This is a list of characters found in One Card Short of a Full Deck.
Beware of unmarked spoilers.
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Roger
Roger Klein/Aster
The hero of the story. A school dropout who awakens the power of the cards.- Achievements in Ignorance: Aster is able to give Superman good advice on how to interact with Superboy, despite not knowing what problem he has with Superboy, or even the fact that Superboy is Superman's clone.
- Anime Hair: Roger finds that his hair has changed shape and color in Chapter 25.I paused as something vividly red swung past my face and I grabbed the offending strip of hair and stared at it.
The tuft of hair was the one that had burned badly in the Ace Chemical spill and now it seemed to float upwards, spiking up if left alone like a horn.
[...]
I ran to the bathroom and stared in horror as under my normal hair, new roots of blue and green were seeping in.- It gets slightly changed further in Chapter 57.Slowly, a piece of hair dropped past my face, white as death.
My hair was a monstrosity with green, reds, and now white streaks.
- It gets slightly changed further in Chapter 57.
- The Apprentice: Roger becomes one to Giovanni Zatara. He later also becomes one to Captain Marvel after the Egyptian pantheon shows interest in him.
- An Arm and a Leg: Aster loses his right arm after it turns into ash and crumbles away as a result of summoning the Right Arm of the Forbidden One.
- Artificial Limbs: Roger gets one to replace the one he lost from summoning the Right Arm of the Forbidden One.
- The Beast Master: Specifically of a swarm-master variant in swarms of friendly crabs thanks to the powers of the Turtle Oath ritual. The turtles are in there as well through turtle shells.
- Confusion Fu: Anyone who fights Roger won't be able to predict what he'll summon against them.
- Deadpan Snarker: He has his moments. Particularly when trying to out-snark Sanngriðr.
- The Dreaded: Aster is building up a reputation in the magic side of Gotham. They call him the monster prince, the teen who uses magic and monsters to enact the will of Giovanni Zatara.
- Headbutting Heroes: He and Kid Flash do not get along due to the latter disbelieving in magic.
- Naïve Newcomer: As a complete rookie in the hero business, Roger learns from earlier mistakes before he starts getting lessons from Zatara.
- Non-Indicative Name: Roger uses Aster as his Code Name, but it doesn't really have anything to do with how his powers work or his backstory, essentially just picking it on a whim.
- Place of Power: Roger discovers in Chapter 24 that he is able to draw power from Gotham itself.
- Power Incontinence: Downplayed. Roger gets his monsters, spells, and traps from card packs. He's given a choice after he selects a pack, but he can't choose what packs are available when he can draw a card. In other words, his powers are luck of the draw. However, Zatara is teaching Roger more standard magic to balance things out. On top of that, Roger's magic can somehow create new cards and even evolve his cards into new and stronger forms.
- Red Baron: Unbeknownst to Aster, the magical community of Gotham has been calling him the monster prince.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: In Roger's first real fight without being altered by his power, he's completely out of his depth and requires the help of his monsters to survive, and even then it was close due to him being poisoned.
Roger's Duel Spirits
In General
The spirits dwelling in Roger's cards. Once Roger summons one, they can linger and interact with the physical world for a time until their card runs out of magic and they go back to their own dimension until summoned again. Eventually, Roger discovers he can somehow create entirely new monsters and cards.- Animate Inanimate Object: Applies to a notable number of his summons. There's Labyrinth Wall which turns any location into a sentient, shifting one, Skull Mariner, a living, if not energetic pirate ship who evidently goes stir-crazy if not able to sail the seas, and Overdrive, an armored assault vehicle complete with onboard A.I.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Roger's summons include dark element monsters and some...less than friendly beings such as Lesser Dragon who needed some reigning in or Grand Tiki Elder whose magic is more malevolent in nature but all are ultimately on the side of good.
- How Yawn views Chaos and why he became the Chaos Sorcerer. In his eyes, order can lead to peace and peace means stagnation. Whereas chaos is change and change is invaluable.
- Invisibility: Duel monsters can do this by switching from their physical form to spirit forms.
- The Fair Folk: As mentioned on the main page, Roger's fairy summons are all, unusual to say the least. One of the Dancing Fairies likes violence and turning people into dogs, Pixie-Knight has to be kept on a short leash, less they start going crazy with their dagger, Sanngriðr is a warrior who lives for battle, and even Manju is somewhat eccentric.
