Yo-Jin-Bo ("The Bodyguards") is an Otome Game by Two-Five, available in English from Hirameki International. Ordinary High School Student Sayori finds a pendant while exploring a castle's ruins with her history club. She takes the pendant home with her. That night the ghost of a long-dead princess appears and gives Sayori a vision of how she, Princess Hatsuhime, died. Sayori then wakes up, in Hatsuhime's body.

Lucky for her, six highly skilled body guards arrive to help her make it back to her castle safely.

One of the few officially translated Japanese Visual Novels without any Hentai content. An extremely silly, extremely funny romp through medieval Japan.

Tropes used in Yo-Jin-Bo include:
  • Alternate Character Reading: Bo's nickname comes from an alternate reading of the characters that spell Tainojo. He says it annoys him a bit, but everybody continues to call him Bo, even Sayori.
  • Always Save the Girl: Given that they're your bodyguards, it's not entirely without justification.
  • Anachronism Stew: The game takes place somewhere in Japan a hundred and fifty years ago. That doesn't stop references to modern culture from popping up. Constantly.
  • Anguished Declaration of Love: In a couple of the endings, but most notably Ittosai's good ending, in which .
  • Anime Hair: Several examples.
  • Anticlimax: If you are paired up with them, Jin and Muneshige will get in a fight. Then Kasumimaru will show up and interrupt them before a real victor is decided. (Presumably, this is to keep the player's subsequent decisions from being influenced by knowing who is the better fighter.) The Bad endings also involve a certain amount of anticlimax since .
  • Armor Is Useless: Nobody seems to be wearing any.
  • Armor-Piercing Slap: Sayori does this to Ittosai when he gets to be a real jerk. He doesn't react much other than to complain about being hit. She also does it to Mon-Mon when he feigns a fatal injury to gain sympathy, though it's less surprising that he doesn't strike back.
  • Arranged Marriage: Hatsuhime was going to be married off to a ten-year-old by her retainer.
  • Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: A variant when Harumoto is listing off his reasons for getting rid of the princess: She's irresponsible, she'd weaken the clan, her presence ruins the chance for a more suitable heir to take power (and thus for Harumoto to control the puppet heir)... and then he starts going on about how Hatsuhime makes a fuss over yakiniku.
  • Badass Cape: Yo and Bo wear capes "because they are cool".
  • Badass Crew: Any one of the six guys is a match for a whole team of ninja.
  • Badass Long Hair: Bo has long, flowing hair, and Muneshige has a spiky ponytail.
  • Badass Long Robe: Ittosai wears a big, furry jacket... draped over one shoulder.
  • Bad Dreams:
  • Barbie Doll Anatomy: Averted. Shirtless guys have nipples.
  • Baka: The guys like insulting each other.
  • Barehanded Blade Block: Mon-Mon does it to save Hatsuhime.
  • Beauty Equals Goodness: Played straight and averted. Just about everyone except Yahei (nice old man) and Nobumasa (big, dumb, and evil) could be considered at least above-average.
  • Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Despite running from ninjas through a forest, Sayori doesn't ever rip her kimono or get sweaty or anything. In fact, after the hot spring, Jin even comments on how lovely girls smell after they get out of the bath...despite the fact that her clothes were not washed and thus should stink. She does break a sandal strap once, but that's only so Bo could carry her.
  • Being Watched: Being chased by ninjas, everyone's always getting the feeling that they're being watched. Spying on Mon-Mon and Muneshige in the hot spring will result in them thinking they're being watched, too.
  • Bespectacled Bastard Boyfriend: Ittosai, at least for a while. His abusive behavior is an effort to drive Sayori away from him, and is thus abandoned completely once he finally accepts the idea that she has feelings for him.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: Arguably all of the guys except Ittosai, but Bo and Mon-Mon get special mention. They are absolutely lethal when angered.
  • BFS: Ittosai's sword is almost as long as he is tall. Nobumasa's spear is also quite large.
  • Big Bad: Harumoto.
  • Big Eater: A subtle example: Jin. He doesn't eat a lot on screen, but he's the only one to ever complain of being hungry, and when he does, the other guys groan as if that's all he ever talks about.
  • Bishonen: All the guys, but especially Bo. Shoot, even Harumoto is an evil pretty boy.
  • Bishie Sparkle: Some of the more painterly scenes have an accompaniment of these.
  • Blade Brake: Ittosai .
  • Blade on a Stick: Nobumasa wields a spear. A really big spear.
  • Blatant Lies: A prominent feature of Yo and Sayori's confrontations with Nobumasa, who believes every word even when they're claiming that Sayori is Yo's mother or that they're escaping from a witch who lives in a Gingerbread House.
  • Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Yo, Bo, and Jin are a male version, with some allowances made for Anime Hair - Yo's hair is light green and Bo's is blue, but they fill the roles of blond and brunet perfectly.
  • Blond Guys Are Evil: Ittosai.
  • Big Damn Heroes: Sayori trips and falls as she and Muneshige are running to first escape the castle. The ninjas have her surrounded and are about to kill her. Enter five wise-cracking heroes. Those poor ninjas never regain their competence.
