In the games of SUDA51 and Grasshopper Manufacture, there are lots of recurring imagery, tropes and themes, especially when it comes to titles belonging to Kill the Past. This page attempts to catalog them.
51[]
Goichi Suda's nickname, SUDA51, is derived from his given name, "Goichi". In Japanese, Go = 5 and Ichi = 1; hence, through the rules of Japanese number-wordplay (goroawase), "Suda Goichi" is written as "SUDA51". The number 51 appears in many contexts throughout Grasshopper Manufacture games.
- In Grasshopper games that have PlayStation 3 versions, the number of achievements in the game is often 50, making the addition of the Platinum trophy awarded for collecting every achievement on PlayStation 3 games bump the total up to 51. This is the case for No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise, Shadows of the DAMNED and Lollipop Chainsadw.
- In Flower, Sun, and Rain, the solution to the speaker system puzzle is 51.
- In the DS port, Murder and Mystery in Paradise, 51 Lost And Found items with associated puzzles are scattered throughout the game. In addition, traveling 510,000 steps will unlock all bonus features.
- In the trance mode of Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked, defeating 51 enemies will award the player an extra hit.
- Multiple locations in No More Heroes: the store AREA 51, and the Road 51 the bus takes to Speed City.
- In the PS3 port, No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise, the online Score Attack leaderboards list the top 51 players, and some of the trophies in the game reward the player for killing 51, 510 and 5100 enemies, as well as destroying 51 and 510 objects.
- In No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, Travis Touchdown starts at rank 51 in the United Assassins Association. Also, AREA 51's successor is similarly named Airport 51.
- A sign in Shadows of the DAMNED denotes 51 Bridge Road.
- In Lollipop Chainsaw, the achievement JULIET51 is awarded for performing 51 dropkicks.
- The sole optional episode in Killer Is Dead is numbered 51.
Anime characters[]
Sometimes, characters will appear with anime designs despite existing in physical reality, to create an unsettling effect.
- The Angel in killer7. Additionally, AYAME Blackburn evokes this effect; however, she is only wearing an animegao mask.
- Kosuke Kurumizawa appears like this in his murder footage in The 25th Ward: The Silver Case. He also appears in other digital forms in reality, such as pixels or CGI.
- Mimmy in No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is an anime character that haunts Henry in his dreams, leading to him fighting her to wake up.
Assassins[]
- The Hitman, a cut character from Moonlight Syndrome, can be seen in the Moonlight Syndrome Deep Guide.
- Kamui Uehara in The Silver Case is an assassin who is usable as a "tool" by the government and various factions. Although less prominent, Ayame Shimohira can be used in much the same way.
- Sundance Shot, although having varying roles, is referred to as an assassin at times in Flower, Sun, and Rain.
- killer7 has you playing as the US' top assassin team, the Smith Syndicate, and large swaths of the rest of the case are assassins as well, either in present or past. Examples include Travis Bell, Julia Kisugi, The Handsome Men, and many others.
- The Okiai hitmen in The 25th Ward: The Silver Case.
- The characters Baraishi and Gekkou in Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked are assassins.
- No More Heroes and No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle revolve around Travis Touchdown climbing the rankings of the United Assassins Association, a listing of eccentric killers. Just like killer7, this means that most of the cast has this profession. Badman also appears in Travis Strikes Again, initially attempting to kill Travis before hanging around his trailer.
- In the backstory of Liberation Maiden, Yokoichiro Ozora is killed by an assassin.
- Garcia Hotspur is a demon hunter in Shadows of the DAMNED.
- Killer Is Dead stars Mondo Zappa, an executioner of the government organization the Bryan Execution Firm.
- Short Peace: Ranko Tsukigime's Longest Day is about schoolgirl Ranko Tsukigime, who is secretly an assassin.
Breaking the fourth wall[]
Leaning on or breaking the fourth wall to acknowledge and even address the player or audience is a narrative technique that Grasshopper Manufacture is known to employ.
