History Characters / DotHack

* Characters/DotHackFirstGeneration: The World R:1 and some Key Characters
* Characters/DotHackSecondGeneration: The World R:2
* Characters/DotHackThirdGeneration: The World R:X and The World FORCE:ERA

'''Due to the nature of the series, spoilers are inevitable. Continue with caution.'''

* [[Characters/DotHackFirstGeneration First Generation]]: The World R:1 and some Key Characters
* [[Characters/DotHackSecondGeneration Second Generation]]: The World R:2
* [[Characters/DotHackThirdGeneration Third Generation]]: The World R:X and The World FORCE:ERA

* Characters/FirstGeneration: The World R:1 and some Key Characters

* Characters/SecondGeneration: The World R:2
* Characters/ThirdGeneration: The World R:X and The World FORCE:ERA

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: .hack//AI Buster]]

!Harald Hoerwick

-->Voiced by: TakumiYamazaki (Japanese); Creator/CrispinFreeman (English; ''Liminality Only'') Brian Dobson (English; IMOQ only)

''World Identity:'' Numerous [=AI=] avatars in The World's BlackBox areas, cryptic at best, and incomprehensible at worst. It's possible that one or more of them represent his actual living consciousness. Morganna destroys them as she becomes aware of them.

''Real Identity:'' Harald is the original programmer of the game ''Fragment'', later "upgraded" by [=CC Corp=] as ''The World''. He wrote it while studying the human consciousness in order to create Aura, a true [=AI=]: a testament of his love for Emma Wielant, and their daughter in spirit.

''Appears in:'' ''[[DotHackSign .hack//SIGN]]'', the four R:1 ''.hack'' games, ''.hack//Liminality''. What appear to be the very last remnants of him also appear in ''Roots'', before the area he inhabits is deleted... [[spoiler: until its remains come back in the GU games as [[MarathonLevel 100-floor dungeon]]]]

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AIIsACrapshoot[=/=]CreatingLife: Harald's goals: To immortalize his beloved's poetry through The World, to create a true artificial intelligence, and to create the daughter he and Emma would never have. [[spoiler: He unwittingly achieved his second goal as early as the creation of Fragment, and his last was achieved posthumously.]]
* BlackBox: He is the programmer of the black box that ''The World'' and its reiterations run on.
* BodyHorror: His AI forms are all horrible. Combined with his face on every one of them...
* CrypticConversation: His A.I. copy is prone to engaging into this with players, when it's not rambling to itself.
* EvilutionaryBiologist: The only thing that keeps him from embodying this trope completely is his good intentions.
* DesignerBabies[=/=]ReplacementGoldfish: Wishes to create one to replace a child who wasn't even ''born.''
* DummiedOut: Much of the bizarre elements in The World are partially written code from the original ''Fragment''. The current programmers don't know how to deal with them, and sort of write around them instead.
* LoveMakesYouCrazy[=/=]StalkerWithACrush: His obsession with Emma Wielant - even after his death - has nearly crashed the Internet numerous times, and has placed people into comas.
* [[MadScientist Mad]] [[TheEngineer Engineer]]: The fact that he designed an MMORPG as a front for the creation and fostering of an A.I. child with traits of himself and his UnrequitedLove should be enough of an indication of this.
* TheMuse[=/=]UnrequitedLove: Emma Wielant took inspiration from Harald's work in neurotheory; Harald was interested in her, but she was romantically involved with another man during her and Harald's friendship, and showed no romantic interest in Harald.
* VirtualGhost: Possibly.

!Emma Wielant

''World Identity:'' Emma does not appear in The World, although fragments of her poem appear in places.

''Real Identity:'' A German poetess who wrote "The Epitaph of Twilight", the poem that ''Fragment'' was based on, shortly before her death. It told of the [[{{Gotterdammerung}} end of the gods]] in a battle between the "Twilight Dragon" and "The Cursed Wave." The original text has been lost, leaving only recovered fragments of the original and various rough drafts.

''Mentioned in:'' ''.hack//AI Buster'' ''.hack//SIGN'', the four R:1 ''.hack'' games, ''.hack//Liminality''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* CrypticConversation
* TheFaceless: In the game 3D model, she looks suspiciously like having no head at all...
** But in .hack//Another Birth novel illustration, she has a head, but still...
* [[GaiasVengeance Gaia's Avenger]] Was a member of an Extremist Eviromentalist group, "Mama", [[spoiler: along with the founders of ALTIMIT,]] dedicated to halting mankind's activity on earth in order to preserve the planet.
* GratuitousGerman: The fact that she's a German. But also gives chance to the game's developers to do this. Her "Epitaph of Twilight" poem and her gravestone epitaph are all in German.
* IllGirl: Was prone to this, due to stress and overwork.
* NonIdleRich: As a young heiress to be, Emma worked as a nurse and was involved in enviromentalism.
* TheMuse: The inspiration for The World.
* MuseAbuse[=/=]ObliviousToLove Possible interpretations of her ambiguous relationship with Harald Hoerwick; she was intrigued by his theories of neurobiology, but ambivalent to his affections.
* ParasolofPrettiness: She holds this in The World, to cover her face.
* ShrugOfGod
* WomanInBlack: She was shown in .hack//Quarantine as this.

!Albireo

''World Identity:'' Captain of the Cobalt Knights; a group of system administrators. Albireo is tasked with removing Vagrant [=AI=] and other irregularities that are the result of the previous games. He witnesses Balmung and Orca's defeat of [[BonusBoss the One Sin]] which made them legends. His hunt of a prototype to Aura named Lycoris led him to the discovery that there is far more to the game than he realized; and that the [=AI=] are [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman people]]. This realization led to his deteriorating health and withdrawal from the game. His distraught assistant later becomes Kamui.

''Real Identity:'' Kazushi Watarai, an employee at Cyberconnect, or "CC Corporation" and head of its debug team, the Cobalt Knights; was blamed for the Twilight Incident and forced to resign.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//AI Buster'', cameos at the end of ''.hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet'', ''.hack//Link''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: [[spoiler:Lycoris.]]
* {{Badass}}
* {{Bishonen}}
* BladeOnAStick: His weapon in .hack//Link
* CrypticConversation: Really, had he just explained things better to his assistant; a lot of problems in ''.hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet'' would have been avoided.
* DeathFromAbove: His Cross Rengeki in .hack//Link.
* DetachedSleeves: His default costume in Link.
* FaustianRebellion: Averted, Albireo was unknowingly given his spear by Morganna, which had the power to delete [=AI=]. Trying to use it on Macha resulted in its destruction. Tried to save Tsukasa during the events of .hack//SIGN, but was prevented by being Data Drained by Macha before he could come close.
* MeaningfulName: "Albireo" is the name of a binary star in the constellation Cygnus the Swan. Many captains are named after stars in ''.hack''.
* MismatchedEyes: His eyes are colored like his namesake.
* TheScapegoat: Kazushi Watarai was turned into this by the higher-ups of CC Corporation to protect the company as a whole from complete blame for "Pluto Again." Despite being hospitalized prior to the [[VideoGame/DotHackR1Games beginning of the Second Network Crisis]], Watarai was held responsible by the company for letting the situation get out hand, leading to his forced resignation.
* SleevesAreForWimps

!Orca of the Azure Sea
[[quoteright:100:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Orca%20Avy13401.jpg]]

''World Identity:'' One of the so-called "Descendants of Fianna", who defeated a supposedly HopelessBossFight called [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "The One Sin."]] Orca was actually the original person chosen to receive the Key of the Twilight from Aura; but Skeith got to him first and Data Drained him.

''Real Identity:'' Yatsuhiko, a high school boy, and friends with Kite in real life. His going into a coma is Kite's entire motivation for Kite's quest in the games. He just wanted to show Kite a cool game.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//AI Buster'', ''.hack//R1 games'', ''.hack//Unison''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* TheAce: Together with Balmung.
* AsleepForDays: Put to coma by Skeith.
* BackFromTheDead: Subverted, his PC existence in The World.
* {{Badass}}
** BadassBaritone
** BadassCape: In .hack//Link.
* BeenThereShapedHistory: Together with Balmung defeated The One Sin. And once again, joins Kite to save The World and the real world too.
* {{BFS}}
* TheBigGuy
* DeathFromAbove: His Cross Rengeki's FinishingMove in .hack//Link
** Played alongside with MakingASplash
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: The One Sin.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: He and Balmung, being the Descendants of Fianna, did this to the [[ThatOneBoss supposedly]] [[HopelessBossFight unkillable]] boss, The One Sin.
* FacialMarkings
* FashionableAsymmetry
* GentleGiant
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Balmung.
* LegacyCharacter: The original.
* RedBaron: Descendant of Fianna, The Azure Sea.
* RightManInTheWrongPlace: He was supposed to get the Twilight Bracelet, but being comatose kinda wrecked that.
* ScreamingWarrior: Yatsuhiko plays Orca like this.
* {{Meganekko}}: In the real world.
* MentorOccupationalHazard: He's offed in the very first dungeon of ''Infection''.
* MightyGlacier
* TheObiWan: Part of the ForcedTutorial of the first game.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: A trait of his chosen character model.

!'''Balmung of the Azure Sky'''
[[quoteright:199:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Balmung.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:199:Bomb diggity.]]

-->Voiced by: NobuyukiHiyama (Japanese); DougErholtz (English, ''Infection''); Creator/CrispinFreeman (English, ''Mutation'' onwards)

''World Identity:'' The other "Descendant of Fianna," who was rewarded with customized wings on his character model for dealing the most damage to "The One Sin." He takes his status as a legendary player of The World rather more seriously than Orca does.

''Real Identity:'' A high school boy as of SIGN and the R:1 games. Formerly a beta-tester for ''Fragment'', he's been a gamer his whole life. Becomes a system admin for The World between the games and Legend of the Twilight Bracelet.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//AI Buster'', ''.hack//R1 games'', ''.hack//Legend of the Twilight'', ''.hack//LINK''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* TheAce
* AloofAlly: Hooh boy... But later he joins the party.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: In Legend of the Twilight.
* {{Badass}}: YES!
** BadassCape: Those wings are actually cape. But it turned out to be real wings in .hack//Link.
* BeenThereShapedHistory: Together with Orca defeated The One Sin. And finally, joins Kite to save The World and the real world too.
* {{Bishonen}}
* CharacterDevelopment[=/=]{{Flanderization}}: ''Legend of the Twilight'' sees a complete 180 of his character: he becomes a goofy, fun-loving admin with a penchant for making really ''weird'' events, a far cry from the dead-serious player of the R1 games.
* ChasteHero: Balmung's real-world player apparently has girls all over him, which he can't understand.
* DeadpanSnarker
* DeathFromAbove: His Cross Rengeki in .hack//Link.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: The One Sin.
* [[DefrostingIceQueen Defrosting Ice King]]
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: The aforementioned defeat of The One Sin.
* FeatherMotif: This is due to the wings he received for defeating The One Sin.
* GreenEyes
* HeyItsThatVoice: Wow, [[VideoGames/KingdomHearts Leon]] is playing The World too!
* HeroesPreferSwords
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Orca.
* IWorkAlone: Most of the time.
* KnightInShiningArmor
* KnightTemplar: At first.
* LawfulStupid: In the R:1 games, as his trust is difficult to earn.
* LargeHam: Thank you, Creator/CrispinFreeman, for the support.
* LegacyCharacter: The original.
* LonerTurnedFriend
* ManInWhite: More like silver.
* PowerGivesYouWings: Notably in .hack//Link
* PromotedFanboy: By Legend of the Twilight, Balmung's become an administrator for [=CCCorp=].
* RedBaron: Descendant of Fianna, The Azure Sky.
* TotallyRadical: "This shindig looks like the bomb diggity." Thank you, ''Unison'' dub.
* WhiteHairedPrettyBoy: Why of course! And fangirls are falling for it!

!'''Lycoris'''

''World Identity:'' An [=AI=] prototype of Aura. Looks very similar to Aura, but with shorter white hair (With red accents based on Whooper Looper) and dressed in red.

''Real Identity:'' None.

''Appears in:'' .hack//AI Buster

!!Tropes Associated With:
* CuteMute: [[spoiler:Until regaining her voice.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: Considers herself a failure because she cannot become Aura, and so eventually deletes herself using Albireo's spear.
* EyesOfGold
* FlawedPrototype [[spoiler: Hence the reason why she is a DeathSeeker]]
* [[spoiler:DeathSeeker Once regaining her memory file she remembers how she is still being hunted by Morgana who's omnipotence allows her to continue tracking her down and won't stop till the deed is done. While it is Albireo who is doing the actual work, and his Colbalt Knights brigade around the first time he "deleted" her Morganna "whispers" her location to admins so they'll delete her.]]
* [[LadyinRed Girl in Red]]
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Survived the first attempt at deletion by scattering various parts of her program. One of the pieces that got lost was her memory.
* MeaningfulName: [[spoiler:After her death, lycoris blossoms begin appearing in the game; it's hinted that her code was recycled into this scenery.]]

!'''Hokuto'''

''World Identity:'' Hokuto is a newbie Albireo meets while he is in Mac Anu with Lycoris. Childish and restless, she gives Albireo a bit of grief as she forcibly tags along with him on his quest. [[spoiler: This personality is eventually revealed as a fabrication; she is actually secondary character of one of the game community's poets and long-time players, W.B. Yeats.]]

''Real Identity:'' Haruka Mizuhara. Due to her behavior, Albireo assumes that she is a young girl roughly around the beginning of her teen years. [[spoiler: She is actually a professional translator several years Watarai's senior who plays online with Hokuto just so she wouldn't get caught by her boss, who knows her main character.]]

!!Tropes Associated With:
* [[spoiler: TheAce]]
* BareYourMidriff
* GenderBlenderName
* HiddenDepths
* LongHairMeansFeminine
* [[WomanInWhite Girl In White]]
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: In a sense. [[spoiler: It's part of the act.]]
* NiceHat
* ObfuscatingStupidity: [[spoiler: Again, the stupidity is part of the newbie persona of Hokuto.]]
* PointyEars
* PurpleEyes
* TooManyBelts: Even her hat has belts!
* WhoWearsShortShorts


[[/folder]]

[[folder: .hack//SIGN]]

!Morganna Mode Gone

-->Voiced by: RieTanaka (Japanese); Valerie Arem (English)

''World Identity:'' [[spoiler: An [=AI=] designed to be Aura's guardian until she was complete, but she becomes resentful of her role and actively resists Aura's development in a bid for independence. She manifests as a godlike being; a disembodied voice and psychic presence. Until Aura's birth she's the core of The World and as a result, as she breaks down, so does the game.]]

''Real Identity:'' None.

''Appears in: .hack//SIGN .hack//R1 Games''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AIIsACrapshoot: She's basically [[VideoGame/{{Portal}} GLaDOS]] with [[MindRape Data Drain]] instead of [[TheAllSolvingHammer Deadly Neurotoxin]].
* [[spoiler: AbusiveParents: On both ends. Harald created her to compile Aura and was willing to let her cease to exist once she finished. Needless to say, this didn't foster positive feelings for either her "father" OR daughter.]]
* BigBad: Of ''SIGN'' and the ''R:1'' games.
* DespairGambit: [[spoiler: Tsukasa's despair is all she needs...]]
* DeusEstMachina: Before the full awakening of Aura as the Ultimate A.I. She is occasionally referred to as the "Old God" of ''The World'' in-universe.
* EldritchAbomination: Good lord, perhaps even more so than Cubia. [[spoiler:She literally WAS The World until Aura took over, and as such is mostly unseen for a very UltimateEvil effect. Her method of doing battle with the heroes is through the Phases, who count as lesser {{Eldritch Abomination}}s themselves.]] The title "Old God" also rings somewhat familiar in tone to something like "Elder God" as well, a usual Eldritch title.
* FalseReassurance: [[spoiler: She gives this to Tsukasa to keep him under her control.]]
* GodIsEvil
* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: WordOfGod has it she was originally based [[Literature/AliceInWonderland the Queen of Hearts]].
* TheFaceless: She lacks a physical form to begin with (unless you count the divided components of her program, the Eight Phases), with the exception of the non-canon manga based on the IMOQ tetralogy.
* MeaningfulName / RuleOfSymbolism: [[spoiler: If you consider Aura as the [[CrystalDragonJesus Christ analogue]] and Morganna as the [[TheOldGods Old God]], [[DeathOfTheOldGods their power struggle suddenly makes a lot more sense]].]]
* LoadBearingBoss
* NoNameGiven: Never named in series, although the credits do reveal her identity.
* NothingIsScarier
* [[spoiler: SelfMadeOrphan]]
* [[spoiler: OffingTheOffspring]]: Her ultimate goal.
* TheVoice

!'''Macha'''

''World Identity:'' One of the eight Phases (see below) of Morganna. Looks like a humanoid cat wearing a witch's hat and patched clothes, floating in mid-air. [[spoiler:Later appears after getting Data Drained by Morganna as Mia in the R1 Games, where she is now much taller, has a more human-like body, and acts like a Player Character rather than an AI as well as no memory of her time as Macha. Once Kite starts defeating the phases she realizes what she was and turns into her True form as the 6th Phase, Macha the Temptress]]

''Real Identity:'' None.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Sign'', ''.hack//R1 Games''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* CatSmile
* CuteIsEvil: Subverted. Sure, she was summoned and shaped by an evil being for an evil purpose, but she is definitely not evil by the end.
* CuteMute: [[spoiler: Subverted, she actually has voice.]]
* FacialMarkings: Star-shaped around her left eye.
* GlasgowGrin
* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice]]: Macha was simply a tool through which Morganna could manipulate Tsukasa... at first. After Tsukasa shows Macha a bit of kindness, [[spoiler:Macha saves him and is Data Drained by Morganna in the process, prompting her transformation into Mia.]]
* NiceHat
* NoPronunciationGuide: In written works, anyway. It is pronounced "Ma-Ha". No, this isn't a misspelling. Obviously, this is less of a problem in the anime and games, although the spelling might still confuse some people at first. Ironically her name was misspelled as Maha in the Japanese Games.
** She's named after an Irish goddess of War and Horses.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Averted.
* [[spoiler:TheScream: When she was killed by Morganna. And that was the only one that has the voice of hers.]]
* TheTrickster
* TheUnintelligible: Played with. Macha speaks in text-only, which is viewable by characters, not the viewer. [[spoiler: Once she becomes Mia, she gains a voice]]
** Her text becomes readable in some of the novels.

!Aura
[[quoteright:217:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Aura_(Unison).jpg]]

-->Voiced by: MaayaSakamoto (Japanese); Lia Sargent (English)

''World Identity:'' The ultimate artificial intelligence, the child Harald Hoerwick and Emma Wielant would never have, and the entire purpose for The World's existence. She appears as a young white-haired girl in a simple white gown. By the G.U. games, Aura has left The World entirely to exist elsewhere in the worldwide network.

''Real Identity:'' None.

''Appears in:'' Everything but ''Roots''. And she's referred to in that one, too.

!!Tropes Associated With:
* [[spoiler:AGodIAmNot: Eventually she dislike of being worshiped as the goddess of The World, so she leaves the Cathedral.]] The reason why her statue disappears from the altar in R:2.
* AngelicBeauty
* ApologizesALot: She sends a lot of apology e-mails repeatedly to Kite, because he got involved.
* AsleepForDays: In .hack//SIGN before she was awakened.
* BeautyEqualsGoodness
* BigGood
* [[spoiler:BodyHorror: In her final boss form in Link.]]
* [[spoiler:BrainwashedAndCrazy: Due to the bugs spread by Tokio unintentionally.]]
* CrystalDragonJesus: She was even "born" on Christmas Day.
* DeusEstMachina: She becomes the "New" God of ''The World'' after becoming the Ultimate A.I., and her years of overseeing the game are referred to as the game's "Golden Age." The Jun Bansyoya of the Terminal Disc states that her influence extended not only to ''The World'', but to all the net-based technology in the real world as well. When she disappears at the end of the game's Golden Age, problems around the net began to occur as well, with all affected technology returning to their "normal specifications."
* DistressedDamsel: By Skeith in the beginning of Infection.
* {{Expy}}: Design-wise, to a girl in the movie Angel's Egg by Mamoru Oshii.
* [[spoiler:FacialMarkings: In her final boss form in .hack//Link.]]
* [[spoiler:FinalBoss: In .hack//Link.]]
* GirlsLoveStuffedAnimals: A teddy bear shown on her bed in .hack//SIGN.
** EverythingsBetterWithPlushies
* GodIsDead: Seen this way in ''Roots'' and ''G.U.''
* [[spoiler:GodIsFlawed: Subverted.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: Subverted, she didn't die. She shields Carl with her own body from Skeith's body, giving Carl the proof that Aura wasn't the one who caused Sora's abnormal behavior.
* HopeBringer: [[spoiler:Averted ONLY in .hack//G.U. where she can't stop Cubia.]]
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: She can't be infected by all sorts of viruses and other anomalies. [[spoiler:Though this subverted in .hack//Link.]]
* InnocentBlueEyes
* InstantAIJustAddWater: More like Just add players to the game. If Morganna hadn't rebelled she would have been born using data collected from players.
* LadyAndKnight: She acknowledges Kite as her knight. Aww...
* LightIsGood
* LongHairMeansFeminine
* [[spoiler:LoveFreak: In the end of .hack//Link, in her brainwashed state she forces the Children to accept her love and go to sleep to be awaken in the next time.]]
* MessianicArchetype
* {{Motifs}}: Infinity symbol. Lampshaded in Link where [[spoiler: a door leads to her in Akashic Records has this symbol.]]
* NamesToRunFromReallyFast: "The Goddess of The World" and "The Ultimate AI".
* NiceGirl: She cares for every player in The World.
* PerpetualSmiler
* PowerFloats: Subverted, for most of the time. But in Beyond the World, she walks on the ground.
* PurpleEyes: In .hack//SIGN.
* OurGodsAreGreater
* [[spoiler:SuperpoweredEvilSide: Sort of, in her final boss form.]]
* [[spoiler:RedEyesTakeWarning: In her final boss form.]]
* {{Tareme}}: It depends on the artist, actually.
* [[spoiler:TheCorruption: In where Geist used Tokio to spread bugs all over her.]]
* TheMessiah
* TheParagon
* [[spoiler:TheScream: When she was infected with Data Bugs by Geist through Tokio.]]
* TheVoice: In .hack//G.U. Trilogy.
* TurnTheOtherCheek: [[spoiler: She forgives Morganna, despite of all things Morganna has caused. She even still refers Morganna as her "mother".]]
** [[spoiler: In .hack//G.U. Redemption, she even addresses the Epitaph Users (which all of them hold Morganna Factor) as the "Children of Morganna".]]
* RapunzelHair
* ReplacementGoldfish: A unique example as there wasn't an original version, rather Aura was what "could have been."
* WomanInWhite: It's actully a pale lavender as shown in the image. The exact shade varies between media between Lavender, White, Silver and slighty prismatic.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Her existance in unknown later in Guilty Dragon. To be precise, in The World: Armed Conflict.

!Tsukasa
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b666996832697d40d8d13c95f9ddb490-1.jpg]]

-->Voiced by: MitsukiSaiga (Japanese); BrianneSiddall (English)

''World Identity:'' An antisocial Wavemaster, his only associates being the enigmatic Macha and a Guardian that attacks anyone threatening him. He's the central character of the SIGN series, as his ability to fully experience The World, and inability to leave, is the mystery that drives the plot.

''Real Identity:'' An Shouji, a high school girl who retreats to the game to escape a miserable home life with a deceased mother and abusive father.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//SIGN'', ''Mutation, Outbreak'' and ''Quarantine'', ''.hack//LINK''

Remnant data appears in the fourth Game and is fashioned into an AI by Helba and can be added to the party after the game is cleared. Not the real deal of course. They also appear in ''Ghost Events'' which [[CallBack re-create]] the events of SIGN.

