Heavy Rain/Characters

Ethan Mars



 * Badass Normal: The things he'll do for love. Then again...
 * Non-Action Guy: Where the others would get fight sequences, he gets running-away sequences. Justifiable even so with the fact that in such situations the odds are against him.
 * Beard of Sorrow: This is what happens after the death of his son, Jason.
 * Determinator: Becomes one if you have him complete all the trials.
 * Expy: He is extremely similar to Harry Mason in both appearance and personality.
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: It's Roger Smith.
 * The Killer in Me:
 * Papa Wolf: His entire thread of the story is his fight to save his living son, Shaun, from a serial killer. Get into it, and you'll see he'll go To Hell and Back to save his kid, to the point that he could easily be a reincarnation of Harry Mason.
 * Invoked, since
 * Room Full of Crazy:
 * Split Personality:
 * Took a Level in Badass
 * Took a Level in Badass

Madison Paige



 * Alone with the Psycho: In chronological order; she sneaks into Leland White's house only to end up trapped in the same building as a serial killer when White arrives home early; she pays a visit to Dr Baker, running the risk of being drugged and dissected; finally,
 * Beware the Nice Ones: Kind, compassionate, and more than willing to crush Paco's balls if he doesn't start talking.
 * Biker Babe
 * The Combat Pragmatist: Most notably in her brawl with Dr Baker, in which she ends up fighting him with his own power tools.
 * Florence Nightingale Effect: On just about every occasion she meets Ethan, he's been seriously injured and she has to bandage his wounds; this escalates into a desire to help him through the Origami Killer's trials and get the police off his back, to the point that she's willing to endanger her life if it means uncovering the clues, and finally ends in full-fledged romance.
 * Going for the Big Scoop: When not taking big risks for Ethan, Madison can be found taking big risks for her career; Taxidermist, anyone?
 * Hot Scoop
 * The Insomniac: The twist is that her insomnia fails if she's sleeping in a motel.
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: Marida Kruz is investigating into the Origami killer.
 * Intrepid Reporter
 * Ms. Fanservice: Her Motion Capture actress is a supermodel, and Madison is introduced in a scene which basically consists of her running around in her apartment while wearing only a tank top and panties.
 * And the best way to transition to the QTE event in her apartment is by taking a shower. A very long shower.
 * A shower that, in fact, lasts as long as the player wants it to, since turning off the water is a player action.
 * Nope, it's on a timer, the player cannot make Madison spend as much time in the shower as he/she wants. She will turn the knob herself after a very short time. However they do have the ability to spend as much time as they want dressing her, and can choose to 'fail' the quicktime event that involves her.... drying herself. Naturally; editing leaves her breasts exposed.
 * Rape as Backstory: Never explicitly stated, but there are a couple of hints. During her nightmare, one of her attackers picks her up and throws her onto her bed, (which makes no sense in the context since he just kills her if the QTE is failed,) and her thoughts about the sleazy hotel receptionist show genuine terror at the thought that he might have a key to her room. Having said that, the times during the game when she is in extremely sexually vulnerable situations (which you'd think might trigger flashbacks or something if she had been raped,) don't cause any more terror or disgust than would be expected, so YMMV on this.
 * Show Some Leg: As she admits herself, she'll do anything to get the information she needs...
 * Took a Level in Badass
 * Took a Level in Badass

