Skullgirls/Characters

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Filia

"Let's go, Samson!"
"Hell yeah!"

Filia voiced by Christine Marie Cabanos
Samson voiced by Del Stetson

More or less[please verify] the default protagonist of the game, Filia was once an Ordinary High School Student, but one day woke up without any memories and a second mouth on the back of her head. Now, she hosts a Parasite named Samson, an unruly mop of demonic hair with incredible power. With no memories or anyone to turn to for help, if she ever hopes to piece together her past and survive the inevitable clash with the Skullgirl, Filia will need to trust this mysterious being.

Tropes exhibited by these characters include:

Tropes related to Filia

Tropes related to Samson

  • Anime Hair: Considering all the shapes he can take.
  • Big Eater: He's said to be a bit of a glutton, which explains why Filia is slightly pudgy. Since they're symbionts, any nutrients he absorbs but doesn't digest go to her, and vice versa; likewise, when Samson drinks too much, they both get hammered. He even swallows her hat during her pre-fight animation.
  • Combat Tentacles
  • Dramatic Wind: One of Filia's victory poses includes Samson shifting into a humanlike shape and puffing out his chest while Filia sways dramatically in the breeze behind him.
  • Funny Afro: When Filia performs her Infinite Detection animation, Samson poofs into a really large afro, complete with an afro comb
  • Overly Long Tongue: Any art with him sticking his tongue out tends to stray into this.
  • Prehensile Hair: He can morph into various objects, and is Filia's main method of attack.
  • The Symbiote
  • Violently Protective Symbiont: His first action in their story mode is to nearly kill someone trying to flirt with Filia, perceiving them as a threat.

"No one lays a hand on my host... no one."

Cerebella

"Get ready for a show-stopper!"

Voiced by Cristina Valenzuela

Throughout the Canopy Kingdom, Cerebella is admired for her enormous strength and alluring curves. Sadly, this acrobatic orphan only desires the attention of one man, the mobster Vitale Medici, who took her in and became the closest thing to a father she’s ever known. While inherently good, Cerebella serves the mafia as a leg-breaker when not performing in the circus. She is the only person capable of controlling her powerful Living Weapon hat, Vice-Versa, so Vitale is stingy with his affections to keep her fighting in his corner.

Tropes exhibited by these characters include:

Tropes related to Cerebella

Tropes related to Vice-Versa

Peacock

"Time to paint the town red!"

Voiced by Sarah Williams

Once a war-orphan slave named Patricia, Peacock’s body was gruesomely mutilated by slave traders that captured her. She was rescued by Dr. Avian’s Anti-Skullgirls Labs, and rebuilt her with a (literally) reality-defying biomechanical arsenal: the Argus System augmented her body, and the Avery Unit gave her access to unprecedented weaponry. Alas, they couldn’t do anything for her mind: Peacock’s damaged psyche and abiding love of cartoons shaped her new “toys” into a terrifying gang of cronies, whom she has no qualms using to Paint the Town Red... with blood. Terrifying as she is, she may be the kingdom’s best bet against the Skullgirl.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

"Yo ho ho! Avast!"

  • Troubling Unchildlike Behaviour
  • Unflinching Walk: One of her more powerful attacks involves tossing a cigar behind her back... at a bomb standing next to her victim. Cue explosion and malicious grin.
    • And this is after stuffing her opponent in a burlap sack, calling down two of her cartoon Mooks (Ten Ton Tommy and Andy Anvil) to help curbstomp her helpless victim into submission, and having the aforementioned bomb (George) continue to beat the ensnared foe with a baseball bat, all before pulling the cigar toss.
  • Vaudeville Hook: In her assist tag-out taunt. Peacock does softshoe for a few seconds before she is pulled off the stage by a cane into a Portable Hole.
  • Wheel-O-Feet

Parasoul

"Egrets, assemble!"

