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* AdaptationNameChange: Campbells character was called Bruce in the original ''Within The Woods'' short.
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* ButtMonkey: Getting poked in the eyes, being shoved up a corpse's butt, having things shoved into his butt and getting hit in the groin is an occupational hazard for him.
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* ApologeticAttacker: He clearly expresses regret and remorse over having to [[MercyKill kill his elderly neighbour Vivian]] after she's possessed and tries to kill him.
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* ApologeticAttacker: He clearly expresses regret and remorse over having to [[MercyKill kill his elderly neighbour Vivian]] after she's possessed and tries to kill him.
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* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Is said to be racist against Mexicans, but has a deep respect for his friend, Pablo.
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* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Is said to be racist against Mexicans, but has a deep respect for his friend, Pablo. [[note]]Who has to keep reminding Ash that he's NOT Mexican.[[/note]]
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* CoolOldGuy: Ash is may be past his prime and a complete jackass, but there's no denying that when shit hits the fan, there's no denying how awesome he is.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: He's idiotic, a social outcast and a complete jackass. But underneath it all, he's the best at killing the undead.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: He's idiotic, a social outcast and a complete jackass. But underneath it all, he's the best at killing the undead.
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* ObfuscatingInsanity: In ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', [[spoiler:Ash pretends that Baal's {{gaslighting}} succeeded in making him willing to kill his friends. In reality, he was just playing along to get Pablo and Baal in the same room]].
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* BatmanGambit: He pulls off a ''great'' one against Baal in ''Ash vs. Evil Dead'', [[spoiler:tricking him into thinking Ash has fallen for his reality-changing mind games, only to reveal he never fell for it, even for a minute, and that it was all part of his plan to get Baal and the Necronomicon in the same place all along.]]
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* HesBack: In the first episode of ''Ash vs. Evil Dead.'' When the Deadites have him and his friends trapped in his trailer and Kelly is being choked, Ash finally decides to stop running. And the arrogant blowhard reveals himself to be one of the greatest demon slayers of all time.
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* NeverAcceptedInHisHometown: As revealed in Season 2 of ''Ash vs. Evil Dead'', Ash is shunned by virtually everyone in his hometown of Elk Grove, including his own father, due to the events of the first two movies; no one believed Ash's story about the Deadites and the Necronomicon, thinking he just went crazy and slaughtered his friends and sister. [[spoiler: Ultimately averted by the end of Season 2, where he's managed to convince the town of the truth and is now a hero.]]
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* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: [[spoiler:And Then Ash Was a Deadite. He gets possessed twice during ''Evil Dead 2'', but is cured of his possession both times. The video game ''Evil Dead: Regeneration'' (an alternate continuity to the second film) also features his Deadite form, though the difference there is Ash can actually control it.]]
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* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: [[spoiler:And Then Ash Was a Deadite. He gets possessed twice during ''Evil Dead 2'', but is cured of his possession both times. The video game ''Evil Dead: Regeneration'' (an alternate continuity to the second film) also features his Deadite form, though the difference there is [[SuperMode Ash can actually control it.]]]]]]
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* ApologeticAttacker: He clearly expresses regret and remorse over having to [[MercyKill kill his elderly neighbour Vivian]] after she's possessed and tries to kill him.
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** Confirmed in the first season finale of ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', where he [[spoiler:sacrifices all of humanity in a deal with Ruby, sparing only Pablo and Kelly and possibly the inhabitants of Jacksonville, Florida.]]
to:
** Confirmed in the first season finale of ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', where he [[spoiler:sacrifices all of humanity in [[spoiler:makes a deal with Ruby, Ruby to not stop her from controlling the Necronomicon and the dark forces of the book in return for being allowed to walk away alive with Kelly and Pablo, sparing only Pablo and Kelly and possibly the inhabitants of Jacksonville, Florida.]]]] Despite his facade of not caring and trying to pass it off [[spoiler:Ruby keeping a handle on darkness as its EvilOverlord]] being a NecessaryEvil, he does feel guilty but once again he just wants to [[ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne put it all behind him and let somebody else deal with this shit]].
