Degrassi Junior High/Characters

Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High have Loads and Loads of Characters. Here are some of the more well-knowns: WARNING! Spoilers abound! ...but if that's not spoilerrific enough, here's a direct link to the character sheet of the adults on the sequel series.

Michelle Accette

Played by Maureen McKay

Ascended Extra: after very few episodes involving her in DJH, she became a major character in DH.
The Ingenue
The Pollyanna
Plucky Girl
Shrinking Violet: One episode deals with her shyness.

Melanie Brodie

Played by Sara Ballingall

A-Cup Angst
Drugs Are Bad: "Did you ever look at Kathleen's diary?"
The Generic Guy: She's sometimes the Only Sane Man in the group.
Intoxication Ensues: She takes marijuana brought to a party by Kathleen. She ends up being the one most effected by it.
Naive Everygirl: A textbook example.
Out of Focus: In DH she became a Satellite Character who just hangs out with Kathleen.
Star-Crossed Lovers: Despite really liking each other, every attempt she and Snake make to date ends up in a disaster. By DH, they have stopped trying.
Those Two Girls: With Kathleen. Later with Diana too.
Vitriolic Best Buds: Again, with Kathleen, though much more so in DJH than DH.

Tessa Campinelli

Played by Kirsten Bourne

Chekhov's Gunman: An extra in Degrassi Junior High, ascended that status to become a recurring character in Degrassi High, and then eventually became a major character in The Movie.
Good Bad Girl: She actually seemed like a decent person until it came to relationships and sex.
Good Girls Avoid Abortion: Averted. She never tells Joey she was pregnant.
Your Cheating Heart: Cheats on her boyfriend Alex with Yick. This was way before she broke up Joey and Caitlin.

Clutch

Played by Steve Bedernjak

Alcohol Hic
The Alleged Car: Despite attempts to make it seem like a Cool Car, his car really was a piece of junk.
Groin Attack: Suffers one from Lucy.
Jerkass: Most of it can be blamed on his drinking.
Only One Name
Out of Focus: In the last season of Degrassi High, he is only seen in the background.
What the Hell, Hero?: He dates Lucy, his best friend's ex-girlfriend!

Simon Dexter

Played by Michael Carry

Bishonen: Both the character and the actor playing him were models.
The Ditz: Just like Alexa.
Dumb Blonde: A rare male example.
Fake American
Happily Married: With Alexa, after the movie.
Satellite Character: Unlike every other character in DJH and DH, he never gets a plot built around his character. He basically exists to hover around Alexa.
Shallow Love Interest
Unwanted Harem: After appearing in a commercial/magazine, he quickly (and only temporarily) gains a group of fangirls which follow him around.

Heather and Erica Farrel

Played by Angela and Maureen Deiseach

Good Girls Avoid Abortion: Averted. Although it haunts Erica for the rest of the series.
Power Trio: They form one with Stephanie, Spike, and later Lucy in DH.
Red Oni, Blue Oni/Good Angel, Bad Angel
Sibling Yin-Yang: Erica was the wild one while Heather was the good girl.
Twin Switch: They pull one off during a date with Clutch. It backfires when Clutch ignores them and falls for Lucy.

Lucy Fernandez

Played by Anais Granofsky

All Girls Want Bad Boys: Paul and Clutch.
The Beautiful Elite
Defrosting Ice Queen: Starts of kind of bitchy (though not without good reason), but is pretty mellowed out by the time Degrassi High rolls around.
Huge Schoolgirl: She is at least a foot taller than the other girls.
Looking for Love In All the Wrong Places
Lonely Rich Kid: It's sad when she all but begs Voula to stay with her when her parents leave her alone again.
She's All Grown Up: She becomes quite attractive when she gets older.
Soapbox Sadie: Is a feminist, and has little problem bringing it up.
Troperiffic: Her horror film.

Joey Jeremiah

Played by Pat Mastroianni

Book Dumb
Breakout Character: The most well known character from early Degrassi.
The Bully: a very moderate version of this in season 1 (to Arthur, Yick, Melanie), but completely averted afterwards.
Casanova Wannabe: He tries to get with everyone and fails before Caitlin takes an interest.
High School Hustler
L Is for Dyslexia: Well, not exactly. He has Dysgraphia.
Nice Hat: Is instantly recognizable because of his fedora.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Liz said it best: "Joey's okay. He just doesn't think sometimes."
Oblivious to Love: Had no clue that Caitlin liked him.
Opposites Attract: Him and Caitlin.
Out-Gambitted: Constantly.
Ted Baxter
Third Person Person: In season 1. Occasionally, later on as well.
Trickster Archetype
Unlikely Hero: In Rick's storyline.
Your Cheating Heart: With Tessa on Caitlin.
Zany Scheme: His specialty.

