Mass Effect 3/Characters/Antagonists and Npcs

This page is for listing the tropes related to Antagonists and NPCs who first appeared in the third Mass Effect game.

For the pages listing tropes related to Party Members, NPCs and Antagonists who first appeared in other games in the trilogy, see the Mass Effect Character Index.

Kai Leng


"Cerberus thanks you for all your hard work."

"Voiced by: Troy Baker"

A Cerberus assassin who had a run in with David Anderson during the events of Retribution and Deception. He returns as part of the force that the Illusive Man sends against Shepard in the third game. "Shepard: Three-on-one, pal. It's over. Kai Leng: No. Now it's fun."
 * All There in the Manual: Most of his background is covered in the books, where playing just the game you would think he's just another baddie. His backstory is alluded to if you dig, but not in much detail.
 * Badass Normal: No biotics, no cybernetics, and still manages to kill a krogan (who, remember, have redundant organ systems and an innate Desperation Attack) in a Bar Brawl with just a knife. And then 6 turians, again with just a knife. Then, in Deception, manages to while injured.
 * Badass Abnormal: Likely because of the grievous injuries he sustained at the end of Retribution, Kai Leng sports some serious cybernetic upgrades in ME3.
 * Blood Knight: He enlisted in the army at 16 using a false ID, only to be discharged for murdering a krogan the same year he was made N7. Hints of social darwinism aside, he just loves violence, and relishes the idea of going up against Shepard.
 * Blood Knight: He enlisted in the army at 16 using a false ID, only to be discharged for murdering a krogan the same year he was made N7. Hints of social darwinism aside, he just loves violence, and relishes the idea of going up against Shepard.
 * Blood Knight: He enlisted in the army at 16 using a false ID, only to be discharged for murdering a krogan the same year he was made N7. Hints of social darwinism aside, he just loves violence, and relishes the idea of going up against Shepard.

"Shepard: Three against one, pal. It's over. Kai Leng: No. Now it's fun."
 * Boss Banter: Taunts you and your party members during fights.
 * He's not very good at it however, he gets burned bad more than once.
 * Boxed Crook: The Illusive Man recruited him when he was imprisoned for the aforementioned incident with the krogan.
 * Braggart Boss: With the sole exception that his actions and behavior aren't played for laughs, he fits this trope almost exactly, right down to the fancy flashy outfit.
 * : . If true, then it doesn't seem to have changed his personality much.
 * Canon Immigrant: First appeared in the Retribution and Deception novels.
 * Climax Boss: He's the game's final proper boss.
 * Combat Pragmatist: He's more than happy to, or even.
 * Contractual Boss Immunity: He is immune to Stasis, even when other enemies would be affected.
 * Determinator: Near the end of Retribution, Leng still manages to  Also,
 * Dirty Coward: For all of his gloating, he does have a tendency to retreat and hide behind superior firepower whenever the odds are against him (read: whenever he's up against Shepard), at least until the the final battle with him. Shepard calls him out on this during their final confrontation, which Kai Leng doesn't handle very gracefully.
 * The Dragon: To the Illusive Man.
 * The Heavy: To the Illusive Man's Non-Action Big Bad. Kai Leng is a greater threat in combat than the Illusive Man, and is the one who shows up in person to carry out his orders.
 * Establishing Character Moment: In Retribution, personally killing Liselle for being an asari.
 * Evil Counterpart: Shepard's. Shepard and Kai Leng are both former N7 operatives and the best fighters of their respective organizations (the Alliance/Council for Shepard and Cerberus for Kai Leng). Also, while Kai Leng hates aliens, the fate of the galaxy hangs on Shepard's ability to rally the other races to fight together against the Reapers. His cybernetic upgrades further parallel them. Lampshaded by the Illusive Man in-game.
 * Evil Is Petty: In Deception, he
 * In the game proper, he
 * Fantastic Racism: He really doesn't like aliens.
 * Fatal Flaw: His pride. He arrogantly refuses to take Shepard seriously as a threat and constantly taunts him/her about his/her failures and dead friends and allies.
 * Femme Fatalons: Well, yellow press-on nails.
 * Final Boss: Of the Cerberus plot arc. In fact, he's arguably the last traditional boss fight in the entire game.
 * Final Boss Preview: The first fight with him during Priority: Thessia, which overlaps with Hopeless Boss Fight.
 * Flash Step: He can leave after-images behind him too.
 * Flunky Boss: During the second fight.
 * Foil: To Miranda. The scenes in which they are introduced are very similar, and they are both among the most talented Cerberus operatives TIM ever employed. Whereas Miranda ends up being fairly heroic by the time the Reapers comes, Leng is solidly monstrous.
 * Heads I Win, Tails You Lose:
 * Hero-Killer: Along with, Kai Leng can potentially end up killing any combination of.
 * Hypocrite: Calls quite a few people cowards (including ), while running away from Shepard multiple times, and getting reinforcements when he gets hit.
 * I Like Those Odds:
 * I Like Those Odds:
 * I Like Those Odds:

"Kai: S-shut up!"
 * I Shall Taunt You: After the, you receive an email from him telling you about how your failure has caused millions to die and that he looks forward to killing you next time you two meet.
 * Implacable Man: Gets the drop on Shepard's team by landing on top of their Flying Car. A car that Shepard is driving. While shooting at him. He manages to disable it and escape.
 * Improbable Weapon User: He killed with a toothbrush.
 * Invisibility: Has an Infiltrator/Kasumi-style tactical cloak.
 * Katanas Are Just Better: With a Hand Wave as to why it's effective in a game where kinetic barriers are standard.
 * Kick the Dog:
 * Shepard is emotionally devastated after, putting the blame on him/herself entirely. Kai Leng rubs it in by sending a message to Shepard afterwards telling him/her that because s/he simply wasn't good enough.
 * During the fight with him on, he'll trash-talk whoever he got a chance to kill previously when they met on the Citadel. The reactions of your squaddies say it all.
 * King Mook: He's basically a powered up Cerberus Phantom (complete with gymnastics) with enhanced durability and some additional abilities.
 * Knife Nut: It's what he used to kill six turians and a krogan. And as of Deception, ...although technically he used a shiv made from a toothbrush.
 * Lame Comeback: In the final fight, Shepard mocks him for his tendency to run when things don't go his way. He gets flustered pretty quickly.

"Shepard: That was for, you son of a bitch."
 * Laser-Guided Karma: The scene plays out the same.
 * Laughably Evil: His Deception characterization. This hardcore badass apparently enjoys stealing his victims' cereal and stabbing people with toothbrushes. Fortunately, his Retribution appearance is the one that the game draws from.
 * Ask any prison guard how laughable a shiv made from a toothbrush is.
 * Meaningful Name: "Leng" means "cold" in Chinese.
 * Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: Well, he's a racist cyborg ninja come ME3.
 * Oh Crap: Hard to catch, but he makes one right after.
 * One-Man Army: Almost certainly, seeing as he killed six turians with a knife and, in a separate incident, killed a krogan singlehanded with a knife. As a boss fight, however, he has no problems with calling a gunship for cover fire while he recharges his shields or summoning mooks to his side.
 * Power Palms: Most likely due to his cybernetic nature.
 * Recurring Boss: Twice. First is a Hopeless Boss Fight though.
 * Reverse Grip: With his sword, like the Cerberus Phantoms, with whom he shares a lot of combat animations.
 * The Social Darwinist: He firmly believes in the Illusive Man's vision of "uplifting" humanity via Reaper tech. "We evolve or we die, those are the options!"
 * Slapped Across The Room:
 * He was also a victim of this trope, being on the receiving end of Thane's biotic-pimp-smack-across-the-room when he showed up on the Citadel.
 * Smug Snake: It is very hard to sympathise with this bastard. Yeah, he's a bloodthirsty, xenophobic hitman, but he's also, and more importantly, a complete tool. On Thessia, he trash-talks, provoking an infuriated reaction from your squadmates. After , he sends Shepard an email just to rub his/her nose in it.
 * Sword and Gun: His preferred weapons in the books, as befitting an assassin, are a knife and silenced handgun. In the game, he uses an actual sword and utilizes Power Palms.
 * Sword Beam: The horizontal crescent-wave version.
 * Tattooed Crook: Kai Leng sports an Ouroboros tattoo on the back of his neck.
 * This Is for Emphasis, Bitch: Gets on the receiving end of this in the Cerberus battle from

"Kai Leng: You're slow, Shepard! Commander Shepard I'm only slow because I'm not running!"
 * Underestimating Badassery: He severely underestimates Shepard at several points. This proves to be his undoing.
 * To the point where if you take the Renegade interrupt, Kai Leng, known as one of the galaxy's deadliest assassins, ends up taking just a moment too long when he attempts to kill Shepard. Keep in mind, this is literally seconds after he has been beaten to a pulp, after which Shepard casually went back to what s/he were doing before-hand.
 * With This Herring: Kills a squad of six turian commandos with a knife, and kills with a toothbrush.
 * Whole Costume Reference: With his eye-covering HUD displays, jaw armor, synthetic muscles, bar-code markings and conventional metal sword, Kai Leng's outfit looks quite a bit like MGS4's cyborg ninja design.
 * You Fight Like a Cow: Engages in this with Shepard, . As noted above, Shepard throws it right back in his face.
 * You Fight Like a Cow: Engages in this with Shepard, . As noted above, Shepard throws it right back in his face.

