime. This isn't unusual for a comedy series, but no other character comments on it, at least until Season 2 in the anime where it seems ''everyone'' is on their fictional status, but still can't grasp that they're in a gag series where Saiki is the main character.
120	* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: Kokomi Teruhashi and Mikoto Aiura fill these roles respectively.
121	** Both are beautiful women with an interest in Saiki, with Teruhashi acting like a sweet and idealized perfect girl that would never be vain while Mikoto is rather blunt, shows off her skills (and legs and cleavage in a violation of the school uniform), and has a "gal" personality.
122	** [[https://i.imgur.com/ozBvyoB.jpg?1 A title card in Season 2 of the anime reflects this]] with Teruhashi dressed in a frilly white bikini with a shy expression while Mikoto boasts a more revealing black string bikini with a confident smirk and wink.
123	** [[https://youtu.be/ZHDhzmoHTsA?t=1m29s The second credits music video of season 2]] has Teruhashi and Aiura wear a white and dark angel costume respectively. Aiura's lyrics are done via Hip-Hop where she makes light of her psychic nature while Teruhashi uses a ballad and makes light of her innocent nature.
124	* LuckyCharmsTitle: The Japanese title is romanized as "Saiki Kusuo no Ψ Nan". "Ψ" is the greek letter corresponding to "psi" (pronounced as "sai"), and it's related to "parapsychology"... while it also plays its part with the PunBasedTitle of the series.
125	* MagicPants: Saiki uses his powers to {{invoke\|dTrope}} this in-universe. Because it's much better for this trope to happen than to have the [[ClothingDamage fabric between the legs tear during an action sequence]], right?
126	* MediumAwareness
127	** Aside from his frequent Fourth Wall breaking, Saiki can read the captions with expository text.
128	** Surprisingly, Yumehara of all characters breaks the fourth wall more than anybody but Saiki.
129	*** One episode has her lamenting about how Teruhashi and even Mera get close-up shots on their swimsuit reveals, and she doesn't.
130	*** Once she asks Saiki if she can get more screen time.
131	* AMindIsATerribleThingToRead: Since Saiki's power of telepathy cannot be shut off, he hears every thought within a 200 meter radius whether he wants to or not. Constantly listening to others' pointless, disgusting, or annoying thoughts, as well as being robbed of any sense of surprise or excitement, has turned him into a perpetual snarker. [[PlayedForLaughs It's rather hilarious]].
132	* MotorMouth: Characters in the anime will sometimes speak a mile a minute, with Saiki's internal monologue often overlapping.
133	* MutuallyUnequalRelationship: This drives much of the relationship humor in the series. Some of the other students all insist on befriending Saiki because their relationships with Saiki are something else entirely to what they actually are. Saiki himself initially just sees them as school acquaintances and just wants to be left alone, although he evidently does start caring about them.
134	** [[BumblingSidekick Nendou]] thinks Saiki is his best friend.
135	** [[{{Chuunibyou}} Kaidou]] thinks Saiki is ''his'' BumblingSidekick in the ([[MrImagination completely imaginary]]) fight against the "Dark Reunion". In Kaidou's daydreams, Saiki is drawn with softer features and has a higher voice to emphasize this.
136	** [[SchoolIdol Teruhashi]] is in denial that Saiki is immune to her beauty and charms, and is convinced that he's secretly in love with her like all other men. Similar to Kaidou, in Teruhashi's daydreams, Saiki is drawn as a ditzy, bumbling love interest.
137	* MyFriendsAndZoidberg:
138	** Takahashi and Toritsuka often get this treatment in Saiki's narratives.
139	** As for Saiki's group, Kaidou and Nendou are the runoff, since nobody wants to be near them because of their looks (Nendou) or personality (Kaidou).
140	* NebulousEvilOrganisation: Dark Reunion, the secret, ominous organization that wants to conquer humanity and steals the unfathomable power sealed within Kaidou's right arm. At least, that's what [[MrImagination Kaidou thinks]].
141	* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: PlayedForLaughs and for {{deconstruction}} purposes instead of a DeusExMachina. Saiki always has the requisite power needed to solve the situation at hand, but it always tends to fall apart immediately after due to the circumstances.
