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1Through hard work and guts, here's the ''Anime/GunBuster'' character page! Still under construction.
2
3For characters in the sequel series, see ''Characters/{{Diebuster}}''.
4----
5[[foldercontrol]]
6
7[[folder:Main Characters]]
8
9!Noriko Takaya
10-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/NorikoHidaka (JP), Kiane Chula King (EN)
11[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Noriko1_9449.jpg]]
12[[caption-width-right:200:[[TheHero Our Heroine]].]]
13----
14* AcePilot: Becomes one over the course of the series.
15* ActionGirl: One of Gainax's, and mecha anime in general's, all time greats.
16* AscendedFangirl: In the science lesson shorts, she reveals that she's a big ''Manga/GetterRobo'' fan. Also, she gets mentored by the actual Getter team in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha''.
17%%* BadassAdorable
18* BadassArmfold: Arguably the TropeCodifier in Japan.
19* [[BashBrothers Smash Sisters]]: With Kazumi.
20* BreakTheCutie: Breaks pretty quickly in Episode 1, and breaks again in episode 3-4, before [[TookALevelInBadass Taking Her Levels In Badass]].
21%%* '''''[[CallingYourAttacks CALLING YOUR ATTACKS]]'''''
22* CharacterDevelopment: Noriko starts out as helpless at controlling her mecha, despite being perfect physically, she trains nonstop to improve her skills and can handle her mecha perfectly.
23** While she could control her mecha, she wasn't battle oriented, as shown in her first battle in episode 3, where she didn't fire a single shot at the enemy and it lead to the death of [[spoiler: her FirstLove Smith]]. The events that took place in the battle effected her mentally and she wept when she entered space to have a duel with Jung. During the second battle, where she gets sidelined, Noriko thinks about [[spoiler: Smith]] and vows to never cry again, and that she will fight rather than hide; this makes Noriko transform into a major badass.
24* CuteClumsyGirl: An undeniably cute teenage girl with a tendency to embarrass herself while piloting a mecha. That is, until Episode 4 rolls around.
25* DecompositeCharacter: Her character traits would be inherited by later Gainax protagonists. [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Shinji Ikari]] inherited her early personality, [[Anime/{{FLCL}} Naota Nandaba]] inherited her relation to a sibling, and [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Simon the Digger]] inherited her CharacterDevelopment. [[Anime/NadiaTheSecretOfBlueWater Nadia]] inherited her look, with an AmbiguouslyBrown skin tone.
26* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype : Noriko is an amazingly talented mecha pilot who can become the best pilot should she work hard enough...she's also only 15 when the show starts and suffers from near crippling self esteem issues and panics at the sight of danger, making her a deconstruction of the average mecha pilot at the time in a similar vein to [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Shinji Ikari]]. However, she also becomes a {{Reconstruction}} of said archtype by Episode 4 by becoming stronger through the tragedy that was inflicted upon her.
27%%* {{Expy}}: Of Hiromi Ouka, considering that ''Gunbuster'' started as an AffectionateParody of ''Manga/AimForTheAce''.%%This needs to touch on their similarities more.
28* FieryRedhead: Oh '''YES!''' Especially after she [[TookALevelInBadass gains the resolve to kick alien ass]]. Three words: '''SUPER! INAZUMA!! KIIIIIIIICK!!!! '''
29* FirstLove: Falls for Smith in episode 3, and he ultimately triggers her CharacterDevelopment due to [[spoiler: his death]] and she seems to remain loyal to her feelings for Smith, as she doesn't fall in love with anyone else.
30* HardWorkHardlyWorks: A famous subversion, she starts off clumsy and extraordinarily incapable, she works her ass off to become a badass.
31* HeterosexualLifePartners / LesYay: With Kazumi on levels that would match a buddy cop film. [[Film/TopGun Wait...]]
32* HotBlooded: Hints were always present and it grows episode by episode, but by Episode 4, Noriko is as HotBlooded a mecha pilot as any SuperRobot protagonist. In fact, she's the basis for [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Simon]].
33* IndirectKiss: Has one with Smith, the medium being his drink he gives her.
