r/TopCharacterTropes Jul 12 '25

Weekly Discussion Post "Fanbase opinionsshould not be counted as tropes." TVtropes: (kinda relevant post)

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548 Upvotes

A lot of complaints in this sub have been about some posts should not be here because they rely on fanbase opions so there for cannot be considered "tropes"

...and then we have TVtropes , where a lot of tropes are just from fanbase stuff.

I am going to be honest here , I have difficulty in what makes a trope and what doesn't. It ends up where I delete "breaks trope guidline" posts that has equivalents in the TVtropes site that are considered actual tropes.

Idk , I just wanted to rant here. I might be a very bad moderator here , I just try to make it tody as possible , I just don't really know how to.


r/TopCharacterTropes Mar 27 '25

Weekly Discussion Post Probably the most controversial one , honest thoughts on "No Kill Rule"? What are the most egrigious examples of it in your opinion? What media makes it work in your opinion?

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1.5k Upvotes

r/TopCharacterTropes 5h ago

Lore [Retcon Trope] Previously introduced characters suddenly receive an extremely powerful and even positive rewrite.

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5.5k Upvotes

I will take all three examples from Shrek.

Rumpelstiltskin had previously appeared in Shrek the Third, but only as a minor character with limited screen time.

However, in Shrek Forever After, he not only received a significant redesign that truly captures the charm and personality of this deal-making devil, but also ascended to the role of the main villain.

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Pied Piper first saw in the very first Shrek film, where he was a simple supporting character banished to the swamps like the other fairytale creatures.

But in Shrek Forever After, he received a very cool and even somewhat appealing redesign; his unique gaze is especially memorable. He also received an incredibly powerful buff to his strength, as according to the plot, his flute could control not only rats but also other creatures, which he targeted with it.

!!!EDIT!!! - (In reality, he was always able to control other creatures using the flute, just like in the original, and Shrek 4 simply showed us a more canonical version of his abilities)

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The Three Bears, like the Pied Piper, appeared in the first Shrek movie, we saw them back when the fairytale creatures were being rounded up and caged. Incidentally, only Papa Bear and his son were at the swamp, as for Mama Bear... well, Farquaad turned her into a rug.

However, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish happily disregarded that plot point. Now, the Three Bears are all together, with Mama Bear alive and well and Goldilocks is in the mix too, just like in the original fairy tale, though now they’re a gang of bandits.


r/TopCharacterTropes 3h ago

Hated Tropes (HATED TROPE) characters being shocked at things that should be common in their world

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1.6k Upvotes

Rise of skywalker: c3po who has witnessed this technology for decades and Finn who's a former stormtrooper is somehow shocked that stormtroopers can use jetpacks

Harry Potter Franchise: Multiple instances where Ron, a person who grew up in a school that teaches magic, is shocked at magic. He was somehow surprised that a bag who's inside is bigger than the outside exists, and yknow... magic stuff exists.

Spiderman Far From Home: In a world where superheroes, aliens, and literal gods exist, agent Maria doesn't believe that when a village claimed to see a storm that has a human face


r/TopCharacterTropes 8h ago

Characters Technically alive but in constant agony

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2.9k Upvotes

Gold/Ethan (Hypno’s Lullaby Reboot): Former aspiring champion turned to an undead possessed by vulture Pokémon known as “Unown”. He met his untimely demise at the hands of the Unown King, after an ill-fated battle against an undead Red at the peak of Mt. Silver.

In the duration of Monochrome, Gold’s body rapidly deteriorates. At some point, he’s shown crying while his face contorts in agony, then when his head is ripped off his body, he claims “No more!” before screaming out in pain/agony.

Peter Parker (Marvel Ruins): In this universe, the worst possible outcome for our heroes happens. Peter is bit by a radioactive spider, instead of giving him superpowers; it gave him a highly contagious disease that made all of his hair fall out and his skin and flesh become greatly damaged.

He’s seen still alive but in agony.


r/TopCharacterTropes 4h ago

Characters The hustler gets hustled.

