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Added example(s)
* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Returns at the end of the "Vanguard" storyline, having apparently faked his death at the end of ''Warlords of New York.'']]
--> '''Keener:''' [[spoiler:I know what you're thinking. The First Wave's prodigal son has returned.]]
--> '''Keener:''' [[spoiler:I know what you're thinking. The First Wave's prodigal son has returned.]]
** To clarify, [[spoiler:after using Tchernenko to create the Eclipse virus, he handed him over to the Black Tusk in return for vital supplies and the promise of future aid. At the same time, he leaks Tchernenko's location to Vivian Conley and the Cleaners, knowing full well that they'd seek to punish the scientist for helping cause the outbreak, and thus [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness removing him from play]] while keeping his hands clean.]]
* TheCorruptor: Perhaps the greatest danger Keener poses is his ability to sway other Division agents into serving his agenda. Luna is a prime example; simply experiencing his ideology secondhand through the ECHOs she decoded was enough to inspire her to become his mole inside the Division.
* TheCorruptor: Perhaps the greatest danger Keener poses is his ability to sway other Division agents into serving his agenda. Luna is a prime example; simply experiencing his ideology secondhand through the ECHOs she decoded was enough to inspire her to become his mole inside the Division.
* EvilVsEvil: [[spoiler:The "Vanguard" storyline suggests that his true agenda is to bring down Natalya Sokolova and the Black Tusk.]]
--> '''Keener:''' [[spoiler:How many good people have to die for the brass to survive? How many more people need to die so Nat can have her little empire?]]
--> '''Keener:''' [[spoiler:How many good people have to die for the brass to survive? How many more people need to die so Nat can have her little empire?]]
** [[spoiler:The "Vanguard" season comms also portray Viper as a close confidant, to the extent that he relied upon her to bring Faye Lau into the fold.]]
Changed line(s) 131 (click to see context) from:
* BlackAndWhiteMorality: 2 and particuarly the Warlords of New York expansion reveal that ISAC is technically the one who decides if an agent has gone rogue with a number of agents, most rogue themselves, questioning if he has the capability to go beyond this trope.
to:
* BlackAndWhiteMorality: 2 and particuarly particularly the Warlords of New York expansion reveal that ISAC is technically the one who decides if an agent has gone rogue with a number of agents, most rogue themselves, questioning if he has the capability to go beyond this trope.trope.
** BlackAndWhiteInsanity: Occasionally veers into this. One of the Descent comms discusses how ISAC once flagged an agent Rogue after she took cover in a heated firefight by breaking into a nearby pharmacy, disabling her tech and leading to her death.
* FlawedPrototype: ISAC is the first AI developed by Ortiz Robotics, and as a result, has more than a few issues, particularly when it comes to assessing the morality of the agents that use it. [[spoiler:Their second AI, none other than ANNA, is far more capable.]]
** BlackAndWhiteInsanity: Occasionally veers into this. One of the Descent comms discusses how ISAC once flagged an agent Rogue after she took cover in a heated firefight by breaking into a nearby pharmacy, disabling her tech and leading to her death.
* FlawedPrototype: ISAC is the first AI developed by Ortiz Robotics, and as a result, has more than a few issues, particularly when it comes to assessing the morality of the agents that use it. [[spoiler:Their second AI, none other than ANNA, is far more capable.]]
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[[foldercontrol]]
!Strategic Homeland Division
[[folder:In General]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_division_logo_0.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The Division's Logo]]
The Strategic Homeland Division (SHD), referred to as "The Division", is a classified unit of highly trained, self-supported tactical agents appearing in Tom Clancy's ''VideoGame/TheDivision'' and Tom Clancy's ''VideoGame/TheDivision2''. The players take the role of Division agents.
They are fully autonomous field operatives trained to restore order to communities suffering from catastrophic events, institutional collapse, and societal breakdown. Division agents are embedded in society, leading ordinary lives until they are activated. The Division is not an elite unit in the traditional military sense. They are a civilian agency whose members do not train or deploy like military units.
The Division is made unique by its connection to Directive 51 and its interconnected but autonomous networked organization. It is the Division as a whole that is special, not necessarily each individual agent. Officially, agents of The Division are counted as federal agents, in direct service of the United States federal government.
----
* DeepCoverAgent: All of the Division Agents are a heroic version of this, secretly planted in all walks of life all over the United States in case a catastrophic emergency that threatens the survival of the United States occurs. The various trailers show one agent who's a [[TheMedic paramedic]], another who's an FDNY firefighter, a third who shares an apartment with her slacker boyfriend and his conspiracy-nut friend ([[ActionGirl and saves them from an armed looter]]), and a man whose wife and daughter are shocked to discover the automatic weapons and high-tech communications gear he keeps in the closet. Each of them are activated with the Second Wave, and express frustration that they weren't activated sooner, as perhaps the First Wave might have succeeded before things got so bad if only it had enough manpower. In-game, the player assumes the role of a "Second Wave" agent activated to provide further assistance as the "First Wave" were killed or went MIA.
* DestructiveSavior: In-universe and out of universe, some commentators note the Division are killing a lot of Americans.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything:
** Division Agents are given the authority to do "whatever is necessary" to restore order where they are deployed, including the "elimination" of all threats to their mission. A power which is very similar to a certain other Tom Clancy game series' "[[VideoGame/SplinterCell Fifth Freedom]]".
** The full name of the Division, is "Strategic Homeland Division" or SHD for short. A name and acronym extremely similar to another group of highly trained and equipped agents that belong to the "[[ComicBook/{{SHIELD}} Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division]]".
* ElaborateUndergroundBase: The Division has a number of these in the sewers of New York.
* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: Division Agents rapidly develop a reputation as superpowerful agents able to single handedly take on huge numbers.
* {{Expy}}:
** They are a super-powerful, super-talented version of a Department of Homeland Security plan.
** May also be one for SHIELD.
* GovernmentAgencyOfFiction: The Strategic Homeland Division. Also CERA or the Catastrophic Emergency Management Agency as the fictional counterpart to FEMA. Also the Joint Task Force, the remnants of the city emergency services, National Guard, and CERA that have banded together. Also the DCD or Disease Control Department as the counterpart to the CDC.
* GovernmentConspiracy: Played with. In real life, "Directive 51" has been feared as a tool for the suspension of democracy and there's a real dread that the agencies used by it could pose a threat to liberty. That agency would be, y'know, the one you're working for here. The Division in practice ends up being anything but villainous in purpose - it really is there to help keep everything from falling apart entirely. [[spoiler:And really, the main thrust of the plot is that, under the all-encompassing stress of a true pandemic like Green Poison, even a huge, powerful government group like the Division simply can't avoid suffering heavy splintering and compromising of its power. They're still human and are as vulnerable as everyone else.]]
* MythicalMotifs: The Division's emblem features ThePhoenix as its symbol, and some of the best gear in game is purchased via blueprints or directly from vendors with "Phoenix Credits".
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The Dark Zone is entirely their fault as a failed attempt to quarantine the sick that spiralled out of control into a massive human rights violation that also broke Agent Keener.
* NotQuiteTheRightThing: The Division, despite being the protagonists, ends up causing as much destruction as preventing due to rogues.
* PretentiousLatinMotto: Naturally, the [=SHD=] has one on their logo; ''Extremis Malis, Extrema Remedia''. A loose translation would be along the lines of "desperate times call for desperate measures".
* RogueAgent: A huge chunk of the Division's members go Rogue and join Keener's organization or formed their own groups.
