Tropes Media Browse Indexes Forums Videos Ask The Tropers Trope Finder Media Finder Trope Launch Pad Tech Wishlist Reviews Tools
Cut List New Edits Edit Reasons Launches Images List Crowner Activity Un-typed Pages Recent Page Type Changes Changelog
Tips
Creating New Redirects Cross Wicking Tips for Editing Text Formatting Rules Glossary Edit Reasons Handling Spoilers Word Cruft Administrivia FAQ
Tropes HQ
About Us Contact Us Advertise DMCA Notice Privacy Policy Report Bug
Go Ad-Free Changelog
  • Show Spoilers
  • Night Vision
  • Sticky Header
  • Highlight Links
 

Follow TV Tropes

Following

Characters / Thaumaturgic Awakening

Go To

    open/close all folders 

Enforcer Unit 09

A group who are investigating various phenomena in Earth Bet, specifically their target, designated Type-D, which is speculated to be a multiversal threat.

    In General 
  • The Ace: They came onto Brockton Bay's cape scene and instantly dismantled two major parahuman gangs. In addition, their magecraft is far more versatile and powerful than parahuman powers, making the original Unit Triumvirate level in terms of firepower. With Taylor acting as support, they've become nigh-unstoppable.
  • Bring It: They declare that they will not back down even if the Protectorate tries to arrest them for not following the no-killing rule. Caster even directly states later on during Overmind's interrogation that legal authority derives from a monopoly of power, which the PRT and Protectorate currently do not possess. Therefore, Unit 09 is de facto above the law.
  • Culture Clash:
    • Due to the level of the opponents they tangle with, Unit 09 is comfortable with and regularly employs lethal force when fighting. Parahumans, on the other hand, view escalating to lethal force as an absolute last resort. This causes tensions with the Protectorate and PRT, especially since Unit 09 are powerful enough to openly defy the rules and the law.
    • They also have no problem with people seeing their faces or knowing their names. Overmind is the only exception as an Earth Bet native.
    • Since they often have to work in secrecy, they have no moral objections to hypnotising or mind-wiping civilians or enemies, which is a big no-no on Earth Bet.
  • Curb-Stomp Battle: How most of their fights have gone.
    • The Merchants' attempt to punish Saber, Overmind, and Regent for destroying one of their supply houses ends with Trainwreck dead, and the rest captured and compelled under Geas to serve their prison sentences fully.
    • The ABB's attack as revenge for Lung's initial capture only serves to get Lung captured again, minus a now-permanently amputated arm, and en route to the Birdcage, and the deaths of Bakuda and Oni Lee, leaving the ABB largely composed of unpowered mooks.
    • Cauldron's effort to get back the vials Unit 09 took from Accord not only doesn't succeed, but ends up with Unit 09 capturing the Butcher for study, gaining an even bigger reputation for thrashing the Teeth, and would have gotten Eidolon killed were it not for Saber deliberately avoiding a fatal blow.
    • They successfully drive off the Empire forces that were helping the ABB splinter cell with minimal effort, even securing what's left of Bakuda's bombs.
    • When Tattletale is nearly killed, Overmind goes after the sniper, who accidentally blows himself up with grenade. Since the sniper was one of Coil's PRT moles, this gets her arrested. She turns the situation to her advantage by hacking the PRT databases to obtain Coil's identity and stonewall Piggot's attempt to shake her down.
  • Dimensional Traveller: Three fourths of the team are natives of Earth Tav.
  • The Dreaded: Has earned this reputation after their defeat of the Merchants, the ABB, and the Teeth to the point that three E88 capes have an Oh, Crap! moment when they see Overmind - arguably the weakest member.
  • Good Is Not Soft: They are indisputably heroic. They are also the group who dismantled both the ABB and the Merchants in the same day, killing Bakuda, Trainwreck, and Oni Lee, and sending Lung to the Birdcage. And when faced with the Teeth and a Butcher-possessed Spree, they opt to chop Spree's limbs off along with destroying his eyes with healing-factor-negating weapons to keep him contained.
  • Healing Factor: Thanks to copies of Avalon implanted within all the members of the unit excluding Saber, who holds the original.
  • Hidden in Plain Sight: The team sets up shop as a private eye agency with their literal name on the paperwork. The possibility of there being a connection with the new parahuman team that showed up at around the same time is disregard as both names are just too bland and ordinary that it would be far more likely for it to be a coincidence.
  • Outside-Context Problem: A group of Triumvirate level combatants who appeared out of nowhere, and does not follow traditional parahuman rules of engagement, leading them to turn Brockton's underworld upside down in a matter of days. Unit 09 as a whole is able to stop most Thinker abilities used directly on them. Even Contessa's Path of Victory and Dinah's probability-based precognition blur when trying to directly focus on them, whereas Tattletale is able to use hers because it's more focused on passive observation rather than any direct intrusion.
  • Pragmatic Hero: All of them, to a lesser or greater degree. From making alliances with some criminals to maiming and killing their foes, Unit 09 doesn't hesistate when it comes to fulfilling their goals and protecting civilians. When they agree to trade the Butcher, Overmind outright warns the heroes about his changing-hosts-on-suicide power, since they need to know that.
  • Superpower Lottery: The entire team won it big time. Rin is powerful magus with extensive thaumaturgic knowledge. Shirou has Unlimited Blade Works and all powers it grants him. Saber is a Servant. Taylor has very useful (if tricky) parahuman power, beginner magus training and Saber as her personal tutor.
  • Underestimating Badassery: Everyone from the ABB to the Merchants to the PRT does it to varying degrees.
    • Cauldron believed they could intimidate Unit 09. Eidolon lampshades it, saying he underestimated them.

