The Dishonored series (Dishonored, Dishonored 2, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider) are very story-heavy games, and with that comes a large cast of characters, each interesting in both personality and visual design.
Per the wiki's spoiler policies all trope names will be visible and there will be plenty of unmarked spoilers. Read at your own risk.
Main Recurring Characters are given in bold:
- Dishonored — Corvo Attano, Emily Kaldwin, Daud, Billie Lurk, The Outsider, Anton Sokolov, Delilah Copperspoon, The Heart, Jessamine Kaldwin, Samuel Beechworth, Farley Havelock, Hiram Burrows, Lady Boyle, High Overseer Campbell, The Pendleton Brothers, Granny Rags, Slackjaw, Arnold Timsh, Thalia Timsh, Lizzie Stride, The Geezer, Evelyn Trimble.
- The Tales from Dunwall — Esmond Roseburrow, The Boy Who Knew Only Fear and Loneliness
- Dishonored 2 — Duke Luca Abele, Aramis Stilton, Kirin Jindosh, Hypatia Alexandria, Mindy Blanchard, Paolo.
- Dishonored: Death of the Outsider — Jeanette Lee, Ivan Jacobi, Shan Yun, Eleutherio Cienfuegos, Dolores Michaels, Lena Rosewyn, Alvaro Cardoza
Esmond Roseburrow
The natural philosopher who discovered the applications of Whale Oil as a fuel and power source, thereby leading to the Empire's swift industrial revolution.
- Ambition Is Evil: Averted. He was ambitious for success and eager to get rich but he never took his accomplishments for granted and retained his moral core over the years. The human cost of his success is what ultimately drove him to suicide.
- Applied Phlebotinum: The man who discovered it, and he came to regret it.
- Driven to Suicide: Out of grief over the monstrous uses his discovery lead to.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Textbook case: he had been rejected from the Academy, and was touring the docks looking for a place to stay when he saw some street urchins pour whale oil or blubber on a fire to warm themselves. As the fire roared and grew before his eyes, a smile spread across his face.
- Gone Horribly Right: He dedicated himself to progress and technology, and discovered Whale Oil. That discovery launched a massive industrial revolution and the true start of the modern age in the Isles... and also ushered in an age of Industrialized Evil thanks to the Lord Regent's charming regime. Roseburrow took it about as well as you'd expect.
- Mad Scientist: Subverted. The man had morals, and when he saw what had been done with his ideas, he shot himself in the head.
- My God, What Have I Done?: When he sees that his discoveries are being used to subjugate the people of Dunwall.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Set out to make the world a better place. He managed to do the complete opposite. In his defence, his discoveries did make the world a better place in many ways, and would have continued to do so were it not for the people in charge of the Imperial government. It's likely that after they're removed, his legacy will go back to being as he intended it.
- One-Man Industrial Revolution: The man behind Whale Oil-powered technology.
- Pride Before a Fall: After discovering the technological potential of Whale Oil, he became Dunwall's One-Man Industrial Revolution, and became rich, famous and powerful for improving quality of life for all. After he helped Sokolov follow in his footsteps, only for his protege to drag Dunwall into an era of technologically-enforced misery, he put a pistol to his own head.It's a funny thing, ambition. It can take one to sublime heights or harrowing depths. And sometimes they are one and the same. Roseburrow learned that lesson all too well.
- Scary Shiny Glasses: When you see him the lighting often gives him the look, though his intentions were in the right place.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: According to the Tabletop RPG, his suicide served as a catalyst for a tear into the Void opening up in the Roseburrows Industries building, leading to it becoming a dangerous Eldritch Location that ends up claiming the lives of dozens of people.
The Boy Who Knew Only Fear and Loneliness
A boy without a name who was featured in the second of the Tales of Dunwall shorts; the Outsider gave the boy his mark, granting him the ability to control rats.
- Dying Alone: But not afraid.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: He is bitten by one of the very rats he summons to kill his tormentors.
- Kids Are Cruel: Bullied by other children, including beatings.Narrator: Adults can be cruel, but it was the other children who were truly wicked.
- No Name Given: Well, there's a reason he's referred to as The Boy Who Knew Only Fear and Loneliness.
- The Plague: Due to one of his own rats turning on him.
- Power Tattoo: Courtesy of The Outsider.
- Revenge: The first thing he does after gaining his powers is go after his tormentors.
- Street Urchin: He was just orphan who didn't even have a name trying to live on the streets.
- Summon Magic: His only known use of his powers was to summon a Swarm of Rats to devour his tormentors.
- Tears of Blood: After he contracts the plague as it's the most obvious symptom.
- Teens Are Monsters: It's difficult to tell, what with the art style, but some of the children who torment him appear to be in this age group.
- Touched by Vorlons: The youngest person we've seen the Outsider pick to date, and the shortest lived one too.
- Worth It: He spends his last plague-infected days searching in vain for the Outsider... to thank him for the powers, as the boy finally knew what it was like to live without fear.