Deadly Individualism: No More Heroes 2 

No More Heroes 2 could be more gritty because Travis is no longer glorifying the life of a killer.

Dude, back when NMH1 came out, pretty much EVERY SINGLE REVIEW moaned about the largely empty and 'pointless' overworld, and tons of players agreed too. Then the moment NMH2 came out and people saw the overworld was streamlined into a menu, everyone moaned about changing it. Honestly, it was SUPER clear that Suda/Grasshopper genuinely did listen to feedback- I specifically remember when it was revealed that it was a menu, thinking 'Oh wow- a developer actually listened to its fanbase? That's rare!' So, honestly, I feel like it's actually only in hindsight that the fanbase realised how much the first game's overworld added to the game's feel. Did not surprise me one bit that it was changed at the time, and back then it did actually sound like a smart decision on paper. Personally, while the overworld did give the game a good extra layer of feel, I don't dislike the menu of 2 at all- it really does streamline things and makes the game go at a different pace, and does look damned stylish while doing so.

I feel like there's a point to be made about the greater implications of Travis's character change. Sure there's a narrative about how he's affected a new generation of assassins, but most of the bosses are very blatant archetypes of different forms of media. You could say their development is more shallow, but that in itself is one of the over arching themes, clearly evident with how different the UAA bouts portray the fights as outright entertainment, they're all more showmen than fighters. But then what if we apply that to Travis himself? In becoming a legend he has inadvertently turned himself into a character archetype. I know its a little meta here but I think this concept of self parody fits well, especially when you hear how done he is with the scenario when confronting Batt. He's literally calling the game out on its formulaic bullshit. The real Desperate Struggle is Travis loosing his identity ironically after making a name for himself. Hes the world's greatest killer and one true hero, but now hes part of the rouge gallery he sought to take down and forced back down in the rankings just so he can fight for others amusement, our amusement. The very fact that he was brought into a sequel is in someways an insult to his character, and I think that they wanted to intentionally convey that through the narrative and gameplay, to turn an obvious flaw into a colorful commentary on sequels. I think this makes sense considering they never intended on making a sequel. First game gets niche critical acclaim and decent sales, why not make a sequel? Well the story is over, what could he possibly have to say? Well the first game was in some ways a commentary on how violence is portrayed in media, why not run with that more and comment on sequels, character tropes, and obligatory cameos? Grasshopper also kind of predicted the future on this one, cause the every man, relatable dude trope is permeating Japanese media right now. Every protag these days is a normal dude who only achieves at being the main character through sheer resolve. Nerdy dudes who get the girls just because hes unusually considerate, businessmen transported to other worlds who succeed through business acumen, etc. "This ain't your typical hero" has become pretty goddamn typical...

I like to think No More Heroes 2 as this, "Bad sequel, but a good game". Sort of in the way Travis says, "She's a bad wife, but a good woman".

Aw. You’re not gonna mention that the man at Bishop’s grave was famed Japanese director Takashi Miike?

Interesting note: Alice is the only time Travis ACTUALLY gets bloody during his fights.

36:20 Another aspect to Destroymen (I agree, that sounds better) is that they are the left and right side of his brain. The left brain is more logical and centered while the right brain is more emotional and compulsive. This reflects in which side is still organic on each half of him.

I think the Association's presence can be more accurately explained if you interpret the phone call from the first game differently. Instead of the UAA just being non-existent, it's non-existent in what it paints it's true purpose as. The rankings, instead of being a way of just sensibly ranking assassins from a formal standpoint, a simple sport of racing to the number one spot, is entirely ran instead for profit and entertainment. The UAA doesn't actually care about who is number one or these assassins, they just want them to pay the bills and show off a killer fight in the process. This is very well their main purpose in Desperate Struggle, so it makes sense this would more just carry over in the first game. These assassins are conned into giving up their lives for others entertainment, and they're strapped in from bills and pressure (Maybe an expression for artists locked in jobs without purpose or something?). In the call Sylvia's mother specifies the work of assassins, she doesn't randomly con, the rankings are her gig. The UAA exists as *the* con. The UAA is a sham because its just using the assassins for profit. Besides this explanation my biggest reason for thinking it was more the act of building on then a retcon was that, if the UAA really did just not exist and the rankings were only directed at Travis, then why would somebody try and take Travis out immediately after, seeking rank #1? Sorry if this is rambling! I'm still making my way through Kill the Past and wanted to share my thoughts on some of it. Great work with these videos!

They seriously need to port NMH1/2 to the Switch Edit: MOE~

The "penpal" is Takashi Miike ! He was mentioned in the first game as Travis' and Bishop's favorite director.

Both these games are close to my heart, thanks for analyzing them so well.

Between the thoroughest possible covering of the Dead Rising series and this Suda retrospective, you really manage to cover all the sick niche shit I love. Kudos.

It’s morbidly funny to think that Bishop deleted his internet history backhandedly right before he got shot to death

If memory serves me correctly,there was a lot of cut content that never made it in nmh2.That could explain the more empty feeling of it.

