It was released by Marvelous Entertainment in Japan in 2007, Ubisoft in North America and Rising Star Games in PAL territories in 2008.

[5] A port of the original Wii version developed by Engine Software was later released for the Nintendo Switch in 2020, and for Amazon Luna and Windows via Steam in 2021.

There are numerous part-time job side quests to earn money which can be spent on weapons, training sessions, clothes and video tapes.

Most attacks are performed using the "A" button, with certain other moves, including the "death blow" and sword lock struggles, executed by following on-screen instructions.

In addition to attacks with the beam katana Travis can kick and punch, and when enemies are stunned he can throw them with a number of professional wrestling maneuvers, done by manipulating both the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.

Travis has a secondary mode, "Dark Side", that is accessed when three icons line up in a slot machine after a successful death blow.

In this mode, Travis gains a super powerful move depending on what symbols are lined up ranging from a speed increase to outright killing every enemy on screen instantly.

During the 5th ranked battle he meets Henry, a mysterious Irish man who wields a beam katana similar to Travis' own.

Before meeting the top-ranked assassin, Travis is told that the UAA was just an elaborate con set up by Sylvia, who overheard his drunken ramblings and organized his entry so that he could finally have revenge on his half-sister, Jeane, who murdered his parents.

Jeane reveals in a fast-forwarded cutscene that their father had sexually abused her all her life, thus forcing her to become a prostitute to survive and become a killer.

The UAA official that provides ranks and sets up matches for the assassins is Sylvia Christel, a "mysterious" and "cold" woman who constantly flirts with Travis.

[14][15] Travis is aided by a weapons maker named Doctor Naomi, former pro-wrestler Thunder Ryu, and a drunk, Randall Lovikov.

[14] Naomi sells beam katanas and upgrades for them, Ryu operates a gym and trains Travis – allowing him to increase his strength, combos and health for a small fee – and Lovikov is a drunken old man who teaches new maneuvers and techniques in exchange for Lovikov balls which are scattered around the city.

Besides the title coming from UK punk band The Stranglers 1977 album No More Heroes, the structure of the United Assassins' Association is based on the film El Topo which features a similar, albeit smaller, ranking system.

[8][19] Travis Touchdown and his antics are based on Johnny Knoxville of Jackass and wrestler Josh Barnett, who also served as the persona from which the Destroyman character was created.

[19] Contrary to popular belief, Travis' weapon, the beam katana, is not based on the lightsaber from Star Wars but from the 1980s Japanese TV series Space Sheriff Gavan and 1987 film Spaceballs.

[19] Two fictional anime series, "Glastonbury" and "Bizarre Jelly", that are shown within the game were influenced by Space Runaway Ideon and Pretty Cure, respectively.

Suda also noted that Grasshopper Studios also worked on the anime-based video games Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked and BLOOD+: One Night Kiss, both which inspired the development of No More Heroes, considering the three together as a "sword action trilogy".

A trailer shown at the March 2007 Game Developers Conference featured Travis Touchdown using the beam katana to decapitate or cut enemies in half, with copious amounts of blood being spilled.

[22] It was later explained that the "black clouds" version would be released in Japan, while North America would receive the game with the previously seen blood.

Both games were completely uncensored outside North America, retaining the depiction of blood and violence compared to their previous re-releases.

[44] Cheat Code Central called the game "a must-buy blast that out-shines all other third-party Wii titles to date.

[59] Suda51 expressed disappointment in the Japanese sales of the game, saying that only Nintendo is doing well in regard to the Wii's success because of its adoption by casual gamers.

[64][65] Shortly after No More Heroes's European release, PAL publisher Rising Star raved about its sales, with manager Martin Defries proclaiming, "We are weeping with delight.

[67] Marvelous stated the Switch ports of No More Heroes and its sequel had seen "strong sales" in North America and Europe.

[68] A 2010 sequel named No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle has been developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by Ubisoft in the U.S. on January 26, 2010, and was released in Europe for the Wii by Rising Star Games on May 28, 2010.

[6] On September 10, 2020, director Goichi Suda announced that the game would be delayed until 2021, citing disruption to development caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.