History Characters / Luca

* AmbiguouslyGay: Ercole wears pink, ScreamsLikeALittleGirl and is very much effeminate. Whether he's CampGay or CampStraight isn't known since he shows interest in no one [[{{Narcissist}} but himself]].

%%* EffeminateVoice: Possesses a high-pitched, shrill NoIndoorsVoice.

* ItsAllAboutMe: During Luca's TrainingMontage, he shows outrage at a bunch of kids cheering Luca on, implying he wants to be the center of attention.

* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: For years, Ercole got away with his bullying of the town kids and cheating his win at the Portorosso Cup (and competeting when he was definitely too old for it). It comes to an end after [[spoiler:the Underdogs win the race, and Guido and Ciccio turn on him by throwing him in the fountain in front of the whole town as payback for his constant abuse]].

* PrimpOfContempt: He tends to look at his manicure during the movie, to show how obsessed he is with his appearance and condescending in general.

* RichBastard: Implied. There are lot of elements that show Ercole might come from a rich family, which explains [[SpoiledBrat his entitlement]] to Portosso (calling it "'''his''' town"), how he uses his social status to keep competing in a kids' race and wears different clothes from the rest of the village kids.

* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: Shows he's NotSoAboveItAll; he lets out high pitched squeals a few times throughout the movie, mostly when Luca almost knocks over his Vespa or when Giulia makes his sweater fall in the water.

* StupidEvil: He tries to crash his motorboat into Giulia's rowboat when Luca and Alberto are still inside, not considering he could not only hurt Ciccio and Guido, but also ''himself'' by doing something so reckless.

* EffeminateVoice: Possesses a high-pitched, shrill NoIndoorsVoice.

* WrongGenreSavvy: He claims everyone loves him and wants to be him, which he tries to prove Giulia by asking everyone who does to raise their hands. The only ones who genuinely do it are his own cronies who look up to him, and it's clear that everyone else who raise their hands prove Giulia's point since they are afraid of him. Other than that, the town adults clearly voice their despise for Ercole, who either is ignorant to it or doesn't care.

* AgentPeacock: He's an effiminate narcissist who's obsessed with his appearance and his favorite pink sweater, but he's also a vicious bully who's not afraid of using violence to get to his ends. He's also perfectly able to ''stand up on a moving bicycle'' without losing balance.

* AmbiguouslyGay: Ercole wears pink, ScreamsLikeALittleGirl and is very much effiminate. Whether he's CampGay or CampStraight isn't known since he shows interest in no one [[{{Narcissist}} but himself]].

* EffiminateVoice: Possesses a high-pitched, shrill NoIndoorsVoice.

* ParasolOfPain: Pinuccia whacks Alberto with her umbrella when Luca accidentially insults them.

* WhenEldersAttack: ... they use their purse and umbrella to knock you out!

* WouldHurtAChild: Entirely PlayedForLaughs when Luca insults them without meaning to, where they deliver an umbrella and purse attack on the boys.

Daniela's mother, making her Luca's maternal grandmother.

* MeaningfulName: Enrico Casarosa, the director of the movie, revealed that he named her after his grandmother Libera. Libera is an Italian name meaning "freedom", which fits Luca's grandmother encouraging him to explore the surface, and having done so herself in the past.

* OpenMindedParent: Or grandparents. Contrary to her daughter, she encourages Luca to open up and she covers for him when she knows for a fact he's being going to the surface. [[spoiler:The ending even reveals she's been visiting the city for quite some time before her grandson did it!]]

* TeensAreMonsters: He's 16 years old (allegedly as it's brought up he's ''been'' saying that for a while now) but is a smug, condescending, narcissistic JerkAss who bullies the other town children. He even makes it his mission to destroy Luca in the race when he insults his "two sad little whiskers".

* AmbiguouslyGay: Ercole wears pink, ScreamsLikeALittleGirl and has very camp mannerisms.

%%* ChildishVillainMatureHero: The Childish Villain to Luca's Mature Hero. He's a bratty and cruel PsychopathicManchild, while Luca is a sweet and polite AdorablyPrecociousChild.

* ItsAllAboutMe: During Luca's TrainingMontage, he shows outrage at a bunch of kids cheering Luca on, angrily saying that ''he'' is the only one they should be cheering for.

* OlderThanHeLooks: Ercole claims to be sixteen, which Signora Marsigliese doubts because "[he] said that last year", and he barely looks it. [[https://64.media.tumblr.com/152b21ebc3e215ef76a7f17e625080d4/054582090b702061-c1/s400x600/f97753fd87c72ee966ac8ce26563ef752a69a653.jpg The director himself then says on Twitter]] that he's probably 18-19, making him a young adult at the ''youngest''.

%%* ChildishVillainMatureHero: The Mature Hero to Ercole's Childish Villain. He's a sweet and polite AdorablyPrecociousChild, while Ercole is a bratty and cruel PsychopathicManchild.

* OlderThanTheyLook: Enrico Casarosa views Ciccio between 17 and 18, and Guido between 16 and 17, making them teenagers. However they are [[TeensAreShort rather short]] compared to Ercole or other adult characters, and are barely taller than Luca and Alberto (who are around 12-14 years of age).

* BeneathTheMask: He's cocky, mischievous, and sarcastic, however, he hides a deeply insecure side under his mask of confidence [[spoiler:since his father abandoned him]].