Dr. Eva Coré


A Cerberus infiltration unit the Illusive Man uses to take over the Alliance facility on Mars. Shepard's team narrowly prevents it from escaping with the information on the Crucible they need, although it still manages to.
 * Canon Immigrant: Subverted; this Eva Coré is not the Eva Coré from Evolution (the fact that the Eva Coré from Evolution dies at the end of the comic should be a pretty big hint). She was named after her by the Illusive Man.
 * Dark Action Girl
 * Dark Chick: Fills this role in regards to Cerberus.
 * Evil Counterpart: To EDI.
 * FemBot: As seen in her Robotic Reveal.
 * Femme Fatale: Built to be one.
 * Get Back Here Boss: At first.
 * Out of the Inferno
 * Replacement Goldfish: She's named after one of two friends the Illusive Man lost during Evolution. She was designed to be unquestioningly loyal and, apparently, to look good even without the fake skin.
 * She's also a replacement for Miranda in some respects; she wears similar clothes before they're burned off, was designed and created to be attractive, powerful and intelligent, and acts, as Miranda did, with nothing but complete loyalty for Cerberus in mind.
 * Robotic Reveal: When she emerges from the shuttle crash with her synthetic skin burnt away, revealing her metallic body and glowing eyes.
 * Rush Boss: For the second part of the fight you only have to shoot at her for a few seconds, but she'll kill Shepard in one hit if you don't kill her before she gets to you.
 * The Mole: She arrives at the Mars Archives science team a week before the Reaper invasion, but is actually working for Cerberus.
 * The Mole: She arrives at the Mars Archives science team a week before the Reaper invasion, but is actually working for Cerberus.

Henry Lawson
"Few people have the stomach to do what it takes to survive."

"Voiced by: Alan Dale"

We finally meet Miranda's ego-maniacal father in person. He's exactly as bad as she always claimed.

"Miranda: I wasn't the first [child] he made. Just the first one he kept."
 * Archnemesis Dad: To Miranda.
 * Bad Samaritan: In the running for being the Most Triumphant Example.
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive: One of the wealthiest businessmen in the galaxy, though we don't know what he does when he's not manufacturing Designer Babies.
 * : Miranda
 * Evil Genius: To
 * It's All About Me: Obsessed with his legacy.
 * Mad Scientist: Oh boy...
 * Necessarily Evil: "I will be regarded as the savior of the human race!" Uh-huh.
 * Offing the Offspring: He's really not too concerned about Miranda's welfare. He's also "discarded" the Designer Babies that didn't live up to his expectations.
 * Mad Scientist: Oh boy...
 * Necessarily Evil: "I will be regarded as the savior of the human race!" Uh-huh.
 * Offing the Offspring: He's really not too concerned about Miranda's welfare. He's also "discarded" the Designer Babies that didn't live up to his expectations.


 * The Ghost: In Mass Effect 2.
 * The Unfought
 * Truly Single Parent: His "daughters" were made by mixing his genes with specifically chosen female DNA from to produce "perfect" children for his dynasty.
 * Villains Want Mercy: The guy . And he wants Shepard to just let him walk away.

Diana Allers


"Wars can be won or lost in the editing room, and this war needs to be won."

A reporter who can join Shepard aboard the Normandy in Mass Effect 3. Voiced by and modeled on IGN's Jessica Chobot.
 * Bi the Way: A romance option for both male and female Shepard.
 * : She mentions in passing that her homeworld is the colony of Bekenstein.
 * Dull Surprise: There are several instances of this, but one of the first moments is when she's dismayed by a Shepard who supports a crew member regarding Allers' opinion piece on abandoning Terra Nova (she's for it; the crew member's against). She expresses her disapproval in her normal tone, despite it being clear by her dialogue that she's unhappy about it, and her facial expression doesn't change.
 * Gay Option: For female characters.
 * Hot Scoop
 * Ink Suit Actor: Her appearances are based on her voice actress.
 * Ms. Fanservice: Her outfit is a form-fitting dress that accentuates her features. Invoked for her show, purely because Sex Sells.
 * Tagalong Reporter
 * Tagalong Reporter

Steve Cortez


"I seem to remember getting shot at the whole time and everyone coming back in one piece, Mr Vega."

