History Series / AceLightning

* ConservationOfNinjutsu: Notable aversion despite being both an adaptation of superheroes and video games. Usually Lord Fear comes by himself along with just one minion like Anvil, Pigface or Googler to do the dirty work, but that seems to be because the back of an ice cream van isn't the most spacious. When multiple villains attack at the same time, it's always treated like a serious threat the heroes have little chance of withstanding.

** Also happens to Chuck in the third season, when Ace shoots him by accident. There are a few moments of panic before they realize he's okay. This was so Ace could learn it doesn't work the same for people who don't come from a videogame.

At first glance, ''Ace Lightning'' could be suspected of being pulled straight from the pages of a videogame-related FanFiction. What it actually ''is'', however, is a 39-episode series that ran from 2002 to 2004 on Creator/{{CBBC} in the UK, Creator/{{CBC}} and ''[[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] Kids'' in Canada, and on UsefulNotes/{{syndication}} in the US (first season only). It was created as a collaboration between Canadian and British entertainment industries. Many fans believe it was ScrewedByTheNetwork.

At first glance, ''Ace Lightning'' could be suspected of being pulled straight from the pages of a videogame-related FanFiction. What it actually ''is'', however, is a 39-episode series which ran from 2002 to 2004. It was created as a collaboration between Canadian and British entertainment industries. Many fans believe it was ScrewedByTheNetwork.

''Ace Lightning'' was one of the first weekly television shows to involve CGI animated effects as a substantial part of every episode, making the show both WesternAnimation and LiveActionTV. The series was filmed live-action with the video game characters Ace created in 3D digital and blue screened in afterwards.

The [[SupportingProtagonist protagonist]] is 13-year-old [[KidHero Mark Hollander]], who has just immigrated to North America from England. However getting to grips with life on the other side of the pond turns out to be the least of his problems, when, on the first night in their new home, the antenna of Mark's house is struck by lightning. As chance would have it, Mark was at that exact moment engaged in his favorite video game: ''Ace Lightning and the Carnival of Doom'', and had discovered a level which wasn't supposed to exist. Turns out this isn't an ordinary copy of ''Ace Lightning''. The next thing Mark knows the characters of his video game - good and bad alike - [[TheGameComeToLife have come to life]] and are engaging in battle in his back yard. Mark is somewhat reluctantly elected as Ace Lightning's new sidekick, and dragged into a quest to locate the seven shattered pieces of [[MacGuffin The Amulet of Zoar]] which will give its wielder power over the entire universe.

The series starts out as a jaunt into the world of One Boy and His Superhero and later develops into a mire of [[OrderVersusChaos Good Versus Evil]], the nature of emotions in [[ArtificialHuman Artifical Beings]], complex social networking while saving the world in your spare time, the nature of what is truly 'real', and even vague suggestions of Necrophilia and Metaphysical Ethics for the more observant (or obsessive) members of the fandom.

For most, however, it's just a show about a superhero completely out of his depth in the real world, and a boy trying not to let his newfound 'hero' status impact on his social life. You know. The usual.

''Ace Lightning'' regularly attempts to mock the tropes associated with the Superhero genre and at no point tries to hide from the fact that it is, essentially, a superhero parody that occasionally plays things straight. Every CGI character in the show is a stereotype of more traditional heroes. You've got your spunky red headed sidekick, your bewitching black widow, and your villain who just happens to look like a living skeleton. Ace is a typical superhero; super strong, super fast, able to shoot lightning energy from his hands, and surviving on electrical power sources. ''Ace Lightning'' shows the audience what ''really'' happens when you stick a person with those kinds of abilities into a world which wasn't built to accommodate them. The humans meanwhile, are normal (mostly) people living ordinary lives which contrast garishly with the superheroes. And while Ace is learning the finer points of humanity from Mark, Mark is learning that sometimes, a hero's gotta do what a hero's gotta do.

