American Dad/Characters

The dramatis personae for Seth MacFarlane's second animated Sitcom, American Dad!, featuring some background information on the characters and tropes they provide examples of. More to come.

Stan Smith
"The man of the house, a CIA agent later promoted to Deputy-Deputy Director. Although an extreme right-winger to the point of parody with a tendency to forget the lessons he's just learned, he still loves his family. Voiced by Seth MacFarlane."

"Francine (sadly/shocked): You harpooned me. I asked you to go and get help, and you harpooned me."
 * Acrofatic: Stan's got a rather large gut, but doesn't stop him from doing handsprings and being a proficient CIA agent.
 * Aesop Amnesia: Lampshaded often.
 * Alliterative Name
 * Anti-Hero: Type V -> Type IV.
 * Big Beautiful Man
 * Bunny Ears Intelligence Officer: Despite his quirks, he seems to be very good at his job.
 * Control Freak
 * Crazy Prepared
 * Crossdresser: Doesn't hide from his family the fact that he wears panties and if it was socially acceptable, would wear mascara because it makes his eyes "pop like firecrackers".
 * Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
 * Eagle Land: Type 2 Incarnate.
 * Flanderization: Believe it or not, Stan in the first episode was the example of a stereotypical conservative, obsessed with politics, Ronald Reagan, America and keeping his family safe, he was an extremist, but deeply cared about his family and was really overprotective, but by the second episode, he began to evolve into a Jerk with a Heart of Gold, however at the end of the day, despite his selfish aspects, feels bad about it and learns a lesson every episode, even though it's Aesop Amnesia.
 * Freudian Excuse: Stan was extremely unpopular in his childhood due to his nerdy ways. As a result he bully's Steve for also being nerdy hoping to break him of said habits, in order for Steve to have the life he didn't.
 * Additionally, his father was never around, which didn't exactly teach him good parenting.
 * Going Native: Stan has a strong tendency to do this; lampshaded by Francine in "Stan of Arabia".
 * Happily Married: To Francine, but they have an equal amount of neglection and unfaithfulness with love.
 * Heroic Comedic Sociopath
 * Heteronormative Crusader: He gets better as time goes on.
 * In fact, accepting gay lifestyles is pretty much the only lesson Stan remembers.
 * Hilariously Abusive Childhood: His father left him when he was young and his mother forced Stan to fill his role as provider despite being eleven years old. As a result, he is very emotionally stunted and has unrealistic expectations of the people around him.
 * Hot Dad: Looks pretty good if you don't mind the gut.
 * Jerkass: Most of the time. His Jerk with a Heart of Gold moments are usually overshadowed by some of his crueler acts, such as a scheme to get back at a car salesman that happened to involve abandoning his own family as perquisite.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Arguably Stan's callousness has been toned down or at least been placed in more well-intentioned light in later seasons. It is a rule for the creative team that, in his own mindset, Stan's actions are for the well being of his family and country.
 * Kissing Under the Influence/Anal Probing/Ho Yay/Their First Time/Did the Earth Move For You, Too?: With Roger during their trip to Atlantic City. They were both drunk, and Stan agreed to the most intimate experiences of Roger's species. Roger ended up knowing all of Stan's memories, but not vice versa—this was especially humiliating for Roger because Stan was actually Roger's first.
 * Know-Nothing Know-It-All: Numerous episodes go out of their way to emphasize this, especially "The Most Adequate Christmas Ever", where God actually had to tell Stan face-to-face that no, he does not know everything and he can't.
 * Lantern Jaw of Justice
 * Large Ham
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Momma's Boy: In fact, he is a downright (non-romantic) Yandere for her.
 * My Eyes Are Leaking
 * Papa Wolf: He might not agree with Hayley, and he might not have much in common with Steve, but if anyone insults or harms either of them, that person's going to be in pain for a long while.
 * Do not call his daughter a whore.
 * Patriotic Fervour
 * Politically Incorrect Hero: He's a big ol' bigot in many ways, but he generally learns An Aesop about it... for a while.
 * Psychopathic Manchild: If he's not acting like a three-year-old, he's killing someone.
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Manly Man to Steve's Sensitive Guy.
 * Sharp-Dressed Man: He's always Dressed to Kill.
 * Small Name, Big Ego: Frequently acts narcissistic about his looks and "intelligence". May also apply as Inferiority Superiority Complex when it's found out he wasn't always "the stallion he is today".
 * Standard Fifties Father: Tries to be this. Could be considered a deconstruction.
 * In a DVD-exclusive special on the creation of American Dad!, Seth MacFarlane describes the show as "What would happen if a 1950s anti-Communism short film announcer had a wife and kids?"
 * Stock Scream: Has one of his own.
 * Which is relentlessly parodied in one episode. Stan, when his rocket boot malfunctions, is thrown into a knife shop, a lemon juice fountain, and a cactus farm, among other things, screaming the exact same scream every time.
 * The episode "A Smith In The Hand", where Stan discovers the joys of masturbation, has a different Stock Scream that they use every time Stan sets off the fireworks.
 * Stop Helping Me!: "Hurricane!" drastically shows that Stan has got no idea what to do in a crisis situation, and despite Francine's plea to stop helping, Stan doesn't listen and keeps making the situation worse.
 * Which is relentlessly parodied in one episode. Stan, when his rocket boot malfunctions, is thrown into a knife shop, a lemon juice fountain, and a cactus farm, among other things, screaming the exact same scream every time.
 * The episode "A Smith In The Hand", where Stan discovers the joys of masturbation, has a different Stock Scream that they use every time Stan sets off the fireworks.
 * Stop Helping Me!: "Hurricane!" drastically shows that Stan has got no idea what to do in a crisis situation, and despite Francine's plea to stop helping, Stan doesn't listen and keeps making the situation worse.