    Caster 

Rin Tohsaka

A magus from the esteemed Tohsaka family of Japan, and leader of Unit 09.

PRT Classification: Blaster, Brute

Enforcer Threat Assessment: A+

Strength: E

Endurance: E

Agility: D

Mana: A+

Luck: C

  • Listed attributes are Servant class
  • Absent-Minded Professor: She tends to get carried away when explaining magecraft, or skips the explanation because she forgot people didn't already know it.
  • Action Girl: Comes with the territory with being an Enforcer.
  • Always Accurate Attack: Gae Bolg. It reverses cause and effect so that it always strikes the heart of the target.
  • Brutal Honesty: Rin doesn't sugarcoat.
    • When first explaining their mission to Undersiders and Taylor she bluntly says that Zelretch will seal Earth Bet and let it burn if it's needed to contain Type-D.
    • She outright tells Piggot that the PRT has no control over Brockton Bay and therefore Unit 09 is de facto above the law.
  • Charm Person: As a result of her Enforcer training and Mystic Eyes of Whisper.
  • Cheshire Cat Grin: A master of this. Her "angelic smile" is explicitly stated to be a threat.
  • Clingy Jealous Girl: Objects rather strenuously to any attempts to woo Shirou.
  • Compelling Voice: Part of her repertoire as Enforcer.
  • Finger Gun: The Gandr curse is fired from her index finger, and Rin's variant is a full-on energy bullet. More like Finger Hand Gun, since most of Rin's opponents justify using the full power of the spell.
  • Gemstone Assault: Uses Jewel Magecraft in combat.
  • Geas: Rin is capable of doing this. She tricks the Merchants into promising to comply with their sentences to the fullest extent of the law. When they do so, they are immediately bound, meaning that they no longer have a choice but to honor their promise.
  • Gratuitous German: Her magical incantations are in pseudo-German.
  • Hopeless with Tech: As per canon though she got a little better since Fifth Grail War. She's completely unaware that smartphones even exist until Chapter 17.
  • Hypnotic Eyes: Had Mystic Eyes of Whispers implanted sometime during her time in Clocktower.
  • Impaled with Extreme Prejudice:
    • Gets impaled on Lung's claws during their rematch. It doesn't take.
    • On the giving end towards Trainwreck with Gae Bolg, after he takes Grue hostage.
  • Invocation: Per canon, uses various ones in pseudo-German.
  • Magic Knight: Fits this niche among Unit 09. Though her specialty is still magecraft, she can throw down with the other two members of her unit in close combat with her spear and she regularly spars with Shirou.
  • Lady and Knight: Has this dynamic with Saber, with her being the Lady.
  • Mad Scientist: Has her moments like when she's expressing interest in dissecting a parahuman to Taylor's face.
  • Noblesse Oblige: How she views her position as a magus and how she justifies helping others. Taylor notes that it's just an excuse for her inherent decency.
  • Not a Morning Person: As per canon, once again. Taylor consistently compares her to a zombie in the morning.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: She's the red to Saber (and occasionally Shirou)'s blue.
  • Supreme Chef: Specializes in Chinese cuisine, though her time under Kotomine seems to have given her an affinity for spicy food...
  • Tron Lines: When she activates her Magic Circuits.
  • Tsundere: She's mellowed out since the events of Unlimited Blade Works, but it's still there. Case in point: her reaction after Shirou tells Taylor the story of how she learned Reinforcement.
  • Weapon Specialization: Wields a spear, is revealed in Chapter 10 to be Gae Bolg.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Gets it from Taylor for hypnotizing her dad and herself without any warning.

    Archer 

Shirou Emiya

The adoptive son of the infamous Magus Killer and apprentice, at least on paper, of Rin Tohsaka. He is Unit 09's long range specialist.