** Other adults include a mean-spirited teacher driven half barmy by the CGI Villains, a carnival owner whose home gets taken over, and a driving instructor who is terrified by Mark's performance (he didn't realize that the car was being chased by Lord Fear on a killer motorcycle at the time.)
* {{Aesop}}: Every episode ends with one of these, carefully tuned to the target demographic of ten to fourteen year old males (but not necessarily tuned to what actually ''happened'' in the episode).

* AllPartOfTheShow: Lord Fear invades Mark's school during a school play (a somewhat uncreative remake of ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera''). Of course the audience thinks he's just a very convincing actor. Lord Fear relishes the attention, and Mark is the only one who freaks out because he's the only one who knows what's going on.

* {{Angst}}: From most of the cast, though it's mainly either [[AgeAppropriateAngst typical, teenage angst]], understandable concern about [[TomatoInTheMirror discovering you're really a videogame character and your whole world is just a fiction cooked up for schoolkids]], or the kind of angst generated when your SplitPersonality can't decide whether to help people or to kill them. It's also not too heavy given the shows nature as a comedy first.

* BoobyTrap: The villains plant these several times, and the heroes fall right in them.
* BossArenaIdiocy: Several in the PC game. Googler's immune to Ace's attacks, buuuuuut decided to fight him in a room full of huge barrels of TNT that are enough to hurt the crazed clown. Dirty Rat has a force field Ace can't get through, buuuuuut the giant stone cowboy running around the room can. Random Virus is shielded from Ace's attacks too, buuuuuut for some reason Ace's shots can hurt him if they bounce off something first, like the giant shields hanging all over the walls.

* ChaseScene: Occurs during Mark's driving lesson when Lord Fear decides to pursue the training car in his Doom Cycle. The tutor is not amused by Mark's... ahem, escape attempt.

* ComesGreatResponsibility: Mark always eventually comes round to the importance of helping Ace save the world, regardless of how many relationships it screws up or how often he nearly gets killed.

* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: While it's never outright stated that Random Virus's transformation into a cyborg played a part in his good-evil complex, it's certainly implied that the accident which caused him to be rebuilt had something to do with it.

** Random's evil side has some... odd ideas how good and evil work, defining 'evil' as bravery, strength, and power, while cowardice, goodness and virtue were equated with weakness. On one occasion Random was unable to attack Mark because although Mark was afraid, he refused to back down, therefore he was not a coward. Cue programing conflict.

* TheDragon: Oddly, TheDragon in question is Staffhead, a talking (cockney, for that matter), winged frog sitting on the staff that Lord Fear always carries.

* FaceDeathWithDignity: Mark, during the episode ''Search For Sparx'' when he and Ace have essentially been thrown to the wolves (or rather the giant killer bee), Ace has [[HeroicBSOD given up and won't even try to defend himself]]. Mark is having none of it, grabs the nearest heavy, blunt object and tries to defend both of them, despite knowing he doesn't have a chance. The threat to him was the only thing which [[PowerOfFriendship which gets Ace back on his feet]].

* FrankensteinsMonster: Subverted to a degree. The original Frankenstein's monster was a misunderstood creature shunned by the world (as well as his creator). Ace Lightning's Frankenstein's Monster is Kilobyte -a powerful, tattooed villain with tentacles that he [[{{Subtext}} used to drain the energy of those he catches]]. He wasn't so much get shunned by his creator as rebelled against him having discovered his identity as a Videogame Character.

* TheGameComeToLife: Of the video game variety and the whole basis for the show's plot. A well-aimed lightning bolt strikes Mark's satellite dish, surging through his computer and joystick, and bringing the game characters to life. It is later revealed that the Master Programmer created a program which could bring the characters to life for a whole new way for game interactivity.

* GenreBlind: The characters from the Ace Lightning videogame have absolutely no idea that the world they knew was nothing more than a popular 3D platformer. As a result they are regularly surprised and alarmed by obvious traps, and regularly spurt out a{{Narm}}ingly corny dialogue.

