History Characters / BorderlandsVaultHunters

* OneManArmy: Each and every Vault Hunter is able to fight off hordes of men, women, monsters, and robots. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Professor Nakayama in the the second game's ''Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt'' [=DLC=], when he calls them a "walking apocalypse" while trying to hype himself up.

* TheTeam: All the crews of the games.
** TheLeader: Roland for the first group, with Brick and Lilith taking over when he dies. For the second team, [[WordOfGod Anthony Burch]] says it's Maya. For the third group, Jack himself is the leader, and ostensibly represented by his Doppleganger.
** TheLancer: Shared with Lilith and Mordecai in the first group, with Axton serving as it for the second. Athena fits this role for the ''Pre-Sequel'' Vault Hunters.
** TheBigGuy: Brick, Salvador, Krieg, Wilhelm, Amara.
** TheMedic: Both Maya and Roland share this role in their own ways. Almost all of the Pre-Sequel crew have team-healing capabilities, [=FL4K=] can heal via granting allies passive health regen.
** TheEngineer: Roland for the first team, Gaige and Axton together for the second, Wilhelm for the Pre-Sequel and Zane and Moze in 3.
** TheSmartGuy: Gaige and [=Zer0=], to a lesser extent.
** TheSneakyGuy: [=Zer0=] in 2, Zane and [=FL4K=] in 3.
** TeamPet: Claptrap, across all three games, although for the first two he's more of a supporting character.

** Sir Hammerlock actually spends one sidequest of his DLC trying out nicknames for the Vault Hunters.
*** Same with Scooter in "Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage".

* PromotedToPlayable: Athena, Claptrap, Wilhelm, and Nisha started as [[NonPlayerCharacter NPCs]] before being made Vault Hunters. Krieg also serves as this for the Psycho class of enemies.

* RagTagBunchOfMisfits:

** Roland is a solid Blue, being TheHero for the first game, and BigGood in the second. Axton, by comparison, is a Red, what with being a MilitaryMaverick that [[UnfriendlyFire blew up some terrorists along ''with'' the VIP he was supposed to be protecting]], basically due to RuleOfCool as opposed to a RoaringRampageOfRevenge like Roland. Athena actually bounces back and forth; ''outside'' of combat she's calm and controlled, recounting her tale without any real emotion to Lilith, while ''in'' battle she becomes loud, aggressive and, depending on her skill trees, she insults her foes or flies into berserk laughter.

** TheSmartGuy: Gaige
*** And [=Zer0=], to a lesser extent

** TeethClenchedTeamwork: In contrast, the Pre-Sequel crew don't really like each other all that much (particularly in the case of Claptrap, who everyone hates) but are nonetheless capable of working together effectively.

* WorkingClassHero: Each of the games start with the Vault Hunters looking for work and getting into situations bigger than they expected. Subverted with Aurelia, who is rich enough to start with a decent chunk of cash and Purple-tier weapons and only only took up Vault Hunter for fun during her vacation.

** Claptrap calls them "Minion".

** Mordecai, for instance, is just in for the thrill of looking for alien vaults.

** ''VideoGame/Borderlands1'': Roland defected from the Crimson Lance, the elite military arm of the superpowerful and very far-reaching Atlas corporation after his superiors betrayed him. He moved to Pandora in an attempt to fight back against Atlas, which rules the planet with an iron fist.
** Axton, who was "[[CouldSayItBut not advised]]" by his boss/wife to move to the Borderlands to avoid being executed by a firing squad for his GloryHound tendencies.
** Lilith comes to Pandora trying to run away from ostracism on account of having magical powers, as well as due to rumors of there being another Siren on the planet.
** ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'': Maya defected from the Order of the Impending Storm, which ruled the planet Athenas with an iron fist, after finding out she had been raised as an enforcer of oppression and death. She moved to Pandora to find more answers about herself.
** Salvador is a Pandoran native. He left his hometown to fight Hyperion after the latter declared all the local residents as bandits for not submitting to Handsome Jack's iron fist.
** Krieg moved to Pandora and started fighting against Hyperion after they twisted him into a raving lunatic mutant. He's looking for the Vault to follow Maya; he fell in love with her and thinks Maya will restore his sanity.
** Gaige is probably the straightest example in the series: she ran away to Pandora with her dad's help after killing her arch-enemy with her death robot during a high school science fair, hoping that the long arm of her rival's powerful family won't find her in Pandora.
** ''VideoGame/Borderlands3'': Flynt is laying low in Pandora in between high-profile assassination jobs.
** Moze moves to Pandora after being the sole survivor of a suicide mission, which is also the straw that breaks her back after long years of abuse from Vladof's command that was already digging into her sanity.
** Zane, who came (while calling it a vacation) largely to go under the radar of various corporations with a bounty on his head.