142	* NewTransferStudent: Many of Saiki's classmates (and new headaches) are actually PK Academy's new transfer students. People like Reita or Aren get introduced as such.
143	* NewYearHasCome:
144	** One New Year's Episode has Nendou, Kaidou, Teruhashi, and Hairo meet Saiki at a shrine; they all wind up invited to Saiki's home.
145	** Another has Saiki attempt to buy a new television with his New Year's money. The characters later relate their new year stories.
146	** Saiki notices that his friends and family are showing up on television in another New Year's episode.
147	* NeverTheSelvesShallMeet: A caveat on Saiki's time travel powers (the other being [[ForWantOfANail avoiding the butterfly effect]]). His attempts fail if someone notices there are two of him, including his own past self.
148	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: In Chapter 79, Toritsuka tries (once again) to make himself popular by summoning celebrity ghosts to possess him, and got himself... [[Music/JohnLennon John Komatsu]], [[Creator/BruceLee Blue Scorpion Jr.]] and [[Creator/SteveJobs Sudou Monte Carlo]].
149	* NoFourthWall: By season 2, it's clear that practically everyone is aware they are in a manga/anime. Even background characters lament their status and are able to notice things like speech bubbles. However, everyone is WrongGenreSavvy and thinks they are in anything but a gag series.
150	* OldFriendNewGender: In one chapter of the manga, Kurumi attends her high school reunion and finds many of her old friends looking drastically different, with one of them having changed gender. [[spoiler:Ultimately subverted, as everyone at the reunion was an actor pretending to be a former classmate to pull a scam on [[SuperGullible gullible Kurumi.]]]]
151	* OnlySaneMan: Kusuo Saiki, who is by far the ''less'' normal guy in Earth.
152	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: In the final chapter, Saiki [[spoiler: actually speaks, instead of communicating telepathically with those square captions]]. More importantly, he does this right after [[spoiler: all his friends act especially uncharacteristically in various ways (Nendou talking like a girl, etc.). He was in an alternate timeline, practicing revealing his powers to them before doing it for real.]]
153	* OverlyLongGag: The manga's hundredth chapter is just one long string of sentences involving the number 100. Even Saiki thinks they're all forcing it too much.
154	* PainfulPersona: {{Downplayed}} and {{zigzagged}} in regards to Teruhashi. Being the WorldsMostBeautifulWoman, she always pretends to be a perfect lovable maiden when outside, when in truth she's a BitchInSheepsClothing AttentionWhore. That being said, she does take pride in her "perfect girl" persona and will go to great lengths to do what she feels is necessary to maintain it such as going to a poor, greasy noodle shop with her classmates, or forcing herself to memorize every single detail about all of her fans at school, regardless of how she actually feels about it. Ironically enough, it's actually this part of her personality alongside her later developed JerkWithAHeartOfGold tendencies that actually help earn her the respect of the titular psychic Saiki who, due to PowerIncontinence, both [[{{Telepathy}} knows her true personality]] and [[XrayVision can't even perceive her beauty]], who she just so happens to be in love with.
155	* PopularityFoodChain: [[SchoolIdol Teruhashi]] and [[BigManOnCampus Hairo]] are at the top, and [[FaceOfAThug Nendou]] and [[{{Chuunibyou}} Kaidou]] are near the bottom. Saiki is aware of said food chain and has a power that tells him where he currently stands on it; he consciously makes an effort to stay somewhere in the middle (too popular and he'll start to stand out, too unpopular and people will mistreat him).
156	* PovertyForComedy: Mera's family's PerpetualPoverty is often PlayedForLaughs. She's portrayed as a BigEater who is always eating grass or ice because she can't afford food, and when she comes into money, she loses it right away.
157	* ProductAsSuperhero: Cyborg Cider-Man, the mascot of a line of soda drinks.
158	* {{Pilot}}: The series had ''seven'' pre-serialization chapters that were later compiled as "volume zero". Saiki [[MediumAwareness acknowledges]] the majority of its events in the first serialized chapters of the manga. Some of these were added to the [[AdaptationExpansion anime's timeline]], as well.
