Main character of the second game in the series. He is a Hot Blooded, red-headed Determinator who appears to be the last remaining human on Veldime, unaffected by Overlord Zenon's curse. Adell has a completely unrelenting sense of honor that should by all means mark him as cannon-fodder in the world he lives in, but miraculously doesn't. When Adell makes a promise he will keep it, no matter what the universe throws at him. He also has the world's largest tie. Later in the game it's revealed that the reason Zenon's curse didn't affect him is because he is in fact a demon. Both of his parents were benevolent demons that lived in Veldime, but after Zenon appeared and started affecting the world with his curse, they left Adell with his adopted parents and tried to kill Zenon to stop the curse. They were defeated and made into is his mind controlled slaves. He's never aware of this, however.Tropes associated with Adell:
Brilliant, but Lazy: Adell is entirely capable of being intelligent. He just doesn't feel like it most of the time, because bashing problems into a fine red pulp is a lot easier.
Get him to talk about stealing, back-stabbing, or anything demonish. It will get stuck in your head.
Crippling Overspecialization: Played for laughs in Disgaea 3—he left Veldime after the end of Disgaea 2, because he doesn't know how to do anything but fight, and didn't get a job at Evil Academy because Hot Blooded isn't a teaching skill! (Or rather, it is, but Mr. Champloo has that position filled already.)
Also Played for Laughs in Disgaea 4, where he was so good at Demon Hunting that he eventually ran out of Demons to hunt in Veldime.
Demoted to Extra: After this game, he's only been accessible as unrelated DLC events along with Rozalin while his rival Axel is unlockabe in every post game afterwards. The creator even made a joke that the Disgaea games that would get a sequel would be 1 (a trilogy) and 3 completely skipping over 2.
Fanboy: A 'Dark Hero Days' DLC reveals Adell to be a huge fan of Plenair. Rather than fighting her like other DLC characters, Adell will freak out and ask for her autograph, then hide in his room for two hours out of embarrassment, causing Plenair to join the group out of pity.
The Fettered: What would Adell be without his oaths? Especially since, as mentioned above, he's loathe to acknowledge his love of battle.
In the Disgaea 3DLC, one of Adell's Evilities prevents him from killing anyone below his level; any killing attack will instead drive the opponent's HP To One. This actually makes him great for Level Grinding characters well below his level, since they can just finish those enemies off.
Heroes Fight Barehanded: Adell finds weapons just not [his] style, and fights barehanded (though he can be given any weapon in gameplay, he's just not too good with them, suffering slow skill gain).
Heroes Prefer Swords: Averted. Adell is the only series protagonist to favor another weapon (fists) over swords. Swords are his second-best weapon, though.
Hunter of His Own Kind: Not that he realizes it. One would think that, being a demon, he'd notice the pointy ears, but no. He has apparently never looked under that hair of his.
Word Of God says he actually has a birth defect that makes his ears human-shaped.
Idiot Hero: Subverted- Adell is actually quite intelligent; he just chooses to act in what people think is an idiotic manner.
If It's You, It's Okay: Adell gets to a point where he doesn't hold Rozalin's incredible feminine sexiness against her. It takes a while.
The Knights Who Say Squee: When Pleinair is made available as DLC, the scene where she is recruited has Adell ask for her autograph instead of challenging her to battle. Unfortunately, he gets so embarrassed by what he did, he runs to his room in tears.
Lightning Bruiser: Adell has good hit points and strength, but he shines the most at speed, since his focus on fists means that pumping speed boosts both his damage and his insane dodging ability.
Oblivious Adoption: The adoption, he knows of. The fact that he's not human? Not so much.
Overrated and Underleveled: He begins the game at Level 1, as befitting the hero of an RPG. But he's already traveled all over the world of Veldime looking for Overlord Zenon, and Veldime has some pretty dangerous regions to search through. When he couldn't find the Overlord, he instead traveled all over Veldime again to collect the ingredients his mother needed to summon Zenon — which included killing a few mighty beasts. So, he's supposed to be much stronger in the story than his level in the game indicates (averts with a New Game Plus).