* TheDreaded: While it doesn't stop the countless mooks across the galaxy from trying to kill them anyway (In fairness, they're either stupid or don't have a choice), the title of Vault Hunter is synonymous with aspiration and utter dread, and a bloodbath is generally expected to happen whenever they show up.

** Brick and Amara have their fists. And will inform you anytime they'd like how much they love punching people.
** Since Sirens specialize in Elemental damage, they tend to be associated with Maliwan weapons.

** Salvador is most commonly seen Gunzerking with two rifles at hand. And his "Im your Huckleberry" skill specializes in pistols.

** Athena has her sword and shield, Xiphos and Aspis respectively. Each with their own skill tree.

** Aurelia's The Huntress skill tree mainly enhances her proficiency with Sniper Rifles, much like [=Zer0=].

** Roland, who moved to Pandora after defecting from Atlas's elite forces.
** Axton, who was "[[CouldSayItBut not advised]]" by his boss/wife to move to the Borderlands to avoid being executed by a firing squad for his GloryHound tendencies.
** Gaige, who is on the run in Pandora after accidentally killing her rival during a high school science fair:
** Moze, who moved to Pandora after surviving a suicide mission and defecting from Vladof's armored unit.

* WeaponOfChoice: While no Vault Hunter is averse to any weapon, a large majority of them utilize a particular weapon for their melee and have skills/class mods that specialize in certain weapon types.

* MemeticBadass: They're seen this way in-universe. To be a Vault Hunter means that you are a badass. If one could use an analogy, a Vault Hunter is to Borderlands what a Jedi is to Star Wars.

'''Supporting Characters''': ''[[Characters/Borderlands1 Borderlands]]'' | ''Characters/Borderlands2'' (''Characters/TinyTinasAssaultOnDragonKeep'' DLC) | ''[[Characters/BorderlandsThePreSequel The Pre-Sequel]]'' | ''Characters/Borderlands3'' | ''Characters/TalesFromTheBorderlands'' | ''Characters/TinyTinasWonderlands'' | ''Characters/NewTalesFromTheBorderlands'' | [[Characters/BorderlandsOtherCharacters Other media]]\\

[-'''Playable Vault Hunters''': ''[[Characters/Borderlands1VaultHunters Borderlands 1]]'' | ''[[Characters/Borderlands2VaultHunters Borderlands 2]]'' ([[Characters/BorderlandsKrieg Krieg]]) | ''[[Characters/BorderlandsThePreSequelVaultHunters The Pre-Sequel]]'' ([[Characters/BorderlandsClaptrap Claptrap]]) | ''[[Characters/Borderlands3VaultHunters Borderlands 3]]''\\

[-'''Playable Characters''': ''[[Characters/Borderlands1VaultHunters Borderlands 1]]'' | ''[[Characters/Borderlands2VaultHunters Borderlands 2]]'' ([[Characters/BorderlandsKrieg Krieg]]) | ''[[Characters/BorderlandsThePreSequelVaultHunters The Pre-Sequel]]'' ([[Characters/BorderlandsClaptrap Claptrap]]) | ''[[Characters/Borderlands3VaultHunters Borderlands 3]]''\\

'''Supporting Characters''': ''[[Characters/Borderlands1 Borderlands]]'' | ''Characters/Borderlands2'' | ''[[Characters/BorderlandsThePreSequel The Pre-Sequel]]'' | ''Characters/Borderlands3'' | ''Characters/TalesFromTheBorderlands'' | ''Characters/TinyTinasWonderlands'' | ''Characters/NewTalesFromTheBorderlands'' | [[Characters/BorderlandsOtherCharacters Other media]]\\

[-'''Playable Characters''': ''[[Characters/Borderlands1VaultHunters Borderlands 1]]'' | ''[[Characters/Borderlands2VaultHunters Borderlands 2]]'' ([[Characters/BorderlandsKrieg Krieg]]) | ''[[Characters/BorderlandsThePreSequelVaultHunters The Pre-Sequel]]'' | ''[[Characters/Borderlands3VaultHunters Borderlands 3]]''\\
'''Supporting Characters''': ''[[Characters/Borderlands1 Borderlands]]'' | ''Characters/Borderlands2'' | ''[[Characters/BorderlandsThePreSequel The Pre-Sequel]]'' | ''Characters/Borderlands3'' | ''Characters/TalesFromTheBorderlands'' | ''Characters/TinyTinasWonderlands'' | [[Characters/BorderlandsOtherCharacters Other media]]\\
'''Weapon Brands''': [[Characters/BorderlandsAtlas Atlas]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsDahl Dahl]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsHyperion Hyperion]] ([[Characters/BorderlandsClaptrap Claptrap]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsHandsomeJack Handsome Jack]]) | [[Characters/BorderlandsMaliwan Maliwan]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsTorgue Torgue]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsWeaponBrands Other Weapon Brands]]\\

