Line #66 Main/BreakoutMookCharacter


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4	[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/{{Lunia}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/luniacast.png]]]]
5	[[caption-width-right:350:Yes, he(?) is a PlayerCharacter.]]
6
7	A spin-off game or story (or a side story or special episode) that focuses on a MascotMook whose only purpose was to die by the dozen in the original.
8
9	Usually will center on an exceptional member of the HenchmenRace. If the events of this story are canon this guy might become the AscendedExtra on par with the original heroes. Some of them will be [[HunterOfHisOwnKind hunting their own kind]] on the heroes' side after a MookFaceTurn, others will be trying to make it through MookPromotion and become a BigBad on their own right.
10
11	Usually played for comedy (it's funny to see things from the point of view of someone you didn't even consider important enough to be having any sort of private life or backstory).
12
13	Can overlap with MookHorrorShow, when a story focuses on the {{Mook}}s, but only for long enough for TheHero to dispatch them. Also can overlap with MonsterAdventurers.
14
15	Compare LowerDeckEpisode, VillainEpisode, and ADayInTheLimelight, which involve actual characters being given the spotlight, instead of generic [=NPC=]s.
16
17	----
18	!!Examples:
19
20	[[foldercontrol]]
21
22	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
23	* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' does this fairly often with the Zaku; the very first series to have a Zaku-using protagonist was ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam0080WarInThePocket'', followed by ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamThunderbolt'' and ''Requiem For Vengeance''.
24	* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica:'' Charlotte was just another MonsterOfTheWeek, but with the distinction that she killed one of the five main characters very early on. That action, her cute design and surprise factor made her extremely popular and she received tons of fanarts. She ultimately became a prominent supporting character in ''Rebellion'', where she's given a human form, Nagisa Momoe.
25	[[/folder]]
26
27	[[folder:Comic Books]]
28	* ''Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine'': Kroton, the Cyberman with a soul, who appeared in some standalone strips in the early days of the magazine (during the 4th Doctor's tenure), and returned 19 years later to become a companion to the 8th Doctor.
29	[[/folder]]
30
31	[[folder:Fan Works]]
32	* In the VideoGame/{{Undertale}}[=/=]VideoGame/CrashBandicoot {{Crossover}} WebVideo/{{Banditale}}: Grimlies from ''VideoGame/CrashMindOverMutant'' are titans found in certain locations, with some of them being mind-controlled to serve Dr. Neo Cortex. Here, a single Grimly was directly created by Dr. Neo Cortex as part of an experiment as a solution to the Underground's scarcity of animals, and is the one that falls off Banditale's equivalent of ''Undertale's'' CORE to it's death, and wiped from existence.
33	[[/folder]]
34
35	[[folder:Film -- Animation]]
36	* The Minions from ''Franchise/DespicableMe'' have starred in their own [[WesternAnimation/{{Minions}} spinoff movie]] as well as a number of animated shorts.
37	[[/folder]]
38
39	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
40	* One of the main characters in ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' is Finn, a Stormtrooper who pulls a MookFaceTurn at the beginning of the movie.
41	[[/folder]]
42
43	[[folder:Literature]]
44	* From the Franchise/StarWarsLegends, the Zahn novels ''Allegiance'' and ''Choices of One'', which tell the story of a group of five stormtroopers who become dissatisfied with their role in the Empire.
45	* The short story "Wait" in the ''Literature/LeagueOfMagi'' series features an EnemyMine friendship between two cannon fodder characters.
46	[[/folder]]
47
48	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
49	* The Shocker Combatmen are nearly as iconic to the ''Franchise/KamenRider'' franchise as the Kamen Riders themselves, to the point of making many reappearances and being featured in a lot of merchandise. The 1000th episode special in ''Series/KamenRiderOOO'' had a surviving Shocker Combatman named "In Sendo"[[note]]A pun on "Sento'in", meaning "combatant" in Japanese[[/note]] return to take revenge for his slain brethren.
50	* ''Series/ZyudenSentaiKyoryuger'' has Beautiful Zorima, a normal Zorima whom Candelilla modified. ''Series/PowerRangersDinoCharge'' adapts this character as an upgraded Vivix named Beauticruel, [[ShesAManInJapan who is a female]].
51	[[/folder]]
52
53	[[folder:TabletopGames]]
54	* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}''[='s=] module "We Be Goblins!" is this for their crazy trademark take on the Goblin race.