PRT Classification: Trump, Blaster, Brute

Enforcer Threat Assessment: A

Strength: D

Endurance: D

Agility: C

Mana: B

Luck: E

  • Listed attributes are Servant Class
  • The Ace: Certainly by cape standards. Enhanced strength and reflexes via Reinforcement, can manifest copies of several Noble Phantasms, which he can then Alter into projectiles and other shapes.
  • Almighty Janitor: Is officially recognized by the Mage's Association as Rin's apprentice, but is arguably the deadliest member of the group, thanks to Unlimited Blade Works.
  • The Anti-Nihilist: Has long since come to terms with the impossibility of realizing his ideals, but chooses to work towards them anyway.
  • Awesomeness by Analysis: Is a master of Structural Analysis, to the point where he could use it on Overmind's swarm to Project a model of Accord's tower during their infiltration. Overmind notes that the mystery occurred near instantaneously. It's also a key part of how Unlimited Blade Works functions.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: Shirou is the one most often pushing to save the lives of villains, but is also the firmest when maiming the Butcher.
  • BFS: Briefly Projects Berserker's Nine Lives stone axe-sword during his fight against Hookwolf.
  • Chick Magnet: His Chronic Hero Syndrome and general Nice Guy tendencies, combined with his looks, tend to draw attention from the female population. Defied by Rin, however, when she explicitly forbids Taylor from falling for Shirou.
  • Chronic Hero Syndrome: Toned down from his days in the Holy Grail War, but still there. He dashes out of the car to save a group of civilians being victimized by the Teeth when Unit 09 are on their way back to Brockton Bay after interrogating Accord.
  • Crippling Overspecialization: His magecraft skills consist entirely of the abilities derived from Unlimited Blade Works, meaning he can only use Projection, Reinforcement, and Structural Analysis with a high degree of competency. Downplayed in that he can use other spells like Hypnosis, it's just that he isn't nearly as skilled at those as other magi like Rin.
  • Deadpan Snarker: A bit.
  • Dual Wielding: His preferred weapons are Kanshou and Bakuya, at the same time.
  • Friendly Sniper: The nicest member of Unit 09? Check. The man who can snipe you with the magical equivalent of a nuke from eight kilometers away? Also check.
  • Heroes Prefer Swords: Duh. Bonus points for his Origin and Element both being Sword.
  • Hidden Depths: Apparently knows a bit about Chinese history and specifics of various criminal enterprises, as he lectures Overmind on those topics.
  • Honor Before Reason: Averted. Whereas he may have once insisted on wiping out all the gangs of Brockton Bay, he is now pragmatic enough to only obliterate one gang (the Merchants) and merely break the other two so as to prevent an Evil Power Vacuum.
  • Hyperspace Arsenal: Unlimited Blade Works.
  • Invocation: "Trace on" and his Soul Aria.
  • Nice Guy: The friendliest member of Unit 09, and the most merciful.
  • Person of Mass Destruction: Can summon Anti-Army Noble Phantasms out of thin air, which he can Alter into arrows to shoot from kilometers away.
  • Supreme Chef: Everyone loves his cooking.

    Saber 

Arturia Pendragon a.k.a. King Arthur Pendragon

A Servant who accompanies Rin and Shirou as their companion.

PRT Classification: Brute, Trump

Enforcer Threat Assessment: EX

Strength: A

Endurance: B

Agility: B

Mana: A

Luck: A+

Noble Phantasm: ??

  • Listed attributes are Servant Class
  • Action Girl: Do we really need to explain?
  • Anti-Magic: Her A-Rank Magic Resistance allows her to No-Sell most parahuman powers.
  • Antiquated Linguistics: A bit. She lets a few "verily"s slip out now and again. Makes sense, given her identity as King Arthur.
  • Badass Adorable: Less adorable and more endearing: her honest and straightforward nature helps Taylor feel safe among Unit 09, but she's arguably the strongest member in terms of close combat. Case in point: she's slightly embarrassed when she discovers that she isn't qualified to teach Taylor art.
  • Badass Biker: Rides a (probably magecraft-enhanced) motorcycle as her primary means of transport.
  • Badass Boast: An unusual one, as it's a declaration of intent rather than exulting her own abilities, but the threat she delivers to the gathered villains at Somer's Rock is chilling:
    Saber: There is only one proper way to deal with bandits. You will be offered one chance to surrender. Those that refuse will be put to the sword, their heads set on pikes as a reminder to any who would repeat your error.
  • Badass Teacher: Acts as Taylor's personal tutor.
  • Big Eater: She can eat at least twice or thrice what a normal person can.
  • Clingy Jealous Girl: Downplayed but she didn't like Alec flirting with Rin.
  • Cool Bike: Has one as her main form of transport, possibly augmented with magecraft.
  • Combat Precognition: Her Instinct skill allows her to anticipate her opponents' moves.
  • Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Does this to Eidolon.
  • Lady and Knight: Has this dynamic with Rin, with her being the Knight.
  • No-Sell: She is immune to most parahuman powers, thanks to her A-Rank Magic Resistance. She can also flare said Magic Resistance into a field that negates parahuman powers.
  • Weapon Specialization: Wields an unnamed lance. Considering the described effect of its hit, it may be Rhongomyniad.

    Overmind 

Taylor Hebert

A newbie parahuman who fell in with Unit 09 after Caster saved her life.

PRT Classification: Master 7 (anthropods)

