Princess Principal/Characters

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Characters from Princess Principal usually have secrets to keep - sometimes, even their birth names are major spoilers.

Team Principal

"Team Principal" is what Control calls the team. They call themselves "Team White Pigeon" if they call themselves anything at all.

Dorothy

Voiced by Yō Taichi (Japanese), Elizabeth Bunch (English), Stephanie Kirchberger (German)

Birth name: Daisy MacBean

She ran away from an abusive father on the day of the revolution, and found herself on the Commonwealth's side of the Wall as a result, where she met Ange in an orphanage. The two were recruited by the Commonwealth's Intelligence branch, trained at the same facility at the same time, and are now working together in Team Principal. She's using her mother's name - Dorothy - as her identity during Project: Changeling.

Dorothy is the team's leader, credentials forger, and usual driver. She's also the only one with both the time and the temperament to be able to teach Beatrice about spycraft. She is slightly less focused on work than Ange is (being willing to cut her losses if things look hopeless), but they're both frighteningly competent spies.

Tropes exhibited by Dorothy include:

Ange le Carré

Voiced by Ayaka Imamura (Japanese TV series), Aoi Koga (Japanese film series), Avery Smithhart (English), Marnie Aramruck (German)

I'm not joking. I'm just lying.
—Ange, Case 13

Birth name: Princess Charlotte of Albion

A former Street Urchin (with a strong implication of having been The Artful Dodger), Ange has been highly trained as a spy by the Commonwealth of Albion. She bears a powerful resemblance to the Princess, which the Commonwealth hopes to exploit -- she has been smuggled across the Wall with a special mission: to dispose of the Princess and replace her as part of a plan called "Project: Changeling". No one, least of all her handlers, expected her to team up with the Princess and form a cell of Commonwealth agents in the heart of the Kingdom's aristocracy.

Although Ange maintains the appearance of a somewhat chirpy "cute" girl, her true personality is far more reserved and quiet. She is a planner and a strategist, but at the same time is athletic and skilled at combat – imagine a sixteen-year-old girl with the spy/assassin skills of James Bond, and you'll have a good idea what the "real" Ange is like. She can come off as a Strange Girl, however, especially when she indulges in apparently fanciful stories of being an alien from the "Black Lizard Planet" – but this is something she only does around the other members of the team.

She is the team's infiltration specialist... and, when absolutely necessary, the team's resident assassin.

What nobody but the Princess knows is that Ange is the true Princess Charlotte. The two first met before the revolution via a secret entrance into the palace grounds and became fast friends. Eventually they decided to trade places for a day – on the day of the revolution – and both were trapped on the wrong side of the Wall for ten years.

Tropes exhibited by Ange include:
  • Blue Eyes: Of the Icy Blue Eyes sort that look right through people... although her Purely Aesthetic Glasses obscure this when she wears them.
  • Identical Stranger: Ange and Charlotte look enough alike that they can pass for each other, and actually have to make an effort to look different from each other.
  • Meaningful Name: After John le Carré.
  • Meganekko: Ange wears Purely Aesthetic Glasses as part of her cover identity at Queen's Mayfair, and adopts a stereotypical "cute" personality to go along with them..
    • The Glasses Come Off: Whenever she's on a mission. Even missions where it would make sense for her to wear glasses, such as Case 20.
  • Nice Hat: Has a rather splendid black silk top hat, as shown in the main work page's image. You only see her wear it when it's time to get dangerous -- when the hat goes on, The Gloves Come Off.
  • Prince and Pauper: Is the "Prince" side of the equation. She and Ange, after meeting secretly for months, agreed to trade places for a day. Unfortunately, that day was the day of the revolution that split Albion...
  • Rei Ayanami Expy: She's a teenaged girl with cold-pastel hair and an unnaturally stoic demeanor, she has an extreme loss in her backstory, she acts like an alien sometimes with her references to the "Black Lizard Planet", and she's the only one who has ready access to the setting's Phlebotinum.
  • Scary Shiny Glasses: In the opening credits, hinting at her complex nature.
  • Sticky Fingers: Is an accomplished pickpocket.
  • Strange Girl: Her reserved and severe nature and her bizarre "Black Lizard Planet" metaphor for being a spy combine to give her a very odd and unusual presence, even among friends.
  • Street Urchin: Survived (and even thrived) on the streets of Commonwealth London after being trapped there by the revolution.
  • Teen Superspy: Unlike everyone else in the group she is both highly trained and a genuine teenager (sorry, Dorothy), and equipped with gear like the C-ball.