"Voiced by: Matthew Del Negro"

One of the people responsible for retrofitting the Normandy SR-2. His talent for flying led him to become the Normandy's shuttle pilot after the Reaper invasion began. He is an old friend of James. Like many members of the crew, he has a personal stake in the fight against the Reapers: his husband was killed during the Collector attack on the colony of Ferris Fields.
 * Ace Pilot: A former fighter jock who spends nearly as much time tinkering with his birds as flying them. He's not so attached to them that he'll risk pissing off an 800-pound krogan with a shotgun, though. His skill at flying is further highlighted in Citadel, where he reveals that he prefers flying with the inertial dampeners off and pulling a few G's, even doing a barrel-roll.
 * Falling Into the Cockpit: He has experience flying and obviously does a fine job, but on paper he is actually your logistics officer, and ended up running the shuttles because no one else on the Normandy could.
 * Gay Option: For male Shepards.
 * Romancing the Widower: His husband Robert died during the Collectors' abduction of Ferris Fields, and he can be romanced by male Shepard during the course of Mass Effect 3.
 * Second Love: With male Shepard, if romanced.
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The sensitive guy to James' manly man. While he firmly fits as a Invisible to Gaydar, he's not afraid to talk about his feelings, his problems letting go of his dead husband, and even cry in front of others. This is all presented in a very serious light, without a hint of camp.
 * Invisible to Gaydar: Displays no stereotypical mannerisms.
 * Twofer Token Minority: Gay and Latin-American.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: He and James knew each other before they both ended up on the Normandy, and spend most of their time heckling each other.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: He and James knew each other before they both ended up on the Normandy, and spend most of their time heckling each other.

Samantha Traynor


"It's almost as if you wanted to spare your pawns the indignity of living under my regime."

"Voiced by: Alix Wilton Regan"

A civilian who aided the retrofitting of the Normandy SR-2. Her technical skills led to EDI requesting her to be made Communications Specialist after the Reaper invasion began. She takes over Kelly's role, informing Shepard of new mail and events that the Commander should know about.


 * Adorkable
 * All Lesbians Want Kids: The conclusion of her romance.
 * Falling Into the Cockpit: She happened to be working aboard the Normandy as a civilian dockside technician when the Reaper attack hit. Ends up as the Communications Officer.
 * Gay Option: For female Shepards.
 * Incompatible Orientation: If you try and hit on her as male Shepard.
 * Mundane Utility: Her toothbrush. It uses mass effect fields, the miracle technology that makes faster-than-light travel possible, to floss between the teeth. It costs over six thousand credits, so needless to say, Shepard isn't putting in a requisition order to replace the one she lost.
 * Sexy Secretary: Unlike Kelly, it's entirely coincidental.
 * Shower of Love: Her romance scene.
 * Nipple-and-Dimed: Apparently Miss Traynor likes to take her showers while wearing her lacy bra and panties. And with the door open. (Of course, she is trying to seduce a female Shepard...)
 * Smart People Play Chess: Either she is very very good at it, or Shepard plays chess about as well as s/he dances.
 * Sorry, I'm Gay/You're Not My Type: How she rejects male Shepard if he hits on her.
 * Invisible to Gaydar: Displays no stereotypical mannerisms.
 * Lipstick Lesbian: Very feminine and only into women.
 * Teach Her Anger: During the fight with the Reaper Destroyer on Rannoch, she states that for the first time, she felt angry. She didn't want to simply defeat that reaper, she wanted to kill it. Shepard congratulates her on finding her fight-or-flight response.

Bethany Westmoreland and Sarah Campbell

 * Falling Into the Cockpit: They were Joker's guards (in the "legal custody" sense, not the "Very Important Person" sense) before the Reaper attack, keeping watch over him while he worked with EDI during the Normandy's refit. When the Reaper attack happened, they accepted Joker and EDI's offer of a ride. Now they guard the War Room, evidently for lack of anything else to do with their skills.
 * Punny Name: "Westmoreland?" Really?
 * The Guards Must Be Crazy: Averted. They evidently check everybody before allowing them in or out of the War Room, including Shepard, the ship's commander. Every friggin' time s/he walks through.
 * Those Two Guys: They pass the time by idly bantering about whatever mission Shepard has just returned from.
 * With Us or Against Us: Campbell states that she's totally fine with killing one of her ex-friends, simply because he joined Cerberus.

The New Council
If the Destiny Ascension was destroyed in the climax of the first game, the replacement Council refused to meet with you in the second due to your Cerberus ties. This is the first time you meet the other races' new representatives - Quentius (turian), Dalatrass Esheel (salarian) and Irissa (asari).

Primarch Adrien Victus


"Decisions like these weigh heavy on me. When I was a general I could pass them up the chain of command, but now I'm all I've got."