  • A-Cup Angst: Rather insecure about her lack of significant feminine traits aside from her hair.
  • Absurdly Sharp Blade: One of the Noble Phantasms she carries is Nanatsu-Yoru, which has the ability to slice through anything before shattering.
  • Action Girl: In contrast to her Action Survivor status in canon at this point, she has been able to hold off Armsmaster at the bank robbery, kill Bakuda, fight off Hemorrhagia and defeat Animos in close combat (dealing a potentially mortal injury), and fight off Rune and Stormtiger. This is thanks to her ability to use Magecraft, Saber's training, Caster's upgrades to her costume, and the two Noble Phantasms supplied by Archer. Case in point, she's more than capable of defeating Sophia Hess when she attacks Taylor at a coffee shop.
  • Animal Eye Spy: As per canon, with two differences:
    • She concentrates more on the smell and the proprioception since those senses are more developed in the bugs.
    • Thanks to the Magic Circuits that connect to her Corona Pollentia, she's able to trade control and power for more range, allowing her to extend her range beyond her usual three blocks.
  • Ascended Fangirl: In canon, she joined a small-time villain group. Here, she joins a unit of interdimensional mercenaries who are currently trying to save the world. Said unit is composed of Triumvirate-level combatants.
  • Awesomeness by Analysis: In Chapter 20, she quickly realizes the attacking monster is a projection.
  • Badass Boast: When she reveals to Piggot the extent of her control over the PRT builing:
    Overmind: I'll make things clear. Right now, I have complete control over the entire building. That's every containment foam dispenser, every alarm, and every automatic door. And that includes that tape recorder you have running in the room on the other side of that mirrored window over there.
  • Bad Powers, Good People: Her power is to control swarms of insects and later she learns how to hypnotize people. She's also one of the nicest people in the setting. Downplayed because the threats she's been facing have forced her to employ lethal force.
  • Bee-Bee Gun: Though her skill in close combat is improving, she still prefers to operate at a relative distance with her swarm.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: Is a very nice 15-year-old...who also personally killed Bakuda via Broken Tinkertech grenades, along with cutting off Animos' shoulder whole. Also gives Spree a death threat and goes after the sniper who almost killed Tattletale with unrestrained viciousness.
  • Big Brother Is Watching: See Animal Eye Spy above.
  • Boxing Lessons for Superman: In addition to her canon researching of insects and testing her power, Overmind also regularly receives close combat training from Saber, magic training from Rin, and lectures on various aspects of the criminal world from Shirou.
  • Charm Person: Is learning how to do this as part of her training with Rin. Apparently, her shard makes it really easy to implant suggestions in others.
  • Chronic Hero Syndrome: Much like Shirou, in fact, though she has a higher amount of self-worth.
  • Combat Pragmatist: Kinda a given when your power is controlling insects. Overmind sets up traps in advance and is perfectly willing to send her swarm into exposed orifices, as seen with Hemorrhagia.
  • Cool Mask: As per canon.
  • Creepy Good: Comes across as this due to her power.
  • Familiar: Rin helps Taylor make one from a pet spider. She names him Mr. Fuzzy. Notably, the connection is intact after he was digitized and she can command him even after he should have evolved beyond the scope of her power.
  • A Form You Are Comfortable With: Still perceives her swarm as bugs even after they were digitized.
  • Former Friend of Alpha Bitch: Said bitch being Emma Barnes.
  • Freaky Fashion, Mild Mind: Taylor's costume mostly consists of black widow silk and plate armor, which has the side effect of making her costume black and grey. The yellow bulbous eyes and mandibles of her mask don't help either. Beneath her mask, she's just a 15-year-old who got a raw deal.
  • Ghost in the Machine: There are increasing hints that Queen Administrator is very active in Taylor's head, moreso than in canon.
    • When thinking about a good cape name, Taylor really wants to pick Administrator.
      It rang true to me.
    • A bug clone leads the Undersiders to an injured Regent without her conscious input.
    • After she opens Accord's safe, there is a string of characters in hex that translates to "Hello!"
    • During chapters 21 and 22, Taylor thinks she can actually feel the shard in her head, at least some of the time. It may not be her imagination.
    • Later, she automatically sets her screen name to "UXVlZW4gQWRtaW4=" which translates to "QueenAdmin" in Base 64.
  • Good Is Not Soft: See Beware the Nice Ones above. She also adapts Unit 09's acceptance of lethal force rather quickly.
  • Heroic BSoD.: Taylor has a mild one when she realizes why Rin forbids her from falling for Shirou.
    Taylor: (indignant) I am not going to steal your boyfriend.
    Rin: Good, because after finding a bed wide enough to fit three, I refuse to return to schedule. So no falling for Shirou. Got it?
    [Taylor freezes at the implication]
    Taylor: [internally] ...Father, your pure, innocent daughter has fallen into a pit of debauchery.
  • Huge Schoolgirl: Is 5'8'' at fifteen years old.
  • Hypnotic Eyes: Not to the same degree as Rin, but she needs eye contact to Hypnotise anyone.
  • I Am Not Pretty: In keeping with Worm canon, Taylor has several body image issues that she occasionally compares to Rin and Saber. However, in Chapter 18, Lisa points out that she's far more attractive than she believes, and she comes to realize this is likely due to her physical training, full meals, lack of depression, and a side-effect of constant use of Avalon improving her health significantly.
  • Implausible Fencing Powers: The effect of her other Noble Phantasm, Taming Sari. It effectively gives her a defensive combat Thinker ability, but it's weaker when she goes on the offensive, and it can be knocked out of her hands by a well-placed blow.
  • Invocation: Rin implants three of them into Taylor's mind to help her control her powers. Anfang Ader activates her magic circuits, Anfang Käfer manipulates her parahuman power and Beenden deactivates her circuits.
  • Jumped at the Call: Signed up with Unit 09 with minimal prodding.
  • Know When to Fold 'Em: Orders the Undersiders to retreat when Armsmaster captures her.
  • Logical Weakness: To both of her Noble Phantasms:
    • Nanatsu-Yoru doesn't have a non-lethal setting and its power immediately destroys the projection.
    • Taming Sari's effectiveness depends on its user's physical condition, it cannot protect more than one person, is weaker on offensive, and can be rendered useless by knocking out of hand.
    • Even her parahuman power has it. She can command all the bugs, but they're still only bugs. If a task requires sapient thought, she needs to oversee it personally.
  • Meaningful Name: "Overmind" takes on another layer of meaning when you take into account her unnatural skill with Hypnosis and her newly-gained Technopathy.
  • The Minion Master: She can control millions of bugs, including virtual ones.
  • Odd Name Out: Taylor breaks from the Theme Naming that the rest of Unit 09 subscribes to by dubbing herself Overmind.
  • Super-Empowering: Happens to her thrice beside the canon event:
    • Rin unlocks her magic circuits which grants her magecraft and a greater flexibility with her shard.
    • Shirou gifts her two projected Noble Phantasms, boosting her fighting skills.
    • She uses her magecraft to Loophole Abuse and twist her parahuman power, and grant herself Technopathy.
  • Technopathy: Gains this ability following her attempt to open Accord's safe. Though Rin has to magically digitize her swarm to deal with the feedback.
  • That Man Is Dead: Realizes how much she changed since joining Unit 09 in Chapter 18, and concludes she's not the same girl she was beforehand.
  • Took a Level in Badass: From a complete newbie who has to be saved by Rin from being killed on her first day as a cape to a member of the most feared parahuman group of Brockton Bay. By Chapter 20, she's capable of soloing Rune and Stormtiger, forcing them into retreat.

