Characterization Tropes

Tropes about setting up, fleshing out, and tearing down characters.

Compare Characters and Casting for how characters are affected by being played by actors. Contrast Characters As Device for roles that characters can be shoved into for plot reasons. See Signature Tropes for tropes that define a character (or work of fiction).

Tropes:
Categories:
 * Accent Tropes
 * Admiration Tropes
 * Aging Tropes
 * Backstory Index
 * Birth Tropes
 * Blame Tropes
 * Character Flaw Index
 * Character Derailment
 * Clothing Reflects Personality
 * Cynicism Tropes
 * Dead Herring
 * Disability Tropes
 * Does Not Like This Index
 * Emotion Tropes
 * Anger Tropes
 * Disgust Tropes
 * Fear Tropes
 * Happiness Tropes
 * Hatred Tropes
 * Love Tropes
 * Sadness Tropes
 * Surprise Tropes
 * Ego Tropes
 * Extraversion Tropes
 * Fictional Culture and Nation Tropes
 * Foils
 * Gender and Sexuality Tropes
 * Always Female
 * Always Male
 * Bisexuality Tropes
 * Double Standard
 * Queer As Tropes
 * Unisex Tropes
 * Goals and Objectives Index
 * Gratitude Tropes
 * Heel Face Index
 * I Am an Index
 * Idealism Tropes
 * Knight in Shining Tropes
 * Identity Index
 * Improbable Behavior Tropes
 * Internal Conflict Tropes
 * Introversion Tropes
 * The Jerk Index
 * Madness Tropes
 * Mary Sue Tropes
 * Master of the Index
 * More Than Meets the Eye
 * Motivation Index
 * Naming Conventions
 * National Stereotyping Tropes
 * A Nice Jewish Index
 * Occupation Tropes
 * Oh Great a Snark Index
 * Otherness Tropes
 * The Only Righteous Index of Fanatics
 * Personal Appearance Tropes
 * Costume Tropes
 * Stripperiffic
 * Eye Tropes
 * Hair Tropes
 * Race Tropes
 * Smile Tropes
 * Tear Tropes
 * Prejudice Tropes
 * Signature Tropes
 * Stereotype
 * This Index Has Had a Hard Life
 * This Index Is Copypasted
 * Tropes About Perverts
 * You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry

For lists of tropes as they apply to specific fictional characters, see:
 * Character Sheets


 * Above Good and Evil
 * Abstract Apotheosis
 * Acceptable Feminine Goals
 * Actual Pacifist
 * Adaptational Badass
 * Adaptational Villainy
 * Addiction Displacement
 * Admiring the Abomination
 * Afraid of Blood
 * Afraid of Needles
 * Age-Appropriate Angst
 * Agent Peacock
 * A God I Am Not
 * The Ahnold
 * Air Hugging
 * All a Part of The Job
 * All Take and No Give
 * All of the Other Reindeer
 * All Work vs. All Play
 * Allergic to Routine
 * Always Camp
 * Always Someone Better
 * Ambiguous Disorder
 * Ambition Is Evil
 * A Minor Kidroduction
 * Amnesiacs Are Innocent
 * Angst Dissonance
 * Angst? What Angst?
