History Characters / HaloSpartanIIProgram

* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Halsey specifically picked people who would have been extraordinary even if they ''never'' had become Spartans; this is borne out by what we see during boot camp, with the prepubescent trainees already capable of killing their adult trainers in one-on-one engagements.

* ImprobableAimingSkills: Taken UpToEleven, even for a Spartan; she once sniped two targets so fast that John had no idea who she shot first, and took out a bunch of Banshees by sniping out their pilots while hanging upside down and firing one-handed. Fred and John have both noted that she makes sniping an art.

* CompressedHair: How does she fit [[http://www.halopedia.org/File:Cal-141%283%29.jpg all that]] RapunzelHair into her helmet?

* BaldOfAwesome: Has a completely shaved head, and is a badass Spartan, after all.

!!'''Petty Officer Second Class Samuel-034'''

* MommasBoy: During a mission to rescue Dr. Halsey on Reach, Halsey and Jorge treat each other like a mother and her son. He even calls her "Mom" when he meets her, d'aww...

* MommasBoy: During a mission to rescue Dr. Halsey on Reach, Halsey and Jorge treat each other like a mother and her son.

* AndTheAdventureContinues: In the non-canon ''Halo Infinite'' event "Fractures: Tenrai", rather than killing him, the slipspace drive detonation sent him hurtling into another universe where he helped the warring {{Samurai}} clans of a ScienceFantasy Imperial Court fight their universe's version of the Covenant.

->'''Portrayed by: Bokeem Woodbine'''

* DangerousDeserter: [[spoiler:After his attempt to join the Insurrection fails]], he ends up becoming a privateer operating in the fringes of human space.

* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler:Soren disappears into the woods of Reach at the end of 2009's ''Pariah'']], and his fate would remain unknown until it was revealed in 2019 that he had become a privateer.

* MoreSeniorSubordinate: Frederic-104 is a Lieutenant, Junior Grade, making him the [[SuperSoldier Spartan-II]] with the highest military rank and the only one to be an actual officer. However, since he'd already gotten used to following John's orders for roughly three decades by the time of his promotion, he continues to defer to the Chief whenever the two are on the same team.
* NumberTwo: Even after becoming a lieutenant, he prefers to defer to John's command, despite being higher-ranked.

* MoreSeniorSubordinate: Frederic-104 is a Lieutenant, Junior Grade, making him the [[SuperSoldier Spartan-II]] with the highest military rank and the only one to be an actual officer. However, whenever the lower-ranked Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, a.k.a. [[TheHero "Master Chief"]], is on the same team, Fred always follows his orders.

* ForgottenFallenFriend: Subverted, as he's rarely mentioned after his death even by John and Kelly, but that seems to be more due to the Spartans' stoic and professional natures, as he clearly leaves a hole in their lives that never really gets filled. In the animated adaptation of ''The Fall of Reach,'' Blue Team visit a glassed Reach over two decades after his death to honor him, and it's noted in ''Literature/HaloGhostsOfOnyx'' that John resisted replacing Sam's vacant spot on Blue Team for several years before finally filling it with Kurt. ''VideoGame/HaloInfinite'' marks he first time Sam is mentioned in a video game; [[spoilers:his name and number are used as the code for the Weapon's deletion routine]].

* ForgottenFallenFriend: Subverted, as he's rarely mentioned after his death even by John and Kelly, but that seems to be more due to the Spartans' stoic and professional natures, as he clearly leaves a hole in their lives that never really gets filled. In the animated adaptation of ''The Fall of Reach,'' Blue Team visit a glassed Reach over two decades after his death to honor him, and it's noted in ''Literature/HaloGhostsOfOnyx'' that John resisted replacing Sam's vacant spot on Blue Team for several years before finally filling it with Kurt.

* OutOfFocus: Spends most of ''Bloodline'' away from the action; she's also the only one not involved in the rest of the team's LoveTriangle, and so gets the least backstory. She gets to be the protagonist of ''Blunt Instruments'' to make up for it, though.

