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Konami Code
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Konami Code (trope)
Found this in a Vic Viper's cockpit.

"Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right... I don't remember the rest!"
— EVA, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start (mix and match as desired).

The Konami Code (known in Japanese as the Konami Command) is a specific version of the Classic Cheat Code, and is one of the most popular variants in video game history.

The code first appeared in Konami games on the Nintendo Entertainment System, hence the trope name, as the Nintendo Hard games couldn't be properly debugged if the programmers couldn't even get far.

The typical form is the directional combination followed by two buttons and then start and/or select, though most of the time, start is just pressed to start the game and not part of the cheat code proper. As the code is used on games of various systems, the actual buttons will vary. For the examples listed below that include a select before the start, in Contra, select was used to select a 2-player game after entering the code.

Though being well known, this has rarely been used as an outright cheat code since the early 16-bit days (as is the case with cheat codes in general). More often these days it's an Easter Egg that gives a cute effect. The code doesn't even have to use a standard controller as long as the directions can be pressed in some way.

Examples:

    open/close all folders 

    Konami 
  • The NES version of Gradius is the first game to use the code.note  Entering the code while the game is paused gives you all power-ups except Speed Up, Double and Laser. In later Gradius games, this code instantly destroys your ship, but variant versions of it will provide the original benefits.
    • In the SNES version of Gradius III, replacing Left and Right with L and R (the shoulder buttons) will grant the ship four options and the selected powerup. You can try it with Left and Right, and it will give you the powerups, but as soon as you un-pause the game your ship will explode. The original version, with thirty lives, is also in the game - it's activated by pausing, then pressing B, B, X, X, A, Y, A, Y, Up, Left, and Start. The observant will note that this is the button sequence you'd hit on the SNES controller if you held it upside down while entering the original code.
    • Gradius V accepts both the left-right-left-right and shoulder trigger versions (in the case of the latter, L1, R1, L1, R1). One version gives you full power plus Laser, the other is full power plus Double. The amount of times it's used is recorded in the high score table under "Konami Command".
    • Gradius Galaxies / Generation / Advance gives you about three seconds after inputting the classic version of the code and unpausing before your ship explodes. The shoulder button version carries no such penalty.
    • Gradius ReBirth uses the traditional version of the code (with 2 and 1 in place of B and A, respectively) to give the player four Options but no extra lives or other powerups. It's especially helpful toward the end of the game since Continuing Is Painful.
    • The NES version of Life-Force, a spinoff of Gradius, uses the Konami Code as a 30-live cheat similar to Contra.
  • Contra:
    • In the NES version, the code increases the starting number of lives from 3 to 30.
    • Oddly enough, not many of the Contra sequels feature the code except for Contra: Shattered Soldier for the PlayStation 2 (the others use different cheat codes). For the code to work in Shattered Soldier, the player must input the code using the second controller and substitute the left and the right on the d-pad with each successive L and R button (L1, R1, L2, R2, L3, and R3). Of course, all this does is make it really easy to get the worst ending.
    • Hard Corps: Uprising: Inputting the code during the loading screen of the first stage replaces the music of that stage with a metal remix of the first stage music from the original Contra. Inputting a different version of it with LS and RS replacing B and A in the title screen unlocks the ability to buy an upgrade that gives you 30 lives without beating the game with that character first.
    • Contra 4 has an especially odd effect from the code. The first time you input it while the game is paused, your weapons immediately get upgraded. Doing it again kills you, and after that it keeps alternating.
    • Contra: Operation Galuga features it, on the title screen before the main menu loads in. While any uses after the first will merely play the 16 bit Konami logo jingle, the first one awards you a handful of credits, a trophy/achievement on the non-Nintendo systems, and unlocks a perk in the perk shop that, when equipped, sets your starting life count to 30.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh!:
    • Appears in Yu-Gi-Oh! The Falsebound Kingdom as a code for getting bonus money.
    • Using it in any of the Yu-Gi-Oh Tag Force games unlocks a Konami-themed booster pack, featuring Gradius cards. A nice nod, but fairly impractical, as the cards themselves aren't that great, and the cost for just one pack is several times that of the others.
    • It got a revival and then some in Tag Force 5. To unlock the Konami pack, input Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, L, R, L, R, Square, Triangle, Square, Triangle.
    • In Yu-Gi-Oh! RUSH DUEL: Dawn of the Battle Royale!!, using it in a specific spot in the Goha #7 Student Council Room after defeating Number 6 unlocks the deck editor without having to beat the game first. You can also use it behind Otes's altar to get a free daily prize.
    • The anime got in on this too. Episode 129. Kaiba's code to control one of Yugi's monsters went as follows: Left right A B. It has been said to be an homage, but it's possible the connection is unintentional. Word of God hasn't confirmed whether it's a coincidence or if Kaiba's input was designed as a Shout-Out to Konami.
    • Later, in Kaiba's duel with Joey, Joey uses his Graverobber Trap Card to take the the card from Kaiba's Graveyard, and then inputs a different code to use its other effect: "Up, Left, Down, Right, A" (Note that the effect is inconsistent with the second effect of the OCG/TCG version of the card).
  • Boktai: Using this code in a certain room in a certain bonus dungeon is the only way to get 100% Completion.
  • Silent Hill:
    • In Silent Hill: Origins, where one of the bonus costumes has to be unlocked in this way. The game itself refers to the cheat as "an ancient and powerful spell".