- Sumio Mondo, Sue Sding and Shoutaro Kai in Flower, Sun, and Rain.
- Travis Touchdown, Jeane, Henry and Sylvia Christel in No More Heroes.
- Travis, Henry, and Sylvia in No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle.
- Johnson in Shadows of the DAMNED.
- Mondo Zappa in Killer Is Dead.
- Travis Touchdown and Jeane in Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, especially during the Travis Strikes Back segments.
Briefcases[]
- A man met early in Moonlight Syndrome carries a briefcase.
- Sumio Mondo carries a versatile briefcase-shaped computer in Flower, Sun, and Rain.
- Garcian Smith carries the weapons of the Second Smith Syndicate personae in a large briefcase.
- The first of the Okiai hitmen in The 25th Ward: The Silver Case carries a briefcase.
- In LET IT DIE, several items are found in briefcases, which take the role of the traditional "treasure chest".
Recurring names[]
A number of characters share the same name. Some of these characters are unrelated from each other; while others appear to be spiritually connected.
- Mika Kishi (Syndrome series) and Mika Takekawa (Killer Is Dead)
- Sumio Tohba (Moonlight Syndrome), Sumio Kodai (The Silver Case series), Sumio Mondo (Flower, Sun, and Rain) and Mondo Zappa (Killer Is Dead)
- Yayoi Itsushima (Moonlight Syndrome) and Yayoi Hanayama (Flower, Sun, and Rain)
- Tokio Morishima (The Silver Case series) and Tokio (Killer Is Dead)
- Shinobu (BLOOD+: One Night Kiss) and Shinobu Jacobs (No More Heroes)
- Aoyama and Akama in The 25th Ward: The Silver Case, BLOOD+: One Night Kiss, and Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes
- Travis Bell (killer7) and Travis Touchdown (No More Heroes series)
- Graham MacAlister (killer7) and Graham (Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes)
- Jeane, Jeane and Jeane (all in the No More Heroes series)
- Georgy Bishop (No More Heroes series) and George Reed (Shadows of the DAMNED)
- Alice Twilight (No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle) and Alice (Killer Is Dead)
- Juliet Starling (Lollipop Chainsaw) and Juliet Chesterfield (Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes)
Cultural references[]
- Main article: Cultural references.
Death and rebirth[]
Because of SUDA51's original job as an undertaker, SUDA51 began to piece together a fascination with death that permeates his games. Usually, death is not permanent in SUDA51's world, and many characters have opportunities to return to life, possibly reflecting the concept of extra lives in video games.
- It is eventually revealed in The Silver Case that the original Kamui Uehara (and Ayame Shimohira) are long dead, but can be revived as personalities into various other bodies, allowing them to live on. Additionally, after acquiring a Silver Eye, Tokio Morishima is able to interact with "lingering consciousnesses", which are later elaborated on in killer7 (see below).
- In Flower, Sun, and Rain, Sumio Mondo dies midway through the game, having been shot off the top of the Flower, Sun, and Rain hotel building. He returns to life after Toriko Kusabi strikes a deal with the man who killed him. It is also revealed later on that several characters have stock bodies as clones that would allow them to carry on after death.
- Harman Smith, Kun Lan, and possibly Emir Parkreiner in killer7 have several incarnations, meaning that even if they die they will come back in some form. In addition, Harman's Multifoliate Personae Phenomenon can resurrect people in two different forms: one, as personas, becoming new identities that the main persona can turn into; and two, as Remnant Psyches who hang around as ghostly advisors. He also seems to possess standard resurrection abilities, later owned by Garcian Smith.
- In Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked, once Worso Tsurumaki becomes an oni, spirits of the dead arise to fight him in lieu of Lord Matsumae. Worso has to fight three bosses previously killed by Jin and Mugen - Zenbanosuke Kurata, Hanaoka and Tsubaki.
- No More Heroes character Thunder Ryu returns from the dead to advise Travis, much like the Remnant Psyches.