34* LuminescentBlush: Has one after realizing she has an IndirectKiss with Smith.
35* MementoMacguffin: She first gets a yellow ribbon from Kazumi that she wears as a headband to keep her bangs out of her face, she wears it to show her respect and admiration for Kazumi.
36** Half way through the series, however, she swaps the yellow ribbon for a blue one, the one that her FirstLove Smith tied to a ladder for her during their test of courage, [[spoiler: she wears this ribbon to honor Smith after his death and to show her change in character.]] She still wears the blue ribbon, as shown in episode 6.
37* OlderThanTheyLook: Due to being in space at relativistic speeds for extended periods of time, Noriko's personal age doesn't match what normal people have aged. Such as when in episode 5 where ten years have passed since Noriko entered space, she is still 17, as her personal time has barely passed at all. In episode 6, another fifteen years have passed with her at near-lightspeed, making her technically 42, but still hasn't experienced much time herself and the only visible difference is she has grown her hair out. From the time she leaves earth for the first time until the final battle in episode 6 is only 20 months for her, and 25 years for Earth. Finally, at the conclusion of episode 6, [[spoiler: 12,000 years have passed]] since the implosion when Noriko and Kazumi finally made it back to Earth, having spent enough time at near lightspeed that she STILL remains a late teenager.
38* RousingSpeech: Gives one to Kazumi in episode 5 that rivals something out of Kamina's mouth, combined with a verbal GetAHoldOfYourselfWoman.
39* StepfordSmiler: In a sense. She makes it clear that she's going to stop crying in order to become stronger but she never said anything about stop being scared.
40* TookALevelInBadass: Quite possibly one of the best examples. Compare her performance in [[JokeCharacter episode one]] with that in [[PersonOfMassDestruction episode four]].
41** Let's put this into perspective: Despite Gainax, Khara, and [[Creator/StudioTrigger Trigger]]'s penchant for CrazyIsCool, no other protagonist from the three studios came close to her level until [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Simon]], who needed a mecha the size of a [[MetaMecha GALAXY]] and challenging a PhysicalGod to do so
42
43!Kazumi Amano
44-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/ReiSakuma (JP), Melissa Sternenberg (EN)
45
46----
47%%* ActionGirl
48* AgeGapRomance: And TeacherStudentRomance. Is in love with Coach Ohta, who was an officer on the ''Luxion'' with Noriko's dad.
49* [[BashBrothers Smash Sisters]]: With Noriko.
50* '''''[[CoolBigSis COOL BIG SIS]]''''': She's actually referred to as "oneesama" more than by her own name!
51* HappilyMarried: [[spoiler: Marries Ohta between 2032 and 2033. The marriage lasts only about a year before Ohta succumbs to his illness, but they were happy together nonetheless.]]
52* HeartbrokenBadass: [[spoiler: In episode 5, when she has to leave Earth for a mission and by the time she gets back, he'll probably be dead from his illness]]. [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] when they return to Earth after victory and [[spoiler: he's still alive]].
53* HeroicBSOD / OutOfCharacterMoment: When she breaks down in episode 5.
54* HeterosexualLifePartners / LesYay: With Noriko.
55* NotQuiteTheRightThing: In episode 3 she openly states that Noriko shouldn't be her co-pilot, as she is not capable of performing in real combat. She then dissolves her partnership with Noriko. She does this because she is concerned about Noriko's safety. The result? Noriko starts doubting herself. She partners up with somebody who she hasn't trained with. She gets that person killed. Her confidence drops even more and it takes a herculean effort to rebuild her confidence to the point where she becomes combat capable again. All of this could have been avoided if Kazumi had given Noriko a chance.
56
57!Jung Freud
58-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MariaKawamura (JP), Alexandra Yastishock (EN)
59
60----
61* AuthorAppeal: Was apparently named by Creator/HideakiAnno. [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Yes]], ''[[CreatorBreakdown that]]'' one.
62* DCupDistress: She says she likes the moon because the lack of gravity doesn't weigh down her breasts and she complains how her bra is too tight and she thinks her breasts are starting to sag.