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AbusiveParents: Having a psychopathic daddy is but one of the reasons for Tsukasa's angst. [[spoiler: He even tries to kill her in the real world in the hospital where she's in a coma.]]
** Topped with ParentalAbandonment thanks to her mother's death.
* AntiHero
* AsleepForDays: In a coma for at lest 6 months.
* BigDamnHeroes: Subverted. His Guardian will protect Tsukasa from ANY kind of hostilities.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: In .hack//Link manga.
* BrokenBird / TroubledButCute: Due to [[AbusiveParents Parental Abuse]]; and then heapings of MindRape from Morganna.
* CallingYourAttacks: In Versus.
* CrossdressingVoice: MitsukiSaiga is a female.
* CrossPlayer: Due to being Data Drained, not only has amnesia, but doesn't remember that TrueSelf is a girl. Data Draining has resulted in Tsukasa's mind "feeling" everything in The World; so for all extents and purposes a GenderBender.
* DarkAndTroubledPast
* DeadpanSnarker
* DefrostingIceQueen
* {{Expy}}: An Shouji, in addition to being subject to a GenderBender, is quite literally a [[GenderFlip GenderFlipped]] Expy of [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Ikari Shinji]]. Though her given name is written with the kanji for ''Anzu'', it is read as ''An'', which can mean either "copy" or "rough draft". Her surname, ''Shouji'', can mean "devotion"... and so can another Japanese word, ''Shinjin''. Add in the abusive parents, the depression, the escapism, and the inability to connect with people, and recall that Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, who worked on Evangelion and .hack, talked Hideaki Anno out of his initial ''female'' character concept for Shinji...
** Also interestingly, her [[http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRVuiFRgolBA5Y7rk0wHe_mmtBt0nE1-HfoaN-nqtIQnNMZPOPlrQ real-life self]] looks remarkably like [[http://distopia.altervista.org/immagini/mana.jpg Mana]] from ''Girlfriend Of Steel''; a spin-off game of Evangelion.
* DistressedDude: In .hack//Link manga, where Trommel kidnapped Tsukasa to get his Chrono Core.
* FacialMarkings
* TheFettered: In Versus, one of his pre-battle quote is; "Guess I have no choice but to fight..."
* FingerTwitchingRevival: Happens to Tsukasa within the first two minutes of the first episode.
* FreakOut: In .hack//Link manga when he see the product of other players messing up with Trommel. They become [[NightmareFuel data cubes]].
* FrickinLaserBeams: In Versus, his Guardian can do this.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: Surprisingly. Sometimes he playfully pokes any animal he encounter.
* {{GIRL}} (Inverted)
* GlassCannon
* GuardianEntity: It can Data Drain, so back off from Tsukasa!
** MysteriousProtector: [[spoiler: Given by Morganna in order to keep Tsukasa exist and continuing her scheme to prevent Aura from ever becoming the new goddess of The World.]]
** [[spoiler:HeelFaceTurn: To Tsukasa, and Data Drained him.]]
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:To Morganna.]]
* HeroicAlbino
* HighCollarOfDoom: In his Xth Form in .hack//Link.
* IfItsYouItsOkay / SchoolgirlLesbians: Tsukasa became the "Most Important Person" to Subaru; "despite being a girl." 10 years later, in the manga of ''.hack//Link'' she is living with her. This off-hand comment was [[HideYourLesbians dropped in the commercial translation of the manga.]]
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: In .hack//Link manga, he was stabbed by [[spoiler:Haseo (B-st form)'s tails]] ended up PK'ing him.
* IneffectualLoner: The entire point of hir character.
* JadeColoredGlasses: Tsukasa is quite rude at first, and it takes a lot to get past the defenses. S/he gets better.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Tsukasa is not very nice, [[CharacterDevelopment at least at the start]].
* LostInCharacter: Thanks to Morganna.
* SugarAndIcePersonality / NotSoStoic
* MagicStaff
* MindRape: Morganna to Tsukasa when zhe starts misbehaving.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Pretty much his expression when his Guardian (talk about hostility...) attacks Bear.
* MyselfMyAvatar: Tsukasa's main problem is this and being TrappedInAnotherWorld.
* NiceHat
* PerpetualFrowner
* PurpleEyes
* SamusIsAGirl See above.
* TheSociopath
* TheStoic
* SquishyWizard: Subverted at the point where he faces the Silver Knight without, well, he needs help eventually.
** Averted in .hack//Versus.
* {{Tareme}}
* TookALevelInBadass: He face the Silver Knight all by himself, though later he saved by his [[BigDamnHeroes Guardian]].
** In .hack//Link manga, he dare to face Haseo who's Level is 200 while his Level is 52. Cool.
* TrappedInTVLand: Before [[spoiler:Tokio.]]
* TheQuietOne: He mostly won't do conversation unless someone's started one.
* WeakButSkilled: In .hack//Link manga, it was shown that although his level is far below Haseo, he still can keep on without serious injuries.
* WhenHeSmiles
* WhiteHairedPrettyBoy
* WhyCouldntYouBeDifferent: Her Dad seems to resent her not only for being a girl, but for being alive: Tsukasa's player's father took severe issue with An (Tsukasa) showing any feelings or even wanting a bra.
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech


!Mimiru
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/resize_6200.jpg]]

-->Voiced by: MegumiToyoguchi (Japanese); [[AmandaWinnLee Amanda Winn-Lee]] (English)

''World Identity:'' A brash, energetic, and happy-go-lucky Heavy Blade, and the first person Tsukasa meets after becoming trapped in The World. Unlike many other characters in the series, she plays purely for the fun of it.

''Real Identity:'' Her name is never given. She's a high school student who we can safely assume is much the same in real life as she is in the game.

''Appears in: .hack//SIGN, Mutation, Outbreak'' and ''Quarantine'' .hack//LINK''

Like Tsukasa an AI appears in the fourth game.

!!Tropes Associated With:
* {{BFS}}
* BareYourMidriff
* BraidsOfAction: Visible in .hack//Link.
* BreastPlate: It's part of her chosen character model.
* BunniesForCuteness: Her Xth Form costume in .hack//Link
* CatchPhrase: Fond of "roger that" and "what did you just say?" in the dub.
* CoolSword
* FacialMarkings
* FirstGirlWins: Averted; and there are people still bitter about this.
* GenkiGirl
* NiceGirl
* SexyBacklessOutfit: It counts.
* TheDitz: Believes herself to be this, but truthfully isn't all that dim. Bear notes this on occasion.
* TheGlomp: In .hack//Link, give this to Tokio at the end of her Xth Form Cross Rengeki.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Seriously, Mimiru is one of the only people who is even remotely normal in the {{anime}}, everyone else is coming from DysfunctionJunction.

!Bear

-->Voiced by: Kazuhiro Nakata (Japanese); Paul Mercier (English)

''World Identity:'' A Blademaster of respectable power who considers himself a friend to n00bs throughout SIGN. He's very much a parental figure (Mimiru has a habit of calling him "Old Man"), giving his adolescent friends sage advice for their personal lives along with help in the game.

''Real Identity:'' Ryo Sakuma, a father, divorcee, and successful author in his late forties. He plays for creative inspiration and to mentor younger players.

''Appears in: .hack//SIGN, Mutation, Outbreak'' and ''Quarantine'' .hack//LINK''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* BadassBookworm: In the game, anyway. At one point, he seems to resent that his real-life self is less badass.
* TheBigGuy
* CoolOldGuy
* {{Expy}}: WordOfGod says he was directly based on Creator/MelGibson from ''{{Film/Braveheart}}''
* FacialMarkings
* GentleGiant: Large as he is, he is one good man.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Mimiru. More of a parental figure to Tsukasa.
* NiceGuy
* ParentalSubstitute: See also Replacement Goldfish below.
* ReplacementGoldfish: Bear makes up for his failed relationship with his son by meeting and helping other young people. He eventually adopts Tsukasa's player and puts her through college.
* TheShepherd
* WalkingShirtlessScene: It's part of his character model.

!Subaru
[[quoteright:270:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ba5dacd0c607c3e8b81003cee1f229ce4ff.jpg]]

-->Voiced by: KaoriNazuka (Japanese); Kim Mai Guest (English)

''World Identity:'' A strong-willed yet waifish and soft-spoken Heavy Axeman who commands the Crimson Knight guild in SIGN. With an unwavering sense of fair play, she and Crim founded the guild to stop player-killers and hacked characters from ruining others' fun.

''Real Identity:'' Mariko Misono, a high school girl whose legs were paralyzed in an accident years before, a secret she's kept from everybody but Crim. She plays the game to experience a sense of freedom.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Sign'', ''Mutation, Outbreak'' and ''Quarantine'' ''.hack//Roots'' (Cameo) ''.hack//Link''

Like Tsukasa and Mimiru, she has an AI copy that appears in the fourth game. Notice a pattern?

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AnAxeToGrind
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Interestingly averted, considering it's an online game. Subaru's character isn't particularly strong, since she spends so much of her game time governing instead of playing.
* BattleBallgown: Her original R:1 character model that appeared in ''.hack//SIGN''.
* BareYourMidriff
* TheCaptain: Of the Crimson Knights.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Even in a game, she just has to help everybody.
* CommandingCoolness
* FacialMarkings
* GenderBlenderName: Subaru doesn't sound like a name for girls...
* IllGirl
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Her Cross Rengeki in .hack//Link.
* LastGirlWins: See below.
* {{Meganekko}}: Mariko, the player.
* MiniDressOfPower: Her outfit in .hack//Link.
* NiceGirl
* NotSoWeak: Subaru. It's considered a major turning point for her when [[spoiler:she disbands the Crimson Knights after putting up with their bull for too long and then getting rid of a stalker fan by herself.]]
* PinkMeansFeminine: Her clothes during her early days with the Crimson Knights.
* PowerGivesYouWings: In .hack//Link, though she can't fly literally.
* ProtectiveCharm: Sort of. In .hack//Link manga she gave Tokio a feather when he's about to save Tsukasa. She gave it to Tsukasa too later on.
* [[QuicklyDemotedWoman Slowly Demoted Woman]]: Subaru starts off as a headstrong leader of the Crimson Knights, but after Crim left as co-leader, she found her grasp of power slipping while Silver Knight slowly asserted himself over the first half of the series. He tells her that she's not cut out for leading the guild and takes control, but she later puts her foot down once and for all by disbanding the guild.
* SexyBacklessOutfit: The in-game persona.
* ShrinkingViolet: Subaru isn't outright Shy, but she begins show the common signs associated with one over the course of the series. She finds comfort and happiness with her friendship with Tsukasa though.
* WomanInWhite
* TheChainsOfCommanding
* YouAreNotAlone: Say this to Tsukasa
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair
* ZettaiRyouiki

!B.T.

-->Voiced by: AkikoHiramatsu (Japanese); Donna Rawlins (English)

''World Identity:'' A Wavemaster more known for being an information broker rather than an adventurer. She's initially detached and somewhat condescending, treating only older men like Bear and Crim as friends and equals. Of the main characters, she's the last one to fully join in with Tsukasa and friends.

''Real Identity:'' Machiko is the only name given, apparently a single businesswoman in her late '20s, and a former model. Appears to resent her experience in high school, and her attempt at dating Crim's player went poorly.

''Appears in: .hack//SIGN, Mutation, Outbreak'' and ''Quarantine'' .hack//LINK''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* BreakTheHaughty
* DeathIsCheap: Justified since [[CaptainObvious this is a MMORPG]]. Doesn't make her being a magnet for [=PK=]s any less noticeable. Lampshaded in GIFT when Mimiru mentions she's used to dying.
* DefrostingIceQueen: An entire episode showed her interacting with various characters in the show, as she realizes she doesn't have many-if any friends, online or offline. This realization, combined with Tsukasa showing up to help her when being attacked made her decide to start acting more friendly.
* MeaningfulName: Averted. It turns out "B.T." is the name of her favorite sandwich. Hint, she doesn't like [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BLT_sandwich lettuce]].
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: So much that she turned it into an online handle, apparently. (See MeaningfulName.)
** [[DoesNotLikeSpam Does not like Lettuce]]
* SatelliteCharacter: Somewhat by her own choice.
* SquishyWizard: She doesn't actually level up much, as she uses the game more for gossip. As such she is very very very frequently attacked by player killers.

!Silver Knight
--> Voice by: IsshinChiba (Japanese) Douglas Rye (English; SIGN) Trevor Devall (English; Roots)

''World Identity:'' A Blademaster and Subaru's second in command of the Crimson Knights through much of SIGN. He works relentlessly to identify and hunt down player-killers and hacked characters. His passion for justice and fair play is matched only by that of his role as Subaru's knight.

''Real Identity:'' His name is never given. He works in a video store, and is apparently in his early twenties.

''Appears in: .hack//SIGN, Mutation, Outbreak'' and ''Quarantine, Legend of the Twilight Bracelet, .hack//Roots, .hack//LINK, .hack//Quantum''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AttackAttackAttack: His Cross Rengeki in Link, combined with below.
* BlindIdiotTranslation: Many early fansubs gave him the name "Ginkan." This led to some confusion when his name was officially translated as "Silver Knight," which is what "ginkan" means. Which side is being the blind idiot depends on how literally his name was meant to be read.
* ContinuityNod: Silver Knight (and his player) are the only ones who appear in all three ''.hack'' anime series. In particular, at the end of ''Roots'', he's already familiar with Haseo's situation and sympathizes, possibly referring to his own experiences with data draining and player-killers. This could be extra-interesting if he knows who Haseo's player is.
* HeroesPreferSwords
* HiddenDepths: In Link, he seemed like a calm person, but when you do Cross Rengeki together with him...
* KnightTemplar: What he is at first.
** KnightInShiningArmor: What he becomes after realizing what a jerk he's been.
* LawfulStupid: His personal vision of justice has little room for empathy or individual judgment, at least until he stops taking it all so danged seriously.
* LargeHam / SayMyName: In Link, "THIS IS FOR SUBARU-SAMA!! - SUBARU-SAMA!! - SUBARU-SAMA!!! - SUBAARUUU-SAMUAAAA!!!"
** Taken up to eleven in his Xth Form Cross Rengeki.
* UnrequitedLoveLastsForever: Of the "declaration of loyalty" variety. He obviously has it ''bad'' for Subaru, though he apparently never tells her (and if she knows, she never acknowledges it).
* SpikesOfDoom: In Link, he got a pair of horns on his helmet.
* ScreamingWarrior: Notably in Link.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Subaru.

!'''Crim'''

''World Identity:'' Crim the Red Lightning is a Long Arm and one of the game's most powerful characters at the time of SIGN. He's a carefree role-player, an over-the-top wandering warrior of chivalry. After helping Subaru, they founded the Crimson Knights, which he later left once it stopped being fun.

''Real Identity:'' No name or age is given, but likely a corporate businessman. He plays purely to blow off stress, and believes in keeping reality and the game separate, though he did try dating B.T.'s player, and gave Subaru his phone number as a gesture of support.

''Appears in: .hack//SIGN, .hack//LINK''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* BladeOnAStick
* TheDulcineaEffect: Again, it's the way the character's played.
* HonorBeforeReason: Not that Crim's stupid... but in a game, he doesn't care.
* LargeHam: When Crim's "in character."
* WarriorTherapist: Has a fondness for lecturing people while kicking their asses.

!'''Helba'''

-->Voiced by: Yumi Toma (Japanese); MaryElizabethMcGlynn (English)

''World Identity:'' An infamous hacker, named for one of the principal characters in the Epitaph of Twilight. She plays a heavily-edited Wavemaster, and possibly comes closer than anyone to understanding the secret purpose of The World. Luckily, she uses her talents to help our heroes in the fight against Morganna. Runs a private server known as "Net Slum" which is basically a collection of data deleted from the game proper, it is accessible from the game proper via the proper channels.

''Real Identity:'' Unknown, and for good reason: after the "Pluto's Kiss" incident, hacking has become a capital crime.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//SIGN'', ''.hack//R1 Games''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AbsoluteCleavage: Shown in the game's 3D model too.
* AmbiguousGender: It's unknown if Helba is a guy or a girl in real life. Or for that matter if the player is even a single person or a group.
* AntiHero / TokenEvilTeammate: She's a criminal hacker working with the good guys. Where she falls depends on which of the other characters is speaking of her.
* TheArchmage: With Max stats she is the most powerful Wavemaster.
* BareYourMidriff: Not exactly but it still shown.
* DarkIsNotEvil: She is the Queen of Dark according to Emma Wielant's Epitaph of Twilight.
* EnemyMine: Reason for her team-up with Lios, though they seem to get along fine afterwords.
* [[spoiler:GameplayAndStoryIntegration]]: Proof that Helba is as good of a hacker as is claimed? [[spoiler: When Helba becomes recruitable (after defeating Corbenik in ''[=.hack//Quarantine=]'', she's at max level and all of her stats maxed (which a player will note isn't possible without hacking). She [[InUniverse literally]] [[GameBreaker broke the game]] and allows the player to break the rest of the game with her.]]
* HighCollarOfDoom
* MagicStaff
* NiceHat
* NoblewomansLaugh: At the end of her Cross Rengeki in Link.
* PlayfulHacker: She's pretty much like this throughout most of the R1 Games. She gets serious, however, when trouble escalates.
* PowerFloats: In .hack//Link.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Subverted, her visor says that.
* {{Stripperific}}: Her outfit can be accurately described as a sexy space-pope.
* Squishy Wizard: Averted. Many may think her this when she come to your party. WRONG, see above.
* TheFaceless/[[HeWhoMustNotBeSeen She Who Must Not Be Seen]] Her online avatar and real life self respectively. The Upper half of her avatar's face is obscured at all times apart from one non-canon manga. Her player(s?) is (are?) never seen.
* WomanInWhite: Unlike most characters on this page, it's most likely an illegal modification.

!Sora

-->Voiced by: Hiroshi Yanaka (Japanese); DaveWittenberg (English)

''World Identity:'' A Twin Blade player-killer, and the strongest character in SIGN aside from Crim. Wild and immature, he loves nothing more than screwing up other people's plans just because he can, though he's also fond of assaulting female characters and demanding their contact information.

''Real Identity:'' Ryou Misaki, a fourth-grade student. Seven years later, he'll create the character of Haseo in ''The World R:2'', with ironic consequences.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//SIGN, .hack//R1 Games .hack//LINK''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* BladeBelowTheShoulder: The only Twin Blade in all of .hack who uses spring-loaded blade gauntlets instead of just holding his weapons.
* BloodKnight: He loves to PK so much.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: The obvious and unsubtle way he goes about that eventually reveals to the others [[spoiler:he's not ''just'' an immature jerk. [[{{GIFT}} He's a little kid in a world with no restraints on him]].]]
* FingerlessGloves: Shown in an illustration of .hack//ZERO novel.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Presumably of what's on his cheeks.
* HeelFaceTurn: And he suffers for it.
* JerkassFacade: Whaddya expect from a ten-year-old able to thrash teens and grownups, but has no friends?
* LoveableRogue
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Carl. Or at least he think so...
* PsychoticSmirk
* SlasherSmile
* TheRival: Eventually seems to regard the "old school" Crim as a nemesis.
* TooCleverByHalf: One of the World's most powerful characters and skilled players, with maxed-out level and attributes, and he's fully aware of how good he is while being insufferably immature about it all.
* YoungerThanTheyLook

[[/folder]]

[[folder: .hack//Infection-Mutation-Outbreak-Quarantine and .hack//Liminality]]

!Kite
[[quoteright:280:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kite_7135.jpg]]

-->Voiced by: Sayaka Aida (Japanese); MonaMarshall (English)

''World Identity:'' A newbie Twin Blade, and the main character of the R:1 games. He's introduced to The World by his best friend Orca, who soon gets data-drained by Skeith. Kite receives the Twilight Bracelet from Aura before Skeith catches her, giving him the power to fight Morganna and her agents, and save Orca and Aura.

''Real Identity:'' A junior high school boy and best friend of Orca's player. Enjoys soccer and sci-fi literature.

''Appears in:'' .hack//IMOQ, .hack//Legend Of the Twilight (cameo), .hack//Link, .hack//Versus

!!Tropes Associated With:

* {{Adorkable}}
* {{Badass}}: Literally starts at level 1 in the first game, and rises up to be the number-one combatant against the challenges and threats that occur within R:1 games. There's a reason why he's got the longest-standing legacy in the entire franchise.
** BadassBookworm: In the real world. He loves science fiction novels, and he has read his favorite ones like a million times.
** BadassScarf
* BeenThereShapedHistory: By having his place alongside Orca and Balmung. And his character template was the most used by the newer generation players.
* BigDamnHeroes: To Tokio in .hack//Link.
* BladeRun: In .hack//Link.
* CallingYourAttacks: Everytime he do Sansoenkon.
* ChickMagnet: [[spoiler:If [=BlackRose=], Natsume and Ryoko Terajima are any indication . . .]]
** [[spoiler: Cello in .hack//LINK shows signs of having a crush on him after he saves her from a monster in X'over mission #3.]]
* CrossdressingVoice: In both version.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: He takes time to help a lot of different people during his quest to save The World. On the plus side, it does get him a small army of grateful allies for the final battle.
* CompositeCharacter: A strange example in that he's composed primarily of ''himself''. In the fighting game .hack//Versus, he takes after various versions of himself across the continuity. His design is based off his original look from the first four PS2 games, and his normal attacks are based off the basic Twin Blade skills from those games. His standard battle pose is based off one of Azure Kite's poses from one of G.U.'s cutscenes, and his Exceed surrounds him in an aura of azure flames. Finally, his special skill during Exceed mode is Sansouenkon, Kite's signature attack from .hack//Link.
* DeadlyUpgrade: His Data Drain can either bring advantages or disadvantages to the party. In worst case, it can make GAME OVER
* TheDitz
* DistressedDude: In .hack//Link.
* DualWielding
* EnergyBow: In his Xth Form in .hack//Link.
* {{Expy}}: Design-wise. Yoshiyuki Sadamoto said that he designed Kite's proportion based on {{Naruto}}.
* FacialMarkings
* HealingHands Using Repth and it's variation skills.
* InnocentBlueEyes
* LadyAndKnight: Knight to Aura for real. Even she acknowledged this.
* LightningBruiser: In .hack//Link he evades ALL Flugel's attack without problem.
* [[spoiler:LoveTriangle]]: Unknown to him, [[spoiler:between BlackRose and Terajima Ryoko.]]
* MistakenIdentity: In .hack//Versus where Haseo thought that he's Tri-Edge due to uncanny resemblance.
* NiceHat
* PlayingWithFire: In his SuperMode
* RedBaron: Kite the Azure Flame
* ReverseGrip
* SignatureMove: Sansoenkon. [[spoiler:Even copied by Ovan to accuse Azure Flame Kite to be Tri-Edge due to their similar appearence.]]
** [[spoiler:But then again, no one's knows Kite in G.U.. Though in the manga it was hinted that Ovan knows Kite as the R:1 hero.]]
* SuperMode / WreathedInFlames / BattleAura: In azure flames in .hack//Versus
* TheCaptain: Of Twilight Knights in .hack//Link
* TheHero: In addition to his role in the original games, he's considered to be a legendary hero in The World a decade after his exploits. Constantly referenced in .hack//Versus by Ovan, who has different pre-battle quotes depending on whether he's fighting the real Kite or one of his expies.
* LegacyCharacter: He's the original. So far we have Kite himself, Shugo, Azure Kite, Sakuya, and Kite (Sora).
* TheUnchosenOne: Aura meant to give the Twilight Bracelet to ''Orca''.
* WolverineClaws: Some of his weapons are these.
* [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair You Gotta Have Green Hair]]

![=BlackRose=]
[[quoteright:100:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BlackRose%20Avy35267.jpg]]

-->Voiced by: MasumiAsano (Japanese); WendeeLee (English)

''World Identity:'' An aggressive and confrontational Heavy Blade. She's new to the game, and after meeting Kite and hearing his story, quickly allies herself with him.

''Real Identity:'' Akira Hayami, a young high school girl whose little brother also went comatose from playing The World. She's exceptionally talented at tennis, which got her placed on a team with jealous upperclassmen who bully her.