Lab
Based on the Labyrinth Wall monster card.- Genius Loci: How it works is that the card spirit possesses whatever physical location Roger is at and can manipulate the walls and floors into new shapes, formations, and layouts.
- The Speechless: Lab communicates via projecting feelings and making shapes as it has no mouth.
Dark Witch/Sanngriðr
Based on the Dark Witch Duel Monster card, Sanngriðr is a valkyrie who acts as a mentor for Roger.- Aww Look They Really Do Love Each Other: For as often as she belittles and threatens Roger, she does care for him almost like a big sister.
- Blood Knight: She loves to fight and relishes any opportunity to do so.
- Don't Fear the Reaper: Sanngriðr is a harsh and sarcastic warrior but as a valkyrie, she can still provide warmth and care when she needs to. When Roger works at the clinic, she spends her time either keeping watch on the roof or going around the ward giving comfort to those in need.
- The Gadfly: Sanngriðr also loves to mock Roger whenever she gets the chance.
- Guardian Angel: Literally, a warrior angel who lives to protect and guide Roger on his path to being a true hero. That does not mean she always has to be gentle about it though...
- Ms. Fanservice: Considering what card she's based on, she's quite beautiful, as remarked by Robin.
- Non-Indicative Name: Let's see...her card is called "Dark Witch" but she's clearly an angel and she's a light element monster and listed as "fairy" despite not actually being a fairy. This is even lampshaded by Roger. This is only temporary, however, as her card changes to a more fitting name. Still keeps the fairy classification though but then again there are no cards listed as "angel" in the official TCG.
- The Tease: She loves teasing Roger, especially by reminding him that she's an attractive woman and he's a young virgin.
- Tsundere: Sanngriðr loves to tease Roger, but it's clear that she cares for him.
- Valkyries: Sanngriðr is one.
- Weapon Specialization: Wields a spear and is eager to use it.
Exodia the Forbidden One
Based on the Dark Witch Duel Monster card. Exodia only manifests briefly, and only through one of his body parts.- Always a Bigger Fish: As Nabu is trying to negotiate with Artemis for how long she can wear the Helmet of Fate to fight Klarion, Exodia the Forbidden One makes his appearance (through Artemis's connection to Roger via the Silver Bow and Arrow), grabs Nabu, and declares a limit of one hour.
- Dangerous Forbidden Technique: Roger learns too late that summoning any part of Exodia is this, as the first time he does so he ends up losing an arm as the cost.
Manju of the Ten-Thousand Hands
Based on the card of the same name. Manju is a strange entity who seems to be made entirely of arms who can freely manipulate his form and shape at will.- Eldritch Abomination: He's classified as a fairy but he's a living, ever-shifting mass of green arms with a face seems less like what one imagines as a traditional fairy and more like something Lovecraft thought up over coffee.
- Multi-Armed and Dangerous: He isn't called Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands for nothing. Said extra hands can even be summoned out of any nearby surface!
Raging Flame Sprite
Based off the card of the same name. Sprite is a little fairy who wields fire magic and can grow in size and power when she attacks or is near fire.- Person of Mass Destruction: As told by Manju and Sanngriðr, she is apparently one of many sprites created by Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch to be living weapons that could burn down anything in their path. The heat she radiates, while comforting at her small size, has to be monitored or it could accidentally start a fire and begin her exponential growth which would only lead to larger and more dangerous fires.
- Non-Indicative Name: Ironically, for someone with the word "Raging" in their name, Sprite is far more innocent and not really temperamental at all.
Chaos Sorcerer/Yawn
Based on the card of the same name. Yawn is a magician able to manipulate the forces of reality to his will.- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: One second he comes off as a wise mage well versed in the secrets of the universe. The next he's seemingly spouting off nonsense while casually performing such random acts as munching on a teacup he conjures up. But his advice and wisdom are certainly worth it. That is if you can decipher his metaphors...
- Yin-Yang Bomb: He is a dark attribute monster but his magic seems to employ both light and darkness. He even provides the page image!
Pitch-Black Warwolf/Maugrim
Based on the card of the same name. Maugrim is a werewolf like warrior who seeks combat.- BFS: Carries one around with him.
