The Charmer



The Jack-The-Lad. Cocky, cheeky and devil-may-care, he's the type of guy you can't help but like, even as he's wrapping you around his little finger. Especially if you're a woman -- most of the time -- and The Charmer knows this all too well. As a result, if there's a file he wants to see in a filing cabinet guarded by a pretty secretary, all he has to do is switch on his easy smile, and he has not only the file he wants, but also the secretary's phone number.

There's definitely a hint of the The Casanova about him, but he's generally a lot kinder, more decent and less concerned solely with getting his end away; where the The Casanova would ultimately do anything, no matter how underhanded, to score a conquest, only to discard her once he's achieved his pleasure, The Charmer knows what the limits are. He certainly doesn't mind the fact that he can have any woman he wants, but he'd never stoop so low as actually take advantage, and is often a lot more chivalrous in his dealing with women. The Charmer generally doesn't set out to break hearts; it just seems to be an unfortunate byproduct. But even if he's Looking for Love In All The Wrong Places, The Charmer's usually too relaxed in his lifestyle to really consider changing.

Also, where sex is the The Casanova's ultimate driving goal, with The Charmer it's usually a welcome extra; he often has bigger fish to fry, and ultimately knows his priorities. If he's not the main character, then he's a loyal friend (even if the main character is seething with jealousy at how easily things -- especially women -- seem to come to The Charmer).

Compare with The Casanova, Chick Magnet, Prince Charming and All Girls Want Bad Boys. Often fills the role of a Loveable Rogue or Trickster. Sometimes, he's so charming that Even the Guys Want Him. In a group they're likely to be The Face for their ablility to get along with anyone.

Anime and Manga
"Kotetsu: Don't you get tired of doing that?"
 * Ayumi from Hyakko is a special case, in that she is female and actually quite shy. Still, she has the power to wrap both men and women around her finger simply by means of her cute demeanor.
 * It has been revealed in D Gray Man that Allen Walker might not be so oblivious to his entrancing looks, and is actually capable of turning up his charm (complete with Bishie Sparkle) to get his way. He actually managed to seduce a robot (a male one at that) in order to get it to sacrifice itself so that other people wouldn't have to, and it's implied that he could do the same to other humans if it weren't for his qualms about hurting them.
 * Pumpkin Scissors: Warrant Officer Oreldo.
 * Lupin III: Lupin, and how.
 * Tamaki Suou from Ouran High School Host Club. As the Prince type of the club's various stereotypical Bishounen arch-types, being The Charmer is his selling point. He can easily make the ladies swoon (except the one he's interested in who doesn't fall for it), and overall is a very kind, friendly person. He thinks every woman is beautiful in her own way, and while he does up his charm for the club's clientele, his comments are always genuine.
 * Akira Takizawa from Eden of the East. In the first episode, he effortlessly convinces a random person to hand over his pants (Akira was naked) and bluffs himself out of being arrested. Due to the fact that he had to show his genitals in both cases, fans speculated that he had some sort of hypno-penis. He has money, power, a mysterious past, may be a terrorist, and rides a motorcycle. However, he is also very charismatic, affable, spontaneous, and uses his money and power to save the country. In other words, he's the perfect fusion of the bad boy and the Nice Guy. However, the anime handles his characterization well enough that his relationship with the heroine is believable and well done.
 * Hayate of Hayate the Combat Butler, with the small caveat of him not actually realizing he has the hearts of so many girls. A chapter of the manga even shows it blatantly.
 * Durarara's Rokujou Chikage spends half of his quest for vengeance against the Dollars instead charming the pants off of every girl he meets.
 * Barnaby Brooks Jr. (the "Bunny" of Tiger and Bunny) definitely didn't get into superheroics for the chicks -- but he certainly doesn't mind the female attention (and frequently panders to it "because it's part of the job"), despite having no obvious romantic interests.

Comic Books

 * Gambit, of the X Men, is like this; so much so that it's all but canon he has a secondary mutation that allows him to be The Charmer.
 * The secondary power is actually canon, but it doesn't get brought up often and won't work on anyone who realizes that he is trying to use it on them.
 * Iron Man: Tony Stark.
 * Dwight in Sin City has every female character after him with the possible inclusion of mute assassin, Miho.
 * Armando from Le Scorpion. He could easily be the Casanova but sex is not his primary goal. It's just another weapon in his arsenal.

