The characters from ''VideoGame/Vigilante8'' and [[VideoGame/Vigilante8SecondOffense its sequel]].

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Vigilantes]]

!!Convoy

* BigBadassRig: In all games. He even gets a trailer to boot in ''Vigilante 8: Second Offense'', and has the best armor in this game.
* BigGood: He's the leader of the Vigilantes.
* CoolOldGuy: One of the oldest characters in the series, and the leader of the heroes.
* {{Cowboy}}: [[PlayingWithATrope Not specifically]], but he wears the hat and the boots, uses the lingo, and even speaks with a noticeable Southern drawl.
-->''This cowboy's still got it.''
-->''I ain't ready for Boot Hill!''
-->''Circle the wagons, here I come!''
* DisneyDeath: In the second game, he is killed by Slick Clyde, but resurrected when Houston goes back in time to turn the tables.
* HappilyMarried: To Houston as of the second game.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Sheila's in-game biography in ''2nd Offense'' mentions that her uncle Convoy "ruled the household with an iron fist."
* VisualPun: Convoy dresses, talks, and acts like a stereotypical cowboy and drives a big rig truck in all his appearances. This essentially makes him an "Asphalt Cowboy" (a slang term for a trucker).

!!Houston 3/[[spoiler:Tanyah]]

* ActionGirl: One specifically based on the {{Blaxploitation}} heroines of the decade, albeit as a {{cyborg}}. She was a DarkActionGirl in the first game before her HeelFaceTurn.
--> ''I may be half-human...'' ''...but I'm all-woman!''
* AfroAsskicker: In both games, the one constant in her appearance is her giant afro.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: In the first game.
* EnergyWeapon: Her special weapon in the first game is a turreted laser cannon.
* {{Cyborg}}: Her body has been reinforced using OMAR tech.
* HeelFaceTurn: After she removes OMAR's wristband, she joins the Vigilantes and marries Convoy.
* MsFanservice: Her outfit in the first game is a black leather catsuit with the sleeves and pant legs cut off that's been unzipped past her breasts. ''2nd Offense'' tones it down considerably, giving her overalls instead.
* SassyBlackWoman: Her characterization in the first game is pretty much "[=robo-=]Creator/PamGrier". In the second game, she drops the robo part.
* SensibleHeroesSkimpyVillains: Her HeelFaceTurn in ''2nd Offense'' sees her swap the tight leather for more modest overalls.
* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: Her ending in ''2nd Offense'' has her [[spoiler:kill Dallas XIII and]] go back in time to save Convoy.
* ShellShockedVeteran: According to the backstory of ''2nd Offense'', Houston suffers nightmares as the result of her brainwashing and mind control from her time as an OMAR mercenary.
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:Her real name is Tanyah, and she's the long-lost sister of the Flying All-Star Trio.]]
* TrappedInVillainy: In the first game, when she's a brainwashed and mind-controlled mercenary for OMAR. It's also kind of lampshaded by her victory quote in the first game.
--> ''Program complete, baby.'' ''[[MyGodWhatHaveIDone Why am I doing this?]]''
* WrenchWench: In ''2nd Offense'', she's become a mechanic.

!!Flying All-Star Trio

* BadassBiker: They're a motorcycle stunt team who use their bike as their vehicle of choice.
* CoolBike: They drive a motorcycle painted like UsefulNotes/EvelKnievel's bike, which shoots homing fireworks from its attached sidecar.
* FatalFireworks: The Blazing Glory Rockets, which are homing fireworks that deal massive damage.
* GlassCannon: They have the weakest armor in the game, but the single most powerful special weapon.
* KidHero: They are 15 years old.
* SiblingTeam
* ThemeTwinNaming: The two brothers are named Tomey and Romey. Their sister's name is Leilah, [[spoiler:which matches with the name of the Trio's older sister, Tanyah]].