  • Bittersweet Ending:
  • Blind Without'Em: Ittosai, probably.
  • Blood Knight: Ittosai. He really loves killing.
  • Bloodless Carnage: Averted oh-so-much, but somehow without going completely overboard.
  • Bodyguard Crush: The game is called "The Bodyguards". What do you think it's about?
  • Body Snatcher: Sayori is kinda forced to be one, since she's suddenly thrust into Hatsuhime's body, but some endings later reveal Hatsuhime was still in the back of her mind watching everything. Other endings establish that Hatsuhime has snatched Sayori's body in the meantime and has been enjoying herself immensely.
  • Boke and Tsukkomi Routine: The guys slip into these often, with roles changing hands frequently.
  • Bottomless Bladder: While hiding under the floor of the enemy castle for several days, Sayori notes that Muneshige snuck out to bring back food and water...and curiously doesn't mention what they did with the waste products of said food and water.
  • Bound and Gagged: Mon-Mon asks you to tie Yo's hands so he doesn't thrash around The result is very much Does This Remind You of Anything?.
  • Breaking the Fourth Wall: The guys like to tease Mon-Mon about "not being one of the characters you can get at the end of the game".
  • Bridal Carry: Bo does it in one scene. Muneshige and Mon-Mon give piggyback rides.
  • Brown Eyes: Muneshige, who is stable and loyal (although one of his poses shows him with Eyes of Gold instead - hazel maybe?)
  • Bullet-Proof Fashion Plate: In addition to running from ninjas, the guys also fight them and remain equally clean, despite the amount of bloodshed they cause. Shoot, even when they're said to be injured in text, it never shows up in the art.
  • Bulletproof Vest:
  • But Now I Must Go:
  • But Thou Must!: Quite a few decisions seem to have no influence on events. All of them ultimately affect the ending, however.
  • Calling Your Attacks: Everybody does. They usually have ridiculously long and convoluted names, too.
  • Cannot Spit It Out: Happens a couple times, but especially with Jin.
  • Cast Full of Pretty Boys: The only girl who appears onscreen besides yourself is Hatsuhime (who kinda is still you, in a way). A couple of maids may speak during the endings, but they never get to be in the picture.
  • Casual Danger Dialog: Plenty of it.
  • Caught the Heart on His Sleeve: Happens a couple times.
  • The Cavalry: The samurai and archers from the castle.
  • Celibate Hero: Muneshige spent his entire adult life protecting Hatsuhime, so he never had time to find a wife of his own. He complains a bit about this in the beginning.
  • Chekhov's Gun: Muneshige gives you his shortsword at the beginning of the game. There are also the various references to Jin's sword being a dull-bladed piece of junk.
  • Chekhov's Hobby: Mon-Mon spends a good deal of the game joking about giving Hatsuhime a massage, and Muneshige finds he's actually fairly skilled.
  • The Chick: Sayori
  • Chick Magnet: Bo complains of being this, but you never see another girl (justified while fleeing ninjas in a forest, not so much at the opening festival)
  • Chivalrous Pervert: The guys tend to come across as this at times.
  • The Comically Serious: The guys often try to get Ittosai in on their jokes. He wants none of it.
  • The Coats Are Off: When he fights Kasumimaru, Bo uses his cape as a distraction to gain the advantage.
  • Conservation of Ninjutsu: Teams of ninja are no real match for the guys. Kasumimaru by himself is.
  • Cower Power: Considering they're her bodyguards, it may be slightly justified.
  • CPR: Clean, Pretty, Reliable:
  • Crash Into Hello: Hatsuhime literally runs into Jin at the festival. Nearly pulls his haori off, too.
  • Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Jin's fighting stance is said to be wide open and full of holes, prompting much mocking from both friends and enemies, but attempts to attack him are swiftly parried or dodged.
  • Dark and Troubled Past: The guys all have some little secret to discover. How dark and troubled it is varies.
  • Dark-Skinned Redhead: Jin.
  • Dead Little Sister: Brother, actually.
  • David Versus Goliath: Nobumasa is bigger than anyone else in the game, but this is especially noticeable if he's facing Yo.
  • Deathbed Confession: Picking an option that ends with Hatsuhime being killed may get you one of these.
  • Defrosting Ice King: Ittosai in his route.
  • Dialogue Tree: As a Visual Novel, it's full of these.
  • Dirt Forcefield: Running through a forest? Pshaw, that won't even scuff your shoes!
  • Dirty Old Man: Yahei likes to watch Hatsuhime in the bath.
  • Disney Villain Death:
  • Damsel in Distress: Hatsuhime/Sayori.
  • Don't You Dare Pity Me!: If Ittosai has a Berserk Button, this is it.
  • Double Entendre: A couple of the jokes. Actually, a lot of the jokes.
  • The Dragon: Nobumasa
  • Dramatic Wind: normally cues the beginning of a big fight scene.
  • The Drifter: Ittosai, the loner.
  • Drop the Cow: Sometimes, the silliness just gets random.
  • Dual-Wielding: Muneshige does this.
  • Dude Looks Like a Lady: Bo claims he should be allowed to guard the Princess during her bath because he "looks androgynous" with his long hair and wouldn't disturb her as much as the other guys. (Nobody else is buying it.)
