History Characters / FiveNightsAtFreddysProtagonists

[[folder:The Beta Tester]]
!!Vanessa/[[spoiler:Vanny]]

[[caption-width-right:350: [[labelnote:Click here to see [[spoiler:Vanny]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vanny.png]]]][[/labelnote]]

-->'''Voiced by: Jessica Tang (Help Wanted), Heather Masters (Security Breach), Marta Svetek [[spoiler:(Vanny, Security Breach)]]

The protagonist of ''Help Wanted''. A beta tester for Fazbear Entertainment's Five Nights at Freddy's VR game who finds herself in more danger in the virtual world than the company let on.


She returns in ''Security Breach'' as Head of Security for Fazbear Entertainment's [=PizzaPlex=] [[spoiler:and as Vanny, a brainwashed and/or possessed JackTheRipoff serial killer being forced to kill by Glitchtrap, who took over her mind as a result of the previous game.]]

** Are the therapy tapes all Vannessa's, or are there two different people being assessed? There are several inconsistencies between the tapes, such as Vanessa saying she enjoys the sunshine and flowers only for another tape to claim they have no interest in flowers and prefers the curtains drawn during their therapy sessions. Muddying the issue further is that several of the tapes have no audio from the therapist's patient at all, so it cannot be confirmed that Vanessa is the patient being recorded. Another potential explanation is [[spoiler:the other patient is Glitchtrap possessing Vanessa's body and stating his preferences.]] But that wouldn't account for patient 46 being implied to have a very different body type than Vanessa.

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:In the 2-Star Vanny and 2-Star Fire Escape endings, where she dies. Special mention goes to her death in the 2-Star Vanny Ending, where she gets [[CruelAndUnusualDeath horribly dismembered]] by the S.T.A.F.F. Bots in the same way she ordered them to do to Freddy.]] Of course, this can be considered a subversion considering her Brainwashing or possession at the hands of Afton, if anything making her just another victim.

* BerserkButton: [[spoiler:Vanny]] normally skips like a schoolgirl while pursuing Gregory, but if he pulls out the Faz Blaster and attempts to shoot her, [[https://youtu.be/B7Ofs53h3E8?t=1420 she'll immediately break out into a fast sprint.]]

* {{BFS}}: [[spoiler:Her butcher knife, as seen above. The blade is almost as long as her ''arm''.]] Averted in Princess Quest, where her sword is average-sized.

* CreepyBallet: [[spoiler:If you look closely towards the end of the "State of Play" trailer she appears to do ballet poses before skipping towards the camera. When first approaching the Lost and Found, Vanny]] does perfect plies just after waving to Gregory. Unfortunately, they are just outside the player's sight and cannot be seen without glitches.

* DeathGlare: Her JumpScare has her give the mother-of-all glares as she shines a flashlight in Gregory's face.
* DemonicPossession: Suggested, given Afton displays the ability to possess animatronics at the very least and Vanny is described as a "reluctant" helper. [[spoiler:She also wears a similar suit to Afton's Glitchtrap appearance, also a rabbit's.]]
* DisneyVillainDeath: One ''Security Breach'' ending has her ambush Gregory at the rooftop's fire escape, [[spoiler:but Freddy tackles her off the edge before she can harm him.]]
* DissonantSerenity: The gameplay and state of play trailers of ''Security Breach'' show that she has a habit of skipping and dancing throughout the Pizzaplex [[spoiler:[[WouldHurtAChild as she hunts down Gregory]].]]

* DroneOfDread: An ominous droning sound plays in the background whenever [[spoiler:Vanny is on patrol.]]

* EarnYourHappyEnding: If you manage to find and beat all three Princess Quest arcade machines in ''Security Breach'' [[FightingFromTheInside (which are heavily implied to be depicting Vanessa's attempts to fight off Glitchtrap's influence on her psyche)]], the ending that follows will show her [[spoiler:waiting for Gregory at the Pizzaplex entrance holding the exit door open, suggesting that after however many years of [[MindRape mental torture]] Glitchtrap put her through, she's finally free. Bonus points for the final ending slide depicting her, Gregory and Glamrock Freddy (well, his decapitated-but-still-sentient head, anyway) [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments eating ice cream and peacefully watching the sunrise together.]]]]
* EnemyWithin: [[spoiler:Vanny]] is a split personality of Vanessa created by Glitchtrap's mental reprogramming of her mind; by herself Vanessa is something of a GlurgeAddict who is rather unfriendly when frustrated, but otherwise a [[PunchClockVillain normal security guard who genuinely just wants to help Gregory get out of the Pizzaplex]].
* FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon: The emails describe her as a GlurgeAddict who wears [[MulticoloredHair rainbow hair extensions]], and [[DoggedNiceGuy Luis]] comments on her attractiveness in-universe. [[spoiler:That doesn't change [[BrainwashedAndCrazy her dangerousness]]. Subverted in that this is because of Glitchtrap's influence;]] at her ''natural'' worst, Vanessa is just kind of grumpy.