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** Confirmed in the first season finale of ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', where he [[spoiler: sacrifices all of humanity in a deal with Ruby, sparing only Pablo and Kelly and possibly the inhabitants of Jacksonville, Florida.]]
to:
** Confirmed in the first season finale of ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', where he [[spoiler: sacrifices [[spoiler:sacrifices all of humanity in a deal with Ruby, sparing only Pablo and Kelly and possibly the inhabitants of Jacksonville, Florida.]]
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** In ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', he releases yet another Deadite plague after getting high with a girl one night and trying to pass off passages of the Necronomicon as poetry to impress her. Then he does it ''again'' after [[spoiler: accepting a DealWithTheDevil from Ruby instead of just killing her.]]
to:
** In ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', he releases yet another Deadite plague after getting high with a girl one night and trying to pass off passages of the Necronomicon as poetry to impress her. Then he does it ''again'' after [[spoiler: accepting [[spoiler:accepting a DealWithTheDevil from Ruby instead of just killing her.]]
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* VanityLicensePlate:
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* HiddenDepths: Most clearly in ''Series/AshVsEvilDead''. As selfish and perverted as he might appear, it's clear that he's a lonely old man.
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* HiddenDepths: HiddenDepths:
** It's shown in ''Film/EvilDead2'' that he can play piano.
** Most clearly in ''Series/AshVsEvilDead''. As selfish and perverted as he might appear, it's clear that he's a lonely old man.
** It's shown in ''Film/EvilDead2'' that he can play piano.
** Most clearly in ''Series/AshVsEvilDead''. As selfish and perverted as he might appear, it's clear that he's a lonely old man.
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[[folder:A-F]]
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:G-K]]
[[folder:G-K]]
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[[folder:L-R]]
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:S-V]]
[[folder:S-V]]
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-->[[spoiler:'''Henrietta: That chin of yours makes an easy target!]]
to:
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** It gets lampshaded when he fights [[spoiler:Henrietta]] in Ash VS Evil Dead season 2.
-->[[spoiler:'''Henrietta: That chin of yours makes an easy target!]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Henrietta: That chin of yours makes an easy target!]]
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!!Ashley J. "Ash" Williams
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:A-F]]
[[folder:A-F]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:G-K]]
[[folder:G-K]]
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* HandicappedBadass: A literal example! Lops off his own right hand after being bitten by the head of the Deadite form of his girlfriend.
** By the time of ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', he's gathered several other minor handicaps, such as false teeth.
** By the time of ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', he's gathered several other minor handicaps, such as false teeth.
to:
* HandicappedBadass: A literal example! Lops off his own right hand after being bitten by the head of the Deadite form of his girlfriend.
**girlfriend. By the time of ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', he's gathered several other minor handicaps, such as false teeth.
**
[[/folder]]
[[folder:L-R]]
[[folder:L-R]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:S-V]]
[[folder:S-V]]
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'''Ash :''' [[PreMortemOneLiner Swallow this!]]
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'''Ash :''' [[PreMortemOneLiner Swallow this!]]this!]]
[[/folder]]
[[/folder]]
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* GuestFighter: Appears as a playable character in ''VideoGame/TerrordromeTheGameRiseOfTheBoogeymen'' and ''VideoGame/{{Broforce}}'', as well as being an opponent in ''VideoGame/PokerNight2''.
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* TragicHero: Ash has pretty simple goals in life: to have good beer and look at hot chicks. And he can't even have that because of that weird shit he has to go through.
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* HandicappedBadass: A literal example! Lobs his own right hand after being bitten by the head of the Deadite form of his girlfriend.
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* HandicappedBadass: A literal example! Lobs Lops off his own right hand after being bitten by the head of the Deadite form of his girlfriend.
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* BadassNormal: Ash has no powers and yet, kills deadites left, right and centre.
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* BadassNormal: Ash has no powers and yet, yet kills deadites left, right and centre.
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* BrilliantButLazy: In Army of Darkness, Ash shows off a wide variety of skills (creating gunpowder, knowing martial arts and effectively training the villagers to fight the undead army). However, when given the choice of becoming king or going back to his old S'Mart job, he chooses the latter.
to:
* BrilliantButLazy: In Army of Darkness, Ash shows off a wide variety of skills (creating gunpowder, knowing martial arts and effectively training the villagers to fight the undead army). However, when given the choice of becoming king or going back to his old S'Mart S-Mart job, he chooses the latter.