159	* ProductPlacement: One for the series' Nintendo DS game, but they don't outright ''say'' it is, since it's about ''The Disastrous Life of Sai'''ko''' X''. And Saiki [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial most definitely doesn't ask the reader]] to play it after the chapter ends.
160	* PunBasedTitle:
161	** "Sainan" ("Disaster") is written as [[LuckyCharmsTitle "Ψ Nan"]] ("PSI Nan"). The chapter titles get the same pun treatment.
162	** The English official title of the series, since the original title's pun would be LostInTranslation, was opted to be "The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.", where "Saiki K." still serves as a pun for "psychic".
163	* PunnyName: Many of the characters are named after specific psychic powers. Saiki Kusuo is named after "saikikku", the Japanese word for "psychic", and many of his relatives use the same pun as well with their names ("'''Saiki Ku'''rumi", "'''Saiki Ku'''niharu").
164	* PsychicPowers: Saiki, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin obviously]], but it's implied that there are other PSI users in the world. In Chapter 17, he meets Reita Toritsuka, a young man who can see ghosts.
165	* RealityWarper: It's revealed that many of the outlandish anime and manga tropes that happen in this setting are actually the result of Saiki's powers warping the world around him to suit what were originally supposed to be mundane acts of power. When he was younger, he tried using MindControl to make it so that his bright pink hair wouldn't attract attention, this having the unintended effect of making [[WorldOfTechnicolorHair bright, unrealistic hair color]] commonplace. When he used his powers to heal another kid's skimmed knee, this resulted in ToonPhysics that allow people to shrug off things that would normally debilitate them (like a baseball to the face). Other effects include [[TalkingIsAFreeAction people thinking at an unrealistically fast pace]], easy ClothingDamage while [[SceneryCensor the crotch remains censored]] (as well as clothes becoming un-torn between shots), MusclesAreMeaningless and knocking someone out with a neck-chop.
166	* RecursiveFiction: Saiki has volumes of his own manga on his shelf. No, not some series that looks like his, his actual out-of-universe series.
167	* {{Robinsonade}}: PlayedForLaughs. Saiki and friends go on a cruise on Saiko's cruise ship. Teruhashi takes out Saiki's PowerLimiter while he is out with seasickness, so Saiki accidentally sinks the ship and brings them all to a deserted island off the coast of South America. An unimpressed Saiki teleports back and forth from Japan with supplies and figures out a way to bring them back to Japan using his powers with them being none the wiser.
168	* SanityHasAdvantages: Averted when the group was stranded on a deserted island. They were all to scared to question the miraculous things Saiki was doing to keep them all alive. However once they gained a slimmer of hope at escaping and started to think more rationally their decisions prevented Saiki from getting them home while still keeping his abilities hidden.
169	* SchoolNewspaperNewshound: The newspaper club is featured in the latter half of Season 2 Episode 7. They are not above telling fake stories; after failing to get pictures of Teruhashi pooping while Saiki and co. were stranded on an island, they aimed to make such a photo themselves. Saiki foils them, however.
170	* ShipTease: Despite Saiki having no interest in Teruhashi, the story deliberately tries to make her the main heroine of his life. Even considering all that, there are a few moments where there is genuine teasing of the ship; for example, the very last thought Saiki hears before [[spoiler:returning to his daily grind after getting his powers back]] in the final epilogue chapter is hearing Teruhashi regret her inability to make Saiki charmed by her.
171	* SickeninglySweethearts: Kusuo's parents. That is, of course, if they aren't fighting with each other.
172	* SliceOfLife: A story about the everyday happenings and grievances of an insanely powerful psychic teenager.
173	* SoundtrackCoverCharacterJam: The cover for the Season 1 OST shows Saiki wearing headphones. The cover for the season 2 OST shows him conducting an orchestra.
174	* SpoonBending: Saiki bends spoons to prove to [[spoiler:Aiura and Akechi, on separate occasions]] that he does have psychic powers.
