Though not a very plot-intensive series, there are still some twists that occur. Beware of unmarked spoilers.

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Protagonists

The House of the Dead

Thomas Rogan

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"Remember, Lisa. Believe in yourself, no matter what happens."

Voiced by: Chris Okawa (Remake), David Nowlin (III)

The hot-blooded, persistent top agent of the AMS government agency. Rescues his fiancée, Sophie, from Dr. Curien's bio-engineered monstrosities in 1998. When AMS and the world collapse in 2003 due to similar bioterror incidents, he leads a group of survivors to continue fighting for mankind. In 2019, he goes missing when attempting to find the source of the apocalypse in the EFI Research Facility.

Badass in Distress: He gets kidnapped (or so we thought until the ending) in III, setting the plot into motion.
Badass Longcoat: It even flows in the air while he's climbing a ladder.
The Cameo: In 2, he appears in the good ending.
Comic-Book Fantasy Casting: Series director Takashi Oda confirms Rogan's design was based on Brad Pitt in his role as detective David Mills from Se7en.
Crusading Widower: Unless he gets the good ending.
Determinator: Once he gets a target, he will pursue it until the end of time. G compares him with Death, the super persistent zombie security guard from III.
Earn Your Happy Ending: If you get the good ending in the first game, Rogan successfully rescues his fiancée. As III shows, he marries, has a daughter, and grows old with Sophie, lives to twenty one years later, and survives his experience in EFI while others sent with him are not so lucky. Compared to James, he has a much better life as a protagonist of a zombie apocalypse series.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: Not obvious in the first game, but III makes it clear that he has had a partnership with G for a long time, and since he is a workaholic, G is probably the person he spent the most time with.
Last-Name Basis: Always referred to as "Rogan," even by his fiancée.
Married to the Job: Lisa states in III that she barely has any memory of her father playing with her, since he always puts his job above his family.
Parents as People: His job requires him to work around the world for long periods of time, so he has little time to spend with his family, even if he sincerely cares for them.
Retired Badass: By III, he has retired from the AMS, but still occasionally participates in missions.
Retirony: Subverted. His character description in III describes him as retired and at the end of the prologue, he is seemingly killed by Death. The last chapter reveals that Daniel manages to rescue him moments before Death smashes him.
Revenge: For Sophie.
Spell My Name With An S:
- The arcade control panel artwork for the original House of the Dead spells his last name as "Rowgun".
- Possibly due to a translation error, he's referred to as "Logan" by characters in The House of the Dead 4 and The House of the Dead 4 Special if the player earns a high rank. This, even after multiple games and supplemental materials had all agreed on "Rogan" as his name.

Agent G

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"How many times do I have to tell you not to use the z-word?"

Voiced by: Will Sierra (Overkill), Charlie Weirauch III (Remake), Casey Robertson (III)

A mysterious, cold and calculating AMS agent. Confronts several bioterror incidents, including Papa Caesar's Formula X outbreak in 1991, Dr. Curien's homicidal rampage in 1998, and Caleb Goldman's citywide incident in 2000. Later assists agent Kate Green in 2003 following the death of her partner James Taylor. In 2019, he searches for his missing partner Thomas Rogan within the EFI Research Facility, with Rogan's daughter Lisa joining him.

Badass Boast: An odd case, where Washington gives one on G's behalf.
Washington: The G stands for genocide, motherfucker!
Badass in a Nice Suit: From all the games from Overkill to III, even though he does not wear one in III.
Badass Normal: Until Scarlet Dawn, he is the only character to make appearances in each game, and for good reason. Not even "suffering" at the hands of Judgment is enough to bring him down.
Bag of Spilling: Despite having analyzed Magician's weak points by the time of 2, he seems to have lost track of them for 4 Special for unexplained reasons.
Breakout Character: Started as the generic partner character for protagonist Rogan, but became popular enough to appear in nearly every game and be playable in all but one of them.
Cool Old Guy: By the time of III his hair is graying, but he still is kicking zombie ass.
Cool Shades: Only in Overkill, but he makes up for that by never taking them off.
Comic-Book Fantasy Casting: He's modeled after Keanu Reeves as he appears in Point Break.
Defiant to the End: In 4 Special's bad ending, where the player fails to stop the Magician from summoning a legion of clones of himself, he stares down the horde and says "Who's next?" before the game cuts to black (and due to how powerful just one iteration of the Magician is, it's implied that he and Kate meet their end there).
Due to the Dead: If you unlock his ending in 4, he is seen paying his respects to the late James and swearing to fight the Zombie Apocalypse "back to the source", as we see in III.
Empowered Badass Normal: Hinted at, but disproved. Manuals for The House of the Dead's Sega Saturn and PC ports imply that he's a robot, but Sega ignored this in the sequels.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Rogan.
Mentor Archetype: In III, he more or less serves this role to Lisa. G is much older and has had over two decades of experience, whereas Lisa's young and just getting started.
No Name Given: He is only ever referred to as G. Overkill lampshades this, becoming a Running Gag as Washington comes up with names like Gwendolyn for him.
Isaac: You ever gonna tell anyone what that fuckin' "G" stands for?
G: No.
Not Using the "Z" Word: He insists to Isaac that he refers to the zombies as "mutants".
Odd Couple: With Isaac Washington.
One-Letter Name: G, lampshaded in Overkill.
Precision F-Strike: Gives a few of these every now and then in Overkill compared to Washington, usually to mock the latter's habit, before going off in a Cluster F-Bomb rant with him in the final level.
G: All you do is get pissed off at — and with — just about everything and everyone. I'm attempting conversation here with you.
Washington: Conver-fucking-sation?
G: Yes, conver-motherfucking-sation.
Shout-Out: G in Overkill resembles Nick Kang from True Crime: Streets of LA in terms of appearance, badassery, and attitude.
The Stoic: Characterized as lacking emotion and always remaining cool under pressure, although his personality becomes more apparent in each subsequent game.
- In The House of the Dead, he's basically a robot (the home version manual implies that he was a literal one, but Sega appears to have ignored this).
Straight Man: The Straight Man to Washington's Sir Swears-a-Lot.
Unexplained Recovery: You meet him at the beginning of The House of the Dead 2, where's he's been seriously wounded and urges you to go on without him, seeming to suggest that it's a Back for the Dead situation for him. In the best ending, Rogan shows up out of nowhere to tell you that he's fine, but even if that ending isn't canon, the fact that he's alive and well in the third and fourth games certainly settles it.
The Worf Effect: Is one of the AMS's most veteran agents, yet in The House of the Dead 2 he gets the tar beaten out of him by Kuarl and Zeal enough that he's forced to entrust the remainder of the mission to James and Gary.

Sophie Richards

Voiced by: Natalie Roers (Remake)

A researcher working for Dr. Curien, and AMS agent Thomas Rogan's fiancée at the time of the 1998 Curien Mansion incident. Later becomes Lisa Rogan's mother.

Action Survivor: Sophie is a civilian with no known self-defense skills, yet she is among the few people (and the only woman) who manage to escape the mansion and reach the front gardens when all hell breaks loose. Not to mention that she is the person responsible for summoning Rogan and G to the mansion. As III shows, she is still alive after twenty one years, despite the zombie apocalypse.
All There in the Manual: It was first confirmed in The House of the Dead III Perfect Guide that Sophie married Rogan and gave birth to Lisa, which was backed in an interview with series director Takashi Oda.
And Then John Was a Zombie: If you get the worst ending in the first game.
Damsel in Distress: Though she almost escapes the mansion by herself before Hanged Man swoops in and carries her back.
The Ghost: She is indirectly mentioned in III to have made Lisa promise to save Rogan.
Last Words: If you don't get the good ending, then "You must stop Curien. Or else... something terrible will happen!" is the last thing she says to you.
Little Dead Riding Hood: She wears a red coat over her lab coat, making her stand out against her other scientist collages. And unless you get the Golden Ending, she will be dead.
Save the Princess: The initial mission of Rogan and G was to save her until the Chariot apparently fatally wounded her. This drives the pair to continue on their mission to apprehend Curien.
Secret Character: A code for the arcade and home versions of the first game allows her to be playable. Unfortunately, it's just a model swap and none of the dialogue changes, giving her Rogan's or G's voices.
Unexplained Recovery: In the good ending, if your score is high enough. An interview with the developers for the Official Sega Saturn Magazine states that Sophie actually fainted from the shock. This was later revealed to be the game's canon ending.

The House of the Dead 2

James Taylor

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"This is exactly how it happened 3 years ago. The battle is starting again."

A special agent of the AMS who, in 2000, is dispatched to stop a citywide bioterror incident organized by Caleb Goldman. He and partner Gary Stewart stop Goldman's plan to unleash the "Emperor", but fail to arrest Goldman, who commits suicide. Three years later, James and agent Kate Green discover that Goldman has enacted a plot beyond the grave to launch nuclear missiles worldwide. Despite foiling the launch, the agents are forced to battle Emperor's successor, "The World", who they cannot destroy. Left with no other option, James sets his PDA to self-destruct and blows himself and the monster up together.

Badass Longcoat: Wears one in 4.
The Cameo: His younger self appears in the "Detective Zobiko" minigame in EX.
Death by Disfigurement: He is wounded by The Star and mentions that he has "an old wound" on top of it. It is implied that he is Secretly Dying throughout the final level, and that his Heroic Sacrifice is only a way for him to go out with a bang (and quick).
Heroic Sacrifice: Realizing that The World cannot be beaten through normal means, James takes his own life in a set explosion to destroy the creature.
Killed Off for Real: In 4.
Last Words: "Kate...don't...give up hope."
No Celebrities Were Harmed: His appearance in 2 and the flashback scenes in 4 resembles Harrison Ford from Frantic.
Shut Up, Hannibal!:
- When Goldman gives a Motive Rant, James is having none of it asking him if that all he has to say. In fact, this carries on to the next game.
- He also gives one to Zeal and the Magician.
Taking You with Me: He activates the self-destruct sequence of his PDA as he runs towards The World in order to kill it from beneath.

Gary Stewart

"Someday, until an answer is found..."

An AMS agent and James's partner during the 2000 Goldman case. Together, they stopped Goldman's plan to unleash the "Emperor", but fail to arrest Goldman.

The Cameo: Appears in the final flashback of 4. He also appears in EX during the "Detective Zobiko" minigame.
Expy: Of Leon S. Kennedy from Resident Evil 2 in terms of resemblance and role. Note that both are young and are newcomers to the agency they are working for.
Flat Character: Of the playable characters, he notably lacks any real character traits or personality.
Hand Cannon: His weapon appears to be an IMI Desert Eagle. Unfortunately, it functions as a basic pistol.
Naïve Newcomer: Implied to be one.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: By mere coincidence, FBI Special John Agent Murphy (portrayed by actor Josh Green) from Spiders closely resembles Gary with his suit on.
What Happened to the Mouse?: The House of the Dead 4 flashback aside, Gary has never appeared in later sequels, including III, where it's unknown whether he survived the apocalypse or not.

Harry Harris

Another AMS agent sent to stop Goldman's citywide incident in 2000, and the partner of Amy Crystal.

Cool Shades: Never seen without his sunglasses.
Repetitive Name: His first and last name are almost identical.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: Humorously, some players have commented he resembles Jeff Goldblum.
Universal Driver's License: He can drive boats and cars.
What Happened to the Mouse?: In the good ending, Thomas Rogan states that both Harry and G are alright, thus making him officially Saved by Canon for the rest of the game. However, he does not make future appearances in III, 4, and Scarlet Dawn.
Wounded Hero, Weaker Helper: After being wounded by Strength, he's unable to travel to Goldman's headquarters and thus passes the task to James and Gary.