 * Animal Jingoism
 * Animals Hate Him
 * Annoying Laugh
 * Anvilicious
 * Apologetic Attacker
 * Apologises a Lot
 * Attention Deficit Disciple
 * Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny
 * Attention Whore
 * Backported Development
 * Backstory
 * Backstory of the Day
 * Bad Dreams
 * Bad Guys Play Pool
 * Badass Baritone
 * Badass Decay
 * Badass Mustache
 * Baddie Flattery
 * Benched Hero
 * Beneath the Mask
 * Basement Dweller
 * Be All My Sins Remembered
 * Beautiful All Along
 * Beetle Maniac
 * Being Personal Isn't Professional
 * Belated Backstory
 * Berserk Button
 * Betty and Veronica
 * Beware the Honest Ones
 * Beware the Nice Ones
 * Birds of a Feather
 * Bitch Alert
 * Black Knight
 * Blood Brothers
 * Blood Lust
 * Blood Knight
 * Blood-Splattered Innocents
 * Blunt Metaphors Trauma
 * Bookworm
 * Cute Bookworm
 * Bonding Over Missing Parents
 * Born in The Wrong Century
 * Born Winner
 * Break the Badass
 * Break the Cutie
 * Corrupt the Cutie
 * Kill the Cutie
 * Break the Haughty
 * Brilliant but Lazy
 * Broken Ace
 * The Butcher
 * Buy Them Off
 * Call to Agriculture
 * Cannot Convey Sarcasm
 * Can't Hold His Liquor
 * Card-Carrying Villain
 * Catch Phrase
 * Cats Are Mean
 * The Chains of Commanding
 * Challenge Seeker
 * Character Alignment
 * Character Calculus
 * Character Check
 * Character Depth
 * Flat Character
 * Rounded Character
 * Dynamic Character
 * Static Character
 * Hidden Depths
 * Hidden Badass
 * Character Derailment
 * Character Rerailment
 * Character Development
 * Character Tics
 * Characterization Marches On
 * A Chat With Satan
 * Chef of Iron
 * Chekhov's Skill
 * Chewing the Scenery
 * Children Are Innocent
 * Chronic Hero Syndrome
 * Chronic Villainy
 * Cincinnatus
 * Civilian Villain
 * Classic Villain
 * Claustrophobia
 * Women Are Wiser
 * Closet Geek
 * Cloudcuckoolander
 * The Cobbler's Children Have No Shoes
 * Collector of the Strange
 * Commuting On a Bus
 * Complete Monster
 * Compliment Fishing
 * Consulting Mister Puppet
 * Consummate Professional
 * Contemplate Our Navels
 * Contemplative Boss
 * Cool Loser
 * Convenience Store Gift Shopping
 * Counterpart Comparison
 * Cowardly Lion
 * Cower Power
 * Crazy People Play Chess
 * Creature of Habit
 * Creepy Good
 * Crossing the Burnt Bridge
 * Cuddle Bug
 * Cultural Rebel
 * Cuteness Proximity
 * Cruella to Animals
 * Daddy's Girl
 * Dad the Veteran
 * Dark and Troubled Past
 * Dark Is Evil
 * Dark Is Not Evil
 * Light Is Not Good
 * Dartboard of Hate
 * Daytime Drama Queen
 * Deliberately Cute Child
 * Depending On the Writer
 * Designated Protagonist Syndrome
 * Detective Animal
 * Determined Defeatist
 * Determined Expression
 * Dirty Business
 * Dirty Cop
 * Bad Cop, Incompetent Cop
 * Disco Dan
 * Distinguished Gentleman's Pipe
 * The Ditherer
 * Divergent Character Evolution
 * Divided We Fall
 * Doctor Jekyll And Mister Jack Daniels
 * Does Not Like Spam
 * Dojikko
 * Don't Look At Me
 * Don't Make Me Destroy You
 * Don't You Dare Pity Me!
 * Donut Mess With a Cop
 * Double Consciousness
 * The Drag Along
 * Drama Queen
 * Drink Order
 * Driven to Suicide
 * Dudley Do-Right Stops to Help
 * Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat
 * Dumbass Has a Point
 * Dumb Muscle
 * Dungeonmaster's Girlfriend
 * Elective Mute
 * Elfeminate
 * Embarrassing Nickname
 * Embarrassing Tattoo
 * Emotional Bruiser
 * Emotional Maturity Is Physical Maturity
 * Entitled Bastard
 * Entitled to Have You
 * Epiphany Therapy
 * Escapist Character
 * Establishing Character Moment
 * Everybody Smokes
 * Everyone Has Standards
 * Everyone Is Related
 * Evil Laugh
 * Evil Sounds Deep
 * The Exile
 * Expy
 * Eye Take