55	* In general, most ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' campaigns with a monster PC would be this, and there are books dedicated to such like 2e's Complete Race Guide and 3.0e's Savage Species. This goes double for Kobolds, who are both one of the more lovably pathetic (Yet deceptively dangerous) monster races, but also the ones who tend to get the most options.
56	[[/folder]]
57
58	[[folder:Video Games]]
59	* In ''VideoGame/EnterTheGungeon'', we have [[spoiler: the unlockable character the Bullet, who is one of the Bullet Kin you've been slaughtering throughout the game.]]
60	** In ''VideoGame/IndiePogo'', the character representing ''VideoGame/EnterTheGungeon'' is a Bullet-Kin, the MascotMook. In-game they fight using a combination of the different Bullet-Kin breeds and common gungeoneer abilities.
61	* Lime, the playable Slime character from ''VideoGame/{{Lunia}}'', is based on the Slime enemies. During the entire first chapter, he is technically slaughtering his own kind.
62	* The Minions in ''VideoGame/{{Overlord}}'' got their [[VideoGame/OverlordMinions own spin-off on DS]].
63	* Many, many ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' [[GameMod ROM hacks]].
64	** ''Rob-ombs Quest'' has a Bob-omb as the main character.
65	** ''The Ninji Safa'' has a Ninji as the main character.
66	** ''Pokey's Adventure'' has a Pokey as the main character.
67	** ''Super Blooper'' has a Blooper as the main character.
68	** There are two ''Mario'' Flash games with a Bullet Bill as the main character, and another with a Bandit as the main character. [[VideoGame/AKoopasRevenge And two where you are a Koopa.]]
69	* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestHeroesRocketSlime'' stars a slime named Rocket who protects his band of expendable Slimes from other expendable minions.
70	* A lot of the early characters from ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'' were originally enemies from the RPG series ''VideoGame/MadouMonogatari'', but several of them became popular enough to earn their own spin-off games and frequent appearances. Several examples include Draco, Witch, Suketoudara, Skeleton-T, Serilly, Harpy, and Kikimora. Ironically, the Puyos themselves are a subversion; despite being the namesake of the franchise, they're still treated like fodder.
71	* ''VideoGame/{{Mega Man\|Classic}}'': Similar to the ''Super Mario World'' ROM hacks, there is a ''VideoGame/HardHat'' series of fan games where the player is a Mettaur.
72	* ''VideoGame/PrinnyCanIReallyBeTheHero'' It is a GaidenGame to the ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' series starring an armada of the series' easily combustible penguin mooks. This being [[NintendoHard Prinny]], his role is still to die by the dozen: the player's thousand lives are all separate Prinnies, who pass the [[AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome Scarf Of Concentrated Awesome]] to the next in line. The sequel also makes Asagi (a recurring character who has a running gag of never being the main character of the game) playable as a Prinny (as she'd died and been reincarnated in the previous game).
73	* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
74	** ''VideoGame/PaperMario64'' and ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' might count, since Goombario/Goombella and other party members are technically main characters that are members of mook races.
75	** The UpdatedRerelease of ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga'' features a seemingly normal Goomba as the protagonist of his own game mode where he leads Bowser's army in his absence. The only thing setting him apart from other Goombas is that he wears a flag on his head.
76	** Most of the Mario side games, including ''VideoGame/MarioKart'', ''VideoGame/MarioParty'', and the various sports games (''VideoGame/MarioTennis'', ''VideoGame/MarioGolf'', ''VideoGame/MarioStrikers'', ''VideoGame/MarioSuperSluggers'' and ''VideoGame/MarioSportsMix'') include mooks from the main series as playable characters. ''VideoGame/SuperMarioParty'' in particular fills almost half its roster with them.
77	** Accounting for the naming issues surrounding him and other Koopa wizards, Kamek was introduced in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld2YoshisIsland'' as Baby Bowser's nanny/right-hand, making him a single character with dialogue rather than just a random mook. He was possibly inspired by Bowser's unnamed magikoopa assistant in the ''ComicBook/SuperMarioAdventures'' comic. While games prior to the ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros'' subseries might have left it debatable which Magikoopas were THE Kamek (not helped by how "Kamek" is actually what the wizard mooks are called in Japanese), the NSMB games with later ones like ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'' have cemented that there is indeed one single Magikoopa who serves as Bowser's sidekick.