    • In Silent Hill 3, you can enter the Konami Code... to remove Douglas' pants and shirt.
  • Metal Gear:
    • Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty:
      • When your rank is displayed after you beat the game, enter the code and Solid Snake will make fun of you for trying to cheat so late.
      • Enter it as your name before starting a VR Missions save on the Substance version, and it will unlock all the characters and their missions for you, so that you can skip tricky levels and come back to them later.
      • Snake and Otacon designed a secret handshake friendship hug sometime before the story begins that's a physical representation of the Konami Code. Otacon's a huge dork, and Snake's a Pop-Cultured Badass, so it fits.
    • On Normal or easier difficulty modes, the notoriously tricky boss The End in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater can be seen on the Map screen with the help of the code (with Square and Triangle substituing for B and A).
    • On Solid Normal or easier in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, the Konami Code reveals Crying Wolf's position on the map.
    • Enter it on the title screen in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (with Circle and X substituing for B and A; Circle and X are the Western PlayStation game menu equivalents of B and A) to unlock Very Hard and Revengeance difficulty levels without beating the game on lower difficulty levels first. In the PC version, entering the code also immediately unlocks the Jetstream, Bladewolf and VR missions, and all codecs and cutscenes.
  • In the NES and FDS versions of Gyruss, you have to enter the Konami code backward (A, B, A, B, right, left, right, left, down, down, up, up) in order for it to work properly.
  • DanceDanceRevolution has featured the directional portions of the code as part of the steps on several songs relating to Konami games, such as "30 Lives" (a pop song making references to the Contra example), "TwinBee ~Generation X~" and "Make A Jam!" (a remix of the jingle from one of Konami's PS1-era intro sequences.
    • The first two games in the Xbox-exclusive Ultramix subseries are the only games in the series that feature the code as a cheat: inputting it during the credits with a controller inserted on the fourth controller port unlocks all songs (in Ultramix 2 it has to be inputted twice). Coincidentally, one of the songs present on Ultramix 2 is the aforementioned "Make A Jam!".
    • The original versions of DDR (not including the American PS1 version, which is based on 3rdMIX) require directional codes to turn on other difficulty levels and options. Sure enough, the eight directions of the Konami Code make up one of them (Double Basic).
    • In the PS1 version of Dance Dance Revolution 5thMIX, highlighting the correct picture in the gallery and entering the code, replacing B and A with X and O (which are in the same respective positions on the PS1 controller as the B and A buttons on the SNES controller), unlocks the last four pictures in the gallery.
  • beatmania IIDX 22 PENDUAL invokes the Code as part of the requirements to unlock the Final Boss of the CHRONO SEEKER event. Among other things, once you've earned the right to unlock the final Crystal, you must input the following on the song select screen: Effect, Effect, VEFX, VEFX, 1P Start, 2P Start, 1P Start, 2P Start, any black key, any white key.note 
  • In SOUND VOLTEX, selecting "Shiawase ni Nareru Kakushi Command ga Arerushii"note  on Exhaust difficulty and inputting the Konami Codenote  will unlock its Exceed difficulty chart.
  • In Zone of the Enders, entering the full code in reverse at the title screen unlocks Versus mode without needing to complete the game.
  • In Zone of the Enders the Second Runner, it's possible to get Zoradius mode by entering a shortened version of the cheat code: Up Down Left Right Start at the pause menu during the boss battle with Vic Viper. Entering the code again in the minigame itself gives you full powerups, just like a real Gradius game.
  • Castlevania:
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:
  • The International Superstar Soccer series uses this code in several of its games, although some require the second controller while others switch the up/down and left/right commands (in the case of the N64 version, C-triggers). The original gives you "happy players," Deluxe gives you a dog referee, and the 3D games give the players big heads.
  • In The Legend of the Mystical Ninja, a villager helpfully informs you: "Just between you and me... if you use the command 'Up Up Down Down L R L R B A', nothing will happen".
  • In International Track & Field 2000, inputting the code on the event selection screen (with Circle and X in place of B and A) and selecting an event replaces your athlete with Konami's on-and-off mascot Konami Man. For events with female athletes, it gives them a different outfit.
  • In an interesting take on the Konami Code in mobile games, in Dankira!!! -Boys, be DANCING!-'s offline mode, on the title screen swipe in the directional order of the Code and tap the capital letters 'B' and 'A' in the game's subtitle. After hearing the title for the 2nd time, tap 'Touch Screen' to start up the game and then head to the preview room. This unlocks the game's BGM used in events and the stories.
  • In the Tokimeki Memorial Spin-Off mobile game title Tokimeki Idol, inputting the Konami Code in the player profile's comments unlocks Mirror Mode in Lives. Like the Dankira example above, this only applies to offline mode.
  • One level of Half-Minute Hero has you trying to defeat an Evil Lord called CATS that, among other things, is changing the level's graphics from the style of an 8-bit NES game to that of a grayscale Game Boy game. That level also includes patches of forest that resemble the buttons on an NES controller; if you "enter" the Konami Code by walking over the appropriate spaces on the map, you unlock an achievement.
  • Super Bomberman Collection, released well after Konami acquired Hudson Soft and its franchises, lets you unlock the hidden battle mode stages in Super Bomberman 2-5 by inputting "Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A" (or the equivalent for your controller) while Konami's logo appears during bootup, after which the background of the wraparound menus will change from yellow to red. These stages were originally only accessible by mashing the X button at turbo speed using a special controller produced by Hudson for the Super Famicom, which is obviously not as feasible on modern hardware.
  • Konami's in-house animation studio, KONAMI animation, features the Code as part of its logo.