* SigilSpam: Despite being a newly formed agency that was previously highly secret, they cover everything in their symbol after the Dollar Bug.
[[/folder]]
!! Multiple Games
[[folder:Faye Lau]]
!!Faye Lau
-->''"Ugh...I wish I could get out there myself..."''
A member of the Division who serves as your MissionControl.
----
* AngerBornOfWorry: According to her sister, "Worried Faye" is no different than "Scary-Angry Faye."
* BigSisterInstinct: One series of missions has you finding out what happened to her sister Heather to find out if she's still alive.
* BrokenPedestal:
** [[spoiler:In one of her Manhunt comms collectibles, she leaves an apology voice mail for Roy Benitez, explaing that she switched sides to Black Tusk because the Division's lost the trust of both her and the public at large, seemingly only existing to serve the elite and not the common man as she had once believed. In her own words, "the only one that still trusts we're doing the right thing is ISAC".]]
** Becomes one of these for a lot of Division agents due to her defection like Alani Kelso. [[spoiler: Becomes a RebuiltPedestal when Alani finds Faye's encrypted messages.]]
* ButchLesbian: She is in a relationship with Bridgitte "Viper" Douglas. She is also aggressive, short haired, and wears practical military clothing.
* ButNotTooForeign: A second-generation Chinese-American.
* {{Cliffhanger}}: [[spoiler:Her Manhunt mission ends in one. Unlike Schaeffer's Manhunt mission, where his "death" was noted by ISAC announcing "vital signs critical" and promptly taken into custody by the Division, there is no indication on whether or not Lau survived the events of the Camp White Oak Manhunt.]]
* CynicismCatalyst: [[spoiler:Heather, her sister, died sometime before the events of ''The Division 2'', making her disillusioned with the Division as a whole. This cynicism culminates with her working as a double agent for the Black Tusk, eventually giving way to a full-blown FaceHeelTurn at the end of the ''Warlords of New York'' expansion. That game's Season 3 Manhunt reveals that Heather died at the hands of Rikers, and Faye blames her death on unspecified Division "budget cuts".]]
* DoubleAgent: The Hidden Alliance Manhunt in ''VideoGame/TheDivision2'' reveals that [[spoiler:she was never going to fully commit to her "defection" to Black Tusk. She just couldn't figure out a better way to get info on the Black Tusk's top brass without ISAC marking her as a Rogue Agent.]]
* DentedIron: [[spoiler: Her cameo in the Sequel shows she's back in action, still fighting despite losing her eye.]]
* EyepatchOfPower: Has one of her eyes pretty heavily bandaged up by the time you reach Manhattan.
** [[spoiler: Gets a proper one in her cameo in the Sequel. She's back in action]]
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:The end of the ''Warlords of New York'' DLC campaign reveals that her true allegiance has been with [[Characters/TheDivision2 the Black Tusk]] the whole time, although it's unknown when exactly she switched sides. Her long-term goal is to take down the Division for good. Becomes {{Subverted}} when it's revealed she was playing the long game and trying to get close to President Ellis to assassinate him.]]
* FauxActionGirl: Faye's forced to be on the sidelines after [[GameBreakingInjury suffering serious injuries]]. To be fair, she's really unhappy about it.
** Goes back into being a full-on ActionGirl by the time of her cameo in the sequel.
* GameBreakingInjury: She survived the helicopter crash in the beginning, but winds up with a busted leg and [[EyeScream damage to her eye]].
* GoodAllAlong: Audio logs she leaves behind after [[spoiler:she is apparently killed by the Division heavily imply that she joined Black Tusk as a triple agent in order to sabotage Black Tusk from within and assassinate the corrupt President Ellis who was under their protection.]]
* HeroicBSOD: She can barely process the idea that [[spoiler: Division agents have gone rogue]], at first.
* {{Hypocrite}}: [[spoiler:Faye admonishes a rogue Division agent for going to Black Tusk in a ''Warlords'' audio log, when she does the exact same thing at the end.]]
* MissionControl: She's relegated to this after her eye and leg are injured when the first transport to Manhattan is blown up.
* ReplacementGoldfish: Comes to view Alani Kelso as a substitute sister after the death of her biological one.
* SenselessSacrifice: [[spoiler: Faye is seemingly killed by Division Agents due to the fact that she can't reveal to even her closest friends that she's trying to stop President Ellis from providing Natalya Sokalov nuclear weapons.]]
* StartOfDarkness: [[spoiler: Possibly the death of her sister. {{Subverted}} by the revelation that she never went bad in the first place.]]
* YouAreInCommandNow: After the helicopter carrying the Commander is shot down, Faye is the only remaining ranking Agent to coordinate operations with the JTF.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Aaron Keener]]
!!Aaron Keener
An agent of the Division who was part of the First Wave that was sent into Manhattan ahead of the player. [[spoiler:He later goes rogue.]] In ''The Division 2'', [[spoiler:the player can find voice recordings he has left behind in the city.]] By the time of the sequel's ''Warlords of New York'' expansion, [[spoiler:he has gained a sizable foothold in lower Manhattan, with him and his crew of four elite rogue Agents manipulating the local Cleaners and Rikers for their ends.]]
----
* AMillionIsAStatistic: Keener explains in a recording that this is how he copes with killing others. He doesn't think of his victims as actual people, but as simple numbers in a equation that must be solved.
* AmicableExes: According to his file, Aaron was married twice, divorced twice and is still good friends with both women.
* AllYourPowersCombined: His boss fight in ''Warlords'' has him use every single Division skill in ''2''.
* BigBad: The closest thing ''1'' has to one anyway. He fully takes the mantle in ''2'''s ''Warlords'' expansion.
* TheChessmaster: He's always constantly one step ahead of everybody else ([[SmugSnake or claims he is]]) and always likes to reinforce this fact to everybody he speaks to.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Keener will ''always'' go with who he thinks is the winning side. [[spoiler:First, he betrays the Division and the joins the LMB. Then, when the Division and JTF begin pushing back the LMB, Keener cuts his losses and abandons them, taking Tchernenko with him. The sequel shows he hasn't gotten any better about this, as he reneged on a deal with the Black Tusk using Tchernenko as a bargaining chip simply because the Cleaners were nearby and wiping out said Black Tusk unit.]]
* DragonWithAnAgenda: It's abundantly clear his alliance with Colonel Bliss and the Last Man Battalion is one simply of convenience. The [=LMB=] are the strongest faction operating inside quarantined New York, so Keener affiliated himself with them after disavowing the Division.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: One audio log in ''Warlords of New York'' shows that he doesn't take it well when firefighters and their kids are murdered.
* FaceHeelTurn: Was a Division agent and as such was dedicated to helping people and saving New York. Then he was ordered to abandon his friends and the people he swore to save. And then it got worse from there.
** An echo recording shows him coldly executing some random street tough who was hassling him; this was at the beginning of the outbreak when he was first activated. So he was always ruthless, though still dedicated to the goals of the Division until the events of the Dark Zone.
* FinalExamBoss: In ''Warlords of New York'', the mission where he's finally tracked down and fought has, in chronological order, [[spoiler:[[DegradedBoss weaker versions]] of raid bosses [[HumongousMecha Razorback]], [[RobotDog Buddy & Lucy]], a [[FutureCopter Marauder-class unmanned quadcopter]], the whole catalog of SHD skills fielded by Keener, and finally a TimedMission involving the destruction of a missile launcher, like the end of the Tidal Basin mission.]]