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* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: [[spoiler:And Then Ash Was a Deadite. He gets possessed twice during ''Evil Dead 2'', but is cured of his possession both times. The video game ''Evil Dead: Regeneration'' (an alternate continuity to the second film) also features his Deadite form, though the difference there is Ash can actually control it.]]
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The protagonist and iconic character of the entire series. Ash evolves over the course of the series from a cowardly college student to a wise cracking zombie slayer with his detachable hand chainsaw and 12 gauge "boomstick".
to:
The protagonist and iconic character poster boy of the entire series. Ash evolves over the course of the series from a cowardly college student to a wise cracking zombie slayer with his detachable hand chainsaw and 12 gauge "boomstick".
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* CoolLoser: Chainsaw-handed undead slayer he may be, but in his day to day life, Ash is an idiotic social outcast stuck in a dead end job that he has no real hope of escaping.
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* {{Brilliant But Lazy}}: In Army of Darkness, Ash shows off a wide variety of skills (creating gunpowder, knowing martial arts and effectively training the villagers to fight the undead army). However,when given the choice of becoming king or going back to his old S'Mart job, he chooses the latter.
to:
* {{Brilliant But Lazy}}: BrilliantButLazy: In Army of Darkness, Ash shows off a wide variety of skills (creating gunpowder, knowing martial arts and effectively training the villagers to fight the undead army). However,when However, when given the choice of becoming king or going back to his old S'Mart job, he chooses the latter.latter.
* BrokenBird: A rare male example. He's lost virtually ''everyone'' he loves and cares about to the Deadites, and as revealed in ''Ash vs. Evil Dead'', his entire hometown believes him to be a SerialKiller and his father [[IHaveNoSon has disowned him]].
* BrokenBird: A rare male example. He's lost virtually ''everyone'' he loves and cares about to the Deadites, and as revealed in ''Ash vs. Evil Dead'', his entire hometown believes him to be a SerialKiller and his father [[IHaveNoSon has disowned him]].
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%%
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%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
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!!Ashley J. "Ash" Williams
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/williams_ashley_j.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"Groovy."'']]
->'''Played By:''' Creator/BruceCampbell
-->''"[[AntiHero Good. Bad. I'm the guy with the gun.]]"''
The protagonist and iconic character of the entire series. Ash evolves over the course of the series from a cowardly college student to a wise cracking zombie slayer with his detachable hand chainsaw and 12 gauge "boomstick".
----
* ActionSurvivor: He starts out as this; Ash was just a somewhat cowardly student who through a combination of luck and cunning managed to survive horrific events which harden him into a badass Deadite-fighter.
* {{Adorkable}}: In ''The Evil Dead'', particularly in his interactions with Linda when he pretends to be asleep.
* AntiHero: Type II or III. He's a snarky {{Jerkass}} for the most part, and in ''Army of Darkness'', he fully intends to just ditch Arthur's kingdom to go back to his own time despite having screwed up and unleashed the Army of the Dead. Best summed up in the director's cut of ''Army of Darkness'', when he shoots Bad Ash in the face after being called a "little goody two-shoes":
-->'''Ash''': I ain't ''that'' good.
* AnArmAndALeg: In ''Evil Dead II'', he's forced to chop off his own hand when it gets possessed.
* ArtificialLimbs: He makes a robotic hand to replace his lost right one in ''Army of Darkness''. After returning to the present, he ends up gaining a more traditional wooden hand. And after he loses that, Pablo builds him a new mechanical one out of a Nintendo power glove.
* AnAxeToGrind: His third weapon of choice. [[spoiler:He uses it to hack Deadite Ed to pieces.]]
* BadassNormal: Ash has no powers and yet, kills deadites left, right and centre.
* BadassGrandpa: Even after at least ''3 decades'' down the line hasn't changed the fact that he can hack and shoot Deadites to pieces like a piece of cake.
* BelatedBackstory: Such things as his job at S-Mart weren't revealed until ''Army of Darkness''.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: He's a perverted, somewhat idiotic dork, but when the chips are down, he proves just how tough he can be.
* BladeBehindTheShoulder: He modified a chainsaw to serve as this, strapping it to his right arm stump.
* BlueIsHeroic: Typically wears a blue shirt, and is TheHero of the series.