Amy Crystal

A female AMS agent and the partner of Harry Harris.

Action Girl: She's no slouch with a gun.
Big Brother Instinct: Has a big sister instinct towards Gary.
Damsel in Distress: After Strength wounds Harry, both Harry and Amy are held hostage by the giant zombie armed with a chainsaw.
What Happened to the Mouse?: While implied to be alive after the events of the 2000 Goldman incident, her fate is unknown by the time of the World Collapse.

The House of the Dead III

Dan Taylor

"How many of these things are there!?"

"No one's responding."

A member of Rogan's secret division. Was brought in for his tactical expertise in battle.

The World's Expert (on Getting Killed): Brought in for his tactical expertise, yet he dies to a surprise attack from Death.
We Hardly Knew Ye: Debuts and dies in Chapter 0.

Lisa Rogan

"'Believe in yourself, Lisa.' I think I finally understand what that means now."

Voiced by: Brandy Collazo

Thomas and Sophie's daughter. Goes to the EFI Research Facility in 2019, along with Rogan's former partner G, to find her father after he disappeared two weeks prior on a mission to put an end to the disaster that ruined the world.

Action Girl: The first female playable character in the series.
Like Parent, Like Child: Takes after her zombie-slaughtering father far more than her Damsel in Distress mother, despite her strained relationship with him.
Naïve Newcomer: She is barely in her twenties and is not an AMS agent on top of it. Still, she manages to kick a lot of zombie ass.
Shotguns Are Just Better: Her weapon is a SPAS-12 shotgun.
Spin-Offspring: Daughter of Thomas Rogan and Sophie Richards (Player 1 character and his then-fiancée in the first game, respectively).

Daniel Curien

Voiced by: Kevin Miller

The son of Dr. Curien whose childhood illness inspired his father to research the essence of life and death, and ultimately go insane. Believes he bears the responsibility to put an end to the evils unleashed on the world by Curien in his name.

Ambiguously Evil: While good on the whole (feeling the Zombie Apocalypse is his duty to clean up as penance for the Curien name), he still seems to think highly of his (real) father and doesn't necessarily seem opposed to continuing the work of Dr. Curien if humanity gets too out of hand again.
And Then John Was a Zombie: Should you get the bad ending in III.
Apocalypse Maiden: The reason why the Zombie Apocalypse occurred is because Curien wanted to cure his son from a terminal illness. It is implied he has Formula X within him and may turn into a zombie at any time, which he does if you get the above bad ending.
Sins of Our Fathers: He tells Lisa he is ready to bear the burden of his father's crime of starting the Zombie Apocalypse.
Spin-Offspring: Son of Dr. Curien, the Big Bad of the first game.
Took a Level in Badass: Goes from sick to fighting off zombies in the final battle.
You're Not My Father: Daniel says this during the cutscene after the Wheel of Fate is defeated.

The House of the Dead 4

Kate Green

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An AMS agent who assisted James Taylor in 2003. After she and James uncover Caleb Goldman's final plan, together they stop "The World" from coming to fruition. She later teams up with G in order to fight a newly-resurrected Magician. Three years later, Kate is assigned on a mission to Scarecrow Manor with Ryan, James' brother, where she uncovers a problem bigger than she faced years before.

Action Girl: The second playable female protagonist to be introduced in the series after Lisa.
The Cameo: As the ring girl in the "Detective Zobiko" minigame of EX.
Combat Stilettos: Always wears these.
Dumb Blonde: Averted. While naive, she isn't completely stupid. In fact, she survived a brief period on her own before linking up with Agent G.
Kicking Ass in All Her Finery: She wears a very fancy dress in Scarlet Dawn as part of a mansion party. It doesn't stop her from feeding lead to a veritable Zerg Rush of zombies.
Lady in Red: She seems to like red a lot. In 4, her AMS suit is predominantly red, while in Scarlet Dawn, she wears a red dress.
Ms. Fanservice:
- In 4, she sports a classy-but-sexy leather miniskirt and boots, which accentuate her legs.
- Scarlet Dawn ups the fanservice by having her wear a leg-exposing dress.
Naïve Newcomer: Said to be new to AMS and working her first case with James. She gets the hang of things quickly enough, though. By Scarlet Dawn, she's got three more years of experience under her belt and serves as a senior agent to James' brother Ryan.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: Her appearance in Scarlet Dawn resembles Keira Knightley.
Plucky Girl: She tries her best to maintain a positive attitude despite all the dangers she and James face.
Say My Name:
- She screams James' name moments before he detonates the bomb to kill the World.
- She also screams Ryan's name before he stabs the Moon with a spear. History Repeats, it seems.
Scarf of Asskicking: Wears a big houndstooth pattern scarf. Kicks a lot of ass.
Sexy Backless Outfit: Her dress in Scarlet Dawn is backless, other than the translucent lace covering whatever her dress doesn't.

The House of the Dead: OVERKILL

Isaac Washington

Voiced by: Anthony Aroya

A foul-mouthed detective with a troubled past, he joins up with Agent G when he learns that Papa Caesar, the man who murdered his father, was responsible for the outbreak of mutants. Loves to swear, a lot.

Badass Boast: Delivers one on G's behalf in the final chapter:
"The 'G' stands for genocide, motherfucker!"
Blaxploitation Parody: His constant swearing is meant to parody stereotypical black career cops found in B-Movies.
Boisterous Bruiser: Compared to G.
Cluster F-Bomb:
- The game held the Guinness World Record for the most of them thanks to him.
- Drops the act a little when faced with Clement, a literal motherfucker. Clement is the one character that he does not call a "motherfucker". G points out the irony of this (see Jerk with a Heart of Gold below).
Cool Car: Otherwise known as his "pride and joy". Unfortunately, when he tries to offer G a ride in it, it promptly blows up.
Eek, a Mouse!!: Is not a big fan of insects. Pointed out after the battle against The Crawler.
Establishing Character Moment: He establishes what kind of agent he is with the very first line of spoken dialogue (along with a punch straight to G's jaw):
"What's up, motherfucker?"
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: The reason why he wasn't infected by the virus is that he was with his mother. Of course, he won't admit it.
Everyone Has Standards:
- Played for Laughs in the ending; even though practically every sentence he speaks has a few profanities or insults towards others, he stops to realize that the finale of his and G's mission carries some incidental anti-feminist undertones with "two dick-wielding cop cliches" putting down a "hundred-foot birthing mother" and that "the strongest female role model in this whole affair [Varla Guns] ain't much more than a gherkin in a pickle jar."
Guns Akimbo: In cutscenes, at least.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: For all the trash talk and swearing he does to everyone else, especially G, he has more of a heart than most would be led to believe. G points out that Isaac doesn't mean most of the things he says, hence why Isaac refuses to use the MF-word on Clement. What does G conclude? That Isaac sees G as a good friend. Of course, Isaac won't admit it.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: He's modeled after Common, an American rapper, in terms of design and personality.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When he confronts literal motherfucker Clement Darling, Isaac ceases his usual act of dropping MF-bombs all over the place.
Scary Black Man: A heroic example. He's tall, muscular, and very gruff, but is firmly committed to justice.
Sir Swears-a-Lot: Oh so much. As was famously said about him on Zero Punctuation, he uses the word "Motherfucker" the same way most people would use a comma.
Tsundere: A very foul-mouthed one, but by the end of the game, G notices it.
You Killed My Father: Towards Papa Caesar. Although in The Stinger of OVERKILL, Caesar says in a tape recording that Washington's father is still alive.

Varla Guns

Voiced by: Sarah Connor

An exotic dancer at the Pink Pussycat strip club and the sister of Dr. Jasper Guns. Despite hating her job, Varla worked to support her crippled brother and is furious when Agent G and Isaac kill him in self-defense. Realizing that Papa Caesar is ultimately responsible for her brother's death, she goes off on her own to seek revenge.

Action Girl:
- In the original version, she tries to be one, but fails to make much of an impact.
- However, the Extended Cut promotes her to a proper one, showing that she can kick as much mutant ass as G and Isaac. At least, until Candi dies.
Added Alliterative Appeal: The game introduces Varla as "a voluptuous vixen vowing violent vengeance."
And I Must Scream: Played for Black Humor. She's still alive as a Brain in a Jar, but is unable to do anything except continuing existing.
Brain in a Jar: After being captured, her brain is removed so Darling can use her body to host his mother's brain. But they never kill her and preserve her brain in a jar instead, apparently just to deal her a Fate Worse than Death.
Buxom Beauty Standard: She has a sizable bust that is emphasized by her cleavage, and even the narrator often comments on her "voluptuous" figure. This gets Subverted and Played for Laughs by Darling's mother after she takes over Varla's body, as she still considers her tits to be "too small".
Damsel in Distress: She's kidnapped by Papa Caesar and later by Warden Darling. She's never rescued, and her body gets hijacked by Darling's mother while she gets to live as a Brain in a Jar.
Disposable Woman: Discussed by Issac and G at the end of the game, as she's the only positive female character in the game and gets a Fate Worse than Death. She does seem to exist mostly to provide fanservice and motivation.
Expy: She's both named after and closely resembles Tura Satana's character from Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!.
Get a Hold of Yourself, Woman!: Slaps Candi after she lets out two Big Nos.
Heroic BSoD: It's heavily implied the combined pain of Jasper's and Candi's deaths broke her far more than she let on, as she becomes a Faux Action Girl after that point of the game.
Hoist by Her Own Petard: Her drive for revenge led to her becoming a Brain in a Jar. G claims that she's still alive.
It's Personal: She wants to avenge her little brother Jasper, and later Candi.
Lust Object: G often expresses attraction towards her, even after she's a Brain in a Jar.
Ms. Fanservice: She's an attractive stripper with a sexualized design and a fairly skimpy outfit, and she's prone to be the focus of Male Gaze shots.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: She's modeled after Vikki Blows, an American glamor model, in terms of design.
Only in It for the Money: Varla hated the nightly need to demean herself when working at a strip club and dreamed of leaving Bayou City with Jasper, but she felt trapped.
Revenge: Her motivation throughout the game is to get revenge on Papa Caesar for what he did to her brother and Candi. It's safe to say that her fate determined she failed to avenge both her brother and Candi.
Supermodel Strut: In cutscenes, she walks with a cocky strut to her step.
Tattoo as Character Type: She has several tattoos on risque parts of her body, like her belly button, left breast and right bicep, illustrating her fanservicey Action Girl.

Candi Stryper

Varla's co-worker at the Pink Pussycat strip club and Jasper's girlfriend. She joins Varla in her quest for revenge in the Extended Cut version of The House of the Dead: Overkill, acting as Player 2 in Varla's exclusive levels.

