As already noted on the main page, Aero Fighters has a variety of playable characters which makes it stand out from your standard military Shoot 'Em Up video game.
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Alex & Pictus
- Species: Human & CatPlanes: Westland Whirlwind (Aero Fighters 3)
A rich kid with a cat whom "borrowed" his dad's plane to assist the heroes.
- Abusive Parents: Played for laughs in his Aero Fighters 3 ending: Normal parents deny their kids dessert for misbehaving. Alex's dad denies him food entirely.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: Alex & Pictus end up crashing their plane. What happens next... see above.
Angela / Steve
- Species: HumanPlanes: Dassault Rafale (Aero Fighters 2, Sonic Wings Limited, & Sonic Wings Special), Dowoitine D520 (Sonic Wings Special)
A flamboyant effeminate Frenchwoman, although how womanly she is is open to interpretation. Her day job is as a dancer (Japanese)/punk rocker (English).
- Abhorrent Admirer: To several of the other characters.
- Ambiguous Gender: For starters, the character's called Steve in Aero Fighters 2. Everywhere else (Sonic Wings 2 included), they're called Angela.
- In Sonic Wings, Angela uses male pronouns. Conversely, in 2 co-ending with Cindy and Ellen, Keith refers to Steve as a girl.
- In Keaton's co-ending, "she" was shown wearing a corset undergarment with a clearly feminine figure. Conversely, in Hien's ending, "he" has a flat-chested masculine figure.
- "He" sings with a masculine sounding voice in 2s solo ending, but Special's version of the same ending has a more feminine one.
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The developers are on record that endings showing Angela/Steve as male weren't meant to be taken seriously. Although given everything else above...
- Butt-Monkey: Is attacked by Silver, Hien, and Spanky in their Aero Fighters 2 Co-endings.
- Full-Frontal Assault: Several endings have them stripping down and attempting to Glomp people.
- Shout-Out: Her design is based on Oscar from [1].
- Something about a Rose: Often seen holding a pink rose.
Blazers (and Glenda)
- Species: HumanPlanes: P61 Black Widow (Aero Fighters 3), F-14 Tomcat (Aero Fighters Assault), A-10 Thunderbolt II (Aero Fighters Assault)
The daughter of Glen and Gil's master got kidnapped again, and so they commandeered Glenda's plane to find her.
- Guest Fighter: Glen and Gil are from Video System's beat em up game Karate Blazers.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: The villains didn't have the girl they're looking for.
Bobby / Arthur Pride
- Species: HumanPlanes: Sea Harrier FRS2 (Aero Fighters 2)
The young son of William Pride. So young, in fact, that he's still in diapers.
- All Just a Dream: His solo ending in Aero Fighters 2, mirroring Mao Mao's in the previous game.
Chaika & Pooshka
- Species: HumanPlanes: IL-2 Sturmovik (Aero Fighters 3 & Sonic Wings Special), IL-102 (Sonic Wings Limited & Sonic Wings Special)
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: Their Aero Fighters 3 ending has them go to claim their bounty only to find Angela beat them to it. They end up forced to work as her janitors.
Ellen & Cindy / Cincia
- Species: HumanPlanes: F-14 Tomcat (Aero Fighters 2 & Sonic Wings Special), Fairey Swordfish (Aero Fighters 3, Sonic Wings Limited, & Sonic Wings Special)
- Guest Fighter: The originals, at least if you don't count Lord White. They originally appeared as the New Zealand racers in Video System's earlier Lethal Crash Race.
Hawk
- Species: HumanPlanes: F-14 Tomcat (Aero Fighters Assault)
- Cultural Translation: In the Japanese Version, he has a more anime-esque appearance with white hair in a ponytail, and a blue turtleneck with white pants with belts placed above his knees, and one as a loose fitting collar. The US Version makes him look more like a traditional pilot with a blonde buzz-cut, and a standard olive-drab flightsuit with a red T-shirt underneath.
- Recruit Teenagers with Attitude: While not the youngest pilot of the bunch, he is top of the his flight class at age 17.
- Surfer Dude: In the US version, his voice lines have him saying some surfer terms like "Tcha!" and "Righteous, brah!".
Hien
- Species: HumanPlanes: Mitsubishi F-2 (Aero Fighters, Aero Fighters 2, Sonic Wings Limited, Sonic Wings Special, & Aero Fighters Assault), Mitsubishi A6M Zero (Aero Fighters 3), Nakajima J1N Gekkou (Sonic Wings Special)
A ninja who alongside Mao Mao is the most recurring character in the series. He shoots out giant shuriken and kunai from his planes.