78	* ''Videogame/{{Overwatch}}'' has Roadhog, who was created from concept art of a {{Mook}} from another project. Jeff Kaplan noted that in any other game, Roadhog would likely have been an enemy, rather than a playable hero.
79	* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
80	** ''VideoGame/TIEFighter'': Obviously, the titular TIE Fighters and their pilots.
81	** ''VideoGame/StarWarsRepublicCommando'': Clone Troopers, though you and your squad are the [[EliteMooks "deluxe model,"]] and back then the clones were [[RedshirtArmy the good guys]].
82	** ''VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga'' has this as well, to an extent: Kyle Katarn started as a Stormtrooper.
83	* ''VideoGame/GhostsNGoblins'' has a three-game subseries, ''VideoGame/GargoylesQuest'', based on its iconic Red Arremers. Granted, they [[BossInMookClothing don't get picked off by the dozen]], so they might not qualify.
84	* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'': Versus Mode (in all its incarnations) lets you control the [[SuperpoweredMooks Special]] [[ZombieApocalypse Infected]]. Which one you get is determined randomly, but Tanks only appear at predetermined points along the map (and are awarded to the Infected player who's done the most damage) and the Witch isn't on the list at all unless you're using a custom campaign mutation.
85	* Half of ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' ''[[VideoGame/Halo2 2]]'' consists of playing as an Elite who had been [[KickedUpstairs promoted]] to Arbiter, while three of the four playable co-op characters in ''VideoGame/Halo3'' are Elites (including the aforementioned Arbiter). Additionally, Elites have been selectable in the multiplayer for ''2'', ''3'', and ''VideoGame/HaloReach''.
86	** In both the games and expanded universe, the Elites have by far the greatest number of important named characters out of all the Covenant races.
87	* Abobo from ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'' becomes the protagonist of the Flash game ''VideoGame/AbobosBigAdventure'', where he gets to kick the asses of every other NES character ever.
88	* Lander/Randar which has made several cameo appearances in Compile games, got an MSX game ''Randar no Bouken''.
89	* ''VideoGame/HalfLife'':
90	** The spin-offs ''VideoGame/HalfLifeOpposingForce'' and ''VideoGame/HalfLifeBlueShift'' featured a mook enemy and an interchangeable ally NPC as characters. One personally knows Freeman, while the other meets him during his escape attempt from Black Mesa, but they're no different from the folks he kills by the dozen or completely neglects to rescue.
91	** The same for mods like ''VideoGame/AzureSheep'' switching between male and female security guards and ''VideoGame/PointOfView'' featuring a Vortigaunt as the PlayerCharacter.
92	** A ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' mod known as ''Human Error'' puts you in the boots of a Civil Protection officer, while another called ''Combine Destiny'' has the player play as a Combine Overwatch soldier. Another popular mod by the name of ''VideoGame/EntropyZero'' lets you incarnate a snarky Civil Protection officer who goes on to become an Overwatch Elite in [[VideoGame/EntropyZero2 the sequel]].
93	** Other ''Half-Life 2'' mods include ''Precursor'', ''Riot Act'', and ''Dangerous World'', each of which have the player take on the role of a Resistance member operating just beyond Gordon's vantage point - the first being a prequel of sorts, and the other two respectively running parallel with the collapse of Nova Prospekt and the evacuation of City 17 respectively.
94	* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' regular [[MascotMook Jack Frost]] and his friends Pyro Jack and Jack Ripper all star in their own spin-off, ''Jack Bros.''.
95	* One of the characters in ''[[VideoGame/ManaKhemia2FallOfAlchemy Mana-Khemia 2]]'' is Puniyo, a little girl who was raised by three [[MascotMook Punis]], slime creatures that are common enemies in the ''VideoGame/AtelierSeries''. She constantly rides one of them and uses all three of them in battle.
96	* The somewhat obscure Namco game ''VideoGame/{{Grobda}}'' puts the player in control of a tank enemy from ''VideoGame/{{Xevious}}''.
97	* ''VideoGame/BattleForWesnoth'' has a lot of these, including "Inky's Quest" -- The Cuttlefish Campaign. Inky recruits cuttlefish, tentacles, pearl-shooting giant clams...
98	* Variation: The "You Are A Creeper" Mod for ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}''. In which, yes, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin you are a creeper.]]
99	* The sequel to the [[Platform/Commodore64 C64]] classic ''Attack Of The Mutant Camels'' was called ''Revenge of the Mutant Camels''. Take a guess.
