Disgaea 5’s Cast Of Characters Shine Amidst A Simple Story Of Revenge

Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance follows a motley group of characters all out to get revenge against Demon Emperor Void Dark. The Demon Emperor is taking over Netherworlds with his enormous Lost Army, leaving destruction and chaos in his wake.

Though the story of the Disgaea 5 may seem like the standard “bad guy takes over the universe” plot at first glance, the characters are what drive it forward and keep it entertaining. Their distinct and outlandish personalities liven up the mood and kept me invested in the story, no matter how simple it seemed.

Take Seraphina, the Overlord of Gorgeous, for instance. Sure, she may come across as the typical arrogant, spoiled princess archetype, but as the story progresses, we gradually get a deeper look into her character and find that behind her flirtatious and confident façade, she harbors her own share of worries and doubts. For this I came to like her quite a lot as a character, even though her laugh can get annoying at times. Oh-hohohoho!

The mystery behind many of the main characters is what held my interest. We learn something terrible happened to Killia in his past to make him hate Emperor Void Dark. But what was it? What did he lose? What is this other side to him that sometimes appears and taunts him, trying to get him to “give in?” Questions like these kept me wanting to play on through each level, to uncover the secrets behind the pasts of each character and learn the truth.

Of course, it’s not all doom and gloom in the world of Disgaea 5. Far from it, in fact. The game employs so much humor in every scene that it’s easy to forget that whole Netherworlds are falling under Void Dark’s evil control, especially when Seraphina is shouting at Red Magnus because he washed his underwear with a load of her laundry.

Because the cast is so varied and full of personality, players won’t have a difficult time picking favorites, from the feisty Zeroken, to the dark and brooding Killia. Personally, I found myself growing fond of Red Magnus, as well as the cute and quirky Usalia, Overlord of Toto Bunny.

Players will get the chance to experience the story of Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance for themselves when the game releases on October 6th, 2015 in North America, and October 16th in Europe for the PlayStation 4. You can check here for my first impression of Disgaea 5 as a strategy RPG newbie.