Princess Charlotte

Voiced by Akira Sekine (Japanese), Patricia Duran (English), Arlette Stanschus (German)

Some lies become true in the telling.
—Princess, Case 13

Birth name: Ange le Carré

Fourth in line for the throne of Albion, Charlotte has aspirations to actually gain the throne and reunite the country. However, she's a "princess of the air", with no political backing... which in some eyes makes her expendable, and which led to her decision to join Ange and Dorothy as a spy for the Commonwealth.

She is the epitome of grace, being one of the best dancers and pianists in Albion. She speaks nine languages. She is witty and quick-thinking. And only Team Principal knows that she is all of this because she spends hours every day practising her skills. Of course, this makes Princess the team's expert in social situations.

Although it's never mentioned in the show, given that her grandmother is very clearly shown to be Queen Victoria (and that she's fourth in line for the throne) it is probably safe to assume that Charlotte's family name is "Saxe-Coburg and Gotha".

What nobody but Ange knows is that Princess Charlotte is the real Ange le Carré – which is the real reason why she decided to work with "Ange". The two first met before the revolution via a secret entrance into the palace grounds and became fast friends. Eventually they decided to trade places for a day – on the day of the revolution – and both were trapped on the wrong side of the Wall for ten years.

Tropes exhibited by Princess include:
  • Blue Eyes: At first glance, they're Innocent Blue Eyes that complement Hair of Gold... but if she lets her public persona slip, they become Icy Blue Eyes to go along with her Power Blonde hair. But she so rarely lets her public persona slip that even her best friend at school, Beatrice, doesn't see her true colours until after Ange arrives at Mayfair. (The only one who notices the truth is Chise, in Case 11.)
  • Everyone Calls Her "Princess": Nobody else is of her social rank, so they wouldn't dream of addressing her by name. (Except for Ange, and then only in private.)
  • HAD to Be Sharp: She was thrust into living Charlotte's life with no preparation whatsoever, and was virtually uneducated when the revolution trapped her in the palace. Only her experience of what Charlotte acted like (plus Charlotte having taught her to read and write and play piano during the months of their friendship) kept her from being found out right off the bat; she dedicated herself to learning independently everything she needed to know to be Charlotte, from the ground up, for her own preservation – and succeeded admirably.
  • Identical Stranger: Princess and Ange look enough alike that they can pass for each other, and actually have to make an effort to look different from each other.
  • Omniglot: As noted above, she speaks nine languages.
  • Prince and Pauper: Is the "Pauper" side of the equation. She and Princess Charlotte, after meeting secretly for months, agreed to trade places for a day. Unfortunately, that day was the day of the revolution that split Albion...
  • Royals Who Actually Do Something: Granted, the "something" in this case is "spy on her own country".
  • Street Urchin: As the real Ange le Carré, she spent her early years on the streets of London, before meeting the real Charlotte and eventually trading places with her.

Beatrice

Voiced (usually) by Akari Kageyama (Japanese), Shanae'a Moore (English), Liza Ohm (German)

I love Her Highness! I love her kindness, her elegance, her intelligence, all of it! So I'm going to protect her! I'll keep her safe from everything, and be someone worthy to stand beside her!
—Beatrice, Case 2

Birth name: Beatrice (family name unknown)

Beatrice is Princess' best friend at Queen's Mayfair (and vice versa), and despite her high birth (her father is a Baron) is happy to serve as a servant to royalty. She was originally an honest and straightforward girl, although getting involved with the spies who have infiltrated the school quickly changed her behaviour.

She's also a Voice Changeling, thanks to mechanical vocal cords that her father implanted in her throat (against her will). This comes in handy, when she's able to be heard and not seen by Team Principal's opponents.

Beatrice is an amateur spy, and thus fills the story role of "person to explain things to" – letting the scriptwriters avoid the use of As You Know. She supports the team with her skills as a mechanic and her superhuman mimicry ability.