- In No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, Dr. Letz Shake and Destroyman manage to come back to life despite being destroyed in over-the-top manners in the first game.
- Killer Is Dead opens this way, as an executioner in the first level is killed and then immediately resurrected by the Dark Matter from the Moon. Later on, Bryan Roses survives getting hit by a train by purchasing golden replacement parts for his cyborg body.
- LET IT DIE bases its gameplay around this concept, as when your character dies, it is uploaded onto a server and is born again in other characters' games as an enemy. If you manage to kill your own reborn character, or pay a number of Kill Coins, you can revive them back into your service.
Deliberately pixelated elements[]
- The Silver Case features pixel-based fonts for use in windows depicting 3D environments, for stating time, place, and purpose (e.g. "Heading Home", "Investigation", "Stakeout").
- Flower, Sun, and Rain
- killer7
- BLOOD+: One Night Kiss possesses pixel-based UI, especially in enemy health bars which use various icons rather than solid colors.
- No More Heroes, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle and Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes
Excessively long passages[]
- Beneath Eleki Island in Flower, Sun, and Rain.
- The Senton Splash Tunnel in No More Heroes.
- The housing complex in No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle.
- Darkness voids in Shadows of the DAMNED.
- Mondo Zappa's dreams in Killer Is Dead.
- The final hallway before facing White Sheepman in the CIA Underground.
Film Window text[]
- The Silver Case
- killer7
- Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked
- Killer Is Dead
Forked paths[]
Stages with a series of forks in the road often appear, where taking the wrong path causes the player to be returned to the beginning of the path. Someone or something usually accompanies the player, giving them hints on which is direction is the correct one.
- Step Sding at the Randelman Garden in Flower, Sun, and Rain.
- In killer7, the Dominican Republic features a path that can only be exited by following the street musician's song to the correct path.
- Thunder Ryu in the Forest of Bewilderment in No More Heroes.
- Act 5-4 in Shadows of the DAMNED.
- The CIA Underground in Travis Strikes Again also sends players back if they step on wrong teleporters, even penalizing them in some areas with additional Bug battles.
Frames dedicated to one character[]
- Character and enemy introductions in killer7.
- The Professor's top screen in Contact.
- The splash screens that load when the player reaches the location of an Extreme Murder Battle Stage in No More Heroes.
- Splash biographies that appear for each principal character encountered in Lollipop Chainsaw.
- Enemy and boss introductions in Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes.
Games within games[]
- "Hardboiled Shooting killer7 Online" in killer7, an underground online game that the battle with The Handsome Men takes place in.
- The 25th Ward: The Silver Case features two chapters with JRPG combat: Shiroyabu against a group of hitmen, and Tokio against his hacker friend Slash.
- Two arcade machines, F-1 Racer and Dragon & Dragon, must be physically entered for traveling up Habara in Contact.
- Pure White Giant Glastonbury in No More Heroes.
- The "Bizorre Jerry 5" shooting game in No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle.
- Acts 4-2, 4-4 and 4-6 in Shadows of the DAMNED.
- The playable arcade cabinets in Lollipop Chainsaw.
- The premise of LET IT DIE is that the player is playing the arcade game game LET IT DIE in the Hated Arcade. However, it is implied that the arcade machine, rather than being a fictional game, is a means to control Fighters in the Tower of Barbs remotely.
- Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes contains the fictional games Electric Thunder Tiger II, Life is Destroy, Coffee & Doughnuts, Golden Dragon GP, Killer Marathon, Death Drive and Serious Moonlight (A sequel to Shadows of the DAMNED). An arcade cabinet of the real world video game Hotline Miami also appears. Shadows of the DAMNED is also revealed to be a video game within No More Heroes continuity.
- In Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes it's revealed that Shadows of the DAMNED is a video game within the universe, and Travis Touchdown is a "huge damned fan" and has played through it three times.
Hotels[]
As opposed to standalone houses, hotels and motels are meant as places of temporary residence for their clients. This reflects the player being a temporary inhabitant of the game they are playing.