    Other Games 
  • In The 3-D Battles of WorldRunner and Cosmic Epsilon, entering the code merely produces the message "I am not Konami".
  • Used by 3D Dot Game Heroes to make your shield invisible.
  • 8ing/Raizing's shooters (particularly Battle Garegga, Armed Police Batrider, and Battle Bakraid) have a variant of this: entering Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, A, B, C at the title screen after inserting your coins will trigger extra features, usually Guest Ships and Characters from past Raizing games (in Garegga and Batrider) or all-new ships (in Bakraid, and you must input the code at a rate of 1 button press per second).
  • In Abobo's Big Adventure, continues in the "Contrabobo" level require entering the "code for more lives," which can also be used to unlock a two-player mode.
  • Entering the code in Achievement Unlocked (a Flash Platformer where the only object is to collect enough Cosmetic Awards to get 100% Completion) gives you the achievement "Too Much Contra".
  • Using the code on the title screen of Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd you steal our garbage?!! activates Pendleton Ward's "secret screen".
  • Inputting the Konami Code on the title screen of The Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures will trigger a fake Blue Screen of Death, advising the player to be more creative as that cheat code is too obvious.
  • In Arnold Palmer's Tournament Golf, after missing 100 shots on a single stage, the code can be entered on the Game Over screen to play a Mini-Game version of Fantasy Zone.
  • In Assassin's Creed III, after summoning a turkey by whistling from a corner at the Davenport Homestead, you can enter the Konami Code to give the turkey a hood just like Connor's. Technically, it's only the actual Konami Code in the Xbox version because it's the only one with all the appropriate buttons (and even then lacks use of the Start button): on the PS3, it's Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, O, X, and on the PC it's 2, 2, 4, 4, 1, 3, 1, 3, E, Space.
  • Used by Mylandah in Battle Athletes to confuse a robot in a three-legged race.
  • Halfway through the "Colossatron's Menace" event in Battle Racing Stars, Raskull King suggests Dan to use the code to defeat Colossaton. It does nothing, and King laments that it used to work in the old days.
  • In Billy vs. SNAKEMAN there's a 1 in 10 chance executing these movements will save you from an otherwise fatal Phase attack (Phases are the Kaiju which attack villages, fought one on one in their home ground). Knowing this sequence in-universe is the reward for the quest "Thirty Lives", which consists of supporting the rooftop concert of several female NPCs, whose instructions to the crowd reference it.
  • In BioShock Infinite, entering this code unlocks 1999 Mode without beating the game on lower difficulty levels first.
  • On the original "Sword or Whip?" teaser page for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, inputting the code would cause Pixel IGA to chime in with "Did you think that would work here?" Doubles as a subtle Take That! toward Koji Igarashi's former employers. In the game proper, using it in the "Classic Mode" subgame unlocks "1986 Mode".
  • The Borderlands series
    • The first game, Borderlands 1: Mad Moxxi's first husband was a cheat. No points for guessing what Visual Pun appears in the background when she says this.
    • In Borderlands 2, entering the code on the start screen activates the ability to toggle "Extra Wubs". As the game itself states, it does absolutely nothing.
  • Entering the code from the title screen of Bravely Default will unlock the Sequel Hook video (although much of it won't make sense until well past halfway through the plot).
  • Burai Fighter Deluxe on the original Game Boy used this code.
  • Copy Kitty: Doing this on the Modifiers menu with Kick as A and Shoot as B, since Shoot is also Exit Menu, unlocks the Really Big Robot cheat.
  • Inputting the Konami Code on the title screen of CMC+ (you'll hear the confirmation sound when you press the A button) will give you 5730 CBucks when you enter the main menu. In a previous version, doing the same thing gave you a shot at unlocking Alucard.
  • Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped: Entering up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, square on the title screen unlocks a demo of Spyro the Dragon (1998). As an homage to this, inputting the same code with Crash 3 selected on the menu in Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy unlocks a trailer for Spyro Reignited Trilogy.
  • CrossCode has a variation of the code. In the quest A Promise Is a Promise 4, the player will eventually come to the entrance of a dungeon where they must input the code, except the B and A are instead A then B, presumably as a test to make sure players actually understood the hints given.
  • Cuphead has a rather disturbing easter egg. If you get the game's bad ending and return to the title screen, the menu music will be played in reverse. If you then input the code with the back and confirm keys as B and A respectively, the music will distort, be played at a lower pitch and loop at several instances, furthermore, creepy laughter can be heard too, as well as sound effects that show the Devil's first and final forms when viewed through a spectrogram. It was initially thought that this song was part of an anti-piracy measure,until a YouTuber named GioTGM discovered the easter egg.
  • In the SuperGrafx version of Daimakaimura, the code allows the player to add up to nine credits.
  • In The Darkside Detective, McQueen finds a newspaper with the headline "Computer Stock Goes Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start". He adds that he regrets having read it out loud, because it feels like a magical incantation to him and now he's going to worry about what it did.
  • Dead by Daylight: Inputting the Konami Code while playing as Heather Mason or the Pyramid Head will play a short retro version of the game's theme and unlock a charm of Vic Viper.
  • The Konami Code is quoted in Disgaea 3, known for its many references; in need of power, the main character tries it.
    Mao: Games have cheat codes, too! What was it already? Up, up, down, down...
  • EA Sports UFC 2 lets you unlock Joe Rogan as a fighter by entering the code at the title screen (substituting "B" and "A" for "O" and "X" if on PS4).
  • In the game The Escapists, entering the directional component at the prison select screen unlocks all the levels up to HMP-Irongate.
  • In Final Fantasy VI: Brave New World, the code is the input for Sabin's Bum Rush technique.