Film

 * Bond. James Bond.
 * Star Wars: Han Solo.
 * Jason Statham's character in the remake of The Italian Job.
 * Arguably Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean. He charms not only the women, but also the men and all the fans!
 * The eponymous character in Don Juan DeMarco, played by Johnny Depp (does anyone detect a pattern here?)
 * Frank Abagnale, Jr., in Catch Me If You Can.
 * As with his TV series counterpart, Templeton 'Faceman' Peck in The a Team film. It helps that he's played by Bradley Cooper.
 * Harold Hill ("Please! PROFESSOR Hill") in The Music Man. He's also a Lovable Rogue.

Literature

 * Max in Codex Alera.
 * Mat Cauthon in The Wheel of Time.
 * Molly Carpenter in The Dresden Files.
 * Used her skills to remove her bra without taking off her shirt and a few ice cubes to score a lead. And a date. Molly was excited about the latter, while Harry was happier with the former. Definitely a Crowning Moment of Funny.
 * Ostap Bender in The Twelve Chairs and The Little Golden Calf
 * Hoskins, in The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin, can charm any woman by offering her chocolates and telling her not to be alarmed.
 * Fulbert from Malevil. He uses his charm and his Bad Habits to become the religious leader of a village after World War III. He convinces everyone that he can be trusted with the food, supplies, and weapons and then rules with an iron fist.
 * Ivan Vorpatril of the Vorkosigan Saga, the protagonist's cousin, foil, and recurring sidekick. He can pour his mojo on thick and is amazingly handsome. Since Miles is a manic genius far above Ivan's level (and prone to roping his poor cousin into all manner of trouble) but also a funny looking and socially awkward "mutie", each has complexes about the other.
 * Moist von Lipwig is a charming con artist able to get most anyone to follow his zany schemes. The only exceptions are little old ladies who see him for his inner scoundrel... and they like him even more.
 * Also from Going Postal, Reacher Gilt is also this to an extent. It's made very clear that all his vast wealth and power is solely down to his own brand of charm, and he makes people trust him by being so blatantly untrustworthy that they lower their guard (dresses like a pirate, has a parrot that makes a joke on "pieces of eight!" etc.).

Live Action TV

 * Mike Logan in Law and Order
 * Gerry Standing in New Tricks
 * Captain Jack Harkness is a rare bisexual (well, omnisexual) version in Doctor Who and Torchwood.
 * Tom Magnum in Magnum PI. For that matter, most other private detectives of the Philip Marlowe school fit this Trope as well.
 * Templeton 'Faceman' Peck in The A-Team.
 * John Sheppard of Stargate Atlantis. This had led to several mishaps however, such as him electrocuting himself when trying to strike a casual pose against his prison bars.
 * He is the only man on Atlantis who slept with a living ancient. Indisputable.
 * Footman Edward Barnes in Upstairs, Downstairs, constantly cheerful and cheeky, pinching the maids' bottoms and smiling. He settles down happily with parlour maid Daisy. All this serves as contrast when he returns from World War One.
 * The House Of Eliot: Jack, the devilishly handsome bohemian photographer who lives downstairs.
 * Shawn Spencer in Psych is almost the dictionary definition of this trope. In one episode, he walks into a police questioning room where an engaged couple (whom he has not actually met before this moment, let us note) are describing how their priceless wedding ring has been stolen. Within a minute, he's nabbed himself an invitation to their high-society wedding, and ends up hosting the bachelor party, scoring a date with the maid of honour  and delivers the best man's toast at the wedding. He's also a perfect illustration of the 'loyal-but-love-to-hate-him' kind, as his life-long best friend Gus (and everyone else around him) is frequently exasperated at how easily things seem to come to him despite the fact that he usually does bugger all work towards it.
 * The Man From UNCLE: Napoleon Solo in the 1960s spy series, when he's not being Casanova, Chivalrous Pervert, or Handsome Lech as required by that week's episode.
 * Colonel Hogan of Hogan's Heroes.
 * Vincent Chase, on Entourage. Women throw themselves at him wherever he goes.
 * Richard Castle of Castle. He is far too sweet to be a full-blown Casanova, and is actually tipped straight into Ladykiller in Love once he meets Beckett.
 * Happy Days: The Fonz.
 * Supernatural: Dean Winchester goes between being the Casanova and this Trope.
 * Patrick Jane of The Mentalist has a lot of this going on, although he's definitely got other motives for his actions; he does seem to genuinely enjoy flirting with Lisbon, if only because it pisses her off.
 * Neal Caffrey of White Collar.
 * Tony DiNozzo of NCIS
 * Eric Matthews of Boy Meets World is this at first and remains so later on, despite becoming a little bit...eccentric. He advises his brother on how to treat girlfriends before Cory was ever old enough to care, and he even teaches his hot female boss how to pick up men.
 * And Shawn Hunter of Boy Meets World. He spends all his time with a guy, writes secret poetry about his feelings and even seems to like getting in touch with his feminine side... yet he still gets more girls than anyone except maybe Eric.
 * Gwaine from Merlin fits this trope perfectly. He flirts with Guinevere (going so far as to put a flower in her hair) but backs off instantly when it becomes clear she's not interested. The next time they meet, they share a friendly hug.
 * Noah's Arc: Ricky. It seems he acquires virtually any man he sets his eyes on.
 * Paladin of Have Gun Will Travel is a classic example.
 * Eliot Spencer from Leverage is always the one they send in to flirt with the female cop, security guard, secretary, parking attendant, or whatever. He always gets the information he needs, even when they send him in as the IT guy. He often ends the episode going home with one of the female side characters.