Case 22 shows us that Beatrice does not know how to drive the team's car... but she gives it a good try.[1]

Tropes exhibited by Beatrice include:
  • Curtains Match the Window: Beatrice has brown hair and eyes... and her Brown Eyes show that she's a trustworthy and stable character.
  • Cyborg: Strictly speaking; her mechanical voice box qualifies her.
  • Demoted to Extra: During the Crown Handler film series. At least during the first two films, she has had nothing to do except let her emotions show (and, in the ending credits, sit at a desk and wait for a telephone to ring).
  • Mundane Utility: Beatrice uses her steampunk vocal cords for more than just impersonations.
    • In Case 7, the implants prevent her from being beheaded, stopping a sword swing from an assassin who had just killed two people with one sword swing each.
    • In Case 18, she sings baritone in a bar to make Dorothy happy.
    • In Case 22, she ultrasonically calms some dogs.
  • Naive Newcomer: To the spy business. Somehow, she keeps her naivete through at least Crown Handler - Chapter 2.
  • Older Than They Look: Like the Princess she is sixteen, but between her height and slender build looks anywhere between twelve and fourteen.
  • Tareme Eyes: emphasising her (relative) moe nature.
  • Voice Changeling: As mentioned above.
  • Wrench Wench: And not afraid to get herself dirty in the process, as shown in Case 16.

Chise

Voiced by Nozomi Furuki (Japanese), Rachael Messer (English), Julia Fölster (English)

Birth name: Chise Tōdō

Chise's first (chronological) appearance is in Case 7, where she is introduced as one of the guards of the Japanese diplomat Lord Horikawa. The embassy is in Europe to sign a treaty with Albion... but which Albion? After Chise saves Lord Horikawa from the assassin Jubei Tōdō, Lord Horikawa asks that she be allowed to work with Princess and her team – ostensibly so that Chise can learn their ways, and secretly so that Chise can advise Lord Horikawa regarding which Albion to approach regarding the treaty. Chise eventually tells Lord Horikawa (in Case 11) that, while she doesn't know whether Project: Changeling should work, she knows she wants it to work, strongly implying that the members of Team Principal have become her friends.

She is a swordswoman par excellence despite being only 16 years old. Chise is easily the best close-in fighter in Team Principal, capable of holding her own against both Ange and Dorothy at the same time (as shown in Case 7). However, her inexperience with the local customs and manners leads to her causing a few incidents (as shown in Case 11).

Crown Handler - Chapter 1 shows that, unexpectedly, Chise does know how to drive a steam automobile... if she can keep her eyes on the road.

Tropes exhibited by Chise include:
  • A-Cup Angst: In Case 11, while recounting how Dorothy once again used her "feminine charms" to distract a guard:

That is known as "a woman's weapon." Unfortunately, it's one I have yet to acquire.

  • Curtains Match the Window: Chise has black hair and eyes... and her Black Eyes mark her as the mysterious outsider.
  • Family Honour: The reason why she had to be the one to kill the assassin sent after Lord Horikawa.
  • Fish Out of Water: Chise is often puzzled by the strange customs practised in the land she's found herself in – although she is also often annoyed that her new friends don't know the customs of Japan, either.
  • Healing Hands: Knows what she claims is a healing spell taught to her by her father.
  • Luke, I Am Your Father: Played With in that Chise knew that Jubei Tōdō was her father, but nobody else knew. Mind you, The Reveal came as no surprise to Team Principal.
  • Nice Hat: Her black metal jingasa, as shown in the main work page's image, is unusual in that it does not bear a mon.
  • Ninja: Capable of deflecting bullets with her sword (or, in Case 16, with a flatiron). Curiously, she characterizes herself as a Samurai instead.
  • Token Minority: Of the "giving more viewers protagonists they can identify with" type. Chise is the only Japanese character in the main cast, and the show was originally created for a Japanese audience.
  • Tsurime Eyes: A subtle case, that emphasise her Token Minority status.


Control

Control appears to be the central organization overseeing the Republic of Albion's espionage activities. We don't see many of their personnel, outside of flashbacks, but most of those we do see are highly placed.

L

Voiced by Takayuki Sugou (Japanese), David Wald (English), Jürgen Holdorf (German)

Head of Control at the start of the series, who presides over its leading board, L is a sober, intelligent man who, while supportive of Team Principal, is not necessarily their steadfast ally. Cool and collected, he believes the world runs on Grey and Gray Morality.