* FiveManBand: He is the leader of the four LMB bosses who used to be [[spoiler:Division agents like him]]: Scarecrow, Hornet, Raptor and Domino, [[spoiler:and the ''Warlords'' rogue agents all answer to him as well.]]
* FogOfDoom: [[spoiler:Keener's new bioweapon in ''Warlords of New York'' takes the form of a red-orange mist containing the Eclipse virus. The opening of the DLC has the Division already bearing witness to its aftermath on New York's city hall, with Eclipse seeping through vents all over the building.]]
* TheGhost: He is never encountered directly by the player in the main storyline. Instead, the player only hears and sees Keener via voice recordings, ECHO beacons, and intercepted radio transmissions. Doubly so in ''The Division 2'', where he plays no role in the events occurring in Washington D.C. other than a few recording logs he's left behind where he talks about his philosophy and vaguely hints as to his future plans. ''Warlords'' finally has him make a proper physical appearance as the BigBad of the expansion.
* GreaterScopeVillain: Several dead drops found in [[VideoGame/TheDivision2 Washington D.C.]], show that he’s still out there, and he’s having Vitaly use Amherst’s research and equipment to create new viruses.
* HiddenAgendaVillain: Despite knowing Keener has gone rogue, nobody really knows what exactly he plans to do with [[spoiler:Amherst's research.]] Keener himself Lampshades this in [[spoiler:the voice recordings he leaves behind in Washington D.C.]], where he taunts the player over how nobody knows what his true goals are. [[spoiler:''Warlords of New York'' reveals that he's developing a new virus with the help of Tchernenko dubbed "Eclipse" to use as a bioweapon against his targets, and the opening cutscene of the expansion shows that he's already used it against New York's city hall, killing a lot of JTF and Division personnel.]]
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Going into the Dark Zone at the height of the chaos did no favors for his worldview or his sanity. [[spoiler:This ultimately leads him to joining forces with the LMB.]]
* IdiotBall: It's completely within Keener's hubris and apathy to [[spoiler:not have his watch log off from the secret Rogue network after his death.]] It's also very dumb.
* InterfaceScrew: [[spoiler:While fighting his Rogue skills in ANNA's control room, he modifies the displayed objective to [[IShallTauntYou taunt the player]] and set his [[TheParanoiac paranoid tendencies]] front and center.]]
* IShallTauntYou: [[spoiler:All over the place in his boss battle. Pretty much everything he says to the player before and during his boss battle is dripping with condescension, even with something as mundane as his [[CallingYourAttacks skill callouts]].]]
* JerkassWoobie: Let's just say that Aaron went through a lot of shit before his heel turn. A '''lot''' of shit.
* KickTheDog: [[spoiler:ECHO files show Aaron executing random civilians and fellow Agents. He is also the one responsible for shooting down the helicopter carrying the Second Wave Commander.]]
* ManipulativeBastard: Is very good at convincing people. Not only does he [[spoiler:get Charles Bliss and the LMB on his side but he is also able to convince at least eight other First Wave agents to join him.]] Though in the case of the latter the Dark Zone and what it means to the First Wave more than likely helped put his point across to them. Especially to [[spoiler:Scarecrow.]]
** He also throws out the possibility of you joining him before he leaves in the ECHO recording found in the Unknown Signal mission.
--> '''Keener:''' [[spoiler:"[...] Normally I'd do this face-to-face but I'm not one hundred percent sure which way you'll jump. You act one way when Ms Lau is watching and another way entirely when you're off the leash. That's an interesting contradiction. You see, I think that deep down you get it. You know the old rules; laws, government, those things died on Black Friday. But the feral PMCs, the convicts, the ones smart enough and good enough to take what they need, they'll survive. Me, I'm gonna prosper. Oh, you could too, but you took an oath, right? You got a duty. Those are both ways of saying your conscience is fucking you. You ask yourself; who has earned a right to tell you what to do? Do you know how many agents died to hold the Dark Zone, just for the brass to give up and put a wall around it? You don't believe me? You should check the place out for yourself. [...] You should think about getting in on this thing. I'll be seeing you."]]
* MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning: [[spoiler: After you kill him at the end of the ''Warlords of New York'' expansion, he activates ANNA and the Rogue Network, enabling Rogue Agents to band together in an unprecedented manner.]]
-->'''Keener:''' You have no idea what's coming...
* TheParanoiac: Has severe trust issues after witnessing the events that led to the creation of the Dark Zone. [[spoiler:The final mission in the sequel's ''Warlords of New York'' DLC really hammers this home, as he hacks the player's objective to make it say things like "Who CAN you TRUST?".]]
* PowerNullifier: [[spoiler:The last part of his boss fight has him deploying an EMP so powerful that it outright destroys the player's skills right off their back, and they're not made available again until the end of the mission.]]
* PetTheDog: In an ECHO recording, Aaron meets April Kelleher. During their conversation, April mentions she was going into the Dark Zone, to which Aaron basically wishes her luck and tells her to be careful in there.
** A possible subversion, as his wording could be interpreted as either a veiled threat or, given the context, essentially him confessing that "[[VideoGame/FarCry4 I went in there a sane man and came out... like this]]".
* PragmaticVillainy: Keener will spare your life if he can find a use for you, and will leave you alone of you don't try to bother him. However, he won't hesitate to kill anybody who gets in his way if he doesn't see any value in keeping them alive.
* TheSmartGuy: Keener was a futures trader, and apparently always thought of himself as the smartest guy in the room.
* TheSociopath: What's given of his life before the dollar flu hints that he was a tamer style of Literature/AmericanPsycho, intelligent, charismatic, ruthless New York finance job, bad at deep relationships, but no killings known of. Even while working with the Division he applies the mindset toward doing good, albeit clearly focused on objectives over the people he's helping. Only after the JTF pulls out of he Dark Zone, abandoning the Agents inside, does he slip into the full blown trope.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Various ''Warlords of New York'' [=ECHOs=] and audio logs show that Keener and his four lieutenants are this trope. The only commonality they seem to have is their contempt for the JTF and First Wave Agents for their actions in the NYC Dark Zone. Some of them even have both parties acknowledge that they're really just using each other rather than cooperating.
* VillainHasAPoint: After going into the Dark Zone to help people and then having the JTF and his superiors force him to pull out, leave his fallen comrades behind and then effectively abandon him as he's forced to singlehandedly protect a group of refugees from a gang of Rikers, it's very hard to argue against Aaron's reasons for [[spoiler: going rogue and defecting to the LMB.]] The man feels betrayed.
* VillainousFriendship: [[spoiler: With Hornet. According to Hornet-specific audio logs, he's the only rogue agent that Keener actually trusts, to the point of appointing him as his successor.]]
* VillainousLegacy: [[spoiler:In the aptly-named [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Keener's Legacy"]] Manhunt Event, it's revealed that Hornet is continuing to carry on Keener's genocidal plans even after his death.]]
* WeaksauceWeakness: [[spoiler:For all of the superior tech he has over the Division, he's still just as prone to status effects as any other named enemy in the game. Coincidentally, [[SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity three boxes of shock ammo are found in plain sight]] in the area before his stronghold, which helps immensely in trivializing his boss fight.]]
* WeCanRuleTogether: Offers the Agent to join in creating a new world order in the aftermath of the outbreak.
* WildCard: Aaron seems to have positioned himself as this in ''The Division 2''. He apparently has no affiliation with any of the factions involved (including [[spoiler: Black Tusk]]), and sees himself as a sort of Chaos Vote.
