|
|
|
|
|
Dark Chick
aka: The Dark Chick
|
Right. Did they ever pick the wrong guy for this one.
Simply put, the Evil Counterpart to The Chick. Just as the heroic Chick represents diversity and an emphasis on emotion, so, too, does the Dark Chick. He/she (the gender ratio is fairly evenly split, literally at least in post-1970s works) is the member of the villainous ensemble that adds a certain indescribable quality. How it does this can vary. Most frequent is for the member to be a Token Minority (relative to their peers; it's not unheard of for this member to be a Token White or The One Guy), acting out their status to an excessive degree. For example, if this member is the Dark Action Girl in a male dominated organization, she'll also base a lot of her actions and dialogue on how she is breaking gender stereotypes. If it's a Scot in an otherwise English group, expect her to be wearing a red plaid kilt and speaking with a thick Glaswegian accent while perpetually drunk.
This member is often defined based exclusively on their relative personality beyond ethnic and gender stereotypes, though. If the other members are deadly serious, this is the member that constantly jokes around and pokes fun at the other members, much to their irritation. If all the members of the group are in it for the money or power, this is the person that's just in it for the hell of it. It's fairly frequent that the other members of the organization either don't take this member seriously and/or even actively hate them, but put up with them because they get results or are needed for some facet of the plan. More often than not in a fighting series like a Shōnen, they are commonly the weakest or at second weakest compared to The Brute.
However, also as frequent is for this member to be defined by their tactics. If the other members revolve their plans around stealth infiltration to get things done, this is the member whose plan involves a 'distraction' - often involving them and a small explosive device. If the organization involves manipulating people through blackmail, then this is the member that seduces people to further the plans. Also common is for this member to factor emotion into their tactics moreso than the other members. Instead of setting up a Batman Gambit based on the logical actions and reactions of the parties involved, they instead set up emotional strife that has little to do with their roles but sets up their actions.
This character archetype almost always overlaps with at least one other. Most often, this is an Enigmatic Minion that is given a large amount of importance. A female Dark Chick will often also be The Baroness, a Dark Action Girl, The Vamp, a Femme Fatale, a Perky Female Minion, or an Alpha Bitch. Prone to the Heel Face Turn when they either realize that they just aren't fit for villainy or find that being a hero would be even more fun. If the Dark Chick is female and romantically linked with the main villain this chance rises to a near certainty.
The Dark Chick is an integral part of the Five-Bad Band dynamic. It's also the predominant type of member that shows up in the Quirky Miniboss Squad, where pretty much everybody overlaps with this.
The Chick + Dark Chick = Designated Girl Fight
Examples
open/close all folders
Anime & Manga
- Garma Zabi in Mobile Suit Gundam.
- Ninja heir Kyoichi Kunugi in Real Bout High School. His nickname, "Kunoichi" (which means "female ninja"), drives the point home.
- Both Kanon Maldini and Nina Einstein (mix of this and Evil Genius) from Code Geass fulfill this role for Schneizel El Britannia.
- Tayuya from Naruto. Foul-mouthed, arrogant, and
one of the least effeminate ninja the Sound village have ever produced (and one of the only females), she hates her teammates at least as much as she hates the enemy. Also a Dark Action Girl, based on the impressively kinetic face-punching she inflicts on the titular character.
- And Tsuchi, also from Sound. Interestingly, she is the only character from said village who was not subject to any mutations. Pre-mortem, anyway.
- Later on there's Karin, who is part this and Evil Genius. Her teammates abilities are mostly purely offensive or defensive, but hers are based on tracking and analysis (with some stealth and an emergency healing power). She's also mostly there because she wants to be with Sasuke (a lot).
- Zetsu and Konan both serve as this for Akatsuki: almost everyone else in the organization is based on offensive power, their role seems to be more on support and reconnaissance (though Konan eventually gets a chance to demonstrate her substantial fighting skills and Zetsu is more of The Dragon to Tobi but Kabuto joined and Zetsu acted distrustful to him).