* TheGlassesGottaGo: When Jessica removes her glasses for the first time at the end of series dance, she seems instantly more attractive.

** The good characters also tend to shoot color coded attacks which are either blue or pink. The bad guys are usually sharp green.

* GrewBeyondTheirProgramming: To begin with, all of the game characters are driven by their programmed roles and personalities. Over time, most develop a greater awareness of themselves and the world around them, developing true emotions, consciousness, and relationships. Ace Lightning and Lady Illusion are particular examples. In early episodes, the characters displayed a sense of self-awareness to their origins, but lose it as they become more humans. Ace is the only character to discover the TomatoInTheMirror that he is from a game.

* HiddenInPlainSight: During the final boss fight, Mark realises the Amulet is [[SongsInTheKeyOfLock hidden in Lord Fear's pipe organ]].

* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Ace is mind controlled during one episode, and Sparx (while being repeatedly attacked by him) tries desperately to remind him that "we're the good guys!"

* PerversePuppet: Googler's insane venom spitting, tree-chomping, scary-joke-telling hand puppets Zip and Snip. Not only are they creepy, sentient things while attached to him, but they can detach themselves and seek out their prey. Hitting them is kind of like trying to swat flies.

** Or at least loses you girlfriends, because you keep running off and cancelling dates and generally being really weird? And can't tell her that the reason for all this is NOT because you're a jerk or just plain dense, but because you're trying to save the world in your spare time. Mark loses no less than two girlfriends this way. Ace's reasoning is that if Mark tells anyone else, he's putting them in danger. Since the girls were often in danger ''anyway'', their knowing about Ace might actually have given them a better chance of staying in one piece.

* VillainousBreakdown: Lord Fear during the final episode of series (it's rather creepy).

* AuthorAvatar: Kilobyte - [[spoiler: Rick's]] Avatar
** It's also interesting to note that the Master Programmer [[spoiler: Rick Hummel has the same first name as the ''producer'' Rick Siggelkow]] though this is likely a coincidence.

* BigNo: In the finale. Interestingly, it's Mark, when he thinks Ace has been shot [[spoiler: turns out it was Lady Illusion in morph]].
* BittersweetEnding: The second season. [[spoiler: The BigBad and his minions have been defeated and returned to the game, but so has Lady Illusion just as she and Ace have confessed their love]].

** Since most of the cast came out of a videogame, death isn't exactly permanent for them [[spoiler: not that this makes Sparx's "death" in ''Unidentified Flying Superhero'' any [[WhamEpisode less traumatic]]...]]

** [[spoiler: The series finale itself with how hard they were [[SequelHook sequel baiting]], which didn't work. Kilobyte's been sent into the game but it's heavily implied he'll find a way back sooner or later and he'll be mighty pissed when he does. Lady Illusion's trapped in the game just as she and Ace finally confirm their love, Lord Fear is still on the loose, and the Amulet of Zoar's been shattered and its whereabouts are unknown.]]

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* YoureInsane: Mark, to [[spoiler: Rick Hummel]], the Master Programmer. Because he is.

The BigBad of the series is [[DemBones Lord Fear]], who has a grudge against Ace for accidentally crippling him and then imprisoning him in the game world. He along with his minions, [[MagicStaff Staff Head]], [[TheDarkChick Lady Illusion]], [[DumbMuscle Anvil]], [[PigMan Pigface]], and [[YouDirtyRat Dirty Rat]], occupy the rundown Kent Bros. Carnival, renaming it the "Carnival of Doom" after their [[AmusementParkOfDoom old stomping grounds]].

* DarkChick: Lady Illusion who even has a HeelFaceTurn and starts a relationship with Ace.

-->''Level Seven: Activate, stand by...''

* CircusOfFear: The Carnival of Doom

* DeadpanSnarker: Mark has his moments.

* DefrostingIceQueen: Lady Illusion.

