History VideoGame / CustomRobo

** Also Evil from ''Battle Revolution''. He is an [[ItsAllAboutMe egotistical]], [[Jerkass]], who will blame any failure on anything and everything except himself, and while he is respected in-universe, it appears to the player that the guy is full of nothing but hot air. Always talking himself up to appear better than he is. Yet, he manages to defeat Rahu's first form in a 1v1, which is technically the requirement to become a Class S commander (tho he never learns that rank exists). And to top it off, he looks like he hardly broke a sweat during the battle. Granted it's immediately followed by him becoming the biggest ButtMonkey in the room (impressively overshadowing even Harry's ineptitude!)

* BreakOutTheMuseumPiece: The Ray Legend in the GameCube's "Custom Robo". It is noted as being "obsolete" in comparison to other Robos, having been developed in the early days of Robo development. Despite this, it is extremely powerful, to the point of being considered illegal.

* DoAnythingRobot: Robos aren't solely for children's competitions. As early as the first game, one kid points out that they and Holosseums both have numerous practical uses in a variety of business, medical, construction and even peacekeeping and aerospace fields. However, ''Arena'' negatively notes that Robos make for disturbingly effective tools for terrorist organizations, and one post-game NPC makes a comment about them that wouldn't sound out of place in an argument concerning gun control. ''Battle Revolution'' highlights that the heroes especially use them, as they're quite effective in non-lethally taking down targets compared to the risks with real firearms. Further, even with their diminutive size, Robos are capable of massive property damage and serious harm to humans. Small or no, they’re still metal humanoids firing very real ballistic, energy, and explosive weapons at high speeds. Size and numerous limiters are about all that keeps them from being fatal. [[spoiler:When a human-sized Robo with a KillEmAll mentality appears and acts outside of legal boundaries, people end up ''dead''. Meanwhile Hadron from ''Arena'' is a normal sized Robo, but is a highly illegal model with many of the limiters a Robo would normally have absent to allow it to, among other things, absorb energy from a human with greater efficiency. Liv is fine as she's a special case, but when Hadron goes for Scythe (who while a skilled commander is otherwise a normal human in terms of mental energy) in a moment of desperation, the lack of limiters means nothing stops Hadron from draining Scythe to death.]]
* DoomedByCanon: If you take ''Battle Revolution'' as a canon tail end of the timeline, [[spoiler: '''[[KillEmAll nearly the entirety of the world]]''' that we've seen in every other game.]]

* KnightOfCerebus: Often when the criminal organizations get involved within the storylines, but ''Battle Revolution'' takes this an extra step forwards with [[BigBad Rahu]], [[spoiler: an OutsideContextProblem of an invisible murderous entity that ''destroyed almost all of the world'' until it got sealed inside a Robo by accident. And it's intent on [[KillEmAll finishing the job.]]]]

* CoolBigSis: Tamara (''Arena''; also a HotScientist)

* HotScientist: Linda in ''Battle Revolution''.
** You also have to admit, Kindjal is pretty good looking. And arguably, so is Dr. Mars [[spoiler: AKA Morgan Graveman]]. And Tamara, can't forget Tamara.

* AmericanKirbyIsHardcore: Originally, the games had robos that looked like cute chibi anime characters in colourful costumes. For instance, the Shining Fighters looked like shonen heroes, the Aerial Beauties were essentially [[MagicalGirl magical girls]] and the Sassy/Sexy Stunners were basically vixens in leotards that possessed large breasts and [[ShesGotLegs very visible thighs]]. The soundtrack was light-hearted, and even the sound effects were cartoony and humourous. However, starting with ''Battle Revolution'' - the first game to reach western shores - the games have received a visual makeover; all of the robos suddenly had complex armour, faceguards, [[CoolShades shades]] and [[GogglesDoNothing goggles]], and the more human-like ones only have visible skin on their faces. ''Battle Revolution'' is overtly hi-tech in appearance (but notably also the last game chronologically and set long after the others), while ''Arena'' is more of a happy marriage of the two styles, [[AutobotsRockOut with an over-the-top rockified soundtrack]]. Of course, the GCN game is the only one that could display such a graphical style in the first place.