- Although no actual hotels appear in The Silver Case, there are at least five distinct apartment complexes visited in the course of the game, as a sort of predecessor to the hotel theme.
- Flower, Sun, and Rain has a plot that mainly revolves around the Flower, Sun, and Rain hotel on Lospass Island, and its staff and guests, including the protagonist, guest Sumio Mondo.
- The International Hotel and Motel in Michigan: Report from Hell.
- The backstory of killer7 ends up tying back to a series of events that occurred at the Union Hotel. Interestingly, the man working there in the present day is Edo Macalister, who was also the manager of the Flower, Sun, and Rain. Mentions of two different French hotels also appear in the backstory.
- The Thousand Hotel in The 25th Ward: The Silver Case, as well as several more apartment complexes.
- Travis Touchdown in No More Heroes and No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle lives in the Motel "NO MORE HEROES" instead of purchasing a real house. The Destroy Resort also appears in Desperate Struggle.
- Short Peace: Ranko Tsukigime's Longest Day
- In the manga Kurayami Dance, a Union Hotel is the setting of the second volume.
- There are motels in the market in Electric Thunder Tiger II, playable in Travis Strikes Again.
Kamui[]
"Kamui" is the conception of spirituality or the divine in Ainu mythology. It is somewhat similar to the Japanese "kami". Most Ainu gods have the title of "Kamui" in their name.
- Rather obviously, Kamui Uehara in The Silver Case is named after this concept.
- The kamui have a major focus in Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked, as the Ainu people actually appear in the game, referred to as the old blood.
- The Liberator "Kamui" mech in Liberation Maiden.
- Kamui Uehara aides Travis Touchdown in his search for the Death Balls in Travis Strikes Again.
-man suffix[]
- The Decoyman chapter in The Silver Case.
- The Cloudman chapter and the Handsome Men in killer7.
- The character Destroyman in No More Heroes.
- The characters Million Gunman and New Destroyman in Desperate Struggle.
- The character Badman and the Travisman Formation skill in Travis Strikes Again.
Masks and masked wrestlers[]
Wrestlers are another very common profession in SUDA51 games, and just as in real life wrestling (especially lucha libre), several of those are masked. The mask concept is extended to various other kinds of masks, as well, such as cartoon character masks and general face-obscuring masks.
- Naturally, being based off of real wrestling, Super Fire Prowrestling III: Final Bout and Super Fire Prowrestling Special contain masked wrestlers.
- Although wrestling doesn't factor into the plot of The Silver Case, there are a number of references to it.
- Two minor characters in Flower, Sun, and Rain, El Crasher and Mr. Pirate, are masked wrestlers.
- One of the playable characters in killer7 is the masked wrestler MASK de Smith, who acquires Mask Upgrades over the course of the game. One of the Remnant Psyches assisting the playable characters is Yoon-Hyun, who carries a mask and dons it to become the True Mask, who drinks blood. MASK's Heaven Smile opponents, the Protector Smile and its variants, all wear armor masks. The Handsome Men, being sentai heroes, naturally wear masks, and finally AYAME Blackburn wears an animegao mask.
- In one of the many endings of The 25th Ward: The Silver Case, Uehara becomes a pro wrestler.
- In No More Heroes, Travis Touchdown learns new wrestling moves from messages from the suspiciously named M. S. stuffed in the mouths of masks. He also collects trading cards of wrestling masks, known as the Mask of the Legendary Wrestler set, which then get turned into real masks hanging on his wall. Mask Do UH wears a partial mask and also has several wrestling masks hanging in AREA 51.
- There are lots of masks in Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen, including a ritual mask key to the story. The semi-unofficial English title is Mask of the Lunar Eclipse.
- If the player of No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle has save data for No More Heroes on their Wii, the same masks they had in the first game will carry over. Mask Do UH returns as well. Matt Helms' battle form wears a western cartoon character mask (reminiscent of AYAME Blackburn) and Jasper Batt Jr. wears a bat-themed eye mask in his second and third forms.