Stepford Smiler : There are various hints pointing at him having an extremely low self-esteem despite acting otherwise. At the start of the chapter 4, losing to Etna makes him break down and ramble about how he was "all talk" and actually too weak to protect anything (his mother berating him and later his siblings' kidnapping interrupts his train of thought, though)). In Disgaea 3, his boredom leads him to ramble over being useful for nothing more than beating up monsters.
Terror Hero: By Disgaea 4, he became so fearsome that he ran every demon out of Veldime, except presumably Yukimaru and Fubuki.
Tie Of Asskicking: To call Adell's tie 'epic' doesn't even start to cover it. At full length it's about 2.5 meters long.
Wrong Genre Savvy: Assumes there is a reason that he isn't effected by Zenon's curse and that that is the reason he'll be able to defeat him. He's half-right, it's just that the reason Zenon's curse doesn't turn him into a demon is because he's already one.
Daughter of Overlord Zenon who was extremely sheltered from the world before a botched Or was it? summoning spell plucked her out of her mansion and dumped her in Adell's lap. Bound by the summoning contract, Rozalin has no choice but to comply and lead the way to her father, even though she is just as clueless as anyone else to his whereabouts. Because of this, Rozalin sets upon being as unhelpful as possible in hopes that she can get the offending Idiot Hero killed and return home. That is, at least, until Zenon starts targeting her as well...Tropes associated with Rozalin:
Berserk Button: Do not imply that Overlord Zenon does not care for her, or that Rozalin is not his true daughter. (The fact that Rozalin reacts so strongly is more than a little telling about her own doubts.)
Chekhov's Gun: The Four-Leaf Clover emblem that Rozalin displays as proof of her connection to Overlord Zenon. It's actually a magical seal that keeps her Superpowered Evil Side in check. When she is first summoned by Adell's mother, a similar emblem appears and shatters, hinting at the emblem's true purpose as a seal.
Demoted to Extra: After this game, she's only been accessible as unrelated DLC events along with Adell. The creator even made a joke that the Disgaea games that would get a sequel would be 1 (a trilogy) and 3 completely skipping over 2.
Doomed Hometown: After being reincarnated as Rozalin, her new hometown was destroyed by Fake!Zenon so he could kidnap her and eliminate all traces of her new life.
Eldritch Abomination: As the real Zenon, she had fought so much that she was reaching the highest levels of demonic power and starting to become this. Reincarnation provided a way out... to an extent.
Gameplay and Story Integration: Adell and Rozalin's combo attack chance rise as the story progresses, starting at 0% in chapter 1 and ending at 99%.
Her backstory incorporates one of the key game features: Reincarnation. She restarts at Lv.1, but retains a percentage of her previous stats (in the form of her Lv.2000 Superpowered Evil Side).
Irony, she was raised to be weak in terms of Demon Ethics. Which is easier to convert to human-esque morality.
He Is Not My Boyfriend: Around chapter 10, Adell and Rozalin start going this way about each other. They don't fool anybody. As of Disgaea 4, they now have trouble convincing people that they're not married.
Hellish Pupils: Unusual in that they're white pupils. Yukimaru notes that this is a common trait in demons of her Snow Clan, which is where the fake Overlord Zenon kidnapped her from.
Hello, Nurse!: Story and gameplay; Rozalin powers up nearby male units.
Instant Runes: Her proof of her lineage. Which is actually a seal placed on her either by herself or possibly the fake Zenon to keep her easy to control.
Rich Bitch: As a proper demon aristocrat should be.
Rozalin: I can teach those filthy students how to act like a perfect demon lord. For example, gloating at losers as they're walking away, or suggesting to poor, starving people that they should eat cake if they can't afford bread.
Mao: Hmm, those are actually very important things for a demon to learn.
Reincarnation: She really is Overlord Zenon; who intentionally brought about his/her own reincarnation because he/she wanted to escape all the violence in that life. So when Adell summons Zenon in the beginning; it works.
Royal Blood: Subverted. She's actually born of a clan of Ninja, not an actual princess.
Spell My Name With A D: Her name in the Japanese version is "Rozalind"(Although many people also think her name in the Japanese version is romanized as "Rozarindo") , while her nickname (any instance in the English version where she's called "Rozy") is "Rosalee".