Norman Jayden



 * Badass Bookworm
 * Bittersweet Ending:.
 * Blue Oni: To Blake's red.
 * By-The-Book Cop: And he's a better man for it: he genuinely does good police work by sticking to the rules, while his unhinged partner Blake apparently makes a hobby of wiping his ass with a suspect's Miranda Rights.
 * Butt Monkey/The Chew Toy: Poor guy is already a drug addict and gets more bullying and disrespect from the police force than he deserves, and he always ends up in some seriously aggravating to painful situations. He even lampshades it himself at one point; reading his thoughts after he goes to interrogate Paco has him observe that he spent most of the investigation getting the shit kicked out of him.
 * The Combat Pragmatist: As Jayden isn't exactly the most imposing member of the cast, he has to resort to a lot of dirty tricks to survive in hand-to-hand combat, especially in his second fight with Mad Jack.
 * Cybernetics Eat Your Soul: Implied.
 * Drugs Are Bad: Subverted; he uses Triptocaine to prevent over-exposure to the ARI. Norman gets killed by Triptocaine or ARI if he uses too much of either of the two.
 * Makes for a bit of a Zig-Zagging Trope, considering how often his drug relapses interfere with his investigation, and how his use of it isn't exactly doing wonders for his health.
 * Expy: He's similar to Fox Mulder.
 * Estrogen Brigade Bait Has a LOT of fangirls; just look on Deviant ART or fanfiction.net.
 * Fair Cop
 * Fan Nickname: He's often referred to as "Nahman Jayden", "Nommin' Jayden", or "Agent Nahman Jayden" for his accent.
 * FBI Agent
 * Foe Yay: With Blake.
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: Japanese Jason Bourne's got a new job, find the Origami Killer
 * I Just Want to Be Normal:.
 * Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Accusing Blake of being the Origami Killer will result in turning in his badge.
 * Only Honest Agent: The only useful reinforcement with common sense.
 * The Profiler: He's even referred to as such in the game.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure
 * Sanity Slippage: As he starts overdoing ARI, he starts experiencing visions of the ARI officeworld even without his glasses on.
 * Sharp-Dressed Man
 * Shower of Angst In his suit. He just never takes it off, does he?
 * Justified by the fact that  The guy could barely stand upright at the time; taking off his clothes would have probably been extremely difficult.
 * Sunglasses at Night: Justified, since ARI is high-tech crime scene analysis technology. Has a song now!
 * Took a Level in Badass: And HOW! Norman gets his ass handed to him by Mad Jack and The Origami Killer in Fish Tank. Jump a few chapters later to round 2 with the killer in The Old Warehouse, and Jayden's fist-fighting him on even ground, bashing his head around like a pinata with a metal pipe, and can possibly get smashed in the face with a SLEDGEHAMMER AND SURVIVE!
 * Thou Shalt Not Kill: Subverted if you allow him to kill Nathaniel and.
 * Troubled but Cute
 * Took a Level in Badass: And HOW! Norman gets his ass handed to him by Mad Jack and The Origami Killer in Fish Tank. Jump a few chapters later to round 2 with the killer in The Old Warehouse, and Jayden's fist-fighting him on even ground, bashing his head around like a pinata with a metal pipe, and can possibly get smashed in the face with a SLEDGEHAMMER AND SURVIVE!
 * Thou Shalt Not Kill: Subverted if you allow him to kill Nathaniel and.
 * Troubled but Cute

Scott Shelby/



 * Acrofatic: Despite being on the more unhealthy side of slightly overweight, Scott is still surprisingly able to hold his ground in fast-paced fights.
 * Badass
 * Badass Longcoat: A typical fashion of a hardboiled Private Detective.
 * Beware the Nice Ones: He's an easygoing, overweight Private Detective who looks after babies, persuades liquor store robbers to put down the gun and leave without resorting to violence, and he makes a mean omelet. He will still kick your ass if you challenge him.
 * The Combat Pragmatist: Scott isn't very choosy on how he takes his opponents down; assuming he doesn't actually have a gun on him, he'll often resort to using anything that can be vaguely classified as a weapon: lamps, panes of glass, bottles, furniture,, bits of scrap metal... and that's when he's not just pummeling them into submission with his bare hands.
 * Expy: He looks like Douglas.
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: Gihren Zabi is seeking who can be a better son than he was.
 * Pet the Dog: Many, many moments. A big one where he treats the wounds of a woman who has failed a suicide attempt and takes care of her baby, or the scene after the incident at the watch repair place where he comforts Lauren as she's crying in the rain over her son's death..
 * Private Detective:
 * Expy: He looks like Douglas.
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: Gihren Zabi is seeking who can be a better son than he was.
 * Pet the Dog: Many, many moments. A big one where he treats the wounds of a woman who has failed a suicide attempt and takes care of her baby, or the scene after the incident at the watch repair place where he comforts Lauren as she's crying in the rain over her son's death..
 * Private Detective:
 * Pet the Dog: Many, many moments. A big one where he treats the wounds of a woman who has failed a suicide attempt and takes care of her baby, or the scene after the incident at the watch repair place where he comforts Lauren as she's crying in the rain over her son's death..
 * Private Detective:
 * Private Detective:

Grace Mars

 * Amicably Divorced: Almost. There aren't any fights or arguments witnessed in the game, but it's clear that on some level, Grace holds Ethan responsible for Jason's death.
 * Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Telling Blake about Ethan supposedly being the Origami Killer.
 * Relationship-Salvaging Disaster: One of the endings suggests that Ethan and Grace actually get back together in spite of their problems.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: She flings one of these speeches at Ethan after Shaun's disappearance. It's clear she said it under stress, though, and she almost immediately apologises for it- before breaking down in tears.
 * What Happened to the Mouse?: Grace is notably in a lot of the endings, with the exception of "Innocent," and "Ethan's Grave."