''Appears in:'' .hack//IMOQ, .hack//Legend of the Twilight (cameo), .hack//Link, .hack//Versus

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AcademicAthlete: In the real world. She likes physical sports, she loves swimming, and she also joins tennis club in her school.
* ActionGirl
* BreastPlate: It's part of her character model.
* {{BFS}}
* BareYourMidriff
* FacialMarkings
* CurbStompBattle: Her final attack in .hack//Versus.
* {{Expy}}: Of Mimiru, their characters are based on the same MMORPG template. She even shares some of the same lines as Mimiru in an IronicEcho; however the meaning behind them are completely different in context.
** She and Mimiru bicker about their characters ressembling each other in ''Unison''.
* DeadpanSnarker
* DemotedToExtra: Subverted, [[spoiler:she was actually planned to appear again in .hack//G.U.. But due to time constrains and her indifferent look, the developers cancelled the idea.]]
** [[spoiler:But if you still have .hack//Quarantine save data, you will receive an e-mail from her.]]
* FashionableAsymmetry
* FeetFirstIntroduction: Her intro battle in Versus.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: In the real world.
* GenkiGirl
* GrinOfAudacity: Can be seen in a flash in her final attack in Versus.
* [[HeroOfAnotherStory Heroine of Another Story]]: The point of the "Another Birth" novels in a nuttshell, they show the events of the first four games from her point of view.
* LegacyCharacter: She's the original of which Rena and Mary's characters are based.
* [[spoiler:LoveTriangle: She and Ryoko Terajima races to win Kite's heart.]]
* [[spoiler: OfficialCouple: In the G.U. games, Haseo can obtain a copy of a very old e-mail from Blackrose that was sent to Kite, where she confesses her feelings for him.]]
* MeaningfulName: She chose it based on a recurring nightmares she'd been having.
* MightyGlacier: Before Orca can come back to your party, she's the tank.
* PhonyVeteran: [=BlackRose=] tries to pull this on Kite, but gets almost immediately shut down.
* POVSequel: A series of novels known as Another Birth retell the games from her point of view.
* RedEyesTakeWarning / PurpleEyes: Depend on who's the artist.
* SexyBacklessOutfit
* SpikesOfDoom: In her Xth Form in .hack Link.
* SpinAttack: One of her attack in Versus.
** EverythingsBetterWithSpinning
* TheLancer to Kite.
* {{Tsundere}}: A ferociously tsuntsun type.
* WhoWearsShortShorts: In .hack//Link.
* ZettaiRyouiki: In .hack//Link.

!Elk

-->Voiced by: MitsukiSaiga (Japanese); Brianne Sidall (English)

''World Identity:'' A Wavemaster who looks [[{{Expy}} nearly identical]] to Tsukasa. He is very shy and socially withdrawn, and the only real friend he seems to have is Mia, without whom he is rarely seen.

''Real Identity:'' Kaoru Ichinose, a middle school boy. Just as socially awkward in real life as he is in The World, he mainly plays to make new friends. Later creates the character of Endrance in The World R2.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//R1 Games''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* CrazyJealousGuy: He will do ANYTHING for Mia's sake and to stay by her side always.
** [[spoiler: In Infection, he tricked Kite to give him the Bracelet. Because of Kite, Elk thinks that Mia no longer recognize him as her friend. This however turned to be wrong.]]
* {{Dandere}}
* {{Expy}}: of Tsukasa
** [[FridgeBrilliance Possibly why Mia is so attached to him]], [[spoiler: given the connection between Tsukasa and Mia's past incarnation, Macha.]]
* FacialMarkings
* FingerlessGloves
* GrewASpine: When he [[spoiler:[[HeroicSacrifice throws himself]] in the way of Corbenik's [[FinishingMove Drain Arc]]]].
* HeroicBreakdown: [[spoiler:When Mia dies.]]
* MagicStaff
* NiceHat
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Averted.
* SquishyWizard
* {{Tareme}}
* TheQuietOne
* TookALevelInBadass: From a {{Dandere}} in R:1, become an [[spoiler: Arena Emperor and an Epitaph User in R:2.]]
* UndyingLoyalty: To Mia.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair

!Mia

-->Voiced by: MinamiTakayama (Japanese); Debra Rogers (English games); KariWahlgren (English ''Unison'' and ''End of the World'')

''World Identity:'' A Blademaster who takes the form of an anthropomorphic, purple, female cat. Due to this unique character design, many believe that she is a hacked PC. She is very good friends with Elk, and has a fondness for a completely useless item called "Aromatic Grass". [[spoiler:Is in reality Macha, reincarnated after being Data Drained in Sign.]]

''Real Identity'': [[spoiler: None, as she's an AI disguised as a PC]]

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//R1 Games''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* [[spoiler:BackFromTheDead]]: [[spoiler:Aura recreates her after the end of Quarantine.]]
* EyesOfGold
* HeroesPreferSwords
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler:she remembers nothing about being Macha. Additionally, after she is reborn at the end of Quarantine, it is shown that she remembers Elk and nothing else.]]
* MindRape: Want to know why she's absent from GU? [[spoiler:She was used as the template for the eight Epitaph PC's by Project GU... which meant that she underwent the digital equivalent of ''vivisection'', and the Mia personality was KilledOffForReal. She still exists in the form of the Avatar Macha, however.]]
* TallDarkAndBishoujo: Well, if you see her thoroughly.

!'''Mistral'''
[[quoteright:100:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Mistral%20Avy29340.jpg]]

-->Voiced by: Atsuko Enomoto (Japanese); SandyFox (English)

''World Identity:'' A very cheerful and somewhat childish Wavemaster who likes hunting rare items. Initially ignorant of the real purpose behind the conflict (even after fighting Skeith), she's just in it for fun and for seeing Kite use the Bracelet, by which she is fascinated.

''Real Identity:'' Mayumi Kurokawa, a woman in her late 20s, pregnant with her first child. She and [=BlackRose=] form a friendship in the real world, after [[spoiler:she stops playing out of fear for her baby, the future Mirielle. She returns for the finale but Balmung forces her to the sidelines for the final battle due to said pregnancy. ]]. Her Husband is one of the security guards in Liminelty. By the time of Legend of Twlight, she's quit her unspecified admin job to be a full time housewife.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//R1 Games'', ''.hack//Another_Birth'' ''.hack//Legend of the Twlight Braclet''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* BlackMagicianGirl / WhiteMagicianGirl
* CheerfulChild: Her online persona.
* CuteLittleFangs: In .hack//Link.
* TheDitz: She always burnt her dinner. Given that she's playing a game, leaving her cooking unwatched.
* Emoticon: Sometimes she uses these.
* GenkiGirl
* TheGlomp: Give this to Tokio at the end of her Cross Rengeki.
* HiddenDepths: Her offline self is touched upon more in Another Birth, which is a Retelling of the games from [=BlackRose=]'s point of view. The two strike up a friendship and later meet offline, leading to her becoming a mother/big sister type to [=BlackRose=]. She's shown here to be mature and dependable, a contrast to her online persona.
* MagicStaff
* {{Meganekko}}: In the real world.
* NiceHat
* OlderThanTheyLook: In the real world, she's a grown woman.
* OneeSama: To BlackRose in Another Birth.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Averted.
* RoseHairedGirl
* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: Near the end of legend of the Twlight, Mireille falls asleep, letting Mistral take over the character. Balmung identifies her by "Mireille's" sudden hidden depths and the minor differences in their online persona. She confirms it by calling him "Baltan" her nickname for him.
* SquishyWizard

!Wiseman

-->Voiced by: StevenJayBlum (English)

''World Identity:'' A powerful Wavemaster who is well-known as an information broker and trader of rare items. After getting caught up in Kite's quest, he becomes one of the strategists of the group, often coordinating their plans with Lios and Helba, though he will fight on the front lines if asked to.

''Real Identity:'' Takumi Hino, an elementary school student, in stark contrast with his very mature, knowledgable online self. Plays soccer and collectible card games, and does not like carrots. Later goes on to create ''several'' characters in R2: [[spoiler:Naobi, Yata, and Nala.]]

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//R1 Games''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* BadassGrandpa: Online persona only. Subverted, he joins the party to face the life-threateing Cubia.
* GeniusBruiser
* KnowledgeBroker: Has a great deal of information contacts, including Helba, and quite possibly knows more about the Epitaph of Twilight than any other single person.
* MagicStaff
* TheStrategist: It's him who comes up with the ideas for the group's offensive tactics against the Wave.
* SquishyWizard
* WiseBeyondTheirYears
* YoungerThanTheyLook

!Lios

-->Voiced by: TomomichiNishimura (Japanese) BobPapenbrook (English)

''World Identity:'' The head system administrator of The World. His avatar is an NPC shopkeeper, although, being an admin, he has numerous powers unavailable to anyone else, such as the ability to outright delete AI and character data. He is highly distrustful of Kite and especially Helba, but very reluctantly joins them after he's convinced that they are working to fix the problem, rather than aggravate it.

''Real Identity:'' Unknown, although it is known he is an employee at CC Corp.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//R1 Games''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* EnemyMine: Although Lios is definitely on the heroes' side, he sees his partnership with Helba as this, since she is an illegal hacker and exactly the kind of person he's supposed to oppose.
* MeaningfulName: "Lios" is derived from the King of the Light ("Lios"), Apeiron, in the Epitaph. Apeiron and Helba, the Queen of the Dark, team up to oppose the Wave in the Epitaph. The coincidence is noted by an amused Helba when she meets Lios.
** He seems unaware of this meaning until Helba tells him and it is hinted that CC Corp assigned the name to him.
* MyNameIsNotDurwood: Helba seems to take great delight in taunting Lios, often referring to him as "the pig-head". Other characters (including, hilariously, Balmung) start calling him this from time to time as well, to his consternation.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He's naturally suspicious of anything in the game that isn't under his control, but once he realizes the situation proves to be one of the greatest allies the heroes could ask for.

!Sieg

-->Voiced by: TakahiroSakurai (Japanese) Anthony Pulcini (English)

''World Identity:'' A powerful and popular Blademaster seeking to surpass the "Descendants of Fianna" in fame. While showing the game to his girlfriend, he's attacked and data drained by Skeith.

''Real Identity:'' Tomonari Kasumi, a high school boy. He runs his school's gaming club, and appears to be a fairly ordinary kid. He later goes on to create Kuhn in The World R:2.

''Appears in: .hack//Liminality''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* MeaningfulName: He named his character "Sieg" to express his intent to dominate Balmung - in ''Ring of the Nibelung'', Siegfried is the hero and Balmung is his sword.
* UnknownRival: Balmung's one of the few high-level characters who's never heard of Sieg.

!The 8 Phases
[[quoteright:273:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Morganna_Phases.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:273:Your guess is as good as ours.]]

''World Identity:'' The Eight Phases as spoken of in the Epitaph of Twilight are the agents of the Cursed Wave that threatens all. For whatever purpose Harald originally created them, Morganna has usurped them to serve as her own agents. Each takes the form of an unbeatable game monster, some with literally indescribable appearances. In order, they are:
* Skeith, the Terror of Death
* Innis, the Mirage of Deceit
* Magus, the Propogation
* Fidchell, the Prophet
* Gorre, the Machinator
* Macha, the Temptress
* Tarvos, the Avenger
* Corbenik, the Rebirth

* ''Real Identity:'' None.

* ''Appears in:'' ''Sign'' (Macha, and Skeith, briefly), ''Games'', ''Roots'' (sort of), ''GU'', ''Link''

For tropes associated with Macha, see Macha in the Sign section [[spoiler: and Mia above in this section.]]

!!Tropes Associated With Them All:
* AlienGeometries: As stated above, these are just about the most bizarre-looking things ever. Skeith isn't too bad, looking like a rather thin golem, but Innis is a ''wall'', Fidchell is... sort of... mask-like, and Tarvos is a snake coiled around a spike that is driven through its head.
* BadassBoast / BossBanter: Fidchell likes declaring things like "All will tremble beneath my terrible will!" when he uses his strongest attacks.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Literally, in the games, since all of these guys have infinite HP. Yes, [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique there's a way around that.]]
* EldritchAbomination: Not to the same extent as Cubia, but they're definitely Eldritch when you consider how much they break The World when they're around. Helps that they usually look extremely bizarre, too.
* MonsterOfTheWeek: Aside from Skeith, and to a lesser extent Macha and, ultimately, Corbenik, all the phases are like this.

!!Tropes Associated Specifically With Skeith
* ClimaxBoss: He has the most lead-in of all the phases, and is the final boss of the first game.
* DarkIsEvil: For the same reasons explained down in the NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast example.
* FinalBoss: Of ''Infection'', but for the R1 games as a whole, he's a mere ClimaxBoss.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: Skeith means "shadow". Taken literally the first line of the epitaph to speak of the eight phases reads: "Riding the wake is Shadow, the Shadow of Death, to drown all that stands."
* HumanoidAbomination: Barely, but he's much more human shaped than the rest of the Phases.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: "The Terror of Death"? And even Skeith's basic name means "shadow".
** He's also known as the "Shadow of Death" in the epitaph. And to go one further, the area he resides in has the keywords "Chosen Hopeless Nothingness." [[SarcasmMode Must be a nice place, right?]]
* PromotedToPlayable: In the R2 games, kinda.

!!Tropes Associated Specifically With Corbenik
* BarrierChangeBoss
* EleventhHourSuperpower: [[spoiler: Supreme Defense and Drain Heart]]
* FinalBoss: Of the R1 games.
* [[spoiler: KaizoTrap: Plot wise, after losing, he unleashes Drain Heart and would have hit everyone, Kite included, and put them all in comas had not Elk intervened.]]
* MarathonBoss: Thought the bosses took long enough? Corbenik is basically three in a row.
* NighInvulnerable: Notably, he averts this trope, unlike every other boss besides Cubia. [[spoiler: Then he puts Supreme Defense up...]]
* SequentialBoss: Three forms.
* [[spoiler: VillainOverride: It's implied Morganna hijacked him after his Supreme Defense was destroyed.]]


!Cubia
[[quoteright:306:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Cubiabeta.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:306:NightmareFuel at its finest.]]

''World Identity:'' An inexplicable destructive phenomenon often taking the form of a massive skull-faced, somewhat shapeless monster. Called an "anti-existence," it's a shadow born of the light of the Key of the Twilight, with proportionate power. Cubia is created from the use of the Twilight Bracelet in the R:1 games, and from Haseo's Xth form with fully-powered Avatar in the G.U. games. [[spoiler:Takes a player-character form in both XXXX and LINK.]]

''Real Identity:'' None, though Cubia's existence wreaks havoc throughout the internet.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//R1 Games'', ''.hack//GU'', ''.hack//XXXX''. ''.hack//LINK''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* [[spoiler:BareYourMidriff: In his PC form.]]
* BiggerBad: [[spoiler: In G.U.]]
* DarkIsEvil: Definitely associated with darkness, to the point where it's commonly, and aptly, referred to as a shadow to the Key of Twilight, whatever form it may be in. Not to mention how it seems to really like skulls. Also, some attacks it uses in G.U. definitely seem to [[CastingAShadow revolve around darkness motifs]]. [[spoiler:However, see HeelFaceTurn below.]]
* DoomyDoomOfDooms
* EldritchAbomination: Cubia, aka Cybernetic Cthulhu, aka D-Reaper on digital steroids. While many things in the .hack// series look bizarre, Cubia has a definite Eldritch feel to it. Just ''look'' at the thing.
** And that there is just one of ''several'' forms it takes. Some are alien, and others are just plain ''wrong''.
* EvilCounterpart: [[spoiler: In G.U. to Haseo's Xth Form.]]
* [[spoiler:FacialMarkings: In his PC form.]]
* [[spoiler: FinalBoss: Of the R2 games.]]
* [[spoiler:FingerlessGloves: In his PC form.]]
* [[spoiler:HairDecorations: Hair clips, in his PC form.]]
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceTurn]]: [[spoiler:As his PC form.]]
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: "The Anti-Existence"
* [[spoiler:NiceGuy: In his PC form.]]
* NighInvulnerability: It cannot be killed. Period. Not while the Key of Twilight exists. Problem is, the Key is usually what the heroes are relying on to solve whatever crisis is afoot this time.
* [[spoiler:SinisterScythe]]: [[spoiler:In his PC form in LINK.]]
* [[spoiler:RavenHairIvorySkin: In his PC form.]]
* RedEyesTakeWarning: [[spoiler: In G.U.]]
* SupernaturalGoldenEyes: In R:1 games.


!Mai Minase
[[quoteright:100:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/imagesCAL98LVZ5813_jpg_100.png]]

-->Voiced by: SanaeKobayashi (Japanese); MichelleRuff (English)

''World Identity:'' Sieg(2), a copy of her boyfriend's character (see above) as well as her own unseen character

''Real Identity:'' A high school girl with no interest in videogames, she was nonetheless convinced to give The World a try by her boyfriend. She went comatose along with him while playing, but woke up several days later. She joins Tokuoka as they search for clues about the coma victims in the real world.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Liminality''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* ChekhovsHobby: Her training as a musician allows her to discern a tone that sounds whenever a Phase is about to show up. It was hearing this sound that forewarned her of Skeith's approach and allowed her to avoid the worst of the Data Drain.
* CrossPlayer: She controls Sieg(2).
* HairDecorations
* HeroesPreferSwords
* PurpleEyes
* KnightInShiningArmor: Her online persona.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: .hack//Zero]]

!Carl

''World Identity:'' A female Heavy Axemen who runs into Aura and Skeith/Sora, who eventually Data Drains her for protecting Aura.

''Real Identity:'' Junka Nimura, Junichiro Tokuoka's daughter. She lives with her mother and grandmother and her father is only referred to as "Mr. T"

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Zero''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AnAxeToGrind
* AntiHero
* AsleepForDays
* BadassLonghair
* BattleBallgown: Black one.
* BloodKnight: She enjoys destruction and chaos wherever she goes. Anyone?
* [[spoiler:TheCorrupter]]: She plays the game to [[spoiler: spread some ill will to The World.]]
* [[spoiler:CantSpitItOut: It seems that she slowly develop feelings for Sora. But until her story ends, she has no chance to tell him that she likes him, also because Sora was already Data-Drained by Skeith.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: To anyone else, except... Sora.
* DefrostingIceQueen
* DetachedSleeves
* DistressedDamsel: In .hack//Link, Tokio must save her from Skeith.
* FacialMarkings
* FingerlessGloves: In her original design for .hack//ZERO. In .hack//Link, her hands are fully covered.
* GenderBlenderName
* GoodIsNotNice: She PK's whoever annoys her. But she didn't have pleasure to do it.
* GrayEyes
* IllGirl: In the real world, she suffers some kind of eating disorder.
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[TearJerker "Carl's Theme"]]. Can be obtained in .hack//G.U. as the desktop BGM once you cleared Redemption.
** The song also appear for some boss battles' BGM in .hack//Link.
** [[spoiler: The song was actually contains Carl's feelings to Sora, but [[ObliviousToLove Sora never notices her feelings.]]]]
* NoExportForYou: The series she was featured in has never left Japan. [[AllThereInTheManual Finished only through supplementary material.]]
* PerpetualFrowner: ALL of her official artworks depicts her as this.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: See above.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Sora. But then, subverted.
* TheStoic
** NotSoStoic

[[/folder]]

[[folder: .hack//Legend of the Twilight Knights]]

!Shugo

''World Identity:'' He retains his real name even in The World; he's only in it for fun...[[JumpedAtTheCall at first...]]

''Real Identity:'' A middle school kid who gets roped into playing the game by his twin sister, Rena. He finds himself whisked into a plot set by by Aura near the end of ''R:1'' after he finds Aura's daughter, Zefie, and is accused of being an illegal player.

''Appears in:'' ''The Legend of the Twilight Bracelet''.

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AscendedFanboy: In his backstory, he ''did'' say he always wanted to be a hero... To Aura. Who set the whole situation up to fulfill this and to keep herself from getting bored.
* ChivalrousPervert
* {{Expy}}: Of Kite, which is obvious since he won Kite's character design.
* {{Flanderization}}: In the manga he makes a one-off comment on how he was uncomfortable that his sister was playing a character in such a revealing outfit. In the anime they make him ''enamored'' with her.
* GotVolunteered: It's not like he ''wanted'' to play the game at first...
* JumpedAtTheCall

!Rena

''World Identity:'' Retains her real name. She plays what appears to be a chibi-fied version of Blackrose She just wanted to spend more time with her brother. And then Zefie came into the picture... Unlike Shugo she's an experienced player, having previously played a Blade Master named Bridget.

''Real Identity:'' A middle school kid who gets her brother to join The World after she wins limited edition costumes of the dot hackers Kite and Blackrose. See Shugo for more details.

''Appears in:'' ''The Legend of the Twilight Bracelet''.

!!Tropes Associated With:
* [[AscendedFanboy Ascended Fangirl]]
* ClingyJealousGirl: In the manga, she seems a bit [[BrotherSisterIncest teed off that her brother's hanging out with Zefie...]]
* DamselInDistress: In the anime adaptation, when she falls into a coma.
* {{Expy}}: Of Blackrose, which is obvious since she won Blackrose's character design
* GenkiGirl
* {{Tsundere}}: Type B, toward Shugo.

!Mireille

-->Voiced by: YukiMatsuoka (Japanese); Sandy Fox (English)

''World Identity:'' She's a wavemaster who takes on her mother's avatar and joins Shugo and Rena on their adventure; she provides the two a hangout for them to meet and discuss in. Because she looks like her mother's avatar, Wiseman mistakes for Mistral on one occassion.

''Real Identity:'' She's the daughter of Mistral. She's actually about 4 years old.

''Appears in:'' ''The Legend of the Twilight Bracelet''.

!!Tropes Associated With:
* {{Expy}}: Of her mother Mistral, which is expected as her character is her mother's account with a name change.
* GenkiGirl
* [[Webcomic/GirlGenius Kid Genius]]: She's a preschooler, but you wouldn't know that if you met her online.
* MobileShrubbery: The first time she's seen, she's following Shugo and Rena while hiding inside a barrel.
* RandomlyDrops: Her hobby; collecting rare items. It doesn't matter if it's useful or not; even if [[AndYourRewardIsClothes your reward is clothes]]; if it's rare, she wants it.

!Ouka
[[quoteright:186:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Ouka1.jpg]]

''World Identity:'' A powerful player who enjoys fighting monsters and believes that people should get stronger the honest, old fashioned way, rather than resorting to cheating. Is famous among other players and called "Ouka the Divine Fist". She plays a "Werewolf" class charcter which is mentioned as a speical class added for high-level players in an expansion pack. Originally she was a un-named fist using class that was added in the same expansion pack.

''Real Identity:'' She's is in fact Mireille's babysitter and Tutor, and is somewhat of a withdrawn mousey woman in reality.

''Appears in:'' ''The Legend of the Twilight Bracelet''.
!!Tropes Associated With:
* BareYourMidriff
* BoobsOfSteel
* GoingFurASwim
* MsFanservice
* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: Ouka can transform into a straight wolf if she desires.
* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules
* SexyMentor: Ouka helps Shugo level up and learn the game along with Mirielle and Rena. She doesn't seem to mind Shugo's developing hormones, and plays along with it.

!Komiyan III

''World Identity:'' A "handsome prince" who goes everywhere accomponied by his loyal Grunty, Oscar. He is obsessed with winning Rena's heart and despises her brother Shugo.

''Real Identity:'' Komiyama, a geeky 14 year-old boy who attends Shugo and Rena's math class. He and Shugo are rivals, though ironically enough, neither of them are very well-liked by others in their class.

''Appears in:'' ''The Legend of the Twilight Bracelet''.
!!Tropes Associated With:
* HeelFaceTurn: He joins Shugo's party in the manga.
* {{Jerkass}}: Though he seems to become a JerkWithAHeartOfGold after his abovementioned HeelFaceTurn, actually defending Shugo and Rena from the administrators at personal risk.
* LargeHam: He loves to make long-winded introductions, giving himself an assortment of titles.
* TheRival: To Shugo.
* SissyVillain
* StalkerWithACrush
* SmugSnake

!Zefie

''World Identity:'' The daughter of Aura; she gets seperated from Aura in ''The Legend of the Twilight Bracelet'' and asks Shugo and the others for help. Despite being so adorable, she can really be a handful, constantly teasing the gang (she even went as far as giving them ''afros'' at one point).

''Real Identity:'' n/a

''Appears in:'' ''The Legend of the Twilight Bracelet''. Link

!Kamui

-->Voiced by: Sakiko Tamagawa (Japanese); Melodee M. Spevack (English)

''World Identity:'' Leader of the Colbalt Knights after Albreio and Lios, and a ruthless AI killer who believes all anomalies in The World should be destroyed, even Zefie and Aura.

''Real Identity:'' Little is known about her real self, except that she worked with Albireo and was upset that he got fired, believing that the AIs were to blame, hence her reason for wanting to destroy them. She serves as the BigBad for ''The Legend of the Twilight Bracelet''. Her real name is Saki Shibayama.

''Appears in:'' ''The Legend of the Twilight Bracelet''. Minor appearance in ''.hack//AI Buster'' but only offline.
!!Tropes Associated With:
* {{Badass}}
* BigBad: Of ''The Legend of the Twilight Bracelet''.
* GenderBlenderName
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceTurn]]
* MismatchedEyes: In the manga, her character has the same-colored heterochromatic eyes as Albireo in homage to him. This does not apply in the anime due to a redesign.