- Engrish: In Aero Fighters 2 he (or rather, his direct commander Gozen) mangles the word "Fly" more often than Spanky does!
- Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: He's a Ninja Fighter Pilot.
- The Quiet One: He doesn't talk all that much, and when he does speak he is very direct and to the point.
- The Stoic: In contrast to Mao, and most of the other characters he interacts with, he tends to behave in a serious and professional manner, rarely showing any emotion.
- Wave-Motion Gun: The Bomb/Special for his FSX fighter in the first two games.
- "X" Marks the Hero: Has an X-shaped scar on his forehead.
Keaton
- Species: Human (Aero Fighters), Cyborg (all subsequent games)Planes: F-18 (Aero Fighters), F-117 (Aero Fighters 2, Sonic Wings Limited, & Sonic Wings Special), F 4 U Corsair (Aero Fighters 3 & Sonic Wings Special)
An American pilot who was turned into a cyborg in the second game after Pandora nearly killed him with a last-ditch attack.
- Butt-Monkey: Suffers the most of any character in his endings.
- Cyborg: In the sequels, most of his body has been replaced with cybernetics.
- Make My Monster Grow: His bomb in Aero Fighters 3 makes himself grow really large.
- Sudden Downer Ending: His story mode in the first game has Pandora or Ou-Saru apparently kill him by blasting him well into outer space.
- We Can Rebuild Him: In the sequels, he's revealed to have survived his apparent death at the end of the first game with the help of extensive cybernetics.
Keith Bishop
- Species: HumanPlanes: F-14 Tomcat (Aero Fighters)
- Put on a Bus: After the first game he is never seen again.
Kowful
- Species: HumanPlanes: Saab 37 Viggen (Aero Fighters 1, Sonic Wings Limited, & Sonic Wings Special), Ju-87 Stuka (Aero Fighters 3 with River, Sonic Wings Special)
- Blood Knight: Is only concerned with finding a Worthy Opponent to fight.
- Genius Bruiser: A viking and a roboticist.
- Horny Vikings: Wears a horned viking helmet in place of any sort of pilot's helmet.
- Laughing Mad: Pretty much 99%, if not all he ever says, is laughter, which grows longer and longer as you progress through the game. Lampshaded in Special:Hee! He! He! He! He! He! He! He! He! He! (repeat)
- The Rival: With Tenukie, of all entities. Tenukie is leading 2-0 in their fisfights.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Most of his dialogue with Tee Bee consists of bragging contests.
Malcolm
- Species: HumanPlanes: Do 335 Pfeil (Aero Fighters 3)
- Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Well, arrogant Ace Pilot, but it's the game.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: Crash lands in his ending and is said to blow his entire reward on his healthcare.
Mao Mao
- Species: HumanPlanes: F-15 Eagle (Aero Fighters 1, Aero Fighters 2, Sonic Wings Limited, Sonic Wings Special, & Aero Fighters Assault), Aichi M 6 A 1 Seiran (Aero Fighters 3 & Sonic Wings Special)
A 19-year-old idol singer who happened to be in the right place at the right time to help fend off Fata Morgana's first attack.
- All Just a Dream: Her ending in the first game has her awake in her bed and realize that her whole adventure was a dream. She proceeds to fall back to sleep and continue the dream.
- Blood Knight: Seems to be a minor case. As much as an accident as her first sally was, she found she enjoyed being a fighter pilot, and so has secretly joined Project Blue for just such an opportunity.
- Demoted to Extra: She's a main character along with Hien in the majority of the Aero Fighters/Sonic Wings games. But in Assault, Mao Mao isn't among the default pilots and you need to unlock her using a cheat code.
- Falling into the Cockpit: At the beginning of the first game, she was doing a publicity stunt at a JSDF air base (her sash reads "Air Commander for a Day"), and happened to be in an F-15—one that chanced to be kitted out with Project Blue weaponry—when Fata Morgana attacked. Somehow, she was able to fly the plane well, and has been part of Project Blue since then.
- Never Bareheaded: Wears that hat of hers whether or not she's in battle.
- Pretty in Mink: In the second game, her outfit is an Idol Singer dress with fur-trimmed gloves and cape.
- Secret Identity: Nobody knows that she flies in a plane and fights evil.
- Time Stands Still: Her E-Wave bomb freezes enemies in place, allowing her and her wingmate to wail on them while they are incapacitated.
- Wave-Motion Gun: Her special weapon in Assault.
River North White
- Species: HumanPlanes: Panavia Tornado (Aero Fighters), Ju-87 Stuka (Aero Fighters 3 with Kowful), AV-8 Harrier II (Sonic Wings Limited & Sonic Wings Special), Boulton Paul Defiant (Sonic Wings Special)
The leader of Project Blue, he seems to actually be Kitashirakawa Taro from Rabio Lepus.