Stephanie Kaye

Played by Nicole Stoffman

Alpha Bitch: Although a much more vulnerable one.
Be a Whore to Get Your Man: The only way she feels she can attract boys is by dressing and acting like a total slut.
Big Brother Bully: A female example with the way she treats her brother Arthur.
Date Rape Averted: Avoided this from an older soap star with a horrible mullet.
Darker and Edgier: Her character after the first season. Her parents divorce and her lack of self worth leads her to consider suicide. She gets better.
Eighties Hair: Her hair might be the most dated element of the show.
Expy: She was the first Degrassi girl to change into more revealing clothing in the girls' washroom beofre class, a trick later used by Manny Santos and Alli Bhandari.
Funetik Aksent: She spells her name Kaye. K-A-Y-E. Calling her Kobalawski is just a Berserk Button.
I Just Want to Be Special: At her core, this is pretty much how she feels.
Informed Attractiveness: Once she cakes on the makeup, trashes up her clothes, and teases up her hair, she becomes the hottest 14 year old in Canada. Or so we are told.
Laser-Guided Karma: She pisses off everyone by the end of first season.
Ms. Fanservice
The Protagonist: She is the most prominent character during the first season of Degrassi Junior High and her story arc bookends the season.
Put on a Bus: To a private school in the last three seasons.
Real Life Writes the Plot: The actress left the show and went on to star in a sitcom with former football star Lyle Alzado. This forced the writers to bring spotlight to other characters.

Arthur Kobalowski

Played by Duncan Waugh

A-Cup Angst: G-rated version: He hates being short.
The Artifact: Once Stephanie left, his character moved into the background. By Degrassi High, he was Demoted to Extra. Ironically this would also happen to Ashley and her brother Toby in Degrassi: The Next Generation. Their characters were very much based on Steph and Arthur.
Demoted to Extra: Along with Joey and Steph, he and Yick were the stars of Degrassi Junior High. But by Degrassi High, he is relegated to more of a background character,
Dogged Nice Guy: He has a major crush on Caitlin, but she makes it clear she is not interested. Other than that the poor guy gets no other romantic subplot. Which is saying something for Degrassi.
Geek
Real Life Writes the Plot: He was suppose to be part of a bullying plot during Degrassi High. But the actor had grown so large that it wasn't believable.
Those Two Guys: With Yick.
Two Lines, No Waiting: Arthur and Yick were usually part the B-plot in every episode during Degrassi Junior High.

Luke Matthews

Played by Andy Chambers

The Aggressive Drug Dealer: Although not a dealer, he was responsible for making Shane try acid through peer pressure. It was the 80s.
Functional Addict: Somewhat
Karma Houdini: He escapes all the trouble he caused for Shane.
Jerkass
Toxic Friend Influence: To both Shane and later Yick.
Villain by Default: The closest thing Degrassi had to a true villain.

Shane McKay

Played by Bill Parrot

Catch Phrase: "You should be kicked in the head!"
- Funny Aneurysm Moment: He suffered severe brain damage and was basically written off the show.
Let's Just Be Friends: Spike and him attempt this after the pregnancy, but it doesn't work.
The Other Darrin: In his appearance in Degrassi the Next Generation. The original actor was not asked to portray the character again.
Put on a Bus to Hell: After his accident.
- The Bus Came Back: He went to visit Spike for the last time in DH, the year after the accident who left him mentally disabled.
Teen Pregnancy: Most of his plot deals with the problems he faces as a teenage dad. It ends after his drugged induced accident.

Kathleen Mead

Played by Rebecca Haines

Abusive Parents: Her alcoholic mother.
All Girls Want Bad Boys: She went from disliking Rick to developing a crush on him.
Break the Haughty
Domestic Abuser: Her boyfriend Scott in Degrassi High. While she could be a major Jerkass, this pushed her into The Woobie territory.
Defrosting Ice Queen: Like Lucy, she's considerably less snooty and bitchy by the time Degrassi High comes around.
Jerkass: in Degrassi Junior High more so.
The Rival: Caitlin's rival.
Smug Snake
Those Two Girls: With Melanie, of course.
Tsundere: To Rick.