** ''[[UpToEleven All]]'' of the Vault Hunters from ''3'' are this to their predecessors, since they get multiple options for their Action Skills that they can switch between freely. They also get special skills called augments, which alter the behavior of their Action Skills but don't cost skill points and can also be swapped in and out freely. And don't think the fun stops there, because they also manage to stand out against each other.

'''Supporting Characters''': ''[[Characters/Borderlands1 Borderlands]]'' | ''Characters/Borderlands2'' | ''[[Characters/BorderlandsThePreSequel The Pre-Sequel]]'' | ''Characters/Borderlands3'' | ''Characters/TalesFromTheBorderlands'' | ''Characters/TinyTinasWonderlands'' |[[Characters/BorderlandsOtherCharacters Other media]]\\

'''Supporting Characters''': ''[[Characters/Borderlands1 Borderlands]]'' | ''Characters/Borderlands2'' | ''[[Characters/BorderlandsThePreSequel The Pre-Sequel]]'' | ''Characters/Borderlands3'' | ''Characters/TalesFromTheBorderlands'' | [[Characters/BorderlandsOtherCharacters Other media]]\\

** Maya is Blue, being TheHero compared to her more... [[HeroicComedicSociopath "reckless" allies]], while Lilith is solid Red, being much more reckless and hot-headed. Their [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair hair]] [[FieryRedhead colors]] even match!

!! Administrivia/SpoilersOff for games prior to ''VideoGame/Borderlands3'' as well as for spoiler characters that are marked as such. Proceed with caution. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.

!! Vault Hunters (in general)

* KilledOffForReal: Roland, Nisha, Wilhelm, [[spoiler:Maya, Aurelia and [[AmbiguousSituation possibly Lilith]]]] all end up meeting untimely demises.

'''Weapon Brands''': [[Characters/BorderlandsDahl Dahl]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsHyperion Hyperion]] ([[Characters/BorderlandsClaptrap Claptrap]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsHandsomeJack Handsome Jack]]) | [[Characters/BorderlandsMaliwan Maliwan]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsTorgue Torgue]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsWeaponBrands Other Weapon Brands]]\\

'''Other''': [[Characters/BorderlandsBanditsAndBanditFactions Bandits and Bandit Factions]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsHodunkAndZafordClans Hodunk and Zaford Clans]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsCreatures Creatures]] ([[Characters/BorderlandsEridiansAndVaultMonsters Eridians and Vault Monsters]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsRaidBosses Raid Bosses]])-]]]]]

** In Tales, [=Zer0=], Athena, Springs, August, Cassius, and Claptrap can all be selected as incidental Vault Hunters during the finale. Felix can also be selected, but he leaves the story again and instead leaves Fiona with enough money to hire Claptrap.

'''Individuals and groups''': [[Characters/BorderlandsDahl Dahl]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsHyperion Hyperion]] ([[Characters/BorderlandsClaptrap Claptrap]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsHandsomeJack Handsome Jack]]) | [[Characters/BorderlandsMaliwan Maliwan]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsTorgue Torgue]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsEridiansAndVaultMonsters Eridians and Vault Monsters]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsHodunkAndZafordClans Hodunk and Zaford Clans]]\\
'''Miscellaneous''': [[Characters/BorderlandsWeaponBrands Other Weapon Brands]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsBanditsAndBanditFactions Bandits and Bandit Factions]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsCreatures Creatures]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsRaidBosses Raid Bosses]]-]]]]]

'''Individuals and groups''': [[Characters/BorderlandsDahl Dahl]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsHyperion Hyperion]] ([[Characters/BorderlandsClaptrap Claptrap]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsHandsomeJack Handsome Jack]]) | [[Characters/BorderlandsTorgue Torgue]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsEridiansAndVaultMonsters Eridians and Vault Monsters]] | [[Characters/BorderlandsHodunkAndZafordClans Hodunk and Zaford Clans]]\\

[-'''Playable Characters''': ''[[Characters/Borderlands1VaultHunters Borderlands 1]]'' | ''[[Characters/Borderlands2VaultHunters Borderlands 2]]'' | ''[[Characters/BorderlandsThePreSequelVaultHunters The Pre-Sequel]]'' | ''[[Characters/Borderlands3VaultHunters Borderlands 3]]''\\