Madotsuki meets many characters in her dreams, ranging from "ordinary" humans and animals to bizarre monstrous creatures. Regardless of their appearance, none mean harm if one does neither.
The strange behaviour and expressions of the characters in Yume Nikki seem to exhibit certain personality traits. They influence a lot of the atmosphere of the game, even if they don't actually do much at all.
Many characters play a particular role in the game. Some give Madotsuki effects when she interacts with them whereas others may teleport her to different locations. Others may ignore Madotsuki completely and simply loiter in the world of her dreams.
Note: Certain characters, such as Madotsuki, Monoe, and Monoko, have official names. There are a few other minor characters who have their official names listed on their respective pages. A full list of these can be found here. All other dream characters were named by the fan community.
Player Characters
There are only two characters that the player controls in the game, only one of which actually is real.
MadotsukiThe mysterious protagonist of Yume Nikki and the only character seen in the game who actually exists. Madotsuki's dreams provide the game world for the player to explore.
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Effect NPCs
These characters give effects when interacted with, although not all effects are received from characters. Listed in order of the effects on the menu screen.
Note: The effect names listed are from the unofficial fan translation.
FrogA frog which gives the Frog effect. Two can be found in the game, one being in Forest World and the other in the Dense Woods B, making it the only effect found in two locations.
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Yuki-onnaA short Snow Woman that roams around in Snow World. She gives the Yuki-onna effect and is one of the many characters in the game based on a Japanese legend.
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MedamaudeA strange arm and hand with an eye on its palm, found in Eyeball World. Interacting with it gives the Medamaude effect. It bears a resemblance to the Hamsa.
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DwarfAKA: Kodomo
A small, colorful character found running by a purple pyramid in Candle World. He gives the Midget effect if the player catches him, and makes an odd sound as he passes by.
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Neon ParrotA colorful character in Neon World that gives the Neon effect, as it is the only unique character in the area. Holds great resemblance to the character in NASU as well as the Toriningen.
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Nopperabou GhostA faceless ghost found in the Sewers. Gives the Nopperabou effect when interacted with. Resembles Youmu's phantom half and the PC-98 Bakebake (only minus the face and head piece) from the Touhou Project, although it is based on a Yokai.
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GuillotineA smiling guillotine guarded by Toriningen in Guillotine World. Gives the Severed Head effect if you manage to interact with it and avoid the Toriningen. It was found in Block World in older versions.
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Ittan-momenBased on another Japanese legend and encountered in the Infinite Wilderness. It gives the Towel effect while it waves back and forth in the middle of the area.
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NekoinA strange pink character that looks like a spinning coin in the shape of a cat face and moves quickly. It is found in Shield-Folk World and gives the player the Cat effect. It resembles a Maneki-neko.
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Walking LampAKA: Raitou-Oka
A small street lamp with feet found wandering around in Lamp World. Interacting with it gives the Lamp effect, and it walks two times as fast when the Knife is pulled out.
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Mouth Monstersロング (long hair monster)
Moving mounds of hair, each with a large mouth, red lips, and square teeth found next to a pool of blood. Each one gives a hair-related effect: The Long Hair, Blonde Hair, and Poop Hair effects, found in Mural World and Underground World.
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FleebieA small ghost with a small face found in Ghost World that flees from Madotsuki, hence its fan-name. It gives the Triangle Kerchief effect if you manage to catch it. It resembles other ghost characters in the game.
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KimajoA small dead tree (or possibly a creature hiding in the notch of the tree with red eyes) found on the Witch's Island. It gives the Witch effect and is immobile, though changes expression with the Stoplight effect.
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FC DemonAKA: Oni, Imp
A cute little demon that gives the Demon effect when interacted with as it makes a kissing sound effect. Found in the lowest room of the FC House and occasionally near the pyramids in FC World B.
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Buyo BuyoThis strange creature is found surrounded by shrines in FC World B and gives the Buyo Buyo effect. Interestingly, it was found in the Barracks Settlement in previous versions of the game.
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Shitai-sanThis man is seemingly an unfortunate victim of a traffic accident. He is found in the Dense Woods B surrounded by traffic cones. He gives the Stoplight effect and starts to twitch when the Cat is used.
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Non-Effect NPCs
These characters do not give effects when interacted with. Listed in alphabetical order.
BatsuCurly-looking plant creatures found in the Wilderness near the Stairway to the Sky. They can be easily mistaken for the other vegetation nearby but only appear in one group.
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The Black Cat黒猫
A small black cat that can be seen sitting around on the Mall Rooftop, where the Witch's Flight event takes place, possibly as a hint to use the Witch. It occasionally licks itself and can be found on the walkable area by a 1/64 chance..