* IJustWantToHaveFriends: He lives in an old tower, and [[spoiler:we learn he was abandoned by his father a long time ago]]. When he meets Luca, he's so eager to make and maintain a friendship with him that he doesn't know how to deal with the jealous feelings he has when Luca and Giulia start to bond over their love of learning.

* MinorLivingAlone: When Alberto brings Luca to his hideout on the island, he mentions his father isn't around much and he does whatever he wants there. [[spoiler: Later in the film, it's actually revealed that his father straight up ''abandoned him'']].

* ParentalAbandonment: We have [[MissingMom no idea of his mother's whereabouts]], and his father [[spoiler:was revealed to have abandoned him a long time ago]].

* OnlySaneMan: He is this to his friends Giulia and Alberto, both being over-the-top LargeHam{{s}}.

* BlueIsHeroic: His sea monster form is mostly blue with green shades. When in human form, he sports a white and blue plaid shirt with matching blue shorts.

%%* ChildishVillainMatureHero: The Mature Hero to Ercole's Childish Villain.

%%* ChildishVillainMatureHero: The Childish Villain to Luca's Mature Hero.

* ChildishVillainMatureHero: The Mature Hero to Ercole's Childish Villain.

* ChildishVillainMatureHero: The Childish Villain to Luca's Mature Hero.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Both he and Alberto go barefoot, likely justified because of their sea monster status.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Both he and Luca go barefoot, likely justified because of their sea monster status.

** It is possible that he might have his flaws.

[[caption-width-right:350:From left to right: Giulia, Luca and Alberto]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/underdogs_1.jpg]]

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/4_924.png]]

* DastardlyWhiplash: Downplayed. He ''wishes'' he had this, but he still has a pubescent peach fuzz which resembles "two sad little whiskers" of a catfish, according to Luca.

* MoralityPet: They're both this to eachother; they follow Ercole in his bullying, but they are always seen side by side and hesitate to slap eachother on Ercole's orders.

* BladeOnAStick: Aspiring to hunt sea monsters to get a bounty price, Ercole wields a harpoon throughout the movie, most noticeably when [[spoiler: chasing Luca and Alberto during the race during the climax]].

* BladeOnAStick: Being a sea monster hunter, Massimo keeps a harpoon with him on his boat. In one scene, he proceeds to stab a lump of seaweed when he thinks it's a sea monster.

* BladeOnAStick: His weapon of choice is a harpoon big enough to stab a whale, and is usually portrayed holding up the dead body of sea serpents larger than him.

* AmbiguouslyGay: Giulia was initially planned to be a lesbian, and Luca and Alberto have a very... ''close'' relationship with serious PuppyLove vibes. While Director Enrico Casarosa states the movie is about friendship before the crush stage, he remains open to gay interpretations of his characters.

* BadassBaritone: Has a deep, though mellow voice, and is a skilled fisherman who is respected and not looked at any differently due to his missing arm.

* FatalFlaw: {{Envy}}. His insecurities caused by [[spoiler:his father's abandonment]] ends up almost costing his friendship with Luca when he grows ''incredibly'' [[GreenEyedMonster jealous]] of his friendship with Giulia to the point [[spoiler:of risking his life when revealing his sea monster status to her]]. Sure enough, he didn't expect [[spoiler: Luca siding against him to protect his own identity]] and is almost killed by Ercole and his minions as a result.

* TokenTrio: Luca is the light-skinned lead, Alberto is the tanned sidekick and Giulia is [[TheSmurfettePrinciple the only girl]] and the tritagonist.

The main protagonists; two sea monster boys and a human girl who train for the Portorosso Cup, a yearly triathlon for children. Winning the race would mean the defeat of Ercole, the local town bully who's ready to everything to keep his champion title.

* FriendlessBackground: Commonly shared among the Underdogs: Luca is (implied to be) the only sea monster child in the community where he lives, Alberto was isolated on an island [[spoiler:where he was abandonned by his father]] and Giulia, is considerd a "weird kid who doesn't belong" when she comes to Portorosso. Though it's downplayed in Giulia's case since she's shown to have friends at school in Genova during the credits.

* TokenTrio: Luca is the light-skinned lead, Alberto is the tanned sidekick and Giulia is [[TheSmurfettePrinciple the only girl]] and tritagonist.

* WithAFriendAndAStranger: Luca and Alberto meet eachother and become friends in the movie's first arc, before they head to Portorosso where they meet Giulia next. While they initially want her in their team to compete in the Portorosso Cup, Luca and Giulia end up growing closer as friends.
* YouthfulFreckles: A trait they all share in common. It seems to be symbolize their wide-eyed innocence and FriendlessBackground.

Alberto's father who supposedly travels a lot. It's later revealed that he willingly abandoned his son and left him alone on Isola del Mare for 383 days.

* DisappearedDad: He's revealed to have abandoned Alberto around a year before the movie begins (at the most).

* HateSink: Not at the same level as Ercole, but abandoning his prepubescent son with the excuse he was old enough to take care of himself is a selfish move (and would be considered a criminal act in the present day). It worsens his case when you remember that his departure is what caused Alberto to be terrifed and insecure of being left by the people he loves, and to feel like he's just a "kid who ruins everything".
* IHaveNoSon: He abandoned his own son on an island, with only excuse that Alberto was "old enough to be on his own".
* InvisibleParents: Alberto initially portrays him as this, as he apparently travels a lot and leaves Alberto on the island alone for long periods of time. In reality, he isn't returning at all and has abandoned his kid altogether.