This and your previous video are both fantastic, however I can't help but feel that you didn't give Margaret's fight the analysis it deserved, particularly the lyrics of Philistine. She's singing directly to Travis, and though it's not uncommon for bosses to ridicule Travis and make fun of him, she outright tells him that the cause he fights for, to avenge Bishop, it isn't as noble as he thinks it is. At the end of the fight when she asks if he found the melody riveting, and when she asks if he memorized it she's asking if he's taking the lyrics to heart, if he realizes what she's saying. When he's shown whistling the tune at the end of the fight he shows he did. I've always kinda interpreted it as her understanding that she'd be killed by Travis, even going into the fight, but wanting to see him grow as a person, but that's entirely conjecture. Anyway great videos, love me some NMH.

*"slash other bunch of dudes"*

I feel as though the game itself is a giant allegory for video game sequels. It felt like a rushed, empty, stripped down and cliche cash grab. The entire game is a middle finger to an industry that values the money more than the art. The series is far too self aware to not realize what it was doing. Suda is a genius.

I always thought No More Heroes 2 was about mindless worship, be it actors, religion etc, regardless of how great or terrible they are in reality. It's a theme that echoes throughout and focuses a lot on how being the one worshipped can be limiting as well.

I just finished my umpteenth playthrough of both games on Bitter, and I can say I agree with most of your thoughts here. The first game is slightly superior in my opinion, but the second game is still bucketloads of fun, and the occasional symbolism makes it enjoyable to analyse as you go through it. Both are easily in my top 20 games of all time. Here's hoping Travis Strikes Again sells well so we can get a proper sequel some day.

It's worth pointing out that the latter half of the fights (barring the moe-blob from Henry's dream, and Jasper Bat Jr.) are all what you'd called "serious killers". In the first half, except for Skelter Helter and that ghost kid, all of Travis's opponents were those who got into the assassination game _because_ Travis made it popular. They were killers who, like Travis in NMH1, wanted the lifestyle of a badass assassin. It was, in effect, Travis returning to the assassination circuit from the other side. HE was the seasoned warrior, having to deal with a bunch of upstart punks who knew nothing about what real contract killing was all about. But in the latter half, it was all business. Travis kept running into old threats because they came from the old era, when assassination was the focus. When the kind of folks who would get into this business were interested in money, thrills, kicks, sating bloodlust, and settling scores. Even those who weren't NMH alumni were mirrors of earlier killers; Million Gunman to Dr. Peace, Alice to Holly Summers, etc. Naturally, it's only fitting that the ones who rose to the top ranks of killers were those who weren't there to chase fame. Those who were truly serious. Lessers contenders either tried to rise but got cut down, or else settled for simply placing on the list at all. Which means that, after Travis finished cutting his way through the posers, he finally reached the tier where he was fighting against his equals. He wasn't an upstart, there to challenge the veterans. He was there amid his peers. Or at least that's what he might have thought. By the time he reached Alice, it was clear that even longtime veteran killers were in awe of his history. He had, unbeknownst to him, ascended beyond all others, even in the minds of those he would consider peers.

Almost everything you mention makes me thin "yes, this is the perfect sequel'. It subverts expectations in so many clever ways and I love Travis his character development in this game. It truly feels like the game where Travis becomes an adult.He's not running away from his emotion by killing or hiding behind distractions anymore. He deals with things. It's a great character arc.