A turian general leading the defense against the Reapers attacking Palaven. General Adrien Victus is rescued from Palaven's moon, Menae, by Commander Shepard after the initial attack killed Primarch Fedorian. The line of succession in the Hierarchy is very clear: Victus is to be the new Primarch and must lend the might of the turian fleet in Shepard's battle against the Reapers.


 * A Father to His Men: Cares deeply about the well-being of his people and refuses to simply leave them to their fates.
 * Four-Star Badass
 * Military Maverick: He has this reputation thanks to his unorthodox tactics.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: By far the most cooperative ally Shepard has in the first act of the game.
 * Reluctant Ruler: Not particularly happy about being Primarch.
 * The Chains of Commanding: He and Shepard have quite a few conversations about this.
 * The Kirk: To Linron's Spock and Wrex/Wreav's The McCoy.
 * The Men First: He's hesitant to leave his men behind when his presence is needed on the Normandy to coordinate an alliance.
 * Unfortunate Name: "Victus" means "conquered", "defeated" in Latin.
 * You Are in Command Now: His predecessor was killed immediately after the Reapers arrived. He's actually very bitter about the promotion, stating that he hates politicians.

Dalatrass Linron
"A bully has few friends when he needs them the most!"

A leader of the Salarian people. Shepard has to negotiate an alliance between her, Primarch Victus and Wrex / Wreav during the first act of the game, a task made no easier by her feelings regarding the krogan.


 * Fantastic Racism: She refuses to believe that the krogan can be anything but brutish thugs. If Wreav is leading them, there's at least some reason for her to be worried, but keeping Wrex alive makes her attitude come off even worse.
 * Eve makes Linron sound even more foolish.
 * Hypocrite: She preaches that Shepard is repeating the salarians' mistake of using the krogan to fight a war, ignoring the inevitable fallout that will follow an unchecked krogan population boom.
 * Jerkass: Hides the fact that she's holding the cured female krogan, constantly impedes the alliance peace talks, and to top it all off  Never shows a second of remorse for anything that she's done.
 * Obstructive Bureaucrat: She puts Udina and the Citadel council to shame in this category.
 * Pet the Dog: If you do, Linron fully lives up to her promise.
 * Smug Snake: And how. She clearly thinks she's a Magnificent Bitch, but by the end of Act I,  everyone is tired of her bullshit and
 * The Spock: Compared to Wrex/Wreav's The McCoy, and Victus and Paragon!Shepard's Kirk. Not that they necessarily take her opinion seriously.

Padok Wiks
"In the interests of science, how do krogan mate?"

The scientist in charge of the secret base on Sur'Kesh where you meet Eve. If Mordin died in the Suicide Mission, Wiks then joins you on the Normandy and takes over his role in the story, synthesizing a genophage cure from Eve's tissue.


 * The Atoner: He helps Eve in order to make amends for a career of interfering with the natural order.
 * Brain Bleach: Inflicts this upon Shepard and himself.
 * Demoted to Extra: If he's not taking Mordin's place, his presence in the story is wildly reduced, even to the point of losing 80% of conversation options during your single remaining interaction with him.
 * For Science!: Why he wants to know how krogan mate.
 * The Mole: If Mordin died in the suicide mission, he lets the krogan know about the females the STG recovered. It cost him a lot of friends on Sur'Kesh, but it was the right thing to do.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Joker takes to calling him "not-Mordin" until, but talking to him reveals that he's more spiritual (and detests Gilbert & Sullivan).
 * The Mole: If Mordin died in the suicide mission, he lets the krogan know about the females the STG recovered. It cost him a lot of friends on Sur'Kesh, but it was the right thing to do.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Joker takes to calling him "not-Mordin" until, but talking to him reveals that he's more spiritual (and detests Gilbert & Sullivan).
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Joker takes to calling him "not-Mordin" until, but talking to him reveals that he's more spiritual (and detests Gilbert & Sullivan).

Major Coats
"The Admiral's being modest. He's the reason any of us are still alive."

The soldier in London from the very first trailer appears at the end of the game, complaining about spending three days trapped in Big Ben. He helps Anderson co-ordinate the final push on


 * Badass Normal: He spent three days holed up in the Westminster clock tower while Reapers were landing around him. He survived that, and managed to (possibly) survive the entire Reaper invasion of Earth.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Particularly in the trailer, where inbetween scopin'-and-dropin' husks from Big Ben, he's half-complaining that Shepard hasn't shown up with The Cavalry yet.
 * Majorly Awesome: A major in the Alliance.
 * Mauve Shirt: Although whether or not he survives is unclear.
 * Sniper Rifle: His preferred weapon. Specifically an M-29 Incisor in the trailer.