* {{Brilliant But Lazy}}: In Army of Darkness, Ash shows off a wide variety of skills (creating gunpowder, knowing martial arts and effectively training the villagers to fight the undead army). However,when given the choice of becoming king or going back to his old S'Mart job, he chooses the latter.
* ByronicHero: In ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', his primary motive is to get the book translated and banish the Deadites from this existence again, and [[TheNeedsOfTheMany thus is reluctant to get himself into any unnecessary complications like saving individual people when the whole world's at stake]]; while he's not depicted as ''wrong'' by any stretch for believing this, he can sometimes come across as callous or self-absorbed when stating his intentions.
* TheCameo: In TheStinger of [[Film/EvilDead2013 the remake]].
* {{Catchphrase}}: "Groovy!"
* ChainsawGood: One of his trademark weapons. He even went so far as to modify one to serve as a BladeBehindTheShoulder.
* ChivalrousPervert: For all his bluster, he genuinely tries to protect those under his care, and stops hitting on Kelly the moment he realizes Pablo's interested in her. He also genuinely wants a relationship with Amanda, not mere sex.
* TheChosenOne: As revealed in ''Evil Dead 2'', he's destined to battle the evil forces unleashed by the Book of the Dead. Pablo later insists that he's the legendary 'El Jefe'.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: In "El Jefe," after Kelly's MyParentsAreDead moment while he's trying to hit on her:
-->'''Ash''': Wow... (''whistles'') Um, you know, in the future, you might wanna just say "Sure, I'll tell her"... 'cause droppin' a bomb like that on somebody you just met is downright rude.
* CoolCar: His Oldsmobile.
* DeadpanSnarker: Ash finds plenty of opportunities to snark about medieval culture and action-adventure tropes.
* DirtyOldMan: In ''Ash vs. Evil Dead.'' Most of his nights before the show were spent picking up floozies in bars, and he hits on girls half his age.
* DoomMagnet: As stated in ''Ash vs. Evil Dead'', no matter how good his intentions may be, Ash has a tendency to leave a trail of horribly mauled innocents in his attempts to stop the evil. The scene at the Western Moose diner is a good example, where six people met a gruesome end simply because it occurred to Ash to stop there to eat.
* FeelingTheirAge: In ''Ash vs. Evil Dead''. While still able to hold his own against Deadites, Ash is in his 50s by this time and it shows. He mentions in the first episode that he needs to take some cardio because his heart is "jackhammering like a quarterback on prom night," and in "Ashes to Ashes," he's revealed to have, among other minor handicaps, a trick knee and bum shoulder.
* FunctionalAddict: ''Ash vs. Evil Dead'' reveals that he frequents bars and smokes weed.
* GadgeteerGenius: He modified a chainsaw to serve as a BladeBehindTheShoulder, created gunpowder by referencing its elemental makeup in a chemistry book, and crafted a fully functional prosthetic hand from a metal gauntlet.
* GeniusDitz: Despite being described on more than one occasion as an idiot by Bruce Campbell himself, Ash has proven quite inventive on several occasions, doing such things as modifying a chainsaw to attach it to his right stump and creating gunpowder by referencing its elemental makeup in a chemistry book.
* GoodIsNotNice: Not initially; he was a pretty gentle young man with a cowardly streak, but the events he has to endure hardens him into a jaded, selfish lone wolf.
* HandicappedBadass: A literal example! Lobs his own right hand after being bitten by the head of the Deadite form of his girlfriend.
** By the time of ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', he's gathered several other minor handicaps, such as false teeth.
* HeroWithBadPublicity: As of the second episode of ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', he's wanted by the cops, who believe him to be responsible for the havoc caused by the Deadites. He's also being chased by Ruby Knowby, who believes that he murdered Professor Knowby for the Necronomicon. As revealed in the season two premiere of the show, he's also one to his entire hometown of Elk Grove, who believe him to be a deranged lunatic who killed his friends during their weekend at the cabin.
** Subverted by his job itself, where his seniority makes him untouchable, and surprisingly popular among floorstaff.
* HiddenDepths: Most clearly in ''Series/AshVsEvilDead''. As selfish and perverted as he might appear, it's clear that he's a lonely old man.
* IdiotHero: Bruce Campbell regularly describes him as such, stating that outside of fighting the Evil Dead, he's incompetent.