  • After the conclusion of season 10 of Fortnite, inputting the Konami Code while on the black hole screen would activate the Durr Burger minigame, a space shooter where you control a slice of pizza shooting at burgers.
  • One type of loading screen in Ghost Recon: Future Soldier shows a diagram of your controller which, when any buttons are pressed, will list all the actions performed by that button in gameplay. Enter the Konami Code on this screen and the loading icon in the corner will spin around in place.
  • In Grandia 1, a character mistakenly quotes the directions of the Code when trying to remember a password to open a necessary door in the enemy fortress and progress in the game. The actual password is a slightly reshuffled version. Entering the correct code without finding the password in-game results in a brief scene where a flustered Justin tells the others he was just pushing random buttons.
  • The game Gundam SEED Destiny: Generation of C.E. features the "SEED Sense" effect, where starting to watch an attack animation has the chance to prompt you to push one of the PS2 controller face buttons. Doing so has the chance to improve any number of things, and even prevent death automatically at low health an unlimited number of times, as long as you hit the right button. However, starting an attack animation locks you into viewing it, so the game takes longer to play and gets stale more quickly. How do you get out of the attack animations after using your "SEED Sense," you ask? Push Down, Down, Up, Up, Right, Left, Right, Left, R3, L3, and Start. An inverted Konami code.
  • The Xbox port of Half-Life 2 adds the code as a way to regain 25 health.
  • In Hands On! Tangrams, performing the Konami Code at the title screen results in a fanfare with a message telling you that you have been granted 30 lives. (The joke is that the game doesn't have lives.)
  • In Helldivers II, the Commando missions introduced in January 2026 give players a stratagem that they can use to call in their Super Destroyer to provide them support for one minute, once per diver per mission. The input for the stratagem is the directional input from the Konami Code, making this a case of actually inputting the code to give yourself a force multiplier.
  • In Honkai Impact 3rd, the "Honkai Weekly Trivia" question of "Multi-hit shadow attack: Kei: Six-Sided Shock deals massive AOE DMG. How do you perform it?" includes the choice "Up, Up, Down, Down, B, A, B, A".
  • In the English version of the game Hyperdimension Neptunia, Neptune invokes her EX-Skill with the quote "Up, Up, down, down, left, right—aww, whatever... Secret Code entered!"
  • Hyper Princess Pitch: Using the Konami Code summons the Goddess of Explosions once per game, who acts as a Smart Bomb by clearing the room of enemies and heavily damaging bosses. By suplexing Saturn.
  • Iji has a logbook that encourages you to try the Konami Code on the start menu. If you do, a dialogue scrolls across the screen chiding you for beating tired old memes to death.
  • In Infernax, inputting the Konami Code in the title screen results in unlocking and starting the game as a futuristic gun-shooting protagonist, Maxime Gunn.
  • Insaniquarium Deluxe uses this code to open up the Sandbox, which not only lets the player do whatever the hell they want within said Sandbox, but also gives him/her/it a shiny new trophy and lets them put a whole batch of extra pets into their Virtual Tank.
  • In Jardinains!, the cheat codes "uuddlrlrba" and "upupdowndownleftrightleftrightbastart" turn your balls into powerful Brickplow Boomers. Oddly enough, there's a different cheat codenote  that'll give you 30 lives.
  • In the Mega Drive/Genesis version of The Jungle Book (1993), inputting the Konami code while the game is paused brings your number of lives to three, refills your health, and gives you 99 of every weapon in the game.
  • In Just Dance 3 for the Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360, the Extreme Version of "Barbra Streisand" is unlocked by using the directional part of the Konami Code.
  • Putting the Konami Code into the start menu of Justice League Heroes: The Flash will cause all of the enemies in the game to become gigantic.
  • In the online game Kingdom of Loathing, the code was the answer to a puzzle in the Naughty Sorceress' Tower until a revamp of the tower in January 2015 removed it.
  • Elder Xelpud in La-Mulana makes a reference to the Konami Code in one of his 'guy ranting about old video games' dialogues. He doesn't know what it is, though, as he's an NES-hating MSX fanboy, and MSX games don't use the Konami code.
  • LittleBigPlanet 2:
    • "Set Controls for the Heart of the Negativitron" has an Easter Egg where if you use a Controlinator to enter it on a seemingly broken arcade game, it will explode displaying an 8 digit code on the wall behind where it was.
    • Inputting the Konami Code early in the level "Got the Hump" makes disco music play and makes the camel and miniboss wear sunglasses.
    • One player-made level recreates the first stage of Contra, and has stickers with images of the buttons involved in the code hidden throughout. Finding them all and affixing them to a board at the start activates infinite lives.
  • The Sega arcade game Manx TT Superbike features the code in a slightly truncated form. Entering Gear Up, Gear Up, Gear Down, Gear Down, Left, Right, Brake Accelerate allows you to... ride a sheep instead of a motorbike.
  • Entering the Konami Code in Mari0 activates the cheat codes without having to complete the Super Mario Bros. 1 levels first.
  • In the original Mario Party 1, entering it with Controller 1 after pausing the game during Player 1's turn with Controller 2 will trigger the debug menu, which can subsequently be opened by pressing C-Left.
  • Mercenaries 2 uses the directional pad inputs of this code to give you twenty-five nuclear bunker busters.
  • Referenced in MLB: The Show: If you strike out a batter with two pitches up and then two pitches down, color commentator Dave Campbell may remark: "Up, Up, Down, Down...my producer is telling me that sounds a bit like a video game code!".
  • In an event in Monster Camp, Scott and Polly argue with Aaravi over who is better at yoga. One of the suggestions you can give to Aaravi so she can beat them is using a specific sequence of poses: "up-dog, up-dog, down-dog, down-dog, left-dog, right-dog, left-dog, right-dog, b-dog, a-dog, start".
