History Main / ContrastingReplacementCharacter

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Due to Lord Voldemort cursing the Defence Against the Dark Arts post when Dumbledore refused him the job, every book has a different teacher in this position, and all seven of them are very different characters. In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'', Professor Quirrel is a stuttering NervousWreck who is afraid of his own subject, and his lessons are noted to be disappointingly boring. [[spoiler:It's later revealed that this is all an act, as he is actually a loyal supporter of Voldemort trying to steal the Stone for him.]] In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'', Gilderoy Lockhart is an arrogant narcissist who is always talking about his fame and accomplishments, and he is revealed to be a fraud taking credit for things other people have done. In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban'', Remus Lupin is an old friend of Harry's parents who proves to be the series' first competent DADA teacher, a kind and gentle man and a good mentor to Harry who is sadly forced to resign due to anti-werewolf prejudice. In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'', Mad-Eye Moody is a cranky, paranoid retired auror who uses very extreme teaching methods such as actually performing illegal curses on students, but nonetheless proves to be a good teacher. [[spoiler:Although he is later revealed to be Death Eater Barty Crouch Jr. in disguise, subsequent books confirm that this is still a pretty accurate portrayal of Moody's real personality.]] In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'', Dolores Umbridge is a SadistTeacher who despises Harry while hiding this under a veneer of [[SugaryMalice motherly politeness]], and seeks to undermine Dumbledore on behalf of Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge. In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'', Severus Snape is also a SadistTeacher who hates Harry, but is much more openly hostile to him. Snape also contrasts Umbridge by being loyal to Dumbledore, and he actually teaches practical lessons, while Umbridge simply forced her class to read extremely boring books all the time. As Snape switches subjects from Potions master, his replacement in that role, Horace Slughorn, is also very different from him, being a jolly BigFun who loves Harry and considers him his best student. In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'', Amycus Carrow, the final DADA teacher, is the only one who doesn't even attempt to hide being evil, being an open [[ANaziByAnyOtherMeans Death Eater]] who actually teachers students how to use the Dark Arts instead of defending themselves against them.

* The Cinephoto Club in ''Manga/{{Mono}}'' acts as the opposite replacement to the Outdoor Activities Club in ''Manga/LaidBackCamp'', despite being established as school clubs of their own school. Unlike the Outdoor Activities Club who is a well-established club for years, the Cinephoto Club is formed between the merging of two failing clubs into one, hailing from both clubs whose members graduated. They are both similar in a way, being school clubs with very few members to boot, where its members are mutually close to each other.

* The Cinephoto Club in Manga/{{Mono}} acts as the opposite replacement to the Outdoor Activities Club in ''Manga/LaidBackCamp'', despite being established as school clubs of their own school. Unlike the Outdoor Activities Club who is a well-established club for years, the Cinephoto Club is formed between the merging of two failing clubs into one, hailing from both clubs whose members graduated. They are both similar in a way, being school clubs with very few members to boot, where its members are mutually close to each other.

** Tono is the anti-Fujiwara. Both both of them are troublemakers, but they are exact opposites when it comes to romance (Fujiwara remains single for the entire run of the series while Tono literally defines her worth by how many boys she can get to go out with her). And unlike with Fujiwara (the only member of the original student council that Ishigami never got along with), she's the only one of the new student council members that Ishigami actually considers to be dependable.

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* ''Literature/Metro2034'': Artyom Popov replaces the original Artyom's main protagonist spot, yet he plays out very differently to the previous Artyom. Whereas the original Artyom is presented as a hero of the Moscow Metro for stopping the Dark Ones' threat, Popov is the polar opposite to all of them, where he is not only more different from his predecessor, but Popov is a mistaken HeroicMime who shares the same first name as his predecessor and has a vastly different occupation. The main Artyom is the mainstay hero of the franchise, while Popov is a side character, as he only appears on ''2034's'' latter half and he ''is not'' the story's main protagonist where that role is instead taken by Homer and Sasha. Their occupations also vastly contrast. While the main Artyom hailed from Exhibition station before becoming a key figure of the Dark Ones' collapse and the eventual member of the Rangers and is married to Anna, Popov hails from Sevastopolskaya station and is an ordinary soldier stationed within Tulskaya station and is married to Galya. Unlike the main Artyom who is a SilentProtagonist, Popov is actively conversational in the novel. The main Artyom is an obvious protagonist to the franchise, while Popov is a DecoyProtagonist, as he is not even the main protagonist of ''2034''.

*** Compared to the Twelfth Doctor, the Thirteenth Doctor is less intimidating and also less willing to interfere massively in the situations she finds, preferring to solve immediate problems and then leave people to solve the bigger issues.

