Excel Saga (anime)/Characters: Difference between revisions

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== ACROSS ==

=== Excel ===

 

The title character, whose single-minded devotion to the ideals of ACROSS and Il Palazzo drive the plot.

 

While the anime implies Excel joined ACROSS after completing high school, in the manga Excel has an [[Mysterious Past|important past she is not aware of]]. A few characters that Excel has not met know her, and ACROSS and Kabapu's technology reacts unusually around her. Excel herself never divulges anything about her past.

* [[Adaptation Dye Job]]: Blonde in the manga, orange hair in the anime.

* [[Afraid of Needles]]: The only clue to Excel's life before ACROSS is that she is unnerved by needles and does not know why.

* [[Ax Crazy]]: If given the opportunity for violence on missions.

* [[The Chew Toy]]: Excel's suffering at the hands of her boss is almost always [[Played for Laughs]].

* [[Fiery Redhead]]: In the anime, where her hair's more orange than blonde.

* [[Genki Girl]]: Excel takes "Genki" to previously [[Up to Eleven|unseen heights]]. Even modern [[Genki Girl|Genki Girls]] are tame compared to her.

* [[Green Eyes]]

* [[Hypocritical Humor]]: When she interacts with Ropponmatsu II, she actually gets annoyed with her overactive spaziness, not realizing that's how she herself always acts.

* [[Iron Butt Monkey]]: Can survive falling into pits, explosions, electrocution, and fire with little damage. Usually played for slapstick laughs, but in the manga some charaters have started to take not just how durable is despite being only human.

* [[The Other Darrin]]: [[Jessica Calvello]] was replaced as the English dub voice of Excel by Larissa Wolcott because [[Real Life Writes the Plot|doing Excel's shrill voice proved to be too much on Cavello's vocal cords.]]

* [[Perky Female Minion]]: Though anyone would look calm when compared to Excel.

* [[Repetitive Name]]: Excel claims in the anime that her first name is Excel and her last name is Excel, but it is not clear if that if that is her real name, just her codename, and if she was using hyperbole.

* [[Talkative Loon]]

 

=== Hyatt ===

 

The second member to join ACROSS.

While she also believes in the glory of ACROSS, Hyatt does not follow it with the same zeal as Excel, letting Excel formulate plans which she will happily go along with. Hyatt is a lot more polite to others, in contrast to Excel.

 

 

Hyatt's backstory differs between the anime and the manga. In the manga Hyatt just walked into ACROSS and signed up; in the anime Hyatt is a moon princess with an unexplained connection to Nabeshin and Dr. Kabapu, that was captured by the Puchus but inadvertently escapes when Excel destroys their spaceship.

* [[Adaptation Dye Job]]: Brown hair in the manga, dark blue hair in the anime.

* [[Blood From the Mouth]]

* [[Comedic Sociopathy]]: Hyatt is possibly not aware of how much damage she causes, unlike the rest of ACROSS, who do not care. On a smaller scale, she does not know about all the emotional grief she causes Watanabe.

* [[Demoted to Extra]]: During the final five episodes.

* [[Ill Girl]]: So ill that she will die for no reason.

* [[Incurable Cough of Death]]: Parodied, as Hyatt constantly falls over dead, but never stays dead for long.

* [[Out of Focus]]: Has gotten less screentime in the manga after Elgala joined, since Elgala butts head with Excel instead of just following Excel's lead.

* [[Proper Lady]]: Sexual innuendos aside, that is.

* [[Running Gag]]: Her dying; her obliviousness.

* [[They Killed Kenny Again]]

* [[Villain Protagonist]]

 

=== Elgala ===

 

The third member of ACROSS, only seen in the manga. Elgala was hired in volume 8 and proved to be just as bad at her job as her seniors. While she is just as devoted to Il Palazzo as Excel and Hyatt, Elgala at least questions how Excel leads their missions, but is usually forced to go along with them. Elgala is very vain and materialistic, which constanlty puts her at odds with Excel's extreme penny pinching.

 

Loses favor with Il Palazzo after {{spoiler|figuring out that the Excel running ILL Electronics is a robot duplicate, which Il Palazzo already knew}}, and is forced to live in a shack under a bridge.

* [[Alpha Bitch]]: At least that's what she longs to be.

* [[The Chew Toy]]

* [[The Rival]]: To Excel over Il Palazzo's affection (not that he notices).

* [[Smug Snake]]: Thinks she's better than her seniors even though she's really no more competent than they are.