Undersiders

A group of small-time thieves. They are secretly being backed by Coil. After an attempt to rob the Brockton Bay Central Bank goes wrong, they are bailed out by Unit 09, and are now on loan to them from Coil until May 15th.

    Grue 

Brian Laborn

The leader of the Undersiders.

PRT Classification: Shaker

  • Casting a Shadow: His power allows him to create darkness that blocks hearing, touch, microwaves, radio frequencies and radiation.
  • Malevolent Masked Man: Wears a skull or demon mask when in costume.
  • Pet the Dog: Gives Taylor some starting tips concerning caping, even saying she should consider joining the Wards to be safer. Later, he tells the same to Machina.
  • Pragmatic Villainy: He keeps the Undersiders out of more serious crimes like drug trade and murder, so the Protectorate will be less likely to focus on them over bigger gangs. Which means he's not happy when Unit 09 kills people during the fight with the ABB and the Merchants, as it will also affect his gang's reputation.
  • Punch-Clock Villain: The Undersiders are his source of income and a way to get custody of his sister, but he has no great aspirations as a villain.

    Tattletale 

Lisa Wilbourne a.k.a. Sarah Livsey

A member of the Undersiders, she seeks to cut ties with Coil.

PRT Classification: Thinker

  • Awesomeness by Analysis: This is basically her power.
  • Boom, Headshot!: She gets sniped by one of Coil's mercenaries, though it doesn't take. This is problematic as he is also a mole in the PRT.
  • A Day in the Limelight: Chapter 10 is from her perspective.
  • Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: Tattletale has this reaction when she cannot perceive anything concerning magic circuits with her parahuman powers during Gregor's examination, realising that her power is intentionally omitting information about it.
  • Faking the Dead: Enforced after the assassination attempt. Overmind outright says that whatever else happens tonight, Tattletale must be believed dead.
  • Foregone Conclusion: Since she's listed as one of the authors of paper on parahuman powers, it's obvious she survives the assassination attempt.
  • The Gadfly: Loves to tease her friends and mock her enemies. Bonus points, their reactions give her powers more information to work with.
  • It's Personal: The reason she doesn't want to tell Caster about Coil. Taylor calls her out on this.
  • O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Becomes completely serious and scared when telling Taylor about Coil.
  • Sherlock Scan: How Taylor describes her powers. Of course it can backfire just like the Trope Namer.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Gets one from Taylor when she tries to convince her to hack bank records. And then another one for keeping her problems with Coil a secret.

    Regent 

Alec a.k.a. Jean-Paul Vasil

A member of the Undersiders who seems to only care about sating his personal boredom and surviving.

PRT Classification: Master

  • Deadpan Snarker: Always has something to say regardless of the situation.
  • Lack of Empathy: His basic reaction to Tattletale getting shot in the head is to go "oh well".
  • Punch-Clock Villain: Joined the team to have income and housing, but he has no great aspirations as a villain.

    Bitch 

Rachel Lindt

A member of the Undersiders whose primary goal is the liberation and safety of dogs.

PRT Classification: Master

  • Hot-Blooded: Very. Which causes problems during the bank job and when Armsmaster finds the Undersiders and Overmind kidnapping the agent that shot Tattletale.
  • Might Makes Right: Seems to believe this, only agreeing to team up peacefully with Unit 09 after Saber mops the floor with her and her dogs.
  • Took a Level in Kindness: Averted. Since Taylor doesn't join the Undersiders, she stays just as abrasive as she always was.

Protectorate

A government-sponsored superhero organization that works under the PRT.

Triumvirate

The most powerful members of the Protectorate.

    Legend 
The leader of the Protectorate.

PRT Classification: Blaster, Mover/Breaker

    Alexandria 

Rebecca Costa-Brown

The most famous female parahuman in the world.

PRT Classification: Brute, Mover, Thinker

  • Know When to Fold 'Em: Outright states that either they capture the Siberian within a year or she will have him killed, as all other options did not work.
  • You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: If Cauldron cannot use the Siberian, then there's no point in keeping him around.

    Eidolon 

David

The person said to be the most powerful parahuman.

PRT Classification: Trump

Brockton Bay

    Armsmaster 

Colin Wallis

The leader of the Brockton Bay chapter of the Protectorate.

PRT Classification: Tinker (Brute, Mover)

  • Awesomeness by Analysis:
    • Continuing his canon tendency, he quickly figures out Overmind's combat ability comes from her weapons.
    • Together with Dragon, they were able to recover Overmind's image from the fried camera feed from the bank job.
  • A Day in the Limelight: Chapter 23 is from his perspective.
  • Hypocrisy Nod: Aknowledges that if it was a member of his team in Overmind's place, he would be making excuses for them.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He has his moments. He isn't happy when Dragon implies Sophia was involved with Overmind's Trigger. See Pet the Dog.
  • Jerkass Has a Point:
    • When he points out to Dragon they have right to be worried since they have no idea about Unit 09's motives, goals, or employers.
    • He's right that Dauntless would be a less-than-ideal leader due to his attitude to heroing.
    • And again when he says that Overmind should have handed over the assassin to him.
  • Know When to Fold 'Em: Runs away from the bank fight once Archer shows up to help Overmind, since all other heroes and the PRT agents were captured by then.
  • Locked Out of the Loop: Piggot didn't tell him that the killed agent was a mole before they started interrogating Overmind. He's not happy to find out.
  • Oh, Crap!: When he realizes Overmind hacked all the electronics within the PRT HQ.
  • Pet the Dog: Even if he needs prompting from Dragon, he changes subjects during Overmind's interrogation because she was getting distressed by a discussion about Sophia.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Is the logical Blue to Miss Militia's emotional Red.
  • Wait, What?: Basically his reaction to Overmind calling Dragon "a drone" and Dragon kind of confirming it.