* {{Asexuality}}: A side-effect of the augmentation process is a suppressed sex drive.

* CelibateHero: One of the possible side effects of the augmentations was for the Spartans to have a moderately reduced sex drive. However, we know at least of two who've at least tried to have kids; Maria-062 and Randall-037, [[spoiler:with the latter actually succeeding]]. Most [=IIs=], however, seem to tend towards {{Asexuality}}.
** Note there were at least a few romantic relationships between the trainees pre-augmentation, but those feelings seem to have mostly dissipated afterwards. [[spoiler:At least except for Victor-101, whose suppressed feelings led to him subconsciously creating FakeMemories.]]

* TheWorfEffect: While this trope applies to Red Team as a whole for Atriox's introduction, Douglas bears the brunt of it. He's an experienced Spartan-II who's more than proven his worth in the first game, yet he's critically injured in a one-sided battle and his comrades have to flee, dragging his broken body with them, establishing just how dangerous the Banished leader is.

* FieldPromotion: Is a Senior Chief Petty Officer at the start of ''Halo Wars'', but after the end of ''Halo Wars 2''[='s=] main campaign, Captain Cutter gives him the acting rank of Commander.

* DueTheDead: [[spoiler: Daisy's body is found by John-117 who closes her eyes and puts her teddy bear keychain in her hands]].

* ShoutOut: may possibly be one to Samus Aran from the ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'' series. Visually speaking, the two are strikingly similar, with blue eyes, blonde hair, and a similarly shaped face. Daisy also makes use of a red CQB helmet, itself very similar to Samus’s own helmet. She even gets a SamusIsAGirl moment, as it’s only revealed that she’s a woman after kicking plenty of covenant ass.

* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: Despite the spelling, his name is pronounced as "George". During his cameo as a young conscript in the ''Fall Of Reach'' animated series, a DrillSergeantNasty calls him "Hor-HAY", which is the Spanish reading of his name. When he corrects the sergeant on the pronunciation, he gets hit with a shock baton for talking back, and the sergeant calls him "Hor-HAY" again.

* NotSoDifferent: He realizes this about himself and Thon after finding out that they both care deeply about their siblings, blood-related or otherwise.

* MommasBoy: During a mission to rescue Dr. Halsey on Reach, Halsey and Jorge treat each other like a mother and her son. Jorge even referring to her as "mom".

!!'''John-117'''
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cf_chief_inf_render_f64f9b1d9b7b4a2c8d5b45240c24b91e_8.png]]
->'''Homeworld:''' Eridanus II (Elysium City)
->'''Birthdate:''' March 7, 2511
->'''Debuted in:''' ''Literature/HaloTheFallOfReach''
->'''Voiced and portrayed in English by:''' Creator/SteveDownes (games, ''Literature/HaloTheFallOfReach'' as adult John), Creator/DavidWald (''Anime/HaloLegends''), Alex Puccinelli / Daniel Cudmore (''Film/Halo4ForwardUntoDawn''), Cole Jensen (''Halo: The Fall of Reach'' as child John), Damien C. Haas (''Halo: The Fall of Reach'' as teenage John)
->'''Voiced in Latin-American Spanish by:''' Eduardo Bulnes (''VideoGame/Halo2''), Jesús Hernández (''Halo Legends''), Jorge Riveros (''Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn''), Raúl Anaya (''VideoGame/Halo3''-present)
->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Atsuki Tani (original trilogy), Creator/RikiyaKoyama (''VideoGame/Halo4''-present)

->''"Thought I'd try shooting my way out. Mix things up a little."''

You probably know him better as the [[PlayerCharacter Master Chief.]]

AsYouKnow, John-117, more commonly known as Sierra-117 or, as stated above, the Master Chief, is the main player character and a central figure in the story's mythology. A SilentProtagonist outside of cutscenes (until ''Halo 4''), the Chief is the leader of the [=SPARTAN-II=]s, a group of OneManArmy {{Space Marine}}s serving in the [[OneWorldOrder United Nations Space Command]]. The [=SPARTANs=], equipped with BioAugmentation, DeflectorShields and PoweredArmor, were created to fight human rebels making trouble for the UNSC, but once the Covenant showed up they took to that fight without complaint. As of ''VideoGame/Halo5Guardians'', he is one of the few surviving members of the SPARTAN-II program.