100	* In the DLC for ''VideoGame/DungeonsOfDredmor'', The Realm Of The Diggle Gods, there is a skill that allows the PlayerCharacter to transform into a Diggle, the MascotMook of the game. Whether you pick this or not, you can still pray to the eponymous Diggle Gods when you get down to the lowest floors on the dungeon. Apparently the little targets can be pretty powerful when they're not under the control of the [[ArtificialStupidity AI]].
101	* ''VideoGame/QuestForYrolg'' has a little imp killing off the FighterMageThief heroes, in reversal of the ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' games.
102	* ''VideoGame/GoblisAdventure'', the sample game that came with the first [=PlayStation=] UsefulNotes/RPGMaker tool has this as its premise -- Gobli was a goblin that dreamed of becoming a main character and not just XP fodder for the heroes (long before the [[Webcomic/{{Goblins}} webcomic with the same premise]], mind). Joining him on his quest were a literal hole in the wall that wanted to be a character, and an adorable kitten that wanted to become a FinalBoss.
103	* The Creator/{{Nitrome}} game ''Enemy 585'' is about helping a Koopa analogue work his way backward through an AffectionateParody of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld''.
104	* ''VideoGame/FinalFight'''s very own Poison is playable in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'' and ''Ultra VideoGame/StreetFighterIV''.
105	** Ditto for Hugo, a member of the Andore family, playable in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII: Second Impact'' and ''Third Strike'', as well as alongside his manager Poison in ''[=SFxT=]'' and ''USFIV''. He even got into crossover game ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcomSVCChaos'' ahead of other ''Street Fighter'' strongmen like Zangief.
106	* ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}} Neo Imperial'' lets you play as a Big Core, a recurring boss in the main series.
107	* One of the DLC playable characters for ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'' is Krieg the Psycho. Yes, those Mooks that run up and attack you, throw axes, and blow themselves up. Krieg can do all these things, but he's also like a Playable EliteMook since, as a Vault Hunter (read: player character) he can get right back up even after doing things like setting himself on fire and going on a killing spree.
108	** ''VideoGame/BorderlandsThePreSequel'' one-ups this by making Claptrap one of the default playable characters. Yes, the same one from ''2'', and the same one who started the Robolution in the final DLC of [[VideoGame/{{Borderlands}} the original game]]. True to form, his playstyle centers around being unpredictable, with his Action Skill randomly selecting various effects that may or may not be beneficial to his team. [[MindScrew Then things get really weird]] in the Claptastic Voyage DLC, when the Vault Hunters [[FantasticVoyagePlot enter Claptrap's code]] to find some hidden files.
109	* The original ''VideoGame/KillingFloor'' mod had Claire, a playable Stalker who was captured by humans and trained to fight on the side of humanity. She can't turn invisible anymore, but she does still fight [[FullFrontalAssault butt naked]].
110	* The ''VideoGame/{{Rayman}}'' series had a pretty major example with the VideoGame/RavingRabbids. Originally they were the mooks of ''Rayman: Raving Rabbids'', which focused pretty heavily on the Rabbids as MascotMook characters, but was still primarily centered around Rayman. However, every following game started to feature Rayman less and less. ''Raving Rabbids 2'' still let you play as Rayman, but it was also possible to go through the whole game only playing as the rabbids. In ''Raving Rabbids TV Party'', Rayman was only featured in the cutscenes. Finally, with ''VideoGame/RabbidsGoHome'' and every following ''Raving Rabbids'' game Rayman has been completely absent. Now Rayman and the Raving Rabbids are completely different series, with the Raving Rabbids focusing on [[PartyGame party games]] and Rayman focusing on platformers.
111	* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' has [[TheGoomba Moto Bug]] that became playable in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGlC-YVFvQY this]] GameMod.
112	* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'': ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacing'' makes [[PolarPenguins Penta Penguin]], a character based on penguin enemies from the second game, a playable character only accessible through a Cheat Code, and ''[[VideoGame/CrashTeamRacingNitroFueled Nitro-Fueled]]'' adds the [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots Lab Assistants]] as winnable characters at the Pit Stop.
113	* ''Videogame/BioShock2'' lets you play as one of the Big Daddies, [[BossInMookClothing Bosses In Mook Clothings]], that were slaughtered by the dozen in [[Videogame/BioShock the first game]]. Here, Subject Delta must retrieve his Little Sister to finally escape [[UnderwaterCity Rapture]] and, because this is ''VideoGame/BioShock'', also deal with a utopian leader.