* FauxAffablyEvil: In the teaser trailer, she speaks to Gregory in a polite way despite her true intentions. [[spoiler:Her default walk cycle as the killer is her happily skipping while in full costume.]] When she finds Gregory inside the Lost and Found she takes a moment to wave through the window before entering. Looks like she picked up more than a few things from Afton.

* {{Foil}}: Surprisingly, to Elizabeth. [[spoiler:Both are female villains who happen to work in favor of William Afton. Additionally, both Elizabeth and Vanessa, Vanny's implied guard persona, have blonde hair and green eyes. There's also a chance that Vanny [[AmbiguouslyRelated is an Afton]], which is confirmed for Elizabeth. However, while Elizabeth is a long-dead child possessing an animatronic, Vanny is a still-living adult woman who happens to be BrainwashedAndCrazy.]]

* GenkiGirl: PlayedForHorror. [[spoiler:Vanny's default walk circle is a merry skip, her voice is reasonably light, and many of her motions are on the theatrical side. However, given [[WouldHurtAChild the context]], it comes off more as FauxAffablyEvil,]] especially since Vanessa normally does not act like this.
* GoodIsNotNice: Vanessa is pretty rough when it comes to talking to Gregory and Freddy, however the most she does is lock Gregory in an office (and judging at how they never arrive, her threat about his parents or the police coming is an empty one), and for Freddy, she leaves him in a repair area, in a fixable state. After both these events she's an active enemy, but one that's far less lethal than [[spoiler:Vanny (a distinctly separate personality)]] or the animatronics.

* GlurgeAddict: It's implied her true personality fits the super-sweet GirlyGirl variety. Luis mentions that she likes things like cupcake recipes, glittery pink notebooks with pictures of puppies, [[MulticoloredHair rainbow hair extensions]], flowers, and bees. [[spoiler:This only makes her [[NightmareFuelStationAttendant erratic Internet history]] more concerning.]]
* HairRaisingHare: [[spoiler:She continues Afton's motif of [[AnimalMotifs rabbit-themed]] villainy.]]
* HeroAntagonist: {{Subverted|trope}}; when she first appears in ''Security Breach'', Vanessa is working in a security guard position just like the playable characters of past installments, and [[TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse nothing about her looks particularly off]]. Gregory doesn't elaborate why he's so apprehensive about her, leading the player to believe the worst she could do is report him to his parents or the police (which she even states as such after capturing him the first time). Even Freddy initially believes that Vanessa would help Gregory out, but nonetheless lies to her at Gregory's insistence. Over the course of the game, it becomes clear that [[spoiler:[[FauxAffablyEvil this was all a facade]]: not only is she the same MalevolentMaskedWoman attempting to murder Gregory, but also the one who programmed the animatronics to do the same.]] She's also a RogueProtagonist, being very heavily implied in the Princess Quest minigames to have been the protagonist of ''Help Wanted''.
* InterfaceScrew: In ''Security Breach'' being near [[spoiler:Vanny]] will distort and screw with your vision, becoming more intense the closer she is. If your vision starts to get trippy, it's a sign she's nearby and you need to hide.
* JackTheRipoff: [[sppoiler:An odd variant of this: she's copying Afton's MO to some extent, but it's been established that she's been working with what amounts to his VirtualGhost, implicitly [[BrainwashedAndCrazy not entirely of her free will]]. It's implied she has murdered at least nine victims by the time ''Security Breach'' takes place.]]
* JekyllAndHyde: The relationship between Vanessa, the blonde nightguard, and [[spoiler:Vanny, the psychotic killer.]] Luis mentions in a later email that it feels like there are two different sides of her: the kind, positive GirlyGirl and the NightmareFuelStationAttendant interested in ColdBloodedTorture.