Rick Munro

Played by Craig Driscoll

Abusive Parents: His abusive father.
All Girls Want Bad Boys: Caitlin and ultimately Kathleen.
Badass: Though it's more a reputation than anything.
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Abruptly disappears after season two of DJH with only a passing mention by Caitlin in season three. He would be the first in a long line of Brother Chucks in the Degrassi franchise.
Disproportionate Retribution: His father beats him for giving Joey a soda.
Smarter Than You Look: Caitlin finds this out during the episode Smokescreen.
Troubled but Cute: The first of Degrassi's troubled cute boys that would continue with his Expy Craig Manning in TNG.

Christine "Spike" Nelson

Played by Amanda Stepto

Anime Hair: In one episode she gets mocked for her hair when applying for a job.
Awesome McCoolname: It's never mentioned how she got the nickname Spike. Most people assume it's the hair, though.
Heterosexual Life Partners: With Liz
Open-Minded Parent: Her mom was surprisingly accepting of her pregnancy at 14. Although this wasn't exactly portrayed as a good thing.
Perky Goth: While more punk than goth, her appearence belied what a polite and sweet girl she was.
Plucky Girl
Prom Baby: Went into labor during her prom.
Teen Pregnancy: With Emma, future quasi-protagonist of Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Alexa Pappodopoulos

Played by Irene Courakos

Be a Whore to Get Your Man: Wore Stephanie's "sexy" clothes to go after Simon. Her mom made her give them back since it made her look like a hooker.
Clingy Jealous Girl: Constantly believes her relationship with Simon to be on the verge of implosion.
The Ditz: To go along with Simon to form a Ditz Couple.
Happily Married: With Simon, after The Movie.
Tsundere: More "dere" than "tsun".

Liz O'Rourke

Played by Cathy Keenan

Animal Wrongs Group: Hates Caitlin because she uses medicine tested on chimps for her seizures.
Heterosexual Life Partners: With Spike.
The Quincy Punk: Averted. Although she has the look and attitude, she cares about issues like abortion and animal rights.
Rape as Backstory
Soapbox Sadie: Anti-abortion and pro animal rights. She is one of the few characters on television who is portrayed as pro-life, but not for religious reasons. She abhors abortion because her mother nearly aborted her.
Tsundere: To Joey early on, but after he tries to put the moves on her, goes to constant "tsun".

Caitlin Ryan

Played by Stacie Mistysyn

All Girls Want Bad Boys: Rick and Joey
He Who Fights Monsters: Tries to call attention to how the parents are treating Spike's pregnancy. She ends up hurting Spike.
Ice Queen: Her portrayal after dumping Joey for Claude in Degrassi High. Joey even calls her an "Ice Maiden" at one point.
I Can Change My Beloved: She sometimes sees boys as projects to fix. Rick and Joey call her out on this.
Opposites Attract: Her and Joey/Rick.
Soapbox Sadie: Before Emma, there was Caitlin. Most of her plots revolved around her and some cause.
Skunk Stripe: Sort of; he hair isn't actually black, but she has medium to dark brown hair, and during season 3 of DJH, and the first season of DH, she had a blond wave in it.
Star-Crossed Lovers: With Joey. Even though they are madly in love, no matter how hard they try, it never seems to work.
Tsundere: To Joey.

Archibald "Snake" Simpson

Played by Stefan Brogren

Awesome McCoolname: Snake. We never find out how he got the name.
Chick Magnet: He has many girls crushing on him in both DJH and DH (Melanie, Spike, Michelle, Amy, Allison). Subverted in The Movie where, for some reason, he was unable to get any girl and even made fun of because of this.
Cool Loser: In The Movie, he becomes a full fledged Butt Monkey.
Foreshadowing: In his very first appearance, running for student council against Stephanie, we see him standing on the steps of the school talking about what he'd change if he were in charge. Almost certainly nobody in 1987 knew what his being on the show would lead to, but the "..you won't recognize this school at all" scene at the end of The Boiling Point might be a deliberate Call Back.
Gentle Giant: Borders on Lovable Coward.
Heroic BSOD: He is, unfortunately, the one to discover Claude's body in the bathroom. Though he bravely reports it, he is still very traumatized by it and drops out of school for a week or two to recover.
Nice Guy
Precision F-Strike
Redheaded Hero: Well, sort of. He's basically one of the biggest characters on the show, and though his hair is more strawberry blond, this trope would still apply.