!!John Torque

* AfroAsskicker: While not as big as Houston's, his hair is still in a rather large afro.
* DatingCatwoman: [[spoiler:With Nina Loco as a [[DownplayedTrope downplayed example]] at the end of ''Second Offense'' (or at least implied based on Convoy's ending).]]
* EarthquakeMachine: His special weapon in the first game, the Bass Quake, is a stereo system so loud it shakes the Earth.
* {{Expy}}: Of [[Franchise/StarWars Lando Calrissian]] as well as [[Film/{{Shaft}} John Shaft]].
* MrViceGuy: He's [[TheGambler addicted to gambling]].
* NumberTwo: To Convoy.
* ShockwaveStomp: His Bass Quake weapon in the first game.
* ShootTheDog: [[ImpliedTrope Implied.]] Torque's in-game biography from ''Second Offense'' vaguely hints that [[spoiler:he is the one who killed Sid Burn]] after the events of the first game.
-->"It's a good thing [[spoiler:Sid wasn't coming back for his money]]. Torque made sure of it, though he would never admit to anything."

!!Sheila

* ActionGirl: A rebellious teenage girl seeking to prove herself as a Vigilante. [[spoiler:By the end of the second game, she's become an FBI agent.]]
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: Or niece, in this case. She believes she should be a member of the Vigilantes despite her uncle's misgivings. Her special weapon is even called the Tantrum.
* GatlingGood: Her special weapon, the Tantrum.
* MsFanservice: Her outfit in ''2nd Offense'' is a crop top and booty shorts.
* TakingUpTheMantle: [[spoiler: Sheila takes Chassey's car and becomes an FBI agent after Chassey runs off with Chase.]]
* WellDoneSonGuy: She joins the Vigilantes against her uncle Convoy's will, hoping to prove herself to him.

!!Chassey Blue

* ActionGirl: The main law enforcement character in the series, and also a blonde bombshell who, in the first game especially, is evocative of the cast of ''Series/CharliesAngels''.
* FriendOnTheForce: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with.]] In the first game, Chassey is an FBIAgent whose mission is to join the Vigilantes and stop Sid Burn. Incidentally, the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvAqlm0jXM4 opening intro]] from the first game shows Convoy and Chassey signaling to each other to coordinate an attack on the Coyotes at Site 4.
* HappilyMarried: To Agent Chase at the end of the second game.
* KillSat: Her special weapon in the second game, a satellite with a limited range that drops a very powerful laser beam on enemies.
* MsFanservice: Her outfit in ''2nd Offense'' is a body-hugging, low-cut minidress.

!!Dave

* AliensAreBastards: His special weapon summons [=UFOs=] to attack enemies. It is one of the most annoying attacks in the game.
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: How his followers see his getting taken up by a UFO.
* NewAgeRetroHippie: He's a hippie dude who's out searching for the truth about aliens.
* ShagWagon: His vehicle in the first game is a big, full-size van.
* TakingUpTheMantle: Dave's Cultsmen replace him in the second game.

!!Dave's Cultsmen

* AliensAreBastards: They have the same annoying special weapon as Dave from the previous game, albeit only half as powerful this time around.
* DummiedOut: Files for a potential Quest for Dave's Cultsmen were found within the game's data, but their Quest was cut before release.
* NewAgeRetroHippie: Much like Dave, they're hippies searching for aliens.
* NoNameGiven: Two of the Cultsmen don't have names. The other one is named Dorkiel.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Coyotes]]

!!Sid Burn

* BigBad: Of the first game.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: He gets a hefty cash reward from OMAR in his character ending, but he's out of gas and, thanks to his terrorist actions, he's 100 miles from the nearest gas station. [[spoiler:John Torque then captures and presumably kills him.]]
* LandDownUnder: Sid is (apparently) from Australia. He uses the phrase "shrimp on the barbie" when he wins a match in the first game.
* PyroManiac: His special weapon is a flamethrower.
* WesternTerrorists: Sid's a terrorist-for-hire and he's (apparently) from Australia.

