An expy is an unambiguous and deliberate copy of another, older character."
Note the word "another" and the words "unambiguous", "deliberate", and "copy". Those are the important words.
Here's your checklist:
- "Unambiguous": There is no doubt, there is no room for arguing that they aren't.
- "Deliberate": Done with intent.
- The resemblance is not accidental or coincidental. (For instance, being played by the same voice actor/actress is not sufficient to make an expy. Neither is a similar art style when they're both drawn by the same artist.)
- Word of God helps a lot with this point, but if the other points are present strongly enough, Word of God is not absolutely required.
- "Copy": A duplicate, an item made in imitation of another one.
- The expy came after the character they're an expy of. If they both were created at about the same time, it probably isn't an expy.
- The older character is never the expy, even if the other, later character is better known.
- Superficial traits (like a hairstyle, choice in clothing, preferred fighting method) are not sufficient to make an expy; the copy needs to also fill the same role in the work and serve the same purpose within the story.
- Major traits or characteristics being very different between the two characters is enough to make a character not an expy (for instance, the original is a demure Girl Next Door, the proposed Expy is a FemmeFatale — not an expy)
- "Another": One other. Note the singular. It doesn't say "several". If the proposed expy combines traits, characteristics, or features of two or more other characters, they are not an expy of any of them.
If an entry fails to meet even one of those criteria, it is not an expy and should be removed.. Actual expies are nowhere near as common as many editors think.
If you want to link to this post in your edit reason, please do.
Here's the link to copy and paste: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13983140170A37263400&page=1#5
edited 27th Mar '15 6:53:01 AM by Madrugada
No, the other one.
Since you said "stage persona aside", I'd say no. A real person cannot deliberately be a copy of someone else. Could bring it up in the Real Life section maintenance thread if necessary.
That example looks more like Follow the Leader or some kind of successor trope, but it does seem to be about the stage persona.
edited 3rd Nov '16 8:46:15 PM by AnotherDuck
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I'd say that only artists with blatant stage personae or characters (David Bowie, Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga, etc.) could possibly count.
edited 3rd Nov '16 2:13:30 PM by Larkmarn
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I'm inclined to agree. That example looks like misuse, but I wouldn't be comfortable declaring flatly that musical personas can never qualify as a Expy, because there are those more obviously performance artist types.
Also, going back to a discussion from the previous page, unless the troper you mentioned cited Word of God that's a lot different from what I'd guess, I would still argue in favor of cutting Coran from Voltron LD. It's pretty obvious that he draws inspiration from Varrick, and I can well believe the creators have openly said so, but Expy requires more than just some inspiration. This just sounds like Shout-Out or maybe a relative of Development Gag.
World's Toughest Milkman
Hmm, so what about a musician who is also an Elvis Impersonator? In particular, someone like El Vez
? Or Dread Zeppelin?
(I'd think El Vez might qualify; I'm less sure about DZ.)
Speaking words of fandom: let it squee, let it squee.
No, the other one.
An impersonator is a related concept to Expy, but different. It's trying to be as similar to that person as possible, rather than being a substitute.
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World's Toughest Milkman
El Vez isn't technically an impersonator. He is, honestly, the closest thing I can think of to a real life expy. His schtick is that he's what Elvis might have been if Elvis had been latino, and born much more recently. He does a mix of originals and covers, and when he does Elvis covers, he often changes the lyrics in interesting ways, e.g. "Viva Las Vegas" becomes "Viva La Raza".
And he has a mustache. 
The only other real possibility I see is Captain Ersatz, and Expy says: "The key difference between this and Captain Ersatz is that an expy, while deliberately based on some other character, is still their own person, while Captain Ersatz is obviously the same character but with the Serial Numbers Filed Off." I think there's a strong argument that El Vez is "deliberately based on some other character [but] still their own person."
Speaking words of fandom: let it squee, let it squee.
No, the other one.
He might actually count, then. Not sure.
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On Characters.Cross Ange some Expy examples were added that seem like they are not really examples (or maybe they just seem that way because they are zero-context). I don't have the time to do anything about, so could someone take a look at the page and the Expy examples there?
Shocking Gun!
I mentioned Characters.Kamen Rider Ghost Ganma page having expy entry problems, and looking back, it has been getting worse and worse. Seriously, it seems like they are adding any character remotely similar to them from an older work without making any sense. Adel himself has like 16 bullet points under Expy.
Continue the bloodline, Fujimaru!
Looking at that page's history it seems to be the exact same person that has been adding Expy "examples" to Characters.Cross Ange
edited 17th Nov '16 8:50:09 AM by shadowblack
They also have Example Indentation issues on top of this. Hauling them in for a consultation.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
I know there were a few entries on the Harry Potter pages that referenced other HP characters, so, can characters from the same work be expies?
The Unknown
No. They're likely Suspiciously Similar Substitutes.
edited 17th Nov '16 5:42:32 PM by Karxrida
If a tree falls in the forest and nobody remembers it, who else will you have ice cream with?
FYI, someone went ahead and launched More Popular Expy.
You've got roaming bands of armed, aggressive, tyrannical plumbers coming to your door, saying "Use our service, or else!"
Good grief.
I was set to give it a chance, but Jesus, even that page doesn't try to know what an expy is.
Or "more popular" for that matter.
edited 29th Nov '16 6:37:44 AM by Larkmarn
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I went ahead and brought it to the attention of the YKTTW Crash Rescue thread.
Some examples comparing Star Wars characters with Harry Potter characters were added in Expy/Literature
edited 25th Dec '16 3:12:50 AM by MagBas
Even with my cursory knowledge of both that comes off as shoehorning.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Zzzzzzzzzz
Looks like we're going to have to handle Expy the same way the Deader Than Disco thread handled that one: page by page, deciding on each entry. <sigh>
...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.
So I guess those not-exactly-fitting examples can be put in Surprisingly Similar Characters? Or...
We don't need justice when we can forgive. We don't need tolerance when we can love.
I don't think that any similarity between characters is a trope.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
From Characters.Pokemon Villain Team Skull (spoilers for that game)
- Expy: The comparisons between her and Ragyo Kiryuin are simply too obvious to ignore; Bright clothing and extravagant hairstyle? Check. Obsessed with beauty and an Eldritch Abomination, eventually fusing with said Abomination for her final battle? Check. Controls a large company that's really famous? Check. Controlled every aspect of her children's lives for who knows how long? Oh, you'd better believe that's a check.
- Heck, even her children get in on this a little: Lillie wears primarily white (like Satsuki) and Gladion wears primarily black and red (like Ryuko).
Example Indentation aside, I bring this up here because the guy who posted this makes a lot of stretches elsewhere and I don't know Kill La Kill in the slightest.
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Not really familiar with either one, but unless there's an official statement, I feel like that ought to go. The language is pretty suggestive of a fan speculation.
Can Expy apply to musicians? There's an example in the Rita Ora page that strikes me as misuse. Stage persona aside, we're still talking about real people, not fictional characters.
You've got roaming bands of armed, aggressive, tyrannical plumbers coming to your door, saying "Use our service, or else!"