  • On the arcade cabinet Ms. Pac-Man & Galaga: Class of 1981, after inserting enough credits, keying in the slightly modified code "Up, Up, Up, Down, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left", then pressing the Ms. Pac-Man start button will start a game of the original Pac-Man. Additionally, inputting "Left, Right, Left, Right, Up, Up, Up, Fire" will enable fast speed in Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man and fast shot in Galaga, or disable them if they are enabled by default on that machine.
  • Neofeud: Karl has to beat Detective Hoyt's score in the Space Eks arcade game in order to get information on Proto-J. However, Hoyt is an expert at this game, and the only way to win is to enter the Konami Code. In the Fulcrum prison, Proto-J takes control of the security cameras in Karl's cell and moves it in the directions of the Konami Code in order to tell Karl that he's still alive, with Karl calling the code by name.
  • No More Heroes: It's available during the continue screen in the shmup homage just before the 4th ranked fight. Using the code will grant you a free continue while pressing any other button/combination will result in the Game Over countdown going faster.
  • Order of Twilight has the Ascend spell, which is activated by inputting the directional part of the Konami Code (Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right). It just gives Twilight wings that she can't even use. Since you can't use this spell until after you finish the game, this is somewhat of a Bragging Rights Reward.
  • Ori and the Blind Forest: Inputting this code (without the start at the end) under a certain waterfall will give Ori a rainbow trail when using the dash move. It's a Rainbow Dash.
  • The Konami Code is used as the input code for Luna's Reiki skill in Pony Fantasy VI.
  • In the console versions of Quake IV, the Konami code gives you all weapons, armor, and health.
  • In a cutscene in Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, Al uses the code "Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Circle, Square, Square" and unlocks Captain Qwark in a tutu in the in-game Captain Qwark vid-comic. If the player does the same thing when playing the vid-comic themselves, it really works.
  • Entering the Konami Code in the main menu of Reset Generation opens up a Space Invaders-esque minigame.
  • In Samurai Zombie Nation, entering the code while the game is paused refills your life, but unfortunately it doesn't work on bosses.
  • In Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game, holding L2 and R2 (or the two triggers in the Xbox 360 version) and entering the code will cause your character to explode into a pile of coins.
  • In the Nintendo Switch version of Sonic Mania, holding Y on the title screen and performing the code with an extra "left, right" will unlock a level selection mode that looks almost identical to the one in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
  • In the Sega Genesis version of Sonic the Hedgehog 1 pressing up, down, left, right, A, start on the title screen brings the player to a menu where all the levels in the game are accessible.
  • In Snailiad, an NPC snail starts reciting the code, then realises it's thinking of the wrong game.
  • On the mobile version of Stardew Valley, the game's logo has four groups of leaves attached to it. Using these leaves to input the directional part of the Konami Code (the ? button replaces the Start button) will enable the game's multiplayer mode.
  • Star Ocean: Till the End of Time does a weird thing with this. Somewhere in the middle of the game, you can pick up a special trophy if you allow Roger to join your party. Entering the code with it equipped on someone kills that character and deals damage in a large area equivalent to one-half the HP of that person. Upgrading the effect merely swaps the last two buttons (X and Circle) that do this.
  • After selecting the "Enter Code" option and entering the Konami Code in Super Mario Bros. Crossover, all cheat codes are unlocked. The Contra title theme plays as a hint to this (and in fact the code must be entered while this is playing).
  • In Super Monkey Ball Jr., entering the code on the title screen changes "Monkey Ball" on the title screen to "Nice Try". Reversing the up and down inputs (e.g. Down, Down, Up, Up, etc.) instead changes it to "Enable All", and indeed, entering this code unlocks everything.
  • A puzzle in Tales of Phantasia has the party hitting floor switches in a precise order. The order is "Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right".
  • Tengen's NES version of Tetris uses the Konami code to activate a precursor to later Tetris games' "hold piece" feature. Inputting the code while the game is paused replaces your current piece with an I piece, as seen in this video. It only works once per 30-line section.
  • In Tetris Effect, inputting the code takes you to a secret old-style terminal with "TETRIS" written in Russian. Using a keyboard to input the correct passwords into the terminal will unlock 1984 Mode and 1989 Mode without needing the proper unlock method of waiting for their respective dates.
  • Entering the code on the title screen of the Homestar Runner game TROGDOR! will give the player 30 lives instead of 3.
  • In ULTRAKILL, pressing Konami code sequence brings up cheats menu where the player can activate things like invincibility, allkill, flight etc.
  • Ep 1 of the Umineko: When They Cry has what is most probably a reference to it as when Rudolf pulls Battler's ear exactly as the code (except "a, b, start" which would be difficult to do with an ear).
  • Entering the code on Vampire Survivors' title screen will unlock the character Mortaccio (a typical Castlevania-style skeleton who throws bones) if you don't already have him, as well as give you a bonus of 2,800 coins.
  • If you enter the code on the title screen of Viva Piñata Party Animals on the Xbox 360, you will get the Classic Gamer achievement. The instruction manual even has the code spread out over most of the pages.
    • The Amazon also references this code in the Balloon Trip section of the "Pro Wrabobo" level if you attack him.
      Amazon: Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, FART!
  • In the WarioWare series, the Konami Code (except for B+A+Start) is one of the possible inputs in higher levels of the recurring microgame "Code Buster".
  • Yume 2kki: One area is locked behind a puzzle, with the solution to the answer being the Konami code. In a room with four doors in the four cardinal directions and two statues (one male and one female), the player must enter the doors in the order of the Konami code, then interact with the statues. The male statue represents the A button and the female statue represents the B button.