 * Face of the Band
 * Failed Audition Plot
 * False Widow
 * Famous Ancestor
 * Fantastically Indifferent
 * Fantasy Forbidding Father
 * The Fashionista
 * Fat Idiot
 * Fat Slob
 * Fatal Flaw
 * Fear of Thunder
 * Fearless Fool
 * Female Angel, Male Demon
 * Fish Eyes
 * Flanderization
 * Flaw Exploitation
 * Fleeting Passionate Hobbies
 * Fluffy Tamer
 * Foreign Language Tirade
 * Forgets to Eat
 * Forgot Flanders Could Do That
 * Formerly Fat
 * Former Teen Rebel
 * Fountain of Expies
 * Freudian Excuse
 * Mommy Issues
 * French Jerk
 * Friendly Rivalry
 * The Friend Nobody Likes
 * Friend to All Children
 * Friend to All Living Things
 * Friend to Bugs
 * From Nobody to Nightmare
 * Functional Addict
 * Game of Nerds
 * Gasshole
 * The Generic Guy
 * Genius Book Club
 * Genre Refugee
 * The Gimmick
 * The Glasses Come Off
 * The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry
 * The Gloves Come Off
 * Going Down With the Ship
 * Go-Karting With Bowser
 * Good Costume Switch
 * Good Flaws, Bad Flaws
 * Good Is Impotent
 * Good Is Not Dumb
 * Good Is Not Nice
 * Grass Is Greener
 * Greed
 * Green-Eyed Monster
 * Driven By Envy
 * Grew a Spine
 * Grudging Thank You
 * Guilt Complex
 * Guilty Pleasures
 * The Gump
 * Gut Feeling
 * Guttural Growler
 * Happy Flashback
 * Has Two Mommies
 * Hates Baths
 * Hates Being Touched
 * Hates Everyone Equally
 * Hates Small Talk
 * Headbutting Heroes
 * He-Man Woman Hater
 * Headphones Equal Isolation
 * Heart Trauma
 * The Hedonist
 * Hero Harasses Helpers
 * Heroic Albino
 * Heroic Bastard
 * Hidden Heart of Gold
 * High Hopes, Zero Talent
 * His Story Repeats Itself
 * Historical Badass Upgrade
 * Historical Hero Upgrade
 * Historical Villain Downgrade
 * Historical Villain Upgrade
 * Hollywood Dress Code
 * Fur and Loathing
 * Meganekko
 * Nerd Glasses
 * Opaque Nerd Glasses
 * Scary Shiny Glasses
 * Hollywood Personality Disorders
 * Holy Burns Evil
 * Holy Hitman
 * Hormone-Addled Teenager
 * Horrible Judge of Character
 * Hospitality for Heroes
 * Hot-Blooded
 * A House Divided
 * Hulk Speak
 * Human Pack Mule
 * Humble Hero
 * Humble Pie
 * Humorless Aliens
 * Hyper Awareness
 * Iaijutsu Practitioner
 * I Am What I Am
 * I Am Who?
 * I Can Still Fight
 * I Coulda Been a Contender
 * Idle Rich
 * I Got Bigger
 * I Have Brothers
 * I Kiss Your Hand
 * Interpretative Character
 * I Thought Everyone Could Do That!
 * I Want to Be A Real Man
 * I Want You to Meet An Old Friend of Mine
 * Ideal Hero
 * Ignored Epiphany
 * Ignore the Fanservice
 * In Touch With His Feminine Side
 * Immortal Immaturity
 * Immortality Begins At Twenty
 * Immortality Seeker
 * Implied Answer
 * Improbable Age
 * Incorruptible Pure Pureness
 * Inferiority Superiority Complex
 * Informed Judaism
 * Informed Wrongness
 * In Harmony With Nature
 * In Harm's Way
 * In Its Hour of Need
 * Innocent Aliens
 * Innocent Bigot
 * Innocently Insensitive
 * Insists On Paying
 * Intelligence Equals Isolation
 * Intelligent Gerbil
 * Interacting With Shadow
 * Internal Reformist
 * In the Original Klingon
 * Invisible Celebrity Guest
 * In Your Nature to Destroy Yourselves
 * I Would Say If I Could Say
 * Jack of All Trades
 * Jade-Colored Glasses
 * Jerkass
 * Jerkass Dissonance
 * Jerkass Facade
 * Jerkass Has a Point
 * Jerkass Woobie
 * Jewish and Nerdy
 * Jewish Complaining
 * Jews Love to Argue
 * Kick the Morality Pet
 * Kick Them While They Are Down
 * Kid Appeal Character
 * Kids Are Cruel
 * Kill Me Now or Forever Stay Your Hand
 * Kingpin in His Gym
 * Knight in Sour Armor
 * The Knights Who Say Squee
 * Knuckle-Cracking
 * Kitsch Collection
 * Klingon Scientists Get No Respect
 * Laborious Laziness
