Mr. Driller/Characters

This page contains information about the characters from the Mr. Driller games. Beware that spoilers won't be hidden!

The characters' names will be formatted in this style: English Name/Japanese Name

Susumu Hori


"The middle son of the famous Taizo Hori (a.k.a Dig Dug) and Masuyo Toby (a.k.a "Kissy" from Alien Sector) And the main character of Mr Driller. By being barely just 15 years old, he has been already entitled with the highest rank of driller in the world. He's actually a really sweet child but he tends to be a little careless."

Tropes

 * Messy Hair: See here.
 * Art Shift
 * Badass Adorable: No one but him has enough guts to go digging to the earth's core to stop a Massive Destruction Drill
 * Beware the Nice Ones.
 * Catch Phrase: LET'S DRILL!
 * Chaste Hero
 * Chronic Hero Syndrome
 * Cute Shotaro Boy: He's Older Than He Looks thou.
 * Disembodied Eyebrows
 * Disney Death: In Mr. Driller G.
 * The Hero: At the end of the day, he's always the one who saves the day
 * I Have Brothers: Literally.
 * Improbable Age: Just who lets kids dig 2000mts underground these days?
 * Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Hid dad is Too Dumb to Live and his brother is a Lone wolf with no drilling license. Yet he doesn't seem to be affected by his peculiar family.
 * Instant Costume Change
 * Jack of All Stats: He's the most balanced character off all seven.
 * Kid Hero
 * Knight in Sour Armor: Those careless undergrounders will never learn.
 * Mitsuko Horie
 * Not Allowed to Grow Up: Okay, so his profile says that he was born in 1987 and the first game was released in 2000, it says that he's 14 years old. Either the game's timeline is really messed up or he has just not aged at all since then.
 * Older Than He Looks: Will you beleive that he's 15 years old?
 * Real Men Wear Pink
 * Screams Like a Little Girl.
 * Sibling Team: With Ataru.
 * Significant Birth Date: Susumu was born on Hinamatsuri, the japanese doll festival held on March 3.
 * Spin Offspring: He's the son of Dig Dug's main character.
 * Super-Deformed: Just look at him.
 * Susumu Can Breathe In Space
 * Static Character
 * Meaningful Name: His name means "Dig Onward" in japanese.
 * Viewer Gender Confusion: Lots of people keep mistaking him for a "she".
 * What Is This Feeling?: Towards the end of Mr. Driller A's mission mode, Susumu blushes and asks himself "What is this beating on my chest?" when he sees Anna wearing a pretty dress.

Anna Hottenmeyer


"Anna is a female driller about Susumu's age that hails from an Elite Driller school in Germany. She's also the second highest driller in the world after Susumu. Which makes her The Rival who wants to steal his title. Despiste all of this She seems to have a crush on Susumu."

"She tends to be mistaken for a boy, a lot, from both the viewers and the characters themselves."

Tropes

 * Action Girl: She rescues Distressed Damsels
 * Angry German Girl
 * Beautiful All Along: This was confirmed the rare times she has worn a puffy dress.
 * Bokukko
 * Closer to Earth. She sends to have a more mature air than the rest of the main cast.
 * Chest Insignia: Most drillers tend to have these on their suits.
 * The Chick
 * Death by Origin Story: She decided to become a driller after her mother died in a cave-in accident.
 * Disappeared Dad: Never heard of.
 * Disembodied Eyebrows
 * Fragile Speedster
 * Everyone Can See It: In Drill Spirits. All the main cast (except for Susumu of course) knows that Anna has a crush on Susumu, and they even tease her about it!
 * Germanic Depressives
 * Goggles Do Nothing
 * Little Miss Badass
 * Mitsuko Horie
 * Pettanko
 * Older Than She Looks
 * One of the Boys: She does happen to have one female friend thou.
 * The Rival: Self-proclaimed Susumu's rival.
 * Real Women Never Wear Dresses
 * Ryu and Ken: Her stats are the same as Susumu's only with a tad more speed.
 * Samus Is a Girl: The first time Anna and Susumu met, Susumu mistook her for a boy.
 * Significant Birth Date: Anna was born on Christmas Eve (December's 24th).
 * Tomboy: Its pretty hard to make her even wear a dress.
 * Tsundere: She tends to tease/bother Susumu, but its obviously because she likes him.
 * Viewer Gender Confusion: guess whoever created her did a good job on wanting everyone to mistake her for a boy.

Ataru Hori


"Ataru is Susumu's big brother. A 18 years old rogue driller with no license who ran away from home after he got in a fight with his father, he now holds a grudge against him, although Taizo seems to be totally clueless about it."