* KnifeNut: [[spoiler:A large butcher knife appears to be her weapon of choice, as seen in the above image.]] Worth mentioning is that a later ''Special Delivery'' email has a supervisor harshly remind employees to keep the office kitchen clean and organized, as the kitchen rules hadn't been followed recently. Combined with the fact that the knife appears to be the kind you'd find in a kitchen setting, this seems to suggest she took it out from there, leaving a mess in the process.
* LegacyCharacter: [[spoiler:Afton forces Vanessa to wear a rabbit costume similar to his own appearance as Glitchtrap as Vanny.]]
* MalevolentMaskedWoman: [[spoiler:She wears a mascot-like rabbit mask and matching suit, with lots of visible crude stitching on both.]] Her EasterEgg in ''Help Wanted'' indicates she made it herself.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: For the most part, Vanessa is a normal human being [[spoiler:wearing a rabbit costume like Glitchtrap.]] Yet for whatever reason, whenever [[spoiler:Vanny]] draws near Gregory, she causes a severe InterfaceScrew, especially as she closes in. Bear in mind that it's not outright stated how she can do this, and Gregory's a normal human child, so it's ambiguous as to what's really happening.

* MeaningfulName: [[spoiler:"Vanny"]] is a mix of "Vanessa" and "Bunny", as pointed out by Glamrock Freddy.

* NeverTrustATrailer: The game's PS5 gameplay trailer suggests that the security guard would be an ally, even promising that she would get Gregory out of there in a reassuring voice. In the actual game Vanessa acts only as another patrolling enemy and spends the entire time seemingly unaware that the animatronics are out to get him. [[spoiler:When she's not out to kill him herself at least.]]
* NightmareFace: [[spoiler:Much like Glitchtrap, [[NonStandardCharacterDesign she's not an animatronic]]: but what you find of her in her first appearance (in the "Curse of Dreadbear" Halloween DLC from ''Help Wanted'') is a rabbit mask with similarly huge, lifeless ([[RedEyesTakeWarning and red]]) eyes and a ''very'' unsettling [[SlasherSmile rictus grin]], fixed into a permanent DeathGlare. Her JumpScare in ''Security Breach'''s teaser trailer shows that [[GlowingEyesOfDoom her eyes glow]], and the mask also has very crude, organic-looking stitches and skin graft-like patchwork across it.]]

* NoSell: {{Zigzagged|Trope}} with the stun weapons in ''Security Breach''. Vanessa will react predictably to getting a bright light shined in her eyes, but [[spoiler:Vanny just gets mad and will make a mad dash at Gregory.]]
* NothingNiceAboutSugarAndSpice: Some of the emails imply that she likes conventionally [[GirlyGirl "girly"]] things like cupcake recipes, hair extensions, flowers, and glittery pink journals with puppies on them. She is also represented as a princess in a minigame, is shown [[FauxAffablyEvil skipping]] down a hallway in the gameplay trailer, and in her nightguard uniform as Vanessa, wears dark [[ColorMotifs purple]] nail polish. [[spoiler:None of these changes the fact that she's a servant of Glitchtrap (albeit not willingly).]]
* PunnyName: Glamrock Freddy notes that [[spoiler:Vanny's]] name sounds similar to Vanessa... and the less obvious "bunny." He declares that this cannot be a coincidence.

* RedEyesTakeWarning: [[spoiler:Her mask has red glowing eyes.]]

* ScaryStitches: [[spoiler:Vanny's]] costume has very crude, almost organic-looking stitching across her entire body, with different-textured patterns in certain places that are highly reminiscent of skin grafts. Not only does it make it abundantly clear that she made said outfit herself, but it also brings to mind [[Literature/{{Frankenstein}} another violent, stitched-together creature in an undead-like form]].
* SillyWalk: [[spoiler:Vanny]] normally skips happily around the Pizzaplex, but when she finds Gregory she raises her arms and shakes them comically while running.
* SoftSpokenSadist: [[spoiler:Her voice lines thus far tend to use a softer speaking voice.]]

** The ending where [[spoiler:Vanny is pushed off the rooftop ends on a perplexing stinger of Vanessa still standing on top of the burning building, looking down at Gregory and the dead Vanny with a broken gaze.]]
* TokenHuman: Vanessa is notable in that she is the first, and so far only, (living) human character presented as a direct threat, complete with not just one JumpScare, but [[spoiler:two (one as the guard, the other as the masked killer).]]

** In the "Disassemble" Ending, [[spoiler:Vanny has complete control of the S.T.A.F.F. bots and effortlessly has them destroy Freddy, but instead of doing the same thing to Gregory, she leaves the control for them casually laying around in her hideout, where Gregory can easily turn the bots against her. Needless to say, she meets her end [[HoistByTheirOwnPetard via the same method]].]]
** In the Fire Escape Ending, instead of attempting to leave the burning mall and cut her losses, [[spoiler:she makes one last attempt to get Gregory, despite the fact she knows Freddy has been following and protecting him the whole time. As such, it's somewhat unsurprising that when Freddy sees his friend in danger, he sacrifices himself to kill her and save Gregory.]]