  • The Dulcinea Effect: Aside from money, the reason Yo, Jin, Bo, and Mon-Mon take on the assignment of rescuing Hatsuhime is that she's a princess and they might get a reward kiss.
  • Eating the Eye Candy: The Forgotten Dream endings have Sayori able to remember only some small detail of the guy - his hair, his eyes, etc. - and her feelings for him.
  • Economy Cast
  • Eek! A Mouse!: Sayori and Hatsuhime both agree that mice, cockroaches, spiderwebs, and other such nasties are abhorrent.
  • Enemy Mine: Ittosai was a former adversary to Yo, Jin, and Bo. Especially Jin.
  • Epunymous Title: "Yojinbo" (more commonly romanized as "yojimbo") is a Japanese word meaning "bodyguard." The three main characters are called Yo, Jin, and Bo. The official English title is "Yo-Jin-Bo: the Bodyguards," making it a combination of this and You Are the Translated Foreign Word.
  • Even the Guys Want Him: Bo laments a crossdresser hitting on him in the opening at the festival.
  • Every Girl Is Cuter With Hair Decs: Hatsuhime has a big red bow in her hair.
  • Everything's Better with Princesses
  • Everything's Better with Samurai
  • Everything's Better with Sparkles
  • Everything's Better with Spinning: Yo's special attack, Whirlwind Revolution Kick.
  • Everything Sounds Sexier in French: The English subtitles convert most of Bo's Gratuitous English into Gratuitous French; this is presumably why.
  • Evil Eye: Kasumimaru's artificial left eye, which is key to the spell he uses to blind his opponents.
  • Evil Laugh: Harumoto.
  • Expy: Kasumimaru is an elite ninja with silver-blue hair and a scar across an unusual eye that allows him to see things when others cannot. That sounds familiar...
  • Eyes of Gold: Kasumimaru and Mon-Mon, evil and non-evil examples respectively.
  • Face Heel Turn: Making the very wrong choice on the road in the last day can result in Ittosai handing Sayori over to Nobumasa, reminding her that he warned her not to trust him.
  • Face Palm: Ittosai has not one, but two facepalming sprites, due to the fact that he feels he's Surrounded by Idiots.
  • Fake-Out Make-Out: In Bo and Muneshige's paths, this nearly happens when Nobumasa demands proof that Sayori is her chosen bodyguard's wife and not Hatsuhime. Nobumasa always interrupts before they can actually kiss, however.
  • Family-Unfriendly Death: There are six guys. gets himself killed six spectacular different ways.
  • Family-Unfriendly Violence:
  • Fan Service: Six guys + hot spring. You do the math.
  • Fantastic Romance: Sayori would never have met any of them if it weren't for that time-traveling pendant.
  • Festival Episode: The opening of the game.
  • Finger-Lickin' Evil: One of Ittosai's sprites has him licking his own forearm.
  • First Kiss: Sayori's a bit of a quiet sort, so she's never kissed a guy before. It's uncertain if any of the guys have any experience.
  • Fish Out of Temporal Water: Subverted, mostly thanks to the Purely Aesthetic Era: Sayori has no trouble fitting in since everyone else is constantly making modern pop culture references and such anyhow.
  • Foe Yay: Jin really hates Ittosai. So of course the moment he shows any concern about why he's not back from fighting off ninjas, Bo asks if he's worried about him and Yo pipes up with, "Are you saying the more they fight, the closer they are? Are you...slashing them?" Bo then asks if he means slashing tires.
  • Freudian Excuse:
  • Fur and Loathing: Ittosai's fur-trimmed coat.
  • Furo Scene: Most of the endings have Sayori taking a bath and thinking about the adventure.
  • Generation Xerox:
  • Generic Cuteness: Sayori claims she is not as beautiful as Hatsuhime. She looks like Hatsuhime with a haircut.
  • Geometric Magic: In Mon-Mon's Good ending,
  • Getting Crap Past the Radar: Bo even reminds them to watch what they say, because they have to be on the lookout for the ESRB.
  • The Ghost: Those serving maids? Your classmates? You hear them, but you never see them...
  • A Glass of Chianti: Harumoto usually has a glass on his desk.
  • Goldfish Scooping Game: Hatsuhime plays one... by scooping the fish up in the bowl, instead of with the paper net.
  • Gorgeous Period Dress: Everyone's costumes are bright and colorful, but their Japan-ness ranges from Hatsuhime's intricate kimono and obi to Yo's more European wear to Ittosai's odd fur jacket, leather pants, and belt.
  • Gotta Catch Em All: The game has several CGI scenes and clips of music for you to collect (view/hear them once and they're in your collection for forever).
  • Gratuitous English: Sprinkled here and there.
  • Gratuitous French: Bo in the English localization.
  • Gratuitous Spanish: A photographer in Mon-Mon's Good ending in the subtitles.
  • Green-Eyed Monster: Jin and Muneshige are especially prone to it.
  • Green Eyes
    • Hatsuhime, who is always sneaking out of the castle and can be a sharp-tongued spitfire.
    • Jin, who is occasionally hotheaded and tempermental.