Action Girl: She proves quite capable when fighting mutants, especially with Varla guiding her.
An Arm and a Leg: Her right arm gets cut off when Meat Katie's gigantic cleaver falls from the rafters of a slaughterhouse, resulting in her bleeding to death.
Dumb Blonde: She has blonde hair and is not very bright, acting in an unheeding manner that could get her killed during a Zombie Apocalypse.
Dumb Is Good: She has the most innocent outlook among the cast of The House of the Dead: Overkill, at least as innocent as one can be in a place such as Bayou City. Also, because of her obliviousness, she never panics despite hordes of mutants trying to kill her.
Foil: To her partner and co-worker Varla. Whereas Varla is serious, driven, and (relatively) smart, Candi is a cheerful, oblivious idiot. Despite this, Candi still wants revenge on Papa Caesar as well because of her relationship with Jasper.
Girlish Pigtails: She wears her hair in twin pigtails.
Handicapped Badass: Downplayed. She wears a leg brace on her right leg, but this doesn't slow her down.
Hero of Another Story: She only hears about Agent G and Isaac in passing from Varla and never gets to meet them.
Literal-Minded: Her understanding of words is too literal and Varla's sarcasm tends to fly over her head.
- When Varla once sarcastically said, "Tell me something I DON'T know!", Candi started to talk about what Jasper liked during sex (or something close to it), forcing Varla to shut her up and get her focused.
- When Candi was a little girl, her mother told her to say nothing if she had nothing nice to say. Because of this, would literally say "nothing" whenever she would otherwise swear. ("Nothing you, Varla Guns!")
Love Makes You Dumb: Along with Too Dumb to Live. After being left on the outskirts of Bayou City by Varla, Candi tried to hitchhike back to the city because she forgot Jasper's voice box at the Pink Pussycat. Unheeding the mutants roaming around, Candi wanted a reminder of her now-dead lover.
Major Injury Underreaction: Subverted. When amputated, she screams "Nothing! Nothing! Nothing!", which would be this trope, until the player remembers she is censoring her swearing.
Only in It for the Money: Like Varla, Candi has no love for working in a strip club, but still needed the money the club paid her.

House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn

Ryan Taylor

An AMS agent and James' younger brother. He is sent along with James' former partner, Kate, to attend a party at Scarecrow Manor, where he gets front seat to see just what his brother was up against all this time.

Big Brother Worship: In the Japanese subtitle, he calls James "aniki", which is a rough but very respectful way to call one's older brother (it's stereotyped as a honorific used by gang members to call their male superiors).
Dark and Troubled Past: One of the game's endings implies this. James might only be one of the many people he lost throughout the years.
Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: He is fond of doing this.
History Repeats: Ryan ends up having to risk his life to kill a final boss, just like his brother. Unlike James, he has a better luck and survives the deed.
Leeroy Jenkins: Many times. It all culminates with the fight against Moon, where in desperation he picks the nearest spear visible and jumps from a multiple-stories building to stab the monster without a second thought. It actually works.
Naïve Newcomer: Judging by his dialogue and the reckless actions he does throughout the game, Ryan seems to be a recent recruit of the AMS.
Remember the New Guy?: There was never any indication that James ever had a brother in the previous games, much less one who works in the same agency as he did.
Waistcoat of Style: The suit he wears at the party features this.

Antagonists

The House of the Dead

Dr. Curien

"You... shall... all... die!"

Voiced by: Brian Conner (Remake)

"I must admit, I really respect your consistency. But you will never, EVER, defeat me! Say hello to my masterpiece!"

A genetic engineer and ex-research director of the DBR Corporation. He sought removing the barrier between life and death to cure his ailing son Daniel, but is driven mad by his research. In 1998, he unleashes hostile creatures upon his research team, and is killed by his "masterpiece", Magician. His remains are brought to the EFI Research Facility, where, after twenty years, he is resurrected as the Wheel of Fate to destroy mankind. He is ultimately destroyed by Daniel and Lisa Rogan.

Back from the Dead: In the third game, he's resurrected as the Wheel of Fate.
Bad Boss: After going insane, he watches gleefully as his undead creations proceed to massacre his own staff.
Big Bad: Of the first and third game.
Characterization Marches On: He's depicted with completely contrasting personalities in the first and third games, enough that first time players of the third game will probably be surprised to see the madman being suddenly depicted as a loving father trying to save his son's life. Probably justified, since he's pretty much gone off the deep end by the first game.
Death by Irony: Is ultimately slain by the Magician, his self-proclaimed "masterpiece" just moments before the final battle with G and Rogan. The irony continues in III, where his son, whose sickness was what drove him mad and made him dive into the genetic experiments that served as the catalyst for the events of the series, ends up being one of the ones to put an end to him for good by killing his resurrected form.
Driven to Villainy: Implied in the original game, and explored in III. He was just a normal scientist trying to solve the world's problems, but desperately sought a cure for his terminally-ill son. It cost him his coworkers and his sanity.
Evilutionary Biologist: Averted, initially. He was actively seeking a cure for his son and, well, he did end up starting a Zombie Apocalypse…
Final Boss: Of III, resurrected as the Wheel of Fate.
Freudian Excuse: He's not given one in the first game at all, and is simply depicted as a madman who seems hellbent on killing everyone and laughs at at Rogan and G's attempts to stop him. The third game depicts him in a much more sympathetic light, revealing that he was trying to discover a way to remove the barrier between life and death in order to save his son's life, but went insane as he went further into forbidden territory.
Friendly Enemy: Towards the player in the third game's time attack mode, where he'll provide an analysis of your performance. He'll compliment you and encourage you to do better if you do well. Most of the time.
Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: Goes from trying to save his son and questioning his actions when his staff objects to Laughing Mad to seeking to destroy and resurrect everything.
Legacy Character: The Wheel of Fate.
Love Makes You Evil: His love for his son and desire for said son to be well causes his Mad Scientist gig.
Mad Scientist: Well, he is responsible for discovering how to make zombies.
Non-Action Big Bad: He only taunts you through the first game, getting killed by the Magician.
Oh, Crap!: He is completely aghast when the Magician turns on him, thinking he had control of the now-sentient creature. He pays the ultimate price just moments after awakening him.
The Unfought: In the first game. But not in the third.
Shout-Out: His name Curien is probably derived from Hubert Curien, a French physicist and a key figure in European science politics, as the President of CERN Council (1994–1996).
Smug Snake: In the first game. He doesn't consider the AMS agents a threat to his plans and treats their struggle as if it were a game.
Worthy Opponent: He acknowledges Rogan and G as this when they manage to breach his lab, but is still confident in his ability to defeat them.

The House of the Dead 2

Caleb Goldman

"Dogs of the AMS. It's time they made a move."

"Earth has evolved in a way so that it naturally regulates the population of any given species. Humans were once subject to this system, regardless of whether or not they knew it! Pandora's Box is opening..."

The misanthropic head of a financial group, and an expert on the genome theory. Believes in regulating human populations to prevent Earth's destruction. Funds Dr. Curien's genetic research, and in 2000 unleashes hostile creatures upon an Italian city. He commits suicide after AMS agents destroy his creature, the Emperor. Three years later, he posthumously plants the seeds of destuction through a planned nuclear missile launch, as well as "Pandora's Box", a second plan in case the missiles do not launch.

Ambiguously Jewish: Goldman is an extremely common Ashkenazi surname, and Caleb likewise is an old-fashioned Biblical name. In-story, Goldman is initially portrayed as a Corrupt Corporate Executive (a Jewish stereotype), although you later find out that this is the least worrying problem about him.
And Then John Was a Zombie: Should you get the "bad" ending in 2 and 4.
Better to Die than Be Killed: Throws himself off the roof of his headquarters instead of surrendering to the AMS agents.
Big Bad: Of 2 and 4.
Clasp Your Hands If You Deceive: His default pose as he sits behind his desk.
Corrupt Corporate Executive: Though not of the typical sort, using his vast power and knowledge to create zombies in order to cleanse the world.
Evil Laugh: "HMM HMM HMM HMM HMM. People of the AMS, I am Goldman."
Even Evil Has Standards: While Goldman may have started a zombie apocalypse, he claims that he does not wish to destroy humanity outright, but merely reduce human populations in order to protect the environment. Thornheart lampshades this, calling Goldman "soft" towards humans.
Evil Malthusian: Goldman believes that the best way to combat overpopulation and protect the Earth is to cause a Zombie Apocalypse. Unfortunately, by the events of the third game, the creatures that Goldman unleashed to perform a culling of humans ended up turning the earth into a barren wasteland.
Faux Affably Evil: Frequently and mockingly calls the agents "friends" as they approach him, and calls Strength his "present" for them.
Gaia's Vengeance: What he wants to bring to fruition; or rather what he's trying to prevent. Goldman believes that if nature had its way, then all of humanity would have been destroyed.
Gone Horribly Wrong: In some way. By III Earth is covered in desolate wastelands ravaged by the Zombie Apocalypse and what little we see seems devoid of growth and life, contrary to the goal of reestablishing a proper balance with nature that he sought through his works.
Greater-Scope Villain: Goldman has the most connections to the events of the series, being Curien's financier and eventually the one implied to set off the events that ravage society come III in addition to his role as direct antagonist in 2 and 4.
Knight Templar: Rather than wanting just destruction, he wants human populations to be decreased so nature doesn't just up and kill everyone.
The Man Behind the Man: Curien's main benefactor during the first game.
Misanthrope Supreme: Is sick and tired of humans wrecking the environment.
My Death Is Just the Beginning: Despite dying in House of the Dead 2, he still sets numerous events in motion, as shown in House of the Dead 4.
Non-Action Big Bad: He sits behind a desk during much of The House of the Dead 2 while feeding the AMS agents to his various creatures. When James and Gary arrive, he simply directs their attention to the Emperor, and when they defeat it, he jumps off the building.
Posthumous Character: In 4. Doesn't stop him from serving as the Big Bad of the game.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: In the bad ending of 4, his eyes start to glow red as he transforms into a zombie.
Sinister Shades: Is always shown wearing sunglasses.
This Is the Final Battle: Says this before the battle with the Emperor.
Villainous Legacy: His actions ensure zombies will continue to plague humanity long after his death in 2.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: When humanity was plagued by increasing warfare, disease, and natural disaster, he saw these things as signs that humanity is on the brink of utter destruction. While his methods are without a doubt evil, he never wanted to exterminate mankind, but rather perform a culling of humans, in order to reign in what he saw as humanity's rampant breeding. Goldman concludes that while Pandora's boxes must be opened, there must be hope in order for humanity to survive. In the 4th game, his nuclear plot was a gambit to lure the AMS to the old DBR and stop The World from being released on humanity, as he was unable to do so himself.

The House of the Dead III

Thornheart

"Curien, Goldman, it's time for humans to decide: extinction or evolution?"

"Goldman, you are soft. These wretched humans have no need of hope. Soon the true end shall begin... There is more than one Pandora's Box."

The mysterious owner of Scarecrow Manor, and an associate of both Curien and Goldman. Suffered a fatal disease and was believed to have been dead for years. He believes that the human mind is plagued beyond redemption, and with his previous associates out of the way, he launches his plan to destroy humanity to usher in a new evolution. Appears in endings for III, 4, and 4 Special before serving as the main antagonist of Scarlet Dawn.

Big Bad: Of Scarlet Dawn.
Evil Cripple: His most defining feature is a limp.
The Faceless: In the third game. Although he's seen in one of the endings for the fourth game, a trophy for the PS3 port finally revealed him completely, and Scarlet Dawn does away with this trope entirely.
The Fundamentalist: Certainly has religious overtones. He brings up the Seven Deadly Sins, his plan is called "Noah's Ark", and his base of operations resembles a large cathedral filled with stained-glass windows.
Greater-Scope Villain: Appeared to be working behind the scenes of the third and fourth games, and uses the research of Curien and Goldman to further his own goals.
Hidden Villain: Never encountered any of the heroes in person, until Scarlet Dawn established him as the main antagonist for the game.
Karma Houdini: Currently the only House of the Dead villain to remain at large, if the ending of Scarlet Dawn and the third game are of any indication.
Misanthrope Supreme: Believes humans must be purged because of the corruption of the human mind. Although Goldman did believe in hope, Thornheart believes that humans are completely beyond it.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: Thornheart in Scarlet Dawn resembles actor Jon Voight.
No Name Given: He was referred to as "The Mystery Man" by the fans before Scarlet Dawn revealed his name.
Saved by Canon: He survives the events of Scarlet Dawn, as it takes place in 2006, 13 years before the third game where he first appeared.
Seven Deadly Sins: He brings them up as his reason for wanting to destroy humanity and begin a new evolution.
Shout-Out: To the G-man from Half Life, both in terms of mysteriousness and appearance.
- His goal of Noah's Ark is similar to Alexander Isaac's apocalypse plan as seen in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter.
The Unfought: In Scarlet Dawn. He goes on a brief rant when the heroes approach him, before unleashing his ultimate creation on them and escaping.