* WhyCouldntYouSaveThem: Possibly the straw the broke the camel's back, as it were. An ECHO recording shows that after he was forced to abandon the Dark Zone, Aaron holed up with a group of people he rescued from the Dark Zone in a Division safe house that was under siege by Rikers. He radioed for help but the response he received was to await further orders. Suffice to say he was unsuccessful in protecting them by himself.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:ISAC]]
!!ISAC
The Agent's virtual personal assistant. While not strictly speaking a character, ISAC accompanies you and keeps you up to date as you undergo missions.
----
* AmbiguousSituation: Is ISAC sentient? Who is running it now that its creators are all dead? What data is it using to make its determinations?
* BigGood: Arguably is the actual head of the Division once the collapse of the United States happens.
* BlackAndWhiteMorality: 2 and particuarly the Warlords of New York expansion reveal that ISAC is technically the one who decides if an agent has gone rogue with a number of agents, most rogue themselves, questioning if he has the capability to go beyond this trope.
* FunWithAcronyms: Intelligent System Analytic Computer.
* JustifiedTutorial: ISAC helps the players get into the role by (in-game) testing out their reflexes in handling firearms in the prologue.
* MissionControl: In a way shares this role with Faye Lau.
[[/folder]]
!! The Division
[[folder:The Agent]]
!!The Agent
The PlayerCharacter. The Agent is an operative of the Strategic Homeland Division (or just The Division).
----
* TheAce: In the Division Shield audio logs, it's mentioned that the player's particular agent is one of the best (if not ''the'' best) they've got in the entire Division.
--> '''Jerry Liu''': Lemme tell you, that agent Faye Lau brought in with her is the real deal. [...] Between you and me, you don't see that sort of performance out of every agent. Still don't.
* ActionGirl: Potentially.
* BadassCrew: Whether the Agent is alone or with a team, they cleave through squads of enemies easily.
* CharacterCustomization: There is a somewhat limited character creation screen which allows you to pick your Agent's gender, face, hair, and accessories, among other features. You can also swap out their outfits, gear, and weapons, as well as pick and choose their abilities and talents.
* ChaoticNeutral: The last surviving BigBad of the game, [[spoiler: Aaron Keener]], thinks the agent is this, claiming they didn't want to reveal their plans to the player's character because they weren't sure what their next move would be. Whether or not that's actually true boils down to how much chaos the player causes in the Dark Zone [[GameplayAndStorySegregation (if they've even entered the DZ at all)]], which is cut off from Division communications.
--> [[spoiler: '''Aaron Keener''']]: Normally, I'd do this face to face, but I'm not 100% sure which way you'll jump. You act one way when Ms. Lau is watching and another way entirely when you're off the leash. That's an interesting contradiction.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Every time you decide to go rogue in the Dark Zone.
* DeepCoverAgent: Up until the outbreak, the Agent had a regular job and, presumably, a regular life in which nobody around them knew about their membership to the Division. To quote the intro: "We are an elite, highly skilled group of embedded agents. They only call us, when everything else has failed. [...] We are your co-workers. We are your neighbors. We might even be...your friends."
* HeroicMime: The Agent never speaks a word in the game, or even ''vocalizes'' for that matter, unlike some other silent protagonists who at least make noises when they're hit or wounded.
* OneManArmy: If you choose not to team up with any other agent during missions.
* OneRiotOneRanger: Playing solo means you're practically living up this trope. You may get JTF backup, but you're still doing the heavy lifting.
* OnSiteProcurement: Though there are vendors in your safe houses this is the main method of gaining new equipment. Applies in-story too, as Division agents are trained (and expected) to be self sufficient.
* OutsideContextProblem: Rogue operatives are this to loyalists. The average Division agent has it drilled into their head that it’s IMPOSSIBLE for an agent to turn their back on their prime directive, and the rising influx of willing traitors causes a hefty share of stress and doubt.
* PlayerCharacter: Natch.
* PurelyAestheticGender: It doesn't matter if they're a man or woman.
* TokenGoodTeammate: Potentially an in-universe case as the Division is increasingly revealed to have been a horrible idea that made things worse. The player character, while a vicious killer, gives charity to the poor and helps rebuild New York.
* UnexplainedRecovery: The Agent and Faye Lau are both caught in the blast radius when a missile strikes their commanding officer's Tilt-rotor aircraft. The Agent actually seems to get it worse than Faye did, as he[=/=]she passes out for a significant period of time and has to be revived on the helicopter ride to Manhattan. Yet Faye spends the rest of the game seriously injured and unable to take to the field, while the Agent is fighting fit and running around gunning down fools within minutes of landing.
* VirtualPaperDoll: Besides all the gear you can find for your agent, you can dress them up in clothes you loot off of chests, rewards from helping random civilians, or even off of dead enemies.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler:Their fate in the ''Warlords'' expansion is entirely unaddressed, though with Keener's attack on City Hall taking 'top Division agents', it's likely [[BusCrash they were among those lost. The option to upload your character into ''Division 2'' may allow some wiggle room, though.]]]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Louis Chang]]
!!Louis Chang
The commander of all SHD forces operating in New York City
----
* ButNotTooForeign: His name indicates that he's of Chinese origin.
* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Killed by Keener when Faye and the Agent character was about to be deployed on a SHD operation to Manhattan.]]
* DaChief: In charge of all SHD agents activated in NYC.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: Not much information is known about him [[spoiler:even after he's assassinated by Keener.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Simon Keyes]]
!!Simon Keyes
An agent tasked with keeping watch over the ISAC data hub located in New York.
----
* BasementDweller: Since he's the last of his team and needs to ensure ISAC runs smoothly, Simon can't leave his station. Instead, he asks the Agent to take care of whatever he needs done. Bonus points for his base most likely being underground.
* MissionControl: Tasks the Agent with figuring out who is trying to find and break into ISAC and gives out weekly mission objectives to fulfill.
* SoleSurvivor: He's the only one left of his team to make sure nobody ever finds ISAC's core and get whatever files it has.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Jasmine St. Clair]]
!!Jasmine St. Clair
A Division Agent who's JTF team was ambushed by Cleaners, who's then kidnapped by an unknown man.
----
* BadassInDistress: A Division agent who's been taken hostage.
[[/folder]]
!! The Division 2
[[folder:The Sheriff]]
!!The Sheriff
A Division agent who answers a distress call from Washington D.C.
----
* ActionGirl: If female.
* AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent: Not the same PlayerCharacter from the first game. [[WordOfGod Ubisoft livestreams]] mentioned the change of protagonist, and a New York City Update audio log states that the previous player character is still "running around with Faye". The opening to ''Warlords of New York'' implies that [[spoiler: they were KilledOffForReal by Keener's Eclipse Virus attack on the Base of Operations, and the previous statement imply that they went rogue if they survived seeing how Faye Lau went rogue after the events of ''Warlords of New York'']]. Despite all of this, character models from the first game are an option for character customization, giving players the chance to at least zigzag this trope.
* BadassCrew: If playing in a squad with other Agents.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Upon first meeting the Agent, Manny Ortega says 'there's a new Sheriff in town', and Kelso later calls them 'Sheriff' as well. Other characters, including enemy factions, simply call them Agent.
* HeroicMime: Never says a word, or even vocalizes whatsoever. Not even grunts of pain.
* HopeBringer: Odessa calls them this as you help restore the Theater, though it also applies to the rest of the city. Some of the civilian militia's dialogue likewise call the Agent this.