I never found the New Destroyman fight, nor any of the other boss fights in the series, difficult. As for your analysis, I disagree with the angle you went at it. I think you were focusing too much on doing this analysis the same way you did for the first NMH, but Travis should be regarded as a "complete" character for NMH2. Given how this sequel went back on the final line from Sylvia at the end of NMH about it being too bad that there wouldn't be a sequel, I'd regard the bosses and their symbolism here being related to the fans' own desire for a sequel. Wordy, definitely-overthinking-it RU-vid comment analysis on the way! You have characters admiring Travis for escaping the assassin life. The "Crownless King", the "No More Hero" they call him (Nathan, the "first" among the rank 50-1 assassins you fight and Alice, the "last" you meet before Jasper and who regrets not reaching rank 1 first before facing off against Travis; nice "book ends" right before facing off against that mockery of a final boss Henry couldn't bear to stick around for). They're excited to meet him and face off against him. They want to learn his secret on how to escape this way of life, to let it all end, because they can't. They want to keep fighting. Same with the fans of the game; they want more content, more boss fights (where did those 50 boss fights we were promised go?). On Travis' part, he was just pulled back into all this unwittingly, and though he never had any intention to return, now that he's back again, he's prepared to enjoy the rush of killing again, which we can see in how frustrated he was at having "his" kills stolen from him by Shinobu and Henry (and although the boss levels we never got to play as Henry in were definitely because of a limitation on the developers' part, same with how Charlie MacDonald and Dr. Letz Shake's boss fights "cheated" and condensed a number of the promised boss fights into a single level, the frustration the player feels at missing out on that content can tie in here with Travis' own). He may have become famous for just dropping everything, but he's nothing so grand that's worth putting on a pedestal. He loves the fight and the kill; he never stopped enjoying it. He's the same as the other assassins. The only reason he stopped was because he didn't want or need to go on. But Skelter Helter (and Jasper Batt) gave him a reason to come back. And if we're going to overanalyze the symbolism of the boss fights and how they relate exactly to Travis, I'd say they could be divided into 3 groupings. The first grouping would encompass all the assassins from ranks 50-23. The fans who were all in it for the fame, the ones who were enamored with the action and lifestyle, or in Matt Helms and Chloe Walsh's case, they're simply there to be excitingly new and entertaining to watch (since the theory of the UAA becoming an actual thing making its profits off of streaming the assassin fights was confirmed, I think, with the release of Travis Strikes Back). They're there to be entertainment and they want to be in the limelight. Then there's the blast from the past that Letz Shake, Million Gunman, and New Destroyman represent. There's nothing any deeper than them simply being returning characters, or characters that evoke the memory of previous characters in Million Gunman's case. Surely we, the fans, would enjoy seeing them return? Notably, this is also where Shinobu and Henry come into play. Old characters, new gimmicks. A refreshing take on what came before, just more new entertainment for the fans to consume. And then there are Ryuji, Margaret, Vladimir, and Alice. What Travis says to Sylvia right after beating Alice says it best; he's frustrated with how quickly Sylvia (and, perhaps, us the fans as well?) will just likely forget Alice and move on. You clearly didn't think anything special of the bosses yourself right at the beginning of this video, talking about how they couldn't really compare in symbolism to the first NMH's bosses and that they just don't live up to the first game's bosses. But for each of these bosses, Travis gives them a level of reverence and respect that he didn't show for any of the "newbie" assassins who jumped into the UAA craze. Margaret dressing up in gothic lolita style, I think, isn't really an important theme of her character. It was just a personal fashion choice; her own character's individualism, same with any of the other boss characters in the game. I think what's more important to take note of was how she wanted Travis to remember her song; to remember her, like Holly Summers asked for Travis to do in the first game. Travis didn't need nor want to know anything else about Holly Summers aside from her name. As an assassin, he didn't need to know her as a person, what was important was for him to remember the fight the two had. In the first game, that was part of Travis' own character development as he learned to be more serious in how he treated the lives he took away. In this game, I see it as having a more meta place now. It's not like Travis forgot these lessons he learned; he's the same character who's just unexpectedly back in action. But for us, the players? People wanted a sequel, the publishers wanted a sequel; I'm sure a lot of people got excited hearing about there being 50 freaking assassins to go through, but let's be real, that was just a number. What was more important was the quality of these bosses, what would make them memorable. And that's essentially been concentrated in these 4 boss fights, or at least meant to be, given that (like I said) they're the only assassins Travis deliberately wants to honor after they're defeated. And then there's Jasper Batt. You complain about the Butt -> Batt thing, but as I see it, it works. It's an attempt to bring legitimacy to his character (changing how goofy having Butt as a last name would be), same with tying his motivation for starting all this to Travis killing his family in the first game. But that's all just a (meta) excuse. He's the excuse needed for a NMH2, to satisfy the fans' desire for more. A sequel was created even though one was never meant to be made. And him changing into increasingly more goofy forms until Henry literally goes, "Fuck it, this is beneath me" shows this. There's a limit to how many times you can make a sequel to a series before the series itself becomes a goofy mockery of its initial themes. But why make all those sequels? Because fans want it? Because the publishers want to profit more off of the series? Either or works. This is pretty much how I see Jasper, the head of a corporation that took over Santa Destroy. He's ruthless commercialization personified. You say he 'ruined' things by coming right after Alice, but I honestly took that to be a deliberate action on the developers' part. You have Travis asking those questions right before the fight that essentially amount to "I wonder what the final boss is like", and you get this joke of a character instead. But it just works with this meta perspective. And, coincidentally, he and Skelter Helter also act as another set of book ends. Kill or be killed; once you get into this cycle, you're trapped in it. Same with the series. We got into this; and now either we and Suda51 let it end, or we keep it going. And just like those assassins who get tired of the life, this can all keep going until either one gets tired and lets it (the series) die. Final Note: The open world in the first game sucked. I can appreciate deliberate tedium as a meta statement on Travis' life outside of assassin work being boring as shit, making the boss fights the only things to look forward to, but there's really no need to retread old ground.

I actually really like the way this game handled Travis character.

Hey Yuri Lowentaw is a pretty good voice actor. XD

Awesome video! Took the words right out of my mouth with that Alice comment. I wish so badly that she could have been written as the main villain and been buffed a bit. Perhaps make the fight three phases. Also, did you notice how the picture of Jeane on Travis’ table from the first game now has the face marked out. I took that as he still loved her but couldn’t look at her any more. I liked that touch. But wow, I actually love Shadows of the Damned, can’t wait to hear about the chaos surrounding it.

Once again you enhanced my view on my favorite game series. Thank you very much! I originally liked 2 more because of the bosses and seeing Travis grow. Because of your video on the first game, I end up loving that more but because of this video I'm reminded why I enjoyed Travis second adventure despite it's flaws. Can't wait for the Shadows of the Damn analyze. I really liked that game but after reading what Suda had put of with I hate EA even more and wished to see his original vision, but SotD was still a solid game though.