 * Straight Man: He tries to be this, but is really much more of a Large Ham.
 * Strawman Political: He's an exaggerated stereotype of hyper-patriotic Republicans. Though much less so as the show went on.
 * Troubled Sympathetic Bigot
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist: Often the cause of his Jerkass antics.
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy: Has elements of this in his relationship with his father Jack, and this trait is very prominent in his son Steve.
 * Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: He fears seagulls. Or rather he feared them, as he mentions he got over the fear in a later episode where he interacted with them (a Hand Wave, as the plot required said interaction).
 * Would Hit a Girl: An early episode had him beat the crap out of a bunch of strippers unprovoked. And it was awesome.

Francine Smith (née Ling, Dawson)
"The matriarch, wife of Stan and mother of Hayley and Steve. A fairly happy housewife, if not a little loopy at times, although she does wish she could do stuff outside the house other than grocery shopping. During her years growing up, she was the adopted daughter of the Chinese Lings after her birth parents, the Dawsons, abandoned her as a baby at an airport since bringing babies to first class wasn't allowed. Prior to hooking up with Stan, she was very promiscuous (currently has the largest rose garden dedicated to the men she had sex with prior to meeting Stan) and wild. Voiced by Wendy Schaal."

"Stan: What the hell, Francine! You t-boned me bro!"
 * Beware the Nice Ones: Shifts somewhere between this and an outright Bitch in Sheep's Clothing, Depending on the Writer (much like Lois on Family Guy, though granted she is called out on it). Her personality often tends to come off as unpredictable to say the least.
 * Let's just say, even Stan (who usually has a very low sense of self-preservation) is smart enough to be scared of her when she gets angry. Example? Season 1 Episode 4.
 * She nonchalantly admitted to stabbing her college roommate to death while the Smiths were having dinner at a restaurant.
 * Bi the Way: Sort of. She has had sex with women before, and seems perfectly willing to make out with a woman to get backstage at a rock concert. But she is primarily straight, compared to Linda Memari.
 * Blonde Republican Sex Kitten: Sort of. Compared to Stan, Francine is much more apolitical (she likely doesn't understand politics in general).
 * Cloudcuckoolander: The brief times her head comes back to earth, she can be very intelligent. The rest of the time... well... remember the box she thought was a TV? Nuff said.
 * The episode Live and Let Fry is a rather noteworthy example. In that one, Francine comes off as borderline insane.
 * Dumb Blonde: But not too dumb.
 * Ethical Slut: She really got around when she was younger, but all in the name of partying and free love.
 * She claims her first time was with a group of angry construction workers.
 * Expansion Pack Past
 * Extreme Doormat: Often for Stan and Roger, though she stands up for herself when pushed too far.
 * Former Teen Rebel
 * Gasshole: Has been seen belching loudly as a throwaway gag on occasion, usually after drinking something.
 * Genius Ditz: For the brief periods of time when she tried to pursue something outside of being a housewife, she is ridiculously good at what she does. To the point where she once became and oceanologist, and published a paper on how she found a thought-to-be-extinct species! Of course, Stan always brings things back to a screaming halt (to the point where he deliberately sabotaged the American economy because that was the only way to stop her career as a real estate agent).
 * Happily Adopted
 * Happily Married: To Stan.
 * Hot Mom
 * Housewife
 * Mama Bear: Messing with Steve and Hayley is a sure way to get you killed by Francine, whether you're her husband or not. When Jeff seemingly decided to break off his engagement with Hayley for 50,000 dollars, Francine was so disgusted she tried to kill Jeff by unloading Stan's gun into his face. If it wasn't for the fact that Stan removed the bullets, Jeff would be dead right now. And when she discovered Stan had been bullying Steve in order to toughen him up, Francine chased him through the school, jumped out a window, and ran after him with glass in her hair until he drove off. She then rammed his car off the road with her's.


 * Parental Abandonment: Her real parents left her at an airport after being told they couldn't bring any children on the flight.
 * No, they could bring children on the flight, just not in first class.
 * Pink Means Feminine: Pink is her favorite color.
 * Retired Badass: She was once in a fight club and in prison, and if you hit her Berserk Button she becomes a Combat Pragmatist who will do anything short of killing her family members if they cross her (she rammed Stan with a four-wheel-drive!).
 * Stalker with a Crush: When she was younger, she had a crush on her algebra teacher, Mr. Feeny. He didn't take her seriously, and then his wife found her in their closet smelling his clothes and cutting herself. Francine lied to the police about them being lovers, so he was arrested and eventually killed himself in prison.
 * Stay in the Kitchen
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: Girly Girl to Hayley's Tomboy.
 * Women Are Wiser
 * Not So Above It All: While she is much more sane than Stan, she still engages in zany schemes, like trying to assassinate George Clooney because she felt he upstaged her (Season 1 finale).
 * Recent episodes avert this by making her more socially-awkward and Stan closer to Earth.
 * Yandere: To her son, Steve (non-romantic example).
 * Actually, Francine has moved away from this aspect in the later seasons, and when San starts having issues with Steve growing up Francine's the one who has to set him straight.
 * Younger Than They Look: Francine's able to unintentionally pass herself off as a teenager when she's up to it. In the first season, after Stan accidentally erased the last twenty years of her life from her memory, Francine noticed no significant change in her physical appearance (except for pubic hair).