* OneManArmy: Especially if playing alone. A lone agent will have cut down hundreds, maybe even thousands of enemies before they even finish the campaign.
* TheSheriff: Manny decides to use a miniature of a Sheriff to represent you on his ever-changing map of DC. So far he's completely right, and the name seems to be sticking.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Alani Kelso]]
!!Agent Alani Kelso
A hot-tempered young agent who assists the PlayerCharacter in several story missions.
----
* ActionGirl: One of the toughest women in the Division.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: "I just found an ammo stockpile. [[{{StuffBlowingUp}} I'm going to detonate it.]]"
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Alani has been holding the line almost single handedly in Washington D.C. before the player character shows up.
* HypocriticalHumor: At one point in the Jefferson Trade Center mission, Kelso remarks that fellow Agent Espinoza 'tends to leave a mess'. This from the woman whose idea of 'creating a distraction' involved two explosions in the same building within the space of ten minutes.
* LeeroyJenkins: An ECHO reveals Kelso used to get far too aggressive in combat. She seems to have calmed down a little in the meantime [[spoiler: possibly because that incident cost Odessa her leg]], but she's still kind'a trigger-happy.
* MadBomber: Whenever she goes to cause a "distraction", it's generally just code for her saying she's going to blow something up. She's so fond of this that in one of your first missions, a hostage rescue mission, she "distracts" the Hyenas by ''blowing up a chunk of the same building the hostage is being held in''.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: Alani Kelso is prone to believing this and orders you to kill everyone in Jefferson Plaza (all of them being True Sons that are involved with the attack) to avenge the mass murder at the Castle.
[[/folder]]
----
!Strategic Homeland Division
[[folder:In General]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_division_logo_0.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The Division's Logo]]
The Strategic Homeland Division (SHD), referred to as "The Division", is a classified unit of highly trained, self-supported tactical agents appearing in Tom Clancy's ''VideoGame/TheDivision'' and Tom Clancy's ''VideoGame/TheDivision2''. The players take the role of Division agents.
They are fully autonomous field operatives trained to restore order to communities suffering from catastrophic events, institutional collapse, and societal breakdown. Division agents are embedded in society, leading ordinary lives until they are activated. The Division is not an elite unit in the traditional military sense. They are a civilian agency whose members do not train or deploy like military units.
The Division is made unique by its connection to Directive 51 and its interconnected but autonomous networked organization. It is the Division as a whole that is special, not necessarily each individual agent. Officially, agents of The Division are counted as federal agents, in direct service of the United States federal government.
----
* DeepCoverAgent: All of the Division Agents are a heroic version of this, secretly planted in all walks of life all over the United States in case a catastrophic emergency that threatens the survival of the United States occurs. The various trailers show one agent who's a [[TheMedic paramedic]], another who's an FDNY firefighter, a third who shares an apartment with her slacker boyfriend and his conspiracy-nut friend ([[ActionGirl and saves them from an armed looter]]), and a man whose wife and daughter are shocked to discover the automatic weapons and high-tech communications gear he keeps in the closet. Each of them are activated with the Second Wave, and express frustration that they weren't activated sooner, as perhaps the First Wave might have succeeded before things got so bad if only it had enough manpower. In-game, the player assumes the role of a "Second Wave" agent activated to provide further assistance as the "First Wave" were killed or went MIA.
* DestructiveSavior: In-universe and out of universe, some commentators note the Division are killing a lot of Americans.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything:
** Division Agents are given the authority to do "whatever is necessary" to restore order where they are deployed, including the "elimination" of all threats to their mission. A power which is very similar to a certain other Tom Clancy game series' "[[VideoGame/SplinterCell Fifth Freedom]]".
** The full name of the Division, is "Strategic Homeland Division" or SHD for short. A name and acronym extremely similar to another group of highly trained and equipped agents that belong to the "[[ComicBook/{{SHIELD}} Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division]]".
* ElaborateUndergroundBase: The Division has a number of these in the sewers of New York.
* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: Division Agents rapidly develop a reputation as superpowerful agents able to single handedly take on huge numbers.
* {{Expy}}:
** They are a super-powerful, super-talented version of a Department of Homeland Security plan.
** May also be one for SHIELD.
* GovernmentAgencyOfFiction: The Strategic Homeland Division. Also CERA or the Catastrophic Emergency Management Agency as the fictional counterpart to FEMA. Also the Joint Task Force, the remnants of the city emergency services, National Guard, and CERA that have banded together. Also the DCD or Disease Control Department as the counterpart to the CDC.
* GovernmentConspiracy: Played with. In real life, "Directive 51" has been feared as a tool for the suspension of democracy and there's a real dread that the agencies used by it could pose a threat to liberty. That agency would be, y'know, the one you're working for here. The Division in practice ends up being anything but villainous in purpose - it really is there to help keep everything from falling apart entirely. [[spoiler:And really, the main thrust of the plot is that, under the all-encompassing stress of a true pandemic like Green Poison, even a huge, powerful government group like the Division simply can't avoid suffering heavy splintering and compromising of its power. They're still human and are as vulnerable as everyone else.]]
* MythicalMotifs: The Division's emblem features ThePhoenix as its symbol, and some of the best gear in game is purchased via blueprints or directly from vendors with "Phoenix Credits".
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The Dark Zone is entirely their fault as a failed attempt to quarantine the sick that spiralled out of control into a massive human rights violation that also broke Agent Keener.
* NotQuiteTheRightThing: The Division, despite being the protagonists, ends up causing as much destruction as preventing due to rogues.
* PretentiousLatinMotto: Naturally, the [=SHD=] has one on their logo; ''Extremis Malis, Extrema Remedia''. A loose translation would be along the lines of "desperate times call for desperate measures".
* RogueAgent: A huge chunk of the Division's members go Rogue and join Keener's organization or formed their own groups.
* SigilSpam: Despite being a newly formed agency that was previously highly secret, they cover everything in their symbol after the Dollar Bug.
[[/folder]]
!! Multiple Games
[[folder:Faye Lau]]
!!Faye Lau
-->''"Ugh...I wish I could get out there myself..."''
A member of the Division who serves as your MissionControl.
----
* AngerBornOfWorry: According to her sister, "Worried Faye" is no different than "Scary-Angry Faye."
* BigSisterInstinct: One series of missions has you finding out what happened to her sister Heather to find out if she's still alive.
* BrokenPedestal:
** [[spoiler:In one of her Manhunt comms collectibles, she leaves an apology voice mail for Roy Benitez, explaing that she switched sides to Black Tusk because the Division's lost the trust of both her and the public at large, seemingly only existing to serve the elite and not the common man as she had once believed. In her own words, "the only one that still trusts we're doing the right thing is ISAC".]]
** Becomes one of these for a lot of Division agents due to her defection like Alani Kelso. [[spoiler: Becomes a RebuiltPedestal when Alani finds Faye's encrypted messages.]]
* ButchLesbian: She is in a relationship with Bridgitte "Viper" Douglas. She is also aggressive, short haired, and wears practical military clothing.
* ButNotTooForeign: A second-generation Chinese-American.
* {{Cliffhanger}}: [[spoiler:Her Manhunt mission ends in one. Unlike Schaeffer's Manhunt mission, where his "death" was noted by ISAC announcing "vital signs critical" and promptly taken into custody by the Division, there is no indication on whether or not Lau survived the events of the Camp White Oak Manhunt.]]