Super-Powered Evil Side: If the seal on her is broken or weakened, her original memories return with her power. Doing so makes her powerful enough to give a beatdown on Laharl bad enough that he actually runs away as quickly as possible, but she then views everything as an enemy. Apparently, everyone Zenon has ever gotten close to betrayed her thus "I am a being of solitude."
Adell's adopted little brother. Has many aspects of a cow, including using milk as an attack. Has been a demon all his life and isn't particularly bothered. Kidnapped by Axel in chapter 4.Tropes associated with Taro:
Rapid Fire Fisticuffs: His normal attack and "Crybaby Strikes" are him just flailing his fists around. But it's effective nonetheless, especially with him being a demon, and his counterattacking ability.
Stone Wall: Starts with low movement and jump, but has 130% modifiers in Defense and Resistance, and also possesses a self-healing move, making him an excellent tank.
Adell's adopted little sister. Biological little sister of Taro. Was born after Veldime was turned into demons, so has been a demon all her life and in fact enjoys being one.Tropes associated with Hanako:
I Choose to Stay: In the good ending she leaves to be Etna's apprentice and find a way to permanently become a demon, since Adell's success turned her into a human. Somehow she reverts to her "modified demonic human" state in the Disgaea 3DLC.
Morality Pet: Etna's a lot nicer to her then she is to the rest of the party.
Supreme Chef: She's very good at cooking; everyone agrees. Everyone feels that way, including otherwise unpleasable beings such as Etna and Laharl. Which ensures she'll be treated well under Etna's tutelage.
Demon Overlord who is known as "The God Of All Overlords" because he once killed 99 other Overlords in straight fight; and 1000 overall. Since then, he hasn't been seen much by anyone, preferring to remain in hiding to avoid the masses of glory seeking demons coming challenge him; but apparently has raised Rozalin to be a perfect princess. For reasons unknown, he has also turned everyone in Adell's world into demons.
Captain Oblivious: Unless specifically told something, he's completely unaware of what's going on in the world or even in his tournament. So when the location of his castle is put on the news, the first thing he says upon meeting the party (after being attacked by multiple Overlords throughout the day) is "How does everyone know where I live?!"
Curb-Stomp Battle: To Adell and company after the Final Battle and then when the real Zenon vaporizes him.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Inverted. He actually gloats and laughs at the real Zenon (Rozalin) when he says that the idea of her being a devoted daughter to him was his idea of revenge. Played straight in the manga.
Rozalin's childhood friend-turned-frog who joins the party on Rozalin's request. Tink has two personalities: one is generally polite and loyal, if quite cowardly. The other is a violent, foul-mouthed pervert with a penchant for swinging around a bat with a nail in it. Both of them are the resident Butt Monkey charged by the Netherworld court with the crime of his mere existence.Tropes associated with Tink:
Ninja with a Verbal Tic who joins the group both in hopes of defeating Overlord Zenon and because she has the hots for Adell. While skilled, she is humble to the point of insecurity and prone to thinking of Seppuku as the first solution to her failures. Yukimaru is also on the lookout for her older brother, who is embarking on the same mission alone.Tropes associated with Yukimaru:
Badass Adorable: The cutest ninja in existence (at least in the Disgaea games).
Doomed Hometown: Zenon completely annihilated the Snow Clan's village prior to the start of the story. The only survivors were Yukimaru, her elder brother Fubuki, and Rozalin, who was born there.
Driven to Suicide: Played for Laughs, she's always (reluctantly) attempting to kill herself for perceived failures or slights against her honor.
Mega Manning: In the Disgaea 3DLC, she has "Copy Ninjitsu"; the power to temporarily copy the Evility ability of the first being she kills in a battle; including your own team members.
Ninja Log: One of her unique skills has her doing this but with a snowman instead of a log.
Older Than They Look: Yukimaru is 20, and the oldest member of the team (until a certain ex-demon lord joins up); she doesn't look a day over 12 and acts that way too.