The House of the Dead: OVERKILL

Papa Caesar

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/papa_c_render.png

"We shall celebrate this tonight with take-out Chinese."

A crime lord and kingpin in Bayou City. He seemingly killed Isaac's father and was believed to have caused a 1991 mutant outbreak in the city, caused by experimentation with the war mutagen Formula X. In reality, he was an accomplice to prison warden Clement Darling.

Big Bad: Who you're chasing throughout Overkill. It turns out he was working for Warden Darling.
Dead Man Writing: While threatening Varla to take him to the Bayou City prison, he throws Isaac a cassette tape. While Isaac ignores the tape, it is picked up and eventually played by a concerned Agent G. In the tape, Caesar warns that Clement Darling, who discovered the mutant compound that caused the Bayou City outbreak, had "powerful friends" who likely have their own plans to use the compound. Caesar also reveals that Isaac's father is still alive.
Evil Sounds Deep: He's a deranged crime lord and pimp, and has a deep voice to reflect this.
Faux Affably Evil: Adopts this tone around Isaac and the other heroes.
I Have Your Wife: He forces Jasper to work for him by threatening Varla.
I Own This Town: According to the Prelude to an Overkill comic, much of Bayou City is under Caesar's control. The fact that he owns a large sugar plantation and uses the local hospital and a slaughterhouse to house mutant experiments lend credence to this. It's also the reason why few people, such as Isaac and Varla, even think about crossing Papa Caesar, other than the fact that most of those who do tend to be tortured until they beg for death.
Karmic Death: See Killed Off for Real below.
Kick the Dog: How he treats Jasper (who, by the way, is paraplegic).
Killed Off for Real: He gets electrocuted by Warden Darling when he outlives his usefulness.
Loves the Sound of Screaming: According to his Chinese dinner analogy, describing it as the "sweet".
No Celebrities Were Harmed: He's modeled after Burt Reynolds in terms of design and voice.
Obviously Evil: And the narrator couldn't make it more clear than this.
Politically Incorrect Villain: Seen in how he treats Jasper.
Red Herring: He's set up to be the Big Bad and for Washington to avenge his father's death, but Caesar dies more than halfway through the game.
Trademark Favorite Food: Likes Chinese food. And pain.
Caesar: "I enjoy pain. It's like a good Chinese dinner, you know? With the sweet, and the sour? Expanding on that analogy, I will smile with delight, that's the sweet, as you scream for your fucking life. Of course, that's the sour. Ciao!"

Clement Darling

The psychotic warden of the Bayou County Correctional Facility and the true mastermind of the 1991 Bayou City mutant outbreak.

Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: In his case, though, it's a little too much.
Gonk: Those eyes and those teeth… uuuggh.
Hypocrite: His introduction cutscene has lecturing the protagonists on the importance of first impressions and how bad his first impression of them is (they had just come from the swamp and so smell bad, and they didn’t introduce themselves). He then relieves himself in front of them while going on some bizarre monologue about urine sloshing around in his bladder and fails to introduce himself.
The Man Behind the Man: For Papa Caesar.
Parental Incest: He does everything out of love for his mother, but it isn't familial love…
Psychopathic Manchild: "I want my mommy!"
Shout-Out: His appearance is an expy to Sergei Dragunov from Namco's Tekken franchise, only while Sergei is played as something of a Mr. Fanservice in his series, the Warden is… not.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: He was the one who found the mutant compound under his prison, but just wanted to use it to extend his mother's life. Unfortunately, after his death, it got into the hands of Dr. Curien, and, well…
Villainous Breakdown: Goes through a rather calm one after Mother's death.
Villainous Legacy: The Stinger notes he had "powerful friends" who had access to his compound, revealing that his work enabled all the subsequent conflicts, and the eventual collapse of the world, in the franchise long after his death.

Bosses

General

Attack Its Weak Point: They all have a specific weak spot, although some aren't always shown in their introduction. Special note goes to the Magician, who, despite showing up three different times as a boss, has the exact same weakness every time.^note In 2, they even know how to deal with him because of the data gathered from the first battle (though for whatever reason, this information isn't available again when you fight him in 4 Special).
Notice This: Regardless of whether or not their weakpoints are shown, there's usually some sort of visual cue that lets you know about it during battle. In extreme cases (such as with The Tower), a giant crosshair will shine on-screen to indicate them. The main exception to this mostly revolves around the final bosses, their weaknesses listed as "unknown", though for most of them, they're still pretty obvious.
Theme Naming: Many of them are named after Tarot cards, with The Devil being the only one absent; the only exceptions are Yukio and the Overkill bosses.
You Are Number 6: Each main series boss has a numerical designation and a Tarot-based code name. The exceptions are the Emperor, Type α, and the World, Type β. The Moon and the High Priestess from Scarlet Dawn also don't have their types revealed, although presumably The Chariot and The Hangedman retain their type number from their previous appearances in the series.

The House of the Dead

Chariot (Type 27)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chariot_form_1.jpg

^{Chariot in Scarlet Dawn}

A large mutant wearing an armored suit and carrying a bardiche. He is the first boss fought in the first game, and later returns as a boss in House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn.

Adaptational Badass: He's noticeably more relentless in the remake, where shooting his weak point only pushes him back slightly, requiring you to really nail those shots to delay him from attacking you.
Attack Its Weak Point: The full body armor it wears makes it impervious… except for the very obvious gap in its chest. Once it breaks down, though, every part of its body is susceptible. The Chariot in Scarlet Dawn doesn't have a hole in its armor, and therefore doesn't have a weak point; you have to make one with a rocket launcher.
The Dead Can Dance: He has a very odd gyrating walk cycle that makes it seem like he's dancing as he fights you. It's never clear why, although the way he uses these movements to smoothly wind up his slashes in Scarlet Dawn suggests it's some kind of rhythmic battle stance.
Gas Mask Mooks: Its metal helmet is modeled after a gas mask.
Glowing Eyes of Doom: In Scarlet Dawn, going along with its extremely high body temperature.
Grievous Harm with a Body: In Scarlet Dawn, it announces itself by tossing corpses at you.
Hero Killer: The first time you meet it, it strikes Sophie (whom it holds hostage) off the room with his bardiche. If you get the normal or bad endings, Sophie then dies or gets turned into a zombie after this.
Hoist by His Own Petard: In Scarlet Dawn, after his boss fight, his own axe will slide down and chop his neck, delivering the coup de grace.
Immune to Bullets: In Scarlet Dawn, The Chariot's armor lacks the conspicuous gap and therefore it can't be damaged. Fortunately, it's not immune to an RPG to the face.
King Mook: Unlike every other boss in the series, after it loses its armor, it's essentially a giant zombie with more health. Its only remaining gimmick after that is that once you strip a part of him to the bone, it stops taking damage.
Meaningful Name: While at first it doesn't look like it, Chariot (the tarot card) in Japanese reads as "Sensha", which means both War Chariot and Tank, which probably explains his heavily armored body.
My Blood Runs Hot: Unlike in its original incarnation, The Chariot in House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn has flesh that glows bright red with heat underneath its armor, to the point that steam rises out between the gaps.
Palette Swap: It was given green skin in later releases of the first game in order to differentiate it from the standard zombies.
Shed Armor, Gain Speed: In both of its appearances, it moves significantly faster once it's lost its armor.
Stripped to the Bone: What happens to him as you shoot him after his Turns Red phase.
Tactical Suicide Boss: Played with. When it suffers enough damage, it breaks out of its armor... So now it's vulnerable everywhere, but if you only shoot the same spot over and over, he'll stop taking damage, so you must shoot pretty much every part of his body.
Took a Level in Badass: In Scarlet Dawn, Chariot returns as a much, much stronger boss with a significantly tougher armored skeleton. While bullets were enough to plink off his armor in the first game, it now takes an RPG to blow off enough of his armor to get at his vulnerable flesh, and even then, his attacks have become much more difficult to dodge and he's gained far more of them, like flinging projectiles at you with his bardiche.
Warm-Up Boss: In House of the Dead I, his easy-to-hit weak point lets him be an easy introduction to how the game's bosses work. In Scarlet Dawn, he Took a Level in Badass, so this trope no longer applies.

Hangedman (Type 041)

"I'll crush your foolish hope underfoot. You two are going down next!"

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hangedman_flashback.jpg

^{Hangedman in Scarlet Dawn}

Voiced by: Brian Conner (Remake)

A mutant bat/human hybrid who kidnaps Rogan's girlfriend and later attacks him and G on the roof. He's the second boss of the first game. He later returns as a boss in House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn.

Bat Out of Hell: He can command a flock of zombie bats.
The Beastmaster: He can control and attack with zombie bats, though halfway through the battle, he will ditch them and fight Rogan and G personally.
Bird People: More so in its original appearance, where it possessed a clear beak. In Scarlet Dawn, it possesses a flat bat-like mouth instead.
Creepy High-Pitched Voice: Sounds like he ingested too much helium.
Death from Above: In Scarlet Dawn, he will drop objects such as broken pillars and gasoline cans onto Kate and Ryan.
Disney Villain Death: Does this to two of Curien's scientists by picking them up in his talons and dropping them from several stories up. However, he later suffers the same fate. Three times.
Evil Laugh: A very high-pitched and very evil laugh.
Flunky Boss: In the first phase, he hangs back and attacks by summoning a swarm of zombie bats. If Hangedman himself is shot enough times at this point, the bats all drop out of the air and die at once, causing him to attack. In Scarlet Dawn, he sends the bats in different directions to confuse the agents about where the bats will attack from.
Fly Crazy: He flies quickly and somewhat erratically in battle.
For the Evulz: When you reach him, he drops a couple scientists to their deaths for no reason. Unlike other zombies, he's intelligent, so he clearly enjoys this.
Kick the Dog: The Hangedman's aforementioned killing of two of Curien's scientists by dropping them to their deaths.
Kidnapping Bird of Prey: At the beginning of the first level, it grabs Sophie in front of the agents and flies away with her in its claws.
Night-Vision Goggles: While not very apparent on its in-game model, the official artwork shows that it wears goggles with long lenses that stick out in the front.
Playing with Fire: In Scarlet Dawn, during the second half of his boss fight, The Hangedman sets fire to a rooftop area with gasoline and uses his wings to take advantage of the flames, such as using the flames to partially hide his low swooping attacks or using his wings to fan the flames in the agents' direction. Luckily, Kate and Ryan find fire-extinguishing grenades in a small rooftop shed.
Recurring Boss: He harries you in the first two levels, serves as the boss of level two, and gets a brief rematch in before the final boss.
Stock Sound Effects: His laugh can also be heard in Rayman.
Took a Level in Badass: In Scarlet Dawn, he is much stronger than before. The Hangedman demonstrates this by picking up a helicopter with his feet and throwing it onto a nearby tower, wrecking it. This also emphasizes his desire to make sure that no one leaves alive. He is now also resistant to fire, enabling him to use a rooftop fire to his advantage in a fight.
Winged Humanoid: His bat wings let him fly.
Wreathed in Flames: In Scarlet Dawn, he accidentally sets himself on fire, but remains mostly unharmed due to his new resistance to fire. In this state, The Hangedman continues to attack Kate and Ryan with power dives.