Lauren Winter



 * Broken Bird
 * Hooker with a Heart of Gold: And how!
 * It's Personal / Determinator: She is determined to discover the identity of the Origami Killer and has swore to kill upon doing so. In the ending,
 * Revenge
 * Show Some Leg: Subverted at the last minute in the level "Gordy Kramer's Party"; here, Lauren attempts to distract the stairway guards by performing a sexy dance. However, the guards are clearly under contractual obligation to not be Distracted by the Sexy, so at the end of the dance, Lauren pretends to faint from a drug overdose, drawing both guards away from the stairs and allowing Scott to sneak past them.
 * : In the ending,
 * You Must Be Cold: Scott can give her his coat to wear after the incident at Manfred's.
 * You Must Be Cold: Scott can give her his coat to wear after the incident at Manfred's.

Lt. Carter Blake



 * Ax Crazy
 * Beard of Evil
 * Being Good Sucks: He thinks so. Good thing he isn't.
 * Cowboy Cop: A deconstruction. Blake's disregard for standard police procedure hinder the case. He'll go so far as to kill an innocent man because he thinks he's the killer.
 * Foe Yay: With Jayden.
 * Good Is Not Nice: Or at least he thinks he's good.
 * Green-Eyed Monster
 * Inspector Javert
 * Jerkass
 * Knight Templar
 * Lack of Empathy: Almost to everyone except Captain Perry, Ash, Grace, and Scott.
 * Nice Job Fixing It, Villain:.
 * Police Are Useless
 * Police Brutality
 * Rabid Cop: To an almost comical degree.
 * Red Oni: To Jayden's blue.
 * Smug Smiler
 * Smug Snake
 * Turn in Your Badge:.
 * Unknown Rival: Jayden doesn't acknowledge him even if he puts him at gunpoint ("Under Arrest") and removes him off the case ("Solving the Puzzle").
 * Verbal Tic: "NORMAN."
 * You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Not the killing type, just tells Jayden to "fuck off" as soon as he and the police think they got the answer to who the Origami Killer is.
 * You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Not the killing type, just tells Jayden to "fuck off" as soon as he and the police think they got the answer to who the Origami Killer is.

Captain Perry



 * Da Chief: To Jayden.
 * Jerkass
 * Obstructive Bureaucrat: He declares to the press that Ethan is the Origami Killer without getting his confession.
 * Police Are Useless
 * The Stoic
 * Not So Stoic:.
 * Took a Level in Jerkass: In "Under Arrest", when Jayden tells him about Blake beating Ethan.
 * What the Hell, Hero?:.
 * What the Hell, Hero?:.

Mr. Sheppard

 * Abusive Parents
 * The Alcoholic
 * Alcoholic Parent

The Origami Killer

 * Big Bad
 * Driving Question: Who is the Origami Killer?
 * Serial Killer: At least eight 10-13 year old children via drowning, by the start of the game.
 * Serial Killer: At least eight 10-13 year old children via drowning, by the start of the game.

Dr. Adrian Baker, AKA Doctor Death



 * Badass Grandpa: For a man his age, Baker shows a great deal of strength and resilience; not only is he able to knock out Madison (and another caller) with one swing of a baseball bat, but should Madison actually escape the operating table, the resulting fight shows that he's able to take quite a bit of punishment- and dish it out as well.
 * The Combat Pragmatist: Not only does he throw everything within reach at Madison but he tries to kill her by tying her down on an operating table and attempting to slowly insert a power drill up a sensitive part of her body.
 * Dr. Feelgood: His primary source of income is selling prescription medicine; Madison gets into his house by pretending to be a customer.
 * Dirty Old Man: He asks Madison if she's for sale if the player asks him about the price of his medicine.
 * Evil Old Folks
 * Faux Affably Evil
 * I Love the Dead: Hinted at by the way he feels up Madison's corpse, should he succeed in killing her.
 * Mad Doctor: Addicted to performing surgical operations; unfortunately, since he's been struck from the medical register and no longer permitted to practise officially, he's resorted to kidnapping people and dissecting them with power tools.
 * Obviously Evil: Only an idiot would accept a drink from someone as creepy as Adrian Baker.
 * Skippable Boss: Madison only has to fight him if a) she accepts his drink, or b) if she gets caught while wandering around his house.
 * Slipping a Mickey: When Madison enters his house, Baker offers her a drink to "take the edge off the pills." Actually drinking it sends her straight to the operating table.
 * Smug Snake
 * This Is a Drill
 * This Is a Drill