* IronButtMonkey: Combine this with MadeOfIron, its a damn wonder to wonder why Ash is still alive from all of the injuries he pertained over the years.
* ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne: He endures constant horrors and a struggle to stay alive, while losing those he cares about. ''Ash vs Evil Dead'' reveals he's been basically running away from that responsibility for 30 years.
* ItsAllAboutMe: In ''Army of Darkness'', he'd rather go home than help Arthur's people against the approaching Deadites. He clearly feels guilty, but he just can't take it anymore. Shelia being abducted, though, gets him to change his mind.
** Confirmed in the first season finale of ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', where he [[spoiler: sacrifices all of humanity in a deal with Ruby, sparing only Pablo and Kelly and possibly the inhabitants of Jacksonville, Florida.]]
* ItsPersonal: Let's see, [[spoiler:the demon raped his sister, possessed his friends and girlfriend, forcing him to kill them]] and continued doing so throughout the movies.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's crude, selfish and more than a little sleazy, but the {{Adorkable}} college kid from ''The Evil Dead'' is still buried deep down.
* KnightInSourArmor: When push comes to shove, he'll do the right thing, even if he complains about it all the while.
* LanternJawOfJustice: Being a Bruce Campbell character, he's gotta be this trope.
* LargeHam: Naturally. ''Army Of Darkness'' and the varied video games have him hammy as he wants to be.
* LetsGetDangerous: It can be argued that the minute he gets that chainsaw, Ash goes from hapless goof with the worst weekend ever going for him to the baddest slayer of evil this side of cinema.
* LikeFatherLikeSon: As revealed in the second season of ''Ash vs. Evil Dead'', Ash gets his HandsomeLech tendencies from his father.
* MadeOfIron: He's survived and walked off such things as getting bodily slammed into a tree and thrown through a wooden staircase with no long-lasting injuries.
** Subverted by the time of ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', where his age is getting to him.
* NiceGuy: In the first movie. He TookALevelInJerkass though.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
** In ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness'', he releases said army after fudging an incantation ("KlaatuBaradaNikto", in homage to ''[[Film/TheDayTheEarthStoodStill1951 The Day The Earth Stood Still]]''.)
** In ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', he releases yet another Deadite plague after getting high with a girl one night and trying to pass off passages of the Necronomicon as poetry to impress her. Then he does it ''again'' after [[spoiler: accepting a DealWithTheDevil from Ruby instead of just killing her.]]
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Is said to be racist against Mexicans, but has a deep respect for his friend, Pablo.
* RefusalOfTheCall: In ''Ash vs. Evil Dead'', he initially refuses to fight the Deadites and is fully prepared to run again.
-->'''Pablo''': You can't outrun evil, Ash!\\
'''Ash''': Watch me!
* SanitySlippage: Has suffered some throughout the movies. It's heavily implied that some of the horrors, such as his reflection coming to life and choking him, as well as the laughing room from ''II'', were nothing but hallucinations.
* ScarsAreForever: In ''II'', he wrecks his Delta and gets thrown through the windshield, receiving multiple cuts to the face. Said cuts remain throughout the rest of the film, as well as the entirety of ''Army of Darkness''.
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: To the point of creating a SawedOffShotgun aka his Boomstick.
* TheSlacker: In ''Ash vs. Evil Dead'', it's mentioned he's taken multiple phony sick days off under the pretense of taking care of his "dear friend" Eli, his pet bearded dragon.
* SoulSuckingRetailJob: In ''Series/AshVsEvilDead''. As a sign of how far he's fallen in life[[note]]And for rights reasons, as nothing specific to ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness'' can be mentioned in the show[[/note]], Ash has gone from the big wheel at S-Mart's housewares division to a lowly Value Stop stockboy, getting cursed out by his supervisor. Pretty much the only reason he can't get fired is because of his seniority.
* StarCrossedLovers: One constant in the ''Evil Dead'' universe is that any woman Ash genuinely falls for ''will'' die horrifically and come back to taunt him as a Deadite. After thirty years of mourning [[spoiler:Linda]] as TheLostLenore following her death in the first movie, he seems to develop his first genuine romantic attachment to [[spoiler:Amanda]], only for her to die as soon as they admit their feelings to one another.