You did an amazing amount of work on these. I do agree that the first one is better, I still have a lot of fun with the sequel. No More Heroes really did change my perspective on games and it's story telling and the conventions of the medium (Even though I was 10 or 11 at that time). I wish more devs are punk like Suda. I can't wait to see the next game even though it's more of a goofy spin-off. #TravisForSmash #TravisTouchdownForSmash #Travis4Smash #TravisTouchdown4Smash

I am happy that I am not the only one who noticed that Travis became an icon, hence the legend he always wanted to fight.

Loved NMH2, felt it was a good evolution of the first game. A few things to note is blood, and how Travis spills swimming pools of blood throughout the games, but never once gets bloody...except the one time he preaches at the camera (like after he kills Alice). Also the thing about Jasper Batt, is he is essentially Battman. And how was Batman created? Bruce Wayne had his parents killed in front of him by a thug in an alleyway, that thug's name is Joe Chill. Essentially, you created Jasper Batt, you are Joe Chill

I think one takeaway that should be worth considering from this video- especially from your last one on the first game, is that while Alice would have FELT like the best way to end the game, Travis continues anyways. You talked about his code and how he follows it in the first game: Travis is a man of his word! If he says he will do something, he will do it. What does Travis say and do in this game? He’ll get revenge on Jasper, and he will tear down the UAA. Both of those things happened. (Since Sylvia works as a stripper by the end of 2.) really, I feel like the decision to continue even after his revelation still makes sense, because it’s not like his ideals have changed by the end: the person he kills is corrupt and controls all of Santa Destroy, so the decision to finish him off can be seen as not totally selfish (which it kinda is) but also for the good of everyone, to free Santa Destroy from this endless cycle of revenge. Regardless of my hot take, love both of your videos, and I love both of these games :)

Also, seeing as you gave your thoughts on each boss, and I have nothing better to do, here's my ranking of the bosses: 15. Jasper Batt Jr. (Probably my least favorite boss of all time, awful in every sense of the word) 14. Million Gunman (Lame character and a lame boss fight, this guy just sucks) 13. Cloe Walsh (Kinda forgettable as a character, and her fight is way too easy) 12. Matt Helms (Pretty meh character, and his fight is more frustrating than fun) 11. New Destroyman (Horrible boss fight, but you can't go wrong with a double dose of Destroyman) 10. Charlie MacDonald (The fight was meh, but the idea is novel, and the cutscene is pretty funny) 9. Kimmy Howell (Very fun character all around, though she's a bit easy *Ba dum tss*) 8. Nathan Copeland (A pretty cool character with a pretty cool battle) 7. Mimmy (She gains bonus points for the fact that we get to play as Henry, but she's pretty cool even on her own) 6. Skelter Helter (Cool character with a lot of backstory, he honestly would have been the perfect final boss) 5. Ryuji (Not a very deep character, but his fight is just so goddamn fun I can't put him lower) 4. Dr Letz Shake (I actually enjoy this fight, added points for being a character we all wanted to see make a return) 3. Captain Vladimir (Sad backstory mixed with a fun battle and a great boss theme) 2. Alice Twilight (One of the few characters that feel deeper than most of the bosses of the original) 1. Margaret Moonlight (Awesome character, awesome battle, and an awesome boss theme, this battle is perfection) Though I doubt anyone will read this comment, if anyone feels like sharing their ranking of the bosses, I'd be pretty interested to see which bosses you guys liked the most.

I sure do want a NMH 3.

In relation to Nathan, his second name is Copeland, similar to famous and notorious televangelist Kenneth Copeland, further adding to his religious symbolism.

I feel that you missed something with the New Destroyman fight. The way the two destroymen acted was, in my opinion, not because of a split personality, but because one had the left side brain and the other the right side. Note that the one with the left part of the body is more logical and calm, while the one with the right part of the body is more sexual, emotional and expressive. This aligns with the idea that the left side of the brain deals with logic, analytic though, reasoning, etc. and the right side with creativity, imagination, etc. This makes more sense in my opinion, since both destroymen still very much had the killing intent.

I know Im absurdly late to the party. I just wanna point out my thoughts and feelings towards the game. I've played 2 before 1, so, my experience with the franchise wasn't the intended way. But playing 2, then 1, getting around the plot and playing 2 again, the second one makes me feel a lot more.. hollow in a sense, actually, it makes me a lot more emotional than the first one, that ends on a hype upbeat tone full of "epicness" whereas Desperate Struggle ends on a lower note, like, its over, the fights, the revenge, the UAA and the likes of it, and how's Travis after all that? Somewhat like how he was when everything started, still grieving for someone close to him, out of a job, but at the same time, a lot more mature (while still beign Travis, the loud mouthed, sarcastic, impatient douche that we love) and once again trying to find meaning and a path, albeit, with a little help having actually learned how to make connections with people and value life (early NMH1 Travis would never react the way late NMH2 Travis did by seeing the "decapitated" heads at the Jasper fight). I might be alone on this one, but I actually prefer Desperate Struggle over NMH1, not only for the somber tone (specially at Alice's stage) and character growth, but also in gameplay, after playing both, I didn't miss the open world portion of it like... at all and the combat, at least for me, feels so much more fluid with the new weapons that do change the flow of battle quite a lot, camera angle adjustments (pay attention how the camera is often at ground level compared to the above the shoulder style of NMH1 and how its actually more helpfull at seeign you surroundings). I do miss some of the gimmicks NMH1 had, but the inclusion of Henry and specially Shinobu, more than made up for it, her stages are my absolute favorites in the franchise (stages, not bosses), like how in the second one, if you wish to, you can simply ignore everyone and go for the end stright away, and her beign able to both run faster and jump makes it so much more enjoyable. (I might've ranted for too long, but long story short, NMH2 is my shit)

i love No More Heroes Thanks. greeting from Venezuela.