    • Sayori, who doesn't fit the stereotype at all.
  • Guide Dang It: Your ability to progress down certain characters' paths are dependent upon seemingly meaningly But Thou Must! choices in the beginning of the game, before you have even meet said characters.
  • Guns Are Worthless: Ruthlessly averted in one death scene. If the ninjas bring out guns, the guys declare them to be cowards for using them...and then die. Rapidly.
  • Happy Ending: The Good endings, natch.
  • Happily Ever After: Sometimes highly implied, sometimes stated outright.
  • Have a Nice Death: Picking an option that results in death has Sayori waxing poetic about how "that was the last thing I heard/saw in this world".
  • Hazel Eyes: Yo, and maybe Muneshige.
  • Headbutt Thermometer: Sayori does this to Yo as he's sleeping.
  • Hell-Bent for Leather: Ittosai wears leather pants and boots, and a long strip of leather wrapped around his upper body.
  • Heroic BSOD:
    • Jin around girls.
    • In a much more serious example,
  • Heroic Resolve: Happens occasionally towards the end of the game, but especially in the guys' Good endings.
  • He Who Must Not Be Seen: And she. Any of Sayori's modern-day history club members and any servant girls or vasals in the castle will not have any face at all. Sayori herself is never shown in a full-body shot (outside of special painterly images), but only as a small face beside her speech. She's also unvoiced.
  • Her Heart Will Go On:
  • Hey, You: Ittosai calls Sayori "woman" throughout the entire game, up until his Good and Bad endings.
  • Highly-Visible Ninja
  • High-Pressure Blood: Certain scenes have blood spurting everywhere, but it's usually from a very major injury such as a knife to the throat or an arm cut completely off. More minor injuries show less blood.
  • Hime Cut: Hatsuhime, of course.
  • Hitchhiker Heroes: Though we don't know how they met, Yo, Jin, Bo, and Mon-Mon are a wandering band.
  • Hit Me Dammit: Muneshige demands that Jin hit him for thinking he was doing something inappropriate when the later was treating Hatsuhime's snakebite.
  • Holding Hands: is treated as being extremely special.
  • Hot-Blooded: Mon-Mon claims he was this when he was younger. Jin still is.
  • Hot Men At Work: In Muneshige's Good ending,
  • Hot Springs Episode: And you can spy on the guys.
  • Human Shield: Harumoto uses Hatsuhime as one.
  • Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Mon-Mon and Muneshige are both quite buff, while Hatsuhime is petite and dainty. Bo is tall, but not quite as muscular.
  • Humble Hero: Most of the guys.
  • Hurricane Kick: Yo's special attack, Whirlwind Revolution Kick. So fast it can remove body parts.
  • Hurricane of Puns: Often.
  • Hurt/Comfort Fic: In-game! Ittosai's endings have a little voice pop up in the back of Sayori's mind asking her if she doesn't want to help heal his troubled heart.
  • I Choose to Stay: The Good endings. Additionally, in Muneshige and Ittosai's Good endings,
  • Idiot Hair: Bo's hair is sleek and well-behaved, except for one strand that hangs in his face. It doesn't have anything to do with his intelligence, though.
  • If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: Yahei invokes this in Mon-Mon's Good ending.
  • If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him: Mostly the reason that, of all the guys, Ittosai is the only one who doesn't kill Nobumasa himself.
  • I Just Want to Be Loved: Possibly Ittosai's entire problem.
  • I Kiss Your Hand: Bo does this at various times.
  • Impossibly Cool Clothes: For being a bunch of poor wanderers, the guys all have amazingly fashionable (or at least extravagant) clothes.
  • Improbable Weapon User: That big string of beads around Mon-Mon's neck? It'll take your arm off.
  • Incredibly Lame Pun: Muneshige likes to make these. The other guys join in, too.
  • Ineffectual Death Threats: Jin gets very angry at Yo and Bo, particularly when it comes to women, parties, and his popularity.
  • In Harm's Way: It's implied that at least part of why the guys keep moving is just for the simple sake of adventure.
  • Insistent Terminology: Yo does not wear gym shorts, he wears capris (or, in the voiceover, haafu pantsu).
  • Instant Awesome, Just Add Ninja:
  • It Meant Something to Me: The Bad and Forgotten Dream endings generally have some flavor of this.
  • I Uh You Too: In the endings,
  • I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Ittosai's response to Sayori's Anguished Declaration of Love in his Good ending, nearly word-for-word.
  • Japanese Honorifics: Heard in the voiceovers, but rarely translated. One particular annoyance is for the subtitles to render Hatsuhime as "Princess Hatsuhime", as if the title were part of her name.
  • Japanese Pronouns: Heard in the voiceovers. Being samurai, most of the guys use sessha, excepting only Yo (boku) and Jin (ore); Bo sometimes uses watashi as well.
  • Jerkass: Ittosai.
  • Jerkass Facade:
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Ittosai's well-hidden better nature is revealed in his Good and Bad endings.
  • Jidai Geki: Japan, "150 years ago". 150 years ago from when isn't specified, but you can probably assume early 2000s.
  • Joshikousei: Sayori.