63%%* {{Expy}}: If Kazumi and Noriko are [[Manga/AimForTheAce Reika and Hiromi]], Jung is their Ranko.%%This needs to expand on what them similar.
64* UsefulNotes/GermanRussians: Unless she's from UsefulNotes/EastGermany and operating under a Soviet banner, her name hints that she's from the German minority in Soviet Russia or Central Asia rather than being an ethnic Russian herself.
65%%* IneffectualLoner
66* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She's responsible for one of the biggest TearsOfJoy inducing {{Tear Jerker}}s in all of anime, which is [[spoiler: Her [[ThePromise promise]] to Noriko and Kazumi of a big welcome home after they get back. A promise that humanity ''12,000 years later'' honors.]]
67* NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: Two actually, as her name references Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, men known for their work on human psychology.
68* ThePromise: [[spoiler: At the end of the series, she promises Noriko and Kazumi that they'll get a big welcome home after they return from detonating the Black Hole Bomb. This promise was passed down through the generations over ''12,000 years'' until they finally did.]]
69* TheRival: Starts out as this to Kazumi, but quickly becomes best friends with her and Noriko. She is, however, Kazumi's rival for Coach's affection. [[spoiler: She lost.]]
70
71! Koichiro "Coach" Ohta
72-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/NorioWakamoto (JP), Bradley Gareth (EN)
73[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ota03_4621.gif]]
74[[caption-width-right:300:Creator/NorioWakamoto, pre-[[PigeonholedVoiceActor Pigeon-holing]].]]
75----
76* AgeGapRomance: And TeacherStudentRomance. With Kazumi.
77%%zce* DrillSergeantNasty
78%%zce* {{Expy}}: Of [[Manga/AimForTheAce Coach Jin Munakata]].
79* HappilyMarried: [[spoiler: Marries Kazumi sometime between 2032 and 2033, the marriage only lasts about a year before he dies from his illness, but the two were happy together nonetheless.]]
80* UndyingLoyalty: Everyone in the series, at one moment or another, doubts Noriko's ability and usefulness to the war, including Noriko herself... except Coach Ohta. Coach NEVER fails to tell Noriko of how much potential he sees in her and that it's her destiny to pilot Gunbuster, even as he submits her through every TrainingFromHell imaginable to toughen her up in preparation to pilot it. In return, [[PreAssKickingOneLiner IT'S COACH'S BEATING HEART THAT MAKES GUNBUSTER NOT SOME ORDINARY MACHINE!!!]]
81[[/folder]]
82
83[[folder: Minor characters]]
84!Reiko Kashiwara
85
86-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MasakoKatsuki (JP), Creator/KrystalLaPorte (EN)
87----
88* AlphaBitch: In the first episode.
89* DefeatMeansFriendship: Gets her butt kicked at the end of the first episode and promptly cleans up her act.
90* GracefulLoser: Despite being a brutal piece of work in her mecha to mecha schoolyard fight against Noriko, Kashiwara chills out with a satisfied smile as soon as Noriko knocks her flat on her mecha's ass.
91* GreenEyedMonster: Was hoping to become part of the space force and was well qualified for the most part. When she loses the spot to Noriko, Kashiwara makes it her job to ensure that the remainder of Noriko's time in training is a living hell.
92* SchoolyardBullyAllGrownUp: Works as a mecha phys. ed coach in her later years, having mellowed out considerably from her teen years.
93* TeensAreMonsters: See above.
94
95!Smith Toren
96-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KazukiYao (JP), Creator/JasonLiebrecht (EN)
97
98----
99* FirstLove: Noriko's.
100* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: Dies in battle, and his death triggers Noriko's CharacterDevelopment.]]
101* IndirectKiss: Has one with Noriko, the medium being his drink that he gave her.
102* NiceGuy
103* PhenotypeStereotype: A fair-haired and eyed American.
104* SacrificialLamb: [[spoiler: Introduced in episode 3. Has some romantic chemistry with Noriko--just enough that it hurts Noriko (and the audience) when he dies in battle by the end of the episode.]]
105* ShoutOut: He's based on Toren Smith, founder of manga translator Studio Proteus.
106[[/folder]]

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