When RPGamer last reported on news of the upcoming direct sequel to the first Disgaea game, Disgaea D2, two silhouetted characters and Laharl's apparent sister were unveiled. Famitsu magazine recently revealed these individuals, as well as divulging more information about the game and its story.

The teal-haired lady is Barbara, a knight and a member of the Krichevskoy faction, a group of demons who believe that Laharl isn't a worthy successor to his father. The faction believes Barbara could be a contender for the title of Overlord and Barbara herself wants the throne so she can do whatever she wants. Being a knight, she is ridiculously loyal, yet is apparently tired of taking orders from others. The red-haired man is Xenolith, a mysterious demon of few words and introverted nature. Laharl meets him in the Yuwie flower fields.

Speaking of which, the sudden appearance of flowers from Celestia in the fields is cited as yet another reason to dethrone Laharl by the Krichevskoy faction. The members claim that it is surely an attack from the angels and it is the current Overlord's ineptness that allowed it to happened. To add insult to the injuries to Laharl's reputation, he wakes up looking like a female version of himself the day after he meets Barbara. How it happened it not yet known, but "Laharl-chan" is understandably angry. Etna is also sporting an unexpected new look, dubbed "2P Etna," as if she were a palette swapped version of herself from a fighting game.

To move away from the story, D2 introduces a "favorability rating" system, that keeps track of which characters like or don't like which other characters. Favorability can be improved by bringing characters together during battle, healing them with items or magic, and participating in combination attacks. Favorability affects the frequency and type of mid-battle conversations, the power of combination attacks, and other factors.

Disgaea D2 will be released in Japan on March 20, 2013 for the PlayStation 3. Although not yet announced for international release, since most of the games in the series have been localized, it seems likely that D2 will be some time in the near future. More screenshots can be viewed here and artwork here.