* SwordAndGun: Well, more precisely [[ChainsawGood chainsaw]] and [[ThisIsMyBoomstick Boomstick]]. He also does use an actual sword in ''Army Of Darkness''.
* TookALevelInBadass: In the first movie, he's a wimp who by the end of the movie realizes what he has to do to live. By the third movie, he's commanding an entire legion against the army of darkness.
* TookALevelInJerkass: By the second movie and ''Army Of Darkness''. Fortunately it coincides with TookALevelInBadass.
* UltimateJobSecurity: In ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', it's made clear that he is a terrible Value Stop employee from the very first episode, having done such things as take phony sick days off using his pet lizard as an excuse. His boss, Mr. Roper, even flat-out tells him to his face that Ash's seniority is the only reason he hasn't already been fired.
* VanityLicensePlate:
* VerbThis: Possibly one of the most famous examples...
-->'''Deadite :''' Hey! I'll swallow your soul! I'll swallow your soul!\\
'''Ash :''' [[PreMortemOneLiner Swallow this!]]
%%
%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
%%
%%
!!Ashley J. "Ash" Williams
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/williams_ashley_j.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"Groovy."'']]
->'''Played By:''' Creator/BruceCampbell
-->''"[[AntiHero Good. Bad. I'm the guy with the gun.]]"''
The protagonist and iconic character of the entire series. Ash evolves over the course of the series from a cowardly college student to a wise cracking zombie slayer with his detachable hand chainsaw and 12 gauge "boomstick".
----
* ActionSurvivor: He starts out as this; Ash was just a somewhat cowardly student who through a combination of luck and cunning managed to survive horrific events which harden him into a badass Deadite-fighter.
* {{Adorkable}}: In ''The Evil Dead'', particularly in his interactions with Linda when he pretends to be asleep.
* AntiHero: Type II or III. He's a snarky {{Jerkass}} for the most part, and in ''Army of Darkness'', he fully intends to just ditch Arthur's kingdom to go back to his own time despite having screwed up and unleashed the Army of the Dead. Best summed up in the director's cut of ''Army of Darkness'', when he shoots Bad Ash in the face after being called a "little goody two-shoes":
-->'''Ash''': I ain't ''that'' good.
* AnArmAndALeg: In ''Evil Dead II'', he's forced to chop off his own hand when it gets possessed.
* ArtificialLimbs: He makes a robotic hand to replace his lost right one in ''Army of Darkness''. After returning to the present, he ends up gaining a more traditional wooden hand. And after he loses that, Pablo builds him a new mechanical one out of a Nintendo power glove.
* AnAxeToGrind: His third weapon of choice. [[spoiler:He uses it to hack Deadite Ed to pieces.]]
* BadassNormal: Ash has no powers and yet, kills deadites left, right and centre.
* BadassGrandpa: Even after at least ''3 decades'' down the line hasn't changed the fact that he can hack and shoot Deadites to pieces like a piece of cake.
* BelatedBackstory: Such things as his job at S-Mart weren't revealed until ''Army of Darkness''.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: He's a perverted, somewhat idiotic dork, but when the chips are down, he proves just how tough he can be.
* BladeBehindTheShoulder: He modified a chainsaw to serve as this, strapping it to his right arm stump.
* BlueIsHeroic: Typically wears a blue shirt, and is TheHero of the series.
* {{Brilliant But Lazy}}: In Army of Darkness, Ash shows off a wide variety of skills (creating gunpowder, knowing martial arts and effectively training the villagers to fight the undead army). However,when given the choice of becoming king or going back to his old S'Mart job, he chooses the latter.
* ByronicHero: In ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', his primary motive is to get the book translated and banish the Deadites from this existence again, and [[TheNeedsOfTheMany thus is reluctant to get himself into any unnecessary complications like saving individual people when the whole world's at stake]]; while he's not depicted as ''wrong'' by any stretch for believing this, he can sometimes come across as callous or self-absorbed when stating his intentions.
* TheCameo: In TheStinger of [[Film/EvilDead2013 the remake]].
* {{Catchphrase}}: "Groovy!"
* ChainsawGood: One of his trademark weapons. He even went so far as to modify one to serve as a BladeBehindTheShoulder.
* ChivalrousPervert: For all his bluster, he genuinely tries to protect those under his care, and stops hitting on Kelly the moment he realizes Pablo's interested in her. He also genuinely wants a relationship with Amanda, not mere sex.