Other Media

    Advertising 
  • A station indent for the 2021 G4TV network types out the Konami code in text, then adds, "Yep, still got it".

    Anime and Manga 
  • Used in Hoshin Engi as an order from Taikobo to his steed, Supushan. At first, Supu doesn't understand it and does nothing. Many chapters later, after Supu's upgrade to a dragon, Taikobo says the command again and Supu executes a very complex evasive maneuver that would make Guld Bowman proud.
  • Hellsing references the Konami code in its usual fashion. During the first attack on the Hellsing manor, Jan Valentine finds himself at a four-way hallway intersection with Hellsing troops coming from each direction. His response is to start firing his machine guns vis-a-vis the Code.
    Jan: Up Up! [fires both machine guns down north hallway] Down Down! [fires both machine guns down south hallway] Left Right Left Right! [points one machine gun down the east and west hallways respectively and alternately fires them] Bringin' the motherfuckin' death by Konami! Aaah, I'm so fuckin' hard right now...
  • At one point in Yuria 100 Shiki, Yuria becomes convinced she has a "cheat code" to unlock some kind of special abilities. She imagines this cheat along with a Gradius spaceship.
  • Skuld from Ah! My Goddess uses a very similar code (leaving out the B A start in favor of the "set" button twice) to reverse the expansion of her space doubler.
  • Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei: during the opening for the Magical Girl Spoof, Meru's phone is using this code (must be Game Breaking). [1]
  • Used in the third episode of The World God Only Knows anime to help Keima to dance with Mio.
  • In-universe example in Shaman King. Apparently putting in the Konami code on the Oracle Bell pulls up information on all the competitors in the tournament.
  • And Yet the Town Moves it shows up in the most random places.◊
  • In the anime Pani Poni Dash!, an ancient civilization's language is deciphered as this code. A news bulletin mentions that "Professor Tokimemo" believes that it is incomplete and will cause an explosion.
  • One of Amelia's over-the-top For Great Justice speeches in Slayers NEXT actually has the code scrawled over the bottom of the screen during her Giving Someone the Pointer Finger moment.
  • In Fullmetal Alchemist, you can see the Konami code on a post-it on a door, just in passing, in Fuery's cache (vol. 11 or 12)
  • Umino mutters part of it in episode 32 of Sailor Moon's Viz dub.
  • In an episode of Galaxy Angel, Vanilla uses this in a Dating Sim to unlock an option for 'praying' when asked about her interests.
  • In chapter 379 of Squid Girl, policewoman Keiko tries to give Ika directions, only to get lost herself. As she's repeating map directions in her head, she gets distracted by two kids reciting a shortened version of the Konami Code.
  • The second ED theme of Student Council's Discretion is "Ue Ue Shita Shita Hidari Migi Hidari Migi B A".
  • Used in the beginning of the fourth KissXSis OVA by Riko. On her breasts.
  • In the first episode of Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!, Rikka uses this code on a soda machine with arm gestures. She gets a free drink.
  • A variation appears in the second season of BanG Dream! for Misaki to activate Michelle's flight mode.
  • In KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! Legend of Crimson, a ruin has a door which has a Famicom controller-like key and to open the corresponding door, one must enter the code. After being threatened with his life (and mental psyche via virginity assault) by a monster, Kazuma enters the Konami Code (minus the B, A, Start, it's replaced with panicky "Here you go!") and opens the door. When said monster enters beyond the door, Kazuma pushes them down the stairs and re-seals the door with the same code.
  • In Dragon Ball Super episode 105, Roshi remarks to his opponent, "your pace may have changed but your fighting style hasn't", and recounts eight particular moves which match the Konami code.

    Comic Books 
  • In Matt Fraction's Defenders, Black Cat is trying to activate an artifact while in freefall.
    Black Cat: Come! on! stupid! claw! Up Up Down Down B A Start? [claw activates] Oh, you gotta be kidding—
  • In the Divergence: Batgirl teaser comic, Batgirl is trying to rescue people from a Deadly Game created by insane video game designers. Towards the end, she's told one of the designers always includes cheats, and enters the code in a direction pad on the wall. A panel slides open to provide her with an energy mallet.

    Fan Works 
  • In the Empath: The Luckiest Smurf story "Inside The Game", Pixel the Gametronian uses the code to activate the Skimmer.
  • Referenced by Root in Holi-daze when she's stuck in a simulation. She asks Shaw if reciting the code out loud will grant her more ammo. Shaw tells her no.
  • Cheat Code: Support Strategist, appropriately enough, features a nod - the logo Mei and Shinsou help design for Izuku ends up paying homage to the code.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series has Kaiba use the code when he uses his Enemy Controller magic card, allowing him infinite cards. Yugi points out that this will make it harder for him to draw the card he might actually want.