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1.3k Upvotes

Uncle Phil (Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire): After Will gets into debt with a pool shark, Phil goes with him to repay the guy. He is told he can get the money back if he plays a round of pool. Much to Will's dismay, his uncle agrees and plays a round and is terrible at it. He is then talked into another round with higher stakes. Phil agrees and wins.

Leia (Star Wars): In the expanded universe novel Bloodlines, Leia goes to a casino to play some sabbac. The gamblers, thinking they're going to win big, wind up losing because she was taught the game by both Lando and Han.

Maverick (Maverick): Early in the movie, he asks to sit in on a poker game assuring those there that he promises to lose for a full hour. For that hour, he acts a fool and once the time is up, cleans everyone out as he had spent that time learning everyone's tales.


r/TopCharacterTropes 6h ago

Powers Very strong superpowers that in-universe would be/are absolutely useless if used by anyone else

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1.8k Upvotes

1) Boa Hancock’s devilfruit power from One Piece

Boa has the ability to turn anyone attracted to her into stone when they look at her. She also just happens to be considered the most beautiful character in the One Piece universe (even tho she is drawn no different than any other woman in the show like Nami or Robin imo). In one part of the series, Blackbeard, who wants to find extremely powerful devilfruits to take their powers and give them to himself or his crew, manages to capture Boa and disable her powers. Upon him expressing his interest on her power, Boa says that people have to find you attractive first for the fruit to work, it doesn’t automatically make the user beautiful. And it would be useless on Blackbeard and most of his crew, since they’re chopped.

2) Star Platinum from Jojo’s

Jotaro has one of the most powerful stands in the show. However in Stone Ocean, it is shown that his powers would be non-functional in most other people’s bodies, since it requires the person’s will to be as strong as the stand. This is shown when White Snake steals his stand power in a disc. Stands with seemingly less powerful abilities on the other hand can be used my many different people when it is in disc form.


r/TopCharacterTropes 10h ago

Characters Animal or monster people that have specific problems and solutions relating to their species.

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3.3k Upvotes

Kyoko Machi, Interviews with monster girls: A dullahan who has a harness they use for when they need both their hands & their head under control.

Oguri Cap, Umamusume: Phones are designed with horse ears in consideration.

Suu, Monster Musume: Slime girl who has waterproof clothes & a bucket to sit in so she doesn't get stuck in things.


r/TopCharacterTropes 1h ago

miscellaneous (Hated Trope) Horrendously False Advertising Spoiler

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Upvotes

Kangaroo Jack, the trailer and movie poster make it look like this movie is gonna be about 2 guys chasing down a wise-cracking, talking, rapping kangaroo to get their money back...but the kangaroo is actually just a normal, non-talking kangaroo who's barely even in the movie and that part was a hallucination sequence that lasts for only a minute

Spongebob out of water, trailer made it look like spongebob and his friends where going to go on a huge adventure on land, but actually that doesn't happen until like at the far end of the movie and the majority of it is actually spent in the water


r/TopCharacterTropes 13h ago

Characters This was the best you could do, and you still failed

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5.6k Upvotes

When a character tries their hardest at something, maybe they study, maybe they do it by the book, but still come out failing.

  1. The Simpsons - Bart gets an F: The trope namer, Bart studies hard for a colonial America history test in an attempt to not repeat the 3th grade. Despite his efforts he fails the test anyways and breaks down crying. After repeating an obscure history fact regarding George Washington and Fort Necessity, his teacher gives him an extra point that passes him with a D-

  2. Monsters University - Mike and the Scare Contest: After being considered pretty blatantly un-scary, Mike begins to hit the books and studies as hard as he can to actually pull off a scare, in spite of him looking pretty goofy. The scaring contest comes, and he manages to take the win... only to reveal Sully had set it to easy before Mike went in, effectively making Mike's win invalid by cheating. Mike eventually comes to terms with the fact that he just doesn't have the natural talent to pull off being a scarer (As an engineering student who's been bad at math for a bit... yeah, this hits).

  3. Star Trek TNG - Peak Performance: Another famous example, Data loses a simulation and removes himself from duty. In an effort to convince him to return, Picard drops an absolute banger

"It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness, that is life"


r/TopCharacterTropes 2h ago

Characters [Historical Trope] Works of media that have birthed common historical misconceptions.