* DisneyDeath: Since most of the cast came out of a videogame, death isn't exactly permanent for them [[spoiler: not that this makes Sparx's "death" in ''Unidentified Flying Superhero'' any [[WhamEpisode less traumatic]]...]]
** Also happens to Chuck in the third season, when Ace shoots him by accident. There are a few moments of panic before they realize he's okay.
*** Well, that was so Ace could learn it doesn't work the same for people who don't come from a videogame, so technically it may not count.

* FieryRedhead - Sparx.

* FishOutOfWater: Ace. Very.
-->Mark: "Ace, we've been through this, they're ''gnomes''. They're not going to attack you."

** Theoretically all the Lightning Knights and Villains fit this trope(though Ace is the most out of his depth in the beginning) since the characters believe that Earth is just another level of their world (albeit a strange one, from their perspective). Random Virus tries to avoid all social interaction, and Sparx just doesn't seem to have quite the same amount of trouble as the others.
*** Mark is something of a FishOutOfWater, being a British Immigrant new to American Culture. Most people pass off his odd behavior as a result of this, and not the fact that he's hiding a living computer character from the world.

-->Mark: ...I don't get it. Nothing in the rulebook says they could fall in love.

* AGodAmI: Kilobyte, third season.

* HeroicBSOD: Ace has a ''literal'' Heroic BSOD when he contracts a virus during a data transfer, completely freezing him solid. **[[FirstKiss It's a kiss from Lady Illusion which snaps him out of it.]]

* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Mark nearly sets himself up for one of these at the end of the first series when faced with the option of either losing the game and allowing Lord Fear to take over the world, or deleting the videogame from his hard drive, which would delete Ace and all the other CGIs along with it. [[spoiler:Fortunately he has a Last Minute realization and is spared from making the choice.]]

* IronicEcho
--->Ace: At least I didn't [[RunningGag break the window]].
--->Mark: Forget about the window! Are you alright?

* JerkJock: Wayne Fisgus

* TheLastDance: It's quite literally a last dance for [[spoiler:Lady Illusion and Ace Lightning]] during the finale of the first series, when they quietly and calmly finish the dance that they began several episodes earlier, before she vanishes back into the game. **[[TearJerker Sniff...]]

* TheLifestream: Called The''Data''stream, this is the swirling purple/blue energy portal that brings the CGI characters to earth from within Mark's game. The portal can be opened by putting together pieces of the [[{{MacGuffin}} Amulet of Zoar]].

* LonersAreFreaks: Poor old Random Virus.
* LovesMeNot: With ''energy bombs'' no less.

* MageInManhattan: Lord Fear, Lady Illusion.

** PlotCouponThatDoesSomething: Should be noted that these do more than indicate how close to the end of the game everyone's getting. Whenever a new piece is found it allows its holder to join it with the one they already have and summon a new character to join their side.
* PoorCommunicationKills: Or at least loses you girlfriends, because you keep running off and cancelling dates and generally being really weird? and can't tell her that the reason for all this is NOT because you're a jerk or just plain dense, but because you're trying to save the world in your spare time. Mark loses no less than two girlfriends this way. Ace's reasoning is that if Mark tells anyone else, he's putting them in danger.
** They ''do'' say that Sigglekow created Mark's character based on [[Franchise/SpiderMan Peter Parker]].
*** But since often, the girls were in danger ''anyway'', their knowing about Ace might actually have given them a better chance of staying in one piece

* ScrewDestiny: Lady Illusion.

* SerkisFolk: Many of whom were Circus Folk.

* SplitPersonality: Random Virus.

--->"We're a family friendly carnival, we don't have any aliens or mutants here, never have never will!"

* TroubledButCute: Lady Illusion, later more of a [[BrokenBird Broken Bird]].
* {{Tsundere}}: Heather, Kat

** Building on that, "Zoar" was also the name of the Sorceress' bird form. And she's the show's BigGood and keeper of ancient and awesome powers.