- An enemy type in Shadows of the DAMNED is the Masked Demon who wears a gas mask.
- The Veiled and The Legion in Short Peace: Ranko Tsukigime's Longest Day both wear masks; additionally, the "Masked Man" is yet another masked wrestler. In his boss fight, Ranko and the Masked Man wear several masks and the masks serve as their health bars, unmasking eachother to do damage.
- Doctor Moonlight Kurayami Dance
- Captain Yotsuyama from LET IT DIE takes the form of a human head wearing a red luchador mask, attached to all manner of things, from the bodies of animals to taking the place of the olive in a martini glass. Several masks can be found as equippable items.
- Badman is masked for the duration of Travis Strikes Again and each Sheepman wears a small mask over their heads. A luchador mask also appears on Touchdown's desk.
Mentor's death[]
The death of a mentor figure during the course of a story often forces their pupil, the protagonist, to stop relying on them in order to stand as their own individual.
- Thunder Ryu in No More Heroes
- Randall Lovikov in No More Heroes 1.5
- Morikawa in Lollipop Chainsaw
The Moon[]
- Main article: The Moon.
The Moon, Earth's only natural satellite, is one of if not the most prominent theme(s) within SUDA51's games, so much so that it has its own page that lists appearances of the moon. It is also referred to in Travis Strikes Again when John Winter claims to have visited there once.
Motorcycles[]
- The 25th Ward: The Silver Case
- Travis Touchdown rides his customized, high-tech Schpeltiger in No More Heroes and 2: Desperate Struggle.
- Johnson in Shadows of the DAMNED can transform into a cruiser-style motorcycle.
- In Killer Is Dead, Mondo Zappa and Vivienne fight Hamada-Yama from atop her UK-manufactured motorcycle.
- Short Peace: Ranko Tsukigime's Longest Day
- Kurayami Dance
- LET IT DIE
Prominent music moments[]
- Chapters are named after music pieces in Flower, Sun, and Rain.
- The Dominican Republic singer's song in killer7.
- The song sung by Dr. Peace in No More Heroes.
- Margaret Moonlight's tune in No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle.
- Justine Divangelo's operatic vocals in Shadows of the DAMNED.
No control during boss fights[]
At least once a game, the player has some or all agency taken away from them regarding a boss fight.
- killer7: In the Alter Ego chapter, the killer7 and the Handsome Men duel each other in a set of matches. Every duel's outcome is predetermined, including the duel between Garcian Smith and Handsome Pink not actually happening.
- The CosmoNOTs' show in Contact.
- Letz Shake and Dark Star in No More Heroes are killed by other characters, rather than Travis. In Dark Star's case, his killer, Jeane, takes his place as the boss that Travis must fight.
- In No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, there are 14 unseen ranked assassins killed by Dr. Letz Shake in an offscreen battle royale before Travis is able to confront any.
Phone calls[]
- Most Requests in Flower, Sun, and Rain are opened by Sumio Mondo receiving a call on his hotel room's phone from Edo Macalister.
- Most Targets in killer7 are opened by Garcian Smith listening to a message on his answering machine from Christopher Mills.
- After defeating a boss in No More Heroes, Travis Touchdown returns home and listens to messages on his answering machine; one from the United Assassins Association and one from Diane. Before confronting the boss, he usually gets another one from Sylvia Christel. Similar scenes appear in No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle. Additionally, solely in the first game, Sylvia calls Travis on his cell phone in the corridor before a boss.
- Juliet Starling in Lollipop Chainsaw frequently gets calls from her family, most of which she listens to later.
- Mondo Zappa in Killer is Dead frequently gets calls over his intercom, some from the Mondo Girls and some from the Bryan Execution Firm.
- Uncle Death in the PlayStation 4 version of LET IT DIE will at times call the player over the speaker on the DualShock 4, a reference to No More Heroes and Fatal Frame IV.