* CynicismCatalyst: [[spoiler:Heather, her sister, died sometime before the events of ''The Division 2'', making her disillusioned with the Division as a whole. This cynicism culminates with her working as a double agent for the Black Tusk, eventually giving way to a full-blown FaceHeelTurn at the end of the ''Warlords of New York'' expansion. That game's Season 3 Manhunt reveals that Heather died at the hands of Rikers, and Faye blames her death on unspecified Division "budget cuts".]]
* DoubleAgent: The Hidden Alliance Manhunt in ''VideoGame/TheDivision2'' reveals that [[spoiler:she was never going to fully commit to her "defection" to Black Tusk. She just couldn't figure out a better way to get info on the Black Tusk's top brass without ISAC marking her as a Rogue Agent.]]
* DentedIron: [[spoiler: Her cameo in the Sequel shows she's back in action, still fighting despite losing her eye.]]
* EyepatchOfPower: Has one of her eyes pretty heavily bandaged up by the time you reach Manhattan.
** [[spoiler: Gets a proper one in her cameo in the Sequel. She's back in action]]
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:The end of the ''Warlords of New York'' DLC campaign reveals that her true allegiance has been with [[Characters/TheDivision2 the Black Tusk]] the whole time, although it's unknown when exactly she switched sides. Her long-term goal is to take down the Division for good. Becomes {{Subverted}} when it's revealed she was playing the long game and trying to get close to President Ellis to assassinate him.]]
* FauxActionGirl: Faye's forced to be on the sidelines after [[GameBreakingInjury suffering serious injuries]]. To be fair, she's really unhappy about it.
** Goes back into being a full-on ActionGirl by the time of her cameo in the sequel.
* GameBreakingInjury: She survived the helicopter crash in the beginning, but winds up with a busted leg and [[EyeScream damage to her eye]].
* GoodAllAlong: Audio logs she leaves behind after [[spoiler:she is apparently killed by the Division heavily imply that she joined Black Tusk as a triple agent in order to sabotage Black Tusk from within and assassinate the corrupt President Ellis who was under their protection.]]
* HeroicBSOD: She can barely process the idea that [[spoiler: Division agents have gone rogue]], at first.
* {{Hypocrite}}: [[spoiler:Faye admonishes a rogue Division agent for going to Black Tusk in a ''Warlords'' audio log, when she does the exact same thing at the end.]]
* MissionControl: She's relegated to this after her eye and leg are injured when the first transport to Manhattan is blown up.
* ReplacementGoldfish: Comes to view Alani Kelso as a substitute sister after the death of her biological one.
* SenselessSacrifice: [[spoiler: Faye is seemingly killed by Division Agents due to the fact that she can't reveal to even her closest friends that she's trying to stop President Ellis from providing Natalya Sokalov nuclear weapons.]]
* StartOfDarkness: [[spoiler: Possibly the death of her sister. {{Subverted}} by the revelation that she never went bad in the first place.]]
* YouAreInCommandNow: After the helicopter carrying the Commander is shot down, Faye is the only remaining ranking Agent to coordinate operations with the JTF.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Aaron Keener]]
!!Aaron Keener
An agent of the Division who was part of the First Wave that was sent into Manhattan ahead of the player. [[spoiler:He later goes rogue.]] In ''The Division 2'', [[spoiler:the player can find voice recordings he has left behind in the city.]] By the time of the sequel's ''Warlords of New York'' expansion, [[spoiler:he has gained a sizable foothold in lower Manhattan, with him and his crew of four elite rogue Agents manipulating the local Cleaners and Rikers for their ends.]]
----
* AMillionIsAStatistic: Keener explains in a recording that this is how he copes with killing others. He doesn't think of his victims as actual people, but as simple numbers in a equation that must be solved.
* AmicableExes: According to his file, Aaron was married twice, divorced twice and is still good friends with both women.
* AllYourPowersCombined: His boss fight in ''Warlords'' has him use every single Division skill in ''2''.
* BigBad: The closest thing ''1'' has to one anyway. He fully takes the mantle in ''2'''s ''Warlords'' expansion.
* TheChessmaster: He's always constantly one step ahead of everybody else ([[SmugSnake or claims he is]]) and always likes to reinforce this fact to everybody he speaks to.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Keener will ''always'' go with who he thinks is the winning side. [[spoiler:First, he betrays the Division and the joins the LMB. Then, when the Division and JTF begin pushing back the LMB, Keener cuts his losses and abandons them, taking Tchernenko with him. The sequel shows he hasn't gotten any better about this, as he reneged on a deal with the Black Tusk using Tchernenko as a bargaining chip simply because the Cleaners were nearby and wiping out said Black Tusk unit.]]
* DragonWithAnAgenda: It's abundantly clear his alliance with Colonel Bliss and the Last Man Battalion is one simply of convenience. The [=LMB=] are the strongest faction operating inside quarantined New York, so Keener affiliated himself with them after disavowing the Division.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: One audio log in ''Warlords of New York'' shows that he doesn't take it well when firefighters and their kids are murdered.
* FaceHeelTurn: Was a Division agent and as such was dedicated to helping people and saving New York. Then he was ordered to abandon his friends and the people he swore to save. And then it got worse from there.
** An echo recording shows him coldly executing some random street tough who was hassling him; this was at the beginning of the outbreak when he was first activated. So he was always ruthless, though still dedicated to the goals of the Division until the events of the Dark Zone.
* FinalExamBoss: In ''Warlords of New York'', the mission where he's finally tracked down and fought has, in chronological order, [[spoiler:[[DegradedBoss weaker versions]] of raid bosses [[HumongousMecha Razorback]], [[RobotDog Buddy & Lucy]], a [[FutureCopter Marauder-class unmanned quadcopter]], the whole catalog of SHD skills fielded by Keener, and finally a TimedMission involving the destruction of a missile launcher, like the end of the Tidal Basin mission.]]
* FiveManBand: He is the leader of the four LMB bosses who used to be [[spoiler:Division agents like him]]: Scarecrow, Hornet, Raptor and Domino, [[spoiler:and the ''Warlords'' rogue agents all answer to him as well.]]
* FogOfDoom: [[spoiler:Keener's new bioweapon in ''Warlords of New York'' takes the form of a red-orange mist containing the Eclipse virus. The opening of the DLC has the Division already bearing witness to its aftermath on New York's city hall, with Eclipse seeping through vents all over the building.]]
* TheGhost: He is never encountered directly by the player in the main storyline. Instead, the player only hears and sees Keener via voice recordings, ECHO beacons, and intercepted radio transmissions. Doubly so in ''The Division 2'', where he plays no role in the events occurring in Washington D.C. other than a few recording logs he's left behind where he talks about his philosophy and vaguely hints as to his future plans. ''Warlords'' finally has him make a proper physical appearance as the BigBad of the expansion.
* GreaterScopeVillain: Several dead drops found in [[VideoGame/TheDivision2 Washington D.C.]], show that he’s still out there, and he’s having Vitaly use Amherst’s research and equipment to create new viruses.
* HiddenAgendaVillain: Despite knowing Keener has gone rogue, nobody really knows what exactly he plans to do with [[spoiler:Amherst's research.]] Keener himself Lampshades this in [[spoiler:the voice recordings he leaves behind in Washington D.C.]], where he taunts the player over how nobody knows what his true goals are. [[spoiler:''Warlords of New York'' reveals that he's developing a new virus with the help of Tchernenko dubbed "Eclipse" to use as a bioweapon against his targets, and the opening cutscene of the expansion shows that he's already used it against New York's city hall, killing a lot of JTF and Division personnel.]]