Hayley Dreamsmasher Smith
"Daughter and the oldest of the two Smith siblings. As a kid, she and her father were close due to sharing the same beliefs, but as she became a young adult, her views became the complete opposite of her dad's, causing the two to butt heads often; for instance, she's in favor of gun control, while he isn't. That's not to say that she doesn't get Aw, Look -- They Really Do Love Each Other moments with Stan, and shares more than a few personality traits from her father, both negative and positive. Voiced by Rachael MacFarlane (Seth's sister)."


 * The Artifact: Arguably even more than Klaus, who one can argue has never really been a major character. Hayley was the second character created for the show after Stan, when the premise was supposed to be a modern "All in the Family". When politics was phased out in the first two seasons, Hayley's screen time and storylines were dramatically reduced.
 * Bare Your Midriff
 * Berserk Button: She does not take breakups well (provided that she is not the one who breaks up).
 * Brainwashed and Crazy: Stan . If you say the right combination of words, she becomes a trained killer.
 * Manchurian Agent: The trigger words:
 * The Cynic: She started frowning excessively after she started to believe that the world was unfair after witnessing a man clubbing a baby seal.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Usually to her father.
 * Demoted to Extra: Considering how little scenes and lines she has in recent seasons and that here are fewer episodes and subplots about her she tends to fit this trope.
 * Electra Complex: Hayley once entered a relationship with Stan's C.I.A. double, Bill... yeah.
 * Embarrassing Middle Name: Dreamsmasher.
 * Granola Girl: In deep contrast to Stan.
 * Hypocrite: A lot of humor tends to revolve around this. In some cases, she is incredibly shallow about her own ethics and views, albeit Depending on the Writer.
 * Although she says that she is a feminist, she secretly dresses as a Fifties housewife and bakes pies, entering them in contests under the name "Carlotta Montarrey".
 * She dumps boyfriends, frequently Jeff, coldly and nonchalantly on numerous occasions (perhaps most notably dumping Avery Bollock over phone, mid way through a presentation, on live TV, a second before he was going to promote Stan) and is occasionally outright termed as a "slut". When a boy dumps her however, she goes out and out Ax Crazy (to the point that the police have threatened her to have her put in jail for life if she gets dumped again).
 * Mama Bear: In "Season's Beatings", despite denying any maternal instincts, the minute she sees the baby Jeff adopted she starts sobbing uncontrollably with joy over "her baby"..
 * Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Masculine Girl to Steve's Feminine Boy.
 * Nice Girl: Despite her hypocritical tendencies and her tendency to hold the Jerkass Ball a few times, Hayley is a good person through and through.
 * Not So Different: Her and Stan. Despite their contrasting views, they still share quite a few personality aspects; they are stubborn, self righteous and politically extreme people who often show a disregard for their partner (when she is with Jeff anyway) and try and force them to conform to their world view.
 * Out of Focus: Since about Season 3 onward, compare her screen time and plot/sub-plot focus to Stan, Francine, Steve and Roger. In some episodes, she's lucky to have comparable screen time and lines to Klaus. See Artifact above.
 * Shrinking Violet: While Hayley generally has no problem socializing, "Cow, I Met Your Moo-ther" reveals she has a lot of self-doubt and is very nervous about embarrassing herself. Throughout the episode, Hayley kept saying the wrong things because of her shyness.
 * Soapbox Sadie
 * Socially Awkward Hero: Played straight in "Cow, I Met Your Moo-ther".
 * Straw Hypocrite: At her very worst. While she does show genuine devotion to her beliefs at times, a lot of her actions seem to be solely to outrage her Control Freak father, and has attempted to bail out a few good times she is made to go through with the consequences of her actions.
 * Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Surprisingly, averted. In "Roy Rogers McFreely", Hayley points out to Stan that, since Roger's in charge and his views are counter to his, Stan is now part of the counterculture, and therefore on the same side with Hayley. Rather then argue, Stan realizes she's right and the two form a group to undermine Roger's control on the neighborhood. The episode showed that, if not for their clashing points of view, Stan and Hayley would get along great.
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: Tomboy to Francine's Girly Girl.
 * Took a Level In Kindness: Like Meg Griffin, she is the only one in the Smith family to become nicer.
 * The Unfavorite: Her middle name says most of it, as well as Stan's disdain for her and Francine's blatant favoritism for Steve.
 * Unstoppable Rage: If the guy is the one who ends the relationship, she'll go on a destructive rampage.
 * Averted in the episode "American Dream Factory", where illegal Mexican immigrant Paco breaks off a relationship with her, with no adverse effects. Of course, this is likely due to the fact that this episode is almost two years older than "Pulling Double Booty", the episode where this trait made its debut.
 * She does however go to desperate lengths to have him prosecuted by the INS. Though the reactions are different throughout the show, Hayley at least consistently handles being dumped in an extremely callous manner, especially considering the number of times she has coldly dumped Jeff.
 * She also was a holy terror during various stages of puberty: when told that she had to wear tampons now that she was on her period, Hayley (who was wearing a skirt) threw the tampon box away and sat on the Smiths' new white couch, she yelled at her parents for not getting bigger boobs, and when Roger cracked a joke about a pimple on her face, she threw Roger through a window and set the living room on fire.
 * Weirdness Magnet: She always seems to attract questionable men, and being sucked into an environmental cult with a man who planned to be turned into a tree, as well as having dinner with a psychopathic serial killer who just killed his father.
 * Woman Scorned: To it's most extreme. See above.

Steven "Steve" Smith
"The younger of the Smith siblings. A nerdy teenager who has his own circle of nerd buddies and quests for tail. While otherwise unsuccessful at the game of love, he does have an on-again/off-again relationship with heavyset goth Debbie Hyman, which seems to have resumed as of 'Escape From Pearl Bailey'. Voiced by Scott Grimes."