The once famous Dark Hero who has now fallen on tough times, Axel embarks on the seemingly impossible quest to regain his fame — A difficult task made even harder by the fact that everyone thinks he's dead. Also dead set on getting revenge the man who "killed" him: Adell. While something of a shameless rat bastard (it's what a Dark Hero does, after all), he is prone to being a Big Damn Hero.He reappears in Disgaea 4 as the warden of Hades who is attempting to suck up to the government through the son of the Netherworld president.Tropes associated with Axel:
Believing Their Own Lies: He seems to be very good at spinning his own outlandish scenarios and wholeheartedly believing in them.
Big Damn Heroes: Tries and fails to do this at first, but gets a couple genuine ones by the end.
Breakout Character: Axel gets better exposition than Adell and Rozalin themselves after their original debut, for starters Axel got his own story in the PSP rerelease of the game, subsequent Disgaea games like 3 and 4 gives Axel a playable role, although a relatively minor one in 3, and a fair share of interaction with the other characters as well while Adell and Rozalin are relegated to unrelated DLC events.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: As shown in Axel Mode, he initially refuses to host the travel show in Veldime because it would separate him from his family.
Not-So-Evil Counterpart: There's several parallels between him and Adell. They specialize in the same weapons, both are Hot Blooded, are devoted to their families, and cling to their respective ideals in the face of scorn and mockery. Axel goes along with what's expected of demons simply because that's what's expected of a Dark Hero.
Goldfish Poop Gang: Not as bad as Mid-Boss, but he does have an unhealthy fixation on plaguing Adell and Rozalin, and neither of them take him any seriously at all.
Lightning BruiserStone Wall: His generic stats lean toward the former being similar to Adell in terms of attack and speed (his speed is slightly slower) but given Axel has an extra counter and a better defense, he plays better defensively.
Noble Demon: Despite being a shameless underhanded bastard at times, he does have something of a sense of honor — Such as when he accidentally endangers Adell's Adorably Precocious Child brother in his vendetta. According to him, the Dark Hero will pull any dirty trick to win, but Axel the actual person is completely different and has a few places he draws the line.
Pet the Dog: In addition to the above, in the Updated Rerelease's Axel Mode, Axel willingly chooses to save his brother on live television even though he knows that it would destroy his reputation as the Dark Hero. He doesn't blame his brother for it either.
Rank Up: Goes from Warden of Hades to the 62nd President of Disgaea 4's Netherworld since Valvatorez, the one who defeated the previous President, really didn't care about it.
Recurring Boss: In Disgaea 4, where he's fought three times : during the first chapter, as the boss of chapter 6, and in the first post-game map.
Secret Character: In Disgaea 4, as briefly mentioned above. He joins your party after you clear the first extra map.
Shock and Awe: Some of his attacks are electric based.
Spell My Name with an S: His Japanese name is either romanized as Akutare (straight from the original katakana) or Octalley.
Tempting Fate: In Disgaea 4: When he tries to unleash Desco upon Valvatorez, he reassures Emizel by telling him everything will be fine... only to be fried minutes later by Desco's Eye Beams.
Theme Music Power-Up: The incredibly awesome "White Tiger". Subverted in that the boss battle against him where it first comes into play isn't all that difficult. Played straight when it finally appears in Axel Mode.
Throw the Dog a Bone: In the ending, he has regained his infamy and reputation by essentially trolling everyone in existence by claiming to have made up the whole thing about Zenon.
If you've read all the spoiler tags up to this point, you know that the Overlord Zenon listed up there is a fake. The actual Zenon had reincarnated herself into Rozalin after slaying 99 overlords in one night, believing she was becoming something beyond a demon. The Zenon listed above was the 100th overlord from that same night, who she spared. Fake Zenon, however, mistook it as Zenon believing that he wasn't worth her time, and as a result tracked her down as a child, and raised Rozalin into a Spoiled Brat. Fake Zenon had used a seal to lock away the Real Zenon in order to keep her under control. Rozalin ultimately breaks this seal during the final battle in order to save her friends, resulting in the Real Zenon possessing her, and killing the Fake Zenon. She isn't funny. AtallTrope associated with Real Overlord Zenon:
