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1Characters appearing in the anime (and related media) of ''Anime/CardfightVanguard''.
2
3[[Characters/CardfightVanguard Click here to return to the Characters index]].
4----
5[[foldercontrol]]
6!!Main Characters
7[[folder: Team [=Q4=]]]
8
9!! Aichi Sendou
10!!! Royal Paladins (Seasons 1-2 & 4, [[spoiler:Movie]]) / [[spoiler:Shadow Paladins]] (Season 1) / Gold Paladins (Seasons 2 & 3) / [[spoiler: Link Joker]] (Season 4)
11
12[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/be_happy.jpg]]
13[[caption-width-right:350: Click here to see Aichi in Season 3 onward[[note]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/f5eccb958dfc6ce02aac0195dcca3b68.jpg[[/note]]]]
14
15
16-->Stand up, my avatar, Blaster Blade!\
17[[spoiler: Step forth and destroy, my avatar! Cleave with your sword of darkness! I Ride Blaster Dark!]]\
18[[spoiler:[[DeathWorld In a world of absolute zero]], [[DespairEventHorizon even the heart of a knight that burns with justice will freeze]]. A transient soul bound together with a world in which despair, darkness, and death hold sway! Stand up, my avatar! [[FallenHero Blaster Joker]]!]]
19
20A shy, nervous boy lacking in confidence, Aichi is the protagonist. When he was younger, [[TheRival Toshiki Kai]] gave him the rare card, Blaster Blade, which Aichi refers to as his 'avatar'. Through playing Vanguard and developing his skills, Aichi gains friends and becomes a more confident person, as well as [[spoiler: unlocking the power of Psyqualia]].
21
22[[spoiler:However, this power [[TheCorruption corrupts him]], causing him to become [[DrunkOnTheDarkSide cold and arrogant]], and with Ren's coercion, Aichi abandons his trusted Royal Paladins in favour of a Shadow Paladin Deck. After a merciless winning streak he is finally saved from his insanity by Kai, who makes Aichi realise the folly of relying on the precognitive abilities of Psyqualia instead of his own inner strength and courage. Though Aichi switches back to his Royal Paladin deck, he cannot deny the part of himself that lusts after the Psyqualia power. He eventually accepts both desires- to use and reject Psyqualia- as equal parts of himself, manifesting in the Majesty Lord Blaster card]].
23
24In the second season, Aichi's Royal Paladins are sealed away due to [[spoiler:Takuto Tatsunagi's Psyqualia]] and replaced by a Gold Paladin deck. For unknown reasons, Aichi is the [[RippleEffectProofMemory only one aware of the alterations]].
25
26In ''Link Joker'', Aichi is enrolled at Miyaji High School and forms a Cardfight Club alongside Kourin.
27
28In "Legion Mate", Aichi is missing and nobody except Kai seems to remember him. [[spoiler: When he finally reappears, he tells Kai and the others that he does not want them to chase after him, and that they should forget him. Turns out that after the fight with Void Agent Takuto, the void agent planted Link Joker's seed inside of him and is gradually growing stronger until it can take over him. In order to prevent another Link Joker invasion on earth, he willingly seal himself away and chose the Quartre Knights to protect him.]]
29
30->Voiced by: Creator/TsubasaYonaga (JP), [[Creator/TimHamaguchi James Beach]] (EN)
31----
32* AllLovingHero: In his own words, Aichi loves the world and his philosophy is that no-one who plays Vanguard could be bad.
33* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: The bullying he suffered was so extreme, he had no-one outside his family who showed any degree of care before [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe Kai]], and led to Shizuka transferring Aichi to another school in an effort to spare him such crushing torment. The reason itself isn't given, but it's very possible his appearance and stature played a factor.
34* BadassAdorable
35* BadassLongcoat: Legion Mate-hen.
36* BagOfSpilling: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]]. At the start of Season 2, Aichi is shown to be running the same deck as at the end of Season 1 (at one point he Damage Checks [[spoiler: Blaster Dark]], implying he is still using [[spoiler: Majesty Lord Blaster]]). However, Takuto [[spoiler: uses his PsychicPowers to change reality so Aichi has a Gold Paladin deck instead.]]
37* BewareTheNiceOnes: [[spoiler: Belittling Kai's strength or making him feel powerless are the only ways to really anger him, which activates his Psyqualia.]]
38* BreakTheCutie: On several occasions, though none hit him as hard as [[spoiler: Kai leaving Q4, resulting in him losing all direction and falling for Ren's games by picking up the Shadow Paladins.]]
39* CallingYourAttacks: Does this sometimes when attacking with King of Knights, Alfred.
40-->[[{{BFS}} Great Sword]] attack!
41* CatchPhrase: Has a few prominent and often used ones.
42-->Stand up, my avatar! Ride! Blaster Blade!
43-->Come forth, master of all warriors! Ride! King of Knights, Alfred!
44-->Give me strength, white wings filled with pride! Ride! Knight of Solitude, Gancelot!
45-->[[spoiler:(My victory/Your defeat) is a foregone conclusion.]]
46* ClassicalAntiHero: Started off as an timid and doubtful person who desired to become a stronger cardfighter. As his CharacterDevelopment kicks in, he eventually grows out of this and become a proper AllLovingHero.
47* CurtainsMatchTheWindow
48* DarkIsEvil: [[spoiler: Episode 43 features Aichi taking up a Shadow Paladin deck and proceeding to prove this.]]
49** DarkIsNotEvil: [[spoiler: Episode 64 shows that darkness isn't always necessarily evil with a single moment.]]
50** [[spoiler: His Legion Mate attire is a mixture of white and black, with the most prominent item his dark longcoat, but Aichi himself isn't evil whilst donning it, nor is he trying to get across that he is, even in his bind.]]
51--> [[spoiler: '''Aichi''': [[WhamLine Light isn't the only thing standing beside him.]] Darkness also stands with the [[BigGood King of Knights]]. Stand, my avatar! I call... Blaster Dark!]]
52** Though it doesn't seem to be by choice, [[spoiler: Aichi's outfit change from white to black between Link Joker-hen and Legion Mate is rather fitting, given he's the antagonist for the latter.]]
53* DeadpanSnarker: Gets a nicely snarky line in Episode 41.
54-->[[spoiler: If you have time for idle chatter, please use it to proceed with the game.]]
55* DemonicPossession: [[spoiler: By Void in Legion Mate-hen.]]
56* DespairEventHorizon: Legion Mate. [[spoiler: Gaillard touched upon how heartbreaking it was for Aichi to seal himself away, but it's highly unlikely Aichi would let anyone know the full depth of his anguish lest it lead to hesitation in going forward when it really mattered. He did look incredibly depressed in the flashback at Card Capital, watching his friends while knowing what was inside of him and no doubt it was going to take a massive toll on his emotional state.]]
57* DisappearedDad: His dad is noted as working overseas. By G, Aichi's studying at Yale has him there with him.
58* DiscOneFinalBoss: [[spoiler: A ''lot'' of people mistook Episode 50 for ''the end'' of the season because of this. This also applies to his role in ''Legion Mate'', since Ibuki holds the FinalBoss spot in the movie.]]
59* DrunkOnTheDarkSide / DrunkWithPower: [[spoiler: Under the influence of Psyqualia.]] It's highlighted in episode 43, and even [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by [[BigBad Ren]] at the end of the episode.
60* DudeLooksLikeALady: His season two and three outfit changes don't help.
61* DullEyesOfUnhappiness: Has them on a few occasions in the manga, such as when [[spoiler:Kai tells him to leave his Royal Paladin deck rather than risk his using Psyqualia any more.]] The hollow look is used for other purposes, including [[CreepyShadowedUndereyes being exhausted, (especially after his fight with Tetsu)]] and [[spoiler: [[MindControlEyes using Psyqualia.]]]] And briefly in Episode 47.
62** MindControlEyes: [[spoiler: During his fights with Ren and Kai, while he's using Psyqualia (possibility not even by choice considering who the latter is), [[http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k486/KatsuragiKamui/Vanguard22/VG22_7_zps5814be49.jpg his eyes resemble]] [[http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k486/KatsuragiKamui/Vanguard22/VG22_8_zpsc360ad7e.jpg these more.]]]]
63** Episode 103 has his eyes go dim [[spoiler: when Void begins to poison him, possibly aiming to take control of him. He begins hallucinating and it's noticed by those watching from Earth.]]
64*** [[spoiler: After waking up in Legion Mate, he's [[http://37.media.tumblr.com/0d721005cd9540f0b1b98154dfe790f4/tumblr_n9pnckJJgX1rvhrn0o1_500.gif got them whilst under Void's control]].]]
65*** In the manga, Aichi fights Naoki, who's been recruited by Takuto's army, [[spoiler: only to lose and become a Psyqualia zombie himself, with a seal on his forehead and some rather unsettling faces to go with the eyes.]]
66* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: as of Link Joker.
67* EvilLaugh: [[spoiler: At the peak of his insanity, he gives one when he thinks he's on the verge of beating Kai in Episode 50. And an even more unsettling one when he sinks under Psyqualia's influence again in Episode 64 during his fight with Ren, it takes Kai yelling out his name for him to stop and begin fighting back.]]
68* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler: In Episode 43, Aichi abandons his Royal Paladin deck and switches to using a Shadow Paladin deck that Ren gives to him.]]
69* HeelRealization: [[spoiler: After being corrupted by Ren into using Psyqualia's for all his battles and abandoning his Royal Paladins for the Shadow Paladins, Kai is able to bring him back to his senses in Episode 50 by reminding him of how he was getting stronger on his own without Psyqualia and that this isn't how he pictured his battle with Kai.]]
70* FailureHero: For a card game anime protagonist, he loses a lot.
71** [[spoiler: Tragically driven home when Aichi asks Kai whether he's gotten stronger, serving as a catalyst for his FaceHeelTurn.]]
72---> [[spoiler: '''Kai''': No, Sendou Aichi, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero you've gotten weaker]].]]
73%%* FallenHero: [[spoiler: While under the influence of Psyqualia and Link Joker]].
74* FinalBoss: [[spoiler: He acts as the final antagonist of ''Legion Mate''.]]
75* FishOutOfWater: When Takuto [[spoiler: replaces his Royal Paladins with Gold Paladins]], Aichi finds it hard to adapt.
76* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Apparently he hasn't gotten the memo about Barcgal's ban as a starting Vanguard in real life.
77** Finally averted in Episode 55 where he changes to Wingal Brave as his starting Vanguard.
78* GoodIsNotNice: [[spoiler: During Episode 41, due to Psyqualia corruption, Aichi is becoming quite the cold jerk to Kyou and even puts down Misaki and Kamui when they put so much effort through the National Tournament preliminary round the second time.]]
79* HeroicBSOD: After losing to Tetsu and having Ren rub his loss in his face.
80** The beginning of Episode 51 suggests he has another, briefer spell, after [[spoiler: being rescued from Psyqualia, but the guilt of abandoning his Royal Paladins weighing heavily on him.]]
81* HesBack: [[spoiler: His Ride of Blaster Blade]] in Episode 55 just screams this. It involves him using a combo not seen in some time, [[RuleOfCool a bolt of lightning striking which blacks out half the Dimension Police city, and then the lights flickering back on to reveal Blaster Blade in his full glory.]] There are even comments to this effect made by the supporting cast.
82* HiddenDepths: He starts off as the average shy, nice kid, and mostly follows that pattern for most of the season. [[spoiler:As he admits in the final Fight of season 1, he became addicted to Psyqualia that quickly because he enjoys the feeling of being superior to everyone else. And his obsession with being acknowledged by Kai is ''not'' healthy.]]
83* HiddenEyes: Aichi's quite fond of these, having them frequently when depressed [[spoiler:or using Psyqualia.]]
84* IJustWantToBeBadass: He just wants to become good enough for Kai to acknowledge him. [[spoiler: In typical fashion, [[TheCorruption the]] [[DrunkOnTheDarkSide trope]] [[DarkIsEvil gets]] [[PsychicPowers very]] [[KickTheDog nastily]] [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructed]]. And even after he snaps out of his [[DrunkOnTheDarkSide addiction]], a part of him ''still'' wants to accept Psyqualia.]]
85*** So much so that he's willing to [[spoiler: risk a HeroicSacrifice by fighting Kourin and then Takuto, intending to fight Kai afterwards, despite being told fighting puts his very life at stake and he's frequently collapsing or reduced to crumpling while struggling through these fighters.]]
86*** [[spoiler: The latter might even be the reason for his condition in Legion Mate, with Void still festering inside of him, forcing his plan to put himself in lockdown to stop a rampage.]]
87* ImageSong: "Yuuki no Image"[[note]]"Image of Courage"[[/note]], "Egao no Mirai", "Yakusoku no Crossroad", and "Mirai Stage".
88* {{Invocation}}: Many. Aichi has the most uses of this trope among the cast, since he pretty much gets a new one every time he gets a new big Unit (Gancelot, Alfred, Soul Saver Dragon, [[spoiler: Blaster Dark, Phantom Blaster Dragon]]). Of course, his most famous is:
89--> Stand up, my avatar, Blaster Blade!
90* KickTheDog: [[spoiler: While [[DrunkOnTheDarkSide under the influence of]] [[PsychicPowers Psyqualia]],]] if Aichi said the words 'picture it', this would invariably follow. He got a speech laden with this to Kourin in Episode 43 too.
91--> [[spoiler: '''Aichi''': Despair to the powerless, and all [[DrunkOnTheDarkSide glory to those with the]] [[PsychicPowers power]].]]
92* LightEmUp: His Units have a major light theme going on, probably in contrast to Ren's dark-themed Units.
93** [[spoiler: Is subverted in Episode 43.]]
94* LonelyRichKid: He doesn't look it, but the Sendous are well off enough for Emi to attend a private school, as well as Aichi himself in Season 3.
95* MadnessMantra: When he realizes that Kai might be watching his fight in Episode 48.
96--> [[spoiler: '''Aichi''': I have to become even stronger, or you won't give me recognition. I have to get stronger. I have to get stronger. I have to get stronger. More. More. I'm going to get stronger!]]
97* MeaningfulName: One possible meaning of the kanji for 'Sendou' is [[TitleDrop 'Vanguard']].
98* MindRape: Not as bad as [[spoiler: Kai's, but Aichi does suffer ones from both Ren in Season 1 and Takuto towards the end of Season 3.]]
99* NiceGuy: A very friendly and gentle kid who enjoys playing Vanguard for fun.
100* NotAMorningPerson: He can't get up without Emi to wake him up, and even then he looks rather dazed for a while afterwards.
101* TrueCompanions: Views the Royal Paladins as this. [[spoiler: Keeps the Shadow Paladins after Ren refuses to take them back for this reason, as they were also comrades who fought alongside him.]]
102* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: [[spoiler: Episode 41.]]
103* OutOfClothesExperience: Although when someone is imagined in their Vanguard in the manga, they are done so without clothes, Aichi [[spoiler: actually manifests in some form through Soul Saver Dragon during his fight with Ren via Psyqualia]] like this.
104* PostVictoryCollapse: On at least three separate occasions; at the Regional Tournaments after winning against a member of Team Fragrance, then again after his match with Kyou and at the Nationals, not only does he collapse, but completely passes out after winning against Gunji [[spoiler: though it's all due to the side-effects of Psyqualia]]. In the manga, he also does this after [[spoiler: winning against Ren.]]
105** It also occurs in the Asia-Hen finale [[spoiler: after winning against Leon and the Gold Paladins break the seal imprisoning the trapped clans then drive away Void,]] having to be caught by Leon.
106** And in Link Joker-Hen, after winning against and [[spoiler: unReversing Kourin, as well as defeating DiscOneFinalBoss Takuto.]]
107** [[spoiler: After Void beat Neve while in control of his body, fighting to regain control of himself]] immediately afterwards had the same effect.
108* PsychicPowers: [[spoiler: His Psyqualia, which gives him precognition of game-winning cards and [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity an evil persona]].]]
109** [[spoiler: As of the last episode of season 1, he's lost his Psyqualia.]]
110** [[spoiler: [[http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/inasoku/imgs/3/7/37f27058.jpg Guess who got it back.]]]]
111* PutOnABus: [[spoiler: Season 4 is centered around Aichi's disappearance so he won't appear for a while]]
112* RedEyesTakeWarning: In the manga, [[spoiler: coloured artwork of Aichi both using Psyqualia and since falling under Takuto's control have him with red eyes.]]
113* RedOniBlueOni: With Ren, and with Kai. Also blue to Naoki's red.
114** ColourCodedForYourConvenience: His fight gloves are blue.
115* SanitySlippage: [[spoiler: By the time he gets Psyqualia, he's clearly going through this. Even while under its influence, he jumps about.]] Contrast his fights with Kourin and Ryudou against those with Kyou, Bidou, [[spoiler: and especially, against Kai. And there's that EvilLaugh in his fight with Ren...]]