Ataru is the kind of guy who always tries to have a"Cool" air around him.

Tropes
"Ataru: Hey! Old Man! Taizo: hmm? Ataru: .............................................. No, Its nothing. Taizo: Wahaha!"
 * Aloof Big Brother
 * Badbutt
 * Celibate Hero
 * Chest Insignia
 * The Comically Serious
 * Could Say It, But...:


 * Dark Is Not Evil: Seriously, its hard to tell if he's really a good guy at first glance.
 * Fragile Speedster
 * Heroic Albino
 * Hidden Heart of Gold: Dont let the picture above fool you, there are times he shows to be a nice guy, even with his father.
 * I Will Show You How Its Done
 * I Work Alone
 * Loveable Rogue
 * Older Than He Looks: He's 17 years old.
 * Odd Friendship: He becomes friends with an alien rabbit.
 * Perpetual Frowner
 * Troubled but Cute: Even Lone wolfs tend to feel lonely sometimes.
 * Toshio Furukawa
 * Peek-a-Bangs: He never reveals what's behind those bangs of hair. It may even be a Eyepatch of Power.
 * The Runaway
 * Scarf of Asskicking: And it seems to be getting larger with every game.
 * Significant Birth Date: Ataru was born on the day of Tanabata (July's 7th) which celebrates the once-a-year meeting of Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair) across the Milky Way. It's the Asian equivalent to Valentine's Day.
 * Stern Chase
 * Tsurime Eyes
 * Verbal Tic: He sometimes tends to add "Feh!" at the beggining of a sentence.
 * Walking the Earth: As long as he doesn't return home, he'll keep wandering around earth. Probably doing illegal drilling work.
 * Why Did It Have To Be Bats: He's really. Afraid. Of. Bats.
 * The Woobie

Taizo Hori


"Taizo Hori, originally the hero from the Dig Dug games, is now the father of 3 children, Masuyo Toby's Ex-hunband and the president of the Driller Council. He's already at his forties but by no means he's willing to settle down. For some unknown reason he's despised by his elder son."

For some reason he feels an almost unhealthy love for Egypt, specially for the camels.

Tropes
""Cash you say? does that taste good? I want some too!" "Oh I think I know what your wish is... is "I want to eat as much as I can" isn't? "You should try to eat whenever you can!" "Agh! Im starving! I can't take this anymore, I'm going home!"
 * Ambiguously Brown
 * Adaptational Badass: He becomes this in Namco X Capcom respectively.
 * Adult Child: As incredibly as it sounds, he seems to be the most immature member of the cast.
 * Anime Hair: hmm, I think I've seem this before.
 * Angst? What Angst?
 * Brought to You by The Letter "S": Is that a "V" or an arrow pointing down?
 * Bumbling Dad
 * Big Eater:

"School? That won't make your stomach full""

"Taizo: Susumu is all they ever talk about these days! I'M the first driller and the honorary chairman. I was about his age when I wrapped the Dig Dug incident all by myself!. My drilling skills are second to none, and certainly not Susumu!"
 * Big Ol' Eyebrows
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer
 * Characterization Marches On: in the first Dig Dug games, he was just a guy in white who killed dragons and other stuff with an air pump, for no apparent reason.
 * Cloudcuckoolander
 * Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
 * Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Seriously, he's old, but in decent shape.
 * Dude, Where's My Respect?: During the opening cutscene of Dig Dug DS


 * Fearless Fool
 * Glass Cannon
 * Glory Seeker: In Dig Dug: Digging Strike
 * Henpecked Husband
 * Idiot Hero
 * Official Couple: Him and Masuyo.
 * Older Than He Looks: Ok, he's actually the oldest member of the team, he's 46 no less!.
 * Older and Wiser: Whether he has become "wiser" is questionable.
 * Perpetual Smiler: Its REALLY rare to see him with an actual serious face.
 * Plucky Comic Relief: And Ataru is starting to become his potential sidekick on this trope.
 * Punny Name: His name is a pun of the phrase "Horitai zo!" which means "I want do dig!" in Japanese.
 * Significant Birth Date: Taizo was born on January's 1st (the first day of the year); the funny thing about this is that his ex-wife Masuyo was born the day right before, on December's 31 (The last day of the year).
 * Team Dad
 * Too Dumb to Live: Seriously, who mistakes MONEY for FOOD?
 * Toshio Furukawa
 * Tunnel King
 * Walking the Earth: Especially Egypt.
 * "What the Hell?" Dad
 * When I Was Susumu's Age: "I wrapped the whole Dig Dug incident ALL BY MYSELF!!!"