!'''Magi'''

-->Voiced by: Asako Shirakura (Japanese); [[AmandaWinnLee Amanda Winn-Lee]] (English)

''World Identity:'' Kamui's second in command.

''Real Identity:'' A CC Corp Employee named Asako Saito and Kamui's personal assistant.

''Appears in:'' ''The Legend of the Twilight Bracelet''.

!!Tropes Associated With:
* CrossPlayer: Her avatar is a standard male CC Corp avatar. She is known to be female and refered to as such however.
* {{Meganekko}}
* PunchClockVillain

!Reki

-->Voiced by: SoichiroHoshi (Japanese); DerekStephenPrince (English)

''World Identity:'' Balmung's assistant.

''Real Identity:'' A young CC Corp Emplyoee.

''Appears in:'' ''The Legend of the Twilight Bracelet''.

!!Tropes Associated With:
* {{Adorkable}}
* ButtMonkey
* FaceHeelTurn: In the anime; a stark contrast to in the manga.
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceTurn: Not long after the formentioned FaceHeelTurn in the anime, he realizes he made a big mistake.]]
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Balmung.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: .hack//Roots]]

!'''Haseo'''
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/13c63e50541ac61238a5ba7f48540ea671615acf.jpg]]

-->Voiced by: TakahiroSakurai (Japanese); YuriLowenthal (English, video games); Creator/AndrewFrancis (English, anime)

''World Identity:'' The main character of ''Roots'' and the G.U. games, an aggressive and self-centered Adept Rogue. He finds a mentor in Ovan and a love interest in Shino, but when Ovan disappears and Shino is [=PK=]ed and put into a coma, Haseo begins a personal quest to find and beat Tri-Edge, the name given to Shino's killer. Holds the avatar of the first Phase, Skeith, The Terror of Death.

''Real Identity:'' Ryou Misaki, a high school student and the same person who played the player-killer Sora back in SIGN. Though he's older, his general personality has changed little.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Roots'', ''.hack//G.U.''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AloofAlly: In .hack//Link. And Tokio has to work hard to get his trust.
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: Subverted, but his primary goal is indeed to save Shino.
* AntiHero
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: He did this to ALL the Arena Emperors for good reasons.
* AttackAttackAttack: Many times.
* TheAtoner: Not on purpose, thanks to his LaserGuidedAmnesia.
* AtopAMountainOfCorpses: In .hack//Link manga.
* AxCrazy: In Rebirth. Especially after defeating Bordeaux's team in the Arena. Also in the OVA.
* {{Badass}}: There's a reason why he's known as The Terror of Death.
** BadassBiker: Becomes this when he defeats the Biker Champion Goblins.
* BareYourMidriff: A very rare male example of this trope.
* BattleCouple: With Atoli (in Rebirth) and Alkaid (in Reminisce) in a Quest.
* BerserkButton: Just leave Shino alone or you'll feel his rage.
* {{BFS}}: His secondary weapon WeaponOfChoice after he got his 2nd Form.
* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler: He saves Midori at one point.]]
* {{Bishonen}}
* BladeRun: During his Cutscene Power to the Max.
* BloodKnight: During his PKK days.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: In .hack//Link manga.
* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: In Roots, Brooding Boy to Shino's Gentle Girl.
* BottomlessMagazines: In the OVA and .hack//Link. Averted in G.U. where he has to reload the guns.
* CallingYourAttacks
* [[spoiler:TheCassandra: Subverted, unintentionally.]] He doesn't like Sakaki from the first time they met, [[spoiler: and he was right about Sakaki.]]
* CatchPhrase: "Do you know Tri-Edge?" appears in every .hack// he entered.
* CharacterDevelopment: Haseo has probably seen more character development than any other character in the franchise when you take Sora's personality into consideration. In the R:2 timeline alone, he went from a hopeless beginner to a revenge-obsessed [[{{Jerkass}} jerk]] in Roots, then started the GU games as a DesignatedHero, evolved into a Type 2 AntiHero, and eventually made pure [[TheHero hero]] status by the end of the series.
** More specifically, he goes from being slightly {{emo}} (start of Roots) to being a complete and utter [[{{Jerkass}} asshole]] (G.U. Volume 1) to being a JerkWithAHeartOfGold (G.U. Volume 2) to being a generally nice but still fairly blunt and sometimes [[DeadpanSnarker sarcastic]] guy (G.U. Volume 3). Overall, he becomes much, ''much'' more likable as the series goes on.
* ChickMagnet: Even though the game has RelationshipValues that justifies this, he still canonically has 2 fangirls and 2 [[EvenTheGuysWantHim fanboys.]]
* TheChosenOne: Subverted, but may be one of the reason why Ovan interested in him and invite him to the Twilight Brigade in Roots.
** It was then revealed in G.U. [[spoiler: when all the Avatars combined, Ovan has found the Key of Twilight. That is Haseo himself.]]
* CombatPragmatist: His team is the only team that can perform Avatar Awakening in The World. [[{{Troll}} Problem?]]
* CommandingCoolness: Just once, but still awesome; "Kuhn, now!!". He commands Kuhn to [[spoiler: shot Taihaku's hand in order to separate him from his AIDA infected (beloved) sword.]]
* CoolBigBro: To Bo.
* CoolDownHug: Give this to AIDA infected Atoli in the OVA.
* CoolGun: See Mix-and-Match Weapon below.
* CoolSword: See Swiss Army Weapon below.
* CutscenePowerToTheMax: During the prologue FMV of Rebirth. Awesome.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Yes, he looks all shiny and heroic in the picture over there, but the costumes he wears for most of the story are almost completely black and adorned with things you'd usually see on villains (like [[SpikesOfVillainy spikes]]). [[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/haseo_3562.jpg For example]]. Not to mention his Meaningful Title...
** Though dark also [[{{Jerkass}} isn't very nice]] for most of GU.
** Here's his evolution: [[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080301232952/dothack/images/thumb/e/e1/RebirthHaseo2.jpg/566px-RebirthHaseo2.jpg 1st Form]], [[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20060924043413/dothack/images/2/21/Haseo2-1.jpg 2nd Form]], [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100325171406/dothack/images/thumb/c/c4/Haseo-3rd-Form-Type-2.jpg/601px-Haseo-3rd-Form-Type-2.jpg 3rd Form]], and finally, [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110321024638/dothack/images/c/c5/Haseo-XthFormRender132785.png Xth Form]].
* DeadpanSnarker
* DeathFromAbove: Avatar Awakening Drain Heart.
* DetachedSleeves
* DeathOfAThousandCuts: His Twin Blades' skills
* {{Determinator}}: To find what actually caused Shino's death after realize that [[spoiler:Azure Flame Kite was not Tri-Edge.]]
* DifficultButAwesome: His Adept Rouge CharacterClass allows him to switch weapon during the course of battle.
* DualWielding
* DramaticGunCock: Everytime he reloads his Dual Guns.
* TheDreaded: Let's just say he got his nickname for a reason. Most Player Killers are generally terrified at the sight of him.
* EvilCostumeSwitch: In .hack//Link manga. Actually, it looked like the simplified version of his 3rd Form.
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: Compare his hair in the first his 3 Forms to his Xth Form.
* {{Expy}}: Gets one in the form of [[VideoGame/AsurasWrath Asura]], another silver haired man with RedEyesTakeWarning and Anger issues. Helps that game is also made by CyberConnect2.
* FacialMarkings: Changes everytime he got new Form.
* FlashStep: During his Cutscene Power to the Max.
* FriendlyEnemy: To Midori, though in the beginning they're not friendly at all.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: You see, in Roots he started out as regular player and totally noob due to his laziness to read the game's manual. Then, after Shino's death he became famous and feared as [[RedBaron The Terror of Death]]
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Get's these frequently in ''.hack//GU Trilogy'' whenever Skeith is exerting influence over him, i.e. moments of pure '''Rage'''. [[http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsvz6gfY5X1qceyz5.png it's pretty unnerving]], to say the least, if not pure horror.
* GratuitousEnglish: TakahiroSakurai can actually pronounce English well!
** In the OVA he use the word "faker".
** In Versus he speak the words "Justice" and "Judgment".
** Subverted too because he uses {{Engrish}} in "Second" and "Third" lines.
* TheGrimReaper: Terror of DEATH. Means he brings the fear of death to his victims, no?
* GunsAkimbo
* GunFu
* TheGunslinger
* {{Hammerspace}}
* HeroicAlbino
* HeyItsThatVoice: Can you believe that [[TakahiroSakurai his Japanese voice]] is [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Cloud Strife]]? On the English side of things, we have [[{{Persona4}} Yosuke]], [[{{Persona 3}} the main character]] and [[TengenToppaGurrenLagann Simon]].
** [[WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce And that transforming guy with the magic bracelet]].
** He is also [[CodeGeass Suzaku Kururugi]] in both languages
* HotBlooded
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: By Atoli in the OVA.
* [[spoiler:InfinityMinusOneSword: [[SinisterScythe Ticking Death.]]]]
** [[spoiler:InfinityPlusOneSword: Shadowy Death.]]
* JackOfAllTrades: He's an Adept Rogue.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Thanks to Skeith's data drain back in SIGN, he remembers nothing about being Sora.
* LargeHam
* LaughingMad: After he got his Avatar and defeat some opponents, in Rebirth. There's plenty in the OVA too.
* LightningBruiser
* LiteralSplitPersonality: In the scene where he achieves Xth Form, [[spoiler:He fuses with Skeith.]]
* LonerTurnedFriend: Twice. In Roots, Shino picks Haseo up. In G.U. Gaspard and Silabus picks him up.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: After Shino's death, he grinds his level by kill ANY [=PK=]s he can find.
* LoveTriangle: Can be between Shino and Atoli or Atoli and Alkaid.
* LuminescentBlush: In .hack//Link, his Cross Rengeki. He seemed to realize that working together with Tokio isn't half-bad.
* MadnessMantra: "It's here, it's here, it's here, IT'S HERE!"... and see above.
* ManInWhite: His Xth Form
* MeaningfulName: As a [=PKK=], Haseo is known by the same title applied to the Phase Skeith.
** Haseo itself is a reference to the Japanese poet Matsuo Bashou (via AlternateCharacterReading) who's disciple was named Kawai Sora. In other words, a subtle clue to Haseo's player also being Sora's player.
* MementoMacGuffin: Subverted, since Shino is not dead in the real world. The Honeysuckle dual blades.
* MixAndMatchWeapon: His DG-X is a pair of pistols with blade attached.
* MoreDakka: When he fires his guns.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Wanna try?
* MultiRangedMaster: Counts for the strength of each weapon too. Twin blades (small damage) for close range, {{BFS}} (large damage) for mid range, SinisterScythe (mid damage) for long range and Guns (small for each bullets, resulting DeathOfAThousandCuts) for very long range.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: After drives Skeith berserk and attack Kuhn's Magus brutally.
* MyGreatestSecondChance / MyGreatestFailure: Averted. In .hack//Link, [[spoiler: Haseo actually had the chance to save Shino before being PKed by Tri-Edge. But Tokio who knew this didn't tell Haseo and later gets all the blame.]]
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast / RedBaron: "The Terror Of Death"
* NotQuiteDead: When PK'ed by Iyoten and Asha, Data Drained by Azure Flame Kite, and after Ovan uses [[spoiler:Rebirth to The World.]] He always thought if he's dead but he's not.
* OneManArmy: The first time he experiences the game and during his PKK days.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: In his PKK days.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: Not him, but among the Avatars, Skeith is possibly the smallest.
* PowerGivesYouWings: In Drain Heart Avatar Awakening.
* PowerGlows: When summoning Avatar.
** TronLines
* PowerOfFriendship: Realizes the importance of this and get Silabus and Gaspard back to his side in the Quest to get his [[LevelUp 3rd Form]].
* PsychoticSmirk
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Haseo delivers an epic one to [[spoiler:Ovan before he goes into a coma.]]
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: His main color scheme and his personality after he lost Shino and before he got CharacterDevelopment.
* [[RedOniBlueOni Red Oni]]: To Ovan's Blue Oni.
* [[spoiler:SayMyName: "OVAAAAAANNNN!!!"]]
* ScreamingWarrior: "SKEEEEIIIIIIIIIITH!!!"... and see above. Yet again.
* ScrewDestiny: In the OVA, he refuses Ovan's death and go save him.
* [[spoiler:SecondLove: Atoli.]]
* ShutUpHannibal: To Sakaki.
* SinisterScythe: His 3rd WeaponOfChoice.
* SkywardScream: Subverted, still in the Cathedral. OVA only, but still... "SHIIINNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
* SlasherSmile: So many of them in Rebirth towards his opponents. Toned down in Reminisce and completely vanished in Redemption.
* SpecialGuest: In an anime, but only showed his leg.
* SpinAttack: Reaper's Touch.
* SpikesOfDoom: His B-st Form.
* StormOfBlades: Deliver this insanely to Ovan in the OVA.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Warms up once you get to know him. A male example, for real.
* SummonToHand
* SuperPoweredEvilSide: ''JESUS CHRIST IT'S [[http://safebooru.org//samples/393/sample_6845fb9637993b0e1d50ca21331928bc0e957020.jpg?392846 BST FORM]], GET IN THE CAR!''
** Skeith is '''''a lot''''' scarier, and serves as somewhat of a canon SuperPoweredEvilSide (B-st form was only in the movie, and turned out to be fairly useless anyway).
* SweatDrop: In Rebirth he met Atoli at one point. She shouts at him and he gave out this trope.
* SwissArmyWeapon: His {{BFS}} and {{SinisterScythe}} has chainsaw.
* RareGuns: No one else in The World has the same gun as his, since he got them by getting his Xth Form.
* ReverseGrip
* TerrorHero: Type 5. By the PKers only with Bordeaux's team as exception. He use his reputation to save Gaspard from being PKed many times.
* TheCaptain: Of Canard Guild.
* TheBerserker: His B-st Form.
* TheCorruption: Subverted. He's almost corrupted by AIDA from Taihaku's sword, but Atoli calls his name, making him strong enough to reject AIDA.
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: To Tri-Edge. Well actually he is the only one who can.
* The Sociopath: At first, after having BadassDecay.
* TooManyBelts: 52 belts total in his first form. God ''damn''. That's possibly worse than anything from TetsuyaNomura.
* TookALevelInKindness: And keep progressing alongside CharacterDevelopment.
* TransformationSequence: He always have this when he got Job upgrade.
* {{Tsundere}}: Male, type A, full stop.
** To be more specific, he's more of a JerkWithAHeartOfGold to most people (and just plain {{Jerkass}} in Volume 1), but when it comes to... whoever is his love interest (Shino or Atoli depending on the time in the story), he has a habit of acting rather... dere. More tsun with Atoli, though he still shows his moments of softness around her.
*** In one scene in Volume 3, he denies ogling Atoli when she notices him staring at her (and he was clearly thinking ''very'' fondly of her). Of course, Atoli's naivete prevents her from noticing, and she just thinks she screwed up again.
* UnstoppableRage: Subverted. His rage is ''very'' stoppable and his SuperPoweredEvilSide is a pushover (albeit a ''freaking scary'' one) compared to his [[SuperMode Xth Form]].
* [[spoiler:UnwittingPawn: To Ovan]].
* WarriorTherapist: Literally. Kind of. He doesn't use it in his battle style, and he doesn't seem to be doing it on purpose, but pretty much everyone with major issues in the game come to him to talk about it.
* WouldHitAGirl: Did this to Midori without second thought. Bordeaux and the others are no exceptions.
* WhatTheHellHero: By giving Ovan NoSell in the OVA.
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Initially plays this straight, but subverts it more as time goes on.
* WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises: In the end of Reminisce when he was talking with Atoli in the Cathedral, suddenly Ovan appeared behind him and tell Haseo to become more stronger. In the OVA too, when Shino was PKed right in front of his eyes.
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: The first time he got his Avatar, somebody MUST stop him or the hell break loose.
* TheWorfEffect: Level 133, took on a hundred player-killers at once... and yet Tri-Edge [[spoiler:, actually Aura's Knight, Azure Kite who is not Tri-Edge]] hands him his ass without a scratch.

!Ovan
[[quoteright:340:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Ovan.jpg]]

-->Voiced by: Hiroki Touchi (Japanese); JamiesonPrice (English, video games); MichaelKopsa (English, anime)

''World Identity:'' A famously powerful Steam Gunner, easily distinguished by the massive cylinder locked over his left arm. He's the founder and leader of the Twilight Brigade, a guild dedicated to finding the Key of the Twilight, which most other players have long since discounted as pure fantasy. [[spoiler:Holds the avatar of the eighth Phase, Corbenik, The Rebirth, and keeps a powerful AIDA trapped in his left arm, which is the true "Tri-Edge".]]

''Real Identity:'' Masato Indou, a young man, and the older brother of Aina's player. According to one of the Newsbreak segments in the G.U. games, CC Corp has accused him of creating the AIDA "virus," resulting in mass protests by players in his defense.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Roots'', ''.hack//G.U.''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler: He never did unnecessary fights with Haseo and his friends.]]
* AntiVillain: Ok, so he is going around [[spoiler: manipulating everyone and putting them in comas, but he really doesn't want to, and his intent was to revive Aina.]]
* BadassCape
* BadassLongcoat: A white coat, too.
* BayonetYa
* [[spoiler:BeingEvilSucks: Originally he was not a bad guy, but because of AIDA he was forced to change. But he still has his own agenda.]]
* [[spoiler:{{BFG}}: Corbenik has this on it's left arm infected by AIDA.]]
* [[spoiler: BigBad: Technically so narratively-wise due to being Tri-Edge, though he's an AntiVillain through and through.]]
* [[spoiler:BigBadFriend:]] Haseo was never expecting that [[spoiler: the one whom he trust is the REAL bad guy.]]
* [[spoiler:BodyHorror: His AIDA infected left arm.]]
* [[spoiler:BrainwashedAndCrazy: By AIDA, the reason he goes PK'ing everyone else.]]
* [[spoiler:BreakingSpeech: To Yata, causing an emotional pressure on him which later awakens Fidchell.]]
* CatchPhrase: [[spoiler:[[LargeHam "BURN THIS SIGHT INTO YOUR EYES!!"]]]]
* [[spoiler:Climax Boss]]
* CoolGun: [[spoiler: Coming Reincarnation.]]
* CrazyPrepared: Subverted. He's willing to unlock that cylinder anytime except when [[spoiler: suddenly Aina goes missing from her room.]]
* DeathSeeker: His purpose for getting Haseo to become more stronger. And [[spoiler:it's the only way to get rid of AIDA in The World and by using Corbenik's Rebirth]].
* [[spoiler:DespairEventHorizon: Shown in the manga after he PK'ed Pi, when he was so desparate because of the AIDA inside of him, keep on ruining his life.]]
* [[spoiler:TheDragon: Directly to AIDA.]]
** [[spoiler:TheDragonWithAgenda]]
* [[spoiler:EvilLaugh]]: In the OVA.
* FashionableAsymmetry
* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler: Initially he made Twilight Brigade to [[spoiler:gather all of the 8 Epitaph Users.]]
* [[spoiler: GodzillaThreshold: More like an option of last resort, but this is what his plan boiled down to: use the 8 phases to trigger a reset of the internet, wiping out AIDA in the process. It should be noted that Ovan hadn't wanted to resort to this plan in the first place because it was a gamble at best, not to mention the repercussions it could incur. But none of his hacking skills were able to get rid of the AIDA arm, he had failed to find Aura (which was the purpose of the Twilight Brigade), and he was quickly running out of time before his sister's consciousness was completely absorbed.]]
* [[spoiler:GoodAllAlong: He just wanted to save his sister Aina and get rid AIDA from The World.]]
* [[spoiler:GoOutWithASmile: He made everything just too hard for poor Haseo.]]
* GunFu: Notably in Versus.
* TheGunslinger
* [[spoiler:HappyFlashback: Several times in Redemption, about his peaceful days with his little sister Aina before AIDA ruins his life.]]
* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice: More of an AntiVillain sacrifice, but...]]
* [[spoiler:JekyllAndHyde: The AIDA infecting him sometimes takes over and kills those close to him.]]
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceTurn: To AIDA in his left arm.]]
* [[spoiler:INeedYouStronger: To Haseo.]]
* IneffectualLoner: At Roots, we might see him as a loner, [[spoiler: nut it was AIDA that made him keeps a distance between him and other people, fearing that he might lose control of himself again and ruin his original plan.]]
* [[spoiler:InfinityPlusOneSword: Coming Reincarnation.]]
* LargeHam: One above, and [[spoiler: "REBIRTH, CORBENIK!!!".]]
* LetsGetDangerous: Not that Ovan's weak ordinarily, but you ''really'' don't want to be around when he unlocks that cylinder...
* MadeOfIron: [[spoiler: Azure Flame Kite]] can't knock him down onto his feet, neither do Haseo. Averted in .hack//Versus though, where player can kick his ass as long as they want to.
* [[spoiler:ManipulativeBastard]]
* [[spoiler:ManHug: To Haseo, manga only.]]
* [[spoiler:MyGodWhatHaveIDone: After PK'ing Aina unconsciously controlled by AIDA.]]
* [[spoiler:OffscreenVillainy: Very much of it. But one thing for sure, he once killed Azure Flame Kite.]]
* NervesOfSteel
* NoKillLikeOverkill: In the manga, Ovan defeats [[spoiler: Azure Flame Kite]] easily. [[spoiler: But then mutilated him, giving some sights for Haseo to reveal that he's the real Tri-Edge.]]
* NoSell: In the OVA. Being attacked by Haseo in his B-st form, Ovan doesn't injured a bit.
* [[spoiler:NotQuiteDead: In the real world everyone suspects he's dead. Turns out he's not.]]
** [[spoiler:BackFromTheDead: Manga only.]]
* TheObiWan
* OneManArmy: Decides to be this after [[spoiler: AIDA infection spread further to him,]] also in order to protect the others.
* [[spoiler:OneWingedAngel: Both his fights are followed by a tough Avatar battle.]]
* OnlyICanKillHim: [[spoiler: He wants only Haseo to defeat him.]]
* [[spoiler:PerfectPlayAI]]
* [[spoiler:PowerGlows: When summoning Avatar.]]
** [[spoiler:TronLines]]
* RareGuns: [[spoiler: His Lost Weapon, probably. Since the 8th Lost Weapon slot in the specific Lost Ground needed to acquire each of the Epitaph User's Lost Weapon, was empty.]]
* SpreadShot: One of his attack in .hack//Versus.
* [[spoiler:SoulJar: Inside his cylinder, the coma victims can witness EVERYTHING that has happen.]]
* [[spoiler:TakingYouWithMe: He himself fall into coma after activate Rebirth to The World and cleanse all AIDA.]]
* [[spoiler: ThanatosGambit]]
* TheCaptain: In Roots, to the Twilight Guild.
* TheChessmaster: One way or another, almost everything in Roots and the G.U. games was planned or anticipated by him.
* [[spoiler:RedemptionEqualsDeath: "Become stronger, Haseo. Strong enough to kill me..."]]
* RestrainingBolt: [[spoiler:Ovan's AIDA arm forces him to act as Tri-Edge against his will. He very much wants it gone.]]
* [[spoiler:UsedToBeASweetKid: Before AIDA took everything from him.]]
* [[spoiler:ResetButton: His Avatar's ability.]]
* ScaryShinyGlasses: The shinier they are, the more scared you ought to be.
* [[spoiler:TheCorruption: His left hand.]]
* TheStoic
* TheReveal[[spoiler: Ovan unlocks his left arm to reveal a second arm made of AIDA, and his identity as the true Tri-Edge.]]
* [[spoiler:UsingYouAllAlong: Haseo for Ovan is UnwittingPawn.]]
* WalkingSpoiler
* XanatosSpeedChess
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair
* [[spoiler:VillainTakesAnInterest: Subverted, because he IS the BigBad later on in G.U..]] In Roots he might have sensed that Haseo owns Skeith so he brought Haseo to the Twilight Brigade.

!Shino
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Shino_831.jpg]]

-->Voiced by: KaoriNazuka (Japanese); KariWahlgren (English, video games); KellySheridan (English, anime)

''World Identity:'' A Harvest Cleric and second in command of the Twilight Brigade, she's an all-around wonderfully pleasant girl who's almost as affectionate toward Haseo as she is admiring of Ovan. Halfway through ''Roots'', she's [=PKed=] and put in a coma by Tri-Edge.