116* SealedEvilInACan / SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan: [[spoiler: The Quatre Knights have him sealed in the throne room, because of the seed of Link Joker that's inside him.]]
117* ShrinkingViolet: Male version.
118* ShirtlessScene: Averted for the beach episodes, played straight in the movie.
119* [[ShyBlueHairedGirl Shy Blue Haired Boy]]
120* SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids: [[spoiler:By Legion Mate, he informs Kai that while having friends and supporting each others is a good thing, there are some things that can't be achieved simply through ThePowerOfFriendship. Kai saves him anyway.]]
121* ThatManIsDead: [[spoiler: He dismisses Blaster Blade as merely a 'former avatar' when Kai confronts him with it in Episode 49]].
122* ThePowerOfFriendship: Aichi's style of play, especially when ''King of Knights, Alfred'' or ''Soul Saver Dragon'' is on the field, reflecting the Royal Paladins' emphasis on friends and allies working together.
123** [[spoiler: Is later subverted by Aichi personally in Episode 43.]]
124* TookALevelInBadass: Aichi's confidence and skill growth across the series builds up to this. [[spoiler: It finally happens in Episode 41, but with a side-order of DrunkWithPower.]] Though it's [[spoiler: instantly [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] when Kai and Ren demonstrate in quick succession that it was Aichi's Psyqualia, not Aichi himself, that was growing stronger.]]
125** [[spoiler: Beginning with standing up to Ren in episode 53, and thoroughly confirmed in his successive victories against Koutei in episode 56 and Ren in episode 65, Aichi now plays this trope completely straight as during Season 2 he finally has more wins than defeats compared to his barely break even record in Season 1.]]
126** Comparing Aichi to where the began in Season 1, his parallel position in High School and how he handles it speaks volumes about his growth. Rather than shrinking into the background, he takes the bull by the horns and even in effect, challenges the Student Council's disapproval of the Cardfight Club to spark a revolution in the student body's way of thinking towards Vanguard.
127* TemporarilyAVillain: [[spoiler:''TWICE!'']]
128* TrappedInAnotherWorld: [[spoiler: In Legion Mate-hen, where he's disappeared from Earth.]]
129* UnknownRival: Pretty much to Kai. [[spoiler: Tragically, this is what fuels Aichi's decent into darkness, believing what Kai wants is for him to grow stronger before he'll acknowledge him. Ironically, the reason Kai refuses to face Aichi is because of Psyqualia, sparking Aichi's FaceHeelTurn.]]
130* WeHaveReserves / YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler: Aichi's philosophy while using his Shadow Paladin deck and "realizing" that the Royal Paladins' "use of allies" was "inadequate".]]
131** [[spoiler: Kourin]] tries to get Aichi to realize just [[EvenEvilHasStandards how evil and despicable]] this is, [[spoiler: but ultimately fails]].
132** [[spoiler: [[HeelFaceTurn He eventualy goes back to his Royal Paladins and their]] ThePowerOfFriendship [[HeelFaceTurn theme now.]]]]
133* WellDoneSonGuy: Most of the first season has Aichi trying to get Kai to acknowledge him as strong so they can have a rematch. [[spoiler: When that doesn't work so well, he falls into the downwards spiral of using his Psyqualia.]]
134* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: [[spoiler: By Legion Mate, he's escalated from TheWoobie, all the way up to this.]]
135* YouAreWhatYouHate: [[spoiler: Ren's goal during their fight is to have Aichi fall under Psyqualia's influence once more and have this come true. He succeeds, though it's short-lived.]]
136** [[spoiler: Inheriting the seed of Link Joker in Legion Mate truly turns him into this. After the nightmare Kai's just been brought back from and no known way to save Aichi himself, he sees himself only as a timebomb, and rather than subject his friends to having to deal with him unleashing what they've just fought, he goes to the most extreme lengths imaginable to stop himself.]]
137* YinYangBomb: [[spoiler: Combines the Royal and Shadow Paladins at the end of the first season.]]
138--> [[spoiler: '''Aichi''': Light is not the only thing standing beside him. Darkness also stands by the King of Knights!]]
139** Taken to its logical conclusion with [[spoiler: Majesty Lord Blaster]].
140
141!! Toshiki Kai
142!!! Kagero (Seasons 1[[spoiler:, 3-4, & Movie]]) / Narukami (Seasons 2 & 3)/ [[spoiler: Link Joker]] (Season 3) / [[spoiler: Royal Paladins]] (Seasons 1 & 4)
143
144[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/KaiToshiki_6189.jpg]]
145
146-->''"Final Turn."''
147
148TheRival. Kai is a [[TheAce world-class]] Vanguard player with an almost perfect win-loss record. He is cold, unsociable and is always searching for [[BloodKnight strong opponents to train against]]. He is so [[InsufferableGenius confident in his own abilities]] that he will declare "[[CatchPhrase Final Turn]]" when he is certain of victory.
149
150[[spoiler:He was once a good friend to Ren, and together with Tetsu they made plans to form the ultimate Vanguard team "Foo Fighters". However, Ren became corrupted by Psyqualia in an effort to become as good as Kai, and unable to stop his friend from falling into darkness, Kai abandoned him and fled]].
151
152In the ''Link Joker'' arc, he becomes increasingly insecure about falling behind Aichi and Ren in terms of his Cardfighting ability. [[spoiler:He is [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashed]] into a "Reverse" fighter after losing a match against the possessed Takuto Tatsunagi. Consumed by his own lust for power, Kai switches to a Link Joker deck and begins to spread the influence of "Reverse" under Takuto's command. He later admits to being NotBrainwashed, having overpowered the influence of Link Joker through his own will but continued to exploit it for his personal goal of becoming the strongest Cardfighter. Regretting his actions, he had planned to quit Cardfighting until he is convinced to atone by Aichi]].
153
154He becomes the main character for the "Legion Mate" arc and seems to be the only one who remembers Aichi.
155
156->Voiced by: Creator/TakuyaSato (JP), Ryan Luhning (EN)
157----
158* TheAce: Kai has the best win record of the main characters, having lost all of four times. Averted in the Legion Mate arc, where he starts losing a majority of his matches.
159** BrokenAce: [[spoiler: As good as he is, Kai can't find fun in Vanguard any more after what happened between him and Ren until his first fight with Aichi. Even after that, what's happened to him over the past few years has completely changed him.]]
160* AloofAlly: Post-regionals, he has a tendency to basically let the rest of the team get on with it without him.
161** [[spoiler: Subverted in the Link Joker arc when he's willing to help Izaki get better, and even commenting that they fought their hardest as a team.]]
162* TheAtoner: [[spoiler: In Episode 49, it's revealed he feels guilty for not being able to stop Ren previously. His confrontation with Aichi in the same episode is his attempt to try and atone for his mistake and how he ran away from Ren.]]
163** Heavily by Episode 161, when he intends to [[spoiler: disappear, in some form, so that [[ItsAllMyFault his presence around Aichi won't endanger him or anyone else again]].]]
164** This continues into Season Four, with Kai outright stating that [[spoiler: he sees Aichi's disappearance and his task of finding him as punishment for his actions during the Link Joker incident.]]
165* BadassNormal: As confirmed in episode 44, [[spoiler: he does not have Psyqualia]], yet Ren respects him regardless, so this trope is in effect. It even gets a BadassBoast attached:
166--> '''Kai''': I will exceed that power.
167* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: The foundation of Aichi's obssession with him.
168* BloodKnight: He's always seeking powerful Vanguard opponents, to the point where it's possible to ''bribe'' him into a social activity with the promise of strong competition.
169** [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] in Link Joker-Hen. [[spoiler: Because Kai is so obsessed with finding stronger opponents and being the best for it at all costs, it's a constant self-destructive cycle that endangers his relationships and several worlds. It hits the point where even after a FaceHeelTurn, Kai is considering self-exile or worse simply because he feels there's no other way to stop it. Overlaps somewhat with StopHavingFunGuys.]]
170* {{Break The Badass}}[=/=]{{Break The Cutie}}: [[spoiler: Episode 128 did a massive number on him. Undergoing taunts from Takuto and backed into a corner by his Link Joker deck, Kai becomes visibly more distressed as the episode goes on until he completely breaks and ''stabs a version of himself''.]]
171* CantCatchUp: [[spoiler: He worries that this is happening in the third season, as Aichi continues to improve while he's still as strong as he was in the first season. His fears are confirmed after Morikawa, using a deck specifically made by Kai for that fight, is defeated by Aichi. Sure enough, it get deconstructed in Episode 128 where he gives in to Link Joker after taking one too many losses and becomes it's main enforcer.]]
172--> [[spoiler: '''Kai''': So...not even The End can reach Aichi now?]]
173* CatchPhrase: Several.
174--> Final Turn
175--> Stand up, ''the'' Vanguard
176** It's implied in Episode 49 that [[spoiler: he took up 'Final Turn' from Ren.]]
177*** [[spoiler: In exchange, Ren took ''the'' Vanguard from him.]]
178** In Season 4, it's slowly becoming "mate".
179* TheCorruptible: [[spoiler: Self-confessed, he admits that if there was another way of becoming stronger, even if it would endanger the world, he'd go for it because he's driven himself that far over the edge.]]
180* TheCorruption: [[spoiler: Link Joker/Void.]]
181* CrutchCharacter: For the majority of the first season, Kai is Q4's strongest duelist, and most of the team victories can be contributed to him and Kamui, as Aichi and Misaki are fairly new to the game, and needed time and experience to develop their skills. [[spoiler:He even ends up leaving the team during the second tournament after an argument with Aichi, and hasn't fought in the National Tournament since.]]
182* CynicalMentor: He doesn't really seem to care if Aichi succeeds or fails at first, and usually gets coaxed into providing support by Miwa.
183** [[spoiler: As of Episode 44, it may be that Kai is a {{Deconstruction}} of this. The reason he seems not to care is because he doesn't know what to do to stop Aichi falling to his Psyqualia and is possibly still filled with guilt for not preventing Ren's fall.]]
184* CynicismCatalyst: [[spoiler: The death of his parents viciously stripped away his cheerful personality, and in the space of about a year, more resembled himself at the time of Season 1. But Ren's corruption by Psyqualia worsened it still; when he returns to Hitsue, Miwa recognizes him, but Kai's by all accounts, a completely different person.]]
185* ADayInTheLimelight: He becomes central protagonist in Season 4.
186* DefectorFromDecadence: [[spoiler: He walks away from Team Foo Fighter after Ren becomes corrupted, rejecting Ren's WeCanRuleTogether.]]
187* DemotedToExtra: During Asia Circuit-Hen, [[spoiler: Kai joins up with New [=AL4=]]] and spends much of the season off-screen. He only really shows up during Seoul Stage, BeachEpisode, the Japan Stage and when the teams go to Cray, when he becomes relevant again.
188* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler: By the time of the final fight of Link Joker-hen, he's gone well past the line.]]
189* {{Deuteragonist}}: While it's not as obvious as with Aichi due to his habit of wandering off during the first two seasons, but the story does revolve around Kai a massive degree (he's even frequently mistaken as the protagonist to people unfamiliar with the show). By Link Joker, Aichi and Kai have switched positions in where they stand in viewing one another and as Legion Mate rolls around, Kai is full-time protagonist in [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Aichi's stead]].
190* TheDragon: [[spoiler: To Takuto and Void once he's willingly Reversed.]]
191* DullEyesOfUnhappiness: [[spoiler: After taking the power of Link Joker and stabbing a copy of himself, he's seen with these as it all hits what he's done.]]
192* DullSurprise: In the dub.
193* EvilLaugh: [[spoiler: After his FaceHeelTurn.]]
194* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler: Subverted. He joins Ren's team between episodes 77 and 79 but he doesn't seem to be antagonistic.]]
195** [[spoiler: Played straight in ''Link Joker''. Broken down by his fight against Takuto, Kai becomes desperate enough to accept the Link Joker and become an ally of Void.]]
196** HeelRealization: [[spoiler: Tells Aichi flat out that he is disgusted at the sins he committed and intends to get rid of himself from existence.]]
197** HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: It took Aichi's "YouAreNotAlone" speech to snap him out of it in #163.]]
198* FacialMarkings: [[spoiler: After accepting Link Joker, he has red markings underneath his eyes.]]
199* FallenHero: [[spoiler: In season 3, he accepts the power of Link Joker and becomes one of the antagonists.]]
200* FakeMemories: [[spoiler: In Season 2 he believes he has always run Narukami and Aichi has always run Gold Paladins. However, during his fight with Aichi, he briefly remembers Blaster Blade...]]
201* FinishingMove: If he says the words 'Final Turn', you're generally screwed.
202* HeroicSelfDeprecation: Although it's Aichi that ultimately saves the day, Kai's belief in himself and his role is so shot by [[spoiler: his rematch with Aichi while Reversed, that he's effectively suicidal, or at the very least, what he says heavily suggests so, and has driven himself to the point of believing that it's best for Aichi if he simply isn't around anymore. It takes Aichi reminding him that he was the one that let Aichi become the person he is before it even shakes Kai in any manner.]]
203** [[spoiler: He doesn't seem to have shaken off this belief by Legion Mate, either, after his [[NotSoStoic desperate insistence]] that he should look for Aichi alone [[TheAtoner so that he should be the only one to suffer for his atonement]].]]
204* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Miwa.
205* ImageSong: "Kibou no Shoumei"[[note]]"Proof of Hope"[[/note]], "Genkai BREAKTHROUGH", and "Mae wo Muite",
206* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler: By himself when he turns on his beliefs once pushed by Takuto and finalizing his Reverse.]]
207* IneffectualLoner: He spends much of the first three seasons in varying degrees, even down to [[spoiler: not winning his personal wars]], before finally shedding it altogether for Legion Mate.
208* IWillFindYou: [[spoiler: To Aichi in Legion Mate-hen.]]
209* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: [[spoiler: Grows out of this in Season 4 where he is the protagonist.]]
210* KillItWithFire: His Units tend to attack with fire.
211* KnightInShiningArmor: [[spoiler: In Episode 49 he uses Aichi's Royal Paladin Deck in an attempt to get through to him.]]
212** [[spoiler: And Legion Mate-hen when he plays the Royal Paladins' Seekers.]]
213** [[spoiler: In episode 167, it is revealed that he used to play Royal Paladins a long time ago]]
214* LargeHam: Not during everyday life, but when it comes to fights, Kai really likes to grandstand, especially when he's about to win.
215* LightEmUp: [[spoiler: Uses Royal Paladin in Season 4.]]
216* MindRape: [[spoiler: Undergoes a brutal one at the hands of Takuto in Episodes 127 and 128, leading to his FaceHeelTurn.]]
217* MinorLivingAlone: Since moving back to Hitsue at the age of 15-16.
218* MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold: Incredibly so. Because he's got a lot to be desired when it comes to explaining his motives and actions, he's regarded both within and beyond the characters around him as uncaring. But he is working to reaching the same end as the other characters want. [[spoiler: One instance in particular is the events which lead to his Reversal; he merely went in search of answers after witnessing Naoki's, and stayed to fend off Link Joker before it could pursue Aichi and Ren. He stayed with good intentions, but that matter gets lost in what it results in.]]
219* MoreThanMindControl: [[spoiler: Episode 162 reveals that he never let his heart be controlled by Link Joker, and kept reversing cardfighters fully aware that he would eventually have [[TheAtoner to pay the price for what he did.]] ]]
220* MyGreatestFailure: [[spoiler: Not being able to defeat Ren and stop him, then just 'running away'.]]
221* NotSoOmniscientAfterAll: [[spoiler: In Episode 44 a rather popular piece of fanon was shot down, Kai neither has nor knows about Psyqualia. It also nicely presents FridgeBrilliance as to why Kai was so vague with Aichi before, he has no idea what exactly Psyqualia does or how to prevent it.]]
222* ParentalAbandonment: [[spoiler: His parents died when he was younger. In the manga, they ran away without him when their business failed.]]
223* PostVictoryCollapse: After beating [[spoiler: Ren]] towards the end of Link Joker-Hen.
224* RedEyesTakeWarning: [[spoiler: His eyes gain a red tint once Reversed and during his fight with Tetsu, they become partially red at one point.]]
225** They outright turn red for one shot in Neon Messiah to drive home how livid he is after how Ibuki beats Aichi in Neon Messiah.
226* RedOniBlueOni: With Aichi and Miwa.
227* TheRival: PlayedWith throughout the series. Initially [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] in the first season since he and Aichi are teammates but played straight in the second season and during the beginning of the third season where they are on opposite teams during the Asia Circuit and the High School tournament. This trope is then [[InvokedTrope invoked]] at the end of the third season where Aichi declares that he and Kai will be rivals from now on.
228** RivalTurnedEvil [[spoiler: During the later part of season 3, after the possessed Takuto convince him to take up Link Joker.]]
229* ShockAndAwe: In season 2, he switch to a Narukami deck after the Kagero are sealed. He continues using them during the first half of the this season.
230** Most likely as a result of this, in the dub, Kai is his first name.
231* TheStoic: Kai rarely shows his emotions outside of a fight.
232** NotSoStoic: In episode 40, [[spoiler: when he realizes Aichi may be starting to depend too much on his Psyqualia.]]
233*** He's quite distraught about [[spoiler: losing to Ren in Episode 58, and losing his best chance at saving him]] and takes it out on Aichi.
234*** In Episode 64, [[spoiler: when Aichi slips back under Psyqualia's control]] Kai finally steps up and calls out to him with quite a bit of emotion behind his voice.
235*** The end of Episode 102.
236** Episodes 127 and 128. Big time.
237* SugarAndIcePersonality: Kai isn't really a bad guy, but he tends to have trouble expressing himself, so he mostly comes off as cold. But there are times when he can be genuinely kind or encouraging.
238* TemporarilyAVillain: [[spoiler: He's forced to become this after his encounter with the possessed Takuto, although it's later revealed that he willingly chose this path. Aichi eventually beats some sense into him.]]
239* ThatManIsDead: [[spoiler: Casts off his 'former' self by ''stabbing him''.]]
240* TookALevelInCheerfulness: Thanks to Aichi appearing in his life, Kai becomes happier and friendly which even prevents him from being cynical once again because Aichi proves himself to be his worthy opponent and [[spoiler: saving him from Link Joker's influence.]]
241* UsedToBeMoreSocial: Any flashback to Kai's time spent with Ibuki, Miwa and Aichi shows just what a CheerfulChild he used to be, in stark contrast to the time of the series.
242* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler: On the receiving end of one by Kourin in Episode 44 for effectively leading Aichi to Psyqualia and then abandoning him.]]
243* WhenHeSmiles: Becomes more and more prevalent as CharacterDevelopment sets in, [[https://31.media.tumblr.com/43e312eba3766a9ef0edadc2826af6f0/tumblr_n4oc9qbdNx1rhcwiyo1_1280.png but especially so come Season Four.]]
244* YouAreNotAlone: Aichi literally screams this at him in the penultimate episode of Link Joker-hen.
245** And he does it right back to Aichi at the climax of Legion Mate, just to emphasize the leagues he's grown in opening up to others since moving back to Hitsue.
246
247!!Misaki Tokura
248!!!Oracle Think Tank (Season 1 & 2) / Genesis (Season 3 & 4)
249
250[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TokuraMisaki_6851.jpg]]
251
252--> The beautiful goddess, shining radiantly.
253
254An employee at Card Capital, and the niece of the manager. She initially refuses to play but is coerced into trying the game by Shin. Although Misaki is the least-experienced and least-enthusiastic of Team Q4, she possesses a PhotographicMemory that gives her a powerful edge in the game.
255
256In ''Link Joker'', she joins Aichi's Cardfight Club as the fifth member.
257
258In "Legion Mate", despite her perfect memory, she doesn't remember Aichi. [[spoiler: Thanks to Kai's efforts in episode 2 of Season 4, she finally remembers him and vows to search for Aichi along with Kai and Naoki]].
259
260->Voiced by: Creator/IzumiKitta (JP), Carol-Anne Day (EN, original and G series), Natasha Strickey (EN, 2018 reboot)
261----
262* BreakTheCutie: [[spoiler: Haunted by the memories of her parents' death,]] she temporarily quit Q4.
263* DeadpanSnarker: On one memorable occasion, reacted to Morikawa's antics with a simple, "Noob."
264* DeathGlare: Don't make a ruckus in the shop, lest you get this.
265* ExpositoryHairStyleChange: As of Link Joker. Akari notes in the manga it's to start afresh after how much she's changed since meeting her team-mates.
266* FingerGun: In episode 62 when she calls Evil-eye Princess, Euryale, she does this to bind several of Asaka's cards.
267* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler: After Episode 24, but is snapped out of it in Episode 25.]]
268* ImageSong: "Yasashii Kioku"[[note]]"Gentle Memories"[[/note]], "Mirai e no Kakehashi", "EMOTION BIND!!", and "Honki Fight".
269* JapaneseDelinquents: She has a reputation for being the "Boss Lady" of Miyaji High, a title given to the leader of a female gang. She never actually ''does'' anything bad, meaning that she probably got the moniker due to her cold and standoffish personality, and her long skirt (which is traditionally associated with the attire of female delinquents).
270* NiceGirl: She might be snarky sometimes, distantly stoic and at first a delinquent but behind it all, she's actually a very kind girl who thinks of her friend's wellbeing first than herself especially Aichi and Chrono.
271* TheNicknamer: In Mini Vanguard, her contacts list is almost entirely nicknames for everyone.
272* NotSoAboveItAll: In episode 70 she initially acts all serious… until she briefly remains alone, at which point she takes a picture of herself – the same thing the other were doing earlier.
273* ParentalAbandonment: [[spoiler: Her parents died in a car accident when she was younger]]
274* PhotographicMemory: Arguably deconstructs the trope, due to [[spoiler: being forced to relive her parents deaths if she remembers it]].
275%%zce* TheSmartGirl: Of Team Q4.
276* TookALevelInCheerfulness: Realizing her parents would want her to be happy when playing Vanguard prompts Misaki giving herself a chance to ask Shin for a key to her small treasure chest containing a Vanguard deck constructed with love from her parents and wears the key around her neck in memory of them.
277* UsedToBeMoreSocial: Comparing Misaki in the flashbacks to her younger years and teenager self, like Kai, there's a stark contrast.
278* TheWorfEffect: Gets hit with this in the first half of season 2 against Limit Break units. While all of Team Q4 have lost any of their matches against said units, due in part to how she wouldn’t modify her deck because it was put together by her deceased parents. She gets better after Ren encourages her to try fighting him with a different clan.
279** [[spoiler: In season 4, she loses all of her onscreen fights, once to Kai before she had modified her deck and twice to Ratie. And this is after season 3, where she has an undefeated record.]]
280
281!!Kamui Katsuragi
282!!!Nova Grapplers
283
284[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/KatsuragiKamui_5540.jpeg]]
285[[caption-width-right:320:Seasons 1 through 4]]
286
287
288--> Attack, Asura Kaiser!
289
290The youngest of Team Q4. Kamui is bratty and overconfident, but proves to be an outstanding player with a deadly, aggressive play style. He is a frequent source of comic relief: mainly from his (unrequited) crush on Emi, and his [[{{Malaproper}} mispronunciation of certain words or phrases]].
291
292->Voiced by: Shizuka Ishikawa (JP), Melissa Dorsey (EN)
293----
294* AchillesInHisTent: [[spoiler: After a bad disagreement with Kai in Episode 26, Kamui sits out the first Nationals.]]
295* AlliterativeName
296* AttackAttackAttack: His Nova Grapplers focus on using Stand Triggers and Stand abilities to get out a veritable storm of attacks, fitting Kamui's aggressive playstyle.
297* BigBrotherMentor: Currently one to Chrono in season 5.
298* BigBrotherWorship: Played With. He is in love with Emi, and since Aichi is her big brother he often call Aichi his "big brother" to try to get close to her. He does eventually come to respect Aichi himself and see him as a true friend and powerful cardfighter to look up to.
299* BigGuy: Not size-wise, but has the attitude down pat.
300* BrattyHalfPint: Started out this way when he first appeared, but grew out of it as he learned to be nicer to his teammates.
301* CantSpitItOut: Even when given the opprotunity, he just can't tell Emi how he feels about her.
302* TheCorruption: [[spoiler: He has been Reversed by Kourin.]]
303* DemotedToExtra: In season 3.
304** Averted in Season 4 where he is shown to be part of the main cast alongside Kai, Misaki, Miwa and Naoki
305* FacialMarkings: [[spoiler: While Reversed.]]
306* HotBlooded
307* HumongousMecha: Many of his cards are designed this way.
308* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Very mouthy, disrespectful to only those above his Vanguard skills but very much a great friend to Aichi, Misaki, and Kai.
309* ImageSong: "Saikyou Ore-sama Ride!"[[note]]"Strongest Ride of Mine!"[[/note]] and "Saikyou TRIGGER".
310* LoveAtFirstSight: To Emi. It's unrequited.
311* {{Malaproper}}: Is constantly mangling phrases.
312* MouthyKid
313* PaperThinDisguise: [[spoiler: During Nationals. He fools pretty much no one.]]
314* YankTheDogsChain: No matter how many times he faces them, even after a deck change and resolve boost, he can't defeat Airman...er, Tetsu. Or Kai, for that matter.
315** ThrowTheDogABone: [[spoiler: In episode 98, he finally defeats Tetsu.]]
316*** [[spoiler: And in episode 171, he finally beats Kai!]]
317* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler:Gets pulverized, and then stretchered out by Ibuki in ''Neon Messiah''.]]
318
319[[/folder]]
320
321[[folder: Allies]]
322
323!!Taishi Miwa
324!!!Kagero (Season 1, 3 & 4) / Narukami (Season 2)
325
326[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Miwa_5710.jpg]]
327
328A childhood friend of Kai. Miwa is far more personable and social than Kai, but tolerates his friend's standoffish nature due to their bond of friendship. Because Kai is so antisocial, it often falls to Miwa to act as the first point of social contact or to explain Kai's true feelings. He is also a skilled Vanguard player, having sparred regularly with Kai.
329
330From the second season onwards, he gets a part-time job at Card Capital to fill in for Misaki and Shin in their absence. As the most skilled player in the room, he often acts as the CombatCommentator for the VF Circuit matches.
331
332In Legion Mate, he's one of the main characters, alongside Kai, Misaki, Naoki and Kamui.
333
334->Voiced by: Creator/ShowtaroMorikubo (JP), Jonathan Lachlan-Stewart (EN, Season 1), Joel Crichton (EN, seasons 2-3, 6-8), Alex Bergen (EN, 2018 reboot)
335----
336* AscendedExtra: [[spoiler: After spending the first 3 seasons as part of the supporting cast, he becomes part of the main cast alongside Kai, Misaki, Naoki and Kamui in Season 4.]]
337* CombatCommentator: As the one of the most skilled of those constantly on the sidelines, he tends to take on this role. Lampshaded by Izaki in episode 91, when he's not there and [[ButtMonkey Morikawa]] expresses confusion about what's going on.
338--> '''Izaki''': If only Miwa was here...
339** TheSmartGuy
340* [[spoiler: TheCorruption: He has been Reversed by Kai.]]
341* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Turns out to be a pretty good player.
342* DeadpanSnarker
343* [[spoiler: FacialMarkings: While Reversed.]]
344* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Kai. Which of course breeds a lot of HoYay.
345* ImageSong: "Welcome!! Miwa Taishi!!" and "I'm On Your 'Rear-Side'"!
346* OnlySaneMan: He's usually the first to react ''normally'' to some of the more fantastic elements of the series, like a giant holographic dragon swooping straight past him.
347* RealMenWearPink: During the summer arc, he wears a pink hoodie.
348* RedOniBlueOni: With Kai.
349
350!!Emi Sendou
351!!!Bermuda Triangle
352
353[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Emi_3713.jpg]]
354
355Aichi's little sister, who in some ways is more responsible and level-headed than him. Having witnessed the positive change that Vanguard brings out in her brother, she takes up the game herself and becomes a skilled junior player. She has a habit of choosing the cards in her deck based solely on which are "the cutest", but manages to pull together a solid strategy anyway. She is often the first to worry about Aichi when he is in a tough situation or match.
356
357->Voiced by: Creator/AtsukoEnomoto (JP), Wendy Morrison (EN)
358----
359* BigSisterInstinct: Inverted. She's the younger sister but really protective of Aichi when he gets bullied at school.
360* ImageSong: "Egao ni Eeru".
361* NiceGirl: Like Aichi, she's very friendly, calm and cheerful.
362* ObliviousToLove: She never seems to catch on to the fact that Kamui obviously has a crush on her.
363* TokenMiniMoe
364* TookALevelInBadass: Once she gets the hang of Vanguard, she's quite good at it.
365
366!!Shinemon "Shin" Nitta
367
368[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Shin_8938.jpeg]]
369
370Manager of Card Capital. Misaki's uncle. Later he becomes manager of Team Q4 and acts as a kindly, big brother-ish mentor to them.
371
372->Voiced by: Shuuta Morishima (JP), Scott Roberts (EN)
373----
374
375* BumblingDad: Isn't actually a dad, but fits the other criteria.
376* ButtMonkey: Though to a much lesser extent than Morikawa.
377* NiceGuy: Even if anyone keeps pressuring him, he's remarkably patient throughout every scenario and gives out great helpful advice to anyone playing Vanguard.
378* PromotionToParent: [[spoiler: To Misaki after her parents died.]]
379* ScaryShinyGlasses: It's not really scary, but yeah, his glasses tend to cover his eyes. When his eyes, appear, [[TearJerker well....]]
380
381!!Katsumi Morikawa
382!!!Random Clans (but plenty of Grade 3s)
383
384[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Morikawa_2662.jpg]]
385
386--> [[MaliciousMisnaming MY NAME IS KATSUMI!]]
387
388Aichi's classmate. He was introduced as a bully, but quickly became Aichi's friend over their shared love of Vanguard. Although he boasts of his incredible skills at Vanguard, he is completely obsessed with Grade 3 units and has no sense of deck balance, resulting in a very poor win-loss record. [[spoiler:When given a correctly-balanced deck, he is revealed to be an outstanding player]].
389
390->Voiced by: Creator/NoriakiSugiyama (JP), Lucas Gilbertson (EN, original and G series), Jonathan Molinski (EN, 2018 reboot)
391----
392* ButtMonkey: He is the loser of the group, the guy who ''almost'' never wins.
393* CripplingOverspecialization: Morikawa's obsession with Grade 3s means he constantly overloads his deck with them, causing him to lose every single time. To put this in context, the recommended number of Grade 3s in a deck is 7-9; Morikawa has ''over 25''.
394* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Episode 51 proves that [[spoiler:with a well-balanced deck, he really IS a strong player!]]
395** Episode 112 goes a step farther: [[spoiler:he is able to instantly master Kai's Kagero deck despite having ''never seen it before'', and uses an ingenious combination of Break Ride and Persona Blast to attack with his Vanguard ''three times'' in one turn]].
396* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: Despite losing many times, he blames it on bad luck (alignment of the stars, bad omens, etc.). And he still gets Grade 3s for his deck.
397* HotBlooded: Despite his terrible record, you can't deny his passion for the game.
398* InstantExpert: Yes, really. While he's a terrible deck builder, Season 3 shows that[[spoiler: after being given Kai's deck, he is able to use it perfectly ''despite having never seen it before the match''.]]
399* LimitedWardrobe: Summer outfit aside, Morikawa is always in his [[SchoolUniformsAreTheNewBlack school uniform]].
400* MaliciousMisnaming: It's KATSUMI! Not Lose-umi!
401* NonIndicativeName: "Katsu" means victory. Katsumi has never won a single fight.
402** [[spoiler: But in Episode 51, he wins every fight he's in.]]
403* PluckyComicRelief: Morikawa's antics are always a source of humor in the show.
404* ShooOutTheClowns: This happens to him and Izaki in the second half of Link Joker, after the plot takes a darker turn. Also, aside from a few brief appearances, they are completely absent from the plot in Legion Mate.
405* SmallNameBigEgo: Claims to be the strongest Vanguard fighter at Card Capital but always loses thanks to his deck having imbalanced cards mostly at grade 3.
406* StalkerWithACrush: Towards Kourin.
407* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Only a few characters seem to genuinely like having Morikawa around, while most of the other characters tend to just tolerate him.
408* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Gives this off during Q4's first match at the Regionals when their opponents use snake-like Kagero units.
409** Ironically he has one of those units in his deck.
410
411!!Yuta Izaki
412!!!Tachikaze
413
414[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Izaki_7914.jpg]]
415
416Morikawa's best friend. He acts as the straight man to Morikawa's antics, but comes off as TheGenericGuy in most other respects.
417
418->Voiced by: Takayuki Yamaguchi (JP), Jeff Watson (EN, seasons 1 and 2), Brett Bauer (EN, season 3 and onward)
419----
420* CantCatchUp: [[spoiler:A flashback in the Link Joker arc shows that this has been bothering him with regards to Aichi. However, thanks to his fellow teammates, he was able to subvert this and [[TookALevelInBadass take a level in badass]].]]
421* ShooOutTheClowns: This happens to him and Morikawa in the second half of Link Joker, after the plot takes a darker turn. Also, aside from a few brief appearances, they are completely absent from the plot in Legion Mate.
422* TheGenericGuy
423* ThoseTwoGuys: With Morikawa.
424** It's to the point where at one point Kamui actually combines both Morikawa and Izaki's names to call Izaki: Morizaki.
425%%* TookALevelInBadass
426
427[[/folder]]
428
429!!Introduced in Season 1
430[[folder: Team [=AL4=] (Foo Fighter/Asteroid)]]
431
432!!Ren Suzugamori
433!!! Royal Paladins (Prior to Season 1)/ Shadow Paladins (Season 1, 3 & 4) / Gold Paladins (Season 2)
434
435[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Ren_5289.png]]
436
437--> Where there is light, there is darkness. That's one of a pair of truths.
438
439The leader of Team Foo Fighter[[note]]Team Asteroid in the dub[[/note]], the current National Champion and the BigBad of the first season. Ren may seem at times to be [[CloudCuckoolander spacy]], but he has a vicious and sadistic personality that truly reveals itself during Vanguard matches. His outstanding abilities command the respect of everyone around him.
440
441He is actually a Psyqualia user, and can thus foresee the outcome of his matches. However, his overuse of Psyqualia has corrupted his original, gentle personality. He was once a good friend to Kai, but [[spoiler:was abandoned by him after Ren began to abuse Psyqualia, ironically so that Kai would acknowledge him as an equal]].
442
443In the second season, because of the changes to history, Ren never discovered the power of Psyqualia and is still a good friend of Kai. Free from its influence, he is shown to be a gifted and playful competitor who treats Vanguard as a game to be enjoyed. [[spoiler:He reawakens his Psyqualia power during his first game against Aichi, and although he reverts to his previous corrupted personality during their match, he seems unaffected by it after it ends]].
444
445In the third season, he attends Fukuhara high school with Asuka and Suiko and has returned to using a Shadow paladin deck, centered around the Revengers cards.
446
447->Voiced by: Creator/AtsushiAbe (JP), Roger Rhodes (EN)
448----
449* TheAce
450* AbusiveParents: [[spoiler: In the manga. Ren's father pushed him to be a "perfect winner" and taught him “in this world, there are only two types of people: the losers who are laughed at, and those who laugh at them.”]]
451* BadassBoast: Makes a rather ominous one to Kenji right before [[spoiler: beating him with Blaster Dark]]. He has another one, repeated when he summons his trump card.
452--> [[IronicEcho Champions crowned with glory]]... however, there was something that even they were no match for. Where there is light, there is darkness. That's one of a pair of truths. And light can only be swallowed up by darkness... that's a truth, too! Appear from the everlasting darkness, dark spirits!
453--> Crying out in despair in the chaos called silence... the power of shadowy darkness, obscuring all vision, is mine!
454* BadassLongcoat: As a bonus, it even has proto-ShouldersOfDoom.
455* BewareTheSillyOnes: He is a massive klutz and CloudCuckooLander, so much that not even the Psyqualia can erase all of it. He is also one of the most powerful fighters in the series, with or without Psyqualia. Unless your name is Aichi Sendou or you have the void power to back you up, you ''will'' lose against his Shadow Paladin.
456* BigBad: Of the first season. [[spoiler: However, there appears to be a GreaterScopeVillain out there somewhere...]]
457* BigDamnHeroes: Comes to [[Kai, Naoki, and Gaillard's help alongside Leon in season 4.]]
458* BrokenAce: [[spoiler: We have a few minor hints that Ren wasn't always this way.]]
459** Confirmed in Episode 49. [[spoiler: Ren used to be a nice guy before his Psyqualia corrupted him.]]
460* CloudCuckooLander: Ren was a kind of weird kid[[spoiler: before he was corrupted by Psyqualia]]. It still shows a little bit in his personality even now.
461** [[spoiler:In Episode 80 when he doesn't have Psyqualia. He spends the entire episode up until he receives Qualia again making the strangest and [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments funniest]] observations and comments possible.]]
462** TheDitz: Coupled with the above, he couldn't even tell that Joker X was Tetsu.
463* TheCorrupter: [[spoiler: To Aichi, though interestingly he serves only to push Aichi off the edge. Aichi had already taken his own steps towards Psyqualia, Ren just helps him along the path.]]
464* TheCorruption: [[spoiler: Psyqualia.]]
465* DarkIsEvil: Dresses in black and uses a deck comprised of evil knights, witches, and dark dragons.
466* DarkIsNotEvil: After his defeat at the end of season 1. He still uses his Shadow Paladin deck, or the remnants of the Shadow Paladin that joined the Gold Paladins in season 2, but he's no longer an antagonist.
467* EvilCounterpart: To Aichi. His deck is full of darker versions of Aichi's cards, especially Blaster Dark to Aichi's Blaster Blade.
468** Episode 49 hammers it home, showing that [[spoiler: Ren was essentially a more cheerful Aichi before he acquired Psyqualia.]]
469* EvilRedhead: [[spoiler:Only during season 1.]]
470* ExactWords: Used to great effect during Legion Mate to manipulate the situation. He promises to maintain a neutral stance, and he does by refusing to reveal the truth to Kai at first and then putting it behind the condition of Kai beating him a fight, not breaking his promise since this takes it out of his hands. [[spoiler: He then lets Kai win by no guarding the final attack despite having more than enough shield in hand, and is thus "forced" to reveal the truth to him.]]
471* HesBack: Somewhat. Season 3 marks a return of his more serious and darker personality from the first season as opposed to the NiceGuy of the second, [[spoiler: because his memories and his Shadow Paladins have been unsealed.]] He's still much more relaxed and friednly though.
472* HiddenAgendaVillain: [[spoiler: We don't know what he plans to do beyond winning the national championship. He mentions [[TakingOverTheWorld taking over Japan]] to Kai, but it's unkwown wether he was serious or not.]]
473* ImageSong: "THE END OF TURN", "LET'S JOIN THE VANGUARD", and "Shumatsu no Prelude".
474* {{Invocation}}:
475--> Appear from the everlasting darkness, dark spirits! I Ride... Blaster Dark!
476--> [[spoiler: Envelop everything in darkness, my avatar! I Ride... Blaster Dark Revenger!]]
477* {{Jerkass}}: Infamous for it.
478* KnightOfCerebus: Prior to his arrival, Vanguard was relatively light-hearted and normal by card game anime standards. Afterward... well, in the episode right after his appearance, [[spoiler: Misaki suffers a breakdown brought on by the memory of her parents' deaths]]. Ren is most definitely the bringer of CerebusSyndrome to Vanguard.
479* {{Leitmotif}}: While he's occasionally associated with Psyqualia's theme, his grade 3 rides and Final Turns during Season 1 are typically paired with "Ren's Power". [[spoiler: Which makes its return in Season 3, when he decides to treat his Reversed Teammates seriously.]]
480* MightMakesRight: One of his beliefs while corrupted by his Psyqualia
481--> '''Ren''': It's as I said. The powerless fall into despair... and those with power get all the glory.
482* OhCrap: [[spoiler: Has a very satisfying moment of uncertainty when Aichi's darker side point out that neither of them can predict the outcome of their battle. To his credit, he recovers almost immediately.]]
483* PsychicPowers: Psyqualia, which he introduced.
484** [[spoiler: He's implied to have lost this at the end of Season 1, along with Aichi.]]
485** [[spoiler: And as of Episode 80, he has it again. [[SarcasmMode Great.]]]]
486* PsychoticSmirk: When he doesn't go for a straight-up SlasherSmile.
487* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Has Red hair and a black outfit, and is the BigBad. [[spoiler: Averted after the end of season 1.]]
488* RedEyesTakeWarning
489* RedOniBlueOni: He and Aichi match each other this way. Complete with ColorCodedForYourConvenience.
490* RefugeInAudacity: Delivering a TakeThat to every Cardfighter in Japan on national TV.
491--> '''Ren''': Please continue doing your best at wasting time and effort.
492* SecretKeeper: He knows about [[spoiler: Aichi sealing himself away in season 4.]]
493* SeriousBusiness: Card games are to him, apparently. Probably due to his Psyqualia.
494* ShouldersOfDoom: Sports one only in Season 1. Drops it when he become a nice guy. Lampshaded by Bushiroad's staff as they are a sign of a "Last Boss" character.
495* SlasherSmile: All the time. He exaggerates it in episode 63.
496* SmugSuper: His speech before the finals of the second nationals more or less consists of "Congratulation for making it this far. Too bad I have psychic powers that make me unbeatable. Have fun!"
497* TakeOverTheWorld: [[spoiler: [HiddenAgendaVillain Possibly]] his aim, as he mentions this in [[spoiler: Kai's flashback in Episode 49.]] Of course, he could have been lying. [[HiddenAgendaVillain Who]] [[{{Jerkass}} knows]].
498* NiceGuy: [[spoiler: Before he gets Psyqualia, and after he loses it]].
499* NotSoDifferentRemark: Frequently proclaims this to Aichi later on, based on the fact that [[spoiler: they both sought overwhelming power and received Psyqualia.]]
500--> '''Ren''': Wanting power, seeking to become stronger than anyone... that is truly the true Aichi lurking within you. Yes, just like me!
501* UsedToBeASweetKid: [[spoiler: Before he got Psyqualia.]]
502* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: After Aichi's speech to him in Episode 53, Ren looks noticably shaken, and he later has a flashback to the speech. This may suggest a larger breakdown later on...]]
503** Which happens 12 episodes later, [[spoiler: when Aichi rides Majesty Lord Blaster and says he's through rejecting Ren and Psyqualia.]]
504---> [[spoiler: '''Ren''': I won't accept anyone!]]
505* WarriorPoet: Before his match with Koutei, the two have a little banter regarding Koutei's team name. Ren later provides an IronicEcho of this banter before delivering an ominous speech.
506* WillinglyWeak: Downplayed, but his fight against Kai in Legion Mate is mostly to test his resolve. Once he is satisfied with it, he lets Kai win on purpose.
507* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler:Ren is the first to fall at the hands of Ibuki just to show how dangerously skilled he ''really'' is compared to the previous {{Big Bad}}s, including Aichi himself.]]
508
509!!Tetsu Shinjou
510!!!Dark Irregulars
511
512[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Tetsu_2157.jpg]]
513
514--> Friends...With that attitude, you can never be the strongest.
515
516Ren's second-in-command and the number two of Foo Fighter. Known as the "General" of [=AL4=]. A very gruff and serious person, he's completely loyal to Ren. [[spoiler: One of the founding members of Foo Fighter, along with Ren and Kai.]]
517
518->Voiced by: Creator/TetsuInada (JP), William Scott (EN)
519
520----
521* AntiVillain: He's a NobleDemon. [[spoiler: And that's without mentioning how he refuses to abandon Ren in Episode 49's flashback.]]
522* AllThereInTheManual: His surname was only revealed through the official website. In-series he registers in tournaments as "Tetsu" alone.
523** His surname is finally spoke on-screen in [[spoiler: Kai's flashback in Episode 49]].
524* [[spoiler: TheCorruption: Was Reversed by Kai and then snapped out of it when Ren defeated him.]]
525* DarkIsEvil
526* TheDanza: Shares the same given name with his voice actor, Creator/TetsuInada.
527* TheDragon: To Ren. However, [[spoiler: Episode 49 indicates that he stands by Ren because he can't bring himself to abandon him, as opposed to supporting his aims.]]
528--> '''Tetsu''': I can't desert Ren.
529* EvilCounterpart: To Kai. [[spoiler: Both are the immediate supporters to TheHero and the BigBad respectively. While Kai deserted Ren after he became addicted to Psyqualia, Tetsu remained at Ren's side and refused to abandon him.]]
530* EvilSoundsDeep: He has possibly the deepest voice of any character so far.
531* [[spoiler: FacialMarkings: While Reversed.]]
532* LargeAndInCharge: Second-in-command actually, but still runs with the trope.
533* TheLegionsOfHell: His Dark Irregulars include quite a few demonic units, particularly his ''Demon World Marquis Amon''.
534* [[spoiler: MindControlEyes: While Reversed.]]
535* NobleDemon: Most of the time, he's quite reasonable, if gruff.
536* PaperThinDisguise: [[spoiler: During the Japan stage of the Asia Circuit. Even though it's obvious who he is Ren, Morikawa and Kamui don't recognize him.]]
537* RedBaron: The General.
538* SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids: To Kamui, after hearing a speech explaining why he'll never surrender because he has his friends.
539--> '''Tetsu''': Friends...With that attitude, you can never be the strongest.
540* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: To Aichi.
541--> '''Tetsu''': This is the form which best suits your power.
542
543!!Asaka Narumi
544!!!Pale Moon
545
546[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Asaka_9094.jpg]]
547
548--> Ever since then, I've been fighting only for Ren-sama.
549
550The number three of Foo Fighter. Known as the "Assassin" of [=AL4=]. She's [[SubordinateExcuse devoted to Ren]], and fights to get his acknowledgement.
551
552->Voiced by: Creator/HitomiNabatame (JP), Laura Rushfeldt (EN)
553
554----
555* TheCorruption: [[spoiler: Was Reversed for a time until she snapped out of it when Ren defeated her.]]
556* DistaffCounterpart: She resembles an older, genderswapped Aichi.
557* EvilCounterpart: To Misaki.
558* FacialMarkings: [[spoiler: While Reversed.]]
559* IcyBlueEyes
560* LargeHam: She likes to ham it up when she's cardfighting, treating her turns as a big show, in keeping with her deck's circus theme.
561* LoveMakesYouCrazy: [[spoiler: Her desperation to be noticed by Ren is amplified by Void and turns this up.]]
562* MindControlEyes: [[spoiler: While Reversed.]]
563* RedBaron: The Assassin.
564* SubordinateExcuse: For Ren.
565
566!!Kyou Yahagi
567!!!Spike Brothers (Seasons 1 - 3)/Megacolony (Season 2)
568
569[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/YahagiKyou_2099.jpg]]
570
571An egomaniacal SmugSnake. He begins as the fourth member of [=AL4=], but gets kicked out after losing a tournament match (and due to his [[TheStarscream obvious aspirations for Ren's position]]). Blackballed from professional Vanguard, he forms his own TerribleTrio with other rejects called "Team Avenger" and vows revenge, becoming the show's resident GoldfishPoopGang.
572
573->Voiced by: Creator/AkenoWatanabe (JP), Cole Howard (EN)
574
575----
576* BeetleManiac: In season 2, after switching clans to Megacolony. At one point he even parades around in a giant beetle costume.
577* BewareTheSillyOnes: Downplayed but, as mentioned afterward, despite his ButtMonkey status he ''is'' one of the best fighters in the series, and will defeat anyone who isn't a main character or the season's BigBad (as Gouki can testify), and even then he was ''this'' close to defeat a void-backed Leon in Asia Circuit. It's just too bad that all of his onscreen fights involve one of the fighters that are above him. However, he is one of the three characters (the other being Misaki and Ninja Master Neo) to went through Link Joker undefeated, and that's despite being forced into grueling, repeated fights to hold back TheHorde, and facing some powerful enemies such as the reversed team Brilliant Stars.
578* {{ButtMonkey}}/{{The Chew Toy}}: Especially in the Minivan anime, where the main gag [[EnsembleDarkhorse centers around him pretty much once every two episodes]]. In this adaptation he is still part of [=AL4=], but the rest of the team blatantly ignore him. He is also the first AL4 member to lose, and to add insult to the injury it happens early one, while all the others wouldn't suffer a defeat until the finale.
579* BraggartBoss
580* BrattyHalfPint
581* BreakTheHaughty: When he is defeated for the first time, he's left in an utter state of shock, he screams in fear of Ren as he runs back to [=AL4=]’s bench, and he spends the next two episodes curled up and trembling. After he is kicked out of [=AL4=], he swears revenge against Ren while laughing like he has gone crazy. During his fight against Aichi, he keeps hallucinating about Ren and trembling some more, and when he finally loses, he falls to the ground, only to have a final vision of Ren which makes him cry a horrific, agonizing scream... Kyou becomes notably less arrogant after going through all of this in the 1st season.
582* TheDeterminator: It must be said, he ''never'' gives up on defeating the most powerful characters. Even directly after being brutally defeated and [[MindRape mind-raped]] by [[spoiler: Aichi]], he's still ranting about how he'll fight again and win.
583** This is a guy who refused to move out of the way of an ''avalanche'' to finish a Cardfight.
584* EvilCounterpart: To Kamui, kind of.
585* GoldfishPoopGang: He and the rest of Team Avengers are this.
586* HumiliationConga: First he's utterly crushed by Kai, after [[SmugSnake bragging about how he'd beat him.]] Then he gets kicked out of [=AL4=], blackballed by every other card shop (because no-one wants to incur the wrath of Ren), finally breaks down after seeing Ren on television, then even after pulling himself together enough to form his own team, he gets crushed by [[spoiler: Aichi]] with a dose of MindRape on top.
587** In a much more light-hearted manner, every appearance he makes in Season 2 is a part of one.
588* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: From Season 2 onwards. He just keeps trying without success.
589* JustifiedTutorial: His battle with Leon in Season 2 (and the reason Kyou switches clans) is basically to demonstrate how a well-built Megacolony deck can shut down an Aqua Force deck. [[spoiler:He plays a near-perfect game but still loses because... well, it's Kyou]].
590* LaughingMad: During his flashback in Episode 41 when he sees Ren on a TV. [[spoiler: And again when Aichi's prediction about the end of their match comes true.]]
591* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: Feels this way towards Ren. This is especially apparent in season 3, as he pulls a YouShallNotPass on the [[spoiler:Link Joker possessed]] Fukuhara students trying to fight Ren simply because he doesn't want any of them to defeat Ren before he does.
592* OvershadowedByAwesome: Objectively speaking, Kyou is one of the top Vanguard fighters in the series. The problem is that he's not ''quite'' as good as the top-tier players, who he always ends up fighting. To wit, his five on-screen losses have been to Kai ([[InvincibleHero who never loses]]), two Psyqualia users (which gives them an unfair supernatural advantage) and Tetsu (who was already his superior in [=AL4=]).
593* RedBaron: "Crusher" Kyou.
594* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: After he's thrown out of Foo Fighters, he forms Team Avengers to try and get revenge for his humiliation.
595* SmugSnake
596* StalkerWithoutACrush: Although he spent season 2 traveling around the world to become stronger, from season 3 onwards all of his appearances, without exception, consist in him stalking Ren and/or trying to challenge him to a fight.
597* TheStarscream: Attempts to beat Kai in order to usurp Ren, but it backfires. Horribly.
598* ThrowTheDogABone: Ren finally acknowledges him and calls him by name in episode 129.
599** Could count as YankTheDogsChain since this gets Kyou’s hopes up that if he helps Ren, Ren will feel grateful enough to fight him. Once Ren is done with his mission however, he nonchalantly leaves a very frustrated Kyou behind.
600** As mentioned above, despite still treating him as the ButtMonkey, Link Joker acknowledges his valor by making him go through it all without losing or being reversed.
601* {{Tsundere}}: 3 seasons in, he is still obsessed with taking revenge on Ren, but the latter only needs to call him by his name to make Kyou smile and blush awkwardly. In Ride to Victory you even get the option to tell him that his charming point is "your tsundere side".
602** In Minivan, he gives Ren a present for his birthday while blushing and looking away, claiming that [[BlatantLies "I bought it for myself, but since it wasn't the right size..."]].
603* UnknownRival: To Ren. In the anime, he's trying to overthrow Ren and take his place. In the manga, he simply wants to impress him as, even though he's part of [=AL4=], Ren doesn't even acknowledge him or even remember his name.
604* VillainousBreakdown: When he realizes Kai will beat him. [[spoiler: And then again in Episode 42.]]
605* WhiteHairBlackHeart
606* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler:He is among the seven Messiah Scramble participants whom Ibuki defated in the movie.]]
607
608[[/folder]]
609
610[[folder: Team Handsome]]
611A National-level Cardfight Team who own and operate the hobby store "Shop Handsome". They are the finalists in Team Q4's first Regional Tournament.
612
613!!Gouki Daimonji
614!!!Granblue
615
616The leader of Team Handsome and also the manager of his own card shop Shop Handsome. Kamui learnt from him the secret of inner strength and looks up to Gouki as his idol.
617
618->Voiced by: Creator/KentaroIto (JP), Adam Hunter (EN)
619
620----
621
622* AFatherToHisMen
623* BigBrotherInstinct: To both Kamui and his biological little sister Nagisa. In fact, he meets Aichi because of this: [[spoiler: he mistakes Kamui as being in a relationship with Aichi and saw him as a 'home-wrecker']].
624* [[spoiler: TheCorruption: He has been Reversed off screen by an unknown reverse fighter. He's get better.]]
625* [[spoiler: FacialMarkings: While Reversed.]]
626* LargeHam
627* TheLeader
628* [[spoiler: MindControlEyes: While Reversed.]]
629
630!!Nagisa Daimonji
631!!!Nova Grappler
632
633Gouki's little sister. She is in love with Kamui, but the same can't be said for him...
634
635->Voiced by: Creator/RyoHirohashi (JP), Katie [=McMillan=] (EN)
636
637----
638
639* AbhorrentAdmirer: For Kamui. She loves him but he's not interested.
640* TheCorruption: [[spoiler: She gets Reversed with the rest of Team Handsome.]]
641* FacialMarkings: [[spoiler: While Reversed.]]
642* LoveMakesYouCrazy: [[spoiler: Like Asaka, her feelings for Kamui are the driving force that sends her wild while controlled by Void.]]
643* MindControlEyes: [[spoiler: While Reversed.]]
644* StalkerWithACrush
645* Yandere: [[spoiler: Thanks to Reverse.]]
646
647!!Kaoru "Ka-boom" Komatsubara
648!!!Granblue
649
650A member of Team Handsome
651
652->Voiced by: Creator/YuutoKazama (JP), Corby Proctor (EN)
653
654----
655
656* [[spoiler: TheCorruption: Also been Reversed off screen like Gouki.]]
657* InSeriesNickname: Ka-Boom. (Ja-pan in the Japanese dub)
658* [[spoiler: MindControlEyes: While Reversed.]]
659* VerbalTic: Ka-Boom. [[spoiler: When Reversed, he says Brazil, which according to Dr. O, is the total opposite of Japan (Japan being located on the Northeast of the world map while Brazil in the Southwest), signifying his Reversed status.]]
660
661[[/folder]]
662
663[[folder: Team Caesar]]
664A world-class team first introduced in the Nationals. After [[spoiler: Ren effortlessly defeats them in the finals]], they hold the Caesar Vanguard Training Camp for Q4, creating an Upperclassman-Underclassman type relationship between the two teams.
665
666!!Kenji "Koutei" Mitsusada
667!!!Dimension Police
668
669[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kenji_1938.png]]
670
671The leader of Team Caesar. His nickname is derived from the kanji for 'emperor', fitting Kenji's knowledge of Roman history. Relaxed and easy-going, he doesn't seem much like a champion-level player, but proves his mettle when his team reach the finals of the Nationals. [[spoiler: However, he is crushed by Ren when the latter calls on his Psyqualia and his Blaster Dark]].
672
673->Voiced by: Creator/KenjiAkabane (JP), Jeff Punyi (EN)
674
675----
676* TheAce: He's up there with Ren at the top of the nation's players.
677* AlternateCharacterReading: Mitsusada (光定) = ''koutei'' = emperor (皇帝).
678* BackToBackBadasses: With Leon in episode 138.
679* BadassLongcoat
680* TheCorruption: [[spoiler:Reversed by Kai in episode 135. He gets better once he loses to Leon.]]
681* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler:On the recieving end of one at Ren's hands during the finals of the first Nationals]].
682* TheDanza: Shares the same given name with his voice actor, Kenji Akabane.
683* [[spoiler: FacialMarkings: While Reversed.]]
684* HotBlooded: His [[spoiler: Final Turn]] in Episode 82 features Koutei acting like a super robot anime protagonist. Complete with CallingYourAttacks at the top of his voice.
685--> [[spoiler: BURNING JUSTICE SWOOORRRDDD!!!]]
686* [[spoiler: MightMakesRight: When Reversed.]]
687* [[spoiler: MindControlEyes: While Reversed.]]
688* NiceGuy: Incredibly so, no matter how rude someone is to him.
689* [[spoiler: [[PutOnABus Put On A Plane]]: Announced that he was going to study at the Singapore Institute of Technical Studies.]]
690** [[spoiler: [[TheBusCameBack The Plane Came Back]]: Returns in episode 135 with a new and improved Dimension Police deck, only to get reversed by Kai.]]
691* RedBaron: 'Koutei' - The Emperor.
692* ShrinkingViolet: Of sorts. He hates being to center of attention when not cardfighting, but in a match he can easily reach super robot anime protagonist levels of HotBlooded, as shown in episodes 82 and 86.
693* TookALevelInBadass: In Episode 82, [[spoiler: he beats Ren]]. He's also the first non-main character to [[spoiler: get a Crossride Unit]].
694** In Episode 136, he is revealed to be even weaker than [[ButtMonkey Gai]] in the past. But by learning from mistakes and constant training by Yuri, he is able to surpass the both of them and even become the National Champion.
695* WarriorPoet: He has some discussion with Ren about Team Caesar's naming prior to their match. He is also quite knowledgable of Roman history.
696* TheWorfEffect: Suffers from this along with the rest of his team. [[spoiler: Except when he pulls out Great Daiyusha and crushes Ren with it in Episode 82.]]
697
698!!Yuri Usui
699!!!Dimension Police (Season 1) / Dimension Police/[[spoiler: Oracle Think Tank]] (Season 2)
700
701[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Yuri_7524.png]]
702
703The only female member of Team Caesar. She was Aichi's opponent at the training camp. She is later revealed to run a Stand-based Dimension Police deck focusing around the synergy between Miracle Beauty and Enigman Rain, as well as revealing a rather more reckless and energetic persona in card fights.
704
705->Voiced by: Mayuki Makiguchi (JP), Leda Davies (EN)
706
707----
708* AttackAttackAttack: She uses a variant of Dimension Police focused around mass standing to get more attacks, similar to Kamui's Nova Grapplers.
709* TheCorruption: [[spoiler: Reversed by Kenji in episode 136. She gets better once she loses off screen.]]
710* CoolBigSis: Her usual persona. However, when it comes to serious fights...
711** HotBlooded: ...She's this, with a good side helping of SeriousBusiness.
712** {{Tsundere}}: When Kenji is involved.
713* FacialMarkings: [[spoiler: While Reversed.]]
714* LightIsGood: Her Dimension Police in general, but especially Enigman Rain. Yuri herself is helpful and kind to the members of Q4, if...[[HotBlooded enthusiastic at times]].
715* MagicPokerEquation: She claims to be able to call out her Triggers like an empress commanding her subjects. [[spoiler: At the end of her fight with Misaki... she does exactly this.]]
716* [[spoiler: MindControlEyes: While Reversed.]]
717* OurAngelsAreDifferent: Enigman Rain. To be fair, it's not an actual angel, but an angelic alien.
718* PaperThinDisguise: [[spoiler: During the Japan stage of the Asia Circuit. Misaki isn't fooled.]]
719* RedBaron: The Empress.
720* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: In Season 3, when Kenji is involved.
721* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: After Team Q4 is [[spoiler:eliminated from the Nationals]] for the first time, Aichi is wallowing in self-pity, blaming himself for it because he is not as good a player as Kai. The next time they meet up with Team Caesar, Aichi asks Yuri for advice, and she tells him to visualize his strategy while playing, and then Aichi falls asleep and dreams that his cards are talking to him. It is strongly implied that this is the straw that broke the camel's back, leading to him [[spoiler:developing Psyqualia]].
722
723!!Gai Usui
724!!!Dimension Police
725
726[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/UsuiGai_2263.JPG]]
727
728Yuri's younger brother, and the third member of Team Caesar.
729
730->Voiced by: Setsuji Satou (JP), Phil Fulton (EN)
731
732----
733* ButtMonkey: In Episode 54 due to his sister.
734* RedBaron: The Gladiator.
735* ShipperOnDeck: Tries to ship her sister with Kenji, much to his sister's chagrin but to no avail.
736
737[[/folder]]
738
739[[folder: Card Shop PSY]]
740A mysterious trio of sisters who run [[TheLittleShopThatWasntThereYesterday Card Shop PSY]], supporting the main characters by giving them rare cards and challenging their skills in cardfights. They also form the [[IdolSinger idol group]] "Ultra Rare". [[spoiler:Their true goal is to find and aid those with the power of Psyqualia, under the instruction of Takuto Tatsunagi, so that they may find a Vanguard to help quell the chaos on Cray. It is revealed in episode 157 that they are not actually sisters. Takuto [[FakeMemories stole their memories]] in order to enlist them as allies in his mission to protect Cray]].
741
742!!Tropes applying to Ultra Rare as a whole:
743* TheCorruption: [[spoiler: All three became reverse fighters.]]
744* IdolSinger: They form the idol group Ultra Rare.
745* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler: Takuto stole their memories of their original lives. After his disappearance at the end of season 3, they regain their original memories at the cost of their]]
746* NotBloodSiblings: They're not biological siblings.
747
748!!Suiko
749!!!Angel Feather (Season 2 & 3)/[[spoiler: Link Joker]] (Season 3)
750
751[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Suiko_4748.jpg]]
752
753The eldest of the sisters, a calm and composed person.
754
755->Voiced by: Creator/AimiTerakawa (JP), Nikkita Bradette (EN)
756
757!!Tropes:
758* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler: In episode 130, after being corrupted by Link Joker.]]
759* FacialMarkings: [[spoiler: Just like everyone else who has been corrupted by Link Joker.]]
760* HiddenAgendaVillain: In season 1.
761* ManipulativeBitch: She was willing to hold back information about [[spoiler: Psyqualia]] from Aichi after confirming he had it and had no problems with [[spoiler: Ren and Aichi's [[DrunkOnTheDarkSide personalities being distorted]] by it, she may have even toyed with it based on her handing them stronger cards,]] so long as she got results.
762** 0 Start Set reveals that she was the one who introduced [[spoiler:Psyqualia to Ren, setting him on the path to being DrunkOnTheDarkside.]] It seems that she'll go to any lengths to get the [[spoiler:Psyqualia]] fighters she needs.
763* RedEyesTakeWarning: [[spoiler: While she's Reversed, her eyes have a red tint to them instead of the dull eyes the majority of Reverse Fighters have.]]
764* WellIntentionedExtremist: Most notable with how she's willing to support [[BigBad Ren]] due to the fact that she needs someone with [[spoiler: Psyqualia]].
765* YinYangClash: [[spoiler: The cards she offers Aichi and Ren.]]
766--> '''Suiko''': [[LightEmUp Light which blankets the darkness...]] [[CastingAShadow darkness that swallows the light...]]
767
768!!Kourin
769!!! Royal Paladins (Season 1 & 3) / Angel Feather (Season 2) / [[spoiler: Link Joker]] (Season 4)
770
771[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kourin_2740.png]]
772
773Kourin is the middle sister of Card Shop PSY, acting as their main Cardfighter. Although she is very temperamental and cold, she is also the most conflicted about their mission and [[spoiler:secretly works against her sisters to rescue Aichi from the corrosive effects of his Psyqualia addiction]].
774
775In ''Link Joker'', she is enrolled in Miyaji High School under the name "Kourin Tatsunagi" and joins Aichi's new Vanguard Club.
776
777[[spoiler: In ''Legion Mate'', she is helping the Quatre Knights to keep Aichi protected from the world. She now uses Link Joker, claiming to know that it is an evil power, yet using the deck because of its incredible strength.]]
778
779->Voiced by: Creator/SuzukoMimori (JP), Stevie Forzani (EN)
780
781----
782* TheDragon: [[spoiler: She serves as this to [[SuddenSequelHeelSyndrome Aichi]] in Season 4]]
783* FakeMemories: [[spoiler: When Aichi asks her about Royal Paladins in Season 2, like everyone else, she can't remember that Clan.]]
784** [[spoiler: She could have been faking it, she seems to understand everything that's going on.]]
785*** [[spoiler: Played straight with what is revealed in episode 157]].
786* FacialMarkings: [[spoiler: While Reversed.]]
787* HighClassGloves: She has white ones in her idol outfit.
788* OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent: What she intends to become in Season 3.
789** NewTransferStudent
790* RedEyesTakeWarning: [[spoiler: Once she reveals she's been Reversed.]]
791* SpannerInTheWorks: [[spoiler: Set up as this to Suiko in Season 1, though [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot it mysteriously never seems to really resolve]]...]]
792* {{Tsundere}}: For Aichi.
793
794!!Rekka
795!!!Angel Feather
796
797[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Rekka_7815.png]]
798
799The youngest of the sisters. She puts on a [[{{Kawaiiko}} cute and cheerful]] persona, but BeneathTheMask she can be glib and highly-competitive.
800
801In ''Link Joker'' she is enrolled in Miyaji Middle School and goes on to establish the "Cardfight Circle" with Emi Sendou and Mai.
802
803->Voiced by: Creator/YoshinoNanjo (JP), Michelle Molineux (EN)
804
805!!Tropes:
806* BadassAdorable: [[spoiler: Deceptively skilled, she manages to throw together a Deck from cards that just came out. Which she then [[CurbStompBattle owns Misaki with.]] Watch out.]]
807* BrutalHonesty: [[spoiler: Informs Misaki that since she hasn't spent the weeks since the Nationals upgrading her Deck, she'll never win the VF Circuit.]]
808* [[spoiler: TheCorruption: She still hasn't show signs of this but with Kourin's case of being able to hide her Reversed status, she might be Reversed too and is responsible for reversing Team Handsome.]]
809* DeadpanSnarker: She has her moments.
810* [[spoiler: FakeMemories]]
811* TheGadfly: She occasionally seems to like to push people's buttons just because [[ItAmusedMe it's more interesting that way]]. Especially [[{{Tsundere}} Kourin]].
812* GenkiGirl
813* {{Kawaiiko}}
814* [[spoiler: RedEyesTakeWarning: Once she's been Reversed.]]