 * Adorkable: At times.
 * Alliterative Name
 * Animals Hate Him
 * Beware the Nice Ones: He is proving that you should heed this
 * Big No: Periodically belts out a rather humorous one.
 * Butt Monkey
 * Casanova Wannabe
 * The Chew Toy: Poor guy can't seem to catch a break. Especially when it comes to women...
 * Chubby Chaser: His only steady girlfriend is a BBW.
 * Depending on the Writer: He's either a sweet Adorkable kid who looks up to his dad, a kid with serious issues, or hormonal and perverted.
 * Did Not Get the Girl
 * Embarrassing Middle Name: Turns out his sister isn't the only one with one:.
 * Extroverted Nerd
 * Geek
 * The Hero: With his friends.
 * Hollywood Genetics: It has been explicitly said that Steve has red hair (though on television, it appears brown). His mom has blonde hair and his dad has black hair with blond recessive genes.
 * His mom is not a natural blonde, however; she's shown in one episode to dye it from brown.
 * And seen as a blond when she was a child and baby.
 * Though generally, young children will have blonde hair that darkens with age.
 * The Jinx: In both the case of animals and romance. The few he successfully gains the affection of tend to meet a terrible fate. Simon the cat seemed to make the connection.
 * Large Ham: Seems to inherit his father's melodramatic tendencies.
 * Lovable Sex Maniac
 * Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Feminine Boy to Hayley's Masculine Girl.
 * Momma's Boy
 * Nerds Are Virgins: Majority of his storylines amount to this.
 * Screams Like a Little Girl
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Sensitive Guy to Stan's Manly Man.
 * Slap Slap Kiss: Has this in one episode with an underage Indian girl.
 * Small Name, Big Ego: He wrote a Saturday Night Live sketch called "Quantum Rape", about a guy in jail for raping Scott Bakula who tries to explain to his cellmate what Quantum Leap is and failing. Steve finds this hilarious. Jon Stewart didn't. Steve comes to the logical conclusion that Stewart was raped as a child which is why he thinks it's so awful.
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy: Tries to impress Stan, who is repulsed by his nerdiness and lack of athleticism.

Roger Smith
"An alien who self-describes as effeminate and alcoholic who was taken in by the Smiths after he saved Stan from death by grenade during a lockdown at Area 51. Also a master of disguise out of necessity, to avoid suspicion from the rest of the planet. Voiced by Seth MacFarlane."

"Roger: Oh my God! Another fey, pansexual, alcoholic nonhuman... I've been replaced!"
 * Alien Among Us
 * Aliens Are Bastards
 * Always Camp
 * Anti-Hero: Type V. He would probably be a straight up Villain Protagonist if it were not for his Pet the Dog moments.
 * Attention Whore
 * Becoming the Mask
 * Beyond the Impossible: He has a persona named Ricky Spanish who's even more of a Jerkass than Roger himself and is hated by every single person in Langley Falls..
 * Big No: Has had a few of his own, though not as many as Steve.
 * Bi the Way: Confirmed as of "You Debt Your Life." After realizing that realizing Andy Dick took his place after he moved out, we get this quote:

"Plus I'm a sociopath so all this fits me like a glove."
 * Depraved Bisexual
 * Bizarre Alien Biology: Used to excellent effect.
 * Breakout Character: Hasn't quite supplanted Stan as the main character, but he's come close.
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Just about any of Roger's previously established personas are extremely competent at what they do, the most blatant example being Jeannie Gold, wedding planner (and prostitute).
 * Clark Kenting
 * Comedic Sociopath
 * Dark and Troubled Past: For the large part, the more we learn about Roger's background, the more depraved an individual he seems.
 * Desperately Looking for a Purpose In Life
 * Determinator: If his motives are selfish enough, he can achieve ANYTHING. He pursues across the entire planet. When he's convinced to kill the Smith family, he's able to escape from an excessively secure underwater prison. Not even leaving the planet is enough to escape him.
 * Disappeared Dad: He ate him when he was 15. Apparently this is another of his species' sociopathic tendencies.
 * Disproportionate Retribution: Frequently plays this trope to it's most extreme. One notable example being when he conspires to make Steve's life a living hell after Steve ate his cookie and said: "You snooze, you lose."
 * One episode has Stan calling Roger a selfish fat failure. Roger responds by planning on destroying the planet.
 * After starting a chauffeur service and trying to be as polite and respectful as possible, he gets stiffed for twenty dollars by five frat boys. Roger proceeds to hunt each one of them and run them down, in the limo, even when the last one managed to get on a plane. Roger somehow managed to get on the plane's wing, run the guy down by driving through the plane, and kills everyone on board. As he and Klaus are parachuting down, he sees a stewardess parachuting next to them, and unbuckles her for no good reason other than he's "got the blood lust".
 * Another episode had Roger attempting to kill the entire Smith family because they roasted him for his birthday (even though he was sure he wanted it and he had a huge misconception on what a roast is). When he finally gets a hold of everyone, he forces the Smiths to roast each other, but it backfires because they are used to making fun of each other.
 * Expansion Pack Past: His life since his arrival to Earth during the Roswell incident.
 * Faux Affably Evil: Roger when he's in a manipulative mood.He can act nice if he wants to be at times, before stabbing them in the back and/or abandoning them.
 * Flanderization: His affinity for costumes and dress up acts, to the point some literally take over his personality. His Jerkass traits also initially just came with the quirkiness of his personality and were much more toned down. As time progressed, his callousness is canonically accepted as his defining trait (to the point he'll actually die without acting consistently cruel).
 * For Halloween I Am Going as Myself: Went to a sci-fi convention without a disguise. Oddly enough, this was the one time he avoided interaction with people.
 * The Greys
 * The Gump: In his lifetime, he's responsible for creating disco in the 1970s (through a time paradox, admittedly), instigating the death of Biggie Smalls, creating Jar Jar Binks, inventing ecstasy in the 1990s, and turning Raven-Symone into an actress (after he kidnapped her from a park when she was a child).
 * Heroic BSOD: In "Wiener of Our Discontent", he is put out of action when he finds out he was supposed to be a crash test dummy.
 * It's All About Me: While pretty much all the family display this trait on occasion, Roger takes it to sociopathic extremes.
 * Jerkass: Can shift into a comedic monster on occasion. Depending on the Writer, he's shown to be perfectly willing to exploit or even murder his closest friends for minor offenses or indulgences.
 * In the Blood/Freudian Excuse: It would literally kill Roger to be nice. His species have to let their 'bitchiness' out frequently otherwise it vents out in bile and vomit.
 * Took a Level in Jerkass: Roger was more toned down in early episodes, acting little past an obnoxious Cloudcuckoolander and showing more frequent gestures of genuine care and sympathy to the Smiths. As his costumes and outside lifestyle became more active however his apathy and psychotic traits became more and more prominent.
 * In spite of Taken a level of Jerkass. he still has moments of clarity
 * Pet the Dog: Despite having little to no sense of empathy the majority of times, he is often shown to genuinely care about Stan. The entire reason he came to be with the Smiths is because he went out of his way to save Stan from a botched CIA attack. Even in later episodes, Roger's friendship is sometimes exploited by Stan, which is saying a lot considering the former's usual tendencies.
 * Karma Houdini: Has he ever suffered for his horrible actions?
 * Ironically how much he suffers is usually reverse proportional to his own misdeeds. He can get away with all sorts of horrific and outright murderous schemes but the odd time he plays The Chew Toy is usually when he has done nothing wrong.
 * There are however some episodes where he fails to get away with his atrocities. For example in 'The People vs. Martin Sugar", Stan had the jury vote him guilty thus leading the judge (tearfully) to sending him to prison.
 * Kissing Under the Influence/Anal Probing/Ho Yay/Their First Time/Did the Earth Move For You, Too?: With Stan during their trip to Atlantic City. They were both drunk, and Stan agreed to the most intimate experiences of Roger's species. Roger ended up knowing all of Stan's memories, but not vice versa—this was especially humiliating for Roger because Stan was actually Roger's first.
 * Lack of Empathy: To extremes. The first time he felt empathy for someone over himself was such a shock to his mindset that he developed a split personality (one with far more redeeming aspects than his own).
 * Large Ham
 * Laughably Evil: He shows little, if any thought for his family and friends' well being, and committed all sorts of heartless or outright murderous acts for the most trivial and petty reasons and so it goes without saying he is a fan favorite.
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Mysterious Past: He's apparently 1600 years old. Who knew?
 * New Powers as the Plot Demands: Among which include being flame-retardant, ultra-buoyancy, the ability to learn one's memories by probing them, the ability to change costumes in under a second (usually done off-screen or when Roger throws up a cloud of confetti), and the ability to move "really, really fast."
 * Overprotective Dad: Surprisingly without crossing into abusive territory when he becomes Steve's legal guardian.
 * Paper-Thin Disguise: Has a wardrobe full of them.
 * Justifiably in "Stanny Tendergrass", it's revealed that there is at least one persona that a person CANNOT see through, and instead sees Roger actually as that person. For Stan, it is Mr. Vanderhill, Francine, a Korean kid who shoots pool with a giant chopstick, Hayley's is her sandal repair man and Steve's is Elisha Wiltner, who Steve went on 9 dates with.
 * The Power of Hate: The very entity keeping his species' alive (see above). Naturally The Power of Love is toxic to them as a result.
 * Psychopathic Manchild
 * Reality Warper: A subtle case. Whenever he comes up with a backstory for one of his personas, logic bends to his will to make those backstories true. This includes being the birth mother of two fully grown men, and also being the teenage birth son of a human family, complete with pictures of him growing up! Roger is perhaps the greatest actor ever! Surpassing even Fred Savage.
 * The Sociopath: Self-confessed, no less. When he becomes a Dirty Cop (after being on the force for 3 hours) he says that.


 * Super Speed: Allowed him to fake the death of a persona in Season 6.
 * This Is for Emphasis, Bitch: Tends to say these at least once an episode.
 * Token Evil Teammate: None of the Smiths are particularly saintly in behavior, however Roger is the most consistently malicious of the cast. Less evident in earlier episodes where Roger was more sympathetic with Stan or Klaus usually acting as the more malevolent of the family.
 * The Unfettered: Playing into his Lack of Empathy, Roger will cheat, abuse or even murder others without a second thought to achieve his goals. Taken to absurd lengths at times since he can find even menial goals and ambitions and rotate their ends around completely callous and deranged schemes (a plan to get a free T shirt involved him manipulating Francine and Hayley to try and kill each other).
 * The Ubermensch: YMMV, but if it is at all possible to play this trope strictly for laughs, you could make a case for Roger. He is goal oriented, amoral, refuses to accept outside authority, and if he wants something, even something totally impossible, he makes it happen through nothing more than sheer force of will and a complete ignorance of objective reality.
 * Unlimited Wardrobe: In contrast to the rest of the major characters.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: Type 1 with Stan, Steve and at times Klaus.

Klaus Heissler
"An East German athlete trapped in the body of a goldfish thanks to a scheme by the CIA to prevent him from winning the gold at the 1986 Winter Olympics because he was from the "communist East." Stan was assigned to looking over Klaus, and as such the talking fish has become an honorary member of the Smith family. Voiced by Dee Bradley Baker."