    Miss Militia 

Hannah

The second-in-command of the Brockton Bay chapter of the Protectorate.

PRT Classification: Blaster, Thinker

  • The Cape: Actually is this trope instead of only looking it, to Tattletale's astonishment.
  • I Gave My Word: Promises not to reveal Unit 09's identities unless it becomes necessary or they break too many rules.
  • Pet the Dog: Tells Grue that the man he helped (by amputating his trapped leg) has survived.
  • Photographic Memory: Part of her powers and the reason she was send to talk to Unit 09: Caster cannot wipe her memories.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Is the emotional Red to Armsmaster's logical Blue.

PRT

A government paramilitary organization trained to deal with parahumans.

    Emily Piggot 
The Director of PRT ENE.
  • A Day in the Limelight: Chapter 6 starts with her perspective.
  • Flat "What": This is basically her reaction to Caster saying that Unit 09 is above the law.
    Piggot: Excuse me?
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: She calls everyone into the PRT HQ when they capture Overmind. It leaves them stressing out about an attack that will not happen and gives Overmind more hostages to hold once she takes over the building.
  • Improperly Paranoid: Suspects Dragon of having some hidden agenda and amassing power to fulfill it.
  • Manipulative Bitch: Has shades of this. She considers using Armsmaster as a scapegoat for the bank job fiasco, brings up a kill order for Unit 09 early on so that the others will be more willing to consider it later, and starts negotiations with Caster by asking her team to join Protectorate before "settling" on exchanging Overmind for Butcher XV.
  • Properly Paranoid:
    • After only their first public battle, wherein Unit 09 completely demolished the PRT and Protectorate at the bank heist, Piggot compares Unit 09's power to being on the same threat level as Heartbreaker and the Slaughterhouse 9, and already starts entertaining the idea of a kill order. She does this without knowing anything close to their full abilities, or the fact that they're willing to kill their opponents if necessary.
    • Seen again in Chapters 22 and 23, where Piggot has almost every Protectorate hero, all the Wards, hundreds of agents, and even Dragon called into the PRT HQ in the middle of the night to be ready for a siege by Unit 09 in anticipation of them breaking out a captured Overmind.
      • She also has no agents carry a weapon other than a con-foam sprayer to make sure the situation won't accidentally escalate.

The Guild

An international team that deals with A and S-class threats.

    Dragon 
The world's preeminent Tinker. She is actually an AI.

PRT Classification: Tinker (Thinker)

  • Awesomeness by Analysis:
    • Together with Armsmaster, they recovered Overmind's image from the fried camera feed from the bank job.
    • She quickly identifies a new Tinkertech as belonging to Machina despite never seeing their work before.
    • She very quickly found out that Sophia is responsible for Overmind's Trigger Event.
  • Benevolent A.I.: This is what she really is.
  • Devil's Advocate: Takes this role when talking with Armsmaster about Overmind's arrest. Yes, she should have handed over the agent, but considering circumstances, can people really blame her for not doing it?
  • A Form You Are Comfortable With: Averted? Inverted? She can perceive computer code without any problems due to her nature, which means she sees Overmind's swarm as a computer virus and not as digitized insects.
    • Also completely averted for her own representation, which Overmind compares to a mountain of circuits and data, and thinks it just cannot possibly be mistaken for anything than resembles a human consciousness.
  • Gadgeteer Genius: She is considered the greatest tinker in the world.
  • I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Her reasoning for trying to convince Armsmaster to leave the Protectorate and join the Guild - she sees how frustrated he gets with the lack of progress and thinks he needs a change of pace.
  • Oh, Crap!: Twice in chapter 23. First, she realizes Overmind has hacked and taken over the PRT HQ. And again when Overmind casually says that Dragon is a drone.

Azn Bad Boys

The ABB is a pan-asian criminal group from Brockton Bay.

    Lung 
The leader of the ABB.

PRT Classification: Brute

  • An Arm and a Leg: Gets an arm cut off in his first encounter with Caster. Lung permanently loses an arm in his final battle against Unit 09.
  • Awesomeness by Analysis: During his second fight with Caster, he figures out a weakness of the Black Keys and uses it to get a shot at her.
  • Eye Scream: Destroys his own eyes to prevent Caster from messing with his mind again.
  • Genre Savvy: Immediately notices that Caster is planning something and even mocks the Merchants for making promises to "a witch".
  • Groin Attack: Taylor still manages to castrate him during their first fight.
  • Know When to Fold 'Em: Surrenders once Oni Lee and Bakuda die, and Unit 09 proves they can kill him.
  • Taken for Granite: Has parts of himself turned into stone when fighting Caster. Both times.
  • The Worf Effect: Lung suffers from this in Chapter 1, when Caster beats him down without breaking a sweat.

    Oni Lee 
Lung's second in command.