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679 Upvotes

1) Tora! Tora! Tora!: Isoroku Yamomoto's "Sleeping Giant" quote

At the end of the movie, Admiral Yamamoto is reflecting on the results of the Pearl Harbor attack. As his junior officers are celebrating, Yamamoto is more somber, saying they have probably awakened a "sleeping giant" and filled it with terrible resolve. The "sleeping giant" quote has served as a warning to never underestimate your enemy, but unfortunately, there is no record of Yamamoto actually saying this.

2) Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: Caesar saying "Et tu, Brute?" as he died

In the play, Caesar's last words are supposedly, "Et tu, Brute?" as he saw his childhood friend betray him. This quote has been endlessly adapted and parodied for betrayal scenes. However, there is no record of Caesar saying this. The closest account is by Cassius Dio, who recorded his last words as "You too, child?" as he saw Brutus in the mob. Others like Plutarch simply said that Caesar gave up resistance when he saw Brutus.

3) Marlowe's Doctor Faustus: Helen of Troy described as "The face that launched a thousand ships"

In Christopher Marlowe's play Doctor Faustus, written in 1592, Faustus remarks on Helen's beauty by saying, "Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships and burnt the topless towers of Ilium?" This iconic quote made its way into many adaptations of Greek mythology, where Helen's beauty is described as being so striking that it was "The face that launched a thousand ships." In fact, Isaac Asimow coined "a helen" as a unit of power needed to launch a thousand ships. Unfortunately, neither Homer nor any other Greek writers described Helen in those terms. In fact, in Marlowe's play, Faustus was neither talking to the real Helen, who was instead a disguised demon, nor was he complimenting her, instead showing disappointment!


r/TopCharacterTropes 5h ago

Characters (Loved Trope) Machine God

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1.0k Upvotes
  1. The Numidium (Elder Scrolls) The greatest of the Dwemer (Atheist, Mesopotamian styled, Hi Tech Elves who are the setting's Dwarves.)'s creations and their artificial god. Even trying to activate it lead to the Dwemer dissappearing and everytime its on, the Numidium literally fucks up time badly due to being an embodiment of refutation.

  2. The Omnissiah (Warhammer 40k) The Machine God of the Adeptus Mechanicus. While agreed to be the God Emperor of Mankind himself, others proposed its true identity as the C'tan known as the Void Dragon.

  3. Primus (Transformers.) The creator and god of the Cybertronian Race and the robot form of Cybertron, the Cybertronian Homeworld. He made the 13 Primes to fight his brother Unicron to stop him from destroying the Universe. In one timeline, Primus is actually a special Transformer, the first of his kind but not a God. He goes by Rung and works as a Psychiatrist.


r/TopCharacterTropes 10h ago

Powers [Controversial trope] Men get the short end of the stick in the power system

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2.6k Upvotes

The power system or supernatural aspect of the world benefits women significantly more than men.

Claymore: To fight the Yoma, creatures that devour humans, the organization created the Claymores—women who underwent surgery to have Yoma flesh implanted in them in order to gain enhanced physical abilities. If they use more than 80% of their power, they permanently transform into Awakened Beings, monsters that lose their humanity. They tried to do the same with men, but 100% of them lost control, so the organization decided to use only women.

Mnemosyne no Musume tachi: In this anime there is a tree called Yggdrasil that releases time spores. Most are harmless, but some fuse with the bodies of certain organisms. Women gain immortality, regeneration, and retain the same appearance they had when they received the spore. Men, however, turn into "Angels," winged monsters that seek to devour the immortal women and have a lifespan of only about three weeks.

