Char Clone: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:chars everywhere 4729.jpg|link=Gundam|frame|From bottom to top, left to right: [[Mobile Suit Gundam|Char Aznable]], [[Mobile Suit Gundam F91|Iron Mask]], [[Mobile Suit Victory Gundam|Chronicle Asher]], [[Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn|Full Frontal]], [[Turn A Gundam
{{quote|'''[[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny|Neo Roanoke]]:''' ''But to do so he has to get through me, a conflicted villain who also serves as his [[The Rival|main rival]]. Also, I have a [[Cool Mask]].''
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A '''Char Clone''' is a character who has many traits of Char Aznable from the ''[[Gundam]]'' franchise, who [[Fountain of Expies|inspired many copies]]. The ''Gundam'' series was (and is) wildly popular in Japan, with a cultural impact comparable to ''[[Star Trek]]'' or ''[[Doctor Who]]'' in the West. Char, an antagonist in the original ''Gundam'' show ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'', became the most iconic character of the series, outpacing even the main characters and the [[Big Bad]] in popularity. Given the sheer number of characters that [[Shout-Out|reference]], [[Homage]], or flat out ''[[Expy|are]]'' Char with a different name, they eventually [[Fan Nickname|became known as]] Char clones.
A brief history of the original Char: in ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'', he was [[The Rival]] to the main character. A mysterious [[Cool Mask|masked man]] with distinctive [[Blondes Are Evil|blonde hair]], he was an [[Ace Pilot]] called the [[Red Baron|Red Comet]] with a penchant for piloting [[Ace Custom]] mecha painted red (which was said to be [[Gundam/Memes|three times faster]] than its mundane counterpart, despite the only visual difference being its [[Law of Chromatic Superiority|color]] and easily missed extended antenna). Over the course of the series, it is revealed that Char has a [[Hidden Agenda Villain|hidden agenda]]—avenging his father, who was assassinated by the series [[Big Bad]]—and that his [[Long-Lost Relative|estranged sister]] is part of the heroes' crew. In the sequel series, ''[[Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam]]'', he adopts a [[Paper-Thin Disguise]] and makes a [[Heel Face Turn]], allying with the good guys and acting as [[The Mentor]] for the new generation. His final appearance comes in the appropriately-named ''[[
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* A [[Long-Lost Relative]] among the cast, allowing for [[The Reveal]] at a dramatically appropriate time. Frequently an [[Aloof Big Brother]] as well.
Other than those universal aspects, these characters tend to fall into one of three aspects, which could be roughly aligning with the three works Char appeared in: ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'', ''[[Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam]]'', and ''[[
* A ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]''-style Char clone will be an [[Anti-Hero]], [[The Rival]] to the main character, a [[Hidden Agenda Villain]] and/or a [[Dragon with an Agenda]] and probably many changes between [[Heel Face Revolving Door|the heroes side and the villains side]].
* A ''[[Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam|Zeta Gundam]]''-style Char clone will be [[The Mentor]] to the main character, [[Older and Wiser]] with a [[Big Brother Mentor]] vibe.
* A ''[[
'''Char Clone''' is a character-specific subtrope of [[Fountain of Expies]]. Compare [[Shana Clone]], [[Rei Ayanami Expy]], and [[Darth Vader Clone]].
{{examples|suf=s}}
==
* ''[[Space Thunder Kids]]''' Space Black Knight ''is'' Char Aznable in a black costume. In fact, most the cast are recoloured ''[[Gundam]]'' characters.▼
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* ''[[Gundam]]'' has a whole mess of them, obviously. Sometimes more than one per series!
** ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'', ''[[Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam]]'', and ''[[
** ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ]]'' was supposed to have Char but that was cancelled. Instead they got Glemmy Toto, a blonde, charming [[Teens Are Monsters|17-year old]], who has all of Char's manipulative ability and piloting skill, serves as a rival to two of the main characters, and eventually sets himself up as a rival to [[The Big Bad]]. He also seems to have Char's prediliction for younger girls, although given his own age, that's hard to tell.
** ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn|Gundam Unicorn]]'' has Full Frontal, who (despite the unfortunate name) is the Chariest Char since Char himself, being {{spoiler|a cyber-newtype genetically altered to look like Char, with Char's memories implanted in him via the psycoframe}}, and played by the same actor. Does that subvert this trope or play it ultra-straight? You decide.