- The Smoking King calls Touchdown multiple times during his stay in the world of Golden Dragon GP.
Severed heads[]
When a character dies from decapitation, their head oftentimes makes an appearance on its own, often within a paper bag. Sometimes, the heads will continue to speak after decapitation for one reason or another.
- In Moonlight Syndrome, Kyoko Kazan's head, in a paper bag, is delivered to her brother Ryo Kazan who keeps it with him. The head makes an appearance in the beginning of The Silver Case.
- In killer7, when a member of the Smith Syndicate is killed by a Heaven Smile or other adversary, they take the form of a severed head which quickly becomes within a paper bag. Garcian Smith, being the cleaner, can go and retrieve these bags in order to revive the personae. One of the Remnant Psyches, Susie Sumner, is also a severed head, who appears in various compartments all over the game, including in a bag. The second of the Red Gunners lost his head from a Heaven Smile as well, and Curtis Blackburn taunts Pedro Montana with his daughter's head.
- In No More Heroes, enemy heads tend to fly off when killed by Travis Touchdown. Besides random goons, Helter-Skelter, Death Metal, and Speed Buster are all killed this way.
- Similar trends continue in No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle. Most notably, Georgy Bishop's head is delivered to Travis in a paper bag. Besides him and random goons, Skelter Helter, Million Gunman and one of the New Destroyman are killed in this way. Skelter and Million both briefly continue to speak after being beheaded. New Destroyman also threatens Shinobu with mailing her head to Touchdown before facing her.
- Shadows of the DAMNED has various severed heads littering the overall landscape, decor and aesthetic. Johnson is a floating skull, possibly a part of this theme as well.
- In Lollipop Chainsaw, one of the main characters, Nick Carlyle, becomes a head that stayed alive after being separated from his body, due to Juliet Starling casting an incantation to save him.
- In Killer Is Dead, Bryan Execution Firm targets Tokio, Alice, Victor, Hamada-Yama, Giant Head, Dolly and David are all assassinated by decapitation.
- Day and Night in Short Peace: Ranko Tsukigime's Longest Day can only be killed through decapitation.
- LET IT DIE
- John Winter decapitates Travis Touchdown's clone when they meet on Mars in Travis Strikes Again.
Shopping centers[]
- The Babylon Shopping Center appears in The Silver Case.
- The Spice Shop mall appears in Flower, Sun, and Rain.
- Habara in Contact.
- The Santa Destroy Junction Mall appears in No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle.
Sticker power-ups[]
- In Contact, Terry can stick himself with decals to upgrade his abilities.
- LET IT DIE allows Fighters to change their stats using Skill Decals.
Talking animals[]
- Christina the pink alligator from Flower, Sun, and Rain
- In The 25th Ward: The Silver Case, Red, Tokio Morishima's pet turtle, is said to have an old woman's voice in the latter's dream
- Takeru the unicorn in Killer Is Dead
- Jeane the Cat in Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes and No More Heroes 3
Three wise monkeys[]
The "three wise monkeys" is a visual from Japan embodying the phrase "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil". It depicts three monkeys, Mizaru, who covers their eyes, Kikazaru, who covers their ears, and Iwazaru, who covers their mouth.
- The protagonists of The Silver Case, Flower, Sun, and Rain and killer7 each represent one of the monkeys. Akira is mute from psychosis and thus represents Iwazaru, Sumio Mondo, being an alternate identity of Sumio Kodai, is deaf and thus represents Kikazaru, and Garcian Smith's third eye is closed, making him metaphorically and spiritually blind, thus representing Mizaru.
- The Mikumo Boys in The Silver Case represent this concept through the injuries they received from the parades in 1979. Hiseki, whose eyes were gouged out, represents Mizaru, Sumio Kodai, whose eardrums were smashed, represents Kikazaru, and Fuyuki, whose mouth was sewn shut, represents Iwazaru. Alluding to this further, the letter they send to Central reads "The Monkey Laughs" and Hiseki's apartment building is the 3 Monkeys Apartment.