* This briefly comes up at the tail end of ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'': This briefly comes up at the tail end. Once Shirogane's second term as president ends and he, Kaguya, and Fujiwara are no longer on the student council. The three new members that the recently elected [[spoiler:Iino]] recruits contrast each of them:

* ''WebOriginal/ShadowrunStorytime'':

*** Compared to the sociable Third Doctor, the Fourth Doctor was much more self-sufficient and aloof.

* E-102 Gamma from ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' was a robot who was part of the E-100 series, who initially worked for Dr. Eggman but soon [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters turned against him]] due to a combination of Eggman mistreating his brothers and Amy showing kindness towards him after she saved him from Sonic (due to Gamma releasing her from her prison cell). After rescuing the animals trapped inside his brothers, Gamma was mutually killed off by an upgraded E-101 Beta at the end of his storyline, only re-appearing in ''VideoGame/SonicShuffle'' as an unlockable character. ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' introduced E-123 Omega, the Power member of Team Dark. While Omega is also a member of the E-100 series of robots, somewhat sharing Gamma's physical appearance and having also turned against Eggman, Omega is a lot more violent and destructive than Gamma is, destroying anything that stands in his way instead of just what needs to be destroyed.

** Kanegae is basically Kaguya's opposite in every way save for both coming from zaibatsu families. While she was the top of her class and HopelessWithTech, he's both BookDumb and tech savvy.
** Tono is the anti-Fujiwara. Both both of them are troublemakers, but they are exact opposites when it comes to romance (Fujiwara remains single for the entire run of the series while Tono litteraly defines her worth by how many boys she can get to go out with her). And unlike with Fujiwara (the only member of the original student council that Ishigami never got along with), she's the only one of the new student council members that Ishigami actually considers to be dependable.

** In 1985, all Kryptonian characters were deemed by DC a liability which was hindering Superman's sales, and were retconned out so that Superman was Krypton's sole survivor again. Then DC came to the realization that those characters filled a necessary niche after all and spent over fifteen years trying to replace them with non-Kryptonian versions to keep Superma.

* Attempted with ''Manga/DragonBall''. A third into the overall run, Gohan is introduced as an equivalent to Goku as a child, although he's very timid, well-spoken and has no true desire or aptitude for fighting, [[LikeFatherUnlikeSon the opposite of his father]]. By the end of the Cell Arc, Goku has died and left his role to Gohan: his first solo arc has him in high school and devise a goofy {{Sentai}} alter-ego known as Great Saiyaman, and getting into a complicated relationship with a girl named Videl. A few chapters in however, Creator/AkiraToriyama felt that Gohan wasn't suited for the part, so he put Goku back into the story as the main character again [[StatusQuoIsGod with the arc ending with him alive and well]].
* ''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'': After the TimeSkip, Sai, a member of the secret "Root" group, is put in Team 7 with Naruto and Sakura as the missing Sasuke's replacement. While Sasuke was aloof but with hidden violent emotions, Sai is polite and smiles often but is often said to [[StepfordSmiler not actually feel anything]].

* This briefly comes up at the tail end of ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'' once Shirogane's second term as president ends and he, Kaguya, and Fujiwara are no longer on the student council. The three new members that the recently elected [[spoiler:Iino]] recruits contrast each of them:

* In ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'', he needs a Characters/{{Robin}} to act as his sidekick and MoralityPet. However, every official Robin is very different from the last one.

* The ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}s are similar:
** Barbara Gordon is an assertive bookworm who was practically born into crime fighting, as both her (adopted) father and stepmother were cops. Her greatest strengths, her iron will and brilliant mind, meant that she continued to act as an effective hero well after she was paralyzed by the Joker.
** Cassandra Cain, by contrast, was born to assassins and raised to be a killer. She's an unparalleled fighter, but her upbringing has given her a mental disability that makes it difficult for her to speak and nearly impossible for her to learn how to read.

** The series also contrasts Klara and Gert when they finally meet. Whereas Klara started off as an InnocentBigot conservative who grew more open-minded during her time with the team, Gert started off as an enlightened liberal and has never felt the need to scrutinize her beliefs. The contrast is especially clear in their attitudes towards homosexuality - where Klara started off as a homophobe but has since become so accepting that she now has two dads, Gert still thinks that merely tolerating Karolina's existence is sufficient, and doesn't realize (or possibly, doesn't care) how offensive she's being when she tells Klara she would be better off with no parents at all.
* Like with the Robins and Batgirls, ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}'s sidekicks have also varied:
** The first Aqualad was an introverted sorcerer and former prince named Garth who was abandoned because of a superstition about children with purple eyes.
** While he never used the Aqualad moniker - or any code name for that matter - Aquaman's illegitimate son Koryak more or less filled the role to Garth that Jason Todd did to Dick Grayson. Like Jason, Koryak came from a marginalized background, being the son of an Inuit woman. While Garth was a full-blooded Atlantean who was raised underwater, Koryak was an Atlantean-human hybrid who grew up on land. While Garth was introverted and introspective, Koryak was hot-tempered and reckless. While Garth had a variety of magical abilities, Koryak only had enhanced physical stats and the ability to shape water.
** The second Aqualad was a contrast to both Garth and Koryak. While Garth was a full-blooded Atlantean, Jackson was a hybrid. Jackson certainly has more in common with Koryak; both are hybrids, both were raised on land, both can shape water and both are racial minorities (Jackson is black, Koryak is Inuit). However, Jackson lacked Koryak's temper. Finally, Garth and Koryak were children of Atlantean royalty while Jackson was the son of Black Manta, a human enemy of Atlantis.
** Tula, the first permanent Aquagirl[[note]] There were two previous Aquagirls but they were one-shot characters[[/note]] was an Atlantean princess. The second Aquagirl Lorena Marquez was a human who was transformed into an Atlantean. While Tula was white, Lorena was latina.
** This even applies to Aquaman's two love interests, Mera and Dolphin. The former is a FieryRedhead who dresses in green and can control water. The latter was a mute with white hair and wasn't even an Atlantean merely a human granted the ability to survive underwater.