815
816[[/folder]]
817
818[[folder:Other Characters]]
819!!Mark Whiting "Ninja Master M/Neo"
820!!!Nubatama
821
822
823A teacher at Hitsue Middle School who disguises himself as Ninja Master M while playing Vanguard. In Season 3, he becomes the advisor for the Hitsue High Cardfight Club.
824
825->Voiced by: Creator/AtsushiAbe (JP)
826
827----
828* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: [[spoiler: Manages to defeat a Reverse Fighter in Kamui's place.]]
829* PaperThinDisguise: As Ninja Master M.
830* PutOnABus
831** TheBusCameBack: He reappears in season 3 as the faculty advisor for Hitsue High's Cardfight club. And he also returns as Ninja Master Neo to help Kamui deal with a Reversed Nagisa.
832
833!!Jun Mutsuki
834!!!Dark Irregulars (Season 1)/Dimension Police (season 2 & 3)
835
836An "underground fighter" who makes his living playing Vanguard on the street and roughing up those who lose to him. Despite this, he has his own code of honour and keeps the members of his gang under control. [[spoiler:He reappears toward the end of season two as one of the members of Team Unknown, under the alias "King Z".]]
837
838->Voiced by: Creator/KenjiNojima (JP), Brett Olsen (EN)
839
840----
841* BadassLongcoat
842* [[spoiler: TheCorruption: He has been reversed by Miwa.]]
843* DefeatMeansFriendship: Becomes friends with Miwa and Kai after Kai defeats him.
844* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: May have no problem allowing his gangmates to cheat in Vanguard by will for a living but after being defeated by Kai, he eventually becomes friendlier after that.
845* TheLegionsOfHell: Like Tetsu, he uses Dark Irregulars.
846* PaperThinDisguise: [[spoiler: During the Japan Stage of tha Asia Circuit.]] Not that he needed it.
847* ShoutOut: A cardfighter with a white long coat? Audiences has pointed out his similarities with [[Anime/YuGiOh Seto Kaiba.]]
848
849[[/folder]]
850
851!!Introduced in Season 2 (''VF Asia Circuit'')
852
853[[folder:Takuto Tatsunagi]]
854!!!Gold Paladins
855
856[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TakutoTatsunagi_6556.jpg]]
857
858Chairman of the Tatsunagi Foundation, he and his financial group are the hosts of the VF Asia Circuit. He appears at Card Capital at the beginning of the second season and fights Aichi.
859
860[[spoiler:He possesses a powerful variation of Psyqualia that allows him to rewrite memories and grant Psyqualia to those with potential. With the aid of Ultra Rare, who act as his agents, his mission is to find a suitable human Vanguard who can unite the warring clans of Cray against the dark force known as Void]].
861
862In the ''Link Joker'' arc, [[spoiler:his body is possessed by an agent of Void against his will]].
863
864->Voiced by: Creator/AyahiTakagaki (JP), Patricia Bacchus (EN)
865
866----
867* BackFromTheDead: Disappears [[spoiler: alongside the agent of Void possessing him]] at the end of season 3. He comes back in the Movie due to the Origin Shrine's powers in order to find a Vanguard who can awaken Harmonics Messiah and stop the Deleters.
868* BigBad: He's being set up as this for Season 2.
869** NonActionBigBad: If the above is true. All he's done is fight Aichi and Kai so they wind up with their current decks and [[spoiler: give Aichi, Ren, and Chris Psyqualia]]. Other than that, he just sits back and watches the teams duke it out.
870** [[spoiler: In Episode 98, he reveals that the entire point of the Asia Circuit was to find teams who were capable of leading Cray against the Mysterious Force.]]
871** [[spoiler: BigGood: In Episode 99 its revealed that Leon, not him, is the BigBad with the Void acting as the Bigger Bad.]]
872* CrossDressingVoices
873* TheCorrupter: To [[spoiler:Christopher Lo, Aichi and Ren]] in season 2, due to [[spoiler:giving them all access to psyqualia.]]
874* DeliberatelyCuteChild: Pulls this stunt in the opening episode of the second season on Aichi.
875* DemonicPossession: [[spoiler: Believed to be the one who possessed Rekka in Season 1's finale.]]
876** One interpretation of the Asia-Hen finale is [[spoiler: that Takuto himself was possessed by Ezel, based on how he changed after returning from Cray, without his FacialMarkings.]]
877** In season 3 [[spoiler:he's once again on the receiving end of this, as he is forcibly possessed by Link Joker.]]
878* EvilCostumeSwitch: Happens in season 3, after being [[spoiler:possessed by Link Joker.]]
879* FacialMarkings: The green line on his forehead, it appears on Beaumains in the first episode and Ezel in the opening, leading to quite a few EpilepticTrees that he's actually from Cray/is Ezel.
880** [[spoiler: Confirmed to have disappeared in the 2nd season finale.]]
881* FakeMemories: [[spoiler: As revealed in episode 157, he effectively erased the PSY Trio's whole identities in order to enlist them as allies for his plan]].
882* HiddenAgendaVillain: Oh so very much. [[spoiler: Except, he's not a villain.]]
883* ImprobableAge: Runs the Tatsunagi Financial Group.
884* PsychicPowers: [[spoiler: During his fight with Aichi, he drags Aichi into a vision of the Royal/Shadow Paladins and Kagero sealing. After he's disappeared, he's either rewritten everyone's memories, with the exception of Aichi (but at least Kai's), or sent the two of them to an AlternateUniverse.]]
885** During the Circuit, he [[spoiler: shows off his ability to give Psyqualia to others.]]
886* PutOnABus: Dispite being revived in the movie, he doesn't come back in ''G'', being replaced by his older brother Nome.
887* StealthHiBye: [[spoiler: More like Teleport Hi Bye regarding his fights with Aichi and Kai.]]
888* SupernaturalGoldEyes: Has an extremely pretty pair of golden peepers, and has PsychicPowers which allow him to [[spoiler:possess people, grant psyqualia, rewrite memories and drag people to different worlds.]]
889* WellIntentionedExtremist: His speech to Aichi in Episode 1 of Season 2 indicates that he is doing what is necessary to save [[spoiler: Cray]] from [[spoiler: the mysterious force]].
890** [[spoiler: Not just Cray, he wants to SaveBothWorlds.]]
891* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Initially seems to be this in season 2, but eventually he's revealed to be [[spoiler: the BigGood who is trying to SaveBothWorlds.]]
892[[/folder]]
893
894[[folder: Team S.I.T Genius]]
895
896!!Christopher Lo
897!!!Great Nature
898
899[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Christopher_Lo_689.png]]
900
901The leader of S.I.T. Genius, and the number one student at the Singapore Institute of Technical Studies (S.I.T.) His deck's specific theme is using School Hunter Leo-pald to revive the units he sacrifices via ExplosiveOverclocking.
902
903->Voiced by: Creator/SayuriYahagi (JP), Sam Krochmal (EN)
904
905----
906* TheAce
907** BrokenAce: He has shades; as the top player at the university, he feels that everyone expects him to stay number one and is always working towards that, but it's clear he's felt the pressure.
908* [[spoiler: TheCorruption: Psyqualia.]]
909** [[spoiler: As of Episode 99, Void seems to have stepped in to corrupt him further.]]
910*** [[spoiler: Now he gets Reversed by Kenji in episode 135. He gets better once he loses off screen.]]
911* [[spoiler: DrunkOnTheDarkSide: When under the influence of Psyqualia and Void.]]
912* [[spoiler: LonelyAtTheTop: Describes this in Episode 99, saying that everyone expected him to remain number one and that he couldn't have friends because of that. That said, he was DrunkOnTheDarkSide at the time.]]
913** [[spoiler: It is the TruthInTelevision. When you are the best in an institution, people around you expect you to do better, especially prominent in certain Asian countries where pressures from parents and peers can go out of control. Though there is nobody to stop you from making friends with others, but the time and effort you pour in to remain at the top may cause one to sacrifice their time for socializing, thus ended up lonely. Chris' reaction is just like one who has snapped from the enormous pressure.]]
914* [[spoiler: MindControlEyes: While Reversed.]]
915* NiceGuy: He's quite polite and reasonable to the main characters, even admonishing his teammates for being rude to them. [[spoiler: Seems to be a prerequisite for Psyqualia...]]
916* [[spoiler: PsychicPowers: In his fight with Aichi, Takuto gives him Psyqualia.]]
917* [[spoiler: PsychoticSmirk: When under the influence of Psyqualia.]]
918* TokenGoodTeammate
919* [[spoiler: TookALevelInJerkass: Thanks to Psyqualia.]]
920* [[spoiler: UsedToBeASweetKid: Par for course with Psyqualia.]]
921
922!!Lee Shenlon
923!!!Great Nature
924
925[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Lee_9154.png]]
926
927S.I.T. Genius' second in command player. He fights to try and surpass Chris, because he hates being the second best player on the team. He runs a Great Nature deck with a specific focus on using Armed Instructor, Bison's Limit Break.
928
929->Voiced by: Creator/AsamiShimoda (JP), Benjamin Arthurs (EN)
930
931----
932* BrattyHalfPint
933* [[spoiler: TheCorruption: Reversed off screen after Christoper is Reversed. He gets better]]
934* [[spoiler: FacialMarkings: While Reversed.]]
935* {{Jerkass}}: Shows qualities of this from time to time.
936* [[spoiler: MindControlEyes: While Reversed.]]
937* TheResenter: Towards Chris, since he hates being second best.
938* SeriousBusiness: Believes that he can't be second best to ANYONE in anything.
939* ShoutOut: His name is a shout out to the Prime Minster of Singapore.
940* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: How he feels towards Chris.
941* {{Tsundere}}: Possibly. He shows brief flashes of liking his team in spite of himself, and he [[spoiler: gets angry at Chris when he's a {{Jerkass}} to Ali after he loses to Kamui]].
942
943!!Pajeel Ali
944!!!Great Nature
945
946[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pajeel_8314.png]]
947
948The third player of S.I.T. Genius, an overconfident kid who wants to win Cardfights because he believes [[SeriousBusiness girls like guys who win at Vanguard.]] He runs a Great Nature deck based around using the Locks Ride Chain and the Hamsuke Units to recover lost advantage from the forced retiring imposed by Great Nature's plus Power skills.
949
950->Voiced by: Keiko Nemoto (JP), Sam Duke (EN)
951
952----
953
954* [[spoiler: TheCorruption: Reversed off screen after Christoper is Reversed. He gets better.]]
955* TheCasanova: Well, he ''seems'' to be successful if his ImagineSpot is to be believed...
956** KidAnova
957* ExplosiveOverclocking: His deck's theme is actually benefiting from this by a combination of the Hamsuke Units (who can Counterblast on Retire to search a copy of themselves from the deck) and the Lox Ride Chain (the Grade 1 and 2 have skills where when you Ride the next stage of the chain onto them, you select up to two of your Great Nature Rearguards and if any of those Rearguards are retired in that turn's End Phase, you draw a card for each).
958* [[spoiler: FacialMarkings: While Reversed.]]
959* ImagineSpot: One that ''blinds Kamui''.
960* [[spoiler: MindControlEyes: While Reversed.]]
961* SeriousBusiness: 'Girls like guys who win at Cardfights' sums it up.
962** As does the whole 'I'll take away your goddess when I win' thing. [[SarcasmMode Vanguard fights, anteing people since 2012.]]
963* [[spoiler:TokenGoodTeammate: After Chris gets Psyqualia.]]
964
965[[/folder]]
966
967[[folder: Team Dreadnought]]
968
969!!Leon Souryuu
970!!!Aqua Force
971
972[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Leon_1288.png]]
973
974--> The wind stopped. In other words... this is the Final Turn!
975
976A powerful Cardfighter who uses an "Aqua Force" deck, a legendary clan that was said to have conquered Cray before mysteriously disappearing. Leon is stoic and determined, and uses "the wind" ([[spoiler:actually the power of Psyqualia]]) to sense the flow of a battle.
977
978He is TheChosenOne of the Souryu clan, a family that once ruled the seven seas. As their fortunes were tied to that of the Aqua Force clan on the planet Cray, the Souryu clan went into decline after Aqua Force was sealed away by [[spoiler:the dark force known as Void]]. Leon's goal is to revive the Aqua Force clan, thus bringing his own family back into prosperity.
979
980[[spoiler:To accomplish this, Leon made a deal with Void to sacrifice the Royal Paladin, Shadow Paladin and Kagero clans in exchange for the revival of Aqua Force. Leon then infiltrates the VF Circuit in order to sabotage Takuto Tatsunagi's plans of finding a new leader for Cray that could defeat Void. Having infused his body with the power of Void, Leon's abilities are enhanced to a terrible degree, and he has become the BigBad of Season 2]].
981
982In Season 3, he, with the Chen twins, are enrolled in a Cardfighting school in Hong Kong. And came to Japan on an invitation to join the Vanguard High School Championship.
983
984In Season 4, Naoki asks him to train him and the rest in order to beat the Quatre Knights. [[spoiler: He has not forgotten Aichi, and Kai says he "stands on the fance" in the conflict between Kai's team and the Quatre Knights. Nonetheless, he still trains Naoki.]]
985
986->Voiced by: Daichi Kanbara (JP)
987
988----
989* TheAce
990* AndThatLittleGirlWasMe: In Episode 125, he relates an abridged version of his backstory to the Paranormal Society this way, comparing himself [[spoiler: corrupted by Void]] to their current delusion.
991* BackToBackBadasses: With Koutei in episode 138.
992* BadassBoast: In Episode 90:
993--> '''Leon''': Are you prepared? Are you prepared to bring forth a wind powerful enough to change the world itself? I can do that. No. I ''must'' do it!
994** And another in Episode 91:
995--> '''Leon''': Faced with a raging wind, limits have no meaning!
996** We can pretty much conclude he's a master of these:
997--> '''Leon''': If I could attain that power, I vowed to defeat my opponent, even if they happened to be a god! And you people are no exceptions!
998--> '''Leon''': There are two choices before you. The first is to throw down your hand and lose. [[MortonsFork The other is to keep your hand and lose]].
999* BadassLongcoat
1000* BattleAura: A strange blue-purple one. [[spoiler: Possibly related to his Psyqualia.]]
1001** [[spoiler: Later upgrades to a very dark purple to show his corruption by Void.]]
1002* BigBad: [[spoiler: Of Season 2.]]
1003* BigDamnHeroes: Comes to Kai, Naoki, and Gaillard's help alongside Ren when the former three were trapped in Cera's ice prison.
1004* CatchPhrase: 'The wind'.
1005* ChewingTheScenery: [[spoiler: In his match with Aichi, by the time he gets around to Crossriding Maelstrom, he's trying it out quite a bit.]]
1006* TheChosenOne: Believes he is, at any rate.
1007** [[spoiler: In Episode 98 he even essentially says that he is the one chosen to lead Cray to salvation from the Mysterious Force.]]
1008* TheComicallySerious: In more comical moments, his [[TheStoic stoic-ness]] becomes this.
1009* TheCorruption: [[spoiler: Void.]]
1010* DealWithTheDevil: [[spoiler: He made a deal with Void.]]
1011* EvilLaugh: [[spoiler: Toward the end of Asia Circuit.]]
1012* {{Expy}}: Fans were pointing out the similarities between Leon and [[Anime/YuGiOh5Ds JACK ATLAS]] well before he actually made his debut.
1013* {{Foil}}: [[spoiler: To Season 1 Ren who is a Jerkass and a bit of an [[CloudCuckoolander airhead]] who [[KickTheDog kicked the dog]], had no problem [[YouHaveFailedMe abandoning his teammates after they lost]], whereas Leon is a [[TheStoic serious]] WellIntentionedExtremist who respect his opponents and cares for his family to the point that helping them serves as his motivation. Despte this, they're also not that different.]]
1014* IAmTheNoun
1015--> '''Leon''': In fact, we ''are'' justice!
1016* {{Invocation}}:
1017--> '''Leon''': We who carry out justice have no limits! Naval Gazer, LimitBreak!
1018--> '''Leon''': Behold! Wash away all vice in the flow of a furious flood. Its name is righteousness! I Ride Blue Storm Dragon, Maelstrom!
1019--> '''Leon''': [[spoiler: Dragon spun into existence from the warp of the wind and the weft of the sea, live up to the legend in your ideal form! I Crossride Blue Storm Supreme Dragon, Glory Maelstrom!]]
1020* LargeHam: Especially when delivering speeches about "[[PsychicPower Wind]]", "[[MakingASplash Aqua]] [[KnightTemplar Force]]" and their "[[MightMakesRight ABSOLUTE JUSTICE!!!]]"
1021* LetMeTellYouAStory: Specifically, his backstory, to the Paranormal Club in Episode 125.
1022* MakingASplash: Aqua Force.
1023* MeaningfulName: His surname is a nickname for [[TheFourGods Seiryuu, the Dragon of the East.]]
1024* MightMakesRight: Believes this about himself and Aqua Force:
1025--> '''Leon''': Ever victorious and thus righteous!