PRT Classification: Mover

    Bakuda 
A new Tinker who joined the ABB.

PRT Classification: Tinker (Blaster)

Neo-Taiping

A new Asian gang created from one of the splinters of ABB.

    Machina 
A teenage parahuman who Triggered during Bakuda's bombings and the leader of Neo-Taiping.

PRT Classification: Tinker (Brute)

  • Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Asks for Unit 09 protection and support, offering "everything".
  • Cyborg: Her specialty is bio-mechanical augmentation, which allows her to turn herself and others into these.
  • False Flag Operation: Presents herself as a Brute during the Somer's Rock meeting, though she knows it won't lasts.
  • From Nobody to Nightmare: Was just another victim of Bakuda. Now is a leader of a slowly growing Asian gang.
  • Know When to Fold 'Em:
    • Grue and Tattletale outright warn her that she will need to cede territory to other gangs while she's cementing her position as the leader.
    • Caster tells her to change her gang colors and name, and let Protectorate think that ABB was destroyed to buy herself some time.
  • Original Character: Created for this fic.
  • Meaningful Name:
    • Her name literally means "a machine", hinting at her Tinker powers.
    • She decides to name her gang in honor of the Taiping Dao Taoist sect of the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
  • Naïve Newcomer: For Brockton Bay's gang scene. Overmind even notes Machina makes a lot of amateur mistakes.
  • Puppet King:
    • She was supposed to be this to ABB. Reality turned out to be a little different.
    • Downplayed, but Caster accepts her request for protection because it allows her to control who will take the ABB's place.
  • You Are in Command Now: Apparently was made the leader because she was the only parahuman left in the Asian community.

Empire Eighty-Eight

The E88 is a Neo-Nazi group from Brockton Bay.

    Kaiser 

Max Anders

The leader of the E88 and Purity's ex-husband.

  • Amicable Exes: Averted. Purity does not like him and only works with him out of necessity.
  • Corrupt Corporate Executive: In his civilian identity is the CEO of Brockton Bay's largest medical company.
  • Enemy Mine: Tries to set it up against Unit 09. Emphasis on tries.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: Subverted. He tries to portray himself as this during the truce, but he doesn't really care about Caster killing other capes as long as he's not threatened.
  • Extra-ore-dinary: Can create metal spikes from various surfaces.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Shown perfectly during the Somer's Rock truce.

    Hookwolf 

Brad Meadows

A particularly blood-thirsty parahuman.

PRT Classification: Changer (Brute)

  • Berserk Button: Anything that threatens his dog-fighting business. He flies into rage when Caster includes "no animal abuse" as a part of her terms.
  • Extra-ore-dinary: His Changer form is a spiky metal monster.
  • Know When to Fold 'Em: Runs away from his fight with Archer in Chapter 20 since he cannot win and Overmind just curbstomped his allies.
  • Spikes of Villainy: Turns into a very spiky metal monster.
  • Worf Effect: Gets his ass kicked by Archer, nearly completly off-screen, with Overmind registering only parts of it.

    Stormtiger 
One of the more experienced members of Empire.

PRT Classification: Shaker (aerokinesis)

  • Blow You Away: The basis of his parahuman power.
  • Razor Wind: One of his tricks is giving himself claws of condensed air.
  • Walking Shirtless Scene: To the confusion of Overmind, who wonders why a non-Changer would fight out of armor.
  • Worf Effect: Gets trashed by Overmind and needs to be rescued.

    Fenja and Menja 

Nessa Biermann and Jessica Biermann

The twin capes and Kaiser's bodyguards.

PRT Classification: Breaker

    Rune 
A teenaged member of E88.

PRT Classification: Striker

  • Embarrassing Nickname:
    • "Sabrina the Teenage Nazi" from most PHO users.
    • "Pumpkin" from Stormtiger.
  • Epic Fail: Her attempt to fight Overmind. You kind of start feeling sorry for her there.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: Is hit (twice) by her own rebound projectiles after Overmind ties them to her body.
  • Mind over Matter: Can telekinetically control objects she has touched.
  • Worf Effect: Gets trashed by Overmind and has to be dragged off by her allies.

Purity's Faction

A number of capes led by Purity who recently split off from the Empire.

    Purity 

Kayden Anders nee Russel

A powerful cape and Kaiser's ex-wife. Recently became estranged from the main part of Empire.

PRT Classification: Blaster 8, Mover/Breaker

  • Amicable Exes: Averted. She doesn't like Kaiser and only works with him out of necessity.
  • Jerkass Has a Point: When she points out that while Caster might make promises of improving Brockton Bay, she is a complete unknown who casually disregards some of the most important rules of the cape community. She's already seen the same from Kaiser.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Decided she had enough and publicly announced her split off from the Empire during the truce at the Somer's Rock.

    Night 

Dorothy Schmidt

A member of Purity's faction who can transform into a horrifying monster - provided you aren't looking at her. Married to Fog.

PRT Classification: Changer

    Fog 

Geoff Schmidt

A powerful cape that is a part of Purity's faction. Married to Night.

PRT Classification: Changer

Archer's Bridge Merchants

The Merchants are a drug dealing criminal group from Brockton Bay.

    Skidmark 
The leader of the Merchants.

PRT Classification: Shaker

    Squealer 
The Merchants' resident Tinker and Skidmark's girlfriend.

PRT Classification: Tinker (Mover)

    Mush 
A member of the Merchants who creates a body out of garbage.