34:30 in an interview, suda51 revealed concept art for final destroyman, a beast like version of destroyman and mass-produced destroymen as well, though he said some of those ideas could only be implemented in no more heroes 4

Sylvia: slaughters a respectable man Travis: wtf! Sylvia: YoU aRe An AsSaSsIn!

I never had a problem with the way Travis was portrayed in NMH2 - if anything because I always assumed that it was just a part of his general arc. I honestly believe that eventually Travis will wind up being a boss for some assassin of a future NMH game. It only kinda makes sense. Well, to me, anyway.

Everyday is exactly the same... Good choice! xD Lots of well considered observations here, great job! Looking forward to your KillerIsDead analysis.

I don’t think you’re going to believe me but I swear this is the truth. I picked up the original no more heroes shortly after buying a Nintendo Wii...two and a half years after its launch. (That’s not a slam on the Wii that’s a testament to the console being sold out for 2.5 years). My friend told me the game was getting poor sales but it was a hidden gem I had to play. I bought the game along side other titles like Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, and Super Smash Bros Brawl. Anyways I devoted much time to playing SMG and Brawl and NMH waited a while before I began to play it. By this point the game had gained its cult status but I hadn’t had the chance to start playing it. Then one Sunday night out of the blue decided to play it. I played it...nearly all night. Boy was I exhausted at work the next day but I went back to playing it after work. I had to find everything, play everything. I found all the shirts, bought all the clothes, unlocked all the weapons and moves, found all the cards, etc. By the time I completed it several days later I had done a 100%. I loved the game and wanted to play it again despite the fact I figured it would never get a sequel. The very next day after I beat the game for the first time no more heroes 2 was announced.

Henry Cooldown rockin the crossguard lightsaber before it was cool.

In all honesty, I like 2 more, I’m more fond of how Travis’ character is and I just really like the ideas at play. I get how it doesn’t Match the rock solid thematic pacing of the first but, I’m a sucker for aesthetic.

While I like No More Heroes 1 better and do think it's the better game, I don't agree with alot of this analysis nitpicks. Suda 51 did come up with the story and write the majority of it, and it's characters and what they say. The changes like Silvia in the room talking feel, like Suda. I don't think that No More Heroes is a continuity heavy universe, Suda more wants to talk about different themes, meta contextual stuff and feelings. He will change things to make it feel fresh. I think what you call plot holes are more artistic choices. Travis Strikes again also has tons of stuff that doesn't connect to game 1 or 2 and no one complained. Changing something to Bat instead of Butt isn't like OMG they did it by accident, they chose to do that, because as juvenile as the games are they obviously they didn't want a butt themed level or character. You also can justify some stuff like making the department real could have just been that in 1 it was a lie it wasn't real. Plot holes that small are fan nitpicks that don't effect a story. Stories are bad if the characters or story are poorly written both NMH1 and 2 are both solid and have alot to say. Nit picks are not what makes 2 worse, more the aesthetics and tone you talked about.

all these crritisms of the game and somehow its the game i like most out of the two

My favorite comment on NMH 2 was a response to "The Final Boss of No More Heroes 2 is the shittiest Boss I ever seen in my entire Life " That's supposed to be the point. The theme of No More Heroes 2 is about revenge and exploring what it means. The first fight you have is with Skelter Helter who is out for revenge for the death of his brother. He has an awesome looking sword and gun and is just plain badass. He fits with the player's idea of revenge being this heroic, cool thing to do. Throughout the story, especially with the last few bosses, the story makes a point about how our perspective of revenge is wrong. When you fight against Margaret Moonlight, she sings Philistine. Part of the lyrics go: "You act as though payback, makes you a nobleman, is that a fact? You think the fire in your eyes makes you a tiger in disguise? Dream on, you goddamn pussy!" The next boss: Vladimir Taktarov is inspired by a boss from Metal Gear Solid 3, The Fury. The Fury is a Russian guy in a spacesuit who, like his name says, has extreme rage towards the world and everything he was fighting. Vladimir is supposed to represent The Fury after time has passed. A guy who was consumed by revenge is now all alone in the world. Throughout the fight, Vladimir doesn't even really care about you - he keeps trying to connect with the people he knows at mission control - "Awaiting response. Please respond." Alice Twilight is character that through her fighting has gained some insight about assassination and violence. She expresses a sort of nihilism and talks about how all assassins are trapped and addicted to this path they are on. In the beginning you see her throw away pictures which are of Margaret Moonlight, who is implied to be closely related to Alice. Alice knows that if Travis is here fighting her, Margaret must be dead. You'd expect her to be mad and vengeful, but her insight on the situation allows her to place the blame not on Travis but on being trapped in a corrupt system. Travis says something interesting, "Don't be stupid. If you get tired of the battles, just fucking quit!" Being trapped with the idea revenge is hard to get out of, but honestly, it just comes down to choice. You can always get out by choosing not to pursue it. Finally to the big boy. Jasper Batt Jr is the satire of probably the most badass vengeful hero in Western culture - Batman. Bruce Wayne, who lost his parents to the dark underbelly of Gotham, transforms into this muscular beast known as Batman to clean up the city. Batman looks cool, and people who have known injustice in their lives want to be just like him. This echoes back to first fight with Skelter Helter where we as players have this belief that pursuing revenge is a cool thing. Jasper Batt is No More Heroes 2's point that the opposite is really true. Jasper Batt looks stupid, sounds stupid, and his final form is literally a giant, whining baby. Jasper Batt is the true representation of people who choose revenge. In other words if you choose the path of vengeance, you are not Batman, you are Jasper Batt Jr. The game is trying to shift our perspective on things - people who pursue revenge and revenge itself, is not noble, takes things away from you, is empty, and uncool. There are more important things in life, and those things are what you should pursue.