1026* MoreHeroThanThou: [[spoiler: Tells the assembled members of Teams Q4, New [=AL4=] and SIT Genius to go back home when Takuto invites them to come and save Cray for this reason.]]
1027--> '''Leon''': [[spoiler: It's simple. You people aren't the leaders that Cray needs. That person is me alone, Leon Souryu!]]
1028* MortonsFork: Gave one to the Paranormal Club President in episode 125.
1029--> '''Leon''': There are two choices before you. The first is to throw down your hand and lose. The other is to keep your hand and lose.
1030* PsychicPowers: [[spoiler:The wind is Psyqualia. And then he gets even stronger ones via Void.]]
1031* TheRival: He's been billed as one for Team Q4.
1032* SanitySlippage: [[spoiler: He becomes NotSoStoic once he joins sides with Void, but judging by some of his interactions with Kai and Aichi, he's destablizing in this manner, especially when Kai hits a raw nerve and figures out Leon's afraid of being alone.]]
1033* SecretKeeper: He knows about [[spoiler: Aichi sealing himself away in season 4.]]
1034* TheStoic: Throughout his fight with Daigo, he remains cold and collected throughout.
1035* TechnicolorEyes: His eyes are purple.
1036* UsedToBeASweetKid
1037* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: He's just trying to stop his family dying out. It just took a DealWithTheDevil to get the ball rolling.]]
1038* WillingChanneler: [[spoiler: He's allowing Void's power to enter his body and Takuto's words suggest that it's Void actually working to possess him.]]
1039* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler:In ''Neon Messiah'', he gets taken out by Ibuki off-screen not long after finding an unconscious Misaki.]]
1040
1041!!Sharlene Chen
1042!!!Aqua Force
1043
1044A member of Team Dreadnought, along with Leon and her twin sister Jillian. Having grown up with Leon, they show immense respect for him as the heir to the Souryu Clan. She is the more quiet and airheaded of the two, but is prone to outbursts when angered.
1045
1046->Voiced by: Creator/SaoriGoto (JP)
1047
1048----
1049* ActuallyPrettyFunny: After Misaki tells her sister Jillian to [[ShutUpHannibal shut up when she taunts Team Q4 for their loss against Team Dreadnought, and that she is closed-minded for not seeing value in defeat]], Sharlene happily laughs calls her sister closed-minded too.
1050* AlwaysIdenticalTwins
1051* BewareTheNiceOnes
1052* TheCorruption: [[spoiler: Reversed by Lee when Teams Caesar and Genius attack Dreadnought. She gets better after Leon and Koutei fight her and the others.]]
1053* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Despite her adorable and silly personality, she's still an incredibly skilled fighter [[spoiler: plus, like her sister, she's more than capable of putting down a man taller and older than her with ease.]]
1054* CuteBruiser / LittleMissBadass
1055* FacialMarkings: [[spoiler: While Reversed.]]
1056* IdenticalTwinIDTag: She wears the hair to the side of her face on the left.
1057* MindControlEyes: [[spoiler: While Reversed.]]
1058* ProperTightsWithASkirt
1059* ShoutOut: Her name is a name play of the former popular Hong Kong C-Pop starlet Charlene Choi from the group "Twins".
1060* ShyBlueHairedGirl
1061* TagTeamTwins: She and Jillian fought all the matches of the Hong Kong stage before the final.
1062* TaremeEyes
1063* UndyingLoyalty: [[spoiler: Even when Leon is clearly corrupted by Void, she and Jillian stand by and protect him.]]
1064
1065!!Jillian Chen
1066!!!Aqua Force
1067
1068->Voiced by: Creator/KanaUeda (JP)
1069
1070The third member of Team Dreadnought. Compared to Sharlene, she has a sharp tongue and a ruthless temperament, becoming riled whenever someone does not show Leon enough respect.
1071
1072----
1073* AlwaysIdenticalTwins
1074* TheCorruption: [[spoiler:Reversed by Ali when Teams Caesar and Genius attack Dreadnought. She gets better after Leon and Koutei fight her and the others.]]
1075* CuteBruiser / LittleMissBadass
1076* FacialMarkings: [[spoiler: While Reversed.]]
1077* HairTriggerTemper
1078* IdenticalTwinIDTag: She wears the hair to the side of her face on the right.
1079* MindControlEyes: [[spoiler: While Reversed.]]
1080* ProperTightsWithASkirt
1081* ShoutOut: Her name is a name play of the former popular Hong Kong C-pop starlet Gillian Chung from the group "Twins".
1082* TagTeamTwins: She and Sharlene fought all the matches of the Hong Kong stage before the final.
1083* TsurimeEyes
1084* UndyingLoyalty: [[spoiler:To Leon, even when he's working with Void.]]
1085
1086[[/folder]]
1087
1088[[folder:Other Characters]]
1089!!Daigo
1090!!!Royal Paladin
1091
1092A Legendary Fighter who was introduced in Episode 82, fighting Leon with a Royal Paladin deck. [[spoiler: In the episode, it is revealed that when the Clans were sealed, Daigo was caught in a space time warp, causing him to teleport randomly from place to place, staying in each for only a short time. After losing to Leon, he teleports once again, and it is stated he will likely continue to do so until the Clans are freed.]]
1093
1094Outside of the anime, Daigo was also a main character in the live-action drama ''Stand Up! Vanguard''. Whether the two are actually the same or not was never explained, since the anime Daigo used a different deck (though not a different Clan). Daigo is of course a real person also, who is associated heavily with Vanguard via advertising.
1095
1096----
1097* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}
1098* GratuitousEnglish: Endlessly in the anime. One particular sequence has him speaking English until the very last word.
1099--> '''Daigo''': Hi-Dog Breeder Akane, call! And Counterblast! Come on, Pongal! And Counterblast once more! Soul Saver Dragon... into the tefuda (hand)
1100* ThePowerOfFriendship: His deck.
1101* RealPersonCameo
1102* RandomTeleportation
1103* YinYangBomb: [[spoiler:In the live-action, he uses Majesty Lord Blaster.]]
1104
1105[[/folder]]
1106
1107!!Introduced in Season 3 ''(Link Joker)''
1108[[folder:Miyaji High Cardfight Club]]
1109The Cardfight Vanguard club formed by Aichi after he transferred to Miyaji High. Their members currently consist of Aichi (President), Naoki Ishida (Vice President), Shingo Komoi, Kourin and Misaki.
1110
1111
1112!!Naoki Ishida
1113!!!Narukami
1114-> Voiced by: Toru Nara
1115
1116[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clipboard10_5.png]]
1117
1118Aichi's classmate in Miyaji High School. He has the look of a aimless {{delinquent}} but is [[DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife actually looking for something to get invested in]], having been put off by the straight-laced nature of the people around him.
1119
1120----
1121* AdaptationDyeJob: He looks more of a brunet in Neon Messiah.
1122* TheAtoner: He wants to make up for never stepping in to defend Aichi from the bullying he received when they both attended the same elementary school.
1123* AttackAttackAttack
1124* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler: In Episode 126]]
1125* BreakoutCharacter: Naoki's introduction as a complete beginner who is very passionate of the game with many amusing moments quickly won him many fans. For the rest of season 3, Naoki becomes TheLancer to Aichi, having more highlighted moments than any other character besides Kai and Aichi themselves. Comes ''Legion Mate'' arc, not only does Naoki rejoin the team earlier than everyone else, his status as TheLancer carries over from the previous season into this one and he is also the only one who lasts for the entirety of the final arc, beating both the Quatre Knight match up he is in, and Kourin making him the only one of the season’s five main characters besides [[TheProtagonist Kai]] to avoid being an AdvertisedExtra. While Naoki was never unimportant per se, it gets rather jarring to see him standing around Kai, Ren, and Leon three major character with two of them having special powers that made them very important in the season's backstory.
1126** Naoki is popular enough that the main protagonist of the sequel is essentially modelled after him. When the sequel introduced a new character to act as the sidekick in the later seasons, he's also modelled after Naoki to some extent.
1127* CatchPhrase:
1128--> '''Naoki''': Strike, my avatar!
1129* TheCorruption: [[spoiler: The first to be Reversed, though he's quickly saved by Aichi.]]
1130* {{Delinquents}}: Not actually one but looks like one.
1131* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: He is looking for something that "can make his soul burn".
1132* FaceOfAThug
1133* [[spoiler: FacialMarkings: As part of being possessed.]]
1134* HotBlooded
1135* InsistentTerminology: Calling out "Break Time!" whenever he uses a Break Ride, despite numerous people pointing out that the phrase means "taking a rest". It's become somewhat of a meme in the fandom.
1136* {{Invocation}}:
1137--> '''Naoki''': [[spoiler: That voice echoes in the darkness, whispering for me to beat Aichi Sendou! Observe! The ebony flames that burn in the pitch-black darkness! Crossbreak ride! Eradicator, Vowing Saber Dragon "Reverse"!]]
1138--> '''Naoki''': [[spoiler: "Break through all bindings and descend, my strongest avatar of savage lightning! Break ride! Eradicator, Tempest Bolt Dragon!"]]
1139* ItsAllMyFault: He blames himself for Aichi transferring schools after not stepping in to save him and deems himself as bad as the bullies.
1140* MindControlEyes: [[spoiler: Episode 126, due to his possession.]]
1141* RedOniBlueOni: Red to Aichi's blue.
1142* ShockAndAwe: His Narukami deck.
1143* {{Tsundere}}
1144
1145!!Shingo Komoi
1146!!!Murakumo / Spike Brothers / Narukami
1147->Voiced by: Creator/HiroyukiYoshino
1148
1149[[quoteright:278:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shingo_komoi_54929.jpg]]
1150
1151One of Aichi's classmates in Miyaji High. He is a huge fan of Vanguard, but was unable to play it often due to Miyaji High's straight-laced nature. He idolises Aichi and joins the club in order to get closer to him. Instead of specialising in one clan like most Cardfighters, Shingo has several decks and constantly rotates between them.
1152
1153----
1154* {{Expy}}: Looks very similar to [[Anime/YuGiOh Insector Haga/Weevil Underwood]], down to the hair style and glasses.
1155* TheCorruption: [[spoiler: Has been reversed off-screen.]]
1156* FacialMarkings: [[spoiler: While Reversed.]]
1157* {{Fanboy}}: For Aichi and later, Rekka as well.
1158** He's also this for Kai, as shown in episode 110.
1159* MesACrowd: The ace card in his Murakumo deck, Magatsu Storm, can summon additional copies of itself from the Deck for multiple attacks.
1160* ScaryShinyGlasses
1161* SmallNameBigEgo: For someone who professes to be a skilled player of Vanguard, his win-loss ratio is ''pathetic''.
1162* StalkerWithACrush: Accused of being this for Kourin by Naoki, [[spoiler:even though he was watching Aichi.]]
1163* TechnicianVsPerformer: The Technician to Naoki's Performer.
1164* UnderestimatingBadassery: A recurring thing with him. First he underestimates Miwa (because he had never seen Miwa's name in any Vanguard magazines) and then Emi (because she's younger than him and prioritises "cuteness" in her cards).
1165
1166!!Kourongi Nakamurabashi
1167The faculty advisor of the Miyaji High Cardfight Club. He knows nothing about ''Vanguard'' and has no real interest in it, but takes his responsibilities with good humour and grace. [[{{Expy}} He is definitely not Takaaki Kidani, the CEO of Bushiroad]].
1168
1169----
1170* {{Expy}}: Looks like Takaaki Kidani, the CEO of Bushiroad. Here's a comparison [[http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff503/karthus/kidani_zps855ff4bc.png picture.]]
1171* JapanesePoliteness: His manner of speaking is incredibly polite.
1172
1173[[/folder]]
1174
1175[[folder:Miyaji High Student Council]]
1176The AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil of Miyaji High School. Seeing the Cardfight Club as a disruption to the order of the school, they act as the main antagonistic force in ''Link Joker'''s first arc.
1177
1178!!Tatewaki Naito
1179!!!Great Nature
1180-> Voiced by: Creator/SusumuChiba
1181
1182The President of the Miyaji High School Student Council. Espousing the idea of the "global standard" and [[TheSocialDarwinist Social Darwinism]], he looks down upon hobbyist pursuits like the Cardfight Club and takes steps to remove them from the school.
1183
1184* EvilVirtues: He has a strong sense of honour, so even though he stacks the deck against the Cardfight Club and actively plots to remove them from the school, he ''will'' reward them if they pass his challenges.
1185* KnightTemplar: A very mild version: he seeks to remove the Cardfight Club because they don't fit his ideal vision for the school.
1186* ManOfWealthAndTaste
1187* PrincelyYoungMan
1188* TheSocialDarwinist
1189* YouHaveFailedMe: To the Football Team after they fail to defeat Aichi.
1190
1191!!Juri Suwabe
1192!!!Megacolony
1193-> Voiced by: Creator/JunjiMajima
1194
1195The Vice-President of Miyaji High School Student Council. Although he argues for the global significance of ''Cardfight!! Vanguard'', he is utterly devoted to Naito's ideals and acts as his arm in enforcing his wishes.
1196
1197* EyesAlwaysShut
1198* PokeThePoodle: His schemes so far to disband the Cardfight Club have included, "Beat them in a card game so they'll get upset" and "Spread rumours".
1199* ScaryShinyGlasses
1200
1201!!Maki Nagashiro
1202!!!Neo Nectar
1203-->Voiced by: Reina Ueda
1204
1205The tight-lipped secretary of the Student Council. Unknown to the other two members, she has ties to the evil force behind "Link Joker" and is under orders to observe the Cardfight Club.
1206
1207* EnigmaticMinion: To the Student Council. [[spoiler: She's one of the Reverse fighter.]]
1208* EvilRedhead: [[spoiler: When she's controlled by Void.]]
1209* FourEyesZeroSoul: [[spoiler: When she's under Void's control.]]
1210* NotSoDifferentRemark: Maki claims that Naoki and her are similar, as they were isolated and alone.
1211* TheQuietOne: She doesn't speak until Episode 126 - a full 22 episodes into the season.
1212** Although she did have a simple "Yes, sir" in Episode 109.
1213* RedEyesTakeWarning
1214* ScaryShinyGlasses
1215* TookALevelInCheerfulness: After Link Joker-hen.
1216
1217[[/folder]]
1218
1219[[folder:Other Characters]]
1220!!Akari Yotsue
1221A friend of Misaki who also attends Miyaji High School.
1222
1223!!Eru Nakagami
1224!!!Dark Irregulars
1225The leader of the Paranormal Power Research Society. He is sent by the student council to challenge the Cardfight Club but instead faces Leon and is defeated by him.
1226
1227* FacialMarkings: He gets rid of them after he is defeated by Leon.
1228
1229!![[spoiler:Agent of Void]]
1230!!![[spoiler: Link Joker]]
1231
1232[[spoiler: A mysterious entity related to Void who possesses Takuto Tatsunagi and serves as the BigBad for the third season.]]
1233
1234->Voiced by: [[spoiler: Creator/AyahiTakagaki]] (JP)
1235
1236----
1237* BigBad: Of season 3.
1238* TheCorrupter: [[spoiler: To Kai]]
1239** [[spoiler: And then Aichi, by having the Seed transfer to him.]]
1240* CreepyChild: [[spoiler: When he's in control of Takuto's body]].
1241* DidNotSeeThatComing: [[spoiler: He had no idea Dragonic Overlord the Яebirth even existed]].
1242** [[spoiler: He also did not know that a unit with the ability to unlock existed or that Monarch Sanctuary Alfred's LimitBreak also worked on locked cards.]]
1243* FacialMarkings [[spoiler: A red diamond on his forehead.]]
1244* HateSink: [[spoiler:He is responsible for the Reverse phenomenon by possessing Takuto and corrupting Cardfighters like Kai and Kourin.]]
1245* HeadsIWinTailsYouLose: The way to stop him is winning, naturally. [[spoiler: Only then the winner becomes his successor when Link Joker's seed jumps to them]], rendering the standard method of stopping him ineffective.
1246* {{Invocation}}:
1247--> '''[[spoiler: Agent of Void]]''': Sword of despair that dyes all brilliance jet-black Star-vader, Omega Glendios!
1248* KnightOfCerebus: Link Joker started out as a [[LighterAndSofter light-hearted]] SliceOfLife show, but once he shows up, things become much [[DarkerAndEdgier more serious]].
1249* MarkOfTheSupernatural: [[spoiler: After melding with Takuto, one of his eyes turns green]].
1250* MindRape: [[spoiler: Is very, very skilled at doing this, as Kai found out the hard way.]]
1251* TakingYouWithMe: [[spoiler: After he loses to Aichi, he attempts to drag Aichi with him when he is sucked into the black ring. Fortunately, Takuto stops him and pulls this trope himself.]]
1252* WalkingSpoiler: Look at all the spoilered tropes.
1253* WhiteHairBlackHeart: [[spoiler: While possessing Takuto.]]