 

=== Il Palazzo ===

 

The glorious and charismatic leader of ACROSS. Il Palazzo dreams of total global conquest, but has first set his sights on taking over Fukuoka, Japan, and building from there. Usually Il Palazzo gives out missions to Excel and Hyatt while he sits in his throne room pursuing other hobbies.

 

Has some connection with Dr. Kabapu that is hinted at the anime but explained in the manga.

* [[Adaptation Dye Job]]: Pale cyan in the manga, pale lavender in the anime.

* [[Badass]]: In the anime, when actually given a chance to be competent, is QUITE effective at beating the crap out of the entire cast. Most of this takes place while [[Brainwashed and Crazy]] (heavy on the crazy), but he was still kicking ass while it lasted.

* [[Bad Boss]]: To Excel, since she ''is'' [[The Chew Toy]].

* [[Heel Face Turn]]: In the anime's [[Grand Finale]]; his dark side bent on conquest is eliminated.

* [[Large Ham]]: "This world...is CORRUPT!!!"

* [[Leitmotif]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p07igwjMSQk&lr=1 Nanka Nayamunda. Kekkou Nayamunda. Ichiban Nayamunda]

* [[Limited Wardrobe]]: Il Palazzo only has a giant cloak to wear in the anime. In the manga he also has a black business suit, but that's it.

* [[Jerkass]]: On ''any'' occasion in which he loses his composure, he shows himself as a major one.

* [[Phrase Catcher]]: "Hail Il Palazzo!"

* [[Shoulders of Doom]]: Just look at the size of those epaulets!

* [[Split Personality Takeover]]: In both the anime and the manga. In the anime is it a much more obviously evil personality, while in the manga it's so vague that it barely counts as a different personality at all, only being much more competent.

* [[Villains Out Shopping]]: While his minions are away attempting (and failing repeatedly) to conquer [[No Communities Were Harmed|F City]], Il Palazzo indulges in such villainous pastimes as...guitar and video games.

* [[The White Prince]]: Despite his ideological beliefs about how the "masses" should live their lives, Il Palazzo is uncomfortable and bored when he actually has to interact with the "lower world" himself.

 

=== Menchi/Mince ===

 

Excel's emergency food supply. Menchi (or Mince in the manga) is a dog of some breed that was picked by Excel while was she was looking for something to eat. Excel relented, and now keeps Menchi around as a backup. Menchi spends most of the time either trying to escape from their apartment or being frightened by Excel and Hyatt, though she gets along a bit better with Elgala.

* [[Ambiguous Gender]]: Translations vary as to whether Menchi is male or female. The anime outright seems to flip back and forth when it comes to hints as to what Menchi's real gender is.

* [[Amplified Animal Aptitude]]: Menchi can open door knobs and wield machine guns.

** Excel's high school, Inu-nabe, translates literally to 'Dog-pot'. So that's where she learned it from.

* [[Leitmotif]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5yKHIBye0w&feature=relmfu Menchi Aishuu no Borero Kuwasonone]

* [[Precious Puppies]]: The other reason for Menchi/Mince's presence.

 

=== Tooru Watanabe ===

 

The first neighbor introduced and the only one who actually lives next door to Excel and Hyatt.

Watanabe is characterized by three things: his desire to live a normal, financially stable life among the increasing chaos that surrounds him, his infatuation with his neighbor Ms. Ayasugi (Hyatt, but he does not know her real name), and his dislike of his friends Iwata and Sumiyoshi. He went to work for Kabapu in the hopes of getting a civil servant job, not realizing that it would put him in direct opposition of the group Hyatt for.

 

* [[Brainwashed and Crazy]]: At least Matsuya seems to believe that Dr. Kabapu did something unconventional to lift him from his depression, and that his creepy attitude is because of this. Kabapu refuses to either admit or deny the accusation.

* [[Break the Cutie]]: Hyatt's [[Comedic Sociopathy]] combined with his friends antics slowly turn Watanabe into perverted wreck.

* [[The Dulcinea Effect]]: Immediately gets himself years into debt just because "Ms. Ayasugi" asks for help.

* [[Hero Antagonist]]

* [[Only Sane Man]]: Was this in the anime for being the only one who questioned anything, not that it did him any good. Was this for a while in the manga, {{spoiler|until he snapped when Il Palazzo took Hyatt away from him}}.

* [[Straight Man]]: To Iwata and Sumiyoshi.