"Klaus: Oh, can I help? Francine: Oh how can you help? You're a fish!"
 * Accent Adaptation: In the German dub, he has a Saxon accent (Klaus was East German, afterall).
 * All Germans Are Nazis: At the very least, he does seem to sympathize with the Nazis somewhat.
 * The German dub changes this, implying he is a communist and former Stasi member.
 * He once got a horrified reaction when he mentions his grandfather drove the kiddy train at Auschwitz... Zoo, and points out there is more than one thing in that town (which was and is actually Oświęcim, Poland).
 * Baleful Polymorph: Kinda.
 * Butt Monkey
 * The Chew Toy: Arguably the largest amongst the similarly luckless Smith family.
 * Chivalrous Pervert: Spent most of the early seasons trying to woo Francine. Less prominent later on where he seems to have gained a respect for Stan and lost interest in Francine for the most part.
 * Dark and Troubled Past: Occasionally implied.
 * Funny Animal
 * Funny Foreigner
 * Gratuitous German
 * Hidden Depths: Klaus before being transformed into a fish was highly accomplished; he studied at Viardina European University and may have a doctorate in therapy. He owned a Ferrari and was an Olympic class skier. However, as none of that is relevant to being a goldfish it's frequently overlooked or ignored.
 * I Reject Your Reality: This, along with The Mad Hatter, and Cloudcuckoolander. His mental health has obviously deteriorated due to being stuck in the body of a fish, and he's fully aware of it. He has conversations with himself, and has narrated his life and those around him as a DVD commentary, among other instances of insanity.
 * Jerkass: Albeit toned down in later episodes, where he's usually too desperate for human interaction.
 * The Load: Even Francine is blunt about this:


 * Mars Needs Women: Lusted after Francine in early episodes.
 * My Friends and Zoidberg: A big victim of this.
 * Mysterious Past: Much about his human life is unknown.
 * One-Scene Wonder: He usually doesn't appear often, or have much plot relevance most of the time, but when he does appear you can expect a funny line or two.

Avery Bullock
"Deputy Director of the CIA and Stan's superior (he's only Deputy-Deputy Director). Also a right-winger, but not to the same level of absurdity as Stan. Notably, despite being married, he has had sex with . Also has a thing for "plump Asian" chicks. Voiced by Patrick Stewart."


 * Adam Westing: More or less the character's reason for existing. Literally any time the writers can get him to say something that would sound ridiculous coming out of Captain Picard's mouth, they will.
 * Ax Crazy: In more recent episodes, he's become progressively unstable.
 * Bald of Awesome: Though considerably less that Stewart Himself.
 * Berserk Button: Do not touch his sandwich.
 * Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
 * Chubby Chaser: He "has a thing" for chubby Asian chicks. Although it usually helps if they're also skanks.
 * Cool Old Guy
 * Ink Suit Actor
 * Large Ham
 * Me Love You Long Time: As stated above he likes himself some plump Asian women.
 * Shout-Out: The occasional Star Trek: The Next Generation reference is made, such as Bullock referring to his immediate subordinate as "Number One".
 * Wild Card

Reginald the Koala
A homeless man whose brain was placed in the body of a koala, and now works for the CIA. Voiced by Donald Fullilove & Erik Durbin.


 * Badass Adorable: He's as cute as a button.
 * Dance Battler: "It's Capoeira, bitch!"
 * Mars Needs Women: Tried to pursue a romance with Hayley.
 * Out of Focus: Possibly due to being a borderline scrappy.
 * Sassy Black Koala

Dick Reynolds
A recently divorced, miserable co-worker of Stan. Voiced by Stephen Root & David Koecher.

Jackson
A ‘former homosexual’ co-worker of Stan’s whose ‘sodomy cleared right up’. Voiced by Mike Henry.

Principal Brian Lewis
The principal of Steve’s High School. Voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.


 * Apathetic Teacher: Steve lampshades this by admitting to his face that he can't believe he's an educator.
 * Ascended Extra: Moved from being an incidental character to becoming the focus of the main plot of two consecutive episodes.
 * Badass
 * Badass Teacher: Discovered Steve had just punched an Indian exchange student (a twelve year old girl) in the face, then shattered a hot pot of coffee in Steve's face.
 * Papa Wolf: Told the PTA to turn a blind eye to his daughter and her friends' revenge on Steve and his friends.
 * Cloudcuckoolander: A result of Flanderization as his eccentric tendencies gradually became more and more pronounced the more he appeared.
 * Depraved Bisexual: Was "prison married" for a few years, yet doesn't necessarily admit he's solely heterosexual and has professed fond memories of his time pushing cocaine and being given the pick of "girls, not women, girls" by his boss.
 * Fat Bastard: Crosses into this territory from time to time.
 * Fat Idiot
 * The Gump: His life was the basis for Diff'rent Strokes. Stan calls him out for how he left Dudley in the bicycle shop with the pedophile in The Bicycle Man. Brian mentions the real Dudley is messed up now.
 * Ink Suit Actor: Compare with Kevin Michael Richardson.
 * Moral Myopia: See Papa Wolf below. Said revenge was a case of Disproportionate Retribution, especially since they were no better in the first place, and it was all because of a case of Misplaced Retribution on Steve's part. Steve even explained it was his friends' fault, and they still wanted Steve as well, making it a case of Misplaced Retribution on their part as well.
 * Odd Friendship: Steve thinks he has this with Brian after he begins handling his paperwork. Even before then Steve had a tendency to refer to him by his first name. Then Brian sets him straight just before he plans on killing the two of them by explaining Steve was only his accountant.
 * One-Scene Wonder: Whenever he’s in an episode, you can bet this will be the case.
 * He was prominent in "Hot Water", however.
 * Where Did We Go Wrong?: Is deeply ashamed of his daughter Janet, for "more reasons than you can imagine."