* WelcomeToCorneria: [[spoiler:Vanny spams one line incessantly so much it puts Monty to shame.]]
--->[[spoiler:'''Vanny''': Are you having fun yet?]]

* WouldHurtAChild: [[spoiler:Like Afton, she goes after children.]]

** Are the therapy tapes all Vannessa's, or are there two different people being assessed? There are several inconsistencies between the tapes, such as Vanessa saying she enjoys the sunshine and flowers only for another tape to claim she has no interest in flowers and prefers the curtains drawn during her therapy sessions. Muddying the issue further is that several of the tapes have no audio from the therapist's patient at all, so it cannot be confirmed that Vanessa is the patient being recorded. Another potential explanation is [[spoiler:the other patient is Glitchtrap possessing Vanessa's body and stating his preferences.]]

[[folder:Gregory]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gregory_21.png]]

->'''Voiced by:''' Marta Svetek

The protagonist of ''Security Breach'', Gregory is a young boy who happens to be in the Pizzaplex after hours. Usually, this would be a dream come true for most children. Unfortunately, he's not there willingly, but instead trapped inside the building after it closed for maintenance. It doesn't help that there happens to be [[JackTheRipoff a certain someone]] and her hacked animatronics out to find him...

* TroublingUnchildhoodBehavior: Gregory sees nothing wrong with the idea of damaging the other three Glamrocks in order to take their upgrades to install into his new friend Freddy, even justifying it by saying they "deserved it" for the trouble they caused them. Keep in mind the Glamrocks are not just lovable mascots gone haywire, but on some level, capable of feeling emotional pain, making it the robotic equivalent of OrganTheft. Not only that, but it's made clear throughout the story that they're very dear to Freddy, who has been steadily forming a bond with Gregory… who has also been lying to him about their demise. [[spoiler:The one-star ending gives a [[HomelessHero possible reason]] for his apparent ruthlessness.]]

* BadassNormal: Gregory is nothing but a street kid yet manages to survive and even heavily damage four killer animatronics and [[spoiler:two serial killers]] chasing him with his own smarts and wits.

** To all the previous player characters, in fact, most of whom were helpless security guard adults whose jobs involve dealing with the animatronics. Gregory is not only a child, but is homeless and jobless and can fight back against his tormentors and is trying to escape.

* ContrastingSequelProtagonist: To the Crying Child. Both are [[KidHero child protagonists]] in a franchise full of adult employees of Fazbear Entertainment, who are prominently associated with a variant of Freddy. Gregory's clothes even look like The Crying Child's with a different color scheme. However, while the Crying Child had the Fredbear Plush guide and was terrified of the animatronics, Gregory is under the protection of an actual animatronic. The Crying Child was a helpless kid and implied to be somewhat of a wuss, while Gregory is much more savvy and able to defend himself.

* InformedFlaw: Freddy states that Gregory is "broken" and needs to be taken to the medical area, but not only does Gregory not get any treatment, he's shown by all indicators to be perfectly fine and functional. [[spoiler:Given that one ending reveals that Gregory is homeless, this could be a sign that Freddy can sense that Gregory is 'hurt' in ways that he isn't used to detecting...like malnourishment.]]

* ProtagonistWithoutAPast: Apart from his name we know virtually ''nothing'' about Gregory. It's never revealed where he comes from, where his parents are (if he even ''has'' parents), and how exactly he got kidnapped by Vanny. The game begins InMediasRes, with him already on the run from Vanny, and mutliple characters remark on him having little personal records or even a guest profile, making him as big of a mystery as the [=PizzaPlex=] itself. One that is never really resolved, no less. [[spoiler:The one star ending suggests that he may have been [[HomelessHero living on the streets]].]]

** If the player chooses to persue Vanny but didn't play the Princess Quests games beforehand, Gregory will witness Freddy being torn apart by the security bots, [[spoiler:Vanny go through the same treatment (keep in mind she is ''human'')]], and can only cry as Freddy shuts down for good.