* [[Token Evil Teammate]]: Post-freakout, though his evil actions are limited to buying S&M videogames and not being fazed at all by Kabapu.

** He was also gleefully eager to arrange Il Palazzo's car to be rigged with an explosive.

 

=== Norikuni Iwata ===

 

Watanabe's "friend". Iwata is dumb as a brick and barrels into everything with enthusiasm and not a lot of forethought. Iwata is either oblivious or does not care that Watanabe hates him, and hangs out in his apartment regardless. He joined the Department of City Security because Watanabe did. As a member of Daitenzin Iwata is usually the first to run into a mission and mess everything up.

 

He will hit on any attractive lady in the area (except, oddly enough, the girls of ACROSS), but usually focuses his attention on Matsuya, whom he knew in college.

* [[Casanova Wannabe]]

* [[Cloudcuckoolander]]: Iwata is prone to daydreaming that he is in a television show, or going off on pointless mental tangents.

* [[Hero Antagonist]]

* [[Idiot Hero]]: At least he thinks he's a hero. He is definitely an idiot.

* [[Too Dumb to Live]]: [[Plot Armor]] and the sentai suit protect him in the anime, and his [[We Can Rebuild Him|reparable body]] protects him in the manga.

 

=== Daimaru Sumiyoshi ===

 

Watanabe's other friend and neighbor. Sumiyoshi is smart enough to not go running head first into trouble like Iwata, but not smart enough to avoid trouble altogether and quit working for Kabapu.

Sumiyoshi is from a different part of Japan, and as such speaks with an accent, which in the anime is rendered as subtitles, and in the manga is written in a different font and with an accent. His father and younger sister speak with the same accent.

 

* [[British Accents]]: The English manga translates his dialect as being Geordie, which is from Northern England.

* [[Collector of the Strange]]: His apartment is filled with nothing but computers to house his collection of dating sims and other video games.

* [[Kansai Regional Accent]]: Sumiyoshi speaks in subtitles in the anime. In the manga he uses the dialect of Okayama, which is much closer to where Fukuoka actually ''is''. It may be a subtle form of [[Lampshade Hanging]], as everyone else speaks Standard Japanese instead of the city's own dialect, Hakata-ben.

* [[Only Sane Man]]: Was this around volume 18 of the manga, when Watanabe was suffering from his freak out and Matsuya had given up. Defers to Matsuya again once she starts trying to get everyone out of trouble.

** In the manga his dialogue lacks voice bubbles, but it seems that he is speaking audibly.

 

=== Misaki Matsuya ===

 

Arguably the most normal and reasonable person in the cast, Ms. Matsuya began to work for Kabapu around the same time as the others.

 

She does not appreciate Iwata constantly hitting on her, but has gotten used to it, and devotes considerable effort to coming up with ways to rebuke him.

* [[Action Girl]]

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: While many characters demonstrate this tendency none do as strongly as Matsuya, who manages to send Iwata and Watanabe to fits of spastic laughter with a single well-aimed line. She seems to do this deliberately, contrasting her serious exterior.

* [[Gamer Chick]]

* [[Hero Antagonist]]

* [[Leitmotif]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsY2CyvDpHA&feature=BFa&list=PL89A73FF8477DF062 Kakkoii Kyokuni Nattanaa, Um]

* [[Sugar and Ice Personality]]: Though her "sugar" side isn't "big softie" as much as it is "pleasant".

* [[Tomboyish Ponytail]]

* [[Tsundere]]: Actually played semi-straight with <s>Misaki</s> Matsuya in the manga, even lampshaded on one of the illustrations in a volume.

 

== Department of City Security ==

 

=== Dr. Kabapu ===

 

A shadowy government figure, Kabapu is very protective of Fukuoka, but goes about protecting it through bribes, blackmail, and assassinations. He hired Watanabe, Iwata, Sumiyoshi, and Matsuya as a problem solvers / [[Super Sentai]] group known as the Department of City Security, or Daitenzin.

 

He shares a history with Il Palazzo that is only hinted at, and for a long time in both the anime and the manga was only vaguely aware of his presence. When he finally realizes that Il Palazzo is the leader of ACROSS Kabapu starts using more extreme methods of eliminating ACROSS, which puts him in financial trouble.

* [[Adaptation Dye Job]]: Blonde in the anime, green in the manga, though manga cover art that showed Kabapu's hair color was released so long after the anime that the anime creators did not know.