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Body Parts右手 (right hand), 左手 (left hand), 目 (eye), 左足 (left foot), 右足 (right foot)
Disembodied eyeballs, arms, legs, eyes and lips found in Eyeball World. A pair of hands can also be found in the White Desert next to a door that leads to Block World, as there are many body motifs in the various worlds.
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Closet CreatureA creature that hides in the closet of the Guillotine World. Upon interaction, it shakes its eyes and laughs (making the same sound as the Toriningen), as if mocking the player for choosing the wrong one. It does not react to any effect.
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Closet MadotsukiA closet found on the floating island in the Checkered Tile Path with what seems to be a sleeping Madotsuki inside. It can only be fully seen by using the Severed Head or Midget effects, as all other effects are too big to see inside the closet properly.
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Cube GuruA strange character found sitting on a red cushion in Windmill World. Its head spins when interacted with. It will leave its cushion when using the Cat effect but is otherwise very protective of it.
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Dave SpectorTwo Big-headed creatures found walking backwards in the White Desert A. Stabbing the one near the tunnel with the Knife effect will trigger two routes to be open, including the Monoe and Severed Heads in the Sky event.
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Dekishi-sanAKA: Drowning Person
An odd NPC in the water at the Witch's Island that somewhat resembles a drowning man. It is unreachable by the player, but nonetheless displays standard effect reactions.
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E-ManA character found sitting on a chair in a room in the Mall, where the Toriningen that changes the window color scheme can be found. He will occasionally sneeze and will make an upset face when the Cat effect is used in the room.
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Eye PeopleStabbing the eye box in the White Desert with the Knife effect has a 1/30 chance of leading you into a dark area where a crowd of these people can be seen. They are white and have large eyes for a head and walk simultaneously.
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The FishermanA small man found in the Windmill World. If you interact with him, he will you take you to the Docks B with him where he likes to fish.
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FollonyA small ghost found in Dark World who follows Madotsuki around. Unlike Fleebie and the Nopperabou Ghost, Follony does not give any effect when interacted with.
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GhostmenThree weird light blue shapes that resemble chromosomes, found wandering inside Ghost World. They simply move around randomly, not doing much but otherwise display standard effect reactions.
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GoblinsGoblin-esque creatures that are found in the courtyard room of the FC Basement after walking up a large flight of stairs. There are four small ones and one large one that takes five stabs with the Knife effect to kill. The large one has a 50% chance of dropping 200 Yen instead of the usual 12.5% chance of dropping 100.
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JellyfishStrange characters found in the Dense Woods and in the final scene of the game. One teleports Madotsuki to the Teleport Maze while the other one simply makes a wind chime sound when interacted with.
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KamakurakoA girl resembling Madotsuki who sleeps inside an igloo in Snow World. Using the Cat causes her to move slightly, but she does not react to much outisde of that.
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Kinoko-sanSmall mushrooms seen outside the FC Demon's door and inside their room, blocking entrances.
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Kisu-TenmetsuAn extremely odd, flashing creature seen in the water at Witch's Island. Its fan-name derives from LED watches that have a similar strobe.
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LizardmanFound all over the many FC Worlds, these characters have orange skin with green hair, and when interacted with, speak a string of five random numbers in a dialogue box. There are three variations of them with different features.
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Madotsuki's GhostA spectral apparition of Madotsuki that can be seen in Mini Hell, all by itself. It occasionally stares at Madotsuki, following her only by facing in her direction.
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Mafurako帽子マフジャンプ
A girl with hat and scarf found in Block World. At first, she is invisible (only her hat and scarf can be seen floating in the air), but she becomes visible when the Stoplight effect is used. When interacted with, she teleports you to different parts of Block World but only follows you back when you are a Snowman.
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Mall Shoppers人
Six types of humanoid NPCs possibly resembling other characters encountered in the Mall - a young boy, a young girl, a man, a woman, a middle-aged man, and a middle-aged woman. When interacted with, they make odd electronic rattling noises and begin to deform as they walk away.
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Maussan BrosThree humanoid NPCs that can be found on the Sky Garden Edge, watching the UFOs. When moved with the Cat or Knife effect and then stopped, they will return to the edge of the cliff and continue to watch the UFOs. Their names are derived from Jaime Maussan, a famous ufologist.
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MerutomaroA white blob creature with a face found in the FC Basement, named for its resemblance to a melted marshmallow. It does not interact with Madotsuki at all and simply bounces by itself.
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MonoeA monochrome girl with a smug face found all by herself in a tunnel of the White Desert A. She triggers an event when interacted with and bears a resemblance to Monoko, found in another tunnel.