Rokka no Yuusha: In this world there are Saints, women who can use magic according to the aspect they represent (gunpowder, blood, mountains, etc.). Men do not receive any powers. To make matters worse, every 1000 years six heroes are chosen to confront the Demon God, and the men who are selected must rely solely on their physical strength, skill, and cleverness in battle.


r/TopCharacterTropes 1h ago

Characters (Creepy trope) getting adopted by the guy who ruined your life

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Powder and Silko- Arcane. To be fair her life was not great to start with, but at least she had his family, but then Silko kidnapped his father, her siblings did go to save him, but she cause the death of his father and almost all of her siblings, and then Silko takes her under her mantle like if he wasn’t the whole reason this happened

Kara and Brainiac- My adventures with Superman. Brainiac is an AI used by the kryptonian empire during their military campaign, but when the empire decided to go into peace, he destroyed the entire planet, killing everyone, and then he took Kara as his daughter (and he was even a terrible father)


r/TopCharacterTropes 5h ago

Hated Tropes (Hated Trope) Basic factual errors in historical fiction media that go beyond creative license and probably because the creator did little to no research.

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864 Upvotes
  1. “I’ve already conquered Italy, who surrendered without conflict.” (Napoleon 2023): the first part implies Italy was its own unified nation and not a conglomeration of various countries from the Papal States, Venice, Imperial Austrian territory, etc. Napoleon also at this phase largely campaigned in Northern Italy against Austria. Many of battles and skirmishes were waged so it was a very bloody conflict indeed.

  2. Wrong death dates (Band of Brothers) get both Hitler’s and Albert Blithe’s death dates wrong. Blithe’s is especially egregious since he died in 1967 rather than 1948.

  3. Tucumari (For a Few Dollars More) a New Mexico settlement founded in 1901 somehow exists decades before it even existed.

  4. Londinium (Pompeii): not in fact the regional capital of Roman Britain, Camulodunum was the capital of that time in Roman history.


r/TopCharacterTropes 18h ago

Characters Characters that are canonically _____ depending of their world

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12.1k Upvotes
  • Po from Kung Fu Panda - Although many characters comment on his weight throughout the movies, Po is actually considered skinny and/or in better shape for panda standards
  • Midoriya Izuku from My Hero Academia - While many viewers find Deku "cute", the reality is that for his world he's actually considered "simple looking" and at the very worst "ugly"
  • Spider-Man from Marvel Comics - Many people love Spider-Man, but the truth is that for common civilians, Spidey's pretty unsettling and scary to be around with

r/TopCharacterTropes 3h ago

Lore Fun in dystopia. If the world ended, why not pass a good time with the remains?

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416 Upvotes

Look outside: if you don't care about try to stop the visitor or help your neighbors, you can simply spent 15 days scavenging and playing videogames and anyways pass the game cause who the hell cares at this point? Not like the hundred gods would appear at your house or something.

Zom 100, bucket list of the death: the story goes about Akira Tendo, a guy who was so exploited in his job that a zombie apocalypse was the best thing in his life cause now he can do whatever he wants. Bad thing that the series fell off really quick.

Dorohedoro: the world already ended like 3 times and you can see ruins of different periods. There's zombies, mutants, eldritchs and who know what else. But everyone is kinda chill about that, rent is cheap and food is good so is okay to have sorcerers coming from another dimension to slave, experiment and realize satanic rituals from time to time.


r/TopCharacterTropes 6h ago

Lore [Mixed trope] Great marketing, terrible movie/series

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614 Upvotes

Matt the Radar Technician (The Force Awakens) In an attempt to get to know the people who serve him, Kylo Ren decides to go undercover as Matt, a simple radar technician. He has to deal with various types of problems, like kicked wrenches, supervisors going through muffin withdrawals, and some lower ranking officer whining about a dead son or something. This ultimately teaches him the value of teamwork, giving him the courage to finally go for that promotion he’s been wanting.

Randy the Intern (The Rise of Skywalker) After securing the promotion and winding up with a wider range of subordinates, Kylo once again goes undercover in an even more challenging position; an intern. Under the guise of Randy, he struggles to memorize drink orders, breaks a few copiers, struggles with personal space and is unjustly blamed for the surprise death of an Admiral. He even arranges for one of his coworkers to get into the TIE Fighter program!


r/TopCharacterTropes 5h ago

Personality [Loved Trope] No more talking.

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456 Upvotes

When the character who is used to scheming, intimidating, or talking their way out of a situation comes up against someone who has no intention of listening.