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** ''[[Mobile Suit Victory Gundam]]'' has Chronicle Asher, who isn't as iconic an example as some, but still fits the bill as a [[The Rival]] Char.
** ''[[Mobile Fighter G Gundam|G Gundam]]'' splits it again, with Schwartz Bruder taking [[The Rival]] ''and'' [[The Mentor]] Char aspects, but Major Ulube getting the [[Big Bad]] ones.
** ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam Wing|Gundam Wing]]'' has Zechs Merquise/Milliardo Peacecraft, who combines ''all three'' Char-styles. ''Wing'' has been described as "UC Gundam from [[Mobile Suit Gundam|MSG]] to [[
** ''[[After War Gundam X|Gundam X]]'' has [[The Captain]] Jamil Neate taking on [[The Mentor]] aspects of Char. A more direct example comes from Lancerow Dawell, who is a sort of [[Alternate Universe]] version of Char (with Jamil as his Amuro).
** ''[[Turn A Gundam
** ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED|Gundam SEED]]'''s Rau Le Crueset is one of the darkest takes on the trope, being a Char clone who acts as [[The Rival]] to [[Ace Pilot]] Mu La Flaga, and is the [[Big Bad]] and [[The Man Behind the Man]] to the entire series, while simultaneously channeling [[
** ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny|Gundam SEED Destiny]]'' splits it again. Neo Roanoke ({{spoiler|actually the [[Not Quite Dead]] Mu la Flaga}}) fills the role of [[The Rival]]-Char, while Athrun acts as [[The Mentor]]-Char to Shinn, at least in the beginning. Then they ''swap'', {{spoiler|both of them (re)joining Kira. Neo/Mu loses the mask, gets the [[Bling Bling Bang|golden mobile suit]] and acts as the [[Older and Wiser]] figure to Kira and Athrun, while Athrun gets his red MS and ends up as [[The Rival]] to Shinn}}. The series also has an ungodly number of Char references, from Lunamaria's red ZAKU to Athrun's [[Paper-Thin Disguise]] as "Alex Dino" (consisting almost entirely of [[Cool Shades]]). {{spoiler|Gilbert Durandal}} fits the [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]-Char, and even [[Shuichi Ikeda|shares his voice]].
** ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam 00|Gundam 00]]'' has Graham Aker, who starts as a more general example of [[The Ace]] and [[The Rival]], challenging the Gundams with lesser mobile suits like the Flag, but is upgraded to a full-blown Char Clone in the second season, where he gains a [[Good Scars, Evil Scars|Char-scar]] and puts on a [[Cool Mask]]. He also takes on a new name ("Mr. Bushido")...though it turns out that it's just a nickname other pilots gave him for his increasingly [[Everything's Better with Samurai|samurai-like]] tendencies, and he went with it.
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* ''[[Legend of the Galactic Heroes]]'': Reinhard von Lohengramm. Blonde rival commander with intensely loyal subordinates; has a mysterious edge and felt the need to use a secret identity.
* ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'': Nanoha's basically a Gundam disguised as a magical girl, so is it any wonder her first-season rival Fate is a blonde whose fighting style is geared for speed? Especially when she gets Sonic Form in A's, which makes her [[Memetic Mutation|three times faster]]!
* ''[[Metal Armor Dragonar]]'': Meio Plato, the [[Ace Pilot]] rival with the nickname Blue Hawk, his character design resembles ''[[
* In ''[[Sands of Destruction]]'' based on a video game of the same name the Char clone is a black ''teddy bear'' with an [[Eyepatch of Power]] and red bandanna, voiced by the original [[Shuuichi Ikeda|Char]]. To top it off, he is a friend turned rival to another teddy bear Toppi, who is [[Relationship Voice Actor|voiced by]] the original [[Tohru Furuya|Amuro]].
* ''[[School Rumble]]'': Harry McKenzie is a [http://youtu.be/eddOULZyxMs?t=1m13s parody of this trope], being a Char in a non-mecha setting.
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** Also from the Golden Age arc, we have Samson Corbowitz, who is specifically mentioned to have armour three times THICKER than normal and is a (very brief) antagonist to Guts and Caska.
* ''[[Infinite Stratos]]'': Charlotte Dunois pilots an orange coloured mass produced IS under the disguise of a guy as Charles. Not the main girl, but certainly the most popular, though later she gets the nickname "Char" from the main character, making her not just a Char clone but a CHAR! Also an expy of Kyousuke and his Alt Eisen which is also a Char machine.