!!Slick Clyde

* BigBad: Of the second game, now going by Lord Clyde.
* ChainLightning: Literally the name of his special weapon in the second game, and it shocks every car within range.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Clyde doesn't appear at all in ''Vigilante 8: Arcade''. Quite jarring considering he was [[FaceHeelTurn a very crucial part of the plot]] for the first game and an [[BigBad even more crucial part of the plot]] for ''Second Offense''.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: In the second game, he's risen to become the leader of OMAR.
* EvilMentor: Took in two orphans, Keiko and Darius, and had them trained as his personal mercenaries.
* FaceHeelTurn: He joins (and takes over) the Coyotes after putting on Houston's mind control armband.
* LightningCanDoAnything: His special weapons all involve lightning.
* RhymesOnADime: Most of his character quotes in ''2nd Offense''.
* TokenEvilTeammate: In the first game. If the loading screen expositions are anything to go by, it's safe to say that Clyde wasn't a very nice guy to begin with. At one point, he even thinks about overthrowing Convoy and taking over the Vigilantes. And mind you, this is ''before'' he puts on Houston's mind control armband and becomes a villain for real.

!!Keiko "Obake" Uzumi

* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Her special weapon is a blade fixture that goes on her car's nose. When activated, it rockets her through other cars at the speed of light.
* AwfulTruth: [[spoiler: Her mentor Lord Clyde was the one responsible for murdering her father and disposing of her partner and friend Darius.]]
* ConvenientlyAnOrphan: Her father's death is what led her into Lord Clyde's employ.
* CoolBike: Her vehicle is some sort of futuristic motorcycle/hoverbike...thing.
* DarkActionGirl: A lethal female assassin who serves as a key henchwoman of the BigBad.
* DeadPartner: She spends a lot of time reflecting on her missing partner and friend Darius. [[spoiler: Finding out what happened to him drives her to turn on Lord Clyde.]]
* TheDragon: To Slick Clyde. Becomes a DragonWithAnAgenda after her HeelFaceTurn.
* HeelFaceTurn: At the end of the second game.
* HeelRealization: The main reason she was evil in the first place is because Lord Clyde obfuscated a ''lot'' of the evil deeds he did while she was under his employ.
* ItsPersonal: [[spoiler: After discovering that Clyde killed her father to take over his conglomerate and then had her best friend Darius roboticized into the bio-bot Dallas XII, Obake vows to kill Clyde herself.]]
* TokenGoodTeammate: She works for Lord Clyde because he's her foster father and she doesn't know how evil he really is. [[spoiler:When she finds out, she switches sides.]]

!!Dallas XIII/[[spoiler:Darius]]

* BrainUploading: [[spoiler: Has Darius' brain and thus a databank of his memories.]]
* CattlePunk: He's styled as a robot cowboy, complete with a hat and a pose that makes him look like he's reaching for a pair of six-shooters.
* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: [[spoiler: His human memories continually interfere with his performance, with Lord Clyde making more and more extensive changes to him in order to keep him in line.]]
* EnergyWeapon: His special weapon.
* EvilCounterpart: He's basically what Houston was shaping up to be if she never broke free from OMAR's control. [[spoiler: Straight down to the flashes of humanity that interfere in his programming.]] His car is even from the same model that Houston used during her tenure, the Palomino.
* KilledOffForReal: Ends up as scrap after his final run-in with Houston.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Delivers one to Houston in his ending, only to have it served right back to him when Houston gets a HeroicSecondWind.
* UnwillingRoboticisation: [[spoiler: Dallas was originally an orphan named Darius that Clyde adopted alongside Obake to be his bodyguard.]]
* YouHaveFailedMe: [[spoiler: After badly botching a mission, Clyde had Darius roboticized as punishment.]]