Hermit (Type 6803)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hermit_8.jpg

A giant, spider crab-like zombie that is summoned by Curien as a distraction for Rogan and G while he escapes down to his laboratory, and tries to kill the duo with its massive claws, web projectiles, and crawling speed. The third boss of the first game. Notably the only boss in the game, sans the Magician, who does not appear again at all, either in-game or in the franchise.

Abnormal Ammo: In the second stage of the fight, it fires web balls at you from a distance.
Absurdly Spacious Sewer: Hermit is fought inside a maintenance tunnel that's somehow big enough to accommodate it and an entire elevator system leading to Curien's laboratory.
Adaptational Badass: It's noticeably much more formidable in the remake, where it takes cues from Justice and covers its weakpoint while advancing towards you to attack, and also takes more shots to put down.
Advancing Boss of Doom: Inverted, Rogan has to push it back down a corridor, forcing it back with each shot.
Boom, Headshot!: Its head is its weak point, but as the fight goes on, it will cover it up with its front legs as it closes in. It notably sprays gore when it's finally killed, and there's even a bit of official art◊ showing a close-up of the creature with its head partially-blown open.
The Bus Came Back: It wouldn't be until 2019 and the surprise appearance of Dr. Curien in Sega Heroes that Hermit would reappear, as one of Curien's attacks.
Deadly Lunge: Its main form of attack involves it crawling quickly toward you and lunging with its claws.
"Get Back Here!" Boss: After the first stage of the battle — in which it attacks from the upper part of the maintenance tunnel — Hermit drops down into the lower section with a screech, requiring you to go in afterward to kill it properly.
Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: Curien just sics it on you with no prior hints at its existence. However, it does make sense that this would be the case, given that he was using it to distract you whilst he escaped back to his laboratory.
Giant Spider: A giant zombie spider, albeit with elements (most notably, its armor and claws) from spider crabs, as well as a slightly unusual, elongated body.
Hold the Line: Hermit performs a villainous version of this for Curien; preventing Rogan and G from pursuing him while he escapes back to his main laboratory.
Impossibly Graceful Giant: It's enormous, and crawls unnervingly fast for a creature of its size.
Killed Off for Real: Given that it's the only previous boss who is not fought again in the final chapter, it can be assumed that unlike Chariot and Hangedman, it stayed dead after being killed.
Put on a Bus: As of Scarlet Dawn, Hermit is the only boss to not reappear in another main series game — the Magician has reappeared several times since the original game, and both Chariot and Hangedman return as bosses in Scarlet Dawn itself.
Wolverine Claws: Has very large forked claws on its front legs that it, of course, uses to slash with.

Magician (Type 0)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/magician_1.png

^{Magician in House of the Dead 2}

^{Magician in House of the Dead 4 Special}

Voiced by: Chris Okawa (Remake)

"Who are you? Nobody gives me instructions! I shall destroy everything!"

Curien's most powerful creation, which is a mutant with fire control and psychic powers. The fourth (and final) boss of the first game. He later serves as the fifth boss of the second game, and the second (and once again final) boss of The House of the Dead 4 Special.

Achilles' Heel: His right shin, left calf, right forearm, and left upper arm are exposed to gunfire. Perhaps the only final boss in the series where despite the weak point being listed as 'unknown,' the weak point isn't blindingly obvious.
Adaptational Badass: Zigzagged, as he already was a formidable boss, but the remake nerfed his Super-Speed, though he also uses his ultimate attack at much earlier instances during the fight.
Ass Kicking Pose: His standard pose before and during a fight is a sort-of-but-not-really Badass Armfold, as seen in the image.
Body Horror: Though he is resurrected in The House of the Dead 2, his body apparently stays rotten as it was, because there are visible maggots surrounding it.
Breakout Villain: The Magician has proven to be very popular among fans, and has appeared in most games in the main series as a boss. He also makes cameo appearances in The House of the Dead III and 4 as a bonus item that can be shot for extra points.
Final Boss: Of the original game and 4 Special.
"Get Back Here!" Boss: The Magician moves around. A lot. You don't actually need to run around (since your character's stuck in a stationary position), but the general feeling is there.
Horned Humanoid: To go with the satanic appearance.
Humanoid Abomination: He's a skinless (though armored), demonic, fire-spewing monster.
It Can Think: He's one of the few mutants in the series to display capacity for intelligent thought, as well as some sort of independent ego. Curien found out the hard way.
Legacy Boss Battle: Especially strange, considering his first appearance had him kill his creator. Goldman was apparently able to fix this problem for all future incarnations.
Leitmotif: He keeps the same battle theme in all of his appearances.
Lightning Bruiser: He's incredibly agile, hits hard, and can take large amounts of punishment.
Playing with Fire: His main attacks are fireballs and fiery claw swipes, and his ultimate attack is a literal rain of fire.
Power Floats: Levitates above the ground at all times.
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: He seems rather fond of these:
(in the first game) "Who are you? Nobody gives me instructions! I shall destroy everything!"
(in 2) "I've been waiting for this time to come. You have no future: either I get you or The Emperor will. Either way, your fate is in OUR hands!"
(in 4 Special) "Welcome, my AMS friends! I have been waiting for this moment for some time. Now you shall have a taste of the pain that I have endured!"
Purple Is Powerful: He radiates a purple glow in 4 Special.
Simple, yet Awesome: In Typing, he doesn't need pop quizzes, long paragraphs, or turning off your typing every few seconds to be deadly. Instead, his gimmicks are just making you type very quickly, and for the first half of his fight in particular, typing quickly without making any mistakes.
Super-Speed: Either this or Teleport Spam. Especially in 4 Special, where the camera has trouble keeping up with him.
Turned Against Their Masters: His first words are announcing he will not obey any orders, and then it kills Curien.
Unexplained Recovery: For The House of the Dead 2, and again for The House of the Dead 4 Special.
- Gets explained (sort of) if you fail to stop his last-ditch attack in The House Of The Dead 4 Special; he summons a legion of clones of himself, and the game just ends there without even letting you TRY to fight them off.
Wolverine Claws: Huge, sharp ones that can easily do just as much damage as his fireballs.

The House of the Dead 2

Judgment (Type 28)

"I've already taken care of G, this is only the beginning!"

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/judgement.jpg

A small imp (Zeal) and a living suit of Armor (Kuarl), who are met in an unnamed Italian city by James and Gary. It's the first boss in The House of the Dead 2.

Achilles' Heel: Kuarl is fully dependent on Zeal. If Zeal takes enough damage, Kuarl will fall.
Animated Armour: It's unknown if Kuarl is this trope, or there's a mass of undead inside that armor.
Big Guy, Little Guy: Kuarl is the big guy while Zeal is the little guy.
Brains and Brawn: Zeal hides behind the hulking Kuarl and barks orders. Of course, after Kuarl dies, Zeal can still fly up to you and scratch your face off.
Calling Your Attacks: "Go, Kuarl!" Conveniently, the normally mobile Zeal holds still while calling the attack, giving you a perfect opportunity to interrupt it by shooting him.
Cherry Tapping: Kuarl isn't completely invincible and his health can be slowly chipped away with rapid fire. As a bonus, Zeal will often fly right into your line of fire.
Dual Boss: Technically, but they tend to attack one at a time.
Expy: Of The Hangedman (Zeal) and The Chariot (Kuarl).
Fragile Speedster: Zeal moves very quickly when he's on the attack, but he takes a lot of damage whenever he is hit anywhere.
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner:
Zeal: "Seems like my advice had no effect. Suffer like G did!"
- Zeal gains another one during the second encounter:
Zeal: "Sir Goldman has given me a second chance. Don't even think you can get past me!"
Recurring Boss: You fight them again in the second-to-last level.
Removing the Head or Destroying the Brain: Kuarl is an example where this trope doesn't work. Mainly because he doesn't have a head!
Scratch Damage: You can lower their health by shooting at Kuarl, but doing so depletes his health at such a slow rate that you're better off focusing on Zeal — although it's also a valid strategy for attacking Zeal, since his erratic flight pattern frequently places him directly in front of Kuarl, where you're likely to catch him in the crossfire.
Synchronization: Their movements are synched with each other's. Shooting Zeal will make him - and Kuarl - stagger backwards, and in fact you can only cancel Kuarl's attacks by aiming for Zeal.

Hierophant (Type B 05)

An aquatic reptilian zombie armed with a trident. The second boss of the second game.

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hierophant.jpg

Achilles' Heel: Its chest opens on a regular basis to expose its heart.
Bad Boss: Implied to be this when if you reach Sunset Bridge, it destroys it with some of its fellow zombies.
The Beastmaster: Like the Hangedman, he seems to have some form of control over Zombie Piranhas.
Fish People: More like amphibian people, but the idea is there.
Flunky Boss: He'll summon piranhas to attack you as backup.
King Mook: In a way, he can be considered this to the "aquatic" green mutants encountered earlier.
In a Single Bound: That guy can do some amazing jumps.
Prongs of Poseidon: He's an aquatic zombie who fights with a wicked-looking trident.
Unexplained Recovery: As you're about to reach Goldman's Tower, he destroys the bridge again and fights you.
Warm-Up Boss: His weak point is fairly obvious and pretty easy to hit, knocking him back.

Tower (Type 8000)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tower_1.jpg

A Hydra-like mutant who dwells in the sewers of an unnamed Italian city. The third boss of the second game.

Hydra Problem: Averted. The boss has several snake heads, but destroying one won't make another respawn. Instead, you just need to hunt for the blue-colored one (which seems to be the actual Tower, since once you take them all down, you will have another showdown with just it).
Man Bites Man: Or "zombie snake bites man" as the case may be, but this is the Tower's only form of attack. Shooting one of the serpents in the mouth as it winds up a bite will stop the attack cold, though.
Our Dragons Are Different: Apparently based on Dragons, it's an eyeless serpentine monster with large fangs and a segmented body.
The Pawns Go First: In the initial fight, only the four red serpents attack during the Tower's first phase. Once they go down and the second phase begins, then the blue one fights you. In the second encounter, the blue head attacks alongside the others.
Pop Quiz: In The Typing of the Dead. You get a question and have to type one of three answers. Type the wrong answer and it's -1 life.
Recurring Boss: The Tower is fought twice in a row in level 3, and you have to fight the whole monster again (phase 1 only) in the final level in Goldman's laboratory.
Sand Worm: If you choose the right path, the second stage of the battle has the large blue worm burrow through a large sand pit arena. Otherwise, she'll simply swim across a flooded catacomb.
Stationary Boss: For the first part of the battle. After killing all the red heads, the blue one will slither away.
Stock Scream: Its roars are familiar. Specifically, they're stock roars first used in King Kong (1976).
Turns Red: After losing her four red heads.
Wake-Up Call Boss: Adds a second phase with a harder to hit weak point, upping the ante.
Wolfpack Boss: It's never clarified whether it's a single creature with multiple heads or a collection of five separate creatures. However, as the blue serpent slithers away by itself after the others are killed, the latter is more likely.

Strength (Type 205)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/strength_9.jpg

A huge, chainsaw-wielding brute fought in a Coliseum. The fourth boss of the second game.