* TheChosenOne: As revealed in ''Evil Dead 2'', he's destined to battle the evil forces unleashed by the Book of the Dead. Pablo later insists that he's the legendary 'El Jefe'.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: In "El Jefe," after Kelly's MyParentsAreDead moment while he's trying to hit on her:
-->'''Ash''': Wow... (''whistles'') Um, you know, in the future, you might wanna just say "Sure, I'll tell her"... 'cause droppin' a bomb like that on somebody you just met is downright rude.
* CoolCar: His Oldsmobile.
* DeadpanSnarker: Ash finds plenty of opportunities to snark about medieval culture and action-adventure tropes.
* DirtyOldMan: In ''Ash vs. Evil Dead.'' Most of his nights before the show were spent picking up floozies in bars, and he hits on girls half his age.
* DoomMagnet: As stated in ''Ash vs. Evil Dead'', no matter how good his intentions may be, Ash has a tendency to leave a trail of horribly mauled innocents in his attempts to stop the evil. The scene at the Western Moose diner is a good example, where six people met a gruesome end simply because it occurred to Ash to stop there to eat.
* FeelingTheirAge: In ''Ash vs. Evil Dead''. While still able to hold his own against Deadites, Ash is in his 50s by this time and it shows. He mentions in the first episode that he needs to take some cardio because his heart is "jackhammering like a quarterback on prom night," and in "Ashes to Ashes," he's revealed to have, among other minor handicaps, a trick knee and bum shoulder.
* FunctionalAddict: ''Ash vs. Evil Dead'' reveals that he frequents bars and smokes weed.
* GadgeteerGenius: He modified a chainsaw to serve as a BladeBehindTheShoulder, created gunpowder by referencing its elemental makeup in a chemistry book, and crafted a fully functional prosthetic hand from a metal gauntlet.
* GeniusDitz: Despite being described on more than one occasion as an idiot by Bruce Campbell himself, Ash has proven quite inventive on several occasions, doing such things as modifying a chainsaw to attach it to his right stump and creating gunpowder by referencing its elemental makeup in a chemistry book.
* GoodIsNotNice: Not initially; he was a pretty gentle young man with a cowardly streak, but the events he has to endure hardens him into a jaded, selfish lone wolf.
* HandicappedBadass: A literal example! Lobs his own right hand after being bitten by the head of the Deadite form of his girlfriend.
** By the time of ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', he's gathered several other minor handicaps, such as false teeth.
* HeroWithBadPublicity: As of the second episode of ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', he's wanted by the cops, who believe him to be responsible for the havoc caused by the Deadites. He's also being chased by Ruby Knowby, who believes that he murdered Professor Knowby for the Necronomicon. As revealed in the season two premiere of the show, he's also one to his entire hometown of Elk Grove, who believe him to be a deranged lunatic who killed his friends during their weekend at the cabin.
** Subverted by his job itself, where his seniority makes him untouchable, and surprisingly popular among floorstaff.
* HiddenDepths: Most clearly in ''Series/AshVsEvilDead''. As selfish and perverted as he might appear, it's clear that he's a lonely old man.
* IdiotHero: Bruce Campbell regularly describes him as such, stating that outside of fighting the Evil Dead, he's incompetent.
* IronButtMonkey: Combine this with MadeOfIron, its a damn wonder to wonder why Ash is still alive from all of the injuries he pertained over the years.
* ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne: He endures constant horrors and a struggle to stay alive, while losing those he cares about. ''Ash vs Evil Dead'' reveals he's been basically running away from that responsibility for 30 years.
* ItsAllAboutMe: In ''Army of Darkness'', he'd rather go home than help Arthur's people against the approaching Deadites. He clearly feels guilty, but he just can't take it anymore. Shelia being abducted, though, gets him to change his mind.
** Confirmed in the first season finale of ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', where he [[spoiler: sacrifices all of humanity in a deal with Ruby, sparing only Pablo and Kelly and possibly the inhabitants of Jacksonville, Florida.]]
* ItsPersonal: Let's see, [[spoiler:the demon raped his sister, possessed his friends and girlfriend, forcing him to kill them]] and continued doing so throughout the movies.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's crude, selfish and more than a little sleazy, but the {{Adorkable}} college kid from ''The Evil Dead'' is still buried deep down.