    Film — Animation 
  • Featured in a plot relevant manner in Wreck-It Ralph, where King Candy uses the Konami Code to get super-user privileges to Sugar Rush, rewriting it to his advantage - by physically entering the code through a vault with a giant NES controller embedded in its door.

    Literature 
  • In the Gamebook Can You Survive the Zombie Apocalypse? by Max Brallier, you at one point fight off a zombie at ComicCon using an old NES - smashing the console up into the zombie's jaws twice, then down on his head twice, then two quick left-right combinations. You then give yourself a B for originality and an A for execution before starting to push the Zapper through the zombie's brain. You still die. Cheaters never win.
  • Jess Gulbranson's story "Extra Lives" in the ''Amazing Stories of the Flying Spaghetti Monster'' anthology features a crazy cult who use the code as their worship chant
  • In Oracle of Tao, the group are stuck in the villain's mansion and there is some arrow trap puzzle (that somehow you can't just go around) involving a cross-shaped stone pressure plate, two circular pressure plates, and two long ones. Aqorm fiddles with the pressure plates in the general pattern (never mentioning B, A, or start but "the circular plates" or the "long plate on the right") and the pressure plate deactivates. Then you hear this exchange.
    “Wait, how'd you know to do that exact pattern?” I asked. Aqorm explained, “Oh that? That's the secret code to the universe”.

    Magazines 
  • The introduction to Nintendo Gamer's Konami history lesson:
    When they were up they were up, and when they were down they were down, and when they were left they were right, left, right, B, A. Sorry.

    Live-Action TV 
  • One of the characters in a Saturday Night Live sketch on a ski lift, played by the host, skier Jonny Moseley, references the code.
    Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start
    Just because we use cheats doesn't mean we're not smart
  • Last Week Tonight with John Oliver has John discussing the inability to have a same-sex marriage in Nintendo's Tomodachi Life. He jokes that you can use a civil union cheat code, "Up, Up, Down, Down, Be, Gay, Be, Gay, Start", but it's just not the same.
  • Blindspot has this referenced by Rich in the episode "City Folks Under Wraps" when he tries to help Patterson escape via air vents in the New York branch office. He got his code wrong though.
  • Kamen Rider Zi-O: In Episode 3, people are being attacked by Another Ex-Aid, a Monster of the Week resembling a twisted version of the video game-themed Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, who resides inside an impossibly hard video game. The Zi-O crew discovers a note left behind by Dr. Emu Hojo (the real Ex-Aid), which reveals that they can enter the game and confront the monster by inputting Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, then pressing all the buttons simultaneously.

    Music 
  • The band The Motion Sick created a song, "30 Lives", inspired by the Konami Code. The music video features a cheerleader and a polar bear mascot (it's set in a high school) doing a cheer based on the Konami Code. As noted above, the song was recognized by Konami, who put it in Dance Dance Revolution X.
  • Linkin Park has a fake DVD menu that looks like the main menu on Frat Party at the Pankake Festival. Entering the Konami Code (the directional part, anyway) unlocks a secret chapter.
  • The Pettit Project's 99 Lives
    Up up down down left right left right B A select start
    Now I'll play you all night
  • Seattle Geek Rock band Kirby Krackle has a song called "Up, Up, Down Down" which uses the code as part of the chorus. It's about a geek guy flirting with a girl who looks to share his interests She turns out to be a Humanoid Abomination and eats him though.
  • Of all things, the band The Moldy Peaches.
    • In "Anyone Else But You":
      Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start
      Just because we use cheats doesn't mean we're not smart.
    • It's slightly more relevant in Kitsune^2's song "Noise Channel Rocker":
      Now punch in Up Up Down Right Left Right Left Right B A Start,
      But I don't have to tell you, it should be down to an art.
  • One of The Gothsicles' most popular tracks is "Konami Code".
  • One of the tracks on Deftones' Saturday Night Wrist album is named "U, U, D, D, L, R, L, R, A, B, Select, Start".
  • In the Doomtree song "Final Boss", resident gamer P.O.S. raps "99 lives, living by the Konami code/Fold 'em all, origami mode".
  • From nerdcore rapper ytcracker's song "n.e.s.":
    Up up down down left right left right,
    Then B A Start, the screen goes white...
  • Electronic musician Savant has a song about it.
  • Referenced and shown on the music video "Geek and Gamer Girls" by Team Unicorn.
  • The Ataris have a song titled "Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start" on their 2001 album End Is Forever.
  • The Konami Code is referenced in Falling in Reverse's 2013 song, "Game Over".
  • Repetitions of the code form the chorus in brentalfloss's rendition of the first Contra's Jungle theme.
  • BABYMETAL has the song "↑↓←→BBAB" ("Ue Shita Hidari Migi B B A B" in Japanese), which is about playing a video game.

    Professional Wrestling 

    Theatre 
  • Be More Chill: In the musical, the code "Up up down down left right A" Is used to sync Squips.

