The "Level Up" text
The level gauge and difficulty selector (Nintendo DS Version).
The level gauge in Final Remix.
Level (abbreviated as Lv. [ ? ] ) is a combat-specific character stat that works differently in The World Ends with You than many other RPGs. The player's level only affects their drop rate and HP, both of which are shared by Neku and his partner. The player's level gauge (LVG) is displayed at the bottom of the Phone Menu, and can be set to anywhere from the minimum level (level 1) to the player's maximum level.
Leveling up[]
Levels are earned from gaining enough Experience Points (EXP) in battle. When the player levels up in battle, both Neku and his partner's HP gauge is completely refilled, and nearby enemies are damaged as a beam of light surrounds Neku and his partner.
The player begins the game at level 1, while the maximum level is level 100, which is denoted with a star in the menu (a 
in the original Nintendo DS version, and a 
in remixed versions).
Adjusting level[]
The player has both a maximum level and a set level, with the maximum level being determined by the amount of EXP the player has accumulated, and the set level being the level that the player chooses to play at. If the player never manually adjusts their level, then they will always be at the maximum level by default (thus having high HP but a low drop rate). Both the maximum level and the set level will increase at the same time when the player levels up, so if the player desires to play at a certain level, they will need to adjust their level again after leveling up. At level 100, the player's level will be displayed as [set Level]/ (set to maximum level, it would display as /).
The player can adjust their level at any time that the Phone Menu can be accessed, as frequently as they wish. To change the currently set level, the player can either drag the slider within the level gauge or tap the arrows to either side of the level gauge. As the slider moves to the left and decreases the set level, the player's Max HP drops by 50 HP per level in exchange for increasing the drop rate by 1 point, and vice-versa if the player moves the level higher.
Additionally, the Noise Report on the Phone Menu records will show the lowest level that the player has managed to beat each particular enemy at on difficulties of Normal or higher. It is also possible to increase the maximum drop rate level by consuming food items such as Curious Mushrooms and Absolute Shadow Ramen.