Schmuley "Snot" Lonstein
"Steve's best friend and frequent partner in crime. Voiced by Curtis Armstrong."


 * Butt Monkey
 * Clear My Name: After.
 * Disappeared Dad
 * Embarrassing First Name
 * Hopeless Suitor: Has had an unrequited crush on Hayley for apparently quite a long time.
 * The Lancer: To Steve.
 * Noodle Incident: One time, he and Steve encountered a mystery of the disappearance of his bicycle, but they dropped it after the case turned into a double rape homicide.
 * With Friends Like These...: Snot turns on Steve a lot, like stealing his girlfriend and throwing an apple at him when he had his scoliosis brace on. Snot himself has suffered from some of Steve's schemes in turn.

Barry Robinson
"Steve's mentally retarded friend. Voiced by Eddie Kaye Thomas.."


 * Berserk Button: Don't deprive him of his candy. Last person who did it got shot. Then Barry jammed then twisted his finger in the wound for good measure.
 * Beware the Nice Ones: See above.
 * The Big Guy: To Steve.
 * The Chick: To Steve.
 * Cloudcuckoolander
 * Disability Superpower: Barry is shown to be impossibly good with numbers.
 * Fat Best Friend
 * Gentle Giant:
 * Good Is Dumb: Looking into his history, he represents this well. He's also arguably the most docile of Steve and his friends and the dumbest..
 * Parental Neglect: Suggested off screen. Though the fact that he's might explain why they want to keep their distance.
 * Fat Best Friend
 * Gentle Giant:
 * Good Is Dumb: Looking into his history, he represents this well. He's also arguably the most docile of Steve and his friends and the dumbest..
 * Parental Neglect: Suggested off screen. Though the fact that he's might explain why they want to keep their distance.
 * Parental Neglect: Suggested off screen. Though the fact that he's might explain why they want to keep their distance.
 * Parental Neglect: Suggested off screen. Though the fact that he's might explain why they want to keep their distance.

Toshi Yoshida
"The fourth of Steve's circle of friends. Voiced by Daisuke Suzuki."

"I will not be a cliche!"
 * Arranged Marriage: He briefly mentions he's involved in one.
 * Asian and Nerdy
 * Badass Bookworm: See Katanas Are Just Better below.
 * Fun with Foreign Languages
 * Fun with Subtitles: The disconnect between what Toshi is saying and what the other characters think he's saying is often played for humor.
 * Japanese Ranguage: EAT... MY... BOWLS!
 * Katanas Are Just Better: He uses one to cut apart two serial killers in the Halloween episode "Best Little Horror House in Langley Falls".
 * Knight Templar Big Brother: Mess with his sister, or even take her out on a date without his permission, and he will quite literally END you.
 * The Smart Guy: To Steve.
 * Stop Being Stereotypical: This is the reason he didn't want to wear a samurai Halloween costume.


 * He has once complimented Steve when they dressed up in Star Trek attire, that he was not the one to play Sulu- That role was given to Barry, who ironically made 'me Chinese' eyes for this purpose.
 * The Unintelligible: He only speaks Japanese, but it's subtitled, so the audience can understand even though none of the other characters can. Inexplicably, his mother, father, and sister speak fluent English.
 * The same episode his mother and sister are introduced brings up that he chooses not to speak English out of national pride.
 * In another episode, it is discovered that he seems to be 'haunted' by Minamoto a 12th century shogun, who he, ironically cannot understand and takes his phrases for something else like his friends do him.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: Doesn't seem to like Steve very much (much of his dialogue is insulting remarks toward Steve, which of course Steve can't understand), but continues to hang out with him.
 * It's implied other kids aren't as nice to him.

Debbie Hyman
Steve’s on-again, off-again Goth girlfriend. Voiced by Lizzy Caplan.


 * Big Beautiful Woman
 * Big Eater
 * Dark Is Not Evil: She's pretty nice.
 * Hidden Depths: Is quite knowledgeable about guns.
 * Only Sane Man: Out of the entire show Debbie is possibly the most well-adjusted, rational, and emotionally mature character save for her interest in death.
 * Perky Goth
 * The Sixth Ranger: Well, fifth, to Steve.

Akiko Yoshida
Toshi’s sister, who often acts as a translator. Voiced by Grey DeLisle and Grace Park.


 * Early Installment Weirdness: Was a little girl when she first appeared.

Jack Smith
Stan’s father, a jewel thief and con-man. Voiced by Daran Norris.


 * Badass
 * Daddy Didn't Show
 * Disappeared Dad: To Stan.
 * Eyepatch of Power
 * Manipulative Bastard

Betty Smith
Stan’s somewhat needy mother. Voiced by Swoosie Kurtz.


 * Hot Mom
 * My Beloved Smother: Subverted. Betty lives for Stan's attention but she's actually looking for a boyfriend so she can have somebody who'll make her happy. The relationship crosses into disturbing territory at times, but it's Stan that has the unhealthy obsession, not Betty.
 * What do you do when your mom's unhappy? Jerry left her feeling crappy? Sing her a shanty nice and snappy! Wash her in the bathtub!

Bàba Ling
Francine’s adoptive father. Voiced by Tzi Ma.


 * Asian Rudeness
 * Its Pronounced Tropay: It's "Bah-ba" not "Baba", something he has to constantly correct Stan on.
 * No Name Given/Bilingual Bonus: Bàba is simply the Chinese word for 'father'.
 * Papa Wolf: Well papa-in-law wolf. He saved Stan from a fire.