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Going into the Dark Zone at the height of the chaos did no favors for his worldview or his sanity. [[spoiler:This ultimately leads him to joining forces with the LMB.]]
* IdiotBall: It's completely within Keener's hubris and apathy to [[spoiler:not have his watch log off from the secret Rogue network after his death.]] It's also very dumb.
* InterfaceScrew: [[spoiler:While fighting his Rogue skills in ANNA's control room, he modifies the displayed objective to [[IShallTauntYou taunt the player]] and set his [[TheParanoiac paranoid tendencies]] front and center.]]
* IShallTauntYou: [[spoiler:All over the place in his boss battle. Pretty much everything he says to the player before and during his boss battle is dripping with condescension, even with something as mundane as his [[CallingYourAttacks skill callouts]].]]
* JerkassWoobie: Let's just say that Aaron went through a lot of shit before his heel turn. A '''lot''' of shit.
* KickTheDog: [[spoiler:ECHO files show Aaron executing random civilians and fellow Agents. He is also the one responsible for shooting down the helicopter carrying the Second Wave Commander.]]
* ManipulativeBastard: Is very good at convincing people. Not only does he [[spoiler:get Charles Bliss and the LMB on his side but he is also able to convince at least eight other First Wave agents to join him.]] Though in the case of the latter the Dark Zone and what it means to the First Wave more than likely helped put his point across to them. Especially to [[spoiler:Scarecrow.]]
** He also throws out the possibility of you joining him before he leaves in the ECHO recording found in the Unknown Signal mission.
--> '''Keener:''' [[spoiler:"[...] Normally I'd do this face-to-face but I'm not one hundred percent sure which way you'll jump. You act one way when Ms Lau is watching and another way entirely when you're off the leash. That's an interesting contradiction. You see, I think that deep down you get it. You know the old rules; laws, government, those things died on Black Friday. But the feral PMCs, the convicts, the ones smart enough and good enough to take what they need, they'll survive. Me, I'm gonna prosper. Oh, you could too, but you took an oath, right? You got a duty. Those are both ways of saying your conscience is fucking you. You ask yourself; who has earned a right to tell you what to do? Do you know how many agents died to hold the Dark Zone, just for the brass to give up and put a wall around it? You don't believe me? You should check the place out for yourself. [...] You should think about getting in on this thing. I'll be seeing you."]]
* MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning: [[spoiler: After you kill him at the end of the ''Warlords of New York'' expansion, he activates ANNA and the Rogue Network, enabling Rogue Agents to band together in an unprecedented manner.]]
-->'''Keener:''' You have no idea what's coming...
* TheParanoiac: Has severe trust issues after witnessing the events that led to the creation of the Dark Zone. [[spoiler:The final mission in the sequel's ''Warlords of New York'' DLC really hammers this home, as he hacks the player's objective to make it say things like "Who CAN you TRUST?".]]
* PowerNullifier: [[spoiler:The last part of his boss fight has him deploying an EMP so powerful that it outright destroys the player's skills right off their back, and they're not made available again until the end of the mission.]]
* PetTheDog: In an ECHO recording, Aaron meets April Kelleher. During their conversation, April mentions she was going into the Dark Zone, to which Aaron basically wishes her luck and tells her to be careful in there.
** A possible subversion, as his wording could be interpreted as either a veiled threat or, given the context, essentially him confessing that "[[VideoGame/FarCry4 I went in there a sane man and came out... like this]]".
* PragmaticVillainy: Keener will spare your life if he can find a use for you, and will leave you alone of you don't try to bother him. However, he won't hesitate to kill anybody who gets in his way if he doesn't see any value in keeping them alive.
* TheSmartGuy: Keener was a futures trader, and apparently always thought of himself as the smartest guy in the room.
* TheSociopath: What's given of his life before the dollar flu hints that he was a tamer style of Literature/AmericanPsycho, intelligent, charismatic, ruthless New York finance job, bad at deep relationships, but no killings known of. Even while working with the Division he applies the mindset toward doing good, albeit clearly focused on objectives over the people he's helping. Only after the JTF pulls out of he Dark Zone, abandoning the Agents inside, does he slip into the full blown trope.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Various ''Warlords of New York'' [=ECHOs=] and audio logs show that Keener and his four lieutenants are this trope. The only commonality they seem to have is their contempt for the JTF and First Wave Agents for their actions in the NYC Dark Zone. Some of them even have both parties acknowledge that they're really just using each other rather than cooperating.
* VillainHasAPoint: After going into the Dark Zone to help people and then having the JTF and his superiors force him to pull out, leave his fallen comrades behind and then effectively abandon him as he's forced to singlehandedly protect a group of refugees from a gang of Rikers, it's very hard to argue against Aaron's reasons for [[spoiler: going rogue and defecting to the LMB.]] The man feels betrayed.
* VillainousFriendship: [[spoiler: With Hornet. According to Hornet-specific audio logs, he's the only rogue agent that Keener actually trusts, to the point of appointing him as his successor.]]
* VillainousLegacy: [[spoiler:In the aptly-named [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Keener's Legacy"]] Manhunt Event, it's revealed that Hornet is continuing to carry on Keener's genocidal plans even after his death.]]
* WeaksauceWeakness: [[spoiler:For all of the superior tech he has over the Division, he's still just as prone to status effects as any other named enemy in the game. Coincidentally, [[SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity three boxes of shock ammo are found in plain sight]] in the area before his stronghold, which helps immensely in trivializing his boss fight.]]
* WeCanRuleTogether: Offers the Agent to join in creating a new world order in the aftermath of the outbreak.
* WildCard: Aaron seems to have positioned himself as this in ''The Division 2''. He apparently has no affiliation with any of the factions involved (including [[spoiler: Black Tusk]]), and sees himself as a sort of Chaos Vote.
* WhyCouldntYouSaveThem: Possibly the straw the broke the camel's back, as it were. An ECHO recording shows that after he was forced to abandon the Dark Zone, Aaron holed up with a group of people he rescued from the Dark Zone in a Division safe house that was under siege by Rikers. He radioed for help but the response he received was to await further orders. Suffice to say he was unsuccessful in protecting them by himself.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:ISAC]]
!!ISAC
The Agent's virtual personal assistant. While not strictly speaking a character, ISAC accompanies you and keeps you up to date as you undergo missions.
----
* AmbiguousSituation: Is ISAC sentient? Who is running it now that its creators are all dead? What data is it using to make its determinations?
* BigGood: Arguably is the actual head of the Division once the collapse of the United States happens.
* BlackAndWhiteMorality: 2 and particuarly the Warlords of New York expansion reveal that ISAC is technically the one who decides if an agent has gone rogue with a number of agents, most rogue themselves, questioning if he has the capability to go beyond this trope.
* FunWithAcronyms: Intelligent System Analytic Computer.
* JustifiedTutorial: ISAC helps the players get into the role by (in-game) testing out their reflexes in handling firearms in the prologue.
* MissionControl: In a way shares this role with Faye Lau.
[[/folder]]
!! The Division
[[folder:The Agent]]
!!The Agent
The PlayerCharacter. The Agent is an operative of the Strategic Homeland Division (or just The Division).
----
* TheAce: In the Division Shield audio logs, it's mentioned that the player's particular agent is one of the best (if not ''the'' best) they've got in the entire Division.