Theatre

 * Sam in One Touch of Venus.
 * Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra, just another way for her to wrap you around her finger.

Toys
"Jerbraz: I was one of the most handsome and dashing members of my little group of friends, back when I could be seen. Now, I have to rely on my charm alone to make an impression. Oh, that and this nasty sword, which conveniently turned invisible with me. So if you see someone's head go flying off for no apparent reason... it's not your imagination."
 * In Bionicle, Jerbraz claims to have been this before he was rendered permantly invisible:

Video Games

 * Klavier Gavin from Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, who seems to ooze charisma from his pores, considering how many fangirls he has (in-game and Real Life, to boot).
 * Balthier from Final Fantasy XII.
 * Brad Burns from the Virtua Fighter Fighting Game series.
 * Nash, the Suiko-verse's resident superspy, knows all about kind answers turning away wrath, &c., &c. He's also described as handsome in-game, and even has some luck getting Chris Lightfellow, Knight in Shining Armor extraordinaire to lighten up. Before the fans get their OTPs in a knot, though, he's married by the time Suikoden III rolls around. Though we never find out who his wife is, apparently she's a real handful (Fanon leans toward ).
 * If memory serves, Kyle from Lunar seems to have this effect on women, including his obvious love interest (which sometimes borders on Belligerent Sexual Tension), Jessica.
 * Zelos from Tales of Symphonia is such a Charmer he even gets a power around this idea, allowing him to seduce female NPCs into giving him Gald and items.
 * Ezio Auditore da Firenze of Assassin's Creed II. When he's not actually stabbing people in the neck, he's the very picture of smooth.
 * Commander Shepard of Mass Effect can be played this way.
 * Varric Tethras is, somewhat strangely, a dwarven version of this: Cool, witty and very handy with his crossbow Bianca.
 * Word of God has said that no matter what danger he's in, the moment you let Varric begin to talk, he's won.
 * Hawke, the protagonist, if played with the Sarcastic/Charming personality, is capable of spinning a tale to make Varric proud.
 * Sly from Sly Cooper, in big part thanks to Kevin Miller's voice acting.

Webcomics

 * Tip from the webcomic Skin Horse, despite also being a (straight) transvestite.
 * Raool from Blade of Toshubi
 * Albert Quad formerly of SMOG
 * Jonas of The Phoenix Requiem, who seems to have a preternatural ability to inspire trust and affection in just about everybody he meets...even other men.
 * Alexander Hamilton of The Dreamer. Seriously.
 * Sven from Questionable Content.
 * Note that in his case, it's because of Character Development from when he was The Casanova.
 * Pulchritude in Problem Sleuth acts as a measure of a given character's ability to be this. Problem Sleuth himself has the highest of the main cast, and by the end uncouth Ace Dick lacks a Pulchritude gauge altogether.

Western Animation

 * Top Cat: TC himself.
 * Hokey Wolf: Wolf indeed.
 * Jonesy from Sixteen, although he fails a fair amount.
 * Dr. Hartford from Galaxy Rangers is just as good a charmer and fast-talker as he is a Techno Wizard. Of course, Social Engineering attacks (aka "con jobs") in real life ARE a time-honored way to get past network security...
 * Ben Tennyson (in Ben 10 Ultimate Alien)
 * Jet from Avatar: The Last Airbender. His initial appearance had him manipulating both Katara and Aang through his smooth talk and bad-boy charm.
 * The Legend of Korra: Bolin, who has a habit of sneaking his fangirls in to watch his Pro-Bending matches for free.
 * Recess: T.J. Detweiler