- As did Mad Bomber Deidara before his untimely death. Unlike the other Akatsuki he had no loyalty to their leaders, and didn't care about their cause either, serving because he was forced to, and because of his desire to practice his explosive art.
- In Chrono Crusade, this role can either fall to Rizel (a Dark Action Girl whose tactics depend mainly on controlling people like puppets while the other warriors in the group are more direct) or to Shader (a Perky Female Minion who doubles as the team's Evil Genius and rarely does any fighting—and, in fact, doesn't seem to even like fighting in the manga).
- Soi in Fushigi Yuugi fulfills this role for the Seiryuu seishi.
- In Black Cat Echidna Parass, Villainous Teleporter and Love Martyr to The Big Bad serves this role among the leadership of The Apostles Of The Stars. The only girl among the leaders, and present due to her crush on Creed, she's definitely the odd one out.
- Aaronerio Arrurei and Zommari Leroux are the Dark Chicks of Aizen's army in Bleach. Both are Token Minorities (Eldritch Abomination and Scary Black Man respectively) both are far less than stable, even for Arrancar, and both are definitely weird.
- Yumi, Neutral Female and ex-Hooker with a Heart of Gold is only a member of Big Bad Shishio's group in Rurouni Kenshin because she's in love with the psycho (who does, in fact, reciprocate). She's more or less an Anti-Villain is a group of villainous fighters, and serves as a Cool Big Sis to The Dragon during most of her on screen appearances.
- Zoisite/Zoycite of the Shittenou in Sailor Moon, especially in the English dub where she had some serious schadenfraude.
- Mimete from the Witches 5 in Sailor Moon S. She was definitely more concerned with meeting celebrities than villainous deeds. Her constant failures led to Tellu eventually killing her by shutting the power off from a television program that increased her powers.
- Fisheye from the Amazon Trio.
- PallaPalla of the Amazoness Quartet.
- Esmeraude of The Black Moon Clan! She's vain, and she has a [[Noblewoman'sLaugh crazy laugh!]]
- The Ginyu Force from Dragon Ball Z has a male example in Guldo. He's the smallest and weakest but makes up for it with less conventional powers, stopping time by holding his breath and telekinetically freezing his opponents while he beats them.
- LadyDevimon from both Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02.
- In Fullmetal Alchemist, the second Greed fills the role as a male version of the Dark Chick, complete with a Heel Face Turn.
- Yu-Gi-Oh!: Mai Valentine is this to Dartz's following the mental breakdown she suffered at Dark Marik's hands, being the only female member of his gang, as well as brainwashed. Among the Big 5, Crump fills this role, having a pathetic backstory and a truly strange obsession with penguins (although he's a Not-So-Harmless Villain when it comes to actually dueling).
Comicbooks
- Scarlet Witch in the original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
- Destiny in Mystique's New Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
- The second Trickster in The Flash's Rogues. He's a Tagalong Kid who's one joke away from being freeze-rayed.
- Superboy-Prime never believed in the Sinestro Corps' cause. This lead to betrayal motivated by revenge.
- Wallace has two in the Sin City story, Hell And Back. Blue Eyes poses as the friend to The Chick in order to seduce and kill him. Mariah is more hands-on and simply tries to kill him on the spot. There is also Maxine in that story but she works behind the scenes. All three women work for the same organization and make catty comments about each other quite a bit (Blue Eyes mostly does it in a seperate story).
- Amora, the Enchantress, a villain of Thor's, particularly when she was in the original incarnation of the Masters of Evil.
- Moonstone is this on pretty much every team she's ever been on, including the heroic(ish) Thunderbolts squads. Even if the motives of the group as a whole are pure, Moonstone exists in a moral grey area at best.
Fanfic
Film
Literature
Live-Action TV
- In Power Rangers, the villainesses tend to mix this with Dark Action Girl.
