Besides the Reapers, Noise are the primary enemies of those playing the Reaper's Game in The World Ends With You. They exist on a seperate plane from the human world of the Realground, and the Reaper world of the Underground. However, they are attracted to humans who are radiating negativity, be it greed, jealousy, or despair. They will gather around this individual, and intensify their bad vibes. By engaging and destroying the noise plaguing someone, a Player can alleviate their negative emotions. This very act becomes a common mission during Neku Sakuraba's games.
The noise are not themselves malevolent, but exhibit animalistic instincts. They are often created and used by Reapers during the Game, and can be easily summoned using a bit of Soul and some Imagination. They come in many forms, from lowly frog noise to rhinos, elephants, and even dragons. There are many variations of the same animal, but every noise has a unique music themed name, such as J Popguin or Mammoth R&B. There also exist Taboo Noise, which are banned from use in the Reaper's Game due to their immense power and uncontrollable nature. Normally a Player can choose the Noise he wishes to fight, but during a scan, Taboo Noise seek out and attack the Player.
It is possible for elite Reapers to assume Noise forms, gaining enhanced abilities and transforming into animal/human hybrids, but it is not explained how this works. Rhyme also gets turned into a Noise at one point, but seems to retain some of her humanity.
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