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MonokoA monochrome girl with pigtails whose appearance changes drastically when stopped with the Stoplight effect. She triggers her own event when interacted with in this state, and shares similarities with Monoe.
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NenrikidoHell Teleporters
These four types of 3D geometric shapes are found throughout the various worlds and teleport Madotsuki in and out of Hell when interacted with. Found in Puddle World simply making noises in older versions.
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Neon Creaturesキャラ (character), ←, →, ↑, ↓ (V-shaped character)
All of the colorful varieties of NPCs that can be found in Neon World, excluding the Neon Parrot. Like other strange characters, they make different noises upon interaction.
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Nopperabou WitchesLong-haired girls with pale purple-tinted skin that can be found at the shore of the Witch's Island. There are four of them in this area, simply standing around in the wind. When the Cat effect is used near them though, their appearance briefly changes in a fairly disturbing manner.
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Onsen-sanAKA: Hot Spring-san
A strange creature that lives in the Hot Spring House in the Wilderness, sucking up steaming water in the dark through a tube out of its head. When stabbed with the Knife, it screams and bleeds, but doesn't vanish. Instead, it changes color and stops sucking up water through its head in a disturbing manner.
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OrganoidThe alien-like creature found in the Sky Garden. It teleports randomly when touched by Madotsuki, making it hard to stab. If killed with the Knife effect, it will always yield 100 yen.
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PiroriAKA: Shadow Men
One of the most expansive groups of NPCs found throughout the dream world, these creatures chime when interacted with and occasionally teleport Madotsuki to different areas. They mostly reside in the Barracks Settlement.
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PissipissiniThese beings live in Dark World, cannot be seen while using the Lamp effect, and are barely visible in the darkness. Unlike most NPCs, they are immune to the Knife effect. Using the Cat makes it have squinting eyes.
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Seccom Masada-senseiA googly-eyed humanoid alien in found aboard the Spaceship, where he lives by himself. He makes alien-like sounds when interacted with and stands in front of a large piano. His tone drastically changes depending on the state of his ship.
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Steve 'Leif' KarehaA strange creature that swims in the canal in the southern part of Number World. He can only be seen by standing in front of the canal and meowing with the Cat effect, which can take a long time, making him more hidden than most characters.
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Tasei's KidThis odd character occasionally appears in the pond on Witch's Island, with a 1/16 chance. Its name comes from its resemblance to Mars-san, and makes a sound when interacted with, only accessible by modding the game.
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Tokuto-kunA small pillar-like character with red eyes and spindly limbs, found in a room in the Mall with a red pond. It has a small cavity on its head from which red liquid trickles out. When interacted with, its spills an endless stream of the liquid onto the floor.
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ToriningenTall, bird-like girls that chase Madotsuki when they are in a lunatic state and teleport her into enclosed areas, making them seemingly "antagonists" as they prevent the player from progressing. There is a friendly one in the Mall and they are seen in an oddly-cheery event.
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UboaA shadowy mass that occasionally takes the place of Poniko when the lights in Poniko's Room are switched off. It traps Madotsuki in a trap in the White Desert.
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Walking CandlesLarge, white, candle-like characters with legs that live in the center of Candle World. Like the Eye People, they prefer to walk in groups.
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Walking Eye黒い目玉
A black creature with one large eye encountered walking around on a floor of the FC House. It serves no purpose.
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Warpo and LoopleTwo similar creatures theorized to be brothers (as that is the name of the location they are found in) found on certain blocks in the Teleport Maze. They serve as a landmark of sorts to the player.
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WheeliesA group of four similar types of NPC that are found in Number World. One particular type is found in large numbers in the Stabbing Room (which is guarded by another type), and their appearances drastically change when the Stoplight is used.
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ZippertileAn NPC that can be found by chance in Number World. If the Knife is used on it, it bleeds and gives access to the Stairway. Simply interacting with it will cause it to move its mouth and make a sound.
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Decorative Characters
These are unusually large characters that do not roam around like the NPCs. Most are made up of background graphics and have limited or no responses to Madotsuki's effects. Listed in alphabetical order.
Aztec Rave MonkeyAn odd character with a Mesoamerican-inspired appearance that appears in many locations throughout the game, whether in backgrounds, or its own event.
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Bloody Touching MonsterA giant, many-limbed creature seen bleeding and groping a few hills as it wades through the white liquid in the background of Uboa's Trap. It is notable for its freakish appearance.
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IseeSinister eyes that watch Madotsuki from the trees in the Dark Woods and from buildings in the Barracks Settlement. They are the only eyes that do this in the game and had a monocular appearance in previous versions.
