The World Ends with You is an action role-playing game co-developed by Square Enix and Jupiter for the Nintendo DS. The game takes place in a recreated and stylized version of the Shibuya district in Tokyo, Japan. In the story, the player controls undead teenagers from Shibuya, as protagonist Neku Sakuraba and his allies Shiki, Joshua, and Beat are forced to participate in a game that will determine their fate. They fight creatures known as Noise, controlled by Reapers. For each week of the Game, Game Masters are assigned by the Conductor to lead the opposition to the players. Of the Game Masters opposing Neku, while participating in the Games to earn promotions for their performance, the Reapers' goal is to ascend to the highest form of spiritual existence, the Angels. Angels supervise the Games and, if the stakes of a Game are particularly high, they send down one of their own to serve as the Producer.
In the 2021 sequel Neo: The World Ends with You, which takes place three years after the first game, a new cast of characters play the Reapers' Game in Shibuya. This includes the young Rindo, who has the power of time travelling; his close friend Fret, who has access to people's thoughts; the otaku Nagi, who Rindo and Fret recruit; the Reaper Sho Minamimoto, who returns from the first game as an ally to the children; the Reaper Shoka, who dislikes her superiors' current actions; and returning players Beat and Neku. Together, they battle Noise and Reapers to return to the world of the living and save Shibuya after the antagonist Shiba took down Shinjuku.
The characters were created by Tatsuya Kando and designed primarily by Tetsuya Nomura. The clashing nature of Neku with other players was often criticized by video game journalists, who feel the characters are too antisocial. However, they have also been compared with shut-ins, better known as hikikomori in Japan, and chūnibyō types of students. The handling of the cast in the sequel Neo: The World Ends with You was better received by critics for the new system, which allows the player to control them simultaneously. They can also have meals and change their clothing to become stronger, giving the player notable handling of party members.
Creation The developers of The World Ends with You decided to stay with two-dimensional sprites instead of three-dimensional models for the title, believing it would help differentiate themselves from other Square Enix titles as well as better represent their vision for the game. When first approached with the task of creating the art for the game, background art director Takayuki Ohdachi thought the modern-day setting would be too boring, and opted to use highly skewed and angular images of Shibuya to avoid this; the rest of the creative team found this approach to fit the game quite well. For combat, the background of the top screen was selected for visual interest, while the bottom touchscreen background was designed to emphasize the gameplay. Ohdachi was also responsible for the artwork for the psych pins, and used a mix of pop art and tribal designs for the various graphics.
As The World Ends with You focuses on the character of Neku Sakuraba and his growth, to create a more believable story the developers put focus on his development, such as how he would feel, what thoughts lie behind his actions, how he interacted with other characters, and how the people around him feel about him. The developers included aspects and daily concerns, hoping that they could be things that players would have to deal with in their personal lives and therefore would let them relate with Neku and feel like they are a part of the game. Tatsuya Kando, director of The World Ends with You, described Neku as a character who prefers to be left alone, yet feels lonely and wants to interact with others. They also hoped that this would help players develop an understanding and tolerance for Neku's actions, which could help them feel more comfortable with controlling someone who does not act how they would like them to.
Kando said that, as Neku and his friends were at the center of the story in the original game and thus became highly popular, they were afraid they would overshadow Rindo's group. As a result, they were careful with how to approach them. In order to keep Neku and the others from becoming too central to the story, Kando decided to have Beat play the role of connecting both installments, with Neku appearing near the end as a supporting character. Nomura decided to keep their roles a secret from the fans before its release. Kando considered establishing that Beat had taken on Neku's name. However, as the story continued to take shape, it was changed so that others instead mistook him for Neku. Designs Character designs were handled by Tetsuya Nomura and Gen Kobayashi. Character designs were made to match with the real-world Tokyo setting, after which their outfits were designed based on the character's personality. Kobayashi was also in charge of designing the game's non-player characters and noted how most designs made it to the final product. Neku wears the Jupiter of Monkey brand, which the artist considers to be the most important part of his design, with his successor Rindo wearing the same brand. Both leads are based on the Japanese saying, "see not, hear not, and speak not". With Neku, his signature feature was his big headphones, a concept tied to "hear no evil". For the animated adaptation of The World Ends With You, the staff found the idea of showing Beat and Neku's Fusion move to be a challenge to animate.