* TheAce: Subverted. He may seem like TheAce, and is when among non Spartans, given his skills and accomplishments, but it's explicitly stated by Cortana that [[JackOfAllStats he was never the best Spartan in any field of his training]], and his physical and mental capabilities are not extraordinary by SPARTAN-II standards. What makes him special is his leadership ability and [[BornLucky unnaturally high luck]], which translates into the ability to survive and accomplish the impossible by sheer chance, making him ''look'' like TheAce in action. One thing he does seem possessed of, besides luck, is a practically unstoppable [[TheDeterminator determination]] even by Spartan standards; if he makes a promise, he will do everything in his power to ''keep'' that promise, Covenant, Flood, and even ONI itself be damned.
* AceCustom: Subverted. Compared to many of the other Spartans encountered throughout the series, who take varying levels of advantage of the myriad different variants of the MJOLNIR armor and their modular components, and wear all sorts of different colors, Master Chief's armor is a bog-standard army green variant with no mods.
* AcePilot: All Spartans are cleared on all UNSC vehicles including air and spacecraft. In ''Halo 4'' [[spoiler:the Chief flies a Broadsword fighter though Didact's ship while it's flying through Slipspace]]. Given his augmented reflexes, this is probably justified.
* ActionHero: He's a soldier, this is a given.
* AmbiguousDisorder: By the time of ''Halo 4'' and ''5'', the Chief is showing some signs of PTSD from losing people he cares about during his very long military career.
* TheAntiChrist: Overall, the Covenant view Spartans as "Demons", but the Master Chief is another whole level of scary for them, often being referred to as ''[[SpellMyNameWithAThe The]]'' Demon.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: The highest-ranking Spartan-[=II=] ([[spoiler:except for Lieutenant-Commander Kurt-051, eventual Lieutenant Junior Grade Fred-104, and Chief Warrant Officer Grade 5 Jorge-052]]) and arguably the best.
* BackToBackBadasses: With [[spoiler:the Arbiter]] in ''VideoGame/Halo3''.
* BadassBaritone: Courtesy of Steve Downes.
* BadassBoast: Several, such as [[VideoGame/Halo2 "To give the Covenant back their bomb"]] and [[VideoGame/Halo3 "Finishing this fight"]].
* BadassInCharge: As a Master Chief Petty Officer he was the ranking Spartan-II.
* BadassInDistress: In the climax of ''Halo 5'', [[spoiler:he and the rest of Blue Team are captured by Cortana, who intends to seal them away for 10,000 years while she conquers the galaxy. The final level involves Fireteam Osiris' efforts to rescue them.]]
* BerserkButton: Even suggesting harming Cortana can send him in a very bad mood. [[spoiler: This eventually comes back to bite him in the ass before he realizes Cortana's FaceHeelTurn.]]
* BlindObedience: His chief flaw (no pun intended) is that he has a strong preference for taking orders from others, and rarely makes decisions on a strategic level. His lowest point in this regard is in ''Combat Evolved'', in which he trusts 343 Guilty Spark to the point of calling him a "friend" solely because it knows how to stop the Flood, and in the process almost wipes out all life in the galaxy.
* BornLucky: According to Cortana, this is the reason she picked him over the other Spartan-[=IIs=]. It's also strongly implied that this is the big difference between John and the equally skilled Spartan-III Noble Six.
* BreakTheBadass: [[spoiler:The end of ''VideoGame/Halo4'' shows the strain of a long war and the loss of many people who were close to him (especially Cortana) has had a detrimental effect on the Chief. The opening cutscene even has Halsey's interrogator pointing that Spartans are so psychologically damaged they can't interact very well with ordinary people, inferring that John ''had'' to be broken to become the badass he became. The signs were visible even before that, as there are several moments in the game where the Chief just sounds... ''Tired''.]] In ''Halo 5'', his hands are ''shaking.'' However, even though Blue Team is worried about him, John actually maintains his cool throughout the story.