!!Nina Loco

* DarkActionGirl: A sexy arms dealer who works for the Coyotes.
* FieryRedhead: Has a big mane of bright red hair.
* HeelFaceTurn: At the end of the second game.
* InterfaceScrew: Her special weapon causes every other tracking weapon to follow it to its target - very useful when up against characters such as Padre or Dave's Cultsmen.
* JackOfAllStats: Good acceleration, mediocre avoidance (that goes up to 100% avoidance when her special weapon is in use), decent top speed and armor.
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: She joined the Coyotes because she grew up poor and couldn't pass up a cool million dollars. Even as she realizes what the Coyotes are doing with all those weapons, she initially tries to tell herself that the money is worth it.
* PriceOnTheirHead: She's an arms smuggler who's wanted by the FBI, John Torque, and the Mexican mob.
* SpicyLatina: Her personality is very much this, with shades of FemmeFatale.

!!Boogie

* BewareTheSillyOnes: At first, Boogie comes across as a silly, disco-dancing comic relief character (which he kind of is). So it's easy to forget that he's a actually a dangerous criminal who is in cahoots with an Australian terrorist.
* BumblingSidekick: To Sid in the first game. It's also kind of PlayedWith since Boogie comes across as a silly comic relief character, yet he's still a dangerous criminal.
* DiscoDan: A literal example whose main characterization is that he's a disco fan who wants to be [[Film/SaturdayNightFever Tony Manero]].
* TheDragon: To Sid.
* LethalJokeItem: His special weapon, "Disco Inferno", is an inflatable disco ball that shoots fireworks and explosives. It is actually quite powerful and can actually "trap" other drivers for a few seconds if they get too close (similar to Dave's UFO attack).
* TheNapoleon: As his [[spoiler:mugshot]] from the first game reveals, Boogie is apparently only 4 1/2 feet tall and is a member of the criminal/terroristic Coyote gang. One of his victory/defeat quotes in the first game seems to also hint at his [[BewareTheSillyOnes occasionally aggressive personality]] as well:
-->"Ha! I'm feeling 10 feet tall, tough guy!"
-->"Hey, what? [[Film/GoodFellas You think I'm funny?]]"
* StayingAliveDancePose: True to his DiscoDan persona, Boogie does this pose at the character/car select screen in the first two games.

!!Molo

* BigBadWannabe
* TheBully: He was a schoolyard bully before he stole a school bus and joined the Coyotes.
* ButtMonkey: Not even his fellow Coyotes respect him.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: In his ending from the first game, after proving himself and earning a spot on the Coyotes team, what's Sid's first task for him? [[YouGetMeCoffee Washing everyone's cars.]]
* FatBastard: Very chubby and very much a snotty asshole. Downplayed in ''Second Offense'' but then ramped up even higher for his redesign in ''Arcade.''
* {{Jerkass}}
* LethalJokeItem: His special weapon, which is actually the most powerful in the game in terms of damage per second. Backing into an enemy and then unloading the toxic smog from the tailpipe can easily cripple even the toughest vehicles.
* MightyGlacier: His bus has the best durability of the whole roster in the first game, and the third best in the sequel. His special weapon deals massive damage (especially in the first game, where it can destroy any opponent in one clip).
* SeriesMascot: The buses Molo drives.

!!Beezwax

* BeeBeeGun: Beezwax's special attack.
* GrumpyOldMan: Clearly an elderly man and clearly he's not very nice.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: He gets blown up after one of his bees sets off a nuke.
* ItsPersonal: He joined the Coyotes because government nuclear tests mutated his bees.
* ScaryStingingSwarm: Again, his special attack.

!!Loki

* CloudCuckoolander: He's a deranged ex-pilot obsessed with flying, who speaks like a fighter pilot even though he's driving a car.
* RecursiveAmmo: His special weapon, the Scatter Missile, splits into several, smaller missiles before hitting their target for a good chunk of damage.