For Neo, Nomura returned to design the character art. For the lead character of Rindo, he was looking to provide some type of iconic item of clothing that would make him stand out and represent his isolated personality, similar to Neku's headphones in the original game. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, he had seen that face masks had become a popular fashion accessory for the youth of Japan and opted for that;he did not imagine that face masks would become a normal occurrence in the world by the time the game launched. Shiki's true persona is shown in the sequel game, where Miki Yamashita was in charge of designing her outfit. Shiki was designed to look "fashionable in her own right, though not yet sophisticated". He gave her a green cardigan and leggings, attempting to make her look more modern but without major changes from the first game.NTWEWY Official Artbook
Playable characters Neku Sakuraba
is an initially asocial teenage boy who claims that he does not "get" people, and rarely interacts with others at first. Computer-controlled characters make up the rest of the cast, which includes players paired with Neku. Shiki Misaki
is a teenage girl who takes on the form of her best friend, as her physical appearance was her price of entry for the Game.
Yoshiya Kiryu In the second Game, Neku's partner is an intelligent and sly teenage boy, , who prefers to be called . Joshua is later revealed to be the Composer, a godlike entity and head of the Game.
Daisukenojo Bito Neku's final partner is , originally a player and ex-Reaper who calls himself . Beat became a Reaper to find a way to bring his younger sister, (nicknamed ), back to life, as she had sacrificed herself to save him from a Noise attack.
Rindo Kanade , is a high school student and a Player in the Reapers' Game. Using a pin created by Kubo, Rindo can travel across time whenever a situation becomes too complicated to handle. While he is a close friend of Tosai, he also forms a deep bond with the Reaper Shoka, who is revealed to be his online friend Swallow. Tosai Furesawa , nicknamed , is a close friend of Rindo, who has the power of giving people information. While he initially acts comical, his crush Kanon Tachibana helps him become more honest with himself. Nagi Usui is a gaming otaku college student who joins the Wicked Twisters. Nagi can go into people's minds with "Dive". She has a crush on Sho Minamimoto, who reminds her of a fictional hero she often plays as.
Sho Minamimoto is the most dangerous, as he willingly circumvents the rules in an attempt to supplant the Composer.
Shoka Sakurane later joins the Wicked Twisters as their fifth member. Rindo is also supported by , his online friend who he communicates with through a social media game and text messages. Swallow's identity is an ongoing mystery Rindo attempts to uncover throughout the game, which is only revealed after the story's climax. Several protagonists from the first game also appear to support the new cast.
Other characters Sanae Hanekoma Sanae Hanekoma is the Producer. Disguised as a Shibuya café owner, he guides new players and narrates the "Secret Reports", which are obtained by completing additional missions after completing the game.
Shiba Miyakaze Reapers are split into two groups: the Shibuya Reapers, who first appeared in the original game, and the Shinjuku Reapers, who are new. The Shinjuku Reapers include , Tanzo Kubo is the Game Master in the Reapers' Game.
Ayano Kamachi , Kaie Ono , Hishima Sazakuchi and Shibuya Reapers, returning from the first game, are antagonists. Koki Kariya , , and Coco Atarashi , who returns from the first game's Solo Remix followed by LIVE Remix and Final Remix. Kaichi Susuki Rindo and his friends compete against rival teams, including the Ruinbringers, the top team in the Reapers' Game, whose members include , nicknamed Tsugumi Matsunae , the latter of whom returns from the first game's Solo Remix and Final Remix re-releases, Other rival groups include the Deep Rivers Society, a group of river enthusiasts led by , and the Variabeauties, a group of super stylists led by Kanon Tachibana , and the Purehearts, a group of savvy social media influencers. Motoi Anazawa .
Reception Since appearing in The World Ends with You, Neku's character attracted mixed responses. Crispy Gamer editor Steve Steinberg regarded him as a common antisocial RPG youth often used by developers. His brooding personality and youth was made comparable to other Final Fantasy series characters such as Cloud Strife, Vaan, and Squall Leonhart, and that the story needs developing. In an article centered around RPG characters, RPGamer praised his special moves, which come from pins, and that he stands out for being awkward to deal with in a group of characters. The Escapist in particular liked the relationship Neku develops with the antagonist Joshua due to their contrasting personalities, which makes the former come across as growing, especially in the second week of the game. The final twist that Joshua was manipulating Neku and was responsible for his death also appealed to the writer, since the villain is moved by the protagonist's growth which subverts the other antagonist's interactions, such as Kefka Palazzo from Final Fantasy VI, whose desire to become a god became a trope in role-playing games.