* KnightInSourArmor: When push comes to shove, he'll do the right thing, even if he complains about it all the while.
* LanternJawOfJustice: Being a Bruce Campbell character, he's gotta be this trope.
* LargeHam: Naturally. ''Army Of Darkness'' and the varied video games have him hammy as he wants to be.
* LetsGetDangerous: It can be argued that the minute he gets that chainsaw, Ash goes from hapless goof with the worst weekend ever going for him to the baddest slayer of evil this side of cinema.
* LikeFatherLikeSon: As revealed in the second season of ''Ash vs. Evil Dead'', Ash gets his HandsomeLech tendencies from his father.
* MadeOfIron: He's survived and walked off such things as getting bodily slammed into a tree and thrown through a wooden staircase with no long-lasting injuries.
** Subverted by the time of ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', where his age is getting to him.
* NiceGuy: In the first movie. He TookALevelInJerkass though.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
** In ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness'', he releases said army after fudging an incantation ("KlaatuBaradaNikto", in homage to ''[[Film/TheDayTheEarthStoodStill1951 The Day The Earth Stood Still]]''.)
** In ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', he releases yet another Deadite plague after getting high with a girl one night and trying to pass off passages of the Necronomicon as poetry to impress her. Then he does it ''again'' after [[spoiler: accepting a DealWithTheDevil from Ruby instead of just killing her.]]
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Is said to be racist against Mexicans, but has a deep respect for his friend, Pablo.
* RefusalOfTheCall: In ''Ash vs. Evil Dead'', he initially refuses to fight the Deadites and is fully prepared to run again.
-->'''Pablo''': You can't outrun evil, Ash!\\
'''Ash''': Watch me!
* SanitySlippage: Has suffered some throughout the movies. It's heavily implied that some of the horrors, such as his reflection coming to life and choking him, as well as the laughing room from ''II'', were nothing but hallucinations.
* ScarsAreForever: In ''II'', he wrecks his Delta and gets thrown through the windshield, receiving multiple cuts to the face. Said cuts remain throughout the rest of the film, as well as the entirety of ''Army of Darkness''.
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: To the point of creating a SawedOffShotgun aka his Boomstick.
* TheSlacker: In ''Ash vs. Evil Dead'', it's mentioned he's taken multiple phony sick days off under the pretense of taking care of his "dear friend" Eli, his pet bearded dragon.
* SoulSuckingRetailJob: In ''Series/AshVsEvilDead''. As a sign of how far he's fallen in life[[note]]And for rights reasons, as nothing specific to ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness'' can be mentioned in the show[[/note]], Ash has gone from the big wheel at S-Mart's housewares division to a lowly Value Stop stockboy, getting cursed out by his supervisor. Pretty much the only reason he can't get fired is because of his seniority.
* StarCrossedLovers: One constant in the ''Evil Dead'' universe is that any woman Ash genuinely falls for ''will'' die horrifically and come back to taunt him as a Deadite. After thirty years of mourning [[spoiler:Linda]] as TheLostLenore following her death in the first movie, he seems to develop his first genuine romantic attachment to [[spoiler:Amanda]], only for her to die as soon as they admit their feelings to one another.
* SwordAndGun: Well, more precisely [[ChainsawGood chainsaw]] and [[ThisIsMyBoomstick Boomstick]]. He also does use an actual sword in ''Army Of Darkness''.
* TookALevelInBadass: In the first movie, he's a wimp who by the end of the movie realizes what he has to do to live. By the third movie, he's commanding an entire legion against the army of darkness.
* TookALevelInJerkass: By the second movie and ''Army Of Darkness''. Fortunately it coincides with TookALevelInBadass.
* UltimateJobSecurity: In ''Series/AshVsEvilDead'', it's made clear that he is a terrible Value Stop employee from the very first episode, having done such things as take phony sick days off using his pet lizard as an excuse. His boss, Mr. Roper, even flat-out tells him to his face that Ash's seniority is the only reason he hasn't already been fired.
* VanityLicensePlate:
* VerbThis: Possibly one of the most famous examples...
-->'''Deadite :''' Hey! I'll swallow your soul! I'll swallow your soul!\\
'''Ash :''' [[PreMortemOneLiner Swallow this!]]