 * Lack of Empathy
 * A Lady On Each Arm
 * Large and In Charge
 * The Last DJ
 * Lawful Stupid Chaotic Stupid
 * Lawful Stupid
 * Stupid Good
 * Stupid Neutral
 * Stupid Evil
 * Chaotic Stupid
 * Leaning On the Furniture
 * Legal Jailbait
 * Legendary in The Sequel
 * Lethal Klutz
 * Let's Get Dangerous
 * Licking the Blade
 * Life of the Party
 * Light Is Good
 * Like a Fish Takes To Water
 * Like a Weasel
 * Living Forever Is Awesome
 * Living Legend
 * Loners Are Freaks
 * Loony Friends Improve Your Personality
 * Love Hungry
 * Loves the Sound of Screaming
 * Lust
 * Machine Empathy
 * Mad Dreamer
 * Madden Into Misanthropy
 * Madness Mantra
 * Mangst
 * Man Hug
 * Martial Pacifist
 * Masked Luchador
 * Mathematician's Answer
 * Measuring the Marigolds
 * Menacing Stroll
 * Messiah Creep
 * Miles to Go Before I Sleep
 * Millionaire Playboy
 * A Mind Is a Terrible Thing To Read
 * Misery Builds Character
 * Misfit Mobilization Moment
 * Mister Big
 * Monstrosity Equals Weakness
 * Mood Swinger
 * Mook Face Turn
 * More Than Meets the Eye
 * The Morlocks
 * Motive Decay
 * The Movie Buff
 * Mr. Alt Disney
 * Mugging the Monster
 * Muggle Born of Mages
 * Mundane Luxury
 * Muscles Are Meaningful
 * Muscles Are Meaningless
 * Must Make Amends
 * Must Make Her Laugh
 * My Instincts Are Showing
 * Mysterious Past
 * Naked On Arrival
 * The Napoleon
 * Naughty Is Good
 * Neat Freak
 * Nerd
 * Nervous Wreck
 * Never Got to Say Goodbye
 * Nice Jewish Boy
 * Nice to The Waiter
 * Nobody Calls Me Chicken
 * Non-Idle Rich
 * No Object Permanence
 * No Sense of Humor
 * No Sense of Personal Space
 * No Sympathy
 * Not a Morning Person
 * Not As You Know Them
 * Not Bad
 * Not Helping Your Case
 * Not So Stoic
 * Not So Weak
 * Not That Kind of Doctor
 * Not That Kind of Mage
 * Now Let Me Carry You
 * Number One Dime
 * Obligatory War Crime Scene
 * Occupiers Out of Our Country!
 * Office Golf
 * Old Windbag
 * Older Than They Look
 * Really Seven Hundred Years Old
 * Opposites Attract
 * Different As Night and Day
 * Odd Couple
 * Odd Friendship
 * Salt and Pepper
 * Ominous Walk
 * Only in It For The Money
 * OOC Is Serious Business
 * Oral Fixation Fixation
 * Orcus On His Throne
 * Out-of-Character Moment
 * Outside Man Inside Man
 * Over and Under The Top
 * Pacifist
 * Parenting the Husband
 * Paste Eater
 * Pastimes Prove Personality
 * Perfect Pacifist People
 * The Perfectionist
 * Perpetual Expression
 * Personality Powers
 * Pet the Dog
 * Kick the Dog
 * Bait the Dog
 * Phone-in Detective
 * Phony Psychic
 * Not So Phony Psychic
 * Phony Veteran
 * The Pig Pen
 * Pink Is for Sissies
 * Pinocchio Nose
 * The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything
 * Plain Jane
 * Playing a Tree
 * Plucky Middie
 * Pointy-Haired Boss
 * Polite Villains Rude Heroes
 * Politically-Incorrect Villain
 * Popular Is Dumb
 * Possession Sue
 * Poster Gallery Bedroom
 * Post-Historical Trauma
 * Present Absence
 * Psychopathic Manchild
 * Psycho Supporter
 * Put On a Bus
 * Bus Crash
 * Character Outlives Actor
 * Commuting On a Bus
 * Long Bus Trip
 * Put On a Bus To Hell
 * Putting On My Thinking Cap
 * Quintessential British Gentleman
 * Quick Nip
 * Raised By Wolves
 * Real Men Eat Meat
 * Real Men Wear Pink
 * Really Was Born Yesterday
 * Rebel Relaxation
 * Reckless Pacifist
 * Reclining Reigner
 * Redemption Quest
 * Re-Ditto
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni
 * Reformed but Rejected
 * Relationship Writing Fumble
 * Reluctant Warrior
 * Repeat What You Just Said
 * Rescued From the Scrappy Heap
 * Resentful Guardian
 * Rhino Rampage
 * Rhymes On a Dime
 * Ridiculously Successful Future Self
 * Ridiculous Procrastinator