Lieutenant Tarquin Victus
"Victory, at any cost..."

The son of Primarch Adrien Victus, Lieutenant Tarquin Victus is leading a squad of turian troops on a mission to defuse a bomb near a major krogan population center, a bomb  With an alliance between the krogans, turians, and humans in its infancy, it is imperative that Victus complete his mission.
 * Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He earns the respect of his troops the hard way.
 * Dare to Be Badass: How Shepard can inspire him to gain the loyalty of his troops, reminding him that they are turian, they swore an oath of service and should be willing to give their lives to secure the mission's success. They do not just get to quit. And it works!
 * , redeeming himself in the eyes of his people.
 * , redeeming himself in the eyes of his people.

Jondum Bau
"And for the record--not everyone doubted your word about the Reapers. I just hope we're not too late."

A salarian Spectre trying to capture Kasumi Goto, until she sends him a tip that hanar diplomats are working for the Reapers. Can be killed by the diplomat's guard or saved by Commander Shepard. If saved, Bau becomes the spokesperson for a Spectre Unit willing to aid Shepard.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: Unlike the Council, he and his fellow Spectres have always taken Shepard's warnings of the Reaper threat seriously. He's also one of the few Spectres that Shepard meets that neither tries to betray or kill them.
 * Worthy Opponent: He and Kasumi have this going. She's so good it's "almost salarian", apparently.
 * Worthy Opponent: He and Kasumi have this going. She's so good it's "almost salarian", apparently.

Kahlee Sanders
"We met -- God, what's it been? -- 20 years ago. I was there when Saren betrayed him."

"Voiced by: Grey DeLisle"

A first lieutenant working for the Alliance. She works at the Jon Grissom Academy as part of the Ascension Project, a school for young human biotics, although she isn't a biotic herself. She is an old acquaintence of David Anderson. She appeared in the Mass Effect novels Revelation, Ascension, Retribution and Deception before appearing in Mass Effect 3, where she helps to evacuate the students from the academy when Cerberus attacks.
 * Blue Eyes/Power Blonde: The novels make a big deal over her being a blue-eyed blonde; apparently both blonde hair and blue eyes are dying traits in the future, although the games themselves don't really show this.
 * Though it would explain the games' repeated failures to render blond Shepards...
 * Canon Immigrant: Was a major character in the novels, before having a minor appearance in the third game.
 * Token Romance: With Anderson in Revelation.

"Eve"/


"Wisdom comes from pain, and the genophage has made us very wise."

"Voiced by: Lani Minella"

The sole survivor of Maelon's experiment to cure the genophage, she represents the future of the krogan people. Shepard must protect her from a Cerberus onslaught and safely escort her to Tuchanka. ""Eve": I can handle myself, Wrex. Wrex: (Beat) Women."
 * Babies Ever After: If Wrex is the leader, and the genophage is cured, Wrex will let you know Eve is pregnant in an email.
 * Badass Damsel: She spends most of a mission locked in a pod, being escorted and protected by Shepard and Co. But once she gets free, the first thing she does is yank a shotgun out of an ally's hands and blast two Cerberus troopers to kingdom come.


 * Does Not Like Men: At least, krogan men. That said, she still says Wrex is the best thing to ever happen to the krogan.
 * Firing One-Handed: Apparently how she handles shotguns.
 * Hidden Depths: If you're expecting a flat Damsel in Distress, talk to her for like five seconds. She's contemplative, philosophical and damn near poetic, with no illusions about why krogans hold the status (or lack thereof) they do in the galaxy.
 * Hooked Up Afterwards: Implied to have done so with Wrex, who mentions she's pregnant by the time you take back Earth. Wrex jokes that it's one of the perks of his being clan-chief, even if she does want to name the firstborn child after Mordin.
 * Incurable Cough of Death: Depending on the choice you make.
 * Like an Old Married Couple: Her above interaction with Wrex has this vibe.
 * Lysistrata Gambit: Eve turned the genophage into one of these, seeing this as a unique opportunity for females to influence society.
 * MacGuffin Girl: She is the only
 * Meaningful Name: Invoked: because she did not share her true name, Mordin chose to call her "Eve", as he believes that human mythology would be appropriate, considering that she's currently on a human vessel.
 * Men Use Violence, Women Use Communication: Played completely straight and lampshaded by Wrex.
 * Lampshades this with FemShep, noting she's glad to see that humans treat their women with the respect and honour they deserve.
 * Morality Chain: If Wrex is krogan leader, he only needs a bit of prodding from her. If Wreav is leader, most of the cast agree she's the only thing keeping him from repeating history.
 * My Species Doth Protest Too Much: She believes that while the genophage was an atrocity, the fact that in its wake, the krogan turned from a once-proud race to a roaving band of mercenaries who resort to petty thuggery and barbarism to solve problems, means she can see why it was done.
 * Odd Friendship: With Mordin, and Shepard if you're kind to her. She even says she wants to name her first born child after Mordin,
 * Only Known by Their Nickname: She's the female clan's Shaman; like the Urdnot Shaman who oversaw Grunt's rite, she explains that she gave up her name the day she took the title. The Normandy team takes to calling her Eve.
 * However, complete the Tuchanka arc perfectly (by doing all missions, keeping her alive, and releasing the cure) and Eve will deem Shepard a friend worthy of knowing her true name:
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: By far the most reasonable Krogan in the series. Even moreso than Wrex!
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: Although Wrex is very Blue compared to the typical krogan, he is still Red to Eve. Mordin considers her to be a good moderating influence on Wrex.
 * Rousing Speech: Very capable of making these. It's actually quite fascinating and inspiring listening to her dialogue.
 * Sole Survivor: Out of all the test subjects, she is the only one who survived the process.
 * Stop Being Stereotypical: She will deliver a speech of this theme to her people on.
 * Tsundere: Toward Wrex.
 * Tsundere: Toward Wrex.