''Real Identity:'' Shino Nanao, a seemingly lonesome young college student. She doesn't reveal much about herself, save that she lives in a small apartment with a lot of books and not much else.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Roots'', ''.hack//G.U.''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AdaptationDyeJob: Her hair is black in the manga. Her hair keeps the [[RoseHairedGirl pink color]] in the anime version.
* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:Shino was lucky enough to get a front seat to Ovan's carnage thanks to her mind being trapped in his arm.]]
* [[spoiler:AlwaysWithYou: To Ovan, but then seperated from him and remains in coma state until Cubia was defeated]] and she recovered from her coma.
* AngelicBeauty: Just look at her in the game's FMV and in the OVA, she has more charm than Atoli.
* AsleepForDays: Put to coma during the first half of Roots until Redemption.
* BackFromTheDead: Subverted, her PC existence in The World.
* TheBaroness: To Ovan in Roots.
* BeautyEqualsGoodness
* [[spoiler:BroughtDownToNormal: She's the original Epitaph User of Innis. But when she's PK'ed, Innis search for other PC and find Atoli.]]
* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: In Roots, Gentle Girl to Haseo's Brooding Boy.
* CallingYourAttacks
* CreepyChild: In OneSceneWonder in the real world, shortly after she recovers. In the last episode of Online Jack episode, she passes by Salvador Aihara who's thinking about the meaning of AIDA. She answer while heading to the lift and gone.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: After her new palette swap.
* DetachedSleeves
* [[spoiler:DidNotGetTheGuy]]: Sometimes she still "flirts" Haseo (just look at her conversation balloons). [[spoiler: But not that she wants him seriously anymore, because Haseo chose Atoli right in front of her eyes.]]
* DistressedDamsel
* FacialMarkings: Teardrop shaped.
* GenderBlenderName: Her name sounds like that bug guy's name.
* GreenEyes: In Roots
** GreyEyes: In G.U.
* {{Hammerspace}}
* HealingHands: She seems to love this so much that her balloon conversation says; "Are you had enough healing?"
** Taken Up To Eleven in .hack//Link. In her Cross Rengeki she continuously heals Tokio until he can bare it no longer and passes out in front of her feet.
* IWasJustPassingThrough: In Roots when she saves Haseo from PK'ers. Subverted, if she already knows his location.
* IllGirl: Subverted, she's put to coma throughout 2 and a "half" of .hack//G.U. storyline.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy
* LivingEmotionalCrutch / OnlyFriend: To Haseo after the Twilight Brigade disbanded.
* MagicStaff
* TheMessiah: She has no bitterness or whatsoever with other people.
* MoralityPet: To both Haseo and Ovan in Roots.
* MulticoloredHair: In the OVA, her hair has shades of pink.
* NiceGirl: That's what Tabby always say about her.
* NiceHat
* PerpetualSmiler: She's often seen with a smile on her face.
* RavenHairIvorySkin: Manga only.
* RoseHairedGirl: In Roots.
* SacrificialLion: Keep in mind that [[spoiler: Ovan was controlled by AIDA when he PK'ed her.]]
* [[spoiler:SecondLove: Haseo.]] Actually, she likes Ovan at first.
* [[spoiler:SeenItAll: Through Ovan's cylinder.]]
* ShesGotLegs
* StepfordSmiler: She might seem composed to the casual observer, but inside her mind is a very depressed young woman.
* StockingFiller
* SummonToHand
* SquishyWizard
* TheChick: Emotional support for Haseo and his reason for LoveMakesYouEvil.
* TheMedic
* TurnTheOtherCheek: [[spoiler: She forgives Ovan for PK'ed her unintentionally.]]
* WhiteMagicianGirl / BlackMagicianGirl: Every Harvest Cleric can do offensive magic, if they're being set into the right strategy.
* WomanInBlack: During the second half of ''Roots'' until the end of ''G.U.''.
* WomanInWhite: During the first half of ''Roots'' and a few flashbacks in ''G.U.''.
* ZettaiRyouiki

!Sakisaka

-->Voiced by: RyotaroOkiayu (Japanese); Alistair Abell (English)

''World Identity:'' A Steam Gunner fond of mysteries, wordplay, and good old-fashioned adventure. One of the first members of the Twilight Brigade, he becomes increasingly frustrated by their apparently fruitless quest, but remains loyal until its disbanding, and quits the game soon after.

''Real Identity:'' A young man who says he lives in a bachelor apartment with few windows. He quits The World to join his friends in a new online game called Riot Gun.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Roots''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* BayonetYa
* BeneathTheMask / HiddenDepths: You might start to think that he was made for lulz when you look at him (his appearance to be precise) the first time. Actually he's a far more serious person than you think he is.
* CatchPhrase: In Japanese, Sakisaka is fond of particular puns and wordplay the Brigade calls "the Sakisaka catchphrase." The translators couldn't (or just didn't) render this in English, so it became "I'm perplexed at X and I'm surprised at Y."
* CoolTeacher: Tabby likes to think so.
* DoubleAgent: Subverted. He's the only member of Twilight Brigade who can talk nicely to TaN, and doesn't seem to mind to "cooperate" with them.
* ExpressiveMask: His goggles even flash words or symbols, especially when he's surprised. Possibly by Sakisaka's command, but more likely just a visual gag.
* FiringOneHanded
* TheGunslinger
* HiddenEyes: On the rare occasion he's being sincere and serious, we can see regular-looking eyes behind his goggles.
* ImprobableUseOfAWeapon: He always uses his bayonet as a melee weapon, never as a gun.
* PlayingAgainstType: RyotaroOkiayu often plays a character with BadassBaritone (and {{Badass}} too). Sakisaka was the reverse of all of them.

!Tabby
[[quoteright:280:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Tabby.jpg]]

-->Voiced by: MegumiToyoguchi (Japanese); StephanieSheh (English, video games); MarykeHendrikse (English, anime)

''World Identity:'' A Tribal Grappler designed to look like a Cat Girl, complete with cat ears and a ponytail that looks like a cat's tail due to being a member of Lei Tribe. Tabby is fairly naive and new to the experiences of ''The World.'' Despite her lack of experience, she always tries to find the best out of any situation and is always cheerful and perky. She only uses her "Feline Soul Gauntlets" weapon and nothing else because Shino gave them to her as a gift.

''Real Identity:'' Moe Kubo, age 16. Her parents admit they named her Moe after a "popular anime craze when she was born." Being the younger of the two sisters in her family, she often has to compete for attention. It makes it hard that her sister is smarter and better than her in school. Tabby's encounters in ''"The World"'' soon helped her gain self confidence. [[spoiler: She is studying to become a nurse so that she can help Shino in real life, or others who fall comatose from similar situations.]]

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Roots'', ''.Hack//G.U. 3: Redemption''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AbsoluteCleavage: Her profile picture.
** CleavageWindow: Actually.
* {{Adorkable}}
* BareYourMidriff: Complete with a green jewel in her navel.
* BadassAdorable
* BeamSpam
* BraidsOfAction: The end of the braid even resembles a tail!
* BreakTheCutie: Ender PK'ed her.
* BoobsOfSteel: Even though she has a long way to go before she's considered strong by the game's standards.
** She joins in Volume 3 at a fairly high level. Haseo will probably still be much higher than her, but...
* CallingYourAttacks
* CatGirl: You think?
* CatSmile
* CombatStilettos: Can't be seen here but an artwork of Roots confirms this.
* CuteBruiser
* CuteKitten
* CuteLittleFangs
* FullContactMagic
* {{Gainaxing}}: In her Xth Cross Rengeki in .hack//Link.
* GenkiGirl: There's a reason why she's so energetic. [[spoiler: It's not like she wants to be. She's medicated in order to deal with depression from family issues.]]
* GoodOldFisticuffs
* {{Hammerspace}}
* IJustWantToBeSpecial: Justified. Given her family problems, she thinks that nobody ever believes in her, but Wool and Kuhn helped her overcome that issue when they befriended her.
* InnocentFanserviceGirl: She didn't even protest when Tokio touched her breasts unintentionally, instead she's confused.
* [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy I Want My Friends To Be Happy]]: She just wants to help Haseo and try and help Shino in any way she can, in the game or out. Naturally, Haseo doesn't care and thinks she just gets in the way. That's ''his'' problem though, and it's usually never her fault for anything.
* LittleBitBeastly
* MeaningfulName: Tabby is a name that can be found in some species of cat.
* NiceGirl
* PowerFist
* PurpleEyes
* SexyBacklessOutfit
* SheFu
* SummonToHand
* TheGlomp: Give this to Haseo in Redemption when he finds her in the Forest of Pain. (Earlier she mailed Haseo to come and see her at the entrance, but then she go inside the forest by herself.)
* TroubledButCute
* TookALevelInBadass: Enter the Forest of Pain all by herself. Taken Up To Eleven when you discover that her level is far more lower that your party.
* WhoWearsShortShorts

!Phyllo
[[quoteright:100:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/imagesCA0EI4MY481_jpg_100.png]]

-->Voiced by: Junpei Takiguchi (Japanese); Russel Roberts (English)

''World Identity:'' A small Harvest Cleric who's almost always seen sitting at the bridge of Mac Anu, simply watching people go by, and striking up conversation with anybody who's interested. Considered an excellent source of advice and wisdom by anybody who knows him.

''Real Identity:'' An old man, widowed and owning two cats who like to meddle with his gaming. As he tells Haseo, he's just there to kill time. [[spoiler:He dies of cancer at the end of ''Roots'']]

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Roots'', ''.hack//G.U.: Reminiscence''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* BadassAdorable
* CoolOldGuy
* LittleBitBeastly
* TheObiWan
* PurpleEyes
* TheVoice: To Haseo in a quest in the beginning of Redemption.

!Naobi

-->Voiced by: TakumiYamazaki (Japanese); PaulDobson (English)

''World Identity:'' A hulking Macabre Dancer, and the guildmaster of [=TaN=]. Has a rivalry against Ovan and appears to be using the guild only for its resources, with which he can monitor and oppose the Twilight Brigade, delegating [=TaN's=] daily business to Tawaraya.

''Real Identity:'' [[spoiler:See Yata.]]

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Roots''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* TheCaptain: Of TaN guild.
* DeadpanSnarker
* EyesOfGold
* TheRival: To Ovan.

!Ender

-->Voiced by: SanaeKobayashi (Japanese); LisaAnnBeley (English)

''World Identity:'' A Blade Brandier and player-killer, working against the Twilight Brigade at the behest of Naobi. Whatever her motivation is, she ''really'' loves her work.

''Real Identity:'' [[spoiler:See Pi.]]

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Roots''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* BareYourMidriff
* BloodKnight: She's a PK'er.
* BreakTheCutie: She PK'ed Tabby.
* DeadpanSnarker: Towards the Twilight Guild.
* FacialMarkings
* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler: The reason she loves her job is because she's playing with Takumi Hino (Yata & Nala's player).]]
* KnifeNut

!Tawaraya

-->Voiced by: KentaMiyake (Japanese); Mark Acheson (English)

''World Identity:'' A Shadow Warlock dressed as a traditional Japanese merchant. As the public face of [=TaN=], he runs the guild's routine business: trading everything from rare items to information. When the guild is dissolved for illegal activity and his account banned, he later manages to return as Tohta, playing essentially the same character with a different appearance (and trying unsuccessfully not to be recognized as his former self).

''Real Identity:'' A young man in college, eventually getting the opportunity to study overseas. Apparently considers his work in The World as good practice. Even while doing [=TaN's=] dirty work, he takes his role as an honest and ethical businessman very seriously.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Roots''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* CatchPhrase: "Come again!"
* ADayInTheLimelight: The episode ''Return'' takes a break from Haseo and focuses entirely on Tohta.
* MeaningfulName: Both his characters are inspired by the Japanese folk hero they're named after. Phyllo immediately figures out they share the same player because of this.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The English dub of ''Roots'' calls him "Tawalaya," probably just because it's much easier for an English speaker to say.
* YouAreTheNewTrend: Intentionally. [=TaN=] must stay on the cutting edge.

!Saburo

-->Voiced by: ShizukaIto (Japanese); RebeccaShoichet (English)

''World Identity:'' An Edge Punisher enlisted by Pi and Yata to observe and occasionally interfere with Haseo. In the end though, she does exactly what she wants to, and nothing else. Very fond of baffling and nonsensical metaphors.

''Real Identity:''

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Roots''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* CrossPlayer

[[/folder]]

[[folder: .hack//G.U.]]

!Kuhn
[[quoteright:243:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kuhn_GU.jpg]]

-->Voiced by: ShinichiroMiki (Japanese); JohnnyYongBosch (English, video games); Louis Chirillo (English, anime)

''World Identity:'' A member of G.U., Kuhn is a Steam Gunner who is friendly to newbies and fond of hitting on girls at every opportunity. Holds the Avatar of the third Phase, Magus, The Propagation.

''Real Identity:'' Tomonari Kasumi, a 24-year old who has been trying, and failing, to join CC Corp proper. He is the player behind Sieg from the original games.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Roots'', ''.hack//G.U.''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* BayonetYa
* BigBrotherMentor: Silabus, Gaspard ''and'' Haseo.
* BigDamnHeroes: His first appearance in Volume 1. Also he saved Nanase from a monster in .hack//Alcor.
* BottomlessMagazines
* BulletSparks
* BunnyEarsLawyer: His online persona, at least.
* CallingYourAttacks
* ChivalrousPervert: [[spoiler: There's actually a reason for this behavior. His girlfriend dumped him in between the first games and G.U.]]
** "Girls I like: All kinds! Girls I don't like: None!"
* CoolGun: Look at the picture~
* FacialMarkings
* [[spoiler:FakingTheDead]]
* FiringOneHanded: Initially, but there are some skills that requires him to hold his bayonet with two hands.
* GunFu
* TheGunslinger
* {{Hammerspace}}
* HeyItsThatVoice: What's [[{{Trigun}} Vash]] doing playing The World?
* TheLeisureSuitLarry: Confesses to Haseo that although his skirt-chasing personality makes him a hit on ''The World'', he has trouble forming relationships offline and hasn't had a serious girlfriend since high school.
* IdiotHair: Just see the hair animation when he runs.
* [[spoiler:InfinityMinusOneSword: Silent Jade.]]
** [[spoiler:InfinityPlusOneSword: Silent Eden.]]
* LongHairedPrettyBoy
* NiceGuy: Loyal, kind, and a lot more idealistic than most of his teammates.
* NotWhatItLooksLike: In the sidequest where a girl Kuhn insists on "helping" turns out to be grade-school age. He's thoroughly scorned by Haseo and Pi (though they might have just been teasing), but his chivalrous nature persists nevertheless.
* PowerGlows: When summoning Avatar.
** TronLines
* ObfuscatingStupidity: He's a generally silly person that does a few [[UnsettlingGenderReveal really]] [[{{Lolicon}} stupid]] [[NeverLiveItDown things]], but he actually has a pretty strong will and sense of justice.
** Also, it's a bit surprising that the founder of a newbie assistant guild was formerly the vice-guildmaster for a guild full of [=PKs=] and people who harass newbies. He didn't really like the part though.
** He's also very cool and down to earth and generally cares for the well being of innocent (those unaware of the Avatars and AIDA) players even [[{{Jerkass}} Bordeaux]] and her lackeys. Especially notable when Haseo goes overboard and resorts to cheap out his way to victory by abusing of his Avatar, Kuhn had to teach him ''the hard way'' why Avatars are so dangerous.
* RapunzelHair
* RareGuns: His Lost Weapon.
* SpikesOfDoom: In his Xth Form in Link.
* SpreadShot
* SummonToHand
* TheCaptain: Averted, he's a former guild master of Canard.
* TheMedic: His Avatar, among the eight.
** HealingHands
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair

!Yata
[[quoteright:180:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Yata-GU.jpg]]

-->Voiced by: TakumiYamazaki (Japanese); SteveBlum (English, video games); PaulDobson (English, anime)

''World Identity:'' Yata is the mysterious leader of G.U.. He is observing the AIDA phenomenon for CC Corp, but his amoral stance on player safety earns him Haseo and Kuhn's disrespect. [[spoiler: Also plays Nala, an officer of the Moon Tree guild, and Naobi, former Guildmaster of [=TaN=]. Holds the Avatar of the fourth Phase, Fidchell, the Prophet]]

''Real Identity:'' [[spoiler:Takumi Hino returns, having previously played the character of Wiseman.]] In real life he is a 17-year old stock broker who lives on his own in Tokyo.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//G.U.''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: He's a CC Corp staff. He owns the Serpent of Lore which can see EVERYTHING happened in The World. Actually he leave the asskicking to G.U. members. But later goes into the real action in Redemption.
* BulletHell: ThatOneAttack of his Avatar.
* CallingYourAttacks
* DualWielding: He's a Macabre Dancer and dual-wields fans.
* FacialMarkings
* FrickinLaserBeams
* Hammerspace
* IJustWantToBeSpecial: [[spoiler:Yata confesses to Ovan that he spent all of "The World R:2" frustrated that despite his determination and conviction neither AIDA, the invasive god, nor Aura, the absent god, had shown him any favor.]]
* InnocentBystander: The first two half of the story.
** HeroicBystander: He's finally act in the... well, near the end of the story.
* ImprobableWeaponUser: The aforementioned twin fans of doom!
* [[spoiler:InfinityMinusOneSword: Voice Usurper.]]
** [[spoiler:InfinityPlusOneSword: Voice Cleanser.]]
* MacrossMissileMassacre: You'll list his Avatar as the most hated opponent because of this.
* MadOracle: His Avatar. Goes berserk and then tells prophecy. What the-?
* [[spoiler:ManipulativeBastard]]: And he's damn proud of it.
* MissionControl
* PaperFanOfDoom: Subverted, they're not made of paper but still kick ass.
* PerpetualFrowner: Have you ever seen him (canonically) smile even the slightest?
* PowerGlows: When summoning Avatar.
** TronLines
* TheCaptain: Of Raven Guild, or rather G.U.
* TheRedMage: His job allows him to learn many of the spells used by Harvest Clerics and Shadow Warlocks (including debuff/bad status types) but he doesn't gain the high-level spells of either class. He is the only one, however, that gains a ''very'' useful party-wide +50% speed/movement boost spell.
* RefusedByTheCall: The reason he resents Ovan so very much. See above.
* ScaryShinyGlasses
* SleevesAreForWimps
* SummonToHand
* TheChessmaster: [[spoiler:His user has two PC other than Yata.]]
* TheInformant
* TheStrategist
* TheStoic
* StoicSpectacles
* TookALevelInBadass: After he joins Haseo for the real fight in Redemption.
* [[spoiler:YoungerThanTheyLook: Though we've never seen his offline self so...]]

!Pi
[[quoteright:140:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pi_Dot_Hack_GU.jpg]]

-->Voiced by: SanaeKobayashi (Japanese); Jessica Strauss (English, video games); LisaAnnBeley (English, anime)

''World Identity:'' Pi is Yata's assistant, and a field agent of sorts for G.U. Pi is a down-to-earth, no-nonsense woman who is focused on the mission at hand. Unlike Yata, however, she is genuinely concerned for the safety of the players of The World. [[spoiler:She is also the player behind Ender during the events of Roots, working under Naobi (Yata) in the [=TaN=] guild. Their actions during this time are are of questionable morality, as [=TaN=] was shut down and many members banned as a result. It's unknown if CC Corp is aware they were the same player.]] Holds the avatar of the seventh Phase, Tarvos, The Avenger.

''Real Identity:'' Reiko Saeki is 24 years old, and a former programmer. She quit her job suddenly to work for CC Corp [[spoiler: in order to find out information about her half-brother Jun Bansyoya]].

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//GU''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AbsoluteCleavage: Notably in .hack//Link.
* ActionGirl
* BareYourMidriff
* BeamSpam
* [[spoiler:BigBrotherAttraction (She ''may'' have some form of this trope, although it seems for the most part more like BigBrotherWorship. The fact that she responds to Haseo asking what her "type" is by saying that she follows in the footsteps of her older brother is a bit suspicious, though, especially since that card is generally reserved for asking what kind of person someone is looking for in a romantic relationship.)]]
** [[spoiler:[[InterspeciesRomance She says the only gentleman allowed to ride in her car is her cat.]] Of course, it's likely that that's not what she meant.]]
* TheBaroness - A strange, protagonist version of the trope. She definitely has the dominatrix overtones in her insistence on obedience and her B&D avatar, and she is fanatically devoted to Yata who protagonist status is quite questionable [[spoiler:until Vol. 3]]. Her outfit's pretty {{Stripperiffic}} too, even if it lacks the black leather/vinyl fashion normally associated with the trope, and she's got the coldness and refusal to actual make use of her sex appeal that's common to this trope. Lastly, [[spoiler:she's a villain and TheDragon for Yata/Naobi in .hack//Roots]]. Despite all this, she's one of the good guys.
* BerserkButton: In the early days of their meeting, Haseo calls her "old hag" and she's certainly not happy about it.
* BoobsOfSteel
** Pi's Player will give the character's (not her own, her avatar's) measurements if asked. They are 37-22-33. She also lists her height as 5'8" (175 cm).
* CombatStilettos
* CoolBigSis
* DeadpanSnarker: To [[spoiler: Sakaki.]]
* Determinator: [[spoiler: CC Corp may stripped Yata from his position, but that's not going to stop Pi to do everything for Yata and the rest of the G.U. member.]] She deserves applauses.
* DoubleAgent: Non-antagonist/evil example. In .hack//Link [[spoiler: work for Yata and a staff of CC Corp.]]
* FullContactMagic
* {{Gainaxing}}: At the end of her Cross Rengeki in .hack//Link.
* GoodOldFisticuffs
* {{Hammerspace}}
* HeroicBreakdown: In manga only, where she finds [[spoiler: Yata PK'ed by Tri-Edge.]]
* IdiotHair: Same case as Kuhn.
* [[spoiler:InfinityMinusOneSword: Stained Wing.]]
** [[spoiler:InfinityPlusOneSword: Blinding Wing.]]
* TheInformant: She passes informations she got from Yata. Until [[spoiler: Yata's authority was stripped and she must replaces (with hinderance from Sakaki, but she knows how to evade Sakaki while still communicate with the rest of the G.U. members) him for a time being.]]
* LadyInRed
* LeotardOfPower: Did you see it, in the picture?
* {{Meganekko}}
* MsFanservice: Clearly.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: Her Avatar. Does the word 'Avenger' ring any bell?
* PowerFist
* PowerGlows: When summoning Avatar.
** TronLines
* RapunzelHair
* ReplacementGoldfish: [[spoiler: As TheCaptain of G.U. for a time being because Yata's authority as the observator in the Serpent of Lore.]]
* RoseHairedGirl
* SexySpectacles
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: [[spoiler: manages to unban a member of TaN that served under her doing black ops, Subaro, unbanned due to her sway as an admin in exchange for some tasks she needed done that "Pi" can't do]]
* SheFu
* SleevesAreForWimps
* {{Stripperiffic}}
* SummonToHand
* TheCorruption: She's infected by AIDA in Rebirth but then saved by Haseo.
* TheScream: Manga only, when she finds out that [[spoiler: Yata was already killed by Tri-Edge.]]
* TheStrategist: She's the one who strategizes the G.U. members meeting in [[spoiler: a hacked area in-between The World to evade from Sakaki's observation from the Serpent of Lore.]] She also build some strategies for the G.U. there.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Yata.
* [[spoiler:You Are Not Alone: Give this speech to a depressed Yata.]]
* [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair You Gotta Have Pink Hair]]

!Tri-Edge/Azure Kite
[[quoteright:255:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Azure_Knight_Kite.jpg]]

-->Voiced by: Saiyaka Aida (Japanese); MonaMarshall (English)

''World Identity:'' A player-killer named for the three-line scars he leaves in the background graphics of places where he's taken victims, who go into comas in the real world. Little is known of him, but most players believe he's a small Twin Blade wreathed in blue fire, who never speaks.

''Real Identity:'' Exactly who or what Tri-Edge is remains a mystery through ''Roots'' and most of the G.U. games... [[spoiler:but it turns out he's an [=AI=] made by Aura to ''protect'' the system. The true Tri-Edge is Ovan.]]