L is briefly deposed by General late in the series, but regained control of Control by the final episode and is back in charge of Control at the beginning of Crown Handler.

Tropes exhibited by L include:

7

Voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro (Japanese), Heidi Hinkel (English), Katharina von Keller (German)

7 is the only female member of Control's leading board and is its chief data analyst/interpreter. She appears to be unfazeable, calmly coping with unexpected developments.

Tropes exhibited by 7 include:


Colonel

Voiced by ???? (Japanese), Chris Hutchison (English), ???? (German)

The third member of Control's leading board, he is the representative of the Commonwealth military to the organization. Interestingly, he was one of the first in favor of accepting the Princess' offer of an alliance with the Commonwealth.

Tropes exhibited by Unnamed Blond Military Officer include:


Dollyshop

Voiced by Hiroyuki Honda (Japanese), Mark X. Laskowski (English), Kai Henrik Möller (German)

Control's counterpart to James Bond's "Q", Dollyshop is in charge of its technical division and responsible for the development and operation of the tools and equipment employed by its agents. As such, he is the fourth member of Control's leading board.

Tropes exhibited by Dollyshop include:


General

Voiced by ???

A high-ranking military man who saw the more civilian-styled L as weak and inefficient, General briefly deposed L as the leader of Control. He is more aggressive and less concerned about the lives and long-term benefits of agents in place; he was willing to casually sacrifice Team Principal to accomplish his goals. Zelda (see below) was one of his personal agents among Control.

Tropes exhibited by General include:
  • The Spymaster: It's clear that he believes himself to be one, but he is more inclined to deploy and sacrifice espionage resources as though they were military units on a battlefield than patiently profit from their long-term emplacement.
  • We Have Reserves: Will casually sacrifice profitable long-term agents for dubious short-term gains.


Recurring Opponents

The Duke of Normandy

Voiced by Takaya Hashi (Japanese), Jay Hickman (English), Wolf Frass (German)

The Duke of Normandy is the Kingdom of Albion's Home Secretary, and thus their chief spycatcher. Despite being Princess Charlotte's uncle, he would prefer to see Princess removed from the line of succession to the throne – a non-fatal method would suffice, but he isn't the type of person who would shy away from setting up an "accident".

Tropes exhibited by the Duke of Normandy include:
  • Big Bad: As far as Control and Team Principal are concerned.
  • Professional Killer: While not an assassin by trade, he is not unwilling to do his own dirty work, as seen in Case 2. However, he usually leaves that sort of task to Gazelle.

Gazelle

Voiced by Yuko Iida (Japanese), Melanie Burke (English), Nadine Schreier (German)

Gazelle is the right-hand woman to the Duke of Normandy, at least as far as espionage and counter-espionage operations are concerned. She is shown to have wide latitude as to how to carry out her orders.

In Case 20, she is called "Inspector Flint", but other cases show her directly assisting the Duke of Normandy, so that is probably an alias.

Tropes exhibited by Gazelle include:
  • The Dragon: The "smart, detail-oriented administrator" type, although she isn't afraid to get her hands dirty.
  • Politically-Correct History: It is highly unlikely that somebody with dark skin could rise to a high position in Her Majesty's Civil Service at the time that Princess Principal was set. It is even less likely that a woman could do so. Yet Gazelle is a dark-skinned woman in a position of high responsibility in the Home Office.
  • You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: When a one-time "floater" dared to ask for more money after completing his part of an operation, Gazelle quietly kills him. In a church.

Zelda

Voiced by Mie Sonozaki (Japanese), Elissa Cuellar (English), Franciska Friede (German)

A Commonwealth agent loyal to the military man she refers to simply as "General", and a representative of a different faction within Commonwealth military and intelligence than the Princess and her team has previously worked under. She was originally supposed to be Ange's mission partner, but Ange was not told of this and thought that Zelda was part of an elaborate loyalty test. As things shook out, the two were never assigned together, and Zelda now considers herself Ange's enemy.

Tropes exhibited by Zelda include:


  1. ↑ In Real Life, automobile controls would not be standardized for at least two decades after this story's setting, so it's possible that Beatrice might know how to drive a different car.
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