* ArtShift: A drastic one. See AmericanKirbyIsHardcore above.
* AwesomeMcCoolName: The criminal commanders of ''Arena'', particularly the members of Greybaum, have some pretty sweet ones (Spoilers ahead, as the character database is only unlocked once you've won the Great Robo Cup):
** Scythe's real name is [[spoiler:Morgan Graveman]]
** Kindjal's first name [[spoiler:Ignia]]
** Sling's real name is [[spoiler:Rann Nexes]]
** Cleaver, which is admittedly pretty sweet in itself, is actually called [[spoiler:''Ogre Bullock'' (in Japan, "The Bull" Ogre]]
** Coyote's gang has names like Clubba, Mr. Masher and Coyote himself (Dingo in Japan).
** Hunter Fraser (Sean Fraser in Japan)
** Eddy[=/=]Liv [[spoiler:Trainer]], [[spoiler:Viktor]] Stark and Dr. [[spoiler:Roland]] Mars may also count.
** Bull, Solax, Terrax/Galax and Lunax are actually all subversions; their ''real'' names are, in order: [[spoiler:Vern Angus, Lenny Milford, Hugh Lloyd and Jim Tarver]]
*** Certain classes of robo models have also some decidely awesome names. The Lightning Sky models[[note]]modelled on [[TransformingMecha fighter jets]][[/note]] - a plain awesome name by itelf - are named after [[ThemeNaming missiles]] - Mistral, Hurricane, Tempest (''Arena''); Stingray, Patriot, Phoenix, ''Hellfire'' (''GX'').
*** The Strike Vanisher models[[note]]modelled on ninjas and samurai[[/note]], the stealth models, are named after [[ThemeNaming bladed weapons]] - Pike, Javelin, Glaive/Bulova, Katana/Nagamitsu (''Arena''); Falchion, Kunai, Claymore, ''Excalibur'' (''GX'').
*** The Metal Grappler models[[note]]modelled on burly mammals, bodybuilders and action heroes[[/note]], the brutes of the series, have names like Rock Hound, Metal Ape, Crazy Baboon, Violent Boar (''Arena''); Iron Leo, Tiger Glare, [[BearsAreBadNews Metal Bear]] and ''[[BearsAreBadNews Death Metal Bear]]'',[[note]]not actually modeled on bears[[/note]] Bigfoot, ''Devil Rex'' (''GX'').

* BackupTwin: [[spoiler:Isabella to Eliza]] in Battle Revolution

** Taken UpToEleven on the Gamecube game. There's around 5 of these in the main story and the Battle Royale epilogue is literally nothing more than back-to-back tournaments.

* MyRulesAreNotYourRules: The entire point of Illegal Parts, which allows Robos to circumvent the usual balance limitations to do obscene things and be ''ridiculously'' overpowered in a competent Commander's hands. Usually you'll see them in the hands of petty competitors and criminals intentionally cheating to get a leg up on you, but occasionally even allies and the police use them, and they almost always create a DifficultySpike whenever they show up. In an unusual twist, you can unlock and use them depending on the game as well, albeit with penalties in post-game tournaments.

[[SequelDisplacement The best-known game]] to North American players is the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]] release, since the earlier three [[NoExportForYou didn't make it out of Japan]]. The plot of the most popular game involves a talkative protagonist, a smart-aleck womanizer, and a girl who can see the last memories of a robo commander. Everyone uses robos, including the police, criminals, and you. Notable in that they actually explain why the hell nobody ever carries a gun (Robos are actually quite effective weapons even with safeties on), why Custom Robos are so popular, why you never get to pick which stage you fight on (A person can or can not "make" a stage as a genetic ability, the hero is among the ones that can't), and why you never seem to get paid (your boss is an extreme penny pincher, and everything you get goes to living expenses).

* DarthVaderClone: Sergei. He is one of the major heads of the Z-syndicate, TheDragon to Oboro, and the older brother of Marcia. He also wears a face mask that obscures all of his face save for his right eye. Likewise, he ends up defecting to the Heroes side due to his love for his sister (although he implies upon defecting that he wasn't exactly loyal to Oboro to begin with, either).

** It makes sense that he'd do that for show during the main story mode, since at that point, he's still supposed to be the hero that everyone likes. [[spoiler:He's not outed as a badguy, yet]]. He's just a jerk that runs a rival group of bounty hunters that everyone likes better than the Steal Hearts.

* RocketJump: The "acrobat" bomb is made exclusivly for this. It does no damage but explodes instantly and launchs you in the air.
* RookieRedRanger: The protagonist is always given a [[SeriesMascot Ray model]] Robo with a predominantly [[RedIsHeroic red color scheme]], is new to being a Commander, and ends up becoming the face of the heroes with an immense amount of latent talent and skill. This is most prominently followed to the the trope's letter in ''Battle Revolution''.

** Your landlady constantly having to wake you up in the morning is one, as are her various {{Mondegreen}}s of the Steel Hearts.

* CoolButInefficient: The Ray 01. While initially played up as some form of SuperPrototype, it is revealed that its stats are absolutely basic. And when asked, a scientist that developed it reveals that it's secret is that it just looks cool. It's basically just a severely toned down Ray Warrior.

* BrilliantButLazy: Harry in ''Battle Revolution''. His sister can see his potential to become an amazing Commander, and he is the players go to source for information on being a Robo Commander, constantly proving himself an expert in the knowledge, and he eventually does prove himself one of the top tier Robo Commanders around (likely Top 3). However, everybody else only considers him as nothing more than a lazy CassanovaWannabe. He doesn't like to answer his work phone, often trying to think of ways to avoid duty so he can flirt with whatever pretty woman has come into his line of sight. Harry himself admits that he doesn't try to get a better license because he doesn't want to study. He is more than happy to do the bare minimum to get things done.