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Roots'', ''.hack//G.U.'', ''.hack//LINK''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* [[spoiler:Adorkable: Depends on your perspective actually, but he's actually this.]]
* BackFromTheDead: Complete by awaking from inside a coffin.
* {{Badass}}
* BigDamnHeroes: In .hack//Link manga. To Tsukasa when he's attacked by {{Brainwashed}} Haseo.
* CreepyChild: Just look at him.
* DeathOfAThousandCuts
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Literally.
* DualWielding
* {{Expy}}: Tri-Edge looks like a zombified Kite. [[spoiler:This is intentional, as he was created from Aura's memories of Kite.]]
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: In the OVA.
* GoodIsNotNice: In .hack//Link manga, he bites Haseo's arm.
* GreenEyes: Actually.
* TheGrimReaper: Subverted. [[spoiler: Although he sometimes appears in random area and PK'ed someone there, he only cleans The World from harmful things to protect The World.]]
* {{Hammerspace}}
* HiddenEyes: Subverted, sometimes they're visible in several cutscenes. Averted in the OVA.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: He has the reason why he Data Drained Haseo.
* ImplacableMan: ''Nothing'' will stop him. No matter how many times he's beaten in combat, he'll regenerate and return soon after.
* ImpossiblyCoolWeapon: His blade, [[spoiler:[[NamedWeapons Empty Sky]]]] shaped like three claws.
* IncendiaryExponent: He's called [[spoiler:Azure Flame Kite]] for a reason.
* {{Irony}}: Being the [[spoiler: knight of Aura]], he can't beat AIDA and [[spoiler: Ovan]] to protect The World. In other words, he actually powerless to [[spoiler: protect Aura.]]
* MadeOfIron: Haseo himself can't make him move from the place he stand on. Averted in case of [[spoiler: Ovan]] though.
* [[spoiler:MistakenForMurderer: He is NOT Tri-Edge, as Tri-Edge was actually referred to a type of AIDA.]]
* NiceHat
* OneWingedAngel: His "Azure Flame God" form.
* PlayingWithFire: [[CaptainObvious Azure]] flames.
* PowerTrio: Tri-Edge is later joined by zombified versions of Orca and Balmung.
* PowerFloats[=/=]MidairBobbing: [[spoiler: After gaining Azure Kite as a party member, he follows Haseo around like this if you take him with you into dungeons and fields. Presumably he's too [[BadAss cool]] for walking.]]
* RedEyesTakeWarning: In Roots.
* ReverseGrip
* [[spoiler: SecretCharacter]]: [[spoiler: After destroying Cubia in ''Redemption'', Aura gives you the member addresses of Azure Kite, along with Azure Orca and Azure Balmung. They can't change equipment but you can raise their affection for Haseo like any of his other party members. Haseo can even do the Promise Ending with them]].
* [[spoiler: ShootTheHostage]]: [[spoiler: Not the brightest or most moral AI, Azure Kite fires a Data Drain straight through Haseo to get Ovan, who had been secretly been hiding right behind him. Of course this doesn't hurt Haseo all that much (compared to the last time where he fell into a Coma), but it does undo his grueling eight months of level grinding by making him go from level 133 to level 1.]]
* [[spoiler:SoulJar: For the original Kite in .hack//Link manga.]]
* SummonToHand
* TheStoic: For most of the time.
** NotSoStoic: [[spoiler:Sometimes he'll say "Th#%ks" if we give him a Gift or Trade items with him.]]
** Also, in [[spoiler:.hack//Link. In his Cross Rengeki he says "gomen..." (sorry) to Tokio for making him exhausted evading the Data Drain.]]
* EyesOfGold
* [[spoiler:UndyingLoyalty: To Aura.]]
* TheQuietOne: [[spoiler: His conversation balloon only contains ".......".]] And he only makes up creepy voices.



!Aina

-->Voiced by: AtsukoEnomoto (Japanese); Rachel Hirschfeld (English)

''World Identity:'' A Shadow Warlock, seen on rare occasions. Yata reveals toward the end of ''Roots'' that he'd seen her talking with Phyllo[[spoiler:, because it was through her that Phyllo met Ovan]]. She later appears and spends some time with Sakubo in ''Redemption'', while somehow also attracting the attention of Piros the 3rd. [[spoiler:She was Ovan's first victim as Tri-Edge, and the whole reason he wanted to find the Key of the Twilight.]]

''Real Identity:'' [[spoiler:Ovan's younger sister. Already sick and hospitalized, she lapsed into a coma when Ovan [=PKed=] her as Tri-Edge. After he apparently dies to activate Corbenik's Rebirth ability, she returns to normal, but resents Haseo for separating them, believing it was better to be trapped with her brother than to be apart from him completely.]]

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Roots'' (sort of), ''.hack//G.U.: Redemption''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* [[spoiler:AlwaysWithYou: Literally to Ovan]], until she recovers.
* BlackMagicianGirl: She is a Shadow Warlock, after all.
* CuteGhostGirl
* ElegantGothicLolita
* EmptyShell: [[spoiler: Coma caused her PC to this.]]
* [[spoiler:EmotionlessGirl: Before she recovers from coma.]]
* HairDecorations
* IllGirl
* MulticoloredHair: Her hair has shade of green and blue.
* PeekABangs: Her hair sometimes cover her eyes.
* PurpleEyes
* [[spoiler:TheScream: When she's PK'ed by AIDA whose controlled Ovan.]]
* [[spoiler:SeenItAll: Through Ovan's left arm.]]
* [[WomanInWhite Girl In White]]


!Atoli
[[quoteright:198:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Atoli_GU.jpg]]

-->Voiced by: AyakoKawasumi (Japanese); Creator/BridgetHoffman (English)

''World Identity:'' A Harvest Cleric who just wants everybody to get along. She has an obsessive loyalty to Sakaki, her immediate superior in the anti-player-killer Moon Tree guild, but quickly attaches herself to Haseo in order to "fix" him. [[spoiler:Holds the avatar of the second Phase, Innis, The Mirage of Deceit.]]

''Real Identity:'' Chigusa Kusaka, a young high school girl. Being constantly bullied in school and oppressed by her parents - who believe girls should be quiet and unnoticable - led her to browsing suicide websites where she met Sakaki's player, who invited her to play The World.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//G.U.'', ''.hack//LINK''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* {{Adorkable}}
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: She is constantly bullied in real life.
* AnimalMotifs - Bird.
* [[spoiler:AttentionWhore: Subverted, in the real life only. Lampshaded by her screams during Avatar battle with Haseo. "Nobody wants to look at me!!"]]
* BadassAdorable - [[spoiler:She can fight Haseo on even terms when she awakens her Epitaph.]] Also, out of the mage classes, Harvest Clerics are only outmatched by Macabre Dancers in usefulness, and you don't get another one of either until late in Vol. 3.
* BattleCouple: In Rebirth, Atoli requested Haseo to go on a quest together with just both of them.
* BeneathTheMask
* BewareTheNiceOnes: In Volume 3, you can unlock a series of parody videos based on the spinoff comic .hack//4koma. In one of them, Atoli brutally beats a rather cute-looking monster, and when Haseo restrains her at the end of the video, she's giggling maniacally. Granted, this is an exaggeration of her personality overall, but [[spoiler:this comes into play ''quite seriously'' in Volume 2, when she gets infected with AIDA and turns out to [[{{Emo}} not be]] [[BerserkButton as nice]] [[UnstoppableRage as she seems]], summoning her Avatar to attack Haseo.]]
* BodyHorror: OVA only, after infected by AIDA in the BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind with Haseo.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler: Thanks Sakaki.]]
* BreakTheCutie[=/=]BrokenBird: By being on the receiving end of KickTheDog her whole life.
* [[spoiler:BungledSuicide: In real life, her left wrist has marks from failed suicide attempts, at least as shown in the non-canon manga. She has stopped trying to take her own life after meeting Haseo.]]
* CharacterDevelopment: Not as extreme an example as Haseo, but pretty close. She starts out fairly diminutive, with a naive, sweet, overly trusting and submissive personality that annoys Haseo to no end. Later, [[spoiler:after showing her TrueSelf relentlessly in Volume 2 (and being infected with AIDA),]] she becomes somewhat of a {{Determinator}}, standing up for herself to the point where ''Haseo'' can't tie her down [[spoiler:(to make a point, she summons her Avatar in front of Haseo to try and convince him to let her join his team in the Sage Palace arena tournament, and when he stubbornly refuses to let her in out of concern for her, she basically forces her way onto his team). Even before that, she's still chewing out Sakaki for betraying her (see TheReasonYouSuckSpeech)]].
* CallingYourAttacks
* CoolDownHug: Given this by Haseo in the OVA.
* CryCute: Subverted. In the OVA, she was just about to cry but not.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow
* CuteMute: She's the only PC to be muted when [[spoiler:The World was moved into AIDA Server where no one can Log Out.]]
* DetachedSleeves
* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide: She's actually tried and failed a few times to commit suicide.]]
* {{Expy}}: Of Shino
* {{Fangirl}}: Definitely towards Sakaki [[spoiler:until he crosses his MoralEventHorizon]]. And quite a bit for Haseo.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: Although her favorites are birds, she apparently likes all sorts of other animals. In The World, this manifests as her finding Lucky Animals and Chim Chims incredibly cute, to the point of restraining Haseo from kicking one in an early quest.
* GenericCuteness / InformedDeformity: One of the reasons she is bullied by her classmates in real life is because she is "unattractive", but when we see her offline self in G.U.+ manga, she's actually rather cute. Of course, it's also possible this is more due to [[GirlPosse who are bullying her]] rather than her being "unattractive" by nature.
* GenkiGirl: A timid one, but definitely upbeat. [[spoiler:On the outside.]]
* GrowingASpine: As the story continues.
* GuiltComplex: After freed by Haseo.
* {{Hammerspace}}
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold
* HealingHands
* HiddenDepths: ...where should I start? [[spoiler:One of her Epitaph's primary abilities is deceit, allowing her to create a ''perfect'' {{facade}} for her TrueSelf. As such, she's probably the best example of this trope ''in the entire series''.]]
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Give this to Haseo when she's infected by AIDA.
* [[spoiler:InfinityMinusOneSword: [[MagicStaff Dancing Haze.]]]]
** [[spoiler: InfinityPlusOneSword: Flame Dancer.]]
* ItsAllMyFault: More or less her mindset after [[spoiler:she is attacked by AIDA and has her Epitaph stolen. And then Sakaki proceeds to MindRape her using this argument...]]
* TheKlutz / CuteClumsyGirl: When she met Haseo for the first time. But later it disappears from her character.
* LoveFreak: To the ''max''. [[DeconstructedTrope Love is all she wants]], partly thanks to bullying in her school and detached home life. Then we find out where she met Sakaki. And then G.U. Vol. 2 happened...
* LoveRedeems: In the OVA.
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: To Sakaki at the end of Reminisce.]]
* HiddenDepths: Turns out to have many problems in the real world.
* MagicalGirlfriend: In some ways, Atoli is a deconstruction of this. She latches onto Haseo when he's at his nadir and tries desperately to be his friend despite all the anger and abuse he heaps on her. But rather than be some unrealistic saint, [[spoiler:it's more of a manifestation of the incredibly low self-worth that drives her seek to please people in spite of or perhaps because of abuse.]]
* MagicStaff
* MasterOfIllusion: Her Avatar.
* MeaningfulName: Her name is derived from "Atori", which means "brambling".
* [[spoiler:MindRape: That damn Sakaki...]]
** [[spoiler:MindControlEyes]]
* NiceHat
* NiceGirl: But then again, see BewareOfTheNiceOnes.
* NotSoWeak
* PluckyGirl
* PowerGlows: When summoning Avatar.
** TronLines
* {{Protectorate}}: To the whole G.U. members, since she's the weakest in the terms of Job Class. Lampshaded in Reminisce.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Possibly applies, as she ''acts'' rather silly, ditzy and naive, but she can actually be fairly intelligent sometimes (and that's not even taking into account [[spoiler:how she acts underneath the mask]]).
* OfficialCouple: With Haseo [[spoiler: if the ending of G.U., the ending of G.U. Trilogy, the side story Peaco's Story from 4koma & the G.U. mission #19 from LINK are anything to go by.]]
* RavenHairIvorySkin: In the real world.
* ReplacementLoveInterest: To the letter. Instead of being the same actress with a different haircut, it's the same character design with a different color scheme. [[spoiler:They even both had the Avatar Innis.]] Justifed due to the setting.
** It's worth noting Haseo was initially repelled by Atoli ''because'' she looked so much like Shino.
* ShesGotLegs
* ShrinkingViolet
* StepfordSmiler: As imposed by her parents.
* StockingFiller: She has fairly notable garters. Shino too.
* SummonToHand
* SupremeChef: One of Atoli's few sources of pride is her cooking ability. She's also a bit of a PickyEater, though.
* SquishyWizard
* TechnicalPacifist
* TemporaryScrappy
* [[spoiler: TrueSelf]]: [[spoiler: BeneathTheMask she's a mobidly depressed, embittered, occasionally suicidal girl desperate for recognition and acceptance. Her LoveFreak persona is largely her trying to appeal to ''everybody''. Adding a few guilt issues to the mix [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds pushes her over the edge]]...]]
* TheCorruption: OVA only.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Yes, she ''actually delivers one of these''. [[spoiler:To ''Sakaki''. Who had just betrayed her and used every method in the book to crush her mind and spirit. And then proceeded to ''[[CrowningMomentOfAwesome whoop his ass]]'' afterward.]] Granted, she did it in her own [[TechnicalPacifist special way]], but it was still awesome coming from ''her''.
* TheScream: [[spoiler: When AIDA take her Morganna Factor, unables her to summon her Avatar and loses her voice.]]
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Girly to Alkaid's Tomboy.
* [[spoiler: WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds]]: [[spoiler: Unlike most people under [[HatePlague AIDA influence]], Atoli directs her rampage against the people she perceived as having rejected her.]]
* WhyCouldntYouBeDifferent: [[spoiler:Her parents harassed her for her failing grades and her attitude, as they believe girls should be quiet and unnoticed. Her peers likewise harassed her for not keeping up with the trends or meeting their expectations.]]
* TheMedic: Obviously.
* TroubledButCute
* WhiteMagicianGirl / BlackMagicianGirl
* ZettaiRyouiki

!Sakaki
[[quoteright:280:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/280px-Sakaki_8737.jpg]]

-->Voiced by: KatsuyukiKonishi (Japanese, PC); JunkoMinagawa (Japanese, player); Creator/CrispinFreeman (English, PC); MaryElizabethMcGlynn (English, player)

''World Identity:'' One of the Seven Council of the Moon Tree guild, and among the most influential of them. He's seen as an inspiration by most of Moon Tree and an annoying, preachy busybody by everyone else. [[spoiler:Becomes a major antagonist in Volumes 2 and 3 after he is given control of AIDA by Ovan.]]

''Real Identity:'' Toru Uike, a precociously intelligent young boy who desires to be taken seriously despite his youth.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//G.U.''

!!Tropes Associated With:

* [[spoiler: AGodAmI: His plan in ''Reminisce'' is to use AIDA to rule the digital and real worlds and make it a paradise under his rule.]]
* AllTakeAndNoGive: Of the controlling giver type. [[spoiler:Oh ''dear lord,'' '''''poor Atoli.''''']]
* [[spoiler:AssholeVictim: It's seriously nice to see him begging Ovan for AIDA seeds on his hands and knees, getting cornered by the Azure Knights, screaming for help like a coward, and being finally killed for good by Azure Kite.]]
* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:When about to be killed by Azure Flame Kite.]]
* [[spoiler: AxCrazy: Any good intentions he might have had in the beginning are gone by ''Redemption'', as he's been infected with AIDA himself and desires nothing more than to make Haseo suffer for the "crime" of defying him.]]
* [[spoiler:BackFromTheDead: In Redemption and he's getting worst.]]
* [[spoiler:BeneathTheMask]]: He was kind to almost anybody, [[spoiler: but in reality he's a son of a--.]]
* {{BFS}}: Look at the picture.
* [[spoiler: BitchInSheepsClothing]]
* [[spoiler:BodyHorror: After being injected AIDA into himself for some period of time.]]
* [[spoiler:BreakTheHaughty: His final scene in Redemption is one hundred percent distilled ''break''. And it is awesome.]]
* [[spoiler:EnfanteTerrible: When infected by AIDA, although this may apply even before he is infected given his relationship with Atoli. In real life, he even orders his classmates to attack their homeroom teacher.]]
* [[spoiler:EverythingsBetterWithSamurai / KatanasAreJustBetter: In Link.]]
* EvilLaugh
* [[spoiler:DrunkOnTheDarkSide: Because of AIDA inside him.]]
* {{Expy}}: Listen to his speeches about the "ideal world" and tell me he's not [[spoiler: channeling [[Manga/DeathNote Light Yagami]]. "I am Sakaki! The god of The World!"]]
* FacialMarkings: Got these when [[spoiler: infected by AIDA.]]
* [[spoiler:HoistByHisOwnPetard: Atoli. Why? Because you must have to have Atoli in your party to fight him in the end of Reminisce.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: By Azure Flame Kite.]]
* ManipulativeBastard: For God's sake, he recruited Atoli as his personal cheerleader after finding her on a ''suicide site''.
* [[spoiler:MindRape: What he does to Atoli through AIDA, in an attempt to gain control of her Epitaph]].
* NiceGuy: [[spoiler: His mask.]]
* [[spoiler:NotQuiteDead: In the end of Reminisce.]]
* [[spoiler:OneWingedAngel: His AIDA infested form, figuratively and literally.]]
* SmugSnake
* UnnecessaryMakeover: In Link, his design was drastically changed.
* WalkingSpoiler
* WellIntentionedExtremist: What he is [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope at first...]]
* WiseBeyondTheirYears: The issues of morality and ideology he's grappling with are far beyond what most kids his age spend time thinking about.
* [[spoiler:YouBastard]]: Haseo throws this a lot to him.
* [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair You Gotta Have Green Hair]]
* YoungerThanTheyLook

!'''Sakubo (Saku)'''
[[quoteright:240:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sakubo-1.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:240: Bo (left) and Saku (right)]]

-->Voiced by: MegumiToyoguchi (Japanese); ErinFitzgerald (English)

''World Identity:'' Saku is a bratty and aggressive Shadow Warlock who is one of Endrance's most rabid fangirls. She is a member of a rumor-maniac guild called Trifle. She shares her PC with her younger twin brother, Bo. [[spoiler:They hold the Avatar of the fifth Phase, Gorre, The Machinator]]

''Real Identity:'' Sakura Nakanishi is the elder twin sister of Iori, the player behind Bo. They are both 10 years old. [[spoiler: Saku actually does not exist in the real world. The "real" Sakura was stillborn. Saku is Iori's alternate personality that came to be when Iori heard that his mother wished that his sister had lived instead of him.]]

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//G.U.''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* BareYourMidriff
* BlackMagicianGirl
* BrattyHalfPint
* CallingYourAttacks
* ClingyJealousGirl
* CompositeCharacter: Sakubo's role (as a whole), is merged with Silabus and Gaspards's in the G.U. novels.
* CoolCrown: In her Xth Form in Link.
* {{Fangirl}}: To Endrance, SO MUCH.
* {{Hammerspace}}
* HotBlooded: Has shades of this.
* IJustWantToBeSpecial: To Endrance so bad that [[spoiler: her heart was broken when Endrance [[BigDamnHeroes rescue]] Haseo from Sakaki and said that [[HoYay he'll do anything for Haseo.]]]]
* [[spoiler:InfinityMinusOneSword: Infinite Spiral.]]
** [[spoiler:InfinityPlusOneSword: Eternal Light.]]
* KidsAreCruel: In .hack//Link she kicks Tokio's butt in every of her Cross Rengeki.
* {{Motifs}}: Sun.
* MouthyKid: "Master En~~!!", and many others including her bashes to Haseo.
* TheNapoleon
* NiceHat
* NotSoWeak: She attacks Negimaru who's a PK'er.
* PowerGlows: When summoning Avatar.
** TronLines
* ProperTightsWithASkirt
* PurpleEyes
* [[RedOniBlueOni Red Oni]]: To Bo's Blue.
* [[spoiler:SparklingStreamOfTears]]
* [[spoiler:SplitPersonality]]
* StalkerWithACrush: '''''ENDRANCE.'''''
-->"[[ClingyJealousGirl Haseo... You...]] [[RevengeBeforeReason You've come here to steal Master En from me, haven't you?!]] [[MostAnnoyingSound Ohhhhhhh]] [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge no you don't!]] [[UnstoppableRage No you don't!]] [[BerserkButton No you don't!]] [[SuperPoweredEvilSide No you dooooooooon't!!!]]"
** It's worth noting that Saku was infected by AIDA during that scene.
* SummonToHand
* SquishyWizard: Subverted.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Dear Lord, [[CrowningMomentOfFunny she utterly rips Negimaru]] ''[[CrowningMomentOfFunny apart]]'' at the end of a quest.
-->"I'll say it again! Guys who are.. losers offline.. are big losers.. online too!!!!"
** Followed by [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown brutally blasting the hell out of him]] [[SparklingStreamOfTears as he runs away in tears]].
* TheCorruption: Infected by AIDA.
* ThrowTheBookAtThem: Subverted, it's hit.
* [[spoiler:The Voice: Inside Bo's head.]]
* {{Tsundere}}
* {{Tsurime}}
* TookALevelInBadass: See NotSoWeak above.

!'''Sakubo (Bo)'''

-->Voiced by: MegumiToyoguchi (Japanese); Erin Fitzgerald (English)

''World Identity:'' Bo is a timid boy who shares his character with his sister Saku. In contrast to Saku's outgoing nature, Bo is shy and withdrawn. Through the events of the game, he comes to view Haseo as a big brother of sorts. [[spoiler:They hold the Avatar of the fifth Phase, Gorre, The Machinator]]

''Real Identity:'' Iori Nakanishi is Sakura's younger twin. He is physically frail, often having to stay home from school due to illness. [[spoiler:This is a source of strife for his parents, and it was his frustrated mother's anger that created the alternate personality of Saku.]]

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//G.U.''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* {{Adorkable}}
* BareYourMidriff
* [[RedOniBlueOni Blue Oni]]: To Saku's Red.
* CallingYourAttacks
* ChildMage: His temperament, character model, and class culminate into this.
* CompositeCharacter: See Saku's entry of the same trope.
* CoolBigBro: See Haseo (and Tokio) as this.
* CoolCrown: In his Xth Form in Link.
* CrossdressingVoice: In both version.
* CrossPlayer: The in-game character itself is still a girl, regardless of the flattened skirt and hair whenever Bo plays.
* DudeLooksLikeALady: It can't be helped...
* {{Hammerspace}}
* [[IllGirl Ill Boy]]
* [[spoiler:InfinityMinusOneSword: Infinite Spiral.]]
** [[spoiler:InfinityPlusOneSword: Eternal Light.]]
* TheKlutz
* MoralityPet: Arguably one for Haseo. Note that when he's still quite a jerk to everyone else, his treatment to Bo is much nicer.
* {{Motifs}}: Moon.
* NiceHat
* PowerGlows: When summoning Avatar.
** TronLines
* ProperTightsWithASkirt
* PurpleEyes
* ShrinkingViolet
* [[spoiler:SplitPersonality: The original half.]]
* SummonToHand
* SquishyWizard
* {{Tareme}}
* TheCorruption: Infected by AIDA alongside his sister.
* ThrowTheBookAtThem: Subverted, it's hit.
* [[spoiler:YouShouldHaveDiedInstead: His mother wishes it was Sakura who lived instead of him, which is why he creates Saku.]]

!Endrance
[[quoteright:218:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Endrance.jpg]]

-->Voiced by: MitsukiSaiga (Japanese); LiamOBrien (English)

''World Identity:'' Endrance is a famous Blade Brandier who is the Emperor of the Demon Palace Arena in the beginning of the games. His beauty and aloof attitude attracts many fans, but he shows no interest in anything but the small cat on his shoulder that he calls "Mia". Fittingly, he holds the avatar of the sixth Phase, Macha, The Temptress.