* ChildhoodMarriagePromise: In ''[[Literature/HaloEvolutions Palace Hotel]]'', [[spoiler:the Chief encounters Parisa, a girl he had known on Eridanus II, who is now a marine. She tells him the story of how she and her friend John had promised to marry each other after he saved her from drowning, but that he died as a child and she still would have held John to that promise. The Chief is unable to bring himself to tell her that it's him, and that the child who had died had been a flash clone created specifically for the purpose of dying "naturally" to cover up ONI kidnapping him for the SPARTAN-II program.]]
* ChildSoldier: All [=SPARTAN-IIs=] started at age six, receiving their augmentations and armor at 14.
* TheComicallySerious: It's fairly subtle, but there's a fair amount of humor derived from the fact that the Chief has only known fighting his entire life, and so he doesn't articulate his more out-there strategies to others particularly well. For examples, see him playfully juggling a grenade in response to Cortana saying that it is possible to manually detonate the Pillar of Autumn's engines in ''Combat Evolved'', or his BluntYes response to Cortana asking if he is serious about his "jump across Liches to reach the Didact's ship" plan in ''Halo 4''.
* ConnectedAllAlong: ''Silent Storm'' reveals he was the one who originally came up with the terms "Drones" and "Elites" for the Yan'me and the Sangheli respectively.
* ConsummateProfessional: Though by the time of ''Halo 4'', [[NotSoStoic he has trouble keeping this up over time]].
* CrazyIsCool: InUniverse, Cortana at least seems to think so.
-->'''Cortana:''' I know what [[RidingTheBomb you're thinking]], and it's crazy.\\
'''John-117:''' So, stay here.\\
'''Cortana:''' Unfortunately for us both, [[InHarmsWay I like crazy]].
* DeadpanSnarker: He has a dry "been-there, done-that" kind of wit, especially in the novels. As for the games, it's best seen in ''Halo 3'', in this quote.
-->'''[[VideoGame/Halo3 John-117:]]''' [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer Thought I'd try shooting my way out...]] [[LampshadeHanging mix things up a little.]]
* {{Determinator}}: Besides his uncanny luck, one personal quality of his is that he ''will not'' give up on something if he promised to do it. To quote a conversation from ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}'':
-->'''Cortana:''' Just one question: [[RidingTheBomb what if you miss]]?\\
'''John-117:''' I ''won't''.
* TheDreaded: To the Covenant, who call him "the Demon" when against him. [[spoiler:The Separatists of the Covenant also acknowledge his prowess, but instead call him the "human champion".]]
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Notable because as of ''Halo 4'', he's even more so than most other Spartans [[spoiler:after being genetically modified to have immunity to Composing]].
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Most people he associates with, especially in the games, only call him "Master Chief", or "Chief" for short, to the point that many players do not even know his actual name. It's to the point that, when Hood notes that he could easily be made an admiral, John notes that "The Admiral" doesn't have quite the same ring to it.
* TheFaceless: It's been a series-long running gag to never show his face; the closest we've gotten are some glimpses of him as a child (in ''Halo 3''[='s=] "Starry Night" trailer, ''Halo 4''[='s=] "Scanned" trailer and prologue, and the visual adaptations of ''The Fall of Reach''), [[spoiler:and a brief shot of the area around his shadowed-out eyes in the Legendary ending of ''Halo 4'']]. The novels give a few vague descriptions of his physical appearance, but even the animated adaptation of ''The Fall of Reach'' only fully shows his face from ages six to fourteen.
* FamedInStory:
** His legend spreads from the [=ODSTs=] that knew about him beating four of their own in a gym without breaking a sweat, to his tales throughout the UNSC about him and his men defeating the Covenant, and even to the Covenant hating him with ([[WorthyOpponent grudgingly respectful]]) passion for the destruction of the first Halo ring.
** Subverted in ''Halo 3''[='s=] "Believe" ad campaign. While he is honored as the savior of the human race, the battle depicted there is non-canon. WildMassGuessing and fanon consider it a massive ONI cover-up campaign to hide the truth about, y'know, [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt all life in the entire galaxy nearly ending and all that.]] It's hinted the true story is known, however, by the "117" scratched in the monument.
* AFatherToHisMen: The Chief cares a lot about not just his fellow Spartans, but also any soldier that follows him into battle. ''Combat Evolved'' features him comforting a Marine fearful of death in his lifepod, and is later clearly saddened after watching Jenkins' ApocalypticLog. The ''Collateral Damage'' comic shows that this even extends to a group of Insurrectionists who decide to put their differences aside and fight alongside the UNSC; [[spoiler:he displays TranquilFury over being forced to pointlessly leave them behind to die]].
** Even those who have already died get treated with tremendous respect by The Chief. While floating through space during Halo Infinite he's noticeably gentle with the bodies of dead UNSC Marines while he's happy to throw covenant bodies around like ragdolls. It's to the point that he actually hesitates to take an assault rifle from a dead Marine still strapped into a warhog.
* FireForgedFriends:
** To Sergeant Johnson judging from their casual attitudes with each other, the two having fought by each other's sides through hell and back. [[spoiler: Johnson's demise clearly shakes Chief up pretty badly even if he manages to hide it under his stoic demeanor, to the point where he was even willing to carry his mortally wounded body out the Halo.]]
** ''Especially'' with Cortana over the course of their history together, to the point where even suggesting to damage her or separate them is enough to piss him off and outright disobey orders. [[spoiler: Even with her imminent rampancy, her ascension to villainy, he's still too attached to her to consider letting her go.]]
** He and Thel 'Vadam AKA the Arbiter became loyal allies over the course of Halo 3, with Chief quickly dropping his distrust of the Elite after some time fighting together and the two help watch each other's back. This culminates in the level 'The Covenant', with the duo [[BackToBackBadasses backed against each other]] as the Flood closes in, and just earlier [[TakeMyHand Chief had even grabbed Arbiter by the hand while hanging off Johnson's Pelican]] so they can try to escape together. The feeling is mutual too, judging from the Arbiter's bold infiltration of High Charity AKA Flood HQ to rescue Chief in the single player version of the mission 'Cortana', and his comments in the introduction of Halo 2 Anniversary.
* FirstNameBasis: With Blue Team, Dr. Halsey, [[spoiler:and Cortana by the end of ''Halo 3''.]] Locke only calls him "117".
* GeniusBruiser: He didn't reach Master Chief Petty Officer by brawn alone.
* HappilyAdopted: Abducted, actually, but he seems pretty content with how the military raised him.
* TheHero: He is humanity's hero.
* HeroicMime: Aside from cutscenes in the games (and averted in the novels and other ExpandedUniverse). Averted from ''Halo 4'' onward.
* HopeBringer: The moment he shows up, pretty much all UNSC personnel fall in behind him and know their chances of survival just shot up by 1000%.
* HumbleHero: He tries to stay out of the spotlight, seeming uncomfortable with attention. In [[WordOfGod the words of Bungie artist Eddie Smith]]:
-->He's pretty much the {{consummate professional}}. He does his job, walks off, [[DidNotGetTheGirl doesn't even get the girl]], he's that cool he doesn't need her.
* HurtingHero: He doesn't let it show much, but losing so many of his fellow Spartan-[=IIs=], friends like [[spoiler:Johnson]], and finally [[spoiler:Cortana]] has taken a toll on him. John just has no idea how to really express his pain.
* IGaveMyWord: In ''VideoGame/Halo2'', he promises he'll bring Cortana back from [[TheMothership High Charity]] when he can. He [[StormingTheCastle fulfills that promise]] in ''VideoGame/Halo3.''
-->'''John-117:''' You know me. When I make a promise...\\