 * Rival Science Teams
 * Rookie Red Ranger
 * Rotating Protagonist
 * The Sacred Darkness
 * Sacrificed Basic Skill for Awesome Training
 * Sarcasm Blind
 * Saying Sound Effects Out Loud
 * Scarily Competent Tracker
 * Scary Musician, Harmless Music
 * Schedule Fanatic
 * Screaming Warrior
 * Screwy Squirrel
 * Scully Syndrome
 * Selective Slaughter
 * Selfish Good, Selfish Evil
 * Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness
 * Sexless Marriage
 * Shame If Something Happened
 * She Is All Grown Up
 * Sherlock Scan
 * Shipper On Deck
 * Shoot the Dog
 * Shorter Means Smarter
 * Sickly Neurotic Geek
 * The Silent Bob
 * Silly Walk
 * Simpleminded Wisdom
 * Simple Staff
 * Simpleton Voice
 * Single-Issue Psychology
 * Significant Sketchbook
 * Sir Swearsalot
 * Skilled but Naive
 * Sleepyhead
 * Sleeps With Everyone but You
 * Sliding Scale of Anti-Heroes
 * Sliding Scale of Antagonist Vileness
 * Slouch of Villainy
 * Smarter Than You Look
 * Smart People Play Chess
 * Smoking Is Cool
 * Smug Snake
 * Smug Super
 * Something About a Rose
 * Son of a Whore
 * Sorry I Fell On Your Fist
 * Sour Prudes
 * Spell My Name With a "The"
 * Squee
 * Stages of Monster Grief
 * Standard Cop Backstory
 * Standard Fifties Father
 * Standardized Leader
 * Stay in The Kitchen
 * Stock Yuck
 * Stopped Caring
 * Storyboard Body
 * Stout Strength
 * Strange Salute
 * Straw Vegetarian
 * Stroke the Beard
 * Stutter Stop
 * Suicide Pact
 * Super OCD
 * Survival Mantra
 * Sweet Tooth
 * Swiss Army Appendage
 * Switching POV
 * Sympathetic Criminal
 * Sympathetic Murderer
 * Talkative Loon
 * Talks Like a Simile
 * Taxidermy Is Creepy
 * Technological Pacifist
 * The Tell
 * The Xenophile
 * Tell Me About My Father
 * Terrified of Germs
 * That Man Is Dead
 * The Hero's Journey
 * The Magazine Rule
 * Thememobile
 * The Morality-Mortality Equation
 * The Older Immortal
 * There Are No Coincidences
 * They Call Me Mister Tibbs
 * They Fight Crime
 * Think Nothing of It
 * Threw My Bike On the Roof
 * Throw Down the Bomblet
 * To Be Lawful or Good
 * Took a Level In Badass
 * Took a Level In Dumbass
 * Took a Level In Jerkass
 * Took a Level In Kindness
 * Trademark Favorite Food
 * Trade Your Passion for Glory
 * Tragic Dream
 * The Tragic Rose
 * True Neutral
 * 24-Hour Armor
 * Twitchy Eye
 * Ubermensch
 * Ugly Cute
 * Undying Loyalty
 * Ungrateful Bastard
 * Unintentionally Sympathetic
 * The Universal Genre Savvy Guide
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend
 * Un-Sorcerer
 * Urban Legend Love Life
 * Vanity License Plate
 * Villain Corner
 * Villain Decay
 * Villainous Breakdown
 * Virginity Makes You Stupid
 * Warring Natures
 * We Do the Impossible
 * We Used to Be Friends
 * We Want Our Jerk Back
 * Weak-Willed
 * Weakened By the Light
 * Weapon of Choice
 * Weapon, Jr.
 * "What Do They Fear?" Episode
 * What Exactly Is His Job?
 * What Is This Feeling?
 * What the Hell, Hero?
 * What the Hell Townspeople
 * What You Are in The Dark
 * Where I Was Born and Razed
 * While Rome Burns
 * Whip It Good
 * ...Who Needs Enemies?
 * Who's Laughing Now?
 * Who Wants to Live Forever?
 * Why Couldn't You Be Different?
 * Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?
 * Why Do You Hate the Dog?
 * Wild Card
 * With Friends Like These...
 * Windows to The Soul
 * The Woman Wearing the Queenly Mask
 * Women Are Wiser
 * The Worf Effect
 * Work Hard, Play Hard
 * Working Class People Are Morons
 * World of Cardboard Speech
 * Write Who You Know
 * Wrong Genre Savvy
 * Wrong Name Outburst
 * Xenafication
 * You Are What You Hate
 * You Dirty Rat
 * Younger Than They Look
 * Your Days Are Numbered
 * Zero-Approval Gambit