- And in Super Sentai, they have a lot! (The list is as long as that for Dragons)
- Farrah in Bioman
- Zonnette in Carranger
- Shibolena
- Shelinda in Gingaman, she has reputation for most revealing outfit in the series.
- Venus in Gogofive
- Lira
- Tsuetsue
- And conversely, Lamie in Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger. In fact, since Battle Fever J, it became the norm for the villains to have at least one of these in the team, and the same holds true for the Power Rangers franchise.
- Mio Kuroki from Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon.
- Drusilla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, especially as part of The Whirlwind, amongst Angelus, Darla, and Spike.
- While she isn't seen very much, Degrassi The Next Generation gives us Amy, who is mostly known for being Sean's rebound and giving Jay gonorrhea, which he then gave to Alex and Emma.
- On Leverage, Parker is the Dark Chick of the Anti-Villain Protagonists. The team all have, by season 2 at least, the desire help people for its own sake. But most of the crew are very sane and, although they enjoy the thrill of the chase, they really, really enjoy spending their earnings and living the high life. They also tend to be able to lead relatively normal lives aside from the addiction to con-jobs. Parker, meanwhile, is the loon who enjoys having and fondling money itself, rather than spending any of it. She enjoys the job itself more than any vacation and she has no understanding of any kind of life outside of committing crimes for their own sake.
- Kamen Rider
- Revenge: If you go by Alternate Character Interpretation, Amanda Clarke (real Emily Thorne) is this to Emily Thorne/Amanda Clarke.
Theater
Videogames
- While she's not exactly evil, Wave The Swallow from the Sonic Riders games is one for the Babylon Rogues.
- Sonia in Fire Emblem
- Scarlet in Final Fantasy VII.
- Axem Pink in Super Mario RPG.
- Male example: Zexion in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.
- And Demyx in Kingdom Hearts II, another male example. Ironically, the only female member of the group, Larxene, serves as The Dragon to the Big Bad of Chain of Memories.
- In the first game, Ursula served this role.
- Kariya and Uzuki in The World Ends With You.
- Veronica in Shadow Hearts 2.
- Belleza in Skies Of Arcadia.
- Shannon in God Hand.
- Sniper Wolf in Metal Gear Solid.
- Ghost Widow, Countess Crey, and Vanessa DeVore from City of Heroes.
- Woof in Batman: Return of the Joker.
- Mz Ruby and Dmitri in the Sly Cooper games.
- Mimi in Super Paper Mario.
- Knights of the Old Republic:
- Wendy O. Koopa in the Super Mario Adventures comics and The Adventures of Super Mario Bros.. 3.
- Fox, from the first Bloody Roar game. A sadistic transvestite in hot pink leather. Also considered his fox beastform "ugly", despite it being one of the most attractive animals to turn into — especially compared to the gorilla and boar.
- Barbariccia/Valvalis of the Four Fiends in Final Fantasy IV.
- In Final Fantasy VI, Kefka was the Dark Chick of the Five-Bad Band, despite the presence of Celes, the female general. In a twist, he also becomes the final Big Bad by killing another general and then the Emperor.
- He takes a similar role in Dissidia: Final Fantasy. In a cast of villains mainly consisting of cold schemers and Tin Tyrants, he stands out as a giggling, unserious, destruction-loving maniac that none of the villains seem to take seriously. Which is a big mistake; at one point he pulls a You Have Failed Me on an Eldritch Abomination.
- Another Dark Chick in Dissidia: Final Fantasy is Kuja, whose flamboyance and comparative inexperience tend to separate him from the rest of the Chaos side. It does bear mentioning that, unlike most of the other villains in the series, both Kefka and Kuja actually succeed in inflicting lasting planetary-scale destruction in their original games.
- The villainous, ruthless crossdresser Flea, one of Magus's generals from Chrono Trigger.
- There's also some examples from Advance Wars.
- Adder in Black Hole Rising.
- Lash in Dual Strike.
- Whiptail from Heavenly Sword.
- While there are many examples in Cross Edge, Anesha is probably the best example.
