As is predictable with a game associated with Tetsuya Nomura, there are a lot of twists, turns, and surprises in NEO: The World Ends With You. It has a gripping storyline filled with fantastic characters and dynamic plot beats that will pull you further and further into Shibuya's UG.
RELATED: NEO: The World Ends With You: Where To Find The Riddles
While the game does manage to tie up some loose ends left by the first game of the franchise released more than a decade previously, it has its own unanswered questions and odd things to wonder about. They are either total mysteries or only hinted at in a frustrating, incomplete fashion.
NOTE: This article contains serious spoilers for the story and end of NEO: The World Ends With You.
What Happened To The Other Brands?
The fictional brands on display in Shibuya are a fantastic part of the franchise's world-building and even play a significant role in the mechanics of both games. The question is, however, what happened to the brands from the first game that are missing in the sequel?
Old favorites such as Natural Puppy and Jupiter of the Monkey are still around, but brands such as D+B and Pavo Real are completely missing, seemingly eschewing the Chinese zodiac theme they had in the first game. There are only three years between the two titles, so why are so many significant brands suddenly non-existent? The fashion market isn't that unstable.
Just What Is Minamimoto Up To?
Sho Minamimoto makes a glorious return in NEO: The World Ends With You and is one of the main characters this time around. His motives seem to be a mystery until he flamboyantly declares that he simply desires the greatest powers possible, but is that really the case?
It's mentioned that he's probably "trying to be good" now but it's hard to tell with a character as enigmatic as Minamimoto. The fact that he seems aware of his presence in a side-story during the post-game Another Day chapter is the most mystifying detail of all – what is his deal?
Air Has HOW Many Calories?
Truly the greatest mystery in the entire game is how Air in a Can has a whopping 428 calories. It's a special item exclusive to Vegelovers, which can be found near Tower Records Shibuya, and it's a weird one. The description states that it's literally just a can full of Shibuya air, yet it actually fills you up when consumed.
Unfortunately for the protagonists, Air in a Can is probably the best "food" in the entire game to raise Style. If you're an efficient player you'll be filling them up with air, and that can't be very nutritious.
How Is Eri Doing?
At the end of The World Ends With You, many characters were brought back to the RG and returned to their previous lives. Shiki Misaki in particular seems to have followed her dream of getting into fashion and her Gatto Nero brand – which means "Black Cat" in Italian – is very popular during the sequel's timeframe.
RELATED: NEO: The World Ends With You Review – Welcome To The Underground
But what of Eri, Shiki's best friend whose appearance she ended up assuming in the first game? We know that Shiki was the seamstress to Eri's designer, so are the two still working together now? Or is Shiki the sole genius behind the new brand?
Why Was Shinjuku Inverted?
Inversion seems to be a pretty devastating measure to take for Angels and Reapers. In-game, the entire city of Shinjuku has been erased from history thanks to the actions of Kubo, and it turns out to have been a task set for him and not a random act of villainy.
In that case, what happened in Shinjuku to prompt this drastic action? Who did what within the city to deserve wiping the slate entirely clean and erasing the whole area? It's referred to as a "cleansing" in the game, so it must have been something seriously bad.
How Long Has The New Reaper's Game Been Running?
It is mentioned multiple times that the various other teams such as the Purehearts and the Variabeauties have been playing the Reaper's game for a long time thanks to the cheating of the Ruinbringers. Just how long has it been?
It seems that the Shinjuku Reapers have been around for a little less than three years, how soon did they put their plan into action and begin another game? And how long have characters like Kanon and Motoi been playing? Answers to these questions would help players understand their mental states and the drastic actions that some of them take.
What Happened To Shoka After The End?
There's about a month between the end of the game and the final cutscene in which Rindo bumps into Shoka at the Scramble Crossing. But what has Shoka been doing during her time in the RG? Unlike the others, she entered the Reaper's Game in the regular way – by dying.
RELATED: Things You Should Know Before Starting Neo: The World Ends With You
It's mentioned at one point in the game that players brought back to life might simply be allocated to a nice family, is this what happened to Shoka? There are a lot of logistics regarding the transition between RG and UG that we don't know anything about.
What Name Did Ayano Give Her Iguana?
The Social Network entry for Ayano states that she unknowingly gave her Iguana the name of a friend, but this isn't stated anywhere in the dialogue itself so we have no idea what this name is.
The post-game chapter has the reptile named "Iggy" the iguana, but this time it's Shoka's pet and not Ayano's – and the entire chapter is a non-canonical mess anyway. As a result, we are still none the wiser and it's one of those annoying mysteries that may never be answered.
Will FanGO Become A Real Game?
The fictional game FanGO is referenced many times over the course of the game. It's a mobile app that Rindo loves to play and it's where he met his internet friend Swallow. If the Pokemon GO allusions weren't obvious enough, at the end of the story the nature of the game as a Final Fantasy-themed clone becomes apparent when Rindo stops to catch a Cactuar on the Scramble Crossing. After that, he even trades Shoka a Nutkin.
And this sounds… really fun, actually. It would be really cool if this were a hint at a future mobile game released by Square-Enix, but it's not worth holding your breath.
NEXT: NEO: The World Ends With You – How To Unlock Ultimate Difficulty