Always felt like it was just a revenge story that gave Travis some more characters development. Still love NMH as a whole though.

I always think the miss part of the travel from the 1 to the 2 was a camge of tone. Its no more the idea of grown and mess around, its sad revenge, the little change that can make it a souless men.

Seeing a video about this game in 2018 gave me nostalgia

I'm surprised to hear you rave about the music. I actually thought that the music in No More Heroes 2 was a letdown compared to the first game. Like, don't get me wrong: some of the tracks, individually, are really good. I especially like the themes of Matt, Vladimir, and Alice. But the reason I think the soundtrack is weaker overall is because of how many artists they mashed together. The first game felt like had a cohesive aural identity, being composed by Masufumi Takada, especially with the leitmotif continually present. The sequel is disjointed, and some of the tracks are - at least in my opinion - duds. I particularly dislike the cacophonous punk songs with their extremely distorted guitars. I'm also surprised you didn't mention how Matt's theme at 11:40 was reused for Ryuji. Good song, but that strongly takes away from the notion that the tracks are all tailor-suited to their scenes and characters.

You really do deserve more subs

You know I really don't have love for idols or the fansbase that type of thing has, but I really like Margaret a lot. Sidenote, but maybe I like NMH2 a bit more because I love tales continuing and the MC dealing with a world they created (you know like affected in big ways). Back when I actually wrote down my ideas (I need to start doing it again) I almost always would have the MCs actions affect the world somehow. It just feels like what they do has an impact even if it only affects their town or, even smaller, school.

Thank you for making a second vid for no more heroes my fav single player series and your in depth analysis it fills me with joy to learn new perspectives. To me Travis is just that guy haha

I am ALWAYS loving these, and imagine my surprise when I see this come up! Thank you for this! Fun bit o' trivia: the man that visited Bishop's grave is Japanese film maker Takashi Miike :D

I value story, and character development more than symbolism I liked two more cause of that.

Amazing video. Personally, i prefer the second game over the first one. I love how Travis developed from the first game, but i can absolutely understand why people prefer the first one.

Fun Fact: In the japanese version, philistine/pal version where it's philistine is a rock song known as the "Fukuda Mix" version, you can combine both versions into it's ULTIMATE FORM! Bonus Fact: There is evidince that hint's towards Alice possibley being Margret's older sister.

AAAAAAAAAAANNNNDDD No more heroes 3 gets announced

loved the vid. personally this is thr best comprehensive vid of no more heroes 2 out there atm.

New destroy men felt like... Well 2 halves yes... The polite and the lacking inhibition

I honestly took the little spat at Sylvia after the Alice fight as more of message to gamers. I mean majority of games star human characters and there have been plenty of games made but they’re ultimately forgotten through time or because we simply got bored of them.

I will say I did like how we start to see a bit more of a brotherly relationship between Henry and Travis. They may still be rival assassins, but at least it seems that at the end of the day they can still care about each other.

I actually loved No more heroes 2, and hated the original

Both games have their own strengths and weaknesses, but I do think for me at least, No More Heroes 2 wins by a little bit for me. I thought the music was better, the bosses were more fun to fight and all were vastly different from each other and to top it off, Travis’s journey as a character was handled greatly. I dont get peoples argument of Travis being a different character, he’s still the pathetic loser we know at the beginning of the game who actually evolves and realizes the consequences of his actions. Im happy that Suda actually did something with Travis instead of keeping him the exact same in the sequel.

I had waaaay more fun with NMH 2. The open world was so fucking boring in the first one. Almost made me drop the game.

About the plothole of UAA being fake, i believe that it WAS real all along but that call from her mother was a set up by Sylvia herself so Travis doesn't get to fuck her. It makes alot of sense to her character.

