Archetypal Character

"It may seem redundant at first as strictly speaking an archetype is simply an example of something, in short every trope is a story archetype. However here we are using the term in reference to a concept in Jungian Psychology of the same name."

An Archetypal Character is a character who appears over and over in legends far and wide, even in cultures that have shut themselves off from the world. The blood drinking risen dead are an Archetype as almost every culture has come up with their own legends independent of each other. Angel is an archetype: the tragic hero trying to overcome the evils of his past. Coyote is an archetype. Xena is an archetype. Any of these may be disguised as a Space Alien.

Some lit-theories classify archetypes by the role/purpose the character inhabits for the story. These classes are: Protagonist, Antagonist, Reason, Emotion, Sidekick, Skeptic, Guardian, and Contagonist.

A related concept is the 'ectype', a distorted or flawed version of the archetype. For example, Batman is archetypical. He's a rich man who dedicates himself to anonymously fighting crime (protecting society) with a variety of gadgets. Many of the characters in Watchmen are ectypes based on this archetype.

Tropes

 * Anthropomorphic Personification
 * Anti-Hero
 * Archmage
 * Big Fun
 * Blind Seer
 * Bruiser With a Soft Center
 * The Champion
 * The Chosen One
 * The Chooser of the One
 * Classic Villain
 * The Cynic
 * The Drunken Sailor
 * Dumb Muscle
 * Eccentric Mentor
 * Enigmatic Empowering Entity
 * Evil Overlord
 * Father Neptune
 * Ferryman
 * The Fool
 * Fool for Love
 * Gentle Giant
 * Granny Classic
 * The Grotesque
 * Herald
 * Heroic Archetype
 * Heroic Wannabe
 * Higher Self
 * Holy Child
 * Ideal Hero
 * The Idealist
 * Ineffectual Loner
 * The Klutz
 * Knight in Shining Armor
 * Lady and Knight
 * Loser Archetype
 * Loveable Rogue
 * Medusa
 * Mentor Archetype
 * Messianic Archetype
 * Mixed Archetypes
 * Mock Millionaire
 * Modern Major-General
 * My Girl Back Home
 * Obstructive Bureaucrat
 * Oedipus Complex
 * The Paladin
 * The Patriarch
 * Person of Mass Destruction
 * Powers That Be
 * Prince Charming
 * Princess Classic
 * A Protagonist Shall Lead Them (a.k.a Leader Archetype)
 * Rebel Leader
 * Rebellious Spirit
 * Reluctant Monster
 * Seeker Archetype
 * Shadow Archetype
 * Shapeshifter
 * Star-Crossed Lovers
 * The Storyteller
 * Threshold Guardians
 * The Tower
 * Turncoat
 * The Trickster
 * Wicked Stepmother
 * Wicked Witch
 * Wizard Classic
 * Wolf Man
 * World's Strongest Man