Puchi


"Puchi is Susumu's best friend and lives with him at his house in Endogawa. He was found by Susumu as a puppy and was nursed back to health . He's a genius dog that can both understand and speak human languaje. He always brags about how he inherited the ability to find metals underground from his ancestors."

Tropes

 * Amplified Animal Aptitude
 * Civilized Animal: He's the more civilized member of the team. Oh the Irony of it all...
 * Precious Puppies
 * Famous Ancestor: Helikes to brag about how he inherited the power to find Dristones from his ancestor Pochi.
 * Glacier Waif
 * Heroic Dog
 * Mitsuko Horie
 * Non-Human Sidekick
 * Small Annoying Creature: He loves to call out Susumu's clumsyness.
 * Talking Animal
 * Team Pet
 * Tsundere
 * Ridiculously Cute Critter
 * Verbal Tic: He adds "Woof!" at the end of every sentence.

Holinger-Z


"Holinger-Z is a robot constructed by Dr. Z for the purpose of doing drilling works that otherwhise, would be too dangerous for a human to do. Although, he's very clumsy and tends to mess things up. He currently lives with Anna, doing her housework."

Tropes

 * A Mech by Any Other Name
 * Computer Voice: Literally.
 * Easily-Detachable Robot Parts: When a block falls over him, he detaches off his head so the body will keep drilling, this can be only used once thou.
 * Hideyuki Tanaka
 * Mighty Glacier
 * Mundane Utility
 * Robot Buddy
 * Robot Maid: He does all of Anna's housework and still messes up
 * Servant Race
 * Tin Can Robot
 * Transforming Mecha: the lower part of his body turns into a drill.

Usagi/Rabbit


"Usagi is a rabbit-looking alien that originally came from the moon to invade earth. But his ship crashed down and he got severely injured. He was next found by Ataru and was nursed back to health, he then decided to follow Ataru to observe this planet a little more."

Tropes

 * Alien Among Us
 * Alien Animal: He even has his own army of bunnies!
 * Badass Adorable
 * Crash Into Hello: Well, Ataru DID watch him crash into land.
 * Dub Name Change: He's sometimes called "Rabbit" or "Bunny" in the USA/UK Depending on the Writer.
 * Everythings Better With Bunnies
 * Glass Cannon: He can dig through 3 blocks, jump 2 blocks, runs fast, but he consumes air extremely fast too.
 * Hair-Raising Hare
 * Head Pet
 * I Owe My Life To Ataru
 * Killer Rabbit: He shoots thunders from his ears and can freaking float! In fact, he once tried to kill Ataru while he was asleep, but he stopped when he noticed his injuries were bandaged by him.
 * Lightning Bruiser
 * Monochromatic Eyes
 * Moon Rabbit
 * Non-Human Sidekick
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning
 * Secret Character: He's always the unlockable character in all Mr. Driller games.
 * Super Speed: Runs as fast as Ataru.
 * The Stoic
 * Starfish Language: "OXOXO"

Keel Sark/Kiiru Saaku


"Keel is the leader of the Ankoku/Darkness drillers. His father owned a ninja-themed amusement park that went bankrupt. He's apparently a ninja, or at least he likes to pose as one. He has a tendency to be mean with everyone he knows."

Tropes

 * Arrogant Kung Fu Guy: Oy...
 * Art Shift: He can look like This, Depending on the Artist
 * Badass Cape
 * The Dragon
 * Evil Counterpart: To Susumu.
 * Evil Sounds Deep
 * Fragile Speedster
 * Forehead of Doom
 * Full-Name Basis: Stop calling Susumu by his FULL name! its creepy.
 * Gray Eyes
 * Idiot Hair
 * Jerk with a Heart of Jerk
 * Kazuya Nakai
 * Ninja Brat
 * Older Than He Looks: He's 16.
 * Perpetual Frowner
 * Punch Clock Villain: He just does it for the cash.
 * Smug Snake: he's not just happy with being a jerk with the heroes, but with his allies too
 * Villain by Default
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Kowars/Kowaasu


"Kowars is the second member of the Ankoku Drillers, he's an android developed by the Driller Laboratory. He's a gentle giant who somehow ended working for the bad guys. He seems to be a big fan of Taizo."

Tropes

 * Artificial Human: If it wasn't because he lacks ears, it would be hard to tell if he's really an android.
 * Adorkable: He's so bad at doing his job, its adorable.
 * Gentle Giant: Seriously, how did he end working for the Big Bad?
 * Kazuya Nakai
 * Mighty Glacier
 * Bad Guy With An F In Evil: in Mr Driller G He doesn't even try to stop the heroes when they're searching for the Key to stop the blocks from overflowing.
 * Prophet Eyes
 * Punch Clock Villain
 * Ridiculously-Human Robots
 * Robo Ship: Many fans think he actually feels something for Taizo.
 * Super Strength
 * Tareme Eyes

Eguri "Tiara" Hatakeyama


"Eguri is the third, last and only female member of the Ankoku drillers. Her drill is oddly attached to the end of a whip. She loathes to be called by her real name and introduces herself as Tiara. She's emotionally unstable and is madly in love with Ataru."