Māma Ling
Francine’s adoptive mother. Voiced by Amy Hill.


 * Asian Rudeness
 * No Name Given/Bilingual Bonus: Māma is simply the Chinese word for 'mother'.

Gwen Ling
Francine’s adopted, never-seen sister.


 * The Unseen

Greg Corbin and Terry Bates
"Homosexual life partners and co-anchors at W-ANG-TV, and neighbors to the Smiths. Francine was a surrogate mother for their daughter Liberty Belle, or "Libby." They're voiced by Seth MacFarlane and Mike Barker respectively."

"Stan: That wasn't campy at all!"
 * Badass Gay: Both Terry and Greg at times, such as when.
 * Beta Couple: Arguably the most prominent relationship on the show after Stan and Francine (and maybe Jeff and Hayley).
 * Camp Gay: Conspicuously so.
 * Gay Conservative: Greg's a Log Cabin Republican.
 * Happily Married: Although not technically married, one of the sweetest couples in animation history, with few arguments and a multitude of tender moments between them.
 * Hollywood Pudgy: Greg. In his words he's "straight thin, but [he's] gay fat." Greg is indeed noticeably pudgier compared to Terry.
 * Kent Brockman News: They tend to squabble and unload their dirty laundry while at work.
 * Papa Wolf: After Stan kidnapped their baby, the two managed to rouse up support from numerous gay truckers to stop Stan. After Stan returned Liberty (and the kids he stole from a lesbian couple) Stan expected to be forgiven because he learned a lesson. Terry decked him.


 * Parental Abandonment: Terry suffered this from his father Tank after Terry revealed to him that he's homosexual and gave him the choice of accepting that or leaving.
 * Those Two Gays
 * With Friends Like These...: Greg and Terry have been known to spend a numerous amount of time with Stan and Francine, but a couple of instances have proven that the two hate the Smiths.

Linda Memari
An Iranian-American neighbor and friend of Francine. Voiced by Megyn Price.


 * Bi the Way or Lipstick Lesbian: Made out with Francine in "Not Particularly Desperate Housewives" as a way of saying a goodbye, despite being married to a man. and Francine thanks Linda, thinking the kiss was a plan to save her. Linda, clearly disappointed, just goes along with that and claims she needed to get back home to her husbands that "she loves". Overall, it's suggest that Linda's not truly attracted to her husband and is a closeted lesbian, and it's revealed that her husband is aware of her preferences.
 * "Rough Trade", has her making her bust more noticeable by unbuttoning her shirt when she went to go borrow some sugar from Francine, which really was an attempt to hit on her. However, Linda quickly covers up when Stan comes to the door instead.
 * Demoted to Extra: Linda never really appeared in later seasons, along with her husband.
 * Justified, as she never had much of a personality beyond crushing on Francine.

Buckle
A Disney imaginer turned Mountain Man turned Henpecked Husband. Voiced by Matt McKenna.


 * Badass
 * Henpecked Husband
 * Jewish Complaining
 * Jews Love to Argue
 * Mountain Man

Sharri Rothberg
A Jewish-American princess and annoying wife of Buckle. Voiced by Lisa Edelstein.

Father Donovan
The local pastor. Voiced by Martin Mull.

Jeff Fischer
"Hayley's on again off again stoner boyfriend. They get married in the premiere of season 6. Voiced by Jeff Fischer."


 * Adult Child: In "For Whom The Sleigh Bell Tolls", Stan is incensed that Jeff still believes in Santa Claus. He turns out to be real later in the episode.
 * Butt Monkey
 * Dating What Daddy Hates: Arguably the main reason Hayley even bothers with him (he has appeared less the more Stan has warmed up to him).
 * Erudite Stoner
 * Extreme Doormat: Usually to Hayley and Stan's abuse (albeit largely due to being The Pollyanna).
 * The Millstone: He rivals Stan in his ability to make situations go from bad to worse.
 * Nice Hat
 * Noodle Incident: In one episode, Hayley is pissed and fed up with him trying to win her back, but Jeff tells her something offscreen that apparently . What he said is never revealed, probably because there's no believable way they could write something that emotional.
 * Parental Abandonment: His father framed him for possession of cannabis and frequently expresses embarrassment for him in a highly unfiltered Sarcasm Mode. His mother abandoned him before he was born.
 * The Pollyanna: Is quite possible the most cheerful, upbeat guy in the entire show.
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy

Dr Jordan Edilstein

 * Bi the Way: Once spent an experimental weekend with Allen Ginsberg.
 * Deadpan Snarker

Rashid

 * Domestic Abuser
 * Jerkass
 * Manipulative Bastard

Horse Renoir

 * Dark and Troubled Past
 * Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas
 * Third Person Person

Sidney Huffman

 * Becoming the Mask
 * Beware the Nice Ones
 * Extreme Doormat
 * Nice Guy
 * The Pollyanna

Roy Rogers Mc Freely

 * Corrupt Politician
 * Tyrant Takes the Helm

Martin Sugar

 * Affably Evil
 * Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
 * The Charmer

Jenny Fromdabloc

 * Sex Equals Death

Sgt Pepper

 * Cloudcuckoolander
 * Ink Suit Actor

Other Characters
Santa Claus

You probably know who he is, or do you? Surprisingly, Santa is actually a villain on American Dad. He makes his debut when Steve shoots him by accident. He recovers and swears to kill Stan and his family, attempting to do so every Christmas Eve.

Bad Santa: He makes money off of spoiling children.

Turlington
An enigmatic detective character who’s often slow to react. Voiced by Forest Whitaker.


 * Cloudcuckoolander
 * Ink Suit Actor