Advancing Boss of Doom: Chases you through a labyrinth, sometimes jumping over walls or smashing through them to surprise you.
Boom, Headshot!: His weak point. However, opportunities to shoot him in the head are rare due to him always holding his chainsaw in front of it.
The Brute: Doesn't do anything particularly fancy, it just chases you, jumping off of or smashing through walls to get at you.
Chainsaw Good: His weapon is a huge chainsaw with the word BLAME etched on both sides of the blade.
Climax Boss: Much tougher than the previous bosses, he's fought in a Coliseum before heading for the final stage itself, and he's the only mutant boss of the game who's not brought back by Goldman in the final levels.
The Determinator: He won't stop coming until he's dead.
Expy: To Leatherface. Doubles as a Shout-Out.
Hero Killer: Severely, and possibly fatally, wounds Harry.

Emperor (Type α)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/emperor_6.jpg

"I am... I am... I am the one...who rules over nature...I shall destroy...and hate mankind.... I am... the Emperor!"

A humanoid being made of shape-shifting fluid, and Goldman's last creature. The sixth (and final) boss of the second game.

All Your Powers Combined: Copies several previous bosses to fight you.
Blob Monster: A constantly-shifting humanoid liquid being.
Dragon-in-Chief: Goldman's entire plan revolved around this creature, and once it goes down he's ruined.
Final Boss: Of the second game.
Humanoid Abomination: A translucent, horned, shape-shifting blob of liquid with a visible organic heart.
Light Is Not Good: Unlike other mutants, the Emperor resembles a shiny, silvery humanoid being that is glowing slightly, but is much worse than all of them combined.
Pop Quiz: In The Typing of the Dead, he parodies the format that The Tower used three chapters ago, using questions with silly answers. This time, all three answers to each question are considered correct, although they influence which of the Multiple Endings you get.
Predecessor Villain: Literally. He and The World are both parts of the same experiment, but The Emperor was released too early so Goldman can show off, as a beta test. His defeat thus prevents the protagonists from discovering that Goldman had in fact built another being…
Robo Speak: "I am... I am..."
Voluntary Shapeshifting: Since he's made of molten metal, much like the T-1000.

The House of the Dead III

Death (Type 0011)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hotdiii_death.jpg

A huge skull-faced mutant dressed as a security guard and armed with a club. He'll chase G and Lisa for two levels. One of the bosses in the third game.

Advancing Boss of Doom: Unlike other bosses, which are usually fought at the end of the level, Death keeps chasing G and Lisa into the building and across the corridors, smashing obstacles in his way to get at them.
The Brute: Another large, muscular zombie, now as a series tradition.
Carry a Big Stick: With skulls embedded in it.
Chained by Fashion: He has chains wrapped around his torso.
Clothing Damage: At low health, he loses his hat.
Determinator: Won't stop at anything to get to G and Lisa.
Early-Bird Cameo: Appears in the opening sequence, where he knocks Thomas Rogan down, but is stopped by Curien's son.
Facial Horror: If you utilize his weak point (his face, obviously) enough, by the time he finally goes down, what little flesh his face had is gone, and is reduced to a bloody, eyeless skull.
Implacable Man: The only boss that you fight twice and relentlessly smashes through cement walls, shrugs off bullets, and at one point bursts out of the ground to kill you.
Irony: He's the first boss seen in the game, and he's the hardest to kill in the whole game.
Level in Boss Clothing: Unlike other bosses in the game, Death is fought for the entire duration of the levels where he appears, instead of only showing up at the end. Said levels have you alternate between fending off Death and fighting lesser zombies.
Recurring Boss: Fights you across two stages.

Fool (Type 0028)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fool_6.jpg

A mutated giant sloth who resides in a well-like cage inside the building. One of the bosses in the third game.

Animals Not to Scale: Normal sloths reach around two and half feet long at the biggest. The Fool, however, appears to be roughly the size of a grizzly bear, which makes its speed all the more alarming as it closes in on you.
Attack of the Killer Whatever: A sloth.
Cherry Tapping: You can slowly tick away at its health by shooting it in the chest, even when it's not actively chasing you.
Collapsing Ceiling Boss: Said "ceiling parts" being the corpses hanging from it.
Determinator: Even when it can only hang by one foot, it will make a flying leap for you.
Grievous Harm with a Body: Can shower you with his former meals. Aka Corpses.
Lightning Bruiser: The mutation process seems to have made it far larger and faster than the average sloth would be.
Logical Weakness: Its weak spots aren't its head, but its feet. By shooting them down, it becomes unable to cling on the cage, and plummets to its death.
Slasher Smile: A permanent bare grin of sharp fangs.
Turns Red: When it has one functional limb left, it will attack by jumping straight at you, and you have all of one second to unload an entire clip's worth of bullets. Or two in a 2-player game (meaning both players each must hit it with an entire clip).
Wall Crawl: The Fool can crawl along the sides of its cage faster than you can run away — if you don't hit its weak points in time, it will always catch up to you before too long.
Wolverine Claws: It has long claws for clinging onto the cage as well as for slashing you apart.

Sun (Type 8830)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sun_3.jpg

A mutant giant plant with many tentacle-like roots and human faces on its stalk. One of the bosses in the third game.

Attack of the Monster Appendage: You see its roots and tentacles all over the place, but meet it later in the level.
Bullet Seed: One of its attacks at low health shoots a burst of spiked seeds into the air.
Damage-Sponge Boss: To offset its immobility and large weak points, the Sun can take much more punishment than most other bosses.
Expy: Resembles Plant 42 from Resident Evil.
Fantastic Flora: It's a genetically mutated tree with spiked spores, giant fanged protrusions, and killer vines.
He Was Right There All Along: The entire first half of the stage is filled with vines and plant life, some of which try to attack you. All of this vegetation is part of the Sun, making it one of the largest bosses in the series in terms of total biomass.
Man-Eating Plant: Not that many reasons why a zombie plant is trying to kill a person.
Planimal: It seems to be mostly plant-like, but it also has a ring of human faces in its trunk, and it has three buds that open to release large, Xenomorph-esque heads.
Stationary Boss: One of the few bosses in the series that doesn't move from its spot, justified because it's a tree.
Vine Tentacles: It will sic them on you before you even know what they're attached to.
When Trees Attack: It resembles a large tree, although the skulls embedded into its trunk suggest human remains were used in its creation.
Voice of the Legion: The moans and vocalizations it makes have this effect, as if the many faces on its trunk are wailing in unison.

Yukio

"We're humanity's last hope! We cannot lose!"

A military commando who took part in the botched raid on the EFI Research Facility alongside Thomas Rogan and Dan Taylor. After being killed by the biologically-engineered creatures in the opening cutscene, his reanimated corpse is encountered as a miniboss before the final battle against the Wheel of Fate.

All There in the Script: He isn't named during the game, but his in-game data and his entry in The House of the Dead III Perfect Guide reveals it to be Yukio.
Determinator: It takes his entire torso being blasted to bits to finally put him down.
Dual Wielding: Wields a knife in each hand like the other Rogan Commandos.
Evil Sounds Deep: His corpse's voice has a heavy filter applied to it (which makes the line above hard to discern from Daniel's line).
Foreshadowing: He's the first of the Rogan Commandos to die to the creatures, and the rest of his comrades have been appearing as enemies.
Irony: He's one of the first characters seen in the game who dies in the opening cutscene, and his corpse ends up being one of the last non-boss enemies.
Mini-Boss: His corpse is a stronger version of the Rogan Commando enemy.
Turns Red: His agility increases as he gets shot down each time.
Verbal Tic: Each time he gets up, he says "That was for my buddies!" Even after his head's been blasted off.

Wheel of Fate (Type 0000)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/e4f0280ebbf2f87463cacf42890a050a.jpg

I shall destroy everything… and resurrect everything.

Curien's ultimate creation/transformation, it is a cybernetic monster surrounded by a metal ring. It manipulates electricity to fight. It's the final boss of the third game, and is actually Dr. Curien himself.

Chrome Champion: His entire body seems to be composed of chrome metal. He has spines on his forearms and a sun emblem on his chest.
Defeat Equals Explosion: The Wheel of Fate explodes upon defeat.
Final Boss: The ultimate threat to humanity itself — or what's left of it.
The Gambler: Keeping with his namesake's traits of fortune and chance, he will spin his ring around to randomly select from a handful of attacks to use on you, some of which are much harder to stop than others.
Golden Super Mode: Gains one when on his last legs.
Humanoid Abomination: Bonus points for previously being human.
One-Winged Angel: Of Curien.
Reality Warper: Turns the surrounding laboratory into some kind of cyberspace-like dimension just before the fight.
Rings of Death: Is surrounded by a large metal ring made from the metal of his stasis tube. He can use it to attack you directly or fire electrical projectiles at you. The ring also acts a revolving shield, blocking your bullets if you shoot at the wrong time.
Robo Speak: His voice seems to be mechanized, especially compared to his voice when he was alive.
Shock and Awe: He has power over electricity, and whichever attack he uses depends on a "spin of the wheel".
Was Once a Man: Is / Was Dr. Curien himself.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: His goal is to "destroy everything and resurrect everything," and laments the planet's overpopulation upon defeat.

The House of the Dead 4

Justice (Type 0053)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_124.jpg

A huge, four-armed mutant that chases Kate and James in the sewers. The first boss of The House of the Dead 4 and The House of the Dead 4 Special. He also appears as the first boss of The House of the Dead EX, though instead of defeating him, you need to shoot his bad teeth.

Advancing Boss of Doom: Viciously gives chase across the sewers, trying to grab Kate and James on the way.
Chained by Fashion: Has huge chains and manacles on each of his ankles and four wrists. It's likely that he was restrained in Pandora's Box and the first thing he did upon activation was break free.
Diving Kick: One of his two attacks is basically a flying stomp.
Feed It a Bomb: His weak spot is his mouth. Chucking a grenade in there will instantly cancel whatever attack he's using.
Grapple Move: The other of its two attacks is to grab the characters and attempt to lick them.
I'm Melting!: When James and Kate kill it, Justice melts into nondescript goo.
Multi-Armed and Dangerous: Four giant, muscular, ape-like arms. However, it doesn't do anything special with them.
Overly-Long Tongue: Lets its tongue dangling out of its mouth.
Recurring Boss: Fought twice, both times at the beginning of the The House of the Dead 4 stories.
Recurring Boss Template: See also Strength and Death for a similar boss fight. Justice is one of many bosses who are shown pursuing the characters and have to be shot in a specific spot before the boss can attack. Much like Death, he also comes back for a second round with the protagonists.
Scary Teeth: Spikes and all.
Tongue Trauma: His dangling tongue serves as the weak point you'll need to shoot.
Worst Aid: In EX, you take care of its dental problems by shooting its bad teeth out.

The Lovers (Type 6805)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/type_6805_lovers.png

A pair of mutated Tarantulas which attack Kate and James as they try to leave the underground via elevator. The second boss of the fourth game.

All Webbed Up: One of their attacks involves wrapping the players in silk.
Artistic License – Biology: For some reason, these two mutated tarantulas have only four legs each. Might be justified as an effect of mutation.
Big Creepy-Crawlies: They're big enough to take up most of the elevator shaft they're in.
Creepily Long Arms: The male tarantula has very long and big forelegs for its size.
Dual Boss: The Lovers are two separate mutated spiders, but in terms of gameplay, they're fought as a single boss.
Giant Spider: Times two.
Legacy Character: To The Hermit from the first game.
Mook Maker: Can and will summon several spiders to help them.
Shown Their Work: The male spider is much smaller than the female, just like in real life. Its legs are much bigger than the female's, however.
Spikes of Villainy: The top spider's forelegs are covered in spikes.