  • Just in Time: In Ittosai's ending
  • Katanas Are Just Better: Everyone (except Mon-Mon, Yo, and Nobumasa) carries a katana. Possibly justified, given that the game is about samurai.
  • Kawaiiko: Amusingly, Yo. He addresses you as onee-chan (Big Sis) and requests that you call him "Yo-chan" because it's cuter. Then he tells you not to treat him like a kid.
  • Keep It Foreign: Bo often speaks English in his voiceovers; the subtitles render it in French as often as they keep it English. There are also a couple of other instances of Gratuitous English in the Japanese dialogue which are changed to Gratuitous Spanish in the subtitles.
  • Keigo: Heard in the voiceovers.
  • Keystone Army: The ninjas scatter when Kasumimaru is defeated.
  • Kill Us Both: In Ittosai's Good ending,
  • Kiss Kiss Slap: In Jin's Good ending,
  • Knife Nut: Yo.
  • Knight Errant: The core group of Yo, Jin, Bo, and Mon-Mon; see also Walking the Earth.
  • Lampshade Hanging: On everything.
  • Large Ham: The voiceacting may cross into this at times, but always for the sake of the humor.
  • Last-Minute Hookup: What'd you expect?
  • Last-Second Word Swap: Part of Muneshige's Good ending. He addresses you as "Princess" in front of Nobumasa (who they had been trying to fool), and quickly changes it to "Princess Mononoke" and declares that you were playing a trivia game.
  • Leet Lingo: Mon-Mon has one line traslated into 1337: $7|=U NOO|3!!!1! (STFU you noob!)
  • Let's Split Up, Gang!: Muneshige suggests this, and then splits the six guys into three teams of two: one rear guard, one decoy, and one escort. Your escort will then be split later.
  • Lightning Bruiser: Nobumasa. He's big, powerful, and so fast he can appear to be attacking from multiple places at once.
  • Limited Wardrobe: Partly justified, as running from ninjas tends to put silly things like changing clothes on the back burner. The plot only takes a few days' time, too.
  • Live Action Escort Mission: The six guys are tasked with getting you, Sayori-in-Hatsuhime's-body, back to the castle. Luckily, Sayori is a pretty well-behaved escortee.
  • Loners Are Freaks: Despite being stuck traveling with the group, Ittosai would really rather they all butt out.
  • Love Confession: How many different ways can you count?
  • Love Makes You Crazy: Muneshige even says so in his Good ending. "My profound love for you seems to have robbed me of my sanity..."
  • Love Redeems: Ittosai goes from a murderer to The Atoner in his Good ending.
  • Love Will Lead You Back: Sayori is often called home briefly in the Good endings, only to return.
  • MacGuffin: The pendant that takes you back to medieval Japan.
  • Magical Gesture: Kasumimaru requires a series of hand signs to activate his special attack.
  • Magical Incantation: He also requires one of these. Mon-Mon uses the same sequence to bring Sayori back to the past in his Good ending.
  • Martial Pacifist: Bo dislikes "pointless bloodshed", but is just as capable of killing as any of the other guys. Actually, most of the guys except Ittosai dislike killing without reason to a fair degree.
  • May-December Romance: Muneshige and Mon-Mon are both a good deal older than the rest of the cast.
  • Medium Awareness: Mon-Mon's response to the previously-mentioned ribbing about not being "one of the guys you can get at the end of the game" is that he has an Image Song and has spent too much time reading his lines to not be a "captureable character".
  • Mismatched Eyes: Kasumimaru. His right eye is naturally gold; the left is a bright yellow artificial eye which he uses to cast a spell which blinds his opponents while allowing him to function normally.
  • Modesty Towel: Muneshige and Mon-Mon during the hot springs visit.
  • The Mole:
  • Mood Whiplash: The game shifts between silly and semi-serious, but the silly parts are so silly it's a whiplash anyway.
  • Mook Chivalry: Played straight and averted. The ninja will often attack in teams (not that this helps), but when their boss Kasumimaru gets into the fight, they step back and let him fight one-on-one.
  • Monumental Battle: In every guy's good ending,
  • Monumental Damage: Special mention to Ittosai, who
  • More Expendable Than You: The guys sometimes make a speech about how they're doing their job to protect their princess, and that it's okay if they die. Sayori, of course, is never happy about this.
  • Mukokuseki: The game takes place in Japan. Nobody really looks Japanese, with the possible exception of old man Yahei.
  • Multiple Endings: Each guy has three endings you can get:
    • The Good Ending in which Gotten by
    • The Bad Ending in which Gotten by
    • The Forgotten Dream Ending in which Gotten by Also known as The Really Bad Ending.
  • Muscles Are Meaningless: The guys range from beefy to lanky, but all seem to have an equal level of actual strength.
  • Mushroom Samba:
  • Must Make Her Laugh: The guys often tell jokes for the simple reason of cheering Hatsuhime up.
  • My Girl Is Not a Slut: Subtle: But nothing is specifically mentioned in-game about it.
  • Narnia Time: However, in Muneshige and Ittosai's Good endings,
  • Never Got to Say Goodbye:
  • Never Split the Party: Sayori never wants to split up, because it means whoever is left behind is in even more danger.
  • Nobody Poops: See "Bottomless Bladder," though if they were both constipated, you might could excuse a few days...
  • No Export for You: The PS2 version, which includes extra romance paths for Kasumimaru and Harumoto not available in the PC version, is only available in Japanese.
  • No Guy Wants an Amazon: Played with by Muneshige in his Good ending.
  • Not Quite Dead: Ittosai's backstory. Jin stabbed him, thought he was dead. Turns out, his sword was too dull to actually kill him
  • Not So Different: Kasumimaru tells Yo and Ittosai this. Ittosai also gets it from Nobumasa, leading to If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him.
  • Not What It Looks Like: Several times, both visual and auditory. For example, spy on Muneshige and Mon-Mon in the hot spring and you'll get a scene where Sayori thinks they're doing something and is highly disturbed. Follow Jin and Muneshige's path, and Muneshige will think Jin is doing something when he treats Hatsuhime's snakebite. Etc., etc., etc..
  • Oddly Visible Eyebrows
  • Onee-Sama: Yo addresses Sayori as onee-chan. The English subtitles translate this into "miss" when he's speaking to her and "the lady" when speaking about her to others.
  • One Head Taller: Most of the guys are.
  • Only a Flesh Wound: Yo says this when
  • Only Sane Man: Sayori is highly convinced that all the guys are completely nuts.
  • Ordinary High School Student: Sayori
  • Or Was It a Dream?
  • Outdoor Bath Peeping: You have the option of either spying on the guys, or just quietly hanging out in the bath all by yourself. (To get the good endings, peeking is the correct choice.)
  • Papa Wolf: Muneshige is normally a nice guy. Do not threaten Hatsuhime and all will be well.
  • Perma-Stubble: Muneshige
  • Please Don't Leave Me: In pretty much all of the Bad Endings, either the guy to Sayori or, in Jin's Bad Ending, Sayori to Jin.
  • Please Put Some Clothes On: Sayori's reaction to the guys undressing before getting in the hot spring. Then she spies on them.
  • Pose of Supplication: In Mon-Mon's Good Ending, Jin also mentions it if you speak to him outside the cave.
  • Post-Kiss Catatonia: To help his "motivation", Sayori gives Ittosai a kiss on the cheek. It has the humorous effect of turning not only the recipient into a "moaning zombie", but the other guys present as well.
  • The Power of Love: is capable of bending the puny space-time continuum to its will!
  • The Power of Trust: Key to defrosting Ittosai.
  • Power Trio: Yo, Jin, Bo. Who'd you expect?
  • Pretty in Mink: Ittosai's jacket has a fur trim.
  • Princesses Prefer Pink: Hatsuhime's kimono is pink and flowery.
  • Psychotic Smirk: Ittosai, Harumoto.
  • Pungeon Master: Muneshige, especially, but most everyone gets in on the puns at times.
  • Punny Name: The nicknames of the three guys, Yo, Jin, and Bo. Yojinbo is also the Japanese word for "bodyguard".
  • Purely Aesthetic Era
  • Purple Eyes: Ittosai, Bo.
  • Rain of Arrows:
  • Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Yo, Jin, Bo, and Mon-Mon are a bunch of ronin. They were the only ones Yahei could hire on short notice, in addition to Ittosai.
  • Rapid-Fire Comedy: A Hurricane of Puns may turn into this if it goes on too long.
  • A Real Man Is a Killer: Ittosai
  • Rebellious Princess: Hatsuhime
  • Redemption Equals Death:
  • Redheaded Hero: Jin.
  • Redshirt Army: The ninjas.
  • Red String of Fate: Sayori references it in Ittosai's good ending.
  • Religious Bruiser: Mon-Mon, a Buddhist monk. He occasionally asks the ninjas if they know what Buddha will do to them for attacking a monk, or makes some other little comment.
  • Replacement Goldfish:
  • Rescue Romance: Also kinda the theme of the game.
  • Ronin: Five of your six guys. Care to guess who?
  • Rule of Cool: Certain aspects of the game, while defying physics and common sense, are just too cool to not include.
  • Rule of Funny: The game runs on this.
  • Save Scumming: Saving and reloading in the right place at the right time can allow you to see all the endings much faster.
  • Save the Princess
  • Say My Name: Ittosai's Bad ending is called "Call My Name" for this exact reason.
  • Scenery Censor: During the hot springs scene, the four guys who don't wear Modesty Towels have their naughty bits hidden from camera view by bowls, stray not-so-naughty body parts, or convenient camera angles.
  • Schrödinger's Butterfly: Referenced. Sayori once says that Hatsuhime's timeline felt more real to her than her own.
  • Schrödinger's Gun: The exact natures of both Harumoto's plot and the power that brought Sayori to the past vary depending on which ending you get. Furthermore, Ittosai .
  • School Uniforms Are the New Black: Thanks to economy art, Sayori's sprites show her in her school uniform even when she's taking a shower.
  • Security Cling: Happens a couple times.
  • Self-Disposing Villain:
  • Set Right What Once Went Wrong: Hatsuhime originally died before she ever escaped Kitahama Castle. When Sayori finds her pendant 150 years later, she is given the chance to save her.