1254
1255[[/folder]]
1256
1257!!Introduced in Season 4 ''(Legion Mate)''
1258[[folder:Quatre Knights]]
1259
1260A group of four world-class Vanguard players from across the globe. When Aichi disappears at the start of the ''Legion Mate'' arc, they emerge to discourage anyone from finding him. Each of them possesses the power to trap their opponent in a PocketDimension called a "Prison", forcing a Cardfight. Whoever loses a Cardfight within a Prison is punished with "Judgement", a vicious attack upon the body and soul of the loser. [[spoiler:They were recruited by Aichi personally, and together form the seal that locks Aichi away from the rest of the world. Only by defeating all four of them can the seal be released]].
1261
1262!!!Group Tropes:
1263* TheChosenOne: All four of them were chosen [[spoiler: personally by Aichi to protect him and his seals.]]
1264* ElementalPowers: Each of them has control over one, although Neve and Cera use another one in their Judgement.
1265* HeroAntagonist: They're keeping Aichi sealed at his own request and the implication is that he's sealed to stop Link Joker. With that in mind, they definitely come across as this.
1266* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler: This is what happens to those who receive "Memory Judgement"]].
1267* VillainHasAPoint: Given that it's heavily implied that Aichi sealed himself away to protect the world from Link Joker, the Quatre Knights actually have a valid reason for keeping the mates away from him. Gaillard in particular comes across as very justified in his hatred of Kai, given Kai by his own admission accepted an evil power and in doing so participated in a plan to ''destroy the world''.
1268
1269!!Olivier Gaillard
1270!!!Gold Paladins
1271
1272[[quoteright:305:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gaillard.JPG]]
1273
1274The champion of the Vanguard European Circuit. He claims to be the successor to Aichi's will, and has the power to create and manipulate blue flames.
1275
1276He was raised in an orphanage in France and upon becoming champion, continued to support the orphanage, only to have its residents turned against him by Reverse. Due to Aichi stopping that crisis, Gaillard holds UndyingLoyalty towards him and bears a marked resentment of Kai, who he blames for causing the Link Joker crisis.
1277
1278->Voiced by: Creator/KentoHama (JP)
1279
1280----
1281* AntiHero: He ''is'' a heroic person with noble aims and positive character traits, but at the same time he's ruthless in enforcing Aichi's will, as shown by how he is willing to unleash Judgment on Kai, Naoki and [[spoiler: Serra]] without any reservations.
1282* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: [[spoiler: Him dealing with Serra can be seen as this, since Kai and Naoki had no real answer to Serra's ice powers.]]
1283* {{Catchphrase}}: Just as Kai/Ren uses "the" and Leon uses "my" ("the Vanguard", "my Vanguard"), Olivier uses "le".
1284* TheHeavy: Despite not being their leader, he is the most prominent of the Quatre Knights, serving as Kai's rival for the season.
1285* IconicItem: Bluish Flame Liberator, Percival, his avatar.
1286* {{Invocation}}: He quotes Aichi's chants word-for-word.
1287* ItsPersonal: He has a deep-seated hatred for Kai, who he blames for causing the Link Joker crisis which turned his fellow orphans against him.
1288* KnightTemplar: He believes that he is enforcing Aichi's will, and to that end is totally ruthless.
1289* OrphansOrdeal: After his family died in a fire, he was raised in an orphanage.
1290* ParentalAbandonment: His parents died in a fire.
1291* PlayingWithFire: He has the ability to create and manipulate blue flames
1292* ThePromise: He and Aichi made a promise, which he alludes to after [[spoiler: losing to Kai, most likely his swearing to follow Aichi's plan and keep him sealed.]]
1293* RingOfPower: He has two rings that appear to be related to his fire powers.
1294* TheRival: To Kai, shown by their blue flame versus red flame dynamic.
1295* WorthyOpponent: After many fights throughout the season, he grew to respect Kai and his resolve. [[spoiler:At the end of the season, he invites Kai to join him and Philip on the Euro Circuit.]]
1296* YouRemindMeOfX: Kai notes that Gaillard reminds him heavily of Aichi.
1297
1298!!Philip Neve
1299!!!Dimension Police
1300
1301[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/neve.JPG]]
1302
1303A boisterous Cardfighter with a love of animals and a steely resolve. He has the ability to trap his opponents in an arena of metal, preventing them from fleeing. He joined the Quatre Knights because he believes that by protecting Aichi, he can keep his homeland safe from war. While it's unclear where he's actually from, several fans have guessed based on his name and backstory that he's from Ireland.
1304
1305->Voiced by: Yuuya Murakami (JP)
1306
1307----
1308* AntiVillain: His backstory cements him as one. Neve fought through the European Cicuit to unite his country, and he's become a Quatre Knight to continue to protect his homeland from war.
1309* TheBrute: He is physically the biggest among the Quatre Knights.
1310* ExtraOreDinary: He has the ability to create metal.
1311* HiddenDepths: Big time. At first he just appears to be a {{Jerkass}}, but once his backstory is revealed, it's clear that he's actually quite a noble person dedicated to protecting Aichi to save his country.
1312* LickedByTheDog: Cats actually.
1313* ShockAndAwe: His judgement involves eloctrucuting his defeated opponent.
1314* WouldntHitAGirl: He tells Misaki that he will not fight a "kitten," but later subverted it when she refuses to budge down.
1315
1316!!Ratie Curti
1317!!!Shadow Paladin
1318
1319[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rati.JPG]]
1320
1321A young Indian girl whose love of doughnuts obscures a nihilistic streak that rejects the intangible. She has the ability to trap her opponents in an illusionary field of thorns.
1322
1323->Voiced by: [[Creator/RinaSato Rina Sato]] (JP)
1324
1325----
1326* CloudCuckooLander: Like Ren, this Shadow Paladin user is also one.
1327** TheDitz: How does one ends up heads down in a thrash can?
1328* CuteWitch / HotWitch: Her deck is full of them.
1329* GreenThumb: Her prison is covered entirely in thorny vines.
1330* RedBaron: Called the Uncrowned Witch.
1331* TrademarkFavoriteFood: She loves doughnuts to the point that she often forget about her fights when eating them.
1332* TheSmurfettePrinciple: The only girl among the Quatre Knights.
1333* VerbalTic: Has an habit of saying Pan-nyarara when she uses her units' skills.
1334
1335!!Raul Serra
1336!!!Neo Nectar/Granblue[[spoiler:/Link Joker]]
1337
1338[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/serra.JPG]]
1339
1340The champion of the Vanguard South American Circuit. He is an expressionless and ruthless Cardfighter who takes his role as a Quatre Knight with the utmost seriousness. His special fight field, "Millennium Blizzard Prison", traps his opponents with ice.
1341
1342->Voiced by: Creator/KazuyukiOkitsu (JP)
1343
1344----
1345* AnIcePerson: He has the ability to trap people in a prison made of ice.
1346* BigBad: [[spoiler:He seems to be one for season 4.]]
1347** BigBadWannabe: [[spoiler:Turns out he's actually this. He only lasts about 4 episodes before being defeated by Gaillard and getting hit by a Memory Judgement]]
1348* TheChessmaster: [[spoiler:He manipulated both the Quatre Knights and the mates to achieve his true aim: unsealing Aichi.]]
1349* BlowYouAway: His Judgement damages his opponent with a blizzard wind.
1350* TheChosenOne: [[spoiler:He believes he is Link Joker's chosen fighter.]]
1351* EnigmaticMinion: Of the Quatre Knights, his motivations are the hardest to pin down. Despite his duty to the Quatre Knights, he has been helping Kai's group by encouraging them to get stronger, sending his butler to create leads, and freely surrendering vital information. Then there's the TraitorShot after [[spoiler:he is defeated by Naoki]].
1352** [[spoiler: It turns out his true aim was to weaken Aichi's seals so he could break them and unleash Aichi.]]
1353* EvilCannotComprehendGood: [[spoiler:He can't seem to understand why Aichi wanted to seal Link Joker away, and he even says he preferred Rati when she considered friendship a mirage.]]
1354** [[spoiler: This is actually his FatalFlaw, he can't comprehend ThePowerOfFriendship and it's this which leads to his defeat.]]
1355* EvilIsDeathlyCold: [[spoiler:He is the main antagonist of season 4 and has control over ice. This also extends to his units as Astro Reaper was seen freezing Cray in Ratie's visions.]]
1356* EvilIsHammy: [[spoiler:As soon as he reveals his true colors, he begins chewing scenery like there's no tomorrow.]]
1357* {{Foil}}: To Ratie. Serra is serious and composed, Ratie is whimsical and quirky. [[spoiler: Both of them believe that ThePowerOfFriendship doesn't exist, but while Ratie accepts it due to Misaki's influence and in spirit assists Gaillard, Serra denies it to the end and is defeated by the allies he betrayed.]]
1358* GenreBlind: To say that believing ThePowerOfFriendship doesn't exist in an anime like ''Vanguard'' is this trope is putting it lightly.
1359* GreenThumb: He uses a Neo Nectar deck in his duel against Kamui.
1360* HateSink: Serra is the only member of the Quatre Knights who is outright evil due to his ulterior motives.
1361* ItsAllAboutMe: [[spoiler: He believes he is Link Joker's chosen one who will rule both worlds.]]
1362* SmugSnake: [[spoiler: In spades. It's the point he continually monologues about how he fooled Aichi and the Quatre Knights just to rub in how clever he thinks he is.]]
1363* TheStarscream: [[spoiler:Although part of the original FiveManBand, Sera betrays Aichi and the knights, breaking Aichi out of his seal and freeing him to start attacking the other Quatre Knights.]]
1364* TakeOverTheWorld: [[spoiler:His true aim to use Link Joker's power to rule over both Earth and Cray.]]
1365* TraitorShot: Gets one after [[spoiler:he is defeated by Naoki, indicating that he was not as hurt by Judgement as he let on]].
1366* UnknownRival: [[spoiler: For all his claims of being superior to Aichi, he ends up being defeated without even managing to awaken him; to the point that Aichi never even mentions his betrayal when he ''does'' wake up.]]
1367* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: After Gaillard beats him, he falls apart massively before recovering enough to try and pull one last trick. When he realises he's about to be hit with Memory Judgment, he completely collapses.]]
1368
1369!!Morris Pennyworth
1370!!!Megacolony
1371
1372The butler of Raul Serra. He is not a Quatre Knight himself, but continues to serve Serra.
1373
1374----
1375* BigCreepyCrawlies: He uses a Megacolony deck, focusing on the Machining archetype.
1376* BreakThemByTalking: He tries to do this to Naoki, so that he would stop searching for Aichi. It fails.
1377* {{Expy}}: To Osamu Kishida, down to the clan. But they are not related in any way.
1378* InsistentTerminology: He refers to the special ability of the Megacolony clan (the power to prevent a unit from Standing during the Stand Phase) as "Paralyse".
1379* ObfuscatingStupidity: His efforts to serve the Quatre Knights seem to backfire more often than not, often giving Kai and his friends valuable hints about the movements and motives of the Knights. [[spoiler:This is because he is under orders from Serra, who wishes to manipulate Kai into defeating the Quatre Knights and releasing the seals on Aichi]].
1380* TemptingFate: [[spoiler:Claims that it would be impossible for Kai, Naoki, and Gaillard to escape from Serra's prison by themselves and that there's no one to help them from the outside. Cue Ren and Leon appearing and doing just that.]]
1381
1382[[/folder]]
1383
1384!!''Vanguard Manga'' Characters
1385
1386[[folder: Kouji Ibuki]]
1387
1388!!Kouji Ibuki
1389!!![[spoiler: Link Joker]] (Movie)
1390
1391[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/neon_messiah_ibuki.jpg]]
1392
1393
1394--> ''Vanguard invites calamity and misfortune. It is a game that cannot be allowed to exist in this world.''
1395
1396A mysterious boy who was Kai's classmate when he was younger. [[spoiler: He taught Kai and Miwa how to play Vanguard, and was ultimately defeated by Kai's Royal Paladin deck in the past.]]
1397
1398In the present, he is a student at Fukuhara High School, like Ren and Asaka. He first appears to Aichi, asking about Blaster Blade, and later fights Tetsu. [[spoiler: It is revealed in this fight that he has some kind of Psyqualia, and he uses a unit called Deleter which can erase the opposing Vanguard. In the following chapter, Tetsu's Vanguard has been turned face down, suggesting that Deleter is in fact a Link Joker with the power to lock the vanguard. Indeed, following materials like the ''Neon Messiah'' movie would confirm him as a Link Joker user, with said ability being known as Delete.]]
1399
1400He's also set to appear in the ''Neon Messiah'' movie [[spoiler: using Deletors. His aim is to destroy Vanguard as a game by awakening the legendary Messiah, because he sees Vanguard as harmful and dangerous. In truth, he is being used as a puppet by Daunting Deletor, Oksizz, which erased his positive memories of Vanguard to manipulate him. After he is defeated by Aichi, he tosses aside Oksizz and is given the Messiah card.]]
1401
1402->Voiced by: Creator/MamoruMiyano (JP)
1403
1404----
1405* AdaptationDyeJob: In the manga, his hair is something of a pale teal, but in the movie, his hair is grey.
1406* BigBad: Played with. While Ibuki's actions served as the film's main conflict, [[spoiler:Oksizz is later revealed to be this]].
1407* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler: In ''Neon Messiah'', he is being manipulated and controlled by Daunting Deletor, Oksizz the entire time.]]
1408* CanonImmigrant: Manga-only for a while, he's now included in the anime through ''Neon Messiah''.
1409* TheChosenOne: He was chosen by the Deletors of Planet Brandt.
1410* TheCorruption: [[spoiler: Seems to be controlled by the manga version of Link Joker.]]
1411* DarkIsEvil: Ibuki is the antagonist of the ''Neon Messiah'' movie and wears a black outfit.
1412* EvilIsHammy: In his fights, he hams it up like mad.
1413* FinalBoss: Since ''Neon Messiah'' chronologically takes place after the fourth season, this makes Ibuki the final opponent of the original series.
1414* GratuitousEnglish: All of his Deletors have their names spoken entirely in English.
1415* HijackedByGanon: Rather than being an independent threat, his Deletors are just another aspect of Link Joker. [[spoiler: Taken even further when it turns out Ibuki's been a puppet for Oksizz the entire time.]]
1416* IconicItem: Has two, Daunting Deletor, Oksizz, his ace card, and his white crow.
1417* {{Invocation}}: Has one for Oksizz, but his most memorable one is probably:
1418-->'''Ibuki''': Delete... END!
1419* MentorArchetype: [[spoiler: Was this to Kai, being the one who introduced him to Vanguard]].
1420* PsychicPowers: [[spoiler: He has Psyqualia in the manga]]
1421* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Ibuki's outfit in the movie is primarily black and red. Unsurprisingly, he's the antagonist.
1422* RedEyesTakeWarning
1423* RivalTurnedEvil: [[spoiler: Seems to be.]]
1424* TookALevelInJerkass
1425* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: The ''Neon Messiah'' trailer implies that he wants to destroy Vanguard because he sees it as harmful.]]
1426** [[spoiler: In the manga, he sees Vanguard as something that divides people (winners or losers, strong or weak).]]
1427
1428[[/folder]]
1429
1430!!''Stand Up! Vanguard'' Characters
1431[[folder:Main Characters]]
1432!!Hiroki Miura
1433!!!Kagero
1434
1435The secondary protagonist of the drama, Hiroki is a withdrawn young man with a passion for Vanguard, who is bullied due to his cowardice. His father is often absent from home due to his work, and Hiroki believes that the man prefers his work to his family. However, with Daigo's assistance, Hiroki comes to challenge those who bully him, and openly fight them at Vanguard. [[spoiler: At the end of the drama, despite losing to Teru's Phantom Blaster Overlord at the tournament, he was able to make friends with the other boy. He confronts Daigo as the latter prepares to leave, reminding him that they have not had a final fight.]]
1436
1437----
1438* KillItWithFire: His deck.
1439
1440!!Teru Nanbara
1441!!!Shadow Paladin
1442--> Hiroki... with all my power, here I come!
1443
1444A competitive fighter who looks down on the weak, Teru bullies Hiroki due to this. He is taught by Eiji, who instilled the value of the strong over the weak into him, leading him to seek victory at all costs. Using a powerful Shadow Paladin deck, Teru is a major opponent for Hiroki to beat, effortlessly defeating the other boy in their first fight. [[spoiler: At the championships, the two fight once more after Daigo manages to defeat Eiji through sheer luck. Despite Hiroki almost winning with Dragonic Overlord The End, Teru survives due to a Heal Trigger, and ends the game on the next turn with his Phantom Blaster Overlord's devastating Persona Blast. However, he comes to respect Hiroki's strength, and makes friends with him.]]
1445
1446----
1447* DarkIsEvil: His Shadow Paladin deck.
1448** DarkIsNotEvil: [[spoiler: Until the end of the championship, where he turns out to not be so bad after all.]]
1449

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