Jackson Neville, AKA Mad Jack



 * Acid Pool: Has one hidden away in his garage, used for easy disposal of corpses.
 * Bald of Evil
 * The Brute
 * Curb Stomp Battle: For most of the second fight with Jack, Jayden is losing very badly. In fact
 * Good Old Fisticuffs: Unlike a lot of the characters in this game, Jack mainly prefers to use his fists in close combat rather than the usual barrage of improvised weaponry. The reason for this is that he's so strong he doesn't need to use anything other than his fists to beat down a trained FBI agent.
 * Large Ham
 * Names to Run Away From Really Fast
 * Nonchalant Dodge: During their second battle, Jayden flings a metal box at Jack. In spite of being less than three feet away, Jack dodges it easily.
 * Won't Work On Me: Just about all of Jayden's attacks are given this kind of treatment during the second battle- even if the player completes the button sequences without fail. However, the most obvious example occurs in the latter stages of the fight, when a particularly desperate Jayden throws another bit of scrap metal at close range. Jack lets it bounce off his chest.
 * Punch-Punch-Punch Uh-Oh: At one point, Jayden attempts to beat Jack down with the front fender of a car; not only does Jack manage to soak up every single hit without even staggering, but he finishes off by snatching the fender out of the air in mid-swing and kicking Jayden in the stomach hard enough to send him tumbling for a few feet.
 * A classic version happens a little while later when Jayden attacks Jack with his bare hands; he lands at least two punches- both of which seem to hurt him more than Jack- and on the third, Jack grabs his arms and headbutts him.
 * Scary Black Man
 * Skippable Boss: His second battle, which only happens if Jayden fails to get to a dose of triptocaine in time.
 * Smug Snake
 * Tattooed Crook
 * Theres No Kill Like Overkill: He does try to after all!
 * Theres No Kill Like Overkill: He does try to after all!

Charles Kramer

 * Affably Evil: In his first appearance.
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive: Zig-Zagged/subverted in that while he's definitely corrupt, it isn't actually connected to him being a Corporate Executive.
 * Jerkass: Gruesome, but fairly understandable.  Not so much.
 * Papa Wolf
 * Sadistic Choice: It doesn't impact anything but an achievement, but it says something about him that.
 * Papa Wolf
 * Sadistic Choice: It doesn't impact anything but an achievement, but it says something about him that.

Gordi Kramer

 * Karma Houdini
 * One-Scene Wonder
 * Psychopathic Manchild: Most notably, he seems more interested in the cartoon playing on the plasma tv than the girls necking on the couch next to him.
 * Sarcastic Confession: Partial case in that while he's definitely lying (or at the very least taking wishful thinking to an insane degree) about, he's being perfectly honest when he says that
 * Smug Smiler
 * Spoiled Brat
 * Villains Out Shopping: In his only scene, he's introduced watching cartoons on a massive plasma tv set.
 * Villains Out Shopping: In his only scene, he's introduced watching cartoons on a massive plasma tv set.

Leland White, AKA The Taxidermist

 * Black Eyes: Thanks to the poor lighting of his home, the Taxidermist's dark eyes look almost black in certain scenes.
 * Fat Bastard
 * Fat Slob: Obvious by the stains on his shirt, and the filthy condition of his house and (urgh!) fridge.
 * Knife Nut
 * Large Ham
 * Psychopathic Manchild: Upon realizing that Madison is inside his house, he treats the resulting hunt for her like a game of Hide and Seek, or Hot and Cold. Also, when chasing Madison around the corridors, he can be heard delivering his hammiest impersonation of the Big Bad Wolf.
 * Serial Killer
 * Skippable Boss: The main objective of the level is to escape White's house alive; if actually fighting the knife-wielding psychpath doesn't appeal, then Madison can easily call the police from inside the house and wait until they arrest him, or just slip out the door without White noticing.
 * Taxidermy Is Creepy: Most definitely; quite apart from the fact that the inside of White's house is filled with stuffed animal heads and carcasses, he's also
 * Villains Out Shopping: Once he returns home, White immediately sits down in front of the TV to watch some boxing.
 * You Look Familiar: White is voiced by the same actor as Scott Shelby.
 * Taxidermy Is Creepy: Most definitely; quite apart from the fact that the inside of White's house is filled with stuffed animal heads and carcasses, he's also
 * Villains Out Shopping: Once he returns home, White immediately sits down in front of the TV to watch some boxing.
 * You Look Familiar: White is voiced by the same actor as Scott Shelby.