  • Shonen Hair: Jin's hair is a mess. It does seem to obey gravity, though, so it's mostly a mess in his face.
  • Shirtless Scene: The hot springs.
  • Shock and Awe:
    • Kasumimaru is capable of electrifying his sword. He uses it against Ittosai.
    • Ittosai himself also gets sparks around himself when using his special attack, Bare Blade Indiscriminate Slaughter. Nobumasa's attack is called Tiger's Roar Electric Shock. However, neither seems to actually cause electrocution to the victim of the attack.
  • Shout-Out: To everything. Star Wars, Star Trek, Pokémon, Superfriends, Back to The Future, Men in Black, Mad Max, Con Air, Howl's Moving Castle, the Numa Numa song, the hamster dance website, "Hansel and Gretel", Mr. T, A Dog of Flanders, Dragonball Z, Lord of the Rings, Toy Story, Peter Pan, The Flying Nun, Game Shows, Stargate, Final Fantasy the Spirits Within... not to mention more expected things, like Japanese historical figures Abe no Seimei, Minamoto Yoshitsune, and Nobunaga Oda.
  • "Shut Up" Kiss: In Jin's Good ending,
  • Single-Stroke Battle: Occasionally. A particularly notable example occurs when
  • Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Any ending with any guy other than Ittosai.
  • Slasher Smile: Ittosai.
  • Sleeves Are for Wimps: Mon-Mon has a sleeve on one arm and no sleeve on the other. Kasumimaru has no sleeves at all.
  • Sliding Scale of Gender Inequality: Level 3. Hatsuhime is weak and requires six strong men to protect her. Not that Sayori is really complaining about that...
  • Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Extremely idealistic.
  • Sliding Scale of Shiny Versus Gritty Shiny: clean and pretty.
  • Sliding Scale of Silliness Versus Seriousness: It slid all the way over to "silly" and fell off the end of the scale.
  • Sliding Scale of Visuals Versus Dialogue: This game is a Visual Novel. "Visual" being the adjective which modifies the more important noun "Novel".
  • Slipknot Ponytail: Muneshige's topknot inevitably comes down in his Good ending.
  • Slouch of Villainy: Ittosai does it standing.
  • Smoke Out: Yo carries golden smoke bombs in his shirt. It lets them get away from the ninja, but leaves everyone coughing and unable to see.
  • Smooch of Victory: Very often discussed by the guys. In certain instances, they actually get one.
  • Sparkling Stream of Tears: Sayori does it a few times.
  • Stable Time Loop: Arguably all the endings, but especially Ittosai's Good ending.
  • Standard Hero Reward: Considering that the Good endings have , yeah. In Muneshige's Good ending,
  • Star-Crossed Lovers:
  • Stern Chase: Ninjas chase you through the forest and only occasionally catch up to fight.
  • The Stoic: Ittosai and Harumoto both play at this one.
  • Story to Gameplay Ratio: Heavy on the story end. Actual gameplay is minimal, limited to occasional opportunities for Sayori to make decisions on what to do.
  • Stout Strength: Nobumasa is built like a sumo.
  • Straight Man and Wise Guy: Some of the gags involve this, with roles exchanged frequently. Mon-Mon twice compliments Ittosai for providing perfect straight lines, to Ittosai's irritation.
  • Stuff Blowing Up:
  • Suck Out the Poison: Jin does this when Hatsuhime is bitten by a snake.
  • Super Senses: Most of the guys are pretty good at sensing when a person is near, but Yo especially. He claims he trained to be able to sense people, but it's unclear if it's a case of hightened natural senses or mild Psychic Powers.
  • Surrounded by Idiots: Ittosai feels he is, which results in a lot of Face Palms.
  • Sword Fight: Lots of them.
  • Sword Lines: make everything look more dramatic.
  • Take My Hand: Used several times, as Hatsuhime is a great deal slower than the guys.
  • Take That: A few, including a gentle one that involves a Lampshade Hanging.
  • Taking the Bullet: Mon-Mon does this with kunai in one scene. Yo does this with real bullets in another. And Bo puts himself in front of Nobumasa's spear if you make the worst choice on the last day, not that it helps anything.
  • Taking You with Me:
  • Talking in Your Sleep: Both Yo and Ittosai do it during their Bad Dreams, mistaking Sayori for the people they are dreaming about (Yo's mother, Ittosai's father).
  • Talking Is a Free Action: No one is ever too busy to talk, regardless of whether they're fighting, running for their lives, or falling off a building.
  • Talking the Monster to Death:
  • Technicolor Eyes
  • Tender Tears: Sayori occasionally gets a little weepy.
  • Thanks for the Mammary: In Yo's Good ending,
  • Theme Music Power-Up: Each of the guys has two image songs. In all but one case, hearing one of these songs is a clue that the guy in question is about to do major damage. (The exception is Bo's "Oh My Love," a love song which plays during his Bad Ending.)
  • They Call Me Mister Tibbs: "Call me...MON-MON!"
  • Think Nothing of It: The guys' general response when Sayori/Hatsuhime thanks them for saving her life.