* CoolButInefficient: The Ray 01. While initially played up as some form of SuperPrototype, it is revealed that its stats are absolutely basic. And when asked, a scientist that developed it reveals that it's secret is that it just looks cool.
** TruthInTelevision: in product engineering, often various individual prototypes are made to test specific aspects or subsystems of an eventual end product, while the rest of the prototype is made up of more standard components. In this case the Ray 01 is testing the outer shell and casing of the robo, while it's internal and functional components are of a basic standard model.

* CoolButInefficient: The Ray 01. While initially played up as some form of SuperPrototype, it is revealed that its stats are absolutely basic. And when asked, a scientist that developed it reveals that it's secret is that it just looks cool. It's basically just a severely toned down Ray Warrior.

SayMyName: In ''Battle Revolution''. Sergei yelling "OBOROS!!" upon revealing that he had been faking loyalty to Oboros all along, and swapping sides to help the protagonists.

* DoAnythingRobot: Robos aren't solely for children's competitions. As early as the first game, one kid points out that they and Holosseums both have numerous practical uses in a variety of business, medical, construction and even peacekeeping and aerospace fields. However, ''Arena'' negatively notes that Robos make for disturbingly effective tools for terrorist organizations, and one post-game NPC makes a comment about them that wouldn't sound out of place in an argument concerning gun control. ''Battle Revolution'' highlights that the heroes especially use them, as they're quite effective in non-lethally taking down targets compared to the risks with real firearms. Further, even with their diminutive size, Robos are capable of massive property damage and serious harm to humans. Small or no, they’re still metal humanoids firing very real ballistic, energy, and explosive weapons at high speeds. Size and numerous limiters are about all that keeps them from being fatal. [[spoiler:It's demonstrated repeatedly in the series those limits are there for good reason. When a human-sized Robo with a KillEmAll mentality appears and acts outside of legal boundaries, people end up ''dead''. Meanwhile Hadron from ''Arena'' is a normal sized Robo, but is a highly illegal model with many of the limiters a Robo would normally have absent to allow it to, among other things, absorb energy from a human with greater efficiency. Liv is fine as she's a special case, but when Hadron goes for Scythe (who while a skilled commander is otherwise a normal human in terms of mental energy) in a moment of desperation, the lack of limiters means nothing stops Hadron from draining Scythe to death.]]

* DoAnythingRobot: Robos aren't solely for children's competitions. As early as the first game, one kid points out that they and Holosseums both have numerous practical uses in a variety of business, medical, construction and even peacekeeping fields. ''Arena'' negatively notes that Robos make for disturbingly effective tools for terrorist organizations, and one post-game NPC makes a comment about them that wouldn't sound out of place in an argument concerning gun control. ''Battle Revolution'' highlights that the heroes especially use them, as they're quite effective in non-lethally taking down targets compared to the risks with real firearms. Further, even with their diminutive size, Robos are capable of massive property damage and serious harm to humans. Small or no, they’re still metal humanoids firing very real ballistic, energy, and explosive weapons at high speeds. Size is about all that keeps them from being fatal. [[spoiler:When a human-sized Robo appears and acts outside of legal boundaries with a KillEmAll mentality, people end up ''dead.'']]

* YourSoulIsMine: While the exact phrase used is "life energy", the idea is the same. [[spoiler: After defeating Hadron the first time and managing to separate Liv from him, the Robo goes for the next closest source of mental energy, namely Scythe. Except it drains so much energy the Robo ends up assimilating Scythe's personality and memories as well, implicitly killing him in the process.]]

* YourSoulIsMine: While the exact phrase used is "life energy", the idea is the same. [[spoiler: After defeating Hadron the first time and managing to separate Liv from him, the Robo goes for the next closest source of mental energy, namely Scythe. Except it drains so much energy the Robo ends up assimilating Scythe's personality and memories as well.]]

** It makes sense that he'd do that for show during the main story mode, since at that point, he's still supposed to be the hero that everyone likes. He's not [[spoiler:outed as a badguy, yet]]. He's just a jerk that runs a rival group of bounty hunters that everyone likes better than the Steal Hearts.

* FearfulSymmetry: Variation[[spoiler:Eliza and Isabella]] are left-handed and right-handed respectively. Their robos [[IncrediblyLamePun reflect]] this: They use the same bodies, legs, and pods, but [[spoiler:Eliza]] has an upgraded Left Arc gun and Left Wave bomb, while [[spoiler:Isabella]] has an upgraded Right Arc gun and Right Wave bomb.

* HealingHands: [[spoiler:Liv (''Arena'')]].