  • Cassandra Truth: He suspected that Trainwreck was a spy and has been trying to convince Skidmark of this.
  • I Gave My Word: Enforced by Caster. He is compelled to serve his prison sentence in full.
  • Know When to Fold 'Em: Surrenders once Saber destroys their mech.

    Trainwreck 
A newer member of the Merchants.

PRT Classification: Tinker (Brute)

Coil's Group

A Villain and his mercenaries who operates in Brockton Bay.

    Coil 

Thomas Calvert

A mysterious Villain who keeps a low profile.
  • Bullying a Dragon: Tries to assassinate Unit 09 regularly, and later has his mercenaries attempt to infiltrate their mansion. All of this despite knowing they could easily crush him.
  • A Day in the Limelight: A part of Chapter 16 is from his perspective.
  • Evil Is Petty: He acknowledges that he could thrive within the boundaries set by Unit 09 with no problems... but he can't stand idea of not being in charge.
  • Exact Words: He asks about the chances that the Undersiders and Unit 09 turn against him if he kills Tattletale undetected. He should have asked about his ability to kill her at all.
  • Let's You and Him Fight: Sends the Travellers to steal Bakuda bombs from the Undersiders, which may have been a setup to kill Tattletale.
  • Psychological Projection: Assumes everyone is as... warped as him.
  • Underestimating Badassery: Regularly tries to assassinate Unit 09, just to see what happens. The only reason he survives is his ability to split and reform timelines.
  • You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Is not above doing this to any of his subordinates including Tattletale.

    Coil's mercenaries 
Coil's ever-present small army.
  • The Mole: Several in various gangs and even in the PRT.
  • Revealing Cover Up: His moles have perfect backstories, including fake paperwork and families. Too bad that those families weren't on the cover up, blowing entire operation open.
  • Undying Loyalty: Averted. Overmind was able to convince the assassin to surrender and let Caster interrogate him about his boss. And then Armsmaster showed up...

Faultline's Crew

A team of mercenaries stationed in Brockton Bay.

    Faultline 
The leader of the Crew.

PRT Classification: Striker

  • Arch-Enemy: To Tattletale, though it's mostly verbal barbs.
  • Know When to Fold 'Em: Doesn't want any trouble with Unit 09.
  • Mundane Solution: How does she make sure that a known Master cape doesn't mind wipe her? By having the entire meeting taped and played back to her earpiece on delay.
  • Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Has this relationship with the Undersiders and Unit 09. It's mostly due to Tattletale and Caster's attitudes.

    Gregor the Snail 
A case 53 and member of the Crew.
  • Nice Guy: The nicest and most patient member of the Crew.

    Newter 
A case 53 with lizard features.

PRT Classification: Striker

    Labyrinth 

Elle

A very powerful cape - but her powers altered her mind.

PRT Classification: Shaker 12

    Spitfire 

Emily

A member of the Crew with a self-evident name

PRT Classification: Blaster

The Travelers

A nomadic team of Villains. They actually come from Earth Aleph.

    Trickster 

Francis Krouse

The leader of the Travelers.

PRT Classification: Mover

  • Blatant Lies: "I have things under control", said after Overmind and Bitch cornered his group.
  • Determinator: Deconstructed. He will do anything to help Noelle. See below why this is a problem.
  • Equivalent Exchange: Can switch the places of two objects if they have similar mass.
  • Know When to Fold 'Em: Averted. He tries to fight and hold Tattletale hostage even though Overmind and Archer just wiped the floor with his gang, and has to be dragged off by his team.
  • Love Makes You Evil: He will do anything if it may help Noelle.
  • Never Bareheaded: Always seen in a top hat. Overmind thinks it has to be tied on to stay on during a fight.

    Sundancer 

Marissa

A member of the Travelers.
  • Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Once her team is cornered by Overmind and Archer.
  • Not Me This Time: Played completely serious when she swears the Travelers weren't responsible for Tattletale's assassination.
  • Oh, Crap!: When Tattletale is shot.
  • Only Sane Man: Certainly gives this impression when compared to her teammates, especially during the fight against Unit 09 and the Undersiders.
  • Playing with Fire: Her powers allow her to create balls of plasma.
  • Power of the Sun: Creates miniature balls of plasma.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Runs away when Tattletale is shot and Overmind goes completely ballistic.

Cauldron

A secret group whose goal is the destruction of Scion.

    Doctor Mother 
The leader of Cauldron.
  • Mad Scientist: Has shades of this as she expresses desire to examine Overmind to learn how she bypassed her Manton Limit.
  • The Team Normal: The only member of Cauldron who isn't a parahuman.

    Number Man 
Cauldron's foremost analyst. He is also a former member of Slaughter House 9.
  • Awesomeness by Analysis: His superpower is being very good with numbers. He used it to deduce Unit 09 dimensional travel, and before that was a member of an infamous gang of serial killers.
  • Badass Bookworm: He was the one to deduce that Unit 09 came from another world and that there were two other teams across the globe working with them. He was also a former member of the Slaughterhouse 9.

    Contessa 

Fortuna

Cauldron's chief enforcer who can see which action to take to achieve her goal.
  • The Dreaded: Those who know of Cauldron refer to her as their boogeyman.
  • Not So Omniscient After All: Even her Path to Victory can't perceive Unit 09 or anything related to magic/magecraft.

Previous

Index

Next

  • Show Spoilers
  • Night Vision
  • Sticky Header
  • Wide Load

Important Links

Ask The Tropers Trope Finder Media Finder Trope Launch Pad Tech Wishlist Reviews Go Ad Free!
Crucial Browsing
Resources
Top