* For a series that ''isn't'' about [[Humongous Mecha]], ''[[Yakitate!! Japan]]'' has "Meister" Kirisaki, a blond mask-wearing Ace ''Baker'' whose sister is a member of the supporting cast. He also plays a Zeta-style role as Azuma's mentor. The connection then progressed to [[Hilarious in Hindsight]] territory when the anime version was eventually picked up by [[Sunrise (company)|Sunrise]].
* Anyone watching ''[[Ozma]]'' will see a particularly familiar figure. Gido Gairaa is an aloof villain-like character with a white mask who can be summed up as the bastard child of [[Space Pirate Captain Harlock|Harlock]] and [[Mobile Suit Gundam|Char Aznable]].
* Hiro from ''[[Beyblade]]'' is a Char clone: he wore a mask at the start and switched to shades by the end; he played [[The Mentor]] to the protagonist (who is his little brother) and later to [[Final Boss|Brooklyn]]; his bit-beast Metal Driger is basically an [[Ace Custom]] of the original Driger.
** Phoenix from ''[[Beyblade Metal Fusion]]'' dresses in red, has blonde hair<ref>it's a wig, though</ref> and wears a silver mask. He also has an [[Ace Custom|unusual and very powerful Beyblade]] and is {{spoiler|the protagonist's [[Long-Lost Relative|father, thought to be dead]]}}.
== [[Video Games]] ==▼
▲* ''[[Space Thunder Kids]]''' Space Black Knight ''is'' Char Aznable in a black costume. In fact, most the cast are recoloured ''[[Gundam]]'' characters.
▲== Video Games ==
* The ''[[Gundam]]'' spin-off RPG ''[[MS Saga]]'' introduces Captain Hal Vizardt. He hits all the Char high notes: blonde, masked, ace pilot, acts as a mentor to [[The Hero]], pilots red MS (for extra points, he specifically pilots Char's), and is secretly the older brother of another party member in disguise.
* ''[[Mega Man (video game)|Mega Man]]'': It wouldn't be much of a stretch at all to assume Proto Man was a Char.
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* ''[[Fire Emblem]]'': From [[Fire Emblem Akaneia|the first and third game, and their respective remakes]]: Camus is a blond-haired, high-skill, anti-villain. In the the third game, Sirius, a masked, blond-haired, high-skill hero who you have totally never met before joins your party. Sounds familiar?
** Notable: Camus himself is a clone target... a "Camus" is, while only [[Fire Emblem Jugdral|Eltosian and Aless]] retain being direct Char clones (Albiet, maskless Char clones), a recurring archetype for anti-villain characters. They typically fall under "[[My Country, Right or Wrong]]", and sadly are usually killed off.
* [[
* [[Mother 3]]: The masked man is a dead ringer for Char.
* Regulus from ''[[Bomberman|Bomberman 64]]'' and its sequel is [[The Rival]] to the titular hero, uses a fake name and is an [[Enigmatic Minion]] in the sequel {{spoiler|even killing one of his own allies and going against the [[Big Bad]]!}}, and is always seen wearing his [[Cool Mask]].
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* Doujin game [[Super Cosplay War Ultra]] has Masa, who cosplays as the Red Comet and uses Char's voice clips (his theme song is also Char's theme from one of the [[Super Robot Wars]] games.) He also fits the [[Ace Custom]] trope by being a more powerful version of one of the standard [[Mook]] types that cosplay as Zakus (the mobile suit type from which the Red Comet was derived from.)
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* ''[[Operator]]'': Just about the only named enemy character is blond-haired [[Humongous Mecha]] ace Jaeger, who incidentally wears red and seems to exist purely to fight the main character one-on-one.▼
==
* ''[[Megas XLR]]'': Evil Coop from the show's series finale. His Mecha #14 had a strong resemblance to Char's Sazabi, while his army resemble [[Mobile Suit Gundam|Zakus]] (and of course, as Coop, he's blonde).
* Matt Trakker, the lead hero of ''[[
▲* ''[[Operator]]'': Just about the only named enemy character is blond-haired [[Humongous Mecha]] ace Jaeger, who incidentally wears red and seems to exist purely to fight the main character one-on-one.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Fountain of Expies]]
[[Category:Shout-Outs Index]]▼
[[Category:Stock Japanese Characters]]
▲[[Category:Char Clone]]
▲[[Category:Shout-Outs Index]]
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