Urdnot Dagg
"To be hated by ones so powerful speaks well of you. My krogan would destroy anything we face to earn such a reputation."

If Grunt wasn't accepted into Clan Urdnot, wasn't decanted, or died in the Suicide Mission, his role as leader of Aralakh company is filled by this guy.
 * Blood Knight: Enough that he assumes Shepard's one as well. In fact, he's jealous that Shepard has Reapers personally looking out for his/her death.
 * Foreshadowing: When you can personally overlook a fight between the krogan and rachni, you'll notice that Dagg has a harder time fighting them than Grunt would. This is the clue that.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: More or less, for Grunt.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: More or less, for Grunt.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: More or less, for Grunt.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: More or less, for Grunt.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: More or less, for Grunt.

Kalros
A Colossal Thresher Maw that has roamed the wastelands of Tuchanka for more than a thousand years. When the salarians set up the atmosphere-replenishing Shroud tower during the Uplifting, they built it near an arena dedicated to Kalros to discourage any vandals or saboteurs. It worked - even after the Shroud was used to spread the genophage, no-one dared go near it...until Shepard and co. needed it to spread the cure. "Garrus: When the krogan name a thresher maw, you know you're in trouble. They don't think anyone's going to kill it."
 * Cool Versus Awesome: She fights a freaking Reaper.
 * The Dreaded: Even krogan try to stay out of her way. Garrus puts it best:
 * The Dreaded: Even krogan try to stay out of her way. Garrus puts it best:

"Wrex: If Tuchanka has a temper, Kalros is it."
 * Tuchanka's Vengeance: Wrex invokes this.


 * Kaiju: It's simply enormous
 * Monster Progenitor/Mother of a Thousand Young: She's said to be the mother from whom all thresher maws spawn. This is probably an exaggeration. We think. It may be true for all the ones on Tuchanka though; the place is apparently crawling with them.
 * One-Scene Wonder: Holy crap.
 * Sand Worm: The biggest one we've ever seen.
 * Summon Bigger Fish

Geth VI
"We are not Legion."

"Voiced by: D. C. Douglas"

A virtual intelligence created by the geth to study the Reapers. It is constructed from a backup copy of Legion, and appears if that character was sold to Cerberus or slain at the Collector Base. It is less friendly than Legion at first.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Legion's. Depending on your playthrough, it's implied it's the same platform (returned to the Perseus Veil) but different software uploaded into it.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Legion's. Depending on your playthrough, it's implied it's the same platform (returned to the Perseus Veil) but different software uploaded into it.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Legion's. Depending on your playthrough, it's implied it's the same platform (returned to the Perseus Veil) but different software uploaded into it.

The Catalyst
"The story is older than the Cycles themselves: "The created destroys the creator.""