'''Cortana:''' You... keep it... I ''do'' know how to pick 'em.\\
'''John-117:''' Lucky me.
* ILetGwenStacyDie: [[spoiler:Blames himself for not getting Cortana to safety after promising to do so.]]
* ImNotAHeroIm: He feels that one should never be honored or considered a hero for doing their duty. You're only a hero if you go above and beyond your duty. Everything he does, he merely considers his duty.
* TheImmune: [[spoiler:In Mission 5 of ''VideoGame/Halo4'', the memories of the Librarian give John immunity to [[PainfulTransformation Composing]].]]
* ItsRainingMen:
** It's almost a running gag that the Chief takes ridiculous plunges without a parachute or jetpack, to the point that Johnson lampshades it in the prologue to ''3''.
--->'''Johnson:''' Crazy fool. Why do you always jump? One of these days you're going to land on something just as stubborn as you are.
** Taken even further in ''4'' when he has to get to the [[spoiler:Didact's ship]]. He jumps off the tower and lands on a Lich, stabbing it to stay on.
--->'''John:''' Track those Liches. We can go across them to get to the [[spoiler:Didact's]] ship.\\
'''Cortana:''' Wait. ''Across'' them?!\\
'''John-117:''' Yes.
* JackOfAllTrades: Noted as being great at everything, but not the ''best'' at anything compared to the other Spartan-[=IIs=], except for leadership, courage, and luck.
* TheJuggernaut: From the point of view of the Covenant, (and anybody else who goes up against him, for that matter) John is a quiet, faceless, hyper-lethal, industrially efficient murder machine that destroys anyone and anything that gets between him and his objective. This is especially apparent when John is transported to High Charity, ''the Covenant capital city,'' and with almost no backup manages to annihilate every single threat he encounters as he makes a beeline for Truth.
* JustFriends: [[spoiler:John does not reciprocate Cortana's romantic gestures in ''Halo 5''. Unfortunately, Cortana has gone full {{yandere}}.]]
* LampshadeHanging: At times, he seems well-aware that he's in a first-person shooter, and this continues even in expanded universe material.
** In ''Halo: The Flood'', when he storms the Silent Cartographer.
--->'''Cortana:''' Now all we have to do is find the Silent Cartographer and the map to the Control Room.\\
'''John-117:''' Right. That, and avoid capture in unknown territory, already held by the enemy, with no air support or backup. \\
'''Cortana:''' Do you have a plan?\\
'''John-117:''' Yes. When we get there, I'm going to [[KillEmAll kill every single Covenant soldier I find]].
** As seen below, in Halo: First Strike:
--->'''Cortana''': Can I assume that you have some brutally straightforward yet elegant plan to get us out of this?\\
'''John-117''': [[BluntYes Yes]].
** And in Halo 3: he presents his entire MO in a nutshell:
--->'''Cortana:''' Got an escape plan?\\
'''John-117:''' Thought I'd try shooting my way out. Mix things up a little.
* TheLeader: Of the SPARTAN-[=IIs=], not to mention [[spoiler:Master Chief Petty Officer of the UNSC Navy as of the end of ''Halo 3'', the highest Enlisted rank in the Navy]].
* {{Leitmotif}}: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYqWU4N88E4 The Last Spartan]]" for the Bungie era and "[[https://youtu.be/RzIJV8XrCEI 117]]" for the 343 era.
* LightningBruiser: Like all Spartans, he's damned fast and hits like a truck.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: He and Kelly have been best friends since he was six and she was seven, and this relationship has continued on well into adulthood.
* LivingLegend
* MadeOfIron: The books make it clear that he's kept fighting despite heavy injuries on many occasions. That's not even getting into the one time he dropped into Earth from ''space'' while protected only by his armor and a piece of metal, and not only survived, but was already at 100% mere ''hours'' after landing.