* [[Badass Mustache]]: A really long one, which is actually fake in the anime but real in the manga.

* [[Bad Boss]]: For the Civil Servants. Kabapu is not malicious towards his employees, but is unconcerned for their safety when he makes them work.

* [[President Evil]]: More like Vaguely Defined Government Position Evil, but he had about as much power {{spoiler|which is legitimized once he is elected mayor of Fukuoka}}.

* [[Scary Shiny Glasses]]

 

=== Ms. Momochi ===

 

Kabapu's secretary. Little is known about Ms. Momochi, including her past, first name, or eye color. The only things known for certain are that she has worked for Kabapu since before the series started, and she is the one that's probably keeping Kabapu's schemes from totally backfiring.

* [[Eyes Always Shut]]

* [[Hypercompetent Sidekick]]

* [[Mysterious Past]]: Excessive even by the series' standards. Absolutely nothing has been revealed about her, even though she's been around since near the beginning and regularly interacts witht the rest of the department.

* [[Satellite Character]]: Never appears without Dr. Kabapu.

 

== Shiouji Household ==

=== Dr. Gojo Shiouji ===

 

A brilliant roboticist hired by Kabapu to build an android for the Department of City Security. Dr. Shiouji builds Ropponmatsu I, based on Kabapu's designs. When Ropponmatsu I fails to disarm a bomb Shiouji builds a new robot, Ropponmatsu II, [[Lolicon|based on his own preferences]].

 

Dr. Shiouji's laboratory is staffed by a collection of little girls, and he usually relaxes in a park and watches little girls play on the playground.

* [[Always Second Best]]: To his father Tenmangu, and to his mother, below.

** The manga on the other hand goes on to explain {{spoiler|as a child his father disappeared which caused a massive behavioral shift in his mother. She began smothering him with affection and becoming overly sexual around him. When he met his young cousin and future assistant/intern Umi, his distorted image of women was shattered and he was inspired by her purity and innocence. Now that she's eighteen in the present day, he adjusts his attention to other young girls as he seeks to recapture that same inspiring purity and innocence once again.}}

*** He doesn't really do anything other than watch, in the manga at least. It's pretty strongly implied that he made Ropponmatsu II to satisfy the more carnal sides of his fantasies.

 

=== Ropponmatsu I ===

 

 

In the manga, Il Palazzo kidnaps her {{spoiler|and dresses her up to look like Excel}}. Il Palazzo sets her up as the vice president of ILL Electronics, with the rest of ACROSS unaware that she is a robot. After a fight with Daitenzin Ropponmatsu's programming gets scrambled and she becomes subservient to Excel {{spoiler|while still dressed as Excel}}.

* [[Emotionless Girl]]

* [[Leitmotif]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLisuOu9SN4&feature=BFa&list=PL89A73FF8477DF062 Att, Rompponmatsu!]

* [[Robot Girl]]

* [[You Gotta Have Blue Hair|You Gotta Have Purple Hair]]

 

=== Ropponmatsu II (Nishiki) ===

 

Ropponmatsu I's replacement after she was blown up. Dr. Shiouji built her more to his liking, so instead of a tough full grown woman, Ropponmatsu II looks and acts like a ten year old girl. She has hyperactive personality that elicits annoyance from her co-workers particularly Iwata, though she gets along with Sumiyoshi. Ropponmatsu II can either work with Ropponmatsu I, or cannot because they have a single power source that they have to share, depending on the continuity.

 

In the manga, Dr. Shiouji builds a new Ropponmatsu II {{spoiler|with a new power source after Il Palazzo kidnaps Ropponmatsu I and the power core}} and calls her Nishiki.

* [[Bokukko]]

* [[Catgirl]]: In appearance.

* [[Multicolored Hair]]

* [[Robot Girl]]

* [[You Gotta Have Blue Hair|You Gotta Have Purple Hair]]

 

=== Umi Rengaya ===

 

Dr. Shiouji's friendly cousin and lab assistant. Umi is love with her cousin, but her almost dangerous levels of stupidity constantly lead her to destroy his lab equipment, earning his ire. The fact that she is fully grown and busty does not help her.

 

Only appears in the manga.

* [[Cosplay Otaku Girl]]: Does this in part to get Shiouji's attention, and partly for fun. She tries to get Teriha into it too, but Teriha is not as interested.

* [[Dojikko]]

* [[Morality Pet]]: In that Shiouji is probably the nicest to her out of everyone he knows, even though she bothers him the most.