- Blood Knight: The first thing he does after being summoned is ask Aster who he wants gutted like a fish. Him invading people's personal space is done in order to provoke others into attacking him
. - Butter Face: Zatanna thinks he'd be pretty good looking if he had a bag over his head.
- The Gadfly: This is why he does things that can be misconstrued as sexual.
- Wolf Man: He looks like a humanoid wolf wielding a BFS.
Harpie Girl/Kee
Based on the card of the same name. Kee is a harpie chick who fancies herself a queen.- Cloudcuckoolander: As par for the course with Roger’s other monsters, Kee lives in her own little world.
- I'm a Humanitarian: Well, she never eats live humans anyway.
Helping Robot For Combat/Dizzy
Based on the card of the same name. The robot is designed for both combat and house-keeping but is clearly not as well built as one would think.- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: For starters they are entirely literal. Robin says he would kill for an omelet. Dizzy’s response, prep to kill the nearest egg-laying bird for ingredients, i.e. Kee. Thankfully Roger intervened before a single bullet is fired. Other than that, Dizzy just loves to insert words like “purge” or “destroy” into their sentences.
- Funny Robot: Has shades of this. A robotic maid/combat helper who, as Robin describes, is a “murderous roomba” who vacuums the floor one second and gets ready to kill someone the next.
Justice League
Batman
The one-and-only dark knight himself.- Reasonable Authority Figure: He meets with Roger and calmly explains how the young man can help, while making sure to give whatever support Roger may need.
Giovanni Zatara
World-famous magician and sorcerer for the Justice League. Giovanni takes Roger under his wing as a mentor in magic.- Affluent Ascetic: Despite being a big-name celebrity, Giovanni lives in a relatively modest house. Of course, that's more his weekend home.
- Badass Teacher: Goes without saying considering he's a master spellcaster and senior member of the League.
- Like a Son to Me: Has some shades of this in his relationship with Roger and how much he cares for him.
Captain Marvel/Billy Batson
A child with the ability to become a superpowered adult via magic.- Internal Reveal: The Team finds out that Captain Marvel is actually a kid when he transforms to survive infection from KV-DV.
The Team
A covert-ops team formed out of various sidekicks of various Justice League members.
Robin
The Boy Wonder and famed sidekick of Batman- Character Development: As a result of interacting with Roger, Robin matures much faster than in canon.
- The Gadfly: Robin enjoys surprising or unnerving people, to Roger's chagrin.
- Grand Theft Me: Becomes the unwilling host of Pestilence.
- Healing Factor: Robin gets one after drinking a serum made from Kid Flash's blood to help purge Pestilence out of his body.
Kid Flash
Speedster of the team and sidekick of the Flash.- Arbitrary Skepticism: As in canon, Kid Flash doesn't believe in magic. This causes some friction when he meets Aster.
- Bad with the Bone: After getting infected by KV-DV, getting cured, and then ingesting another serum made by a Pestilence controlled Robin before being cured again by a Shadow Game, Kid Flash now has bone blades coming out of his arms and legs.
- Magic from Technology: Being a man of science, this is the only way he can process Roger's magic as believable. Excuses range from hallucinogenic drugs to hidden projectors in the jacket. He later gets over this as he experiences magic for himself, usually from his enemies.
- The Oath-Breaker: Although there was no actual magic binding his promise to find Nabu a new host, him revealing he never had any intention of actually fulfilling his part of the bargain results in him being seen as this by some of his more magical allies.
Army Of Darkness
In General
The Big Bad of the story. A cult bent on using such means as mind control and the shadow games for their own nefarious purposes.- People Puppets: Evidently, part of their modus operandi is turning anyone they can find into this to increase their ranks.
Logain
Roger's first proper opponent in a duel.- Starter Villain: He's not Roger's first enemy but he is the first to give Roger a taste of real dueling and more importantly, the Shadow Games.
Wire
A person who has been controlling various civilians in Gotham City.- The Dragon: Is this to Strings.
- Villainous Breakdown: Completely flips out when it looks like he's going to lose.
Strings
The one behind mind-controlling various civilians in Gotham City.- Better to Die than Be Killed: In a shocking turn of events, Strings decides to take their own life just as they're about to lose on the shadow duel against Roger by ordering his own summon to snap his neck.