  • Title Theme Tune: More like "Name Theme Tune". Muneshige has an Image Song...called "Muneshige"... in which at least 75% of the lyrics are just his name. Including spelling it out.
  • Toilet Humour: One Peter Pan reference is lampooned into
  • Token Evil Teammate: Ittosai again.
  • Tomboy: Hatsuhime is described as one.
  • Too Many Belts: Kasumimaru wears criss-crossed belts over his hips. Ittosai has one really long belt all over his torso.
  • Too Slow: Yo's response to Nobumasa attempting to skewer him. Also, Ittosai to Harumoto when the latter
  • Trademark Favorite Food: Hatsuhime loves mango pudding.
  • Training from Hell: Ittosai And in Yo's Good ending,
  • Troubled but Cute: Ittosai.
  • True Companions: At the start of the game, Yo, Jin, Bo, and Mon-Mon. By the end of the game, all six guys plus you.
  • True Love's Kiss: Plenty of talk about it, especially from poor Jin.
  • Trying to Catch Me Fighting Dirty: Kasumimaru. The guys call him a coward for not facing them head-on; he says that's just how a ninja fights.
  • Try Not to Die: Sayori's general reaction to splitting the party, though she's usually a little bit wordier in her pleas for them to stay alive. The guys occasionally get in on it, though in a more curt manner.
  • Underwater Ruins: In the opening of the game, Sayori is wandering around the ruins of the castle in the modern world. Said ruins are normally submerged under a lake, but thanks to the drought, the water level is low enough that the history club gets a chance to go poke around in them.
  • Undying Loyalty: Nobumasa would do anything his older brother Harumoto asked.
  • Unlockable Content: Complete every ending with every guy to unlock
  • Unsound Effect: You occasionally get things like "Glitter!" and "Shine!"
  • Unusual Eyebrows: Mon-Mon and Harumoto's eyebrows split in two at the outer ends.
  • Utopia Justifies the Means: Harumoto doesn't care too much that he has to kill Hatsuhime to be able to follow his plan.
  • Vague Age: Everybody. Sayori is a high school student, and says that Yo is younger than her - but he claims he's over the age of consent in Europe, Canada, and most of the southern US. Muneshige says he's "middle aged", which could be anywhere from 35-50 (he looks the younger end of that), and Mon-Mon is described as older in relation to Yo...which is extremely helpful, since he's the youngest one there. Jin claims to be a teenager in the unlockable content. No mention of how old everyone else is, other than "adult".
  • Variable Terminal Velocity: In the Good endings, jump off of the watchtower and enjoy being able to banter several witty lines and even make out before the fall ends.
  • Soft Water:
  • Visionary Villain: In most routes, Harumoto's main reason for wanting to take over the clan is that Hatsuhime will ruin it if she inherits.
  • Visual Novel
  • Walking the Earth: Aside from Muneshige, all the guys are wanderers.
  • Walking Shirtless Scene: Jin, Bo, Mon-Mon, and Kasumimaru all have conspicuously gaping kimono. Ittosai's jacket barely stays on one shoulder.
  • Warrior Monk: Mon-Mon
  • Warrior Therapist: Bo psychoanalyzes Ittosai right into a Heroic BSOD.
  • We Can Rule Together: Harumoto
  • We Need a Distraction: When everyone splits into teams of two, one group's job is to function as a distraction and lead the ninja away.
  • What Does She See in Him?: The other guys' general reaction in Ittosai's Good ending, though they may be are almost definitely just jealous.
  • What Is This Thing You Call Love?: Ittosai, having never loved anyone, is a bit confused by the funny feeling in his chest.
  • Whip It Good: Kasumimaru uses a whip against Jin.
  • White-Haired Pretty Boy: Kasumimaru. Mon-Mon's hair is also white (or silver, as he insists), but he's quite masculine and also entirely a nice person.
  • Wicked Cultured: Harumoto.
  • Wife Husbandry: Hatsuhime jokes that if she can't find a suitable husband herself, she'll marry Muneshige, who took care of her since she was a little girl. And, of course, following Muneshige's path ends up this way, though it's Sayori's mind that falls for him.
  • Write Back to the Future:
  • Worthy Opponent: The guys sometimes praise one another for being this; Nobumasa may also call them such.
  • Yamato Nadeshiko: Sayori.
  • Ye Goode Olde Days: Sayori never comments on the lack of modern comforts. In fact, she complains about the heat more in the first chapter, while she's still in the modern day, than she does after she's stuck in the past where nobody has air conditioning.
  • Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: Upon realizing she's trapped in the 1850's, Sayori's first line is "I doth appologizeth." Muneshige is rather confused.
  • You All Look Familiar / Only Six Faces: Despite the numbers of ninja who attack you, there are only two faces. Despite the number of samurai, there are also only two faces. It gets especially funny when evil samurai and good samurai share the two faces.
  • You Fail Your Medical Boards Forever:
  • You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Muneshige, Bo, and even one of the unnamed ninja all have blue hair; Yo's is light green, and Harumoto's is purple.
  • You Wanna Get Sued?: Muneshige makes a joke involving Pikachu, and Yo tells him not to do that, because it's too close to copyright infringement.

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