!!Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime (OMAR)

* GreaterScopeVillain: They're the ones backing the Coyotes.
* MegaCorp: They're an oil company, or a cartel of such, seeking to monopolize the oil industry. The second game reveals that they succeeded in pulling this off, albeit with the United States as the only country free from their grip due to [[GreenAesop their embrace of nuclear and renewable energy]].
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: They're a fictionalized version of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, the organization that sparked the 1973 oil crisis. The main difference is that, while the real-life OPEC in TheSeventies was an organization dominated by the [[ArabOilSheikh Middle Eastern petrostates]] (and the oil crisis was caused by their attempt to punish the West for [[UsefulNotes/ArabIsraeliConflict their support for Israel]]), OMAR's nationality is left ambiguous barring the sequel revealing that they're not American.
* TheUnfought: You never actually fight them in the first game, only their hired guns. In the second, however, their CEO himself travels back in time with two of his henchmen in tow and serves as the main antagonist. [[spoiler:Obake does successfully bring them down in her ending.]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Drifters]]

!!Garbage Man/[[spoiler:Y the Alien]]
* AscendedExtra: Became a playable character in the sequel [[spoiler: after being an unlockable character in the first game.]]
* [[spoiler:FlyingSaucer]]
* InterspeciesFriendship: He develops one with [[spoiler:Bob O.]]
* LightningBruiser: [[spoiler: His Luxo Saucer from the first game qualifies as this. It is the only vehicle that can fly, it is lightning fast, it has the third best durability in the game, and its special weapon is an enhanced version of Houston's Death Ray that deals double damage (but doesn't track other cars as well). The Saucer's only drawback is its poor avoidance rate, but its other attributes more than make up for this deficiency.]]
* KillAllHumans: [[spoiler:His goal in the first game, since his friends were [[AlienAutopsy dissected]] [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters by scientists]]]].
* MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold: He considers himself this, since most people view him as a creepy hermit. [[spoiler:He's actually collecting garbage to find parts to repair his saucer with.]]
* TakeThisJobAndShoveIt: One of his death phrases.
* TomatoSurprise: He is revealed to be [[spoiler:Y the Alien]] in ''Second Offense''.
* TurntheOtherCheek: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed.]] [[spoiler:In the first game, Y's goal was to KillAllHumans as payback for [[AlienAutopsy dissecting his friends]]. In ''Second Offense'', he seems to have abandoned that goal and now seems focused on simply repairing his spaceship so he can go back home. At least that's how it seems for the moment...]]
* WalkingSpoiler: Mostly concerning the fact that [[spoiler:he's actually Y the Alien from the first game]].

!!Astronaut Bob O.
* AxCrazy
* CloudCuckoolander
* InterspeciesFriendship: [[spoiler:At the end, he befriends Y and accompanies him back to his home planet.]]
* TomatoSurprise: At the end of ''Second Offense'', he is revealed to be [[spoiler:a chimpanzee.]]
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Bananas and oatmeal, [[spoiler:hinting at his true identity.]]

!!Agent Chase
* DoggedNiceGuy: To Chassey Blue.
* TimePolice: A federal agent sent back to the past to apprehend Lord Clyde.
* TimeStandsStill: People caught within the blast radius of his Hard Time special attack end up frozen in time for a few moments. While it doesn't cause any damage by itself, it makes getting Whammy Combos all too easy.
* TurnInYourBadge: Chase ends up quitting the Time Police force after falling in love with both Chassey and the 1970s.

!!Padre Destino
* BoltOfDivineRetribution: He gets vaporized by a fireball from heaven after trying to bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt via a cult ritual.
* TheFundamentalist
* ToHellAndBack: His special weapon opens a portal to the underworld, which then shoots his vehicle out of the ground from underneath the targeted car.
* StrippedToTheBone: What happens to Destino after the BoltOfDivineRetribution mentioned above.

!!Dusty Earth
* BadassPacifist
* BlowYouAway: His special attack has his pet falcon summon a tornado to lift up and batter his opponents.
* MagicalNativeAmerican: Strongly implied.
* YouFightLikeACow: One of his victory quotes: "You fight like a one-legged buffalo".

[[/folder]]