Yuzuf
A rival duelist Roger encounters in the vampire’s underground hideout. Unlike the others, he’s not so malicious and knows more about what’s truly at stake…- The Reveal: Drops not one but three major bombshells on Roger during their duel. First, He was the Light’s chosen before Aster. Second: the true stakes of the war between light and darkness, and finally: there are those who rebel against the conflict such as the sacred beasts whom Yuzuf aligned himself with.
League of Shadows
In General
- Pragmatic Villainy: Although the League of Shadows knows who Aster is, they won't go after him while in his public identity because that will just draw more aggression from the Justice League.
December Graystone
A young blood mage who works with the League of Shadows.- Blood Magic: No matter how much he has to spill to get the job done.
- Creepy Child: Can’t get much more unsettling than a young kid working with assassins using blood magic.
- Deadpan Snarker: December really has a penchant for teasing and giving dry commentary on what’s happening around him. This is especially evident when trying to outsnark Zatanna.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: In exchange for not going to jail he’s given an offer to help out the Justice League. Little did he know that entails becoming a member of Wild Fortune alongside Roger and Zatanna. And suffice to say, he is not happy about it.
Kitty Kumbata
An assassin working for the L.O.S.- Even Evil Has Standards: Kitty may be a killer but there are lines even she will not cross. She's not too fond of December's blood magic and when she meets with Roger in the clinic, she remains professional as she offers Roger a deal to save Ra's Al Ghul's soul.
Wild Fortune
In General
A team formed by the Justice League to handle the increasing number of magic related crimes. Roger is a founding member and the leader of the group.Zatanna Zatara
Zatara's teenage daughter and aspiring magician.- Bratty Teenage Daughter: Zatanna is a downplayed example. She mostly acts this way due to envy of Aster.
- Green-Eyed Monster: At first, she's quite jealous of Roger being her father's apprentice before her. She cools off later on.
- Power-Up: Seems to be gearing towards this when she winds up having a shard of the black pendant embedded in her hand.
Sam
The apprentice of Jason Blood.Artemis
A young heroine who takes inspiration from Green Arrow.- Empowered Badass Normal: Has access to magic thanks to her interactions with Roger.
Others
Thoth
The great Egyptian god of knowledge and the moon. He seems to be interested in helping Roger by offering replica Millennium Items.- God's Hands Are Tied: Thoth, and several other members of the Egyptian pantheon, hate the new Black Adam for stealing the original’s powers, but they can’t simply take the powers away because their deal was with Teth Adam not the new guy.
Destiny Heroes
In the duel against Strings, Roger not only chooses the Destiny Heroes cards but creates a set of new cards based on the Bat-Family.- Expy: Dark Knight to Batman, Dark Wing to Nightwing, and in a nice bit of Futureshadowing, Dark Oracle to when Batgirl becomes Oracle.
Pestilence
The sentient avatar of a deadly virus the Team encounters.- This Cannot Be!: This is his reaction to losing a Shadow Game to Kid Flash.
The Time Wizard and the Time Wizard of Tomorrow
The overseers of time. Based on the monster cards of the same name.- Deadpan Snarker: They constantly throw barbs at one another.
- For Want Of A Nail: The reason he appears is that in an act of desperation, Wally is about to create the formula for the negative speed force. The Time Wizards had to stop him to prevent countless dangers on a multiversal scale.
- Temporal Paradox: Accompanied by an apprentice who's implied to be his own younger self that he's apparently teaching the ropes to. Best not think too hard on the logistics of that.
Karkinos, Dweller of the Stars
The result of Roger evolving the power of Turtle Oath. Said result being a giant crab imbued with the powers of the stars.- Star Power: Karkinos draws power from starlight.
Barbatos
An evil demon summoned by December under the streets of Gotham.- Evil Is Not a Toy: After being summoned, the first thing he does is possess December.
Kent Nelson
A former member of the Justice Society and former host of Doctor Fate.- Worthy Opponent: Klarion admits that he saw Kent as this while the latter is comatose.
Nabu
A Lord of Order whose consciousness is contained in the Helmet of Fate.- Jerkass Has a Point: He's abrasive about getting a host, but he's not wrong in that the power of Doctor Fate is needed to fight Klarion, plus the fact that when he doesn't have a host he's stuck in an empty void all by himself.