114	* ''Videogame/HeroesOfTheStorm'' includes two of these: A [[Videogame/WorldOfWarcraft baby murloc]] who's special ability allows him to die about as often as his brethren for a pittance of experience; and a [[{{Videogame/Starcraft}} protoss probe]] - specifically, from the opening cinematic of Legacy of the Void.
115	* In certain ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' games, you can play as a [[WaddlingHead Waddle Dee]] wearing a bandana, who is simply named "Bandana Waddle Dee", who became sort of a fourth main character to the series.
116	* ''VideoGame/{{Artifact}}'' is a CardBattleGame SpinOff of ''VideoGame/Dota2''. Several of the HeroUnit cards are "elite" versions of some of ''Dota 2'''s neutral jungle creeps. For example, Keefe the Bold is an ogre, Rix is a vhoul, and J'Muy is a troll.
117	* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'':
118	** Piranha Plant, which is normally a mook in ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Super Mario]]'' games, is a playable fighter. It is in fact the first fighter in the series who isn't a main protagonist, villain, supporting character, or mascot in their original games.
119	** Steve from ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' has two alternative costumes that replace him for mooks from his game, namely a zombie and an Enderman.
120	* ''VideoGame/PowerRangersBattleForTheGrid'' has amongst its playable cast, a Mastodon Sentry; a mook exclusive to the [[ComicBook/MightyMorphinPowerRangersBoomStudios comics continuity]] that use the powers of the original Black Ranger. Amongst his attacks, his LimitBreak involves calling fellow Mastodon Sentries to shoot the opponent.
121	* In the ''Showdown'' mode of ''VideoGame/ShovelKnight'', aside from every relevant character being playable, we also have a Goldarmor, one of the most common enemies in any campaign, and a Liquid Samurai, a mook found in the last stage.
122	* ''VideoGame/{{Arknights}}'': The Avenger {{Elite Mook}}s, particularly their [[LawOfChromaticSuperiority stronger, redder]] Hateful Avenger variants, left a huge impact on the playerbase during the beta run of [[ArrangeMode Contingency Contract]] where they were easily the most dangerous threat the player had to face. Their infamy led to them getting more focus in future events; the later Contingency Contract season ''Operation Blade'' not only brought them back, but had the lyrics of its [[https://youtu.be/hpI5vMxYJ_k lobby theme]] sung from their viewpoint, ''A Light Spark in Darkness'' introduced the Reunion swordsman Red, a named character inspired by the enemy class, and the final Contingency Contract season, ''Operation Basepoint'', closed things out with a unique [[KingMook boss Avenger]] that the game describes as the original Hateful Avenger from the beta coming back for a second round.
123	[[/folder]]
124
125	[[folder:Webcomics]]
126	* The ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'' webcomic has three main groups, two of which are entirely or mostly made up of goblins, very nearly the lowest of the low when it comes to ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' XP fodder.
127	* Bogey (a minor Goomba-like plant Mook) got a few in ''WebComic/KidRadd.''
128	[[/folder]]
129
130	[[folder:Web Animation]]
131	* [[NonSerialMovie Incident:011A]] of ''WebAnimation/MadnessCombat'' stars [[GiantMook Mag Agent: Torture]] as the main character, when his only appearance prior was in ''Madness Combat 7: Consternation''.
132	[[/folder]]
133
134	[[folder:Western Animation]]
135	* ''Magnificent Muttley'', a segment of ''WesternAnimation/DastardlyAndMuttleyInTheirFlyingMachines'', starred Dick Dastardly's canine minion daydreaming of being famous or heroic figures.
136	* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': Steve the Coven Scout was initially a mere named lackey of Emperor Belos, who was something of a fanboy of the then head of the Emperor's Coven, Lilith Clawthorne back in Season 1. However, he proved to be [[EnsembleDarkhorse so popular]], that he got some reccuring appearances in later episodes of Season 2, which ultimately led into him [[spoiler:turning on the Emperor's Coven in "O Titan, Where Art Thou", after having a lengthy heart to heart with King, complete with a face reveal, and later establishing that Steve was the older brother of the Hexside student, Matt.]]
137	[[/folder]]
138

Context Main / BreakoutMookCharacter