* In ''Series/Charmed1998'', when Prue was replaced by Paige. Whereas Prue was the oldest child and frequently meddled in Piper and especially Phoebe's lives, Paige was raised as an only child and strives to maintain her own identity, keeping her suspicions about Cole to herself. Prue witnessed her mother's death, which left her with a fear of the water, and blames her father for abandoning the family afterward, until CharacterDevelopment kicks in. Paige witnessed her adopted parents' deaths, which didn't leave her with any phobias, but she blamed herself. Even their most prominent LoveInterests contrast: Andy and Henry are both cops, but Andy was Prue's childhood sweetheart, whereas Henry and Paige first met late in the show. Andy decides he doesn't want magic to be part of his life, so he breaks up with Prue (despite still loving her); Henry is so accepting of magic, he duels another half-witch/half-whitelighter for Paige's hand [[spoiler: and ends up marrying her]].

* Both seasons of ''Series/MysteryRoad'' have Jay Swan investigating a crime with the help of a local female cop. However, Emma in the first season is the middle-aged white cop in charge of the local force, who is a member of the community's most important family, while Fran in the second season is a young Aboriginal constable who has strained relations with her family members, who disapprove of her being a cop.

*** Compared to the "manic pixie dream Doctor" Eleventh Doctor, the Twelfth Doctor was initially very stern and unsympathetic, although he later mellowed.

* Like with the Robins and Batgirls, the ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}'s sidekicks have also varied:

** The series also contrasts Klara and Gert when they finally meet. Whereas Klara started off as an InnocentBigot conservative who grew more open-minded during her time with the team, Gert started off as an enlightened liberal and has never felt the need to scrutinize her beliefs. The contrast is especially clear in their attitudes towards homosexuality - where Klara started off as a homophobe but has since become so accepting that she now [[HasTwoMommies Has Two Daddies]], Gert still thinks that merely tolerating Karolina's existence is sufficient, and doesn't realize (or possibly, doesn't care) how offensive she's being when she tells Klara she would be better off with no parents at all.

** ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry2'': Lucia is a member of the Protectors of Vie de Marli, a clan of demon hunters who defend Dummary Island. Like Trish, Lucia brings Dante to the island where the plot takes place and is revealed to be a demon created by the main villain. Unlike Trish, Lucia was unaware of this initially and her allegiance doesn't change, remaining a hero. While Trish is a blonde white woman who dresses in black leather, Lucia is a dark-skinned redhead whose most striking article of clothing is her white cape.

** While he never used the Aqualad moniker - or any code name for that matter - Aquaman's illegitimate son Koryak more or less filled the role to Garth that Jason Todd did to Dick Grayson. Like Jason, Koryak came from a marginalized background, being the son of an Inuit woman. While Garth was a full-blooded Atlantean who was been raised underwater, Koryak was an Atlantean-human hybrid who was been raised on land. While Garth was introverted and introspective, Koryak hot-tempered and reckless. While Garth had a variety of magical abilities, Koryak only had enhanced physical stats and the ability to shape water.

** ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3'': Unlike Trish and Lucia, Lady is a human with no demonic heritage, relying on her skills with guns. She is also very openly hostile towards Dante for being part demon initially, though she gets over this once she realizes Dante's heroism.

** Tono is the anti-Fujiwara. Both both of them are troublemakers, but they are exact opposites when it comes to romance (Fujiwara remains single for the entire run of the series while Tono litteraly defines her worth by how many boys she can get to go out with her). And unlike with Fujiwara, she's the only one of the new student council members that Ishigami actually considers to be dependable.

* E-102 Gamma from ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' was a robot who was part of the E-100 series, who initially worked for Dr. Eggman but soon [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters turned against him]] due to a combination of Eggman mistreating his brothers and Amy showing kindness towards him after she saved him from Sonic (due to Gamma releasing her from her prison cell). After rescuing the animals trapped inside his brothers, Gamma was killed off by an upgraded E-101 Beta at the end of his storyline, only re-appearing in ''VideoGame/SonicShuffle'' as an unlockable character. ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' introduced E-123 Omega, the Power member of Team Dark. While Omega is also a member of the E-100 series of robots, somewhat sharing Gamma's physical appearance and having also turned against Eggman, Omega is a lot more violent and destructive than Gamma is, destroying anything that stands in his way instead of just what needs to be destroyed.