--> '''Jerry Liu''': Lemme tell you, that agent Faye Lau brought in with her is the real deal. [...] Between you and me, you don't see that sort of performance out of every agent. Still don't.
* ActionGirl: Potentially.
* BadassCrew: Whether the Agent is alone or with a team, they cleave through squads of enemies easily.
* CharacterCustomization: There is a somewhat limited character creation screen which allows you to pick your Agent's gender, face, hair, and accessories, among other features. You can also swap out their outfits, gear, and weapons, as well as pick and choose their abilities and talents.
* ChaoticNeutral: The last surviving BigBad of the game, [[spoiler: Aaron Keener]], thinks the agent is this, claiming they didn't want to reveal their plans to the player's character because they weren't sure what their next move would be. Whether or not that's actually true boils down to how much chaos the player causes in the Dark Zone [[GameplayAndStorySegregation (if they've even entered the DZ at all)]], which is cut off from Division communications.
--> [[spoiler: '''Aaron Keener''']]: Normally, I'd do this face to face, but I'm not 100% sure which way you'll jump. You act one way when Ms. Lau is watching and another way entirely when you're off the leash. That's an interesting contradiction.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Every time you decide to go rogue in the Dark Zone.
* DeepCoverAgent: Up until the outbreak, the Agent had a regular job and, presumably, a regular life in which nobody around them knew about their membership to the Division. To quote the intro: "We are an elite, highly skilled group of embedded agents. They only call us, when everything else has failed. [...] We are your co-workers. We are your neighbors. We might even be...your friends."
* HeroicMime: The Agent never speaks a word in the game, or even ''vocalizes'' for that matter, unlike some other silent protagonists who at least make noises when they're hit or wounded.
* OneManArmy: If you choose not to team up with any other agent during missions.
* OneRiotOneRanger: Playing solo means you're practically living up this trope. You may get JTF backup, but you're still doing the heavy lifting.
* OnSiteProcurement: Though there are vendors in your safe houses this is the main method of gaining new equipment. Applies in-story too, as Division agents are trained (and expected) to be self sufficient.
* OutsideContextProblem: Rogue operatives are this to loyalists. The average Division agent has it drilled into their head that it’s IMPOSSIBLE for an agent to turn their back on their prime directive, and the rising influx of willing traitors causes a hefty share of stress and doubt.
* PlayerCharacter: Natch.
* PurelyAestheticGender: It doesn't matter if they're a man or woman.
* TokenGoodTeammate: Potentially an in-universe case as the Division is increasingly revealed to have been a horrible idea that made things worse. The player character, while a vicious killer, gives charity to the poor and helps rebuild New York.
* UnexplainedRecovery: The Agent and Faye Lau are both caught in the blast radius when a missile strikes their commanding officer's Tilt-rotor aircraft. The Agent actually seems to get it worse than Faye did, as he[=/=]she passes out for a significant period of time and has to be revived on the helicopter ride to Manhattan. Yet Faye spends the rest of the game seriously injured and unable to take to the field, while the Agent is fighting fit and running around gunning down fools within minutes of landing.
* VirtualPaperDoll: Besides all the gear you can find for your agent, you can dress them up in clothes you loot off of chests, rewards from helping random civilians, or even off of dead enemies.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler:Their fate in the ''Warlords'' expansion is entirely unaddressed, though with Keener's attack on City Hall taking 'top Division agents', it's likely [[BusCrash they were among those lost. The option to upload your character into ''Division 2'' may allow some wiggle room, though.]]]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Louis Chang]]
!!Louis Chang
The commander of all SHD forces operating in New York City
----
* ButNotTooForeign: His name indicates that he's of Chinese origin.
* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Killed by Keener when Faye and the Agent character was about to be deployed on a SHD operation to Manhattan.]]
* DaChief: In charge of all SHD agents activated in NYC.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: Not much information is known about him [[spoiler:even after he's assassinated by Keener.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Simon Keyes]]
!!Simon Keyes
An agent tasked with keeping watch over the ISAC data hub located in New York.
----
* BasementDweller: Since he's the last of his team and needs to ensure ISAC runs smoothly, Simon can't leave his station. Instead, he asks the Agent to take care of whatever he needs done. Bonus points for his base most likely being underground.
* MissionControl: Tasks the Agent with figuring out who is trying to find and break into ISAC and gives out weekly mission objectives to fulfill.
* SoleSurvivor: He's the only one left of his team to make sure nobody ever finds ISAC's core and get whatever files it has.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Jasmine St. Clair]]
!!Jasmine St. Clair
A Division Agent who's JTF team was ambushed by Cleaners, who's then kidnapped by an unknown man.
----
* BadassInDistress: A Division agent who's been taken hostage.
[[/folder]]
!! The Division 2
[[folder:The Sheriff]]
!!The Sheriff
A Division agent who answers a distress call from Washington D.C.
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* ActionGirl: If female.
* AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent: Not the same PlayerCharacter from the first game. [[WordOfGod Ubisoft livestreams]] mentioned the change of protagonist, and a New York City Update audio log states that the previous player character is still "running around with Faye". The opening to ''Warlords of New York'' implies that [[spoiler: they were KilledOffForReal by Keener's Eclipse Virus attack on the Base of Operations, and the previous statement imply that they went rogue if they survived seeing how Faye Lau went rogue after the events of ''Warlords of New York'']]. Despite all of this, character models from the first game are an option for character customization, giving players the chance to at least zigzag this trope.
* BadassCrew: If playing in a squad with other Agents.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Upon first meeting the Agent, Manny Ortega says 'there's a new Sheriff in town', and Kelso later calls them 'Sheriff' as well. Other characters, including enemy factions, simply call them Agent.
* HeroicMime: Never says a word, or even vocalizes whatsoever. Not even grunts of pain.
* HopeBringer: Odessa calls them this as you help restore the Theater, though it also applies to the rest of the city. Some of the civilian militia's dialogue likewise call the Agent this.
* OneManArmy: Especially if playing alone. A lone agent will have cut down hundreds, maybe even thousands of enemies before they even finish the campaign.
* TheSheriff: Manny decides to use a miniature of a Sheriff to represent you on his ever-changing map of DC. So far he's completely right, and the name seems to be sticking.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Alani Kelso]]
!!Agent Alani Kelso
A hot-tempered young agent who assists the PlayerCharacter in several story missions.
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* ActionGirl: One of the toughest women in the Division.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: "I just found an ammo stockpile. [[{{StuffBlowingUp}} I'm going to detonate it.]]"
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Alani has been holding the line almost single handedly in Washington D.C. before the player character shows up.
* HypocriticalHumor: At one point in the Jefferson Trade Center mission, Kelso remarks that fellow Agent Espinoza 'tends to leave a mess'. This from the woman whose idea of 'creating a distraction' involved two explosions in the same building within the space of ten minutes.
* LeeroyJenkins: An ECHO reveals Kelso used to get far too aggressive in combat. She seems to have calmed down a little in the meantime [[spoiler: possibly because that incident cost Odessa her leg]], but she's still kind'a trigger-happy.
* MadBomber: Whenever she goes to cause a "distraction", it's generally just code for her saying she's going to blow something up. She's so fond of this that in one of your first missions, a hostage rescue mission, she "distracts" the Hyenas by ''blowing up a chunk of the same building the hostage is being held in''.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: Alani Kelso is prone to believing this and orders you to kill everyone in Jefferson Plaza (all of them being True Sons that are involved with the attack) to avenge the mass murder at the Castle.
[[/folder]]
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