''Real Identity:'' Kaoru Ichinose is a 20-year old hikikomori who was behind the character of Elk from the previous games. Despite his reclusive lifestyle, he supposedly has the looks of a fashion model.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//G.U.'' Link

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: He's an Arena Emperor before defeated by Haseo.
* {{Badass}}
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: To Haseo
* BiTheWay: Even to Tokio in .hack//Link, duh...
* BigDamnHeroes: Once each of the JustInTime and ChangedMyMindKid variety, followed by an awesome put-down.
* {{Bishonen}}
* BraidsOfAction: In his Xth form in Link.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: He first appears to be TheFightingNarcissist. He's actually a lot less obnoxious.
* CallingYourAttacks
* CombatPragmatist: Use the Avatar to win with ease in the Arena and become the Emperor. Good going! But thank goodness he didn't made it to the [[spoiler: top three]]...
* ConvenientlyTimedAttackFromBehind: When he goes [[spoiler: HeelFaceTurn towards Sakaki.]]
* CrossdressingVoices: In Japanese version only, he's LiamOBrien in English version.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Averted. Defeating him ''helped'', but what really [[HoYay bonds]] him to Haseo is the subsequent YouAreNotAlone speech.
* DudeLooksLikeALady: Taken UpToEleven with his Xth Form in ''Link''.
* DullEyesOfUnhappiness: After he lose Mia.
* [[spoiler:FakeDefector / ReverseMole]]: Pretends to [[spoiler:side with Sakaki]] in ''Redemption'', followed by a CrowningMomentOfAwesome.
* FlowerMotifs: Roses.
* GayOption
* HairDecorations: A rose... in his hair Xth Form in Link.
* {{Hammerspace}}
* HeroesPreferSwords
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: He doesn't care at all whether [[spoiler:Haseo]] returns his affection or not.
* [[spoiler:InfinityMinusOneSword: Tempting Rose.]]
** [[spoiler: InfinityPlusOneSword: Seductive Rose.]]
* [[LadyOfWar Lord Of War]]
* LongHairedPrettyBoy
* MrFanservice
* NiceHat
* PeekABangs
* PowerGlows: When summoning Avatar.
** TronLines
* PurpleEyes
* PurpleProse: Will wax lyrical about beauty and his love for Mia and [[spoiler:Haseo]].
* PurpleIsPowerful: This dude proves it.
* SingleTargetSexuality: First Mia (sort of), then [[spoiler:Haseo]].
* SpikesOfDoom: In his Xth Form in Link.
* SomethingAboutARose
* SummonToHand
* StalkerWithACrush: [[spoiler:Not nearly as bad as Saku, but he ''does'' appear to scare the hell out of Haseo. Leads to something of an unrequited LoveTriangle in which Saku hates Haseo because she thinks he stole Endrance.]]
* TheCorruption: Infected by AIDA through [[spoiler: Mia.]]
* TookALevelInKindness: Acts much nicer to the team, especially Haseo, following his defeat. Being cured of the HatePlague probably helped.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Haseo, duh.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair

!Alkaid
[[quoteright:231:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Alkaid_GU_8535.jpg]]

-->Voiced by: MasumiAsano (Japanese); Erin Fitzgerald (English)

''World Identity'': The former Emperor of the Demon Palace, before Endrance took the title. She at first hates Haseo for "cheating" to defeat her in the InevitableTournament, but after getting to know him better, she quickly warms up to him and becomes one of his allies. [[spoiler:She is PK'ed and put into a coma by an AIDA-possessed Bordeaux late in ''Reminisce'', and his failure to protect her is something that weighs heavily on Haseo for some time afterward.]]

''Real Identity'': Chika Kuramoto, a high school girl and something of a bookworm. She's highly fond of ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''.

''Appears In'': ''.hack//G.U.'', ''.hack//Link''

''Tropes Associated With'':

* AbsoluteCleavage: You can's see it from here, though.
* ActionGirl
* AscendedExtra: She plays important role for Nanase's CharacterDevelopment in .hack//Alcor.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: She's one of the Arena Emperors.
* {{Badass}}: What did I say about being Arena Emperor?
** BadassBookworm: She is this in the real world.
* BadassBoast: Many of them. In .hack//Link manga for example; "The strongest one in here is no other than me!"
* BareYourMidriff
* BattleCouple: With Haseo in a Quest.
* BigDamnHeroes: Saves Nanase and Silabus from Bordeaux and her men in .hack//Alcor.
* BoobsOfSteel: What could possibly a better reason for {{Gainaxing}}??
* {{Brainwashed}}: Alongside Haseo in .hack//Link manga.
* CallingYourAttacks
* CherylBlossom: Alongside Atoli and Shino, who both can interchangably be the BettyAndVeronica.
* CoolBigSis: To Nanase in .hack//Alcor.
* CuteBruiser
* DeathOfAThousandCuts
* DemotedToExtra: In the games she's fine however... [[spoiler:both G.U.+ and G.U. Novels she shows up simply to get beat by Endrance and in G.U. Trilogy only to stop Haseo's winning streak in the Arena in either case she never shows up again.]]
* DefeatMeansFriendship
* DistressedDamsel: She's put to coma by [[spoiler: infected Bordeaux]] through the last half of Reminisce to the end of Redemption.
* DeterminedDefeatist: When she was defeated by Endrance in .hack//Alcor, she strives to defeat him. The result? [[spoiler: In Reminisce, she's one of the top three Arena Emprors of Icolo.]]
* DualWielding: She's a Twin Blade.
* EvilCostumeSwitch: In .hack//Link manga.
* FieryRedhead
* {{Gainaxing}}: In her Cross Rengeki in .hack//Link. Also in a bonus video of .hack//G.U. character polling.
* {{Hammerspace}}
* GenkiGirl: After Haseo manages to befriend her.
* GrinOfAudacity
* HairAntennae
* HeyItsThatVoice: Her seiyuu is the same for BlackRose.
* IdiotHair: More a sign of being a GenkiGirl than with being dumb or naive, though.
* LethalChef: Possibly - Haseo is skeptical of her cooking abilities from the start, and she ''definitely'' sucks at cooking ramen. Although, it's not outright proven, considering the lack of information regarding the subject.
* LittleMissBadass: Her height is 153cm.
* LightningBruiser
* LoveTriangle: Subverted. One seems to be forming between her and Atoli (over Haseo, naturally), but the two reconcile and become good friends fairly quickly.
** She fully acknowledges that Haseo likes Atoli more, but that won't stop her from trying to win him over. She still likes Atoli, though - it's more just her competitive spirit.
* LuminescentBlush: Twice, in .hack//G.U. after she do a Quest together with Haseo and give him the reward (the Honeysuckle blades) and after Haseo tells her what Honerysuckle means she turns red. In .hack//Link when she become dere-dere after Tokio touches her breasts unintentionally.
* MsFanservice: After Pi.
* PintsizedPowerHouse: She's the tiniest of all the Arena Emperors.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Certainly acts the part. She's dismissive of anyone whom she considers weak, and absolutely despises cheaters. But earn her respect and she's one of the most loyal and dependable friends you could have.
* [[RedHeadedHero Red Headed Heroine]]
* ReverseGrip
* RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms: Alkaid's player is a huge fan as revealed if you send her the right greeting cards.
* ShipTease: Holy crap, is there ever. Haseo even ''{{Glomp}}s'' her at one point!
** [[spoiler:If it doesn't make you cry, it will make you laugh. It's a bit [[{{Narm}} narmy]] as well due to the somewhat over-the-top voice acting on Haseo's part. Not quite as bad, though, as it's still dramatic enough to qualify as a TearJerker.]]
*** She also rather openly talks about her feelings for him in Emails if prompted to in a light hearted manner. And the track that plays [[spoiler: When's she's falling comatose]] is entitled "For you my dearest." [[spoiler:She also takes to refering to Haseo as her "Prince Charming" after he revives her.]]
* EyesOfGold
* SummonToHand
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: Delivered straight when you meet her in a quest after your tournament fight.
* TookALevelInKindness
* {{Tomboy}}
** She admits that it's more just her online persona and she's actually a slightly introverted bookworm offline.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Tomboy to Atoli's Girly.
* {{Tsundere}}: (Type A).

!Zelkova
[[quoteright:280:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/280px-Zelkova_1691.jpg]]

-->Voiced by: AkikoKimura (Japanese); WendeeLee (English)

''World Identity'': A young-looking Flick Reaper, and the leader of Moon Tree. Though he is kind and seems carefree, he is actually one of the game's most advanced and powerful players, and is much more aware of what's happening than he lets on. He takes a rather lax attitude toward governing Moon Tree, allowing Sakaki to build up support against him. [[spoiler:When he isn't acting as Moon Tree's leader, he spends his time as the caretaker of the Net Slum, further hinting that he's far more than he appears.]]

''Real Identity'': A complete mystery to everyone. [[spoiler:There are hints that he may in fact be an AI.]]

''Appears In:'' ''.hack//G.U.'', ''.hack//LINK''

!!Trope Associated With
* BadassAdorable
* CallingYourAttacks
* CuteBruiser / PintSizedPowerhouse
* CrossdressingVoices: In both versions.
* EyesOfGold
* GeniusBruiser
* {{Hammerspace}}
* HiddenDepths: He seems a lot more naive than he actually is.
* KnowledgeBroker: He knows A LOT.
* ManInWhite
* {{Motifs}}: Moon.
* MysteriousProtector: Sort of, for the G.U.
* NiceGuy
* PlayfulHacker: [[spoiler: He's the one who gave Haseo Xth Form to prevent Haseo's PC data from corroding after Rebirth was activated by Ovan.]]
** In the manga, he saves Haseo from [[spoiler: Kazuma who's stole Haseo's Morganna Factor]] and hack into Haseo's PC and give him [[spoiler: Xth Form.]]
* ReplacementGoldfish: Sort of plays this role for Kaede, [[spoiler:whose son died in a car accident]].
* SinisterScythe: His weapon of choice as he's of the Flick Reaper class. Very, very much a good guy though.
* SummonToHand
* TheCaptain: Of Moon Tree guild.
* TheStrategist: [[spoiler: Towards the final battle against Cubia.]]
* WiseBeyondTheirYears
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair
* [[UnusualEars Unusual Horns]]

!AIDA

''World Identity:'' Artificially Intelligent Data Anomalies, appearing as clusters of undulating black spots. How they were created and what they want is unknown, but they've recently become hostile toward humans, infecting players and compelling them to pursue their natural - usually negative - impulses beyond reason.

''Real Identity:'' None. AIDA victims, however, become little more than lifeless drones in reality, serving the will of AIDA and exhibiting superhuman power on one occasion.

''Appears in:''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: [[spoiler:Averted, actually. ''GU Returner'' reveals that the hostile AIDA that were causing all the problems had discovered aggression and went a little crazy with it. The Rebirth didn't wipe out all of AIDA... just the aggressive ones. The rest of AIDA is peaceful and non-interfering, prefering to remain hidden in the background rather than interact directly with humans.]]
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: On any account you're being touched (eventually infected) by them, you'll be this.
* TheCorrupter
* DarkIsEvil
* EmotionBomb: AIDA's effect on people. AIDA is curious about human emotion, so it bonds itself to people's consciousnesses to experiment with it. It often amplifies those emotions in the process, to disastrous levels.
* EvilMakesYouMonstrous: Every people who's already under AIDA's control will be this in Avatar Battle state.
* TheHeartless: [[spoiler: Subverted in Link.]]
* ImmuneToBullets: Any normal weapons can't hurt them, as they can only be hurt and defeated by Avatar.
* InvisibleToNormals
* MindControl
* NonstandardCharacterDesign: Averted only for the case of Helen, for she was spider shaped.
* RedRightHand: Or, more specifically, black left arms.
* RetGone: [[spoiler: Because of Ovan's (Corbenik's) [[ResetButton Rebirth]].]]
* ThemeNaming: AIDA variants are basic human names (Anna, Helen, Victorian...), and a lot of their attacks are named after programming languages.

!Midori

-->Voiced by: SatsukiYukino (Japanese); SaffronHenderson (English)

''World Identity:'' A "Professional Victim" who lets people fight and killer her in return for payment. Her Class is Edge Punisher and she used to be a [=PKer=].

''Real Identity:'' [[spoiler: Midori was born from a "virtual cell" in a medical computer. The cell was taken from a girl named Midori Shimomura who was suffering from a mysterious degenerative disorder. In an attempt to understand her condition, the doctors used a blood sample from her to create the virtual cell. However, the cell took on a life of its own and escaped into the network, where it grew and became sentient. "She" eventually arrived in The World R:2, where "she" created the PC Midori. With the exception of the blood sample, Midori does not exist outside of the worldwide computer network and the electronic devices attached to it. She is, however, able to use those devices to observe and interact with the real world. The original Midori creates an identical character once she recovers and it is unknown which of them appears in Link]]

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Cell'', ''.hack//Roots'', ''.hack///Link''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* ActionGirl
* AbsoluteCleavage: Her Xth Form in .hack//Link.
* AnimalMotifs: Dragonfly.
* {{BFS}}
* {{Badass}}
** BadassLonghair
** BadassPacifist
* BloodKnight: She's a PK'er before she met Adamas.
* DangerouslyShortSkirt
* DeadpanSnarker
* DefrostingIceQueen
* DetachedSleeves
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette
* FacialMarkings: Novel illustrations only.
* FashionableAsymmetry: In the novel.
* {{Foil}}: To Bordeaux.
* FriendlyEnemy: To Haseo in the end.
* HairDecorations
* HimeCut: In .hack//Roots.
* IcyBlueEyes
* ImpossiblyCoolClothes: Her clothes is this in the novel illustrations.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: The reason she searches Tri-Edge/Azure Flame Kite.
* LightningBruiser: She's quite fast for being an Edge Punisher.
* LonersAreFreaks: Described by other player when she pass the Chaos Gate in Mac Anu. Suddenly she feels pain in her chest and smiles on her own.
* MeaningfulName / PunnyName: Midori usually translates to "green", but it's written as "blue" for her case, which is her color scheme.
* MistakenForBadass: She's not even a skillful player. But due to her calm nature, people mistaken her as {{Badass}}.
* NamedWeapon: Dragonblossom.
* PerpetualFrowner: Don't judge a character by her illustrations.
* PinkMeansFeminine: Not really, but this is the color of her {{BFS}}.
* RavenHairIvorySkin
* ShesGotLegs
* ShockAndAwe: In LINK, she demonstrate a very destructive attack during her Cross Rengeki with Tokio. Much to Tokio's amazement and fear.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: While she generally displays cool personality, she actually have soft side for PCs like Silabus and Gaspard.
* TheAloner
* TheStoic
** NotSoStoic: See Sugar and Ice Personality.
* StockingFiller
* TomatoInTheMirror
* TookALevelInBadass: She holds no fear when being challenged by the PKK [[BloodKnight Haseo]].
* ZettaiRyouiki


[[/folder]]

[[folder: .hack//Link]]

!!Tropes Associated With:

!'''Tokio'''
[[quoteright:340:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/a9724a5d69159f67fafda078b40be73d8ae64dfd.jpg]]

''World Identity:'' [[TrappedInTVLand Himself.]]

''Real Identity:'' OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent

''Appears in: .hack//Link'' (game), ''.hack//Link: Twilight Knights'' (manga), ''.hack//Versus''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AnimeHair: While this isn't a new thing to the series and is also justified due to the MMORPG setting it has most of the time, Tokio is notable for having anime hair in the ''real'' world in a series where most of the actual players behind the characters tend to have more realistic appearances. It's [[http://shoryuken.com/2012/06/07/namco-bandai-releases-hackversus-screenshots-featuring-kite-blackrose-and-tokio-kuryuu/ greatly toned down in .hack//Versus]], however.
* AccidentalPervert: In the manga.
* {{Badass}}: He doesn't affected by Fluegel's attacks.
* BewareOfTheSillyOnes: He beats Posaune badly, leaving Saika and BlackRose having What-the-heck faces.
* {{BFS}}: His swords turn to this in his Xth Form. And Mistral turns his blade to this in her Cross Rengeki.
* BigNo: When he's too late to join the player selection by CC Corp to get The World R:X in limited period of time.
* BladeRun: Performs this in almost every Cross Rengeki.
* ButtMonkey: Watch the [[CombinationAttack Cross]] [[SuperMovePortraitAttack Rengeki]] with Tokio and his party members. Over half the time, he gets injured or looks like an idiot during the process.
** Some examples: when he gets used as ''a stepping stone'' by Haseo to get to the enemy; gets accidently ''zapped'' (along with the enemy) by Atoli, nearly turned into colateral damage by [[spoiler: Azure Kite]]'s attack, and [[spoiler: B-st Haseo]] turns to ''attack him'' at the end of their "combo" attack.
* CallBack: He wields two swords and the smaller one refers to Kite's weapon in Link itself.
* CharacterDevelopment: Tokio does start out acting rather stupid, but later on, he matures dramatically. [[FanDumb Of course, the fanbase refuses to look past his initial idiocy.]]
* CrisisCrossover: Brings all of the .hack series characters together. [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters ALL of them.]] Even some of the ones in AlternateContinuity.
** They're all AIs.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome
* ColorCodedTimestop: In Versus, where everything goes rather blue/white.
* CrossdressingVoice: Yes.
* CustomUniform: Do you go to school with goggles, long headband and large bracelets on your arms?
* DreamTeam: And he's so excited to be able to fight with his idol, Kite.
* DualWielding: .hack//Link only.
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange / ImportantHairCut: His hairstyle has drastically changed in Versus.
* FacialMarkings
* FieryRedhead
* EverythingsBetterWithRainbows: His final attack in .hack//Versus.
* GogglesDoNothing
* GoodOldFisticuffs: In .hack//Versus.
* GratuitousEnglish: In Versus; "Go to heaven!", "Finish!".
* HeroesPreferSwords: Manga only, where he only wields one sword.
* HeroicBSOD: When he realize he's still too weak to help anybody else.
* HeroicWannabe: SO BAD. At first he was so childish about his responsibilty to become a hero, but later on he matures.
* HiddenEyes: Subverted later.
* IdiotHero: Hooh, boy.
* InTheHood: His appearance in Versus, under his alias "9".
* InvulnerableKnuckles: Wields twin knuckledusters in Versus tied into his [[TimeStandsStill new powers.]]
* {{Keet}}
* LazyBum: Subverted, he's super lazy with his school but extremely diligent in terms of playing games.
* LightningBruiser: His character growth constantly makes him faster and stronger than before.
* LuminescentBlush: With several girls he had Cross Rengeki with.
* MeaningfulName: The word "toki" from his name means "time", same as his awakened true power.
* {{Motif}}: Gears.
* NamesToRunFromReallyFast: 9.
* NiceGuy
* PowerFist
* OnlySaneMan: In both .hack//Link and .hack//Versus, he's the only PC with real player.
* RapidFireFisticuffs: One of his attack in Versus.
* RedHairedHero
** FieryRedhead
* SayMyName: He calls the name of every character he's with currently on the party.
* SmallNameBigEgo: So much in the manga.
* SpinAttack: In his Xth Form.
* SwissArmyWeapon: In his Xth Form, his swords has KillerYoyo (s).
* TimeTravel: In game, Tokio is able to and from the different DotHack eras; and bring people with him. Yes, that would include people like Sora and Haseo. At the same time.
** He does so by using the "Akashic Records" built into The World, and he's clearly not actually traveling through time, as a ''lot'' of what happens is completely different from what actually happened (and this is pointed out). Also, Sora isn't playable. Unless you count the EarlyBirdCameo, who is a genderswapped {{Expy}} of Kite and not the same Sora as past Ryou.
* TheChosenOne: Saika knows that Tokio [[spoiler: has got Real Digitalization since he was 6]] and chose him to get the work done.
* TheHero: Saika and Princess AIKA both said that Tokio was their hero.
* ThePowerOfFriendship: "A gear can't move without the others!"
* TheOnlyOne: He's the only person in the real world who gets [[spoiler: Real Digitalization]].
* TimeStandsStill: Has this power in Versus.
* TooDumbToLive: Mostly in the manga, to the point where he almost got himself killed.
** The first time he met Kite and Fluegel, he did recognize Fluegel as the bad guy since Kite fought him. But when Fluegel offers Tokio a lollipop, he begin to wonder if Fluegel is a good guy.
* TookALevelInBadass: You would have a hard time recognizing his Versus self - different fighting style, different powers, and even a different appearance - until he takes off his hood.
* TrappedInTVLand: Is either a copy of his physical self mentally pulled into the World(s); or has been physically pulled into the World.
* [[spoiler:UnwittingPawn: To Geist.]]

!AIKA

''World Identity:'' A mysterious princess in Tokio's dreams who looks like Saika.

''Real Identity:'' [[spoiler: A variants of AIDA that fused with the princess of a different online MMORPG that Tokio once played. It followed him to The World; and wanting to help, took the physical form of Saika.]]

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Link''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* {{Adorkable}}
* [[spoiler:BackFromTheDead: Subverted, according to a conclusion (or statement) made by Helba that AIKA may (or may not) be revived in the form of the (fixed) Chim doll Tokio gave her earlier.]]
* BigGood: In the case of .hack//Link.
* BoobsOfSteel: Subverted, she's not {{Badass}} but [[spoiler: her final action did save the whole world from being Real Digitalized.]]
* CryCute: She cry because [[spoiler: Tokio let an AIDA die.]]
* CuteClumsyGirl
* DistressedDamsel: In the game that Tokio played when he was 6.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Though she appears for real in the middle of the story.
* GenkiGirl
* GirlOfMyDreams: Ever since Tokio was 6 he always have dreams about AIKA.
* [[spoiler: GoOutWithASmile]]
* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses
* GirlsLoveStuffedAnimals: She's so happy when received a Chim plushie from Tokio.
** EverythingsBetterWithPlushies
* [[spoiler:Heroic Sacrifice: She sacrifices herself to restore Aura back to normal and saves [[Pun The World.]]
* [[spoiler:HeterosexualLifePartners: With Saika. She lives inside Saika's head.]]
* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler:She's actually an evolved AIDA.]] The reason why she's able to communicate with them.
* TheKlutz
* MulticoloredHair
* NiceGirl
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Tokio, as they only have friends relationship instead of lovers.
* [[spoiler:TheStinger: But it's still unconfirmed whether she's back again or not.]]
* TechnicolorEyes: Her pupils even star-shaped!
* WomanInWhite

!Saika Amagi

''World Identity:'' "Panzer Saika", a heavily armed version of her real self with a really big gun and a German Uniform. (Although, it apparently exists only in the manga.)

''Real Identity:'' Cousin/adopted sister of the man who went crazy and nearly destroyed the World with the Aura Reclamation Project that turned R:1 into R:2.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Link''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AcademicAthlete: Shown in the manga.
* BadassNormal (She's completely and utterly awesome in every feasible way. She also doesn't play The World (in the .hack//LINK game, at least) and is not a playable character as a result.)
* BeneathTheMask: She has double masks. Everyone else in the school thought that she's a perfect SchoolIdol. But in The World, Tokio discovers her true color. But he hasn't seen more until later in the story.
* BigDamnHeroes: Manga only, where she comes to save Alkaid from the {{Brainwashed}} Haseo, though she didn't make it.
* [[spoiler: BigNo: When her brother gets Real Digitalization and turns into, uh, EldritchAbomination.]]
* [[spoiler:CoolBigSis / OneeSama: To AIKA.]]
* DangerouslyShortSkirt
* GirlOfMyDreams: Subverted. Due to great resemblence to AIKA, Tokio's first reaction was this.
* HairDecorations: Hair clips.
* [[spoiler:HeterosexualLifePartners: With AIKA.]]
* HiddenDepths: She has her own reason to made Tokio goes into The World other than to defeat Schicksal.
* TheInformant
* MagicSkirt: In the game.
* MissionControl
* MsFanservice: Manga only.
** ShamelessFanserviceGirl: In case of panty shots. Megane Kikuya (the mangaka) even draws an illustration of her with words; "I'm not ashamed even though my panties are visible."
** Subverted, when Tokio accidentally sees her in underwear.
* NewTransferStudent
* PantyShot: So many in the manga.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Tokio. [[spoiler: But maybe (just maybe) subverted in the end of the story.]]
* RavenHairIvorySkin
* SchoolIdol
* ShutUpHannibal: Deliver this to [[spoiler: Queen of Demise Aura]] but it didn't reach her.
* SmallGirlBigGun: In Panzer Saika PC.
* TookALevelInBadass: Manga only, when she fights Haseo in Panzer Saika PC.
* {{Tsundere}}
* ZettaiRyouiki: In Panzer Saika mode.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: .hack//Quantum]]

!Sakuya

-->Voiced by: KanaHanazawa (Japanese) Trina Nishimura (English)

''World Identity:'' A newbie to "The World R:X", she is a Twin Blade modeled after Kite, who sets out to try and conquer "The One Sin" special Christmas-time event along with her friends Mary and Tobias. [[spoiler: When things start to go wrong for her and her friends, they get chased by monsters and end up accidentally springing traps on other players in the area, they tend to get into some hot water because of it.]]