Claude Tanner

Played by David Armin-Parcells

Boom! Headshot!: though we don't actually see it, Snake mentions that upon discovering Claude's body, only half of his face was left.
A Death in the Limelight: He only appeared in a few episodes in season one, before committing suicide near the end of season two.
Dirty Coward: He doesn't even bother to help Caitlin when she's about to be caught by the police after spray painting a nuke building factory.
Driven to Suicide: You Should Know This Already.
Emo Teen: An over the top 80s version.
He Who Fights Monsters: "Hey Caitlin! I have a great idea for a date. Let's go spray paint slogans on a nuclear weapon parts making facility! And then I'll run away when I might get caught, leaving you out to dry!"
Hypocrite
Its Pronounced Tropay: His name is pronounced as "Clohd" (as in, the word "oh"), NOT as "Clawd", as would normally be.
Killed Off for Real

Derek "Wheels" Wheeler

Played by Neil Hope

And Then John Was a Zombie: School's Out! features a big one.
Be Careful What You Wish For: He has issues with his adoptive parents, and then they die.
Catch Phrase: "My parents are dead."
Cerebus Syndrome: In fact, the guy who kills his parents could be considered a full-blown Knight of Cerebus.
Date Rape Averted
Informed Attractiveness: Stephanie's belief that Wheels is the sexiest boy at Degrassi Junior High perplexed Albert of The Agony Booth. And probably everyone else.
Never My Fault: Blames all his bad behavior on the death of his parents.
Shotacon: He hitchhikes to see his real father. Along the way..."Don't worry, Derek. It'll feel good."
Took a Level in Jerkass: Started very slowly after his parents died. He went full Jerkass in Degrassi High, but seemed to get better near the end. Only to have it horribly subverted in School's Out.

Yick Yu

Played by Siluck Saysanasy

A-Cup Angst: G-rated version: He hates being short.
Asian and Nerdy: But not too nerdy; he is an athlete, after all.
Demoted to Extra: No longer a cute kid, he find himself Out of Focus during Degrassi High.
Hormone-Addled Teenager: He has dreams where he, you know, kinda, "leaks".
Pass Fail: Though from Laos, he tries to pass as being from the Chinese upper class in order to make his family history "interesting".
Those Two Guys: With Arthur, and later with Luke.
Took a Level in Jerkass: He turns into a total jerk in Degrassi High. It coincides right with the breakup of the Arthur and Yick bromance.

Dwayne Myers

Played by Darrin Brown

Ascended Extra | Chekhov's Gunman: Is a seemingly one-off character appearing in a couple episodes of DJH, only to get full blow main character status in Degrassi High.
Break the Haughty: Whoo boy....
The Bully
Fat Bastard
Terrible Trio: Tabby, Nick, and Dwayne. The least threatening trio of bullies ever.
Very Special Episode: His entire plot took over season two of Degrassi High. It was the early 90s and AIDS was just starting to be talked about.

Lorraine "L.D." Delacorte

Played by Amanda Cook

Girliness Upgrade: Averted. Although Lucy tried.
Ill Girl: Is diagnosed with Leukemia in season one of Degrassi High.
Put on a Bus: Her last appearance is during the first season of DH, and after that it's said that she's off adventuring with her dad after her brush with Leukemia. Lucy makes several video diaries for her, up until the very last episode of DH. However, none of this is present, nor is she in fact anywhere to be seen in School's Out.
Makeover Montage: Lucy gives her one and it makes her look much worse.
Soapbox Sadie: One of Degrassi's many feminists.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: This with most of her friends.

Alex Yankou

Played by John Ioannou

Ascended Extra: He is a Satellite Character in DJH, but finally got some plots of his own in DH. The actor had been part of the Degrassi cast since The Kids of Degrassi Street.
Dogged Nice Guy: He actually succeeds in landing a girlfriend in Tessa. Before she dumps him for Yick.
Geek
Nerd Glasses