175	* ShirtlessScene: PlayedForLaughs more often than not. Hairo's shirtless scenes tend to be just a ''bit'' too detailed (to the point that his body looks out of place), while Kuboyasu's emphasize his buff, scarred ex-delinquent body for comedy.
176	* SneezeOfDoom: Saiki gets pollen allergies in one episode, and his sneezes causes random objects in his line of sight to explode.
177	* SilenceIsGolden : This happens in Chapter 226 along with its anime adaptation in Season 2 Episode 20 until the end.
178	* SpreadWingsFrameShot: In another demonstration of Kokomi Teruhashi's "perfect beauty" image, she appears to have wings growing from her back when Rifuta Imu first sees her. When the image properly comes into focus it turns out the wings are actually a cloud formation seen through the nearby window that just happened to perfectly line up with her.
179	* StatusQuoIsGod:
180	** For the most part, the characters' situations don't change all that much despite the shenanigans that go on. Teruhashi will continue to attempt to win Saiki's heart, Mera will always be poor, Nendou will always be an unpopular idiot, etcetera. Lampshaded in the finale of season 2.
181	-->'''Saiki:''' This is a gag manga. No matter how much [the characters] change, they'll change back after one day.
182	** [[spoiler:Despite having his psychic powers permanently removed by the end of the series, it is implied his still recovers them at the end. This gets worse in the epilogue one-shot where his symptoms as worsening to the point he [[RefusalOfTheCall tries to deny them]], but ultimately succumbs to it as they were needed to save a sudden impending meteor that could wipe out Japan. It is confirmed they are fully recovered in the Netflix-original season, and he resumes his everyday life still with his friends being unaware he is a psychic.]]
183	* StrangeMindsThinkAlike:
184	** Nendou and Matsuzaki-sensei have similar ideas about [[spoiler:first aid]].
185	** In the {{Crossover}}, both Saiki and [[Manga/AssassinationClassroom Koro-sensei]] [[spoiler:travel to the city of Iruma to eat irumanjuu at the Sakurayama Observatory]].
186	** During the HalloweenEpisode, both Hairo and Kuboyasu bring a squash to Kaidou's house for entirely different reasons.
187	** During the shipwreck arc, Kuboyasu, Kaidou, Teruhashi, and Yumehara ''all'' leave the same cabbage snack out for Saiko with the intent of luring him back, and pat themselves on the back for it.
188	* SuddenlySpeaking: Played with. Saiki already ''has'' a voice, but it's internal. He never speaks onscreen, and whatever he wants to say is represented by a narration box. The first time he speaks for real is the final chapter. The anime has him speak in Episode 5, but no attention is drawn to it since everyone talked at the same time.
189	* TalkingIsAFreeAction: One of the perfectly normal things that happen in this world, [[InvokedTrope thanks to]] Saiki's powers.
190	** Averted during the time loop arc, where Saiki's internal monologue directly leads to [[BlackComedy Nendou getting hit by a truck]].
191	* TapOnTheHead: Saiki invoked the "karate chop to the neck instantly knocking someone out" variant of the trope as a child by brainwashing everyone into believing it could be done.
192	* TenMinuteRetirement: The epilogue chapter does this. [[spoiler:Not long after Saiki gets rid of his powers seemingly for good, he gets presented with all kinds of situations where they would be handy, which is only exasperated by the powers slowly leaking back. When the world is in danger of an asteroid (again), Saiki decides to go back to his usual.]]
193	* ThemeNaming: By way of PunnyName. The major characters have names that pun on certain PsychicPowers [[note]]for example, "Teruhashi" is a pun on "telepathy", "Shun Kaidou" is a pun on "Shunkan Idou", the Japanese word for "teleportation"[[/note]]; "Saiki K" itself is a pun on "psychic".
194	* ThereWasADoor: During a fire drill, a shutter blocks off the nearest exit because it passes by the room that's "on fire". Hairo concludes that the obstacle was [[SecretTestOfCharacter placed there to test their teamwork]], so instead of turning around and walking out the front door, everybody spends 30 minutes tearing down the shutter to get outside. The P.E. coach chews them all out for being complete morons and because he had just installed that shutter last week.