''Real identity:'' Asumi Aida. Asumi is a bright and cheerful high school student in Aomori Prefecture. She plays ''The World'' with her actual personality. Unlike Eri and Iori, she's bad at studying.

''Appears in:'' ''.Hack//Quantum'', ''.hack//Versus''

!!Tropes Associated With:

* ActionGirl
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: Given that Quantum is just a 3 episodes OVA where there's a friend of Sakuya and Tobias who needs to be rescued.
* BadassAdorable
* BadassLonghair
* BewareOfTheNiceOnes: She suddenly hop onto IYOTEN [[TookALevelInBadass while still being tied inside a bag]], defending Hermit.
* BrownEyes: In real world.
* ButtMonkey
* CallBack: Her weapon(s) are also Kite's starting weapon(s) in Infection.
** Also, she got data corruption on the same hand where Kite got his Twilight Bracelet.
* CheerfulChild
* ChronicHeroSyndrome
* CuriousAsAMonkey: Her curiosity is part of the reason why her and her friends ended up '''ACCIDENTALLY''' setting off a ton of traps on the Yata Raven guild who were also participating in the event.
* DistressedDamsel: Together with Hermit being kidnapped by IYOTEN and Asta with their men.
* TheDitz: Dumb enough to made herself to bounty, [[spoiler: which is not look what it seemed.]]
* DualWielding
* {{Expy}}: Of Kite.
* FacialMarkings
* FeelNoPain: When she was caught by IYOTEN and Asta, she was thrown onto a wall. At first she think it'll hurt but then finds out that it's not.
* FragileSpeedster: In .hack//Versus.
* GenkiGirl: Think Sakuya as a hyperactive version of Kite.
* GirlishPigtails
* {{Hammerspace}}
* HeroesGoneFishing: Literally, she did gone fishing in a river in Mac Anu.
* IdiotHero
* InnocentBlueEyes
* {{Keet}}: So very much. She always excited of new things, especially when The One Sin appears in front of her eyes.
* KindHeartedSimpleton
* MasterOfUnlocking: She unlocks Shamrock's control room and the Admiral Cannon barrier (which has been locked for a long time) [[spoiler:by her corrupted right hand.]]
* NiceGirl: She quickly befriends Hermit who she's yet to know.
* NiceHat
* NoSenseOfDirection: Two times.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Hermit.
* PluckyGirl
* ThePollyanna
* TheOnlyOne: [[spoiler: That can calm Hermit down from his [[GoMadFromTheRevelation rampage]].]]
* ProperTightsWithASkirt: In the real world, when she wears her uniform.
* RightHandOfDoom[=/=]TheCorruption: [[spoiler: On a positive note, as her corrupted right hand is the only thing that can delete the Data Bugs that Hermit unleashed.]]
* SayMyName: "ERI!!!"
* SpinAttack: One of her attack in Versus.
** EverythingsBetterWithSpinning
* SummonToHand
* TookALevelInBadass: In .hack//Versus.
* TrueCompanions: Together with Mary and Tobias. Plus Hermit in the end.
* TookALevelInBadass: Actually she's not a straight {{Badass}} but she has this moment a lot.
* UnnecessaryCombatRoll: One of her attack in Versus has this sequence.
* WhoWearsShortShorts
* ZettaiRyouiki


!Mary

-->Voiced by: AyumiFujimura (Japanese) Lara Woodhull (English)

''World Identity: An Edge Punisher modeled after [=BlackRose=]. She is considerably kind to her friends, but she is not to be crossed when you push her too far... Especially considering when she has to clean up the mess her friends make, be it literally or figuratively.

''Real identity:'' Eri Etou. Eri started playing The World after she was invited by her long-time friend Asumi, who she is constantly looking out for. Every morning she comes to get Asumi, who is always on the brink of being late for school.

''Appears in:'' ''.Hack//Quantum''

!!Tropes Associated With:

* ActionGirl
* AsleepForDays
* {{Badass}}: And when [[spoiler: she got corrupted. She was able to recover fast from the Data Drain by Shamrock.]]
** BadassLonghair
* BareYourMidriff
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Her kindness has its limitations.
* {{BFS}}
* [[spoiler:BrainwashedAndCrazy: Attacks her friends under command of Hermit.]]
* BreastPlate
* ConvenientlyTimedAttackFromBehind: No one even saw her and Tobias come to rescue Sakuya (and Hermit).
* CoolBigSis: Between Sakuya and Tobias.
* [[spoiler:TheCorruption: When she protects Sakuya from the unknown bug which later puts her to coma.]]
* {{Expy}}: Of [=BlackRose=]
* FacialMarkings
* FashionableAsymmetry
* [[spoiler:GodivaHair: When corrupted.]]
* GreyEyes: In the real world.
* HairDecorations: A rose hairband.
* HimeCut: Her player.
* [[spoiler:HiddenEyes: When corrupted.]]
* LuminescentBlush: In real world, when Sakuya says she still want to spend more time with her and Iori.
* PluckyGirl: The only one of the three who actually willing to draw out her sword.
* ProperTightsWithASkirt: In the real world, when she wears her uniform.
* RapunzelHair
* RavenHairIvorySkin: In real world.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Averted.
* SeenItAll: Despite being [[spoiler: brainwashed by Hermit]] she still knew the events that has happened.
* TeamMom
* TomboyishPonytail
* [[spoiler:TronLines: Pink ones when her PC was corrupted, mirroring her real world self in gray color.]]
* TrueCompanions
* TurnTheOtherCheek: Her kindness almost places her at TheMessiah levels.. Almost.

!Tobias

-->Voiced by: MiyukiSawashiro (Japanese) Anastasia Munoz (English)

''World Identity:'' Tobias is a Blade Brandier modeled after Balmung. He is an experienced player of ''The World'' who befriends Sakuya and Mary. He is commonly known as "Tobias the Information Merchant", taking into selling information much like Wiseman did.

''Real identity:'' Iori Ikuta. Iori is classmates with Eri and Asumi. Her sense of fashion in The World is not reflected at all in the real world. Her family owns one of the best and oldest hot springs resorts in Aomori.

''Appears in:'' ''.Hack//Quantum''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl
* {{Bishonen}}: Only in The World.
* CommandingCoolness: To the other players when they got trapped in the game because of [[spoiler: Hermit]].
* ConvenientlyTimedAttackFromBehind: Together with Mary when rescuing Sakuya (and Hermit).
* CrossdressingVoice: In case of her online persona.
* CrossPlayer: Yeah, she's a female playing a male character.
* CustomUniform: She even wears pants instead of her uniform's skirt to the school. Plus she brings a weird mask.
* [[spoiler:DistressedDude: Captured by Hermit.]]
* {{Expy}}: of Balmung
* GenderBlenderName: In real world. Hmm, a girl named Iori...
* GreenEyes
* GreyEyes: In the real world.
* GrinOfAudacity: Appears many times.
* HairDecorations: Hair clips in the real world.
* HeroesPreferSwords
* HeroicAlbino
* TheInformant[=/=]KnowledgeBroker[=/=]TheRat
* KnightInShiningArmor
* TheLancer
* LuminescentBlush: In real world, when Sakuya says she still want to spend more time with her and Eri.
* ManInWhite
* {{Meganekko}}: In the real world.
* NonActionGuy: Subverted. He doesn't pull out his sword for most of the time, but he does sometimes.
* {{Tomboy}}: Judging on how she dressed in the real world.
* TrueCompanions
* WhiteHairedPrettyBoy


!Hermit

-->Voiced by: Yui Ogura

''World Identity:'' A strange character with an illegal appearance modeled suspiciously after both Mia and Macha. Whether Hermit is a PC or NPC is unknown, but it appears to be looking for something... Hermit befriends Sakuya [[spoiler: after she managed to escape some pursuers chasing her through town.]]

''Real identity:'' [[spoiler: Touha Tanagami. Touha Tanagami was an American citizen of Japanese descent, hospitalized as a child with an unspecified disease, possibly some form of immunodeficiency]].

''Appears in:'' ''.Hack//Quantum''

!!Tropes Associated With:

* [[spoiler:AxCrazy: After he finds out the truth.]]
* BadassAdorable: Doesn't look like one, but beware of that little stick...
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: To Sakuya.
* [[spoiler:BigBad]]
* [[spoiler:BigBadFriend]]: To Sakuya.
* CatSmile
* CheshireCatGrin: After he saw that Sakuya is willing to come to his place.
* [[spoiler:TheChessmaster: He seemed to anticipated all things to be done by Shamrock and made his move.]]
* CrossdressingVoice
* CryCute: When he remembers and realize that [[spoiler: his parents sadness was actually meant for his death in the real world.]]
* CuteKitten: Oh my goodness, too cute.
* CuteAndPsycho: He even seemed to trying to PK Sakuya at their first meeting, but then he stops when she says that Mary and Tobias are her "friend".
* DeadpanSnarker: To everyone else except Sakuya.
* [[spoiler:DeathSeeker: After know that he's dead, he plans to end The World along with himself.]]
* DistressedDude: Together with Sakuya.
* [[DudeLooksLikeALady Dude Sounds Like a Lady]]
* DullEyesOfUnhappiness: After [[spoiler: finding the truth and decides to create riot in The World.]]
* {{Expy}}: of Mia and Macha.
* FeelNoPain: Averted. [[spoiler: Even though it was just his brain that plays the game he still experience pain.
* TheGlomp: Give this to Sakuya, causing both of them fall into the river.
* [[spoiler:GoMadFromTheRevelation: Soon when he finds out that in the real world he's already dead. But his brain still alive though.]]
* GratuitousEnglish: Given that he's an American citizen. He wrote a Job offer letter to Geek with [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything an excellent English]].
* HiddenDepths: His looks totally masked him of what he really is.
* [[spoiler:ICannotSelfTerminate: So he ask Sakuya to end his life. Fortunately, she refuse to do so.]]
* KnowledgeBroker: He has most Haplotype Data of people with microchips from around the world.
* [[spoiler:LaughingMad]]: When replying a PK'er that she only can kill in virtual world, then...
* LetsGetDangerous: When the PK'er wants to PK him, the little stick comes out and... bye-bye...
* LonerTurnedFriend: He was actually [[ShockAndAwe surprised and happy]] at the same time when Sakuya blatantly says that he's her friend now.
* LuminescentBlush: Several times. The sweetest one is being when he [[spoiler: asks Sakuya to hug him as his final wish.]]
* MeaningfulName: Averted. "Hermit" refers to someone with calm and collected attitude, but his personality doesn't match this.
* [[spoiler:MercyKill: Asks Sakuya to do this to him as he already lost reason to live. Fortunately, Sakuya refuses.]]
* [[spoiler:MoralEventHorizon: After knowing the truth, he just lost his own self and passed this.]]
* NiceHat
* [[spoiler:NoBodyLeftBehind: He actually put those bodies in his pariah folder.]]
* [[spoiler:PersonOfMassDestruction: He hacked Sophia (CC Corp's own anti virus), he made many people become Sleepers due to his search for the right donor, he hacked The One Sin and The One and he hacked a Lost Ground statue to live]]. Houston, we got a problem.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Sakuya.
* PlayingWithFire: He sets out a restaurant in fire when he [[spoiler: GoMadFromTheRevelation]].
* RareRandomDrops: Unintentionally, one of his item which actually contains a list of a number of people's Haplotype Data.
* TheSociopath
* [[spoiler:TrappedInTVLand: He was actually being Real Digitalized, like Tokio.]]
* [[spoiler:UnstoppableRage: See above to know how fearsome he is.]]
* [[WhenSheSmiles When He Smiles]]: Too cute to be true.
* YellowEyesOfSneakiness: He sneaks to every place Sakuya visit.


!Shamrock

-->Voiced By: SanaeKobayashi

''World Identity:'' Shamrock is a Shadow Warlock and the guildmaster of the ''Yata Mirror'' guild. She and Smith try their hand at ''The One Sin'' special event, but end up chasing after Sakuya, Mary,and Tobias after they accidentally spring a bunch of traps on them.

''Real identity:'' [[spoiler: Reiko Saeki, the player of Pi.]]

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Quantum''

!!Tropes Associated With:

* {{Badass}}: She has no choice but to blows everything including Tobias and Sakuya when they're on pinch of being PK'ed by Data Bugs.
** BadassBaritone: Female case.
** BadassLonghair
* {{BFG}}: She uses the Admiral Cannon to blow off the walking statue Magnifie [[spoiler: which is Hermit's place]] to end the riot in The World.
* BlackMagicianGirl
* [[spoiler:CallBack: Considering that she has an Avatar back then in R:2, she still has the ability to Data-Drain.]]
* TheCaptain: Of Yata Mirror guild.
* CommandingCoolness: So very much.
* ElegantGothicLolita: Subverted. At times but she's mostly "hard" instead of "elegant".
* {{Expy}}: of Aina
* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler: The name of her guild Yata Mirror, while seemingly named after one of the 3 treasures of japan, is likely a subtle reference to her identity as Pi due to her obsession with Yata]]
* GoodIsNotNice: She beats [[spoiler: Hermit's]] informant badly unless he spit out some information. Which is ironically, he didn't know as well.
* HairDecorations
* HiddenDepths: She looks like an ordinary PC, but actually [[spoiler: she has experienced and knew things with Haseo back then in R:2.]]
* HotChickInABadassSuit: In the real world.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: With Smith, she is the tiny girl
* TheInformant
* InstantDeathRadius: See below.
* KindheartedCatLover: Subverted.
* LittleMissBadass
* PlayingWithFire: Her spell, when she blows of everything within a radius.
* PurpleEyes
* OlderThanTheyLook: Her voice tells.
* RavenHairIvorySkin: In the real world.
* TheStoic
* TokenMiniMoe
* TronLines: [[spoiler: Data Drain]]
** PowerGlows
* [[WomanInWhite Girl In White]]
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair

!Smith

-->Voiced By: Masami Iwasaki

''World identity:'' Smith is a Lord Partisan and the second-in-command of the ''Yata Mirror'' guild.

''Real identity:'' [[spoiler: Reiko Saeki]]'s butler.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Quantum''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* BattleButler: In the case of inside The World.
* TheBigGuy
* {{Expy}}: of Piros the 3rd and Moonstone
* TheFaceless: We never got a chance to see his face in both real world and in The World.
* HiddenEyes
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: He often lets Shamrock ride on his shoulder.
* TheQuietOne: He doesn't talk much.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Shamrock.
* [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair You Gotta Have Purple Hair]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: .hack//Beyond the World]]

!Kite (Sora)

-->Voiced By: Sayaka Aida (.hack//LINK), Sakuraba Nanami (.hack//Beyond the World)

''World Identity:'' Kite, a new Twin Blade-class character in ''The World FORCE:ERA'', the successor to ''The World R:X'' that was designed to return to the game series' roots in Emma Wielant's ''Epitaph of Twilight''. Her character model, as the name implies, is based on the real Kite from the ''The World R:1''.

''Real Identity:'' Sora Yuuki, an average 14-year-old Japanese middle-schooler.

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//LINK'', ''.hack//Beyond the World'', ''.hack//Versus''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* ActionGirl
* {{Adorkable}}
* AllThereInTheManual: All the problems she has with the game can be solved by reading the manual. If only she actually remembers it.
** ReadTheFreakingManual
* AttackAttackAttack: In her Cross Rengeki in Link.
* BadassAdorable
* BrownEyes: In the real world.
* CrossPlayer
* CuteClumsyGirl
* {{Determinator}}: "I will save The World!!"
* TheDitz
* DualWielding
* DudeLooksLikeALady: Even many of the fansite decides that he's a girl.
* EarlyBirdCameo: She appeared in .hack//LINK as a secret guest character before the movie she stars in was officially announced.
* FreakOut: When Balder confess that he likes Sora Yuuki directly in The World.
* {{Hammerspace}}
* InnocentBlueEyes
* TheKlutz
* LegacyCharacter: The next to use the Kite model after Sakuya.
* LevelUp: Her Exceed mechanism in .hack//Versus.
* LoveTriangle
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: [[spoiler: Her leg was broken by the Data Bugs but he doesn't respond a bit to it.]]
* MegatonPunch: In the end of her Cross Rengeki in Link.
* NaiveNewcomer: So naive that she didn't understand a single thing. Maybe because her grandfather forbids her to play games so that she didn't understand a thing about games.
* NiceHat
* PowerTrio: Her final attack in .hack//Versus, where Balder and Gondo assists her to attack the opponent.
* TheOtherDarrin: Sakuraba Nanami replaces Sayaka Aida who previously voiced her voice in Link.
* ReverseGrip
* ScreamingWarrior: In Link, and it's in a cute way.
* SummonToHand
* TheChosenOne: By Aura [[spoiler: to keep and fertilize Aura's data seed until it matures and strong enough to exterminate the spreading Data Bugs.]]
* TheHero / TheHeroine
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler: When she have to reach the top of Aura's giant statue in order to reach the core of The World and return the data seed back to Aura.]]
** Also in .hack//Versus.
* PowerGlows / TronLines: [[spoiler: When Aura's data seed keeps on expanding within her.]]
** Also in her Exceed mode in .hack//Versus.

!Balder

-->Voiced by: Tanaka Kei

''World Identity:'' Balder, a Paladin in ''The World FORCE:ERA''. His model is based on Balmung's.

''Real Identity:'' Okano Tomohiko

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Beyond the World'', ''.hack//Versus''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* {{Badass}}: Together with Gondo.
* CallBack: There's a scene where he and Gondo defeats a giant dragon, possibly referenced on how Balmung and Orca might have killed The One Sin.
* HeroesPreferSwords
* KnightInShiningArmor
* LegacyCharacter: The next to use Balmung's model after Tobias.
* LongHairedPrettyBoy
* LoveTriangle
* ManInWhite
* MistakenIdentity: By Sora, thinks that his player is Tanaka.
* NiceGuy
* ThePaladin: His Job Class.
* WhiteHairedPrettyBoy

!Gondo

-->Voiced By: Matsuzaka Tori

''World Identity:'' Gondo, a Berserker-class character in ''The World FORCE:ERA''.

''Real Identity:'' Tanaka Kakeru

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Beyond the World'', ''.hack//Versus'', ''Thanatos Report''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* AsleepForDays: 2 days to be precise, when he's in coma.
* {{Badass}}: He uses a Skill that allows him to lift a giant dragon and smash it to the wall.
** BadassBaritone
* {{BFS}}
* TheBigGuy
* BlackHairIvorySkin: In the real world.
* BrownEyes: In the real world.
* CallBack: There's a scene where he and Balder defeats a giant dragon, possibly referenced on how Balmung and Orca might have killed The One Sin.
* FacialMarkings
* HiddenDepths
* LegacyCharacter: He's the second character in the series to use Orca's character model.
* LoveTriangle: Didn't even realize he's in one!
* {{Megane}}: In the real world.
* MightyGlacier
* MistakenIdentity: By Sora, thinks that his player is Okano.
* TheStoic: In the real world.
** Stoic Spectacles
* TheQuietOne
* WalkingShirtlessScene

!Takefu Yuuki
-->Voiced By: Ogata Kenichi

Sora's grandpa.

!!Tropes Associated With:
* BadassGrandpa
* Hypocrite: He forbids Sora to play any online games. Turns out, he was actually playing The World.
* OlderThanTheyLook

!David Steinberg

-->Voiced By: Greag Dale

''World Identity:'' Kusame, an anthropomorphic jackal-like character he uses throughout ''Beyond the World'' to keep track of (and later aid) Kite (Sora).

''Real Identity:'' David Steinberg, an American agent for the Network Administration Bureau. ''Thanatos Report'' reveals that [[spoiler:he's an FBI agent working secretly within the NAB in order to retrieve Aura's data and keep it out of Mama's possession.]]

''Appears in:'' ''.hack//Beyond the World'', ''Thanatos Report''

!!Tropes Associated With:
* [[spoiler:ArtificialLimbs: David has at least artificial arms and an eye by 2025, a year after ''Beyond the World''. This is most likely due to Eleanor shooting his actual arms when she betrayed him, combined with David igniting a grenade on himself and the armed men that were about to take Aura's data from his body in order to escape. He uses one of his eyes to store Aura's data, while using its previous location of his necktie clip as a RedHerring to fool Eleanor and her followers. In his dying moments, he transfers the data to his artificial fingertip, which also serves as waterproof data storage.]]
* BadassNormal
* ButNotTooForeign: He uses Japanese name for his PC.
* {{Determinator}}
* EgyptianMythology: His avatar in The World is an Anubis-looking character. Fits with his Japanese, which is of an old-fashioned style.
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: He is killed off by Eleanor's men while avoiding pursuit of her and protecting Aura's data.]]
* TheInformant
[[/folder]]

* FriendshipFreak: She was willing and fast in making friends with anyone.

* GratuitousEnglish: Given that he's an American citizen. He wrote a Job offer letter to Geek with [[TheDevTeamThinksAboutEverything an excellent English]].

* LevelUp: His Exceed mechanism in .hack//Versus.

* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: His leg was broken by the Data Bugs but he doesn't respond a bit to it.

* PowerTrio: His final attack in .hack//Versus, where Balder and Gondo assists him to attack the opponent.

* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler: When he have to reach the top of Aura's giant statue in order to reach the core of The World and return the data seed back to Aura.]]

* TronLines: [[spoiler: When Aura's data seed keeps on expanding within him.]]
** Also in his Exceed mode in .hack//Versus.

* [[spoiler:InffectualLoner]]

* {{Meganekko}}

!Yuuki Takefu

* WhiteHairedPrettyGirl

* RoseHairedGirl / WhiteHairedPrettyGirl: Even Sadamoto himself drew an art of BlackRose with white hair!

* {{Bishonen}}: Only in The World

* {{BFG}}: She uses the cannon to blow off the walking statue [[spoiler: which is Hermit's place]] to end the riot in The World.

* LonersAreFreak: Described by other player when she pass the Chaos Gate in Mac Anu. Suddenly she feels pain in her chest and smiles on her own.

!Carlos "Salvador" Aihara

-->Voiced by: MasashiEbara (Japanese); DaranNorris (English)

''World Identity'': Kazubolo, a random player who doesn't do much.

''Real Identity'': A reporter well-known for his aggressive "Will not take no for an answer" approach to journalism, he is very interested in finding out the truth of things. He runs a webshow called "Online Jack", during which he investigates the mysterious mental illness "Doll Syndrome" that has recently been spreading worldwide, and his investigation keeps coming back to one topic: The World.

''Appears In: .hack//GU (specifically, the Online Jack section of the News)''

* ButNotTooForeign: He's Japanese, but was born in Brazil... explains his name, at least.
** Which is not that strange, considering that Brazil has the largest concentration of Japanese descendants in the world (outside of Japan itself, of course).
* ChivalrousPervert: Never misses a chance to hit on a woman.
* DistractedByTheSexy: "Samba, samba!"
* GratuitousForeignLanguage: Portuguese
* IntrepidReporter
* LargeHam: Oh, so much...
* NoseBleed: Online Jack Episode 5. Michiru is not pleased.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: .hack//Link]]

!!Tropes Associated With:

* GenreSavvy

* {{Narm}}: See his Cross Rengeki with Albireo.

!Princess AIKA

* [[spoiler:DespairEventHorizon: Shown in the manga where he was so desparate because of the AIDA inside of him, keep on ruining his life.]]

* InffectualLoner: At Roots, we might see him as a loner, [[spoiler: nut it was AIDA that made him keeps a distance between him and other people, fearing that he might lose control of himself again and ruin his original plan.]]

* AngstWhatAngst: Subverted, see below.

* EerieBrunette

* InnocentBlueEyes / [[spoiler:IcyBlueEyes]]

* LonghairMeansFeminine

* TheStoic

* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: Proof that Helba is as good of a hacker as is claimed? When Helba becomes recruitable (after defeating Corbenik in ''[=.hack//Quarantine=]'', she's at max level and all of her stats maxed (which a player will note isn't possible without hacking). She [[InUniverse literally]] [[GameBreaker broke the game]] and allows the player to break the rest of the game with her.

* SuperMode: In azure flames in .hack//Versus

* {{Bishonen}}