- Big Good: Is the commander of the game's cast of characters.
- High-Class Glass: Usually wears a monocle, though it's inconsistent which eye it's over.
Rabio and Kotomi
- Species:Robot and HumanPlanes: Red Rabbit
Lord White's daughter and her robotic rabbit companion from Rabio Lepus.
- Guest Fighter: Rabio is from the same game that bears its name.
- Sapient Ship: The "Red Rabbit" ship is Rabio himself.
- Secret Character: In the first, third, and both versions of the fourth game.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: Either Kotomi's sister has already saved herself, or "The Man" makes off with her instead.
- Your Size May Vary: Rabio was roughly human-sized in Rabio Lepus.
Silver
- Species: HumanPlanes: A-10 Thunderbolt II (Aero Fighters 2, Sonic Wings Limited, & Sonic Wings Special), P-61 Black Widow (Sonic Wings Special)
A formerly Retired Badass who joined up with Project Blue to avenge his friend Randy.
- Drowning My Sorrows: Most of his endings end with him in a bar.
Spanky the Dolphin / Whity
- Species: DolphinPlanes: Northrop YF-23 Gray Ghost (Aero Fighters 2, Sonic Wings Limited, & Sonic Wings Special), Polikarpov I-16 (Aero Fighters 3), Henschel Hs 129 (Sonic Wings Special), Grumman X-29 (Aero Fighters Assault)
The proudly self-proclaimed "World's First Dolphin Pilot". He flies experimental aircraft which usually have water-themed weapons. Since he is a dolphin, he hates dry and hot places.
- Demoted to Extra: In Assault. Like Mao Mao, Spanky/Whity is not among the default pilots at the start and you must unlock him by completing all the Bonus Stages. That being said, he's so worth it (see below).
- Difficult, but Awesome: In Assault, his plane is rather slow and has difficulty turning properly. His main gun also has very short range,
despite being a laser, meaning he has trouble effectively tailing enemy aircraft. However, that gun does almost as or as much damage as most regular Special Weapons (except the Ninja Beam), and because it's the main gun, it has infinite ammo! His plane also has the best missile type (Phoenix), and the Chaff is Air Mines. About the only thing unspectacular in his arsenal is his Special Weapon, the rather cumbersome Fae, which is still good against bosses. This makes Spanky the best boss killer in the game. Makes sense since you have to fully beat the game to unlock him. Or use a cheat. To make him even more awesome, this means the little guy's awesome in the "Air Battle" and "Fortress levels! - Disproportionate Retribution: In his ending with Steve/Angela in 2, the latter suggests he join a circus. Spanky furiously shoots their plane down in response.
- Engrish: "I never thought I'd be frying over a jungle."
- Extreme Omnivore: He tries to eat Martian food as well as Martians themselves.
- Making a Splash: Most of his attacks are water-based.
- Talking Animal: He's a dolphin who can speak human languages.
T. B. "Tee Bee" A- 10
- Species: RobotPlanes: Saab JAS-39 Gripen (Aero Fighters), F-104 Starfighter (Sonic Wings Limited & Sonic Wings Special), Brewster F 2 A Buffalo (Sonic Wings Special)
An advanced robot created by Kowful to be "the world's greatest fighting machine."
- Blood Knight: He exists only to fight. His profile even lists "Fight" under "likes."
- Sudden Downer Ending: His single-player ending in the first game and one his endings in Special has him unceremoniously shot down by the more advanced "Tee-Bee A-10 Mk II".
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Most of his dialogue with Kowful consists of bragging contests.
Villiam / William Pride
- Species: HumanPlanes: AV-8 Harrier II (Aero Fighters)
- Always Save the Girl: He joins the group to save his abducted fiancèe
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: He's a prince and a fighter pilot.
Volk the "No Dead"
- Species: CyborgPlanes: Kamov Ka-50 Black Shark (Sonic Wings Limited & Sonic Wings Special), MiG-3 (Sonic Wings Special), Sukhoi Su-35 (Aero Fighters Assault)
- Badass Longcoat: Always wears a black greatcoat.
- Electronic Eyes: His right eye is a cybernetic implant.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has a prominent scar running across his face.
- Cyborg: Although not to the extent of Keaton, he has extensive cybernetics.
- Husky Russkie: He stands 5'10" or 6' depending on the source and is built like a fridge.
- Incendiary Exponent: In Assault, all of his weaponry is fire-themed.
- Smoking Is Cool: Commonly seen with a cigarette between his lips.