195	* ToonPhysics: Saiki is responsible for this trope via brainwashing the entire world down to their genetics.
196	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Saiki loves his [[SweetTooth coffee jello]], and Nendou is always inviting his pals to eat ramen.
197	* {{Tsundere}}: Done to the extreme by ''Saiki's grandfather,'' of all people. He acts cold, stern, indifferent, and even annoyed towards his family when they visit, then shows the audience how completely overjoyed he is just to have them nearby after he leaves the room, in a way that's obviously meant to parody your typical anime's young girl tsundere. It's (thankfully) completely non-romantic, but that doesn't stop him from squealing like a schoolgirl at simply brushing past his grandson.
198	* {{Tsuchinoko}}: In one episode, Kusuo joins a cleanup competition. The tsuchinoko is noted to be worth [[GoldenSnitch 900 million points]].
199	* ATwinkleInTheSky: When Saiki's PowerLimiter breaks, he accidentally kicks a piece of it skyward so hard it twinkles out of existence, [[MediumAwareness which he then]] [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]].
200	* TwoTeacherSchool: Downplayed. PK Academy does have other teachers, but the only one who is shown doing any teaching is the PE teacher, Matsuzaki-sensei. This becomes even more impressive during the 10k marathon, as he is monitoring the race at every 2k marker.
201	* TheWorldIsAlwaysDoomed: It's revealed that [[spoiler: Saiki has kept the world resetting as otherwise a volcano will erupt that will destroy Japan. The final chapters has Saiki successfully prevent the eruption but then a few days later, a meteorite will collide with the planet]].
202	* WorldOfHam: There's something seriously wrong when Saiki -- a pink-haired boy with RealityWarper-level psychic abilities -- comes across as normal compared to his family and classmates. Almost every main character is a GenreRefugee who's [[TooDumbToLive completely stupid]], [[CloudCuckoolander partially crazy]], [[MoodSwinger has the emotional stability of a sandcastle]], [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny the attention span of a wet-cracker]] or some combination of the four. The fact that Saiki's abilities enforce {{Cosmic Retcon}}s onto the world on a constant basis probably doesn't help in that regard.
203	* WorldOfTechnicolorHair: Some characters have unrealistic hair colors, including Saiki, who was born with pink hair. JustifiedTrope: he brainwashed the entire world into thinking that "[[InvokedTrope pink is not an unnatural hair color]]" in an attempt to [[ExploitedTrope not stand out]] from his naturally black haired peers. The result? [[YourMindMakesItReal The mentality caused a genetic mutation]] that causes hair of every color of the rainbow to now be a "naturally grown" hair color in this world. In the present, many of the supporting characters have unnatural hair colors. Kaido and Teruhashi have blue hair, Hairo and Mera have scarlet hair, Kuboyatsu and Toritsuka have purple hair, and so on.
204	* WrongGenreSavvy:
205	** It seems that almost all characters believe they are the heroes in a different genre (and demographic, in Teruhashi's case), while they're actually side characters in a comic DeconstructiveParody. Teruhashi thinks she is in a shoujo romance and goes through all the trappings (pretending to be the perfect woman is just the tip of the iceberg), but it turns out that the man she thinks might be her LoveInterest is not interested at all. Kaidou ''wishes'' he was the chosen one in a UrbanFantasy battle manga, and Hairo thinks he is in a HotBlooded sports manga. Yuuta thinks he's either in a SaturdayMorningCartoon or a promotional ''Magazine/CoroCoroComic'' manga. The only one who acts like the gag manga character he is, unsurprisingly, is Nendou.
206	** This trope is taken to another level once it becomes clear throughout the series that Saiki is not the only one that can break the fourth wall. Thus, Saiki's friends are quite literally this trope, knowing they are fictional, but incorrectly guessing the genre.
207	* YourMindMakesItReal: While it's unclear why Saiki's hair is pink, everybody else has technicolor hair because of Saiki's mass brainwashing; because everybody thinks pink is a natural hair color, they started to mutate hair colors in similar varieties.

Context Manga / TheDisastrousLifeOfSaikiK