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Brain CreatureAKA: Vomiting Diglett
A huge monochrome creature that can be found in the path between White Desert B and the place of the Thing with the Quivering Jaw. It gets its fan-name as the player "passes" through a head to get between the two locations.
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FACEAn odd, surreal depiction of what appears to be some kind of genitalia or other disturbing imagery, appearing as an animation in the hidden stairway in Number World. It is the only character in the game to directly make Madotsuki wake up, giving it an even scarier context.
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Falling MenTwo stick figures that sometimes appear flying around in circles in the distance of the Stairway to the Sky, as well as a small source of speculation in the fanbase. Curiously, they never seem to touch the ground.
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FloyagUterus-like, multicolored monsters that serve as waypoints when traveling along the Infinite Road in the Dense Woods. The final one stares at the player as they leave the area.
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Frog Charactersかえるキャラ
Two types of drooling, ghost-like creatures whose essence 'sticks' to Madotsuki when she touches them in Forest World. Named after their files in the game, making them one of the only NPCs to have this.
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Goppa黄色 (yellow), 青色 (blue), 桃色 (pink), 茶色 (brown)
A group of characters seen in the Footprint Path B accessible from Eyeball World. They sit motionless with a dazed look on their face until Madotsuki touches a nearby button, which causes them to cough up blood with a strange noise.
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Henkei ShitaLarge, cyclopean creatures with mouths in their stomachs, mainly found in the Footprint Path A. There is another one in Hell who has a 1 in 256 chance of teleporting Madotsuki to the Footprint Path A when stabbed with the Knife effect.
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KALIMBAA large group of Paracas-like creatures that randomly appear in an event on the TV in the dream version of Madotsuki's Room. They appear to be sticking their tongues out or vomiting as they scroll by, accompanied by tribal music.
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KyuuKyuu-kunA tall, colorful, smiling creature rubbing a banister in the hidden stairway in Number World, next to the door that leads to FACE. The Knife causes it to rub faster. It makes sounds as it rubs the banister, contrasting with the lack of music.
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Pier MonstersCreepy creatures in Eyeball World that vaguely resemble Uboa, much like the Alley Demon. They can be white or purple, regular or bloody. Their crude art style makes them especially unnerving.
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Roary StrawA large, grey/red creature that inhabits the chamber under the manhole between Dense Woods and the White Desert B. Its appearance changes according to how many times Madotsuki traveled along the looping Infinite Road in the Dense Woods.
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SeahorseA creature seen inside one of the huts in the Barracks Settlement that resembles the head of a seahorse. It doesn't do much, although the player can stab it. It curiously had a long relation to the Buyo Buyo in older versions of the area.
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Severed Blue HeadA somewhat large blue head with two arms next to it and a bloodstain in Eyeball World that leads to the Footprint Path. It cannot be interacted with in any way, instead acting as a gateway.
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Severed HeadsTwo heads, one female and one male, that float around in an event hidden within the White Desert A's third White Path. They don't do anything other than merely go across the sky when Madotsuki enters the building at the end.
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Shield-FolkThe titular, fluorescent inhabitants of Shield-Folk World. They appear to be inanimate and come in various appearances, just like the Neon Statues.
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TakofuusenAn elusive creature that appears like a cross between an octopus and a balloon. It occasionally floats across the White Desert accompanied by a drum-like beat but otherwise does nothing.
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The Thing with the Quivering JawA gigantic, strange creature found in the White Desert near a few weird structures. Its jaw quivers and makes a rattling sound, which can be stopped with the Stoplight.
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UFOStrange, flickering objects seen a number of times in the game. They can be witnessed in the sky of the Sky Garden's edge and on the Martian Summit, where they can be spawned by using the Cat effect.
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Scrapped Characters
These characters either appeared in an older version and were removed, were reimagined in some way, or did not appear in the game at all due to being discarded. An unfinished minigame also featured a scrapped severed head, and the Submarine Fish has an unused variation.
Neon StatuesThese characters don't do anything but appear numerous times in Neon World in version 0.08 and 0.09. They have two varieties and come in pairs, with a big one and a small one. They act similar to the numerous Shield-Folk.
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WrapiA monster that doesn't look too far off from some of the ones in the White Desert, with its surrealistic design. It is absent from the original game, but has a role in YUMENIKKI –DREAM DIARY–.
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Unused Train PassengerA character who would most likely be another passenger on the Traincar. It does not appear in any version of the game and merely sits with the other character graphics.
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FACEtileSimilar to the Zippertile, this Mesoamerican gate likely would have been used for the door leading to FACE. Interestingly, it only appears in the character graphics of version 0.08, unused.
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