The missing component for the Crucible turns out to be the Citadel itself; the sapient AI that created and controls the Reapers. He was created countless aeons ago to avert the inevitable Robot Wars that spring up between the created and their creators. His solution was the forcible transformation of all spacefaring species in Reaper form. He left less advanced ones alone to flourish, essentially hitting the Reset Button over and over for millions of years.
 * A Form You Are Comfortable With: Manifests physically as the specter of a child Shepard sees killed on Earth. Or presented himself to Shepard as that child to promote comfort should Shepard succeed in reaching him.
 * : The Catalyst states very firmly that
 * Note that this directly contradicts what Sovereign said in the first game about the mass relay system deliberately setting the course of galactic technology. Of course, Sovereign also claimed that the Reapers had no creator and no origin, and the Catalyst is it's creator...
 * Bigger Bad:
 * Non-Action Bigger Bad
 * The Bad Guy Wins:
 * Creepy Child: His avatar is a dark energy simulacra of that boy who was killed in the escape from Earth. Or, he projected that avatar in a more comfortable form in a failed attempt to avert this.
 * Diabolus Ex Machina: The Catalyst is introduced in the last minutes of the game, and Shepard only gets to use the Crucible at its mercy, thus ensuring that the Reapers only lose on their own terms.
 * Evil Sounds Deep: Inverted. His voice sounds like a young boy's, and he's definitely the least malevolent of the Reapers.
 * Power Echoes: However, his voice does resonate due to how the game channels it: a child's voice overlayed with male Shepard's voice in one speaker and female Shepard's voice in the other.
 * The Fatalist: He is of the opinion that organics and synthetics are destined to kill each other forever... even if you have the geth and the quarians make peace.
 * Freudian Excuse: Implied. His reasoning sounds like he's learned from bitter experience.
 * Graceful Loser: See Bigger Bad. No ego-maniacal speeches, no This Cannot Be! - he simply admits his system will no longer work and gives Shepard final say on what to do with the Crucible's power.
 * Heads I Win, Tails You Lose: It is subtly implied that the three options he presents you with are only the options that he wants to present you with.
 * He Who Fights Monsters: Judging from how horrifying his solution is, it's hard to imagine something more monstrous once existed. Nevertheless, in his efforts to prevent wars between organics and their synthetic creations from destroying the galaxy, he, a synthetic created by organics, creates synthetic constructs that kill or harvest all remotely advanced organic and synthetic life.
 * Manipulative Bastard: Even if you don't believe in the Indoctrination Theory, you cannot doubt that he is this to some degree. Just listen to how he makes the Synthesis option sound like the best option and how he addresses the issue that the geth will die as well in the Destroy ending. His sad, reflective tone when he mentions that little factoid as opposed to his cheerier, more hopeful one when discussing Synthesis sounds very much like he's trying to guilt-trip Shepard into keeping synthetics alive.
 * Order Versus Chaos: He describes his system of "order" as being one that basically resets the galaxy every few hundred thousand years so that organics and synthetics won't wipe themselves out.
 * Orcus on His Throne: Of the extremely hands-off variety. Aside from actually creating the Reapers and establishing the cycle, the Catalyst takes no active part in the conflict. Even when Shepard reaches the heart of the Citadel, the only thing the Catalyst does is effectively stand aside and offer Shepard possible solutions to the Reaper threat.
 * It's not even certain that the Reapers actually know it exists.
 * Sadistic Choice: He makes it clear that of the three options he presents, none of them are clear-cut happy endings.
 * Sufficiently Advanced Alien: He is portrayed as an almost godlike being, with the capability of rewriting all life in the galaxy with the help of the Crucible and Shepard.
 * Deus Est Machina: However, given that he uses the word "us" to describe synthetics when outlining the Destroy ending (thereby implying that he's one of them himself), he qualifies for this as well.
 * The Unfought: Sort of justified.
 * Time Abyss: He started the Reaper cycle, so we can assume he's tens, if not hundreds, of millions of years old.
 * Villains Never Lie: Everything he says is taken at face value, and the player is given no opportunity to argue or find alternate solutions. How much truth is in his words is left open to interpretation.
 * Voice of the Legion: It's voiced by three separate actors; Mark Meer (BroShep), Jennifer Hale (FemShep), and an uncredited third actor. It goes Up to Eleven in the Extended Cut DLC if Shepard refuses its options, where it suddenly throws its best Harbinger impersonation at the player.
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist: Even he admits this.
 * Villains Never Lie: Everything he says is taken at face value, and the player is given no opportunity to argue or find alternate solutions. How much truth is in his words is left open to interpretation.
 * Voice of the Legion: It's voiced by three separate actors; Mark Meer (BroShep), Jennifer Hale (FemShep), and an uncredited third actor. It goes Up to Eleven in the Extended Cut DLC if Shepard refuses its options, where it suddenly throws its best Harbinger impersonation at the player.
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist: Even he admits this.

The Stargazer
A nameless grandfather that relates the legendary story of "The Shepard" to his grandson ages after the conclusion of the game during The Stinger.
 * The Cameo: Voiced by Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon.
 * The Storyteller: The implication is that the entire series has been the old man telling the story to his grandson; the different details of varying playthroughs are handwaved with the explanation that it happened so long ago that the specific details have been lost.