- Kartikeya from Wild ARMs 5.
- Tamoko from Baldur's Gate: The only "minion" of Sarevok who actually cares about him and doesn't want him to go through with his somewhat insane plan. The others are presumably in it for a share of the power he's after. Tamoko has almost made a Heel Face Turn by the time you first talk to her, and the PC can convince her not to attack at the end by being morally good enough.
- Rare PC example: Chloe from Mana Khemia 2.
- Mara Aramov, Elsa Weissenger, and Trinidad in the Syphon Filter series.
- Colonel Masako in Red Faction, and Quill in the second game after her Face Heel Turn.
- In Pokemon Colosseum and its sequel, Cipher occasionally recruits this kind of character as a "face" (not a Face), to ease the population and divert them from what's going on behind the scenes. Venus and Snattle play it straight, while Lovrina uses it as a cover (she's actually the Evil Genius.)
- Enchantress in Marvel Ultimate Alliance's version of the Masters of Evil.
- Mileena from Mortal Kombat, especially in Mortal Kombat 9, where her pre-battle quotes show that she takes a childlike joy in inflicting pain and is clearly insane.
- Valara from Baten Kaitos Origins, who is easily the most ruthless of the Machina Vanguard.
- Another male example: Yun from Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight. If you're on the Light Side path, he sacrifices himself to give you a fair chance against his mistress, Sariss (who's more of an Evil Genius herself).
- BlazBlue has two, post Continuum Shift. The first is Tsubaki Yayoi, who used to be good friends with Noel, but becomes a victim of Mind Rape and ended up Brainwashed and Crazy, while still struggling to maintain her sanity. The other one is Litchi Faye-Ling, being the Token Good Teammate who's in only for curing herself and Arakune, and is not really happy on her position. While many would peg her as an Evil Genius due to her doctorate, she is a woman who's more moved by emotions rather than intellect, thus putting her as the Dark Chick.
- And just like the rest of Five-Bad Band position, Hazama/Terumi fits here the same way Kefka fit his former position: In a place where nearly everyone else is all about keeping Order, he's a chaos-loving, blatantly Ax Crazy psychopath.
- Heartless in Megaman Star Force 3, up until she betrays King and shoots him into outer space, making her the Sixth Ranger Traitor.
Webcomics
Western Animation
- Mochi Mochiato in the Legion of Low Tide from Sushi Pack.
- Sometimes turns up in Transformers.
- Terrorsaur and Waspinator in Beast Wars. Terrorsaur's even got the voice and the rack.
- And Blackarachnia, who is both the Dark Action Girl and the Dark Chick - her characterisation is 'girl' and 'dark'.
- Given the amazing quality of the writing for Beast Wars this is not a bad thing.
- Beast Machines has Thrust.
- Cyclonus in Armada.
- Blackarachnia in Animated, and she doesn't pull the Heel Face Turn.
- And Slipstream, the female of the Starscream clone group, who seems to be based on Starscream's ability to bitch about everything.
- Blitzwing is a male example, being set apart from the rest of the group by his weird powers and insanity.
- Airachnid, a rogue female Decepticon from Transformers Prime whose hobbies include collecting endangered species.
- Quackerjack in Darkwing Duck, as part of The Fearsome Five with Negaduck, Megavolt, The Liquidator and Bushroot.
- The Baroness in G.I. Joe - seriously, that's what she's called.
- Finn and Chau in Jackie Chan Adventures.
- Ty Lee in Avatar The Last Airbender. Way too out there to be a Dark Action Girl.
- Chameleon in The Mighty Ducks. Wacky shapeshifter with celebrity impersonation talents to rival the Genie.
- Crasher in Challenge Of The Go Bots.
- Samy on Jimmy Two-Shoes
- Babette (Darph BoBo's Daughter) on "Tripping the Rift"
- The Scarlet Witch in X-Men: Evolution's version of the Brotherhood of Mutants.
- Daisy Dingo from Blinky Bill.
|
|