* [[Unlucky Childhood Friend]]

 

=== Miwa Rengaya ===

 

Dr. Shiouji's mother, who is much more intelligent than her son. She showed up out of nowhere and moved into Shiouji's lab, then frustrated Shiouji's attempts to find out more about Kabapu and his father and started working with Kabapu. The "affection" she hoists upon her son is the reason he's a [[Lolicon]].

 

Only appears in the manga.

* [[Always Someone Better]]

* [[Dirty Old Woman]]

* [[My Beloved Smother]]

* [[Skinship Grope]]

 

== Other Characters ==

=== Dr. Sekifumi Iwata ===

 

 

Since Dr. Iwata works at the local hospital, he has had first hand experience with Hyatt's ability to die and resurrect.

* [[The Cameo]]: Appeared in one scene in the anime, in the non-canon episode that didn't air.

* [[Scars Are Forever]]: Has had a giant X-shaped scar on his face since he was four.

=== Shiki Fukuya ===

 

Dr. Iwata's [[Beleaguered Assistant]], who was put in charge of keeping an eye on Dr. Iwata by the hospital's administrator. Usually has to restrain or bludgeon Dr. Iwata so he will not do anything criminal or lecherous.

 

Like Dr. Iwata, Fukuya has seen Hyatt's ability to die and revive.

* [[Carry a Big Stick]]: Uses whatever is lying around to beat Dr. Iwata into submission.

* [[Hospital Hottie]]

 

== Anime-Exclusive Characters ==

 

=== The Great Will of the Macrocosm ===

 

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]: Of the [[Deus Ex Machina]].

* [[Leitmotif]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYteSeezgTU&feature=BFa&list=PL89A73FF8477DF062 Maa benri! Omochimo yaketa!]

 

=== Pedro ===

 

An immigrant worker who worked with Excel on a construction job. His story is the C-plot of the show. He was killed in a fire (caused by Excel) and spends most of the series as a ghost trying to get back to his Sexy Wife and his son Sandora.

* [[Afro Asskicker]]: Both him and his son.

* [[Big No]]: He uses it so often that it's practically his [[Catch Phrase]].

* {{spoiler|[[Kamehame Hadoken]]: Parodied with his "Nabehameha".}}

* [[Leitmotif]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq2b4-ZoDtE Sokomade Hisanni Narunante Iwanakettayan]

* [[Ocular Gushers]]: [[Lampshade Hanging|"Pedro's tears are once again flowing like waterfalls!"]]

* [[Third Person Person]]

 

=== Pedro's Sexy Wife ===

 

A [[Housewife]]. She sits around all day while her husband works overseas. She quickly moved on when she found out Pedro had died and married Gomez, who mistreats her and spends all her money. {{spoiler|She is actually the other half of The Great Will of the Macrocosm.}}

* [[Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder]]: She gets remarried after Pedro's death to a man named Gomez {{spoiler|(who is eventually revealed as "That Man").}}

* [[No Name Given]]

=== Nabeshin ===

 

* [[Afro Asskicker]]

* [[Author Avatar]]: Of director [[Shinichi Watanabe]].

 

=== "That Man" ===

 

A [[Yakuza]] thug who gets angry with Pedro after he sleeps with The Great Will of the Macrocosm and throws him into the ocean. {{spoiler|Is actually the real leader of ACROSS and Il Palazzo's boss. He kidnaps The Great Will and uses the destruction of F City as part of a plan to take over the planet.}}

* [[Bigger Bad]]: {{spoiler|Is the actual leader of ACROSS}}.

* [[Evil Counterpart]]

* [[The Man Behind the Man]]

* [[Yakuza]]: Or at least, he looks and acts like one.

=== The Puchus ===

 

The Puchus are an alien race of unknown origin, and are rarely seen in the daylight. They resemble plush toys, and look huggably cute... at first glance.

* [[Aliens and Monsters]]

* [[Berserk Button]]: If you hit them.

* [[Gonk]]: The Puchuus change instantly from disarmingly cute to disturbingly ugly (resembling [[Golgo 13]]) when injured, usually shouting out something crude in Kansai gangster talk or else some kind of surreal [[Gratuitous English]] gibberish as they die.

* [[Grotesque Cute]]: After they're physically assaulted.

* [[Talkative Loon]]: Whenever they get hit by something, they speak in incomprehensible [[Engrish]].