- killer7 has another set of characters that represent this concept in the form of the Smith Syndicate's assistants, who may or may not be Remnant Psyches. They are Iwazaru, who wears a gag and holds his finger to his lips, Kikazaru, who has stitched up ears, and Mizaru who covers her eyes.
- A visual of the three wise monkeys appears in the opening to Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked. There are also three unique monkey characters in the monkey gang, although it is unclear if they relate to the saying in any way other than number.
Tigers[]
Tigers are a recurring animal in SUDA51 and Grasshopper games. They are sometimes depicted as being enemies to dragons, an element of Chinese idioms and culture.
- In the "Sayaka Baian" sequence of The Silver Case, one of the images shown is a drawing of Sayaka with a tiger.
- In Flower, Sun, and Rain, El Crasher is a wrestler wearing a tiger mask who was defeated by a wrestler named Dragon.
- Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked's character select menu uses a tiger to represent Mugen and a dragon to represent Jin.
- The No More Heroes games use the tiger as the main animal motif of Travis Touchdown, in aspects such as UI and, in No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, a literal transformation. Travis can also get tiger-themed clothes, and there are tiger skin rugs lining Death Metal's mansion. In Travis Strikes Again, Travis refers to himself once as the Dem Zam Tiger. In the second game, Travis also fights a dragon-themed assassin named Ryuji.
- Diabolical Pitch is about a pitcher for the Santa Destroy Red Tigers.
- In Killer Is Dead, two characters, Hamada-Yama and Bryan Roses have tiger and dragon tattoos respectively. The former's tattoo begins to act on its own when the owner begins to turn into a wire.
Tsubaki[]
Tsubaki is the Japanese word for the Camellia flower. In SUDA51 and Grasshopper games, the word "Tsubaki" or "Camellia" is used to name a number of different things.
- Camellia is the name of a street in The Silver Case. Additionally, there was once a crime syndicate in Ward 24 named the Tsubaki Syndicate (after its leader), but it was defeated by the HC Unit in the case "Royal Nine" when they arrested Tsubaki himself.
- The Camellia Smile (ツバキスマイル Tsubaki Sumairu) in killer7.
- Mokutaro Shiroyabu from The 25th Ward: The Silver Case is named after a particular camellia plant.
- Tsubaki, a character in Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked.
- The Tsubaki Beam katana in No More Heroes, as well as its successors the Tsubaki Mk-II and Tsubaki Mk-III.
Wheelchairs[]
- In The Silver Case's case#25:whiteout prologue, Ryu Munakata appears in a wheelchair.
- Sundance Ritz in Flower, Sun, and Rain
- Harman Smith in killer7
- Tokio Morishima temporarily used one while in the hospital in The 25th Ward: The Silver Case.
Whisper text-to-speech[]
Whisper, a text-to-speech voice on Mac computers, has been used at the end of Moonlight Syndrome episodes, in The Silver Case for Fuyuki's instructions, for the voice of Travis Bell in killer7, and for the announcement of the bosses' names in No More Heroes. In addition, several other Mac voices were used in killer7 for the other Remnant Psyches. Although its previous and subsequent appearances were mostly thematic, its appearance in The Silver Case was because the group using it, the Mikumo Boys, were disabled and had developed Internet accessibility tools for those with disabilities.
Backdoor sequels[]
Grasshopper has developed several games without disclosing their direct connections to past titles, surprising players when plots intersect as they play.
- Flower, Sun, and Rain was not marketed as a sequel to Shirubā Jiken.
- The Day 7 patch-added opening of Travis Strikes Again is framed during killer7--specifically in the window after Curtis Blackburn's death in "Target03: Encounter", but before Dan Smith and Christopher Mills are killed in "Target 05: Smile".
- Travis Strikes Again contains a seemingly innocuous Death Drive Mk II game titled Serious Moonlight; however, launching it reveals that it is actually a sequel to Shadows of the DAMNED, titled DAMNED: Dark Knight.