    Toys 

    Webcomics 
  • In PHD, the Konami Code is spoofed as the secret magic dance to make lab equipment "start?"
  • This Dueling Analogs comic.
  • Appears in the Ctrl+Alt+Del spin-off Analog & D-Pad, used by Lucas and Ethan to activate their Transformation Sequence into the titular superheroes.
  • In Darths & Droids, when the Millennium Falcon fails to go into hyperdrive, part of the code is called out as suggestions for button presses in order to activate it.
  • Konami from Consolers wears the code on her shirt collar.
  • High Priestess Raisin from Dragon Mango often phrases her skills as button combinations, and the Konami Code is one of them. According to her it gives her infinite lives.
  • Like the Team Fortress 2 wiki, the MS Paint Adventures wiki employs ENTER as a substitute for START. Typing the code redirects the reader to the article on Problem Sleuth's Code Machine.
  • Used in reverse in L's Empire as a cure for Memeic Syndrome Type 1.
  • Referenced in Silent Hill: Promise when the protagonist encounters a directional pad on an electronic box.
  • Shown in this El Goonish Shive strip, when Ashley is doing some mental calculations while attempting to make sense of a conversation going on around her which she has almost no context for.
  • The Konami Code is how the Hero activates invincibility in RPG World.
  • In Grrl Power, Krona's unique "reality hacking" magic makes her a one-person Twilight Council faction, with a Konami Code banner.

    Web Original 
  • Google:
    • Google Reader recognized the Contra Code and unlocks a ninja theme when it is used (before it was discontinued, of course).
    • When creating or editing a Google Word Doc, entering the Konami Code will enable Mirror Mode, which lets you view and edit word docs backward.
    • Google Play Games: Swiping the code directions in the mobile app opens a popup with buttons for the final three entries of the code, giving an "All your game are belong to us" achievement, though it doesn't show up as a regular Google Play Games achievement.
  • On April 27th 2009, entering the code on espn.com caused unicorns to appear every time you hit enter, and inserted adjectives like 'sparkly' and 'wonderful' into all the story titles. It was removed later the same day, unfortunately. A website with similar code is here ("enter", then the code through A, then "enter" again).
  • Believe it or not, this used to work on Facebook of all things: entering the code finishing with Enter enabled lens flare.
  • Using the code on the Marvel Comics website brings up a squirrel.
  • Typing upupdowndownleftrightleftrightbastart into the Palm Pre will unlock the Developer Mode, which is required to install third party software.
  • Entering the code anywhere at Gamespot will bring you to the page for Contra.
    • In the PS1 era, Gamespot had a feature called "Top 10 Moments in Gaming" that consisted of a countdown that went on for 10 web pages. The first nine went into great detail about a famous scene or event in a video game, such as the death of a certain character in Final Fantasy VII, and what made that moment special enough to deserve its place in the top 10. The page at the end of the countdown, which revealed the number one moment in gaming according to Gamespot, declared it to be "Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start" with no explanation whatsoever.
  • Inputting the Konami Code on any story or chapter on Fimfiction.net summons an interactive Rainbow Dash who follows the cursor.
  • Inputting the Konami Code on any page on http://www.ukoakdoors.co.uk takes you to one of a selection of fake fantasy door product pages, including the Tardis Door and Bilbo Baggins' door.
  • If you enter the Konami Code on the website for British Vogue (http://www.vogue.co.uk/), it shows a dinosaur wearing a very stylish hat (or wig or hair-ribbon or...).
  • On Gene's Journal, a special interview between Gene Roddenberry and Bill Shatner is unlocked with the code through this news post. (This obviously used "Enter" rather than "Start").
  • Domain registrar Gandi.net uses the Konami Code to unlock a JavaScript FPS, where you blow up the site to reveal a door, which opens to deliver a message.
  • Using the code on Overwatch's official website causes miniature D.Vas (originally Hanzos) to start raining down. In the actual game itself, D.Va herself says out loud the code in one of her voice lines.
  • Typing in the Konami Code on the characters page of Yandere Simulator's website causes Fun Girl to appear.
  • Using the Konami Code at the Newsweek site (use the Enter key for Start) used to yield reports of zombie apocalypse.
  • Used in, oddly enough, the official wiki of Team Fortress 2 (ENTER substitutes for START.)
  • The official website for Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon has the code scribbled in the upper right corner. Entering it and hitting enter will make the images on the page wobble for a second, and then the user is allowed to make every last item on the page explode in a cheesy gif fireball by clicking on it. See for yourself.
  • On Dragon Cave's Portal 2 layout, if one enters in the Konami Code, the colors in the theme will change.

    Web Video 

    Western Animation 

    Real Life 
  • Netflix uses a variant to reset Instant Play on the Wii. Lacking some buttons, they use U U D D L R L R U U U U
    • The same code is used for a number of other Netflix-capable devices, including game consoles, smart TVs, and set top boxes.
  • The Cobra Lounge in Bellingham, Washington featured the Konami Code on its membership cards before it shut down (God rest its soul)
  • In Windows 10, typing Konami or Konami Code in Cortana will reveal the Konami Code.
  • On HP's TouchPad tablet, literally typing in the Konami Code into the device's search box (upupdowndownleftrightbastart) is how Developer Mode can be enabled.

"Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right..."
No, don't! That's the wrong code!
"...B, A, Sta—"
(crashes onto a volcano) [BOOM]

 
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Video Example(s):

The Amazing World Of Gumball

In the episode "The Tape", Ocho uses the Konami code in real life to summon money for a vending machine, write a test, and easily pass gym. When Gumball does it, it results in a very painful Reality-Breaking Bug.

Using the code ...

Happy Flight Mode

Sir Nutalot

Alternative Title(s): Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right BA Start

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The Amazing World Of Gumball

In the episode "The Tape", Ocho uses the Konami code in real life to summon money for a vending machine, write a test, and easily pass gym. When Gumball does it, it results in a very painful Reality-Breaking Bug.

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5 (31 votes)

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Main / KonamiCode

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The Amazing Wor...

Using the code ...

Happy Flight Mode

Sir Nutalot
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