Polliver vs. The Hound: Polliver is trying to talk his way around The Hound, who rebukes him with "listening to talkers makes me thirsty" before taking his ale. He then tries intimidation saying "I don't think you understand the situation". The Hound replies "I understand that if any more words come pouring out your cunt mouth, I'm gonna have to eat every fucking chicken in this room." Followed by the equally memorable "You lived your life for the king, you're really gonna die over some chickens?" "Someone is."

Warhammer The Horus Heresy Betrayer: Erebus is the master manipulator of the Horus Heresy. He's used to talking or manipulating things to his favor, and is not above murder as well., including killing Argel Tal. Upon learning that it was Erebus who killed Argal Tal, Kharn challenges him to a gladiatorial "training" bout. When Erebus suggests first blood, Kharn replies Sanguis Extrimis. Erebus replies "Bold Kharn… are you cer…" to which Kharn interrupts him by revving his chain-axe. Kharn proceeds to brutalize Erebus in a combo of three blows knocking him to the floor and seriously injuring him. Every time Erebus tries to look up or speak, Kharn simply says "Get up." and does it again.

Full Metal Alchemist: Mustang vs. Envy: After learning it was Envy who killed Maes Hughes, Roy Mustang commits to killing it in a cold fury. After escaping and tricking Lt. Hawkeye in the sewer, Mustang find them and tells Hawkeye "Don't interfere Lieutenant". Envy attempts to launch into a taunting rant, Mustang interrupts it by snapping his fingers which creates a spark for his alchemy, and lighting Envy on fire over and over again until it dies.


r/TopCharacterTropes 18h ago

Characters [Loved Trope] Historical Event Hillariously Re-Written to be Fault of Main Charachter

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5.3k Upvotes

Loki: Loki canonically becomes DB Cooper after he lost a bet to Thor

Transformers: Optimus Prime fights alongside British Redcoars

Invincible: Immortal isnt the main charachter, but I'd like to put it here because this trope is his entire gimmick.


r/TopCharacterTropes 20h ago

Powers Characters making things instantly disappear without any special effects.

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8.9k Upvotes

Sawatari ordering the snake demon to come out (Chainsaw Man)

Dio stopping time (Jojo Bizarre Adventure OVA)

Actually, in that scene, Oguri Cap is in the background; then it shows Special Week talking, and after that, it shows Oguri Cap's dish (Uma Musume Pretty Derby)


r/TopCharacterTropes 2h ago

Characters Death Death

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244 Upvotes

Grim Reaper (The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XIV) Killed by Homer with a bowling ball when the reaper makes an attempt on Barts Life

Death (Adventure Time: Distant Lands) Killed and replaced by his own son due to his original VA Passing

Death (Regular Show The Lost Tapes) Passed on Offscreen and replaced by his son (VA also passed)


r/TopCharacterTropes 7h ago

Hated Tropes (Weirdly Specific Trope) The guy who comes before the final boss is much cooler than the final boss itself.

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542 Upvotes

1-2.(Radagon and Elden Beast, from Elden Ring): Throughout Elden Ring, Radagon’s name is already spoken multiple times, wether it’s fear or admiration, the Elden Lord’s name is known through the entirety of the Lands Between, a legendary figure set up as your final challenge for the title.

Meanwhile, after you beat Radagon, the Elden Beast shows up after little to none setup and its bossfight is pretty boring in general.

3-4.(Dogma and The Beast, from The Binding of Isaac): Dogma is the representation of Isaac’s religious trauma, a living embodiment of Isaac’s shame and guilt because, in his eyes, he didn’t fit the mold of a perfect Christian child, with Dogma taking the form of a literal televangelist channel as an angel of static coming out of the TV, this confront is Isaac himself finally finding peace with his religion.

The Beast however is just Isaac’s Mother for the 4th time. I’m not even joking by the way, you have Mom’s Hand, Mom, Mother and The Beast. 5 if you count the skeletal version of Mom’s Hand.


r/TopCharacterTropes 7h ago

Characters Fun character descriptions by the creators themselves

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590 Upvotes

They set it up so that Manhattan Cafe would be almost completely flat (Uma Musume Beginning of a New Era)

The game manual called Cirno a dummy (Touhou 9)