Voiced by Erin Fitzgerald

Few know the terrors of the Skullgirl as intimately as Parasoul does: seven years ago, her own mother became the Skullgirl that nearly destroyed the world. This tragic past has made her fiercely protective of both her country and her family, and these two priorities frequently come into conflict. Parasoul is now the crown princess of the Canopy Kingdom and leader of its elite military squad, the Black Egrets. Wielding the living umbrella, Krieg, she fights with grace, poise and cunning to defend her family honor and destroy the Skull Heart so no one can repeat her mother’s terrible mistake.

Tropes exhibited by these characters include:

Tropes related to Parasoul

Ms. Fortune: "I... uh... dammit, your name's already a pun!"

  • Putting on the Reich: The Black Egrets Assist Characters for Parasoul have uniforms and equipment that are clearly using this trope - grey-coloured, armband on the upper-right arm, gas-masks, seem to be using MP 40s and a MG 42 in a super, and have helmets resembling the fairly-stereotypical Pickelhaube (though those helmets, while culturally German, were used in World War I). Parasoul herself seems to utilize a Luger P08.
    • What makes her interesting is that this is a rare heroic variant of the trope. That or her propaganda is just that good...
  • Royals Who Actually Do Something
  • She's Got Legs
  • Smart People Play Chess: Chess is listed as one of her "likes."
  • Statuesque Stunner: The second tallest of the cast, at 5' 10".
  • Sugar and Ice Personality
  • Sweater Girl: Some of her alternate colors even go so far as to give her ribbed sweaters too.
  • Take Me Instead!: In her ending, her dying sister gets too close to the MacGuffin and Parasoul can't destroy it without her sister getting caught in the blast. So she wishes to become the next Skullgirl in exchange for sparing her sister. In the aftermath, she promises to start her sister's training after she wakes up to prepare her for Parasoul's eventual transformation.
  • Taking the Bullet: One of her soldiers will do this for her in battle, sometimes while shouting "NOOOOOOOOOOO!".
  • Woman in Black
  • Zettai Ryouiki: Only on some of her alternate colours.

Tropes related to Krieg

  • Eye Beams
  • Living Weapon
  • Meaningful Name: His name is the German word for "war". This helps tie in with Parasoul's Putting on the Reich.
  • Parasol of Pain
  • Playing With Napalm: He cries napalm tears, which can be placed on the screen and detonated.
    • In addition, bullets shot into Krieg shoot out the other end, engulfed in a ball of flame. Parasoul has a number of attacks that involve her shooting Krieg with her Luger. Her Level 3 Blockbuster has her open Krieg fully, and have the Black Egrets fire on Krieg with automatic weapons. The result is a veritable storm of fireballs.
  • Swiss Army Tears

Ms. Fortune

"Looks like I've found a new scratching post!"

Voiced by Kimlinh Tran

Nadia Fortune is the last surviving member of the Fishbone Gang, a band of otherwise Dagonian thieves, whose last caper ended in tragedy; in an attempt to steal the Life Gem, a valuable and mystical artifact, from Lorenzo Medici, all were caught by the Mafia and brutally killed... or so the mob thought. Nadia managed to swallow the Gem and gained immortality from it (or at least a near-infinite Healing Factor, which amounts to the same thing), which allowed her to survive the mob's vengeance—Dahlia and her goons chopped her into little pieces and dumped her in the river with the bodies of the rest of her gang. She now lurks in the shadows of Little Innsmouth, plotting her own revenge against the Medici Mafia.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Ms. Fortune: "I'm gonna have to cut you off before you get to the 'We're a lot alike, you and I' bit."

"A purr-fect plaything."
 "Paws-itively delightful."
"Remember, remember, the Fifth of Dismember!"
"Purrserker Furrage!"
"Wow, I'm claw-some."
"You're not claws-strophobic, are you?"
"Not a-mew-sing."
"Time to pull myself together!"
"Meow it's purr-sonal."
"That's a CLAWS encounter of the FURRED kind!"
[on defeating Parasoul] "I... uh... dammit, your name's already a pun."

Painwheel

"Get out of my head!!"

