No More Heroes (series)

Lore & Background

The series title comes from the album No More Heroes by the British punk band The Stranglers. The first game, released on Wii in 2007, features a free-roaming world where Travis Touchdown must kill the top ten assassins to progress. He earns money through part-time jobs to spend on weapons, training, clothes, and videotapes. Combat uses the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, with motion controls for the beam katana and wrestling maneuvers. The beam katana runs on batteries and must be charged by pressing the '1' button and shaking the remote. A 'dark side mode' can be activated by a slot machine roll upon killing enemies.

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle (2010) replaced the open world with a map screen and introduced 8-bit style minigames. It added playable characters Shinobu Jacobs and Henry Cooldown, the ability to switch beam katanas in combat, and the 'Ecstasy Gauge'. Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes (2019) is viewed from a top-down perspective and features Skill Chips named after Gundam models. No More Heroes III (2021) takes place nine years after the second game and two years after Travis Strikes Again, with Travis defending the world from aliens. A spin-off, No More Heroes: World Ranker, was released only in Japan for Android and iOS in 2012.

Reader's Guide

The No More Heroes series is significant for its distinctive blend of hack and slash combat with motion controls, particularly on the Wii, where the beam katana's high and low stances and charging mechanic were tied to the remote. The series' open-ended structure in the first game, requiring players to earn money for ranking fights, set it apart from linear action games. The introduction of multiple playable characters and expanded combat systems in later entries showed evolution while retaining the core identity. The series also has a legacy beyond its own games: Travis Touchdown appears as a downloadable pawn in Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen on Nintendo Switch, and as a Mii Fighter costume in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, along with three spirits based on No More Heroes III. These crossovers highlight the series' cultural impact within the gaming community. The series' title, borrowed from a punk album, reflects its rebellious tone. With five titles released, the series remains a notable example of Grasshopper Manufacture's creative output.

Did You Know?

• The series title comes from the album No More Heroes by the British punk band The Stranglers.
• The beam katana runs on batteries and must be charged by pressing the '1' button and shaking the Wii Remote.
• Travis Touchdown appears as a downloadable Mii Fighter costume in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
• A spin-off, No More Heroes: World Ranker, was released only in Japan for Android and iOS in 2012.