The Empress (Type 1210)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/empress_3.jpg

A powerful purple zombie armed with a ludicrously big double-chainsaw. He/she chases Kate and James on the train. The third boss of the fourth game.

Action Girl: "She" is deadly and has a female name, but is otherwise functionally genderless.
Advancing Boss of Doom: As you can imagine, an undead creature with a double-chainsaw as big as your entire body isn't exactly something you want to be up close and personal with, especially on a cramped subway train. As such, most of the fight is spent running the hell away from Empress to make sure that chainsaw doesn't end up making contact with your body.
Chainsaw Good: Double it. And it's positively enormous.
Double Weapon: It breaks apart during the last part of the fight, forcing her to resort to Dual Wielding.
Evil Cripple: For some reason she's hunchbacked, though it doesn't stop her from being deadly and agile.
Railroad Tracks of Doom: After her defeat, she falls from the train and gets hit by another one.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: Has a pair of glowing red eyes.

Temperance (Type 0483)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/type_0483_temperance.png

A morbidly obese, giant zombie that chases our heroes down the streets. He's so fat that bullets won't damage him. The fourth boss of the fourth game.

Advancing Boss of Doom: One Big Rolling Undead Fat Ball of Doom.
Ass Kicks You: Fail to damage him fast enough in his first phase and he stomps you with his butt.
Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: A several-story-tall fat zombie.
Boom, Headshot!: Temperance's weak point is its head, but only in the sense that he actually flinches if shot there; it's Immune to Bullets like the rest of its body.
Bright Is Not Good: Properly enough, since vividly colored frogs are also the most dangerous.
Cutscene Boss: As close as you can get in a light gun game. Emptying the "Cancel" meter in this fight only stops him from attacking; it doesn't do any damage. As such, this fight is merely surviving long enough to drop a large clock on his head at the end of the stage, which is a One-Hit KO.
Dead Weight: An extremely fat and extremely durable zombie.
Fat Bastard: Ironically named.
Ground Pound: In his first phase, if you fail to damage him fast enough, he jumps up into the air and squashes you under his backside.
Immune to Bullets: Bullets do no damage to him; the most you can do is make him flinch. You have to kill him by dropping a far heavier object on his head.
Implacable Man: The one boss where even hitting its weak point will only stun it as opposed to doing damage.
Ironic Name: He's more or less the incarnation of gluttony, basically the opposite of Temperance. Invoked by Word of God, stating the inversion was deliberate.
Jiggle Physics: Disgustingly applied to his pendulous breasts and belly.
The Juggernaut: And if the clock's face used to kill/knock out Temperance wasn't there, he might still be chasing James and Kate.
Kevlard: He can't be damaged by bullets; you can only stun him. You defeat him by dropping a clock tower on him, which crushes its unprotected cranium.
Magic Pants: Somehow, the mutation left his pants undamaged despite causing him to become a giant monster (which is a good thing, by the way).
Rolling Attack: Attempts this during the second phase, both by rolling forward and later on backwards.
Super-Persistent Predator: Almost the entire second half of Chapter 4 is the fight against Temperance, with the protagonists running away while Temperance tries to crush them.
Tiny-Headed Behemoth: A gargantuan, morbidly obese abomination with a minuscule, almost non-descriptive head.
Walking Shirtless Scene: Fan Disservice personified.

The Star (Type 0001)

"Come, you must prove yourself in a test of strength...this was Goldman's parting wish."

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reunion_ps3_trophy_37744.png

A humanoid creature armed with kukri knives and a purple aura, which acts as a "test" of strength for Kate and James. When he dies, he wounds James with a shard of his body. He's a perfected model of The Magician, and the fifth boss of The House of the Dead 4. He also appears as a boss and supporting character in the spin-off Loving Deads: The House of the Dead EX.

All Love Is Unrequited: He falls in love with Zobiko in The House of the Dead EX, but Zobiko is already in a committed relationship with Zobio.
Ascended Extra: Has a far larger role in The House of the Dead EX compared to his essentially one-shot appearance in 4.
Badass Boast: His only spoken line tops off his foreboding entrance where he drops down from the upper floors to right in front of James and Kate. He starts glowing with purple energy in the middle of his words, which pretty much backs up that he's not like the other bosses you've fought up to that point.
Beam Spam: His main form of attack.
Bishōnen Line: He's the most human boss that the series can offer, even surpassing the likes of The Wheel of Fate or The Magician. In fact, barring the rather pasty skin, he can pass off as a full human (while The Magician is obviously artificial due to his rather crudely satanic appearance). He's also one of the end bosses.
Boom, Headshot!: During his tornado attack, his head becomes a weak point. Lampshaded on the analysis window; while all other spots save for his chest are labeled "NO DAMAGE", his head is labeled "NO DAMAGE?" Yes, with a question mark.
Bright Is Not Good: Has one of the gaudier color schemes among the bosses, but he's still a zombie trying to kill you.
Butt-Monkey: In The House of the Dead EX, his constant attempts to impress Zobiko always fall flat to somebody else and causes him to injure himself.
Clothing Damage: Sadly, his Badass Longcoat is torn to shreds as you shoot him.
The Dragon: To Goldman.
Dual Wielding: Two glowing kukris.
Evil Sounds Deep: He's the second to last boss in the game, and his voice is notably deep and gruff.
Flawed Prototype: His type number indicates he should be in the same class as the other final bosses (the Magician, Emperor, World, and Wheel of Fate) and he certainly does exhibit psychic powers similar to theirs. However, he's weak enough that the PDA can scan him (which none of the others could). His attacks, while powerful, are also nowhere near the world-destroying levels that other four bosses are capable of. However, unlike the final bosses, Star never claims he's some kind of ultimate being or great destroyer, and is more focused on carrying out the last orders he received from Goldman, which may suggest he was designed more for loyalty than sheer power.
Heel–Face Turn: In The House of the Dead EX, he is one of the bosses, but after his defeat, promptly falls in love with Zobiko (the female protagonist) and goes to great lengths to help her and Zobio, with humorous results.
In the Hood: His red coat comes with a hood.
Leitmotif: He's one of the few non-final bosses to get his own unique boss music, "Endless Battle".
No Shirt, Long Jacket: He wears a red longcoat that's unzipped (or possibly having no zip at all), exposing the scar on his chest, which is his weak point. Actually, it's exactly like how Dante wore his in Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening (see the trope image for reference).
Power Floats: He's constantly floating during the fight.
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: Its one line amounts to this.
Purple Is Powerful: His swords and many of his attacks have a purple glow.
Scars Are Forever: Has a huge gash on his chest.
Shout-Out: His red Badass Longcoat makes him similar to Dante's appearance from Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening.
Voice of the Legion: His voice has a noticeable filter to it, similar to all other creatures capable of speech.
Taking You with Me: Explodes when killed. It's unknown if it was intentional or not.

The World (Type β)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download14.jpg

I am the ultimate being. There is no hope. My hammer of death shall rain down upon you.

Goldman's last trick, which is a powerful, constantly-evolving monster made of ice. He's destroyed by James's sacrifice. He also appears in The House of the Dead EX, also as the final boss.

Attack Its Weak Point: The red spot on his chest.
Badass Boast: Its boast, in content and delivery, is perhaps the single most chilling quote from the franchise.
Damage-Sponge Boss: What it loses in an obvious, easy to hit weak point, it makes up for in how much it can take.
Eldritch Abomination: Looks like a giant humanoid fly made of ice and embedded in the ground.
Evil Is Deathly Cold: Creates ice that will harm you.
Final Boss: Of 4 and EX.
- Plus, in the traditional tarot deck order, The Magician is the first ("I") card^notenot counting The Fool ("0"), while The World is the last ("XXI").
- Also take note that you fight The World and The Magician in The House of the Dead 2 in the exact same place: the courtyard of Goldman's building.
Golden Super Mode: It gains this in the end, requiring a Heroic Sacrifice to stop.
Gratuitous Greek: The game officially gives the designation of his first form as β, signifying that he is the successor of the Emperor (the α). When he gains a second and third form, the designation presumably changes to γ and δ.
An Ice Person: Has ice-based powers.
Light Is Not Good: Gets red, then golden lighting as it becomes more dangerous.
One-Winged Angel: He has three forms. However, you only have to face two. However, you get to face his third form in Loving Deads: The House of the Dead EX (though because nothing is taken seriously there, he's dumbed down a lot).
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: "I am the ultimate being. There is no hope. My hammer of death shall rain down upon you." Possibly the most serious and down-to-earth line uttered by any boss in the series.
Shout-Out: Its appearance could be referencing Lucifer's plight at the end of The Divine Comedy. Lucifer is found in Hell's coldest area, trapped up to his waist in the frozen Lake Cocytus, and has three sets of wings that are constantly flapping, thus keeping the lake's waters cold and making him eternally stuck in ice. Also, Lucifer has three heads, which could be referenced by The World's three forms.
Stationary Boss: Unlike past Final Bosses, The World is stuck in place, with his lower body trapped in the ground.
Vocal Dissonance: Despite its towering and grotesque appearance, it has the soft, withered voice of an elderly man. Ironically, it's probably the only voice in 4 (heck, quite possibly even in the entire series) that doesn't sound cheesy.
Winged Humanoid: Four sets of inscectoid wings on the top half of a man.
Wings Do Nothing: Zigzagged. The World's wings are eventually meant for flight, but you never get to see them in action, since he only develops this ability upon entering his δ form and James puts the kibosh on this before the player can do anything. When he appears again in EX, however, you do get the chance to fight his δ form, so you can see it in its glory.

The House of the Dead: OVERKILL

Dr. Jasper Guns, PhD

The first boss in OVERKILL, he's Varla's quadriplegic younger brother, who has injected himself with a Psycho Serum in order to kill Papa Caesar, but got distracted by G and Issac, allowing Caesar to escape. Unfortunately, Jasper ends up so far gone that he can't tell ally from enemy, and ends up attacking G and Issac instead.

Deadly Upgrade: From a harmless cripple to a highly dangerous psychic zomb—er, mutant.
The Dog Bites Back: Tries this, but turns into more of a threat to Caesar's enemies than Caesar himself.
Genius Cripple: A quadriplegic PhD.
Mind over Matter: He's gained telekinetic abilities from the Psycho Serum.
My Brain Is Big: Also acts as Body Horror and Achilles' Heel.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: He's modeled after Stephen Hawking in terms of design, with some elements of Harry Potter here and there.
One-Winged Angel: Turns himself from a normal person into a telekinetic mutant to try and kill Caesar.
Power Floats: Must be the Psycho Serum talking.
Robo Speak: He is unable to speak due to the disease, so he uses a computer to speak.
Tragic Monster: He wants Papa Caesar dead as much as G and Issac do. Unfortunately, it didn't quite work out as planned.

Coco and Sindy

Exclusive to the Playstation 3 version, they're Varla Guns' fellow coworkers who borrowed Varla's bike before getting infected. Appears as a fat woman and a skinny woman. Chronologically the second boss fought in the PS3 version.