Here after the release trailer

Been rewatching some of your vids recently love to see another nine inch nails fan

I look at No More Heroes 2 like this: Is it as good as the first game? No Is it a good game? Yes Is it still as fun as the original? Absolutely. They're both great hack and slash games that use the Wii very well and have a great line-up of bosses (mostly. I'd say 2's roster is lacking thanks to Million Gunman and Jasper Batt Jr.) and each one has fun little moments. Plus, while the symbolism is less subtle this time around, it's still there and it's still pretty good

in playing through all the NMH games the week NMH3 dropped, this one was my least favorite in the series so far BUT i appreciated it in the timeline of trying to complete all the content b4 3's launch lol

Playing Every Day Is Exactly The Same while talking about repetitiveness was a nice touch.

Got the sound track for this game, put it all on my phone, completely lost track of which songs are from it. Watching this video though, holy crap most of them ended up on as my favourites. I didn't realise how amazing this sound track is. Also, can't talk about NMH2 soundtrack without Reaper, Reaper

I always went with the idea that the Rank 1 fight in NMH1 was a figment of our (the player’s) imagination, the fight did happen, but it may not have been against the characters we thought or the true ending is the real rank 1 fight, I don’t know, I just accepted that in NMH2 that Sylvia and the UAA were real, but the ending of 1 there were alot of things that didnt make sense including the real ending fight, but I think it adds to the insanity of the world that’s No More Heroes. Even the statement “Head to the Garden of Madness” made me think of how as we progressed things got even more ridiculous, that statement is gone, but its back in the NMHIII trailer. This is just my opinion, Im sure alot of other people would disagree with me, but that’s how I felt to me.

I forget where I read this but a guy mentioned how Jaspers, lost close family members, is rich af, and turns into a superhero with a bat motif

After finishing both games to get myself a good starting point for Suda51’s career of video games; when it comes to my opinion on No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is similar to my opinions on The Dark Knight Rises but in video game form; is it a bit of a disappointment compared to it’s predecessor? Yes but is it really as bad as some people make it out to be? No, it’s just simply a good game that’s pretty flawed and that’s ok; that makes me appreciate the good elements that much more too make me kinda ignore it’s short comings.

I have to say, as far as retrospective videos go this has to be one that's certainly done its research. I don't agree with all of your opinions, but its good to know that you've stopped me from going into the comments section plenty of times to nitpick by providing just a LITTLE more background info than some people would care to provide at all. Very excellent. I also enjoyed your soundtrack analysis. Bought the physical OST from GM's store when it was first available and the music from the game never disappointed. I'm still surprised that most of the last CD was just dedicated to the minigames.

48:27 HEY HEY HEY I happen to like yuri lowenthal as a voice actor

I like No More Heroes 2 a bit more than the first. Whilst the first game has the better story and memorable bosses, it’s bogged down for me with the ridiculous amount of grinding to get money, boring mini games and lifeless open world, I understand people may like these but for me I really did not like them. No More Heroes 2 streamlined a lot of content and whilst the bosses may be less memorable (aside from a few exceptions) and the story feels very “Fan ficcy”, it is the more enjoyable game since it focuses on the core content more than the original which was good hack and slash action and bosses.

finally someone acknowledges the darkside album for the first stage.

What did you say about mah boi Yuri Lowenthal? D:

Uh, dude, the UAA going from fake to real in NMH2 is not just a handwave by the fans, the opening narration kinda implies it WAS the case.

Great vid! Am I the only one who enjoyed the open world and mini games in the first game...?

No one here is talking about the fact that "Dive into the Mellow" from Aquatic Mine in Sonic Adventure 2 was used as background music on this video.

I hated the parking lot mission, not for how long it took. But I don't whether it was my wii, my disc, or whatever. But each time it played that mission, and that mission only; 3/5 times, it would freeze. Just.....blank empty screen. And since the stage had no music either, it made it even weirder when it just crashed.

I know everyone says the open world in NMH1 and 3 is pretty shallow but... so what. Obviously I'd love a GTA-grade open world for this series, but even in its skeletal form it provides some nice scenery and sells the idea of Santa Destroy as a real setting.

Must say I don't know why I've never subscribed to you before, your analysis is very thorough and to the point I love it. Hope we get a NMH3 so I can see your analysis.

when it comes down to destroyman, i like to think that he had some sort of multiple personality disorder which was split from the 2 sides of the brain. this comes from how new destroyman came about from repairing both halfs and gave them their own body. one half is calm and gentlemanly in nature but also smart and calculated whereas the other is bombastic, smug, vulger and eccentric. this is similar to how one side of the brain handles logical thinking whereas the other is emotional thinking.

NMH and NMH 2 feel more like 'sibling' games than direct sequels to me. NMH felt like a movie that was molded into a video game, and I mean that in the best way; it has great themes, symbolism, and a cinematic feel to it. NMH 2 feels more "video game-y" than NMH; its gameplay is definitely more solid and streamlined which is honestly fantastic, but by contrast, the bosses feel less like you're invested in them (probably because you're climbing way up the ranks from a much lower position). The story in Desperate Struggle also feels less cohesive than the original because up until the final four fights, Travis kind of just glides through the ranks with barely any context, which isn't helped by Henry and Shinobu stealing the kills from Travis, and by proxy, the player. Admittedly, fights like Vladimir and especially Alice do feel amazing and actually reinforce the game's themes, but it feels unsupported compared to how holistic NMH 1's story was. But at the bottom line, NMH and NMH 2 end up complimenting each other perfectly because they feel so different. There is one thing I do want to give NMH 2 shit for, though: the T-Shirts in NMH 2 are absolute trash compared to the selection in NMH 1.