* ParentalAbandonment: Nothing is known about Gregory's past, but his parents' whereabouts are unknown. All we know, is that they aren't around, and Gregory had to fend for himself for quite some time until he met Freddy. [[spoiler:Their non-presence seems like an ongoing state, given what happens in the Bad End.]]
* ProtagonistWithoutAPast: Apart from his name we know virtually ''nothing'' about Gregory. It's never revealed where he comes from, where his parents are (if he even ''has'' parents), and how exactly he got kidnapped by Vanny. The game begins InMediasRes, with him already on the run from Vanny, and mutliple characters remark on him having little personal records or even a guest profile, making him as big of a mystery as the [=PizzaPlex=] itself. One that is never really resolved, no less. [[spoiler:The one star ending suggests that he may have been [[HomelessHero living on the streets]].]]

* InformedFlaw: Freddy states that Gregory is "broken" and needs to be taken to the medical area, but not only does Gregory not get any treatment, he's shown by all indicators to be perfectly fine and functional.

* ParentalAbandonment: Nothing is known about Gregory's past, but his parents' whereabouts are unknown. All we know, is that they aren't around, and Gregory had to fend for himself for quite some time until he met Freddy.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Gregory might have a [[BrattyHalfPint bratty streak]] and has no qualms maiming animatronics (and hide it from Freddy, who cares about his friends) to get to his ends, but he has his heart in the right place: he truly cares about Freddy, whom he sees as a father figure, and can [[IChooseToStay choose to stay in the Pizzaplex after 6 A.M. if it means other children will stop disappearing and stop an end to Vanny's actions once and for all.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Gregory might have a [[BrattyHalfPint bratty streak]] and has no qualms maiming animatronics (and hide it from Freddy, who cares about his friends) to get to his ends, but he has his heart in the right place: he truly cares about Freddy, whom he sees as a father figure, and can [[IChooseToStay choose to stay in the Pizzaplex after [=6AM=]]] if it means other children will stop disappearing and stop an end to this once and for all.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Gregory might have a [[BrattyHalfPint bratty streak]] and has no qualms maiming animatronics (and hide it from Freddy, who cares about his friends) to get to his ends, he has his heart in the right place: he truly cares about Freddy, whom he sees as a father figure, and can [[IChooseToStay choose to stay in the Pizzaplex after [=6AM=]]] if it means other children will stop disappearing and stop an end to this once and for all.

** It’s possible he was referring to the cut on Gregory’s cheek, [[JustifiedTrope and as a robot, he likely doesn’t have context for how severe any given injury would be on a human]]. Looking in the game's files shows cut and changed dialogue of Gregory cutting his arm and Freddy noticing he's bleeding.

** It’s possible he was referring to the cut on Gregory’s cheek, [[JustifiedTrope and as a robot, he likely doesn’t have context for how severe any given injury would be on a human]].

* StrongerThanTheyLook: He might be a kid, he is still able to stun a 500 pound animatronic with a few kicks to the face.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gregory_4.png]]

* HeroicMime: They don't really say much. Even when murderous animatronics are screaming in their faces.

[[/folder]]

[[center:[-[[Characters/FiveNightsAtFreddys Main Page]]\\
''[[Characters/FiveNightsAtFreddysWilliamAfton William Afton]]''\\
'''Main Series:'''\\
'''''First Generation Animatronics''''' | ''[[Characters/FiveNightsAtFreddysSecondGeneration Second Generation Animatronics]]'' | ''[[Characters/FiveNightsAtFreddysThirdGeneration Third Generation Animatronics]]'' | ''[[Characters/FiveNightsAtFreddysFourthGeneration Fourth Generation Animatronics]]'' | ''[[Characters/FiveNightsAtFreddysFifthGeneration Fifth Generation Animatronics]]'' | ''[[Characters/FiveNightsAtFreddysSixthGeneration Sixth Generation Animatronics]]'' | ''[[Characters/FiveNightsAtFreddysVRGeneration VR Generation Animatronics]]'' | ''[[Characters/FiveNightsAtFreddysSeventhGeneration Seventh Generation Animatronics]]''\\
'''Spinoffs:'''\\
''[[Characters/FiveNightsAtFreddysAdventureCharacters Adventure Characters]]''\\
'''Books:'''\\
''[[Characters/FiveNightsAtFreddysTheSilverEyes Silver Eyes Continuity]]'' | ''[[Characters/FiveNightsAtFreddysFrightGeneration Fright Generation]]'']]-]

* TheFaceless: {{Averted}}. He's on the game's poster, you can see his face in reflections, and he'll appear in the endings.

[[folder:In general]]
Most of the protagonists are just some schmucks that wanted to make some minimum wage. Unfortunately for them, they chose the wrong place to night watch. With only the tools at hand, some nerves of steel, and a strange persistent to come back every night, these night guards have to survive five nights at minimum to get their paycheck. Since The Child and Charlotte are so different from the night-guards, they aren't included in this folder.