Tropes

 * Berserk Button: Being called Eguri.
 * Black Eyes: Well, her eyes are completely back, still not enough to be Black Eyes of Evil.
 * Blondes Are Evil
 * Embarrassing First Name
 * Every Girl Is Cuter With Hair Decs: Now let's all imagine how would she look without that pink ribbon.
 * Evil Counterpart: To Anna... apparently.
 * Glass Cannon
 * Giant Poofy Sleeves
 * Giggling Villain
 * Identity Crisis
 * Impossibly Cool Weapon: Its a drill attached to a whip.
 * Kids Are Cruel: She used to be bullied as a kid because of her name.
 * Kiai: "Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!"
 * Most Annoying Sound: "KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!"
 * Oddly Visible Eyebrows
 * Older Than She Looks: She's 15 years old, she certainly looks younger.
 * Punch Clock Villain
 * Significant Birth Date: Eguri was born on April's Fool Day (April 1).
 * Villainous Crush: She really has a thing for Ataru, but he doesn't seem to return her feelings back.
 * Whip It Good

Dr. Manhole/Manhoru Hakase


"The boss of the Ankoku Drillers, Dr. Manhole is an evil scientist who used to be a good guy, But thanks to a series of unfortunate events, he turned evil and now desires to destroy the human race."

Tropes

 * Badass Cape
 * Bald of Evil: Along with Badass Long Hair
 * Big Bad: The only one in the entire series.
 * Big Ol' Eyebrows
 * Evil Laugh: And a very good one by the way
 * Evil Old Man
 * Evil Sounds Deep: Really deep.
 * General Failure: Who the hell makes their Doomsday Device run by battery?!
 * Humans Are Bastards: That's basically his motto.
 * Hideyuki Tanaka
 * Joker Immunity: Well, who could possibly catch him if he keeps dissapearing like that?
 * Kill All Humans
 * Mad Scientist
 * Morally-Ambiguous Doctorate
 * Not That Kind of Doctor
 * Punny Name: MANHOLE, do you get it?
 * They Called Me Mad: "The human race doesn't deserve to exist!"
 * Unusual Eyebrows
 * Villain Teleportation: Right after his plans are foiled, he just misteriously dissapears.
 * Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: All he wanted to do was the good for all humanity, but instead society kicked him in the back for thinking he was actually stealing other people's ideas which he didn't.

Dr. Z/Zetto Hakase


"The main scientist of the Driller Laboratories, also the one who designed Susumu and friends' drills; AND Holinger Z. He's a very kind and supportive man who's always willing to help the drillers in every way he can."

Tropes

 * Always Someone Better: He seems to have more privilegies than his old rival Dr. Manhole
 * Bald of Awesome
 * Big Good
 * Disembodied Eyebrows
 * Gadgeteer Genius: Well, he designed your main tools!
 * Kazuya Nakai
 * Mission Control
 * Not That Kind of Doctor
 * The Professor
 * Techno Wizard

Masuyo "Kissy" Tobi


"Masuyo Toby, originally the heroine of the Baraduke battles, she married and divorced Taizo and now is the mother of 3 children. She's now working as a novelist and raising Susumu's young brother Taiyo. She got the nickname "Kissy" for her tendency to kiss people when she gets drunk."

Tropes

 * Adaptational Badass: Along with Taizo in Namco X Capcom
 * Amicably Divorced: Not quite.
 * Badass Adorable
 * In-Series Nickname: She actually got her nickname "Kissy" before she even had a name.
 * Kissing Under the Influence: This is basically how she got her nickname "Kissy".
 * Meaningful Name: "Tobi Masuyo" means "I can fly" in japanese.
 * Oddly Visible Eyebrows
 * Official Couple: With Taizo.
 * Older Than She Looks
 * Older and Wiser
 * Ray Gun: Her main weapon for massive damage.
 * Retired Badass
 * Samus Is a Girl: Yes, this person is a girl
 * Significant Birth Date: Masuyo was born on December's 31 (the last day of the year); the funny thing about this is that her ex-husband Taizo was born the day right after, on January's 1st (The first day of the year).
 * Space Clothes
 * Starfish Aliens: her little alien friends Paccets.
 * Team Mom
 * Yandere
 * Yuko Mizutani