One of the most interesting theories I’ve heard is the idea that Alice Twilight represents an NPC in a GTA type game, or the relative of one you carelessly murdered for fun.

12:42 can someone give me the name of the OST please.

@GhenryPerez Hey, I actually get to be helpful here, so please notice me! ;D The Butt/Batt situation is actually a small part of Suda and his team's genius. It has its roots in Japanese wordplay trends and, at its core, it's basically a joke about the differences between English and Nihongo (Japanese, as a language). To oversimplify, when you take the English spoken word "butt" and carry it over into the Japanese written word it becomes (in Romaji) "batto", because the "ba" is the nearest equivalent in spoken Japanese to the English sound "buh". I think that is probably about as concise as I can be... This is more speculation, now, but I think there is a contextual joke here, too, and you sort of touched on it. The theme of whole "endgame" of this sequel is basically "disappointing the player" as far as I can tell. I think Suda's joke here (and I name him specifically because this feels in line with his personal sense of humor) could most easily be described by imagining him sitting next to the player and saying "This would have been so much better if I had stuck with the whole 'butt' motif, huh? At least you'd be laughing!" A less speculative approach, though, says that they simply took a minor throw away joke from the first game and used it as the basis for expressing the themes and ideas behind thoughts such as "the sequel can never live up to the original". I imagine this may be Suda's criticism of sequels in general, since before this game he was pretty much against making them entirely, and with this game his primary motivation was less about living up to the first game and more about how to extend the creator/player conversation started by the first game. Anyway, I could go on about these games forever. I hope this miniature commentary has been worth reading to anyone who took the time.

Welp I know nothing about No More Heroes, time to watch an hour-long video about it

Anime is a curse that I will continue to enjoy 'till the end of time.

how could you diss Yuri like that

I believe there is more to Destroyman in both these games than you covered in these videos. He totally fits the bill of a serial killer, moreso than the other contract killers anyway - and he specifically reminds me of one in real life, named Mark Twitchell. Twitchell is a Canadian would-be serial killer who murdered Johnny Altinger in 2008 by catfishing him on a dating site and luring him to his death in Twitchell's home. This was after a failed attempt on another man's life, in what Twitchell envisioned as a spree of killings targeting lonely, single men over the internet. What reminds me of Destroyman is that Mark Twitchell was also an amateur filmmaker. He made a Star Wars fan film, an original comedy film, and a short about a serial killer cop. The last one was essentially a beta test of his real-life murder scheme. Similarly, Destroyman is a filmmaker who plays the character of his real-life murder persona in movies he funds with his assassination income. Not only this, but Destroyman's personality is that of a total narccisist. He's deceitful, proud, he doesn't care for honor and only wants to pump himself up and live out his superhero fantasy by profiting off the suffering of others. He has no regard for honor, the way he tricks Travis twice and begs like a wuss when he's defeated.

This is the video I subbed for! And it is great! Looking forward to your next project ^^

SO, the recreation with vocals of the original theme song, it was in the FIRST no more heroes game at one point. one scene that barely lasted longer than a minute or 2. but as someone who just played it on the switch, is that an addition to the switch version or was i hearing the theme correctly???

Rank 3 (Vladimir) makes me so sad. Something about being lost in space for so long, calling out for someone, anyone, and they stopped being there a long time ago. I’m glad Travis was able to let him pass peacefully.

I don't think the plot holes matter really. The first game had a bunch of them too. Like, Sylvia really did find several guys willing to spends millions in the battles and ten assassins each time to face them and die, each with dozens of henchmen to mow down? The woman on the phone says it's a regular thing, then why did she go through the trouble of tracking down her brother in law and also Jeane? Why didn't the parents of Travis and Henry raised them together, why was Henry presumably raised in England? Why did Henry want to fight Travis? As Sylvias husband he must have been able to locate Travis at any point, yet he only showed up twice. The story mocks all those twists and tropes, pulling things out of its ass that make absolutely no sense. The second game mocks sequels: The main villain of the sequel isn't a loose end from the first, he wants revenge for the first games standard random sidequest. It escalates the ranking from 10 to 50, it gets mechas, it's all just absurd escalation that makes no sense for its own sake in the same way the first was absurd twists that made no sense for their own sake, and I think it works. If anything, the sequels story is more sensical and cohesive than the in the first game. And between the more fun and lucrative side jobs and no endless wandering around the city I felt they corrected the worst of the gameplay flaws of the first. I sincerely consider the sequel the superior game as a whole.

Great analysis! While I totally agree with the first game being better and I'm honestly starting to prefer it a bit over the sequel as well, I definitely think the game is pretty fun. It was brainless fun for the teenager I was at the time and I've probably replayed it, God who knows how many times. Both are some of my all-time favs! :D