Voiced by Danielle McRae

Once, she was a normal schoolgirl named Carol, who was kidnapped by Valentine and delivered to the Anti-Skullgirls Labs’ secretive Lab Zero. There she was implanted with the synthetic Buer Drive and Gae Bolga parasites and infused with experimental Skullgirl blood, transforming her into the monster she is today. Violent and unstable as a result of these experiments, as a precaution she’s mentally controlled by Lab Zero’s powerful psychic director, Brain Drain. Fueled by rage, she draws her power from her pain and fury. Despite that, the soul of that scared young girl still lives on inside this monstrous body, desperately fighting off the onslaught of voices that would control her.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Valentine

"Side effects may include nausea, headaches, and death."

Voiced by Laura Post

Valentine is the only survivor of the Last Hope, a group of special Anti-Skullgirl Lab operatives. Before meeting their end at the hands of the Skullgirl, the Last Hope worked for the mysterious Lab Zero and performed duties ranging from reconnaissance and sabotage to advanced research.

Now Valentine dutifully serves the Skullgirl, carrying out her will from the shadows. She keeps to herself, so much of her true nature and personality are unknown.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • The Atoner
  • 1-Up: Her Level 5 Super can bring a dead teammate back to life with 33% of their health.
  • Badass Normal: The only cast member who manages to kick ass without hosting a parasite or having command over a Living Weapon. Double and Ms. Fortune do not count.
  • Combat Medic: As a character type, she is much more focused on the combat aspect, but she still has some healing ability for her Level 5.
  • Counter Attack: She has one as a super. Notably though, it is incredibly discreet for a super counter, there is no dramatic super flash, and the meter is only depleted until after the counter either works or doesn't work.
  • Dangerously-Short Skirt
  • Deadly Doctor
  • Death Seeker: Implied in her story mode. She seems intent on persuading Painwheel to kill her. So much so that in her ending she willingly wishes to becomes the next Skullgirl.
  • Does This Remind You of Anything?: Her dialogue when she starts talking about experimenting on Ms. Fortune, and her injured sprite.
  • The Dragon: To the current Skullgirl.
  • Dragon with an Agenda
  • Even Evil Has Standards: Apparently, she wasn't happy about having to work on Painwheel; Brain Drain had to lean rather heavily on her to get her to cooperate.
  • Evil Mentor: In her story, she prepares Painwheel to destroy the Skullgirl.
  • Eyepatch of Power
  • Exotic Eye Designs: Her pupils are black crosses, the same shape as the red crosses on her uniform. When she becomes the Skullgirl in her ending, the telltale skull-shaped iris marks get added on.
  • Face Heel Turn: Prior to the events of the game, she used to work for the Anti-Skullgirl Lab, but now works for the Skullgirl after the defeat of Last Hope.
  • Fan Disservice: Valentine's Infinite Prevention animation has her attempt to tear her shirt off before tearing her chest open and exploding into a pile of bones and gore, after which she reappears from a body-bag.
  • Flash Step: Her wakeup roll is this instead of a traditional roll.
  • For Science!
  • Form-Fitting Wardrobe
  • Gag Boobs: Certainly not as Gag-worthy as others, but she measures at 36E and lists "Back pain" as one of her dislikes.
    • It's actually made into a constant visual gag, as many of Valentine's animations have her adjusting her top or supporting her breasts as she pulls items from her cleavage.
  • Good All Along: In her story mode, she was actually only biding her time until she could get another chance to defeat the Skullgirl.
  • Good Scars, Evil Scars: Her mask hides a scar crossing her lip, onto her chin.
  • Gory Discretion Shot: Her Level 3 super is a particularly brutal one.
  • Hammerspace: Where does that body-bag come from?
  • Hello, Nurse!: Peacock actually says "Hello Nurse" when she's fighting against Valentine.
  • Highly-Visible Ninja: Although, to be fair, she's a nurse. She'd blend in if she was working in a hospital.
  • Hospital Hottie
  • Hourglass Hottie: Even more-so than Parasoul; her official profile lists her measurements as 36E-25-40.
  • Improbable Weapon User: Uses weaponized versions of medical tools—bonesaws, defibrillators, syringes, scalpels, body bags (some with cadavers still inside), an IV stand with one end sharpened...
  • Last of Her Kind: The only remaining survivor of the 'Last Hope', a government ordinated squad of ninja nurses like herself.
  • Magical Defibrillator: Valentine can use her defibrillator as a Level 5 Super to bring one team mate back to life, no matter the circumstances.
  • The Medic: She can revive a teammate at the cost of five meters.
  • Mini Boss: Holds this position as the first unambiguous villain to be a playable character, whereas most of the other "villainous" characters are more like heroic comedic sociopaths. Reinforced by her being one of two characters of the initial eight who has a Level Five super.
  • The Mole / Reverse Mole: She's waiting for the right time to betray Marie.
  • Most Common Superpower: Again, 36E, which is bigger than Parasoul. Lampshaded as one of her dislikes is "Back pain".
  • Ms. Fanservice: Special mention has to go to her pre-fight intro, where she's seen behind hospital curtains fiddling with her top.
    • See also her winpose; it involves her trying to pull a mercury thermometer out from inside her shirt, but "accidentally"[1] snapping the end off because the rest of it is too firmly lodged between her breasts.
    • When she gets knocked out, her top slowly slips off, showing Toplessness From the Back.
  • Ninja Nurse
  • Ninja Run: Her ground dash.
  • Panty Shot
  • Pet the Dog: Her story mode implies that she's quite fond of Painwheel.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning
  • Slasher Smile: Whenever her surgical mask is down.
  • Spinning Piledriver: Of the Izuna Drop variety. Her level 3 Super also begins with one.
  • Statuesque Stunner: In-game Valentine is about the same height as the other girls, but that's only because she's crouching. As we can see in her match intro, she's two inches taller than Parasoul. This is, of course, disregarding Double...
  • Take Up My Sword: In her story mode towards Painwheel, in a guile variation.
  • Technicolor Toxin: Valentine has three different poisons she can load into a syringe mid-battle, and each has a different color and effect. Purple causes Damage Over Time, Green adds extra hitstun to attacks, and Orange adds delay to button inputs.
  • Victoria's Secret Compartment: Occasionally pulls out weapons from her cleavage. Her victory pose is her pulling a thermometer out, which then breaks from how hot it is.
  • You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Double

"Have you come to make confession? I will gladly accept your tithe. In blood."

Voiced by Charlotte Ann

Double’s origins are a complete mystery. Seemingly without a will or motive of its own, this formless monster aids the Skullgirl.

Double is capable of transforming its nightmarish form into that of any person, but often appears as a smiling nun. It can frequently be found in the Grand Cathedral of the Divine Trinity, listening to confessions and attending to the catacombs beneath.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Bloody Marie

Voiced by Kira Buckland

The game's final boss. A maid with a skeletal motif.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Squigly

A zombified former opera singer, Squigly is inhabited by the parasite Leviathan, a rival to Filia's parasite Samson. Squigly uses a combination of "stance cancels" and spatial control powers.

One of two characters originally planned to be in the original eight, but development was postponed to include Valentine and Double instead. Has finally become a playable character.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Umbrella

Parasoul's younger sister. Although Umbrella lacks the military protection and tactical finesse of her older sister, she does wield Hungern, a sentient umbrella that becomes more voracious and powerful the more it isn't used.

The other one of two characters originally planned to be in the original eight, but development was postponed to include Valentine and Double instead. Has finally become a playable character.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Big Band

Big Band (or Ben Birdland) was once a police officer before he was fatally beaten and ditched by his coworkers. However things weren't all lost for Ben, as this attracted the Anti-Skullgirl Labs. Not wanting to spend the rest of his days in an iron lung, he agrees. He was reborn as "Big Band" after being fused with the machinery that lets him use a powerful array of pneumatic weapons.

He is both the first male and DLC character to be created.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

The Trinity

The beings that Double speaks for to issue orders to Marie.

Tropes exhibited by these characters include:
  • Bigger Bad
  • Early-Bird Cameo: So far[when?] their only appearance is in the Cliffhanger Ending.
  • God Is Evil: Implied due to the fact that we're talking about a trinity that's served by someone who dresses up like a nun (at least when not fighting).
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  1. ↑ (probably not accidental, judging by the smug grin visible through her face mask)
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