Certain characters, such as Madotsuki, Monoe, and Monoko, have official names. There are also 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 characters were named by the fanbase.
Player Characters
There are only two characters that the player controls in the game, only one of which actually is real.
The 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.
The sole protagonist of the
NASU video game, playable on Madotsuki's Famicom in
her room. Using a cheat code turns its head into an eggplant itself.
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.
A 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.
A 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.
A 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.
AKA: Sotoburu
A tall, thin, strobing character found in the
Docks B that appears to be eating something. They give the
Fat effect in the latest version of the game, and cannot be moved with the Cat effect.
AKA: 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.
A 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.
A 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.
AKA: 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.
A 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.
A 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.
AKA: 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.
This man is seemingly an unfortunate victim of a traffic accident. He is found in the
Road surrounded by traffic cones. He gives the
Stoplight effect and starts to twitch when
Cat is used.
Non-Effect NPCs
These characters do not give effects when interacted with. Listed in alphabetical order.
A dark monster seen in the
Sewers near the
drawings on the way to
Big Red, unreachable by the player. It somewhat resembles
Uboa, as most of its body isn't seen.
Curly-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.
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..
右手 (right hand), 左手 (left hand), 目 (eye), 左足 (left foot), 右足 (right foot)
A 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.
A 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.
A 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.
Two 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.
AKA: 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.
Dropfish lives!
A drooling, flashing creature seen in the water of the
Docks B that has a round, blue face with a broad smile.
A 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.
Stabbing 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.
A small man found in the
Windmill World. If you interact with him, he will you take you to the
Docks B where he likes to fish.
A small ghost found in
Dark World who follows Madotsuki around. Unlike Fleebie and the Faceless Ghost, Follony does not give any effect when interacted with.
Three 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.
Goblin-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 a large one that takes five stabs with the Knife effect to kill. They all have increased chances of dropping
yen.
A 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.
Small mushrooms seen outside the FC Demon's door and inside their room, blocking entrances.
An extremely odd, flashing creature seen in the water at
Witch's Island. Its fan-name derives from LED watches that have a similar strobe.
Found 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.
A 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.
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.
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.
Three humanoid NPCs that can be found on the
Sky Garden cliffside, 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.
A white blob creature with a face found in the
FC Basement, named for its resemblance to a melted marshmallow. It simply bounces by itself, and shows standard reactions to effects.
A monochrome girl with a smug face found all by herself in a tunnel of
White Desert A. She triggers an
event when interacted with and bears a resemblance to
Monoko, found in another tunnel.
A 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.
Hell 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.
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.
Long-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.
An NPC resembling
E-Man who can be found singing in the
Mall, in the room where the Flute effect is obtained. Killing it or using the Stoplight makes it stop its song.
AKA: Hot Spring-san
A strange creature that lives in the dark Hot Spring House in the
Wilderness, sucking up steaming water 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.
The 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.
A grey blob that blocks the route east from the
Sewers tunnels. When stabbed with the Knife effect, a shocked face appears on it.
AKA: 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.
These beings live in Dark World. They are barely visible in the darkness, but can be seen with the Lamp effect. Using Cat makes it have squinting eyes. They turn invisible and flee extremely quickly when the Knife effect is equipped.
A girl who lives in the
Pink Sea. May change dramatically when you turn off the lights in her house.
A creature seen in the water of the
Docks that looks like a swimming snake. It cannot be interacted with, like other water characters. Shows standard reactions to the Cat and Stoplight effects.
A 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.
A 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.
A creature seen submerged in a pool of sewage in the second room of the
Sewers. When the room is entered, it will appear as either a murky shadow underneath the water or a large eye on a stalk. Occasionally, a
Pirori is seen instead.
This 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.
A 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.
Tall, 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.
Three NPCs seen riding in the
Traincar, simply sitting and minding their own business. Like
E-Man, they make an upset face upon the Cat effect being used.
A 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.
Large, white, candle-like characters with legs that live in the center of
Candle World. Like the
Eye People, they prefer to walk in groups.
黒い目玉
A black creature with one large eye encountered walking around on a floor of the
FC House. Its shape slightly resembles Madotsuki's own FC sprite.
Two 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.
A 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.
An 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.
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.
An odd character with an
arguably Andean or Aztec appearance that appears in many locations throughout the game, whether in backgrounds, or its own
event.
A huge, bright red creature that dwells in a dark place at the end of the
Sewers. If Madotsuki strolls into its gaping maw, she will be transported to WIndmill World.
A 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.
AKA: Vomiting Diglett
A huge monochrome creature that can be found in the path inside the Ear Canal of the
White Desert Mountain Ring. It gets its fan-name as the player "passes" through a head to get between the two locations.
A pair of heads found in the
White Desert Mountain Ring. The lack mouths and have large holes for ears as entrances to and from the Ear Canal.
An odd, surreal depiction of what appears to be some kind of face 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.
Two 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.
Uterus-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.
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.
Large, 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.
Sinister 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.
A 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.
A 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.
A large, grey/red creature that inhabits the chamber under the manhole between the
Road and the
White Desert Mountain Ring. Its appearance changes according to how many times Madotsuki traveled along the looping
Infinite Road.
AKA: Kasei-san
Found in the hidden room in
Mars next to machines, interacting with this alien makes a three-note piano sound. Stabbing it with the Knife effect will leave scars on its foot and change its eye color.
A serpentine creature seen in the water at the
Docks A. It cannot be interacted with in any way and is pure decoration.
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.
Creepy 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.
A 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.
A 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.
Two 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.
The titular, fluorescent inhabitants of
Shield-Folk World. They appear to be inanimate and come in various appearances, just like the
Neon Statues.
An 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.
A 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.
Strange, 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
summit of Mars, where they can be spawned by using the Cat effect.
Scrapped Characters
These characters either appeared in an older version and were removed, were reimagined in the sequel 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.
These 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.
A 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–.
A 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.
Similar to the
Zippertile, this Indigenous 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.