Dual Boss: And like Judgement and the Lovers before them, and Nigel and Sebastian after them, one of them counts as the collective weak point.
Expy:
- Hands up if you thought of the Judgement from the second game in this fight.
- Sindy also resembles Temperance, with all the disturbing jigglies and frustrating invulnerability to boot.
- A fat, unintelligible blob and a giggling, skinny assistant? Hello Jabba the Hutt and Salacious Crumb.
Fan Disservice: Both of them are grotesque mutant strippers.
Fat and Skinny: Sindy's the giant, fat one, Coco's the one that looks like Gollum.
Fragile Speedster: Coco darts forward jumping left and right like a maniac chimp, but she's also the easiest to damage.
Ground Pound: Occasionally Sindy will slam the ground and attack with a shockwave.
Squashed Flat: After killing them, Coco is sent flying against Sindy, who then falls over and squashes her under her girth.
Stationary Boss: Sindy is too heavy to actually move.
Those Two Girls: Well, judging from how Varla refers to them.
Was Once a Man: They were still attractive strippers in the days before the mutant outbreak, having serviced Isaac in the Prelude to an Overkill comic.

The Screamer

Another creation of Caesar, who's released in a hospital in order to kill G and Isaac. Appears as a zombie girl with a mutilated face and powerful screams. The second boss in OVERKILL (third if you count the PS3 version).

Body Horror: You can clearly see her spine.
Butter Face: Her face is awfully mutilated.
Expy: Let her succeed in attacking you and you will get reminded of Sadako.
Groin Attack: Her weak points are her face and her crotch.
Mind Rape: Apparently, that's what she does when she screams. During the level, she actually makes a helicopter crash after shouting at it.
She Was Right There All Along: You find her in a room in the dungeons of the Hospital, but if you're careful enough, you can spot her stalking you through the building and running away.
- In the Director's Cut of the Playstation 3, she screams at both G and Isaac just when they get inside the hospital.

Nigel and Sebastian

A pair of circus freaks mutated by the virus, who are now feeding on corpses in the circus. Nigel is the large guy, while Sebastian is the parasite twin embedded in his belly. The third boss of OVERKILL (fourth in the PS3 version).

Body Horror: Zombie conjoined twin freaks.
Brains and Brawn: Sebastian does the talking and planning, Nigel is the actual fighter.
Dual Boss: Technically. They are two people, but they still have one body, and so they are fought simultaneously as a single boss.
I Am a Humanitarian: They're shown eating a corpse. Well, Nigel anyway.
Not Quite Dead: Sebastian after the boss fight, but he's gunned down almost instantly.
The Speechless: Nigel doesn't speak.

Meat Katie

Exclusive to the PS3 version, it is a gigantic cow-like mutant who wields a butcher's knife in the butcher shop. Chronologically the fifth boss of the game.

Achievements in Ignorance: She kills Candi by complete accident in her death throes.
BFS: The cleaver she wields is gigantic, and very sharp.
Death by Irony: Pushed back in her meat grinder.
Expy: It's hard not to see similarities between her and Chariot.
Hero Killer: As she dies, her cleaver falls on Candi's arm, severing it and causing her death.
Our Minotaurs Are Different: Making her a mutant wasn't enough, so she was given a cow's skull and udders.
Was Once a Man: When you see what her name is and where her weak spot is, you can see on the right side a picture of her as a human woman before she became a mutant.

The Crawler

A huge mutant similar to a bug, it attacks Isaac and G on the train. The fourth boss of OVERKILL (sixth in the PS3 version).

Big Creepy-Crawlies: It's a giant praying mantis.
Body Horror: It's implied from certain parts of its anatomy that it used to be human.
Early-Bird Cameo: Only in the PS3 version in Creeping Flesh, one level before his stage (which is Scream Train).
Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: Almost word by word, just replace Space with Zombie and Flea with Mantis. The PS3 version adds some minor background by implying that it was being raised inside the mutant-infested meat factory.
Go for the Eye: Its eyes are its weak point in the PS3 version.
In a Single Bound: Being a giant insect, the Crawler can jump quite high and far away, being able to follow the train from the surrounding woods.
Sinister Scythe: Its arms, which doubles as its weak point. The weak point is changed in the PS3 version.
Slaying Mantis: Designed as such.

The Lobber

A massive frog-like mutant who's infesting the swamps. The fifth boss of OVERKILL (seventh in the PS3 version).

The Beastmaster: He can occasionally summon swamp bats to help him.
Body Horror: He's covered in pus-filled bubbles.
Fat Bastard: He's both extremely fat and aggressive.
Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: Why is there an obese, giant, bubble-covered zombie-frog-man in that swamp!?
Hoist by His Own Petard: You can make him vulnerable by shooting his projectiles while he's still holding them.
Vomit Indiscretion Shot: He barfs all over Isaac when he tries to read him his rights.

Brutus

A huge, mutated criminal who was executed for his many awful crimes. He's seen together with another similar mutant, who he kills. The sixth boss of OVERKILL (eighth in the PS3 version).

Arm Cannon: Rather, Crossbow. Doubles as his weakness.
Bait-and-Switch Boss: No, you don't have to fight both giant mutant freaks at the same time.
Dual Boss: Subverted.
Expy: Of Strength from 2.
Flunky Boss: In addition to Brutus himself, a number of mutant mooks will attack during the fight.
Meaningful Name: Tu quoque Brute!?

Mother

Clement Darling's mother, who was exposed to the compound and had her brain put in Varla's body. She mutates to a giant, grotesque monster which births smaller mutants from her oversized vagina. The seventh and final boss of OVERKILL (ninth and tenth if you count the playable "Missing Reel" in the PS3 version).

Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Second only to the Moon in terms of height, and probably over 10 feet tall. Temperance, eat your heart out.
Body Horror: The greatest case so far, considering that hers used to be Varla's body.
Boss Rush: It was implied by G and Isaac that they had fought off Mother first before your real fight against her. Played straight in the Director's Cut of the PS3 version, where you get to experience it.
Final Boss: A two-form one… that has the first form cut out in a "Missing Reel".
Final-Exam Boss: Set up as one in Typing. The prompt subverts this trope by instructing you to type anything "as long as you type like a motherfucker", meaning you can win simply by mashing "adsfadsfdasdsaf" and the like ad infinitum. However, you'll also get "Type words associated with (character)" prompts, and typing matching words will inflict a Critical Hit.
Finger Poke of Doom: She attacks by literally flicking you off, and also by flicking tires at you.
Full-Frontal Assault: She fights Isaac and G while naked.
Guide Dang It!: Only in the Director's Cut of the PS3 version; unless you paid attention to your surroundings, you wouldn't even know how to even damage Mother in the revealed "Missing Reel".
Mother of a Thousand Young: She can give birth to Pukers in a few seconds.
My Brain Is Big: The whole back of her head turns into a swollen sac of massive boils.
One-Winged Angel: Accidental, though.

House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn

High Priestess

A giant, mutated octopus living in a giant water tank in an underground laboratory.

Combat Tentacles: Its main method of attack is by using those spiked tentacles to slap at the players.
Death from Above: By clinging to an overhead walkway, The Priestess can attack from above.
Giant Squid: While it never appears at sea, The Priestess does give the impression of a sea monster.
Go for the Eye: Its eyes are its weak points. But instead of shooting them until it drops, Kate and Ryan go for a different strategy.
Implacable Man: Like Temperance, bullets only stun the Priestess. The only way to kill it is by spilling chemical onto it, before igniting it.
Kill It with Fire: It is finally killed when Kate and Ryan spill a flammable chemical onto it and ignite it, causing The Priestess to be blown to pieces.
More Teeth than the Osmond Family: Aside from its tentacles, The Priestess' mouth of sharp teeth takes up a large portion of its body.
Officially Shortened Title: The website states that its full name is "High Priestess", like the original tarot card, and the International version also identifies it as such. The Japanese version, however, identifies the boss as simply "Priestess".
Shout-Out: Its design borrows elements from H.P. Lovecraft, the Dianoga from A New Hope, and the cephalophod sea monster from Deep Rising.
Stock Sound Effects: It makes sounds similar to that of dolphins, humpback whales or similar sea creatures.
Tentacled Terror: Spiky tentacles, even.

Moon

"I COVET ALL THE WORLD."

The ultimate weapon of Thornheart, a giant made from zombie flesh and wood.

All Your Powers Combined: Unlike previous final bosses in the franchise, the Moon doesn't base its attacks around any one theme; it displays a variety of powers which call back to bosses seen elsewhere in the franchise, ranging from corpse-flinging to biomass absorption to fire breath to what appears to be either raw energy or lightning manipulation.
Attack Its Weak Point: Despite being seemingly impervious, the Moon does actually have one: the Third Eye in the middle of its forehead. Shooting it will deplete the Moon's health, but the Hold the Line nature of the fight means that you're unlikely to get it all the way down to zero. It has been shown that even if you do get it to zero (using the most powerful weapons while being a crack shot), the fight will still go on until the lightning rod phase.
Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: The Moon's head alone is larger than the other bosses, and as the fight goes on, it continues to grow.
Blow You Away: Has wind powers.
Body of Bodies: After the Moon's awakening, a horde of the zombies crawl and melt into its biomass, suggesting that it's using their flesh to build its own body. As this happens, the Moon's body gradually forms from the neck down.
Boss Banter: He occasionally speaks to the AMS agents during the fight. However, unlike previous final bosses in the series, he doesn't deliver a speech or a Badass Boast before the battle starts.
Cutscene Boss: Like Temperance from 4, Moon's fight is entirely scripted — it's impossible to fully deplete his health bar, his attacks are performed in a linear fashion, and he won't repeat any attack phases that you fail. He's also finished off in a final quick time event, but unlike Temperance, you will beat him regardless of your success or failure at it.
Final Boss: Of House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn.
Grievous Harm with a Body: He will pick up zombies and hurl them into the air to rain down on Ryan and Kate.
Ground Pound: When its body is fully formed, the Moon can slam an energy ball into the ground, creating a powerful shockwave.
Homing Projectile: After it gains arms, the Moon can create energy balls that home in on targets. These projectiles can be stopped by destroying them.
Implacable Man: Bullets alone do nothing to the Moon by the time it's fully formed. It takes a lighting rod to bring it down.
Improvised Lightning Rod: Ryan stabs it in its Third Eye with a metal pipe, and nature does the rest, putting it down for good.
One-Winged Angel: And a literal angel at that, thanks to the large, feathery wings it sprouts.
Planimal: Much like its tarot counterpart, the Sun, the Moon appears to be a plant-based being, which would explain its ability to constantly grow larger and larger throughout the battle.
Playing with Fire: It can breathe fireballs after growing wings.
Power Gives You Wings: It keeps mutating and growing stronger until it sprouts angelic wings. Luckily, it never gets the chance to see if it can fly.
Shout-Out: To the Colossal Titan from Attack on Titan, the Evil Spirit Incarnate from Metal Slug 5, and Groot from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- The way it is killed using a lightning rod is similar to how Leon Kennedy kills Derek C. Simmons in Resident Evil 6.
Zombie Puke Attack: While it's still only a head, the Moon spits its vomit to attack Kate and Ryan.

Characters / House of the Dead

Protagonists

The House of the Dead

The House of the Dead 2

The House of the Dead III

The House of the Dead 4

The House of the Dead: OVERKILL

House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn

Antagonists

The House of the Dead

The House of the Dead 2

The House of the Dead III

The House of the Dead: OVERKILL

Bosses

The House of the Dead

The House of the Dead 2

The House of the Dead III

The House of the Dead 4

The House of the Dead: OVERKILL

House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn

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Index

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Characters / House of the Dead

Edit Locked

Protagonists

The House of the Dead

The House of the Dead 2

The House of the Dead III

The House of the Dead 4

The House of the Dead: OVERKILL

House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn

Antagonists

The House of the Dead

The House of the Dead 2

The House of the Dead III

The House of the Dead: OVERKILL

Bosses

The House of the Dead

The House of the Dead 2

The House of the Dead III

The House of the Dead 4

The House of the Dead: OVERKILL

House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn

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Index

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