* MessianicArchetype: By the time of ''Halo 3'', he's become something of this to humanity. The ''Believe'' series of promotional ads has many human soldiers of the Human/Covenant War, now weary old veterans, recount the events of the war and talk of Chief as their only hope of salvation, and believe he died in battle whilst also saving humanity, with some soldiers believing that Chief will one day return from wherever he vanished to. In the actual game itself, there are multiple points in which soldiers begin to cheer and their morale is instantly raised when they see that the Master Chief has arrived to help.
* MyGreatestFailure: Curses himself for [[spoiler:his failure to protect Cortana]] in ''Halo 4''.
* NiceGuy: While not overly compassionate, at least among humans, he is amicable and understanding enough for one so stoic towards friends and strangers alike. Even the Arbiter gets his respect after earning it.
* NotSoStoic:
** His professionalism cracks in ''Halo 3'' following [[spoiler:the deaths of Miranda Keyes and Sergeant Johnson.]]
** He cracks throughout ''Halo 4'' as Cortana's [[AIIsACrapshoot condition]] worsens.
* OldSoldier: By the time of ''Halo 5'', John is significantly older and uses outdated equipment compared to the newer Spartan IVs. Despite this, his extensive combat experience still makes him nearly unstoppable.
* OneManArmy: The main ''Halo'' games make it clear he is the reason humanity still breathing after all those alien invasions. His combat prowess is ranked at "Hyper Lethal". The only other Spartan known to achieve this is Noble Six making it clear that even among the other Spartans who were bred to achieve this status, Chief and Six are exceptional cases.
* TheParagon: As outlined in the ''Believe'' Campaign:
-->"He's received the highest commendations for bravery. Countless decorations for honor and selflessness. But Master Chief's greatest achievement reaches far beyond what any medal could ever hope to commemorate. For the men and women of the 26th Century, he is a human embodiment of possibility, the last Spartan standing against an angry tide. This strength of spirit is forged through his legend. Jericho VII. The Battle of Reach. High Charity. Tales rife with sacrifice and courage. Tales that grow, flourish, and inspire. And while he shapes his own history, he in turn shapes the history of all who follow. For no matter what horrors are released upon the day, they cannot match the reply of soldiers emboldened with his spirit, an army of Master Chiefs unto themselves."
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Cortana. They care deeply for each other, almost like a mother and a son-which makes sense, considering Cortana's origins.
* PreAsskickingOneLiner: [[spoiler:In ''Halo 5: Guardians'', the Chief has a small fight with Locke when Osiris encounters Blue Team]].
-->[[spoiler:'''Chief:''' I have a job to do.]]\\
[[spoiler:'''Locke:''' Cortana's our concern now, sir.]]\\
[[spoiler:'''Chief:''' Like ''hell'' she is.]]
* ThePromise: Promises to [[spoiler:rescue Cortana from the Flood]] at the end of ''Halo 2'', and makes good on it in ''Halo 3''.
* TheQuietOne: Even compared to most of the other Spartans. In the games, he didn't get much dialogue at all until ''Halo 4'' allowed him to talk during gameplay. For perspective, he has just twenty lines in the entirety of ''Halo 2'', and he doesn't even speak during two of his levels ("Outskirts" and "Metropolis").
* RedBaron: "The Demon", to the Covenant.
* SealedBadassInACan: How he starts ''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved'', in [[HumanPopsicle cryostasis]]. [[spoiler:[[BookEnds And how he ends]] ''VideoGame/Halo3'', being released again in ''VideoGame/Halo4''.]]
* SergeantRock: Just for reference, the rank of MCPO is equivalent to that of Sergeant Major in the Marine Corps, the second-highest Enlisted rank.
* ShellShockedVeteran: It's taken a very long time to surface thanks to both Chief's mental training and his sheer force of will, but by the time of ''Halo 5'', some cracks are beginning to break through. The Chief has been pushing himself non-stop instead of taking some time off, and in Blue Team's intro cutscene, he can't stop his hands from shaking as he pilots his Pelican; both are telling signs of PTSD. It's telling that he contemplates his helmet far longer than necessary. [[https://aminoapps.com/c/halo/page/blog/john-117-master-chief-psychological-analysis/454d_kTYu2n03DvWPV7aP86n44m68Jr2W There's been psychological analysis on this.]]
* ShutUpHannibal: One that really shows Chief is a HurtingHero by ''5'':
-->'''Cortana:''' I'm offering people a chance to be more than they are naturally.\\
'''Chief:''' Like Doctor Halsey did for me.
* SimpleYetAwesome: Though all the Spartans are very apt at tactical planning, the Chief tends to prefer simple plans that play to the strengths of himself and his Spartans.
** This exchange from ''Literature/HaloFirstStrike'' sums it up:
--->'''Cortana:''' Can I assume that you have some brutally straightforward yet elegant plan to get us out of this?\\
'''John-117:''' [[BluntYes Yes]].
** Perhaps the best example is in ''Halo 5'', when Blue Team has a very simple way of dealing with a group of sword-wielding Elites when hurtling towards an Alliance ship they're occupying: shoot the reinforced window with a hurricane of gunfire to burst through it, then allow ExplosiveDecompression to handle the rest as they remain stationary with jetpacks and gravity boots.
* SpecialPersonNormalName: Humanity's greatest hero, John.
* TheStoic: Generally maintains a quiet, professional demeanor.
* SuperSoldier: Like all his brethren, John has been biologically augmented into the ultimate badass.
* SupportingLeader: To the Arbiter near the end of ''Halo 2''. While the Chief attacks the Covenant's capital city (mostly) singlehandedly, the Arbiter is the one who defeats [[TheDragon Tartarus]] and saves the day (for the moment).
* SupportingProtagonist: In ''Halo 2'', he is this to the Arbiter. While Chief is still the main person you control, the Arbiter is the one who undergoes more character development and is ultimately the one to fight Tartarus and prevent Delta Halo's firing.
* ThreeAmigos: Was closest with fellow Spartans Sam and Kelly.
* ToBeLawfulOrGood: He's often confronted with the dilemma of whether to follow his orders to the letter or protect his fellow soldiers, grappling with his feelings on whether it's appropriate to sacrifice others for the greater good. In chronological order:
** In ''Silent Storm'', he's forced to [[spoiler:order a platoon of [=ODSTs=] to their deaths]] in order to complete a critical mission. He does it, but it's clear that [[TheChainsOfCommanding it weighs heavily on him.]]
** ''Oblivion'' sees him nearly miss a crucial rendezvous with a Prowler commander he needs to meet. Rather than report as ordered, he runs out the mission clock trying to save a militia squad and keep the Covenant from capturing a strategic resource that will fuel their genocidal war machine in the future. [[spoiler:He fails on both counts.]]
** He and Blue Team have to [[spoiler:leave the Prowler's crew unguarded for most of a day on a DeathWorld in order to capture a Covenant frigate without the exhausted and heatstroke-afflicted crew slowing them down.]]
** In ''First Strike'', he's faced with the choice of [[spoiler:whether or not to inform ONI that Sergeant Johnson is [[TheImmune immune to Flood infection]]. If he does, they'll have a slightly better chance to find a cure--but ONI will likely [[TheyWouldCutYouUp vivisect Johnson]] to discover the secret to his immunity. [[WhatYouAreInTheDark He decides not to tell them.]]]]
** When ordered to [[spoiler:turn over Cortana to Del Rio]] in ''Halo 4'', it turns out to be an easy decision for him and he [[spoiler: openly defies the order]].
* TragicBromance: With Samuel-034, who John admits is the closest thing to an actual brother he ever got to have. Sam dies TakingTheBullet for John, and at fourteen years of age is the first SPARTAN-II killed-in-action. His death devastates John, and it ends up having a very strong effect on the solemn and focused manner John approaches his duty with.
* TranquilFury:
** A moment in ''Halo 4'' occurs when [[spoiler: Captain Del Rio dismisses the threat of the Didact to humanity and [[SuddenlyShouting demands]] that John surrender the clearly-going-rampant Cortana. John, all seven feet, 1500 pounds of him, simply stares Rio down and utters a simple ''"No, sir,"'' and its quite obvious John is mentally holding himself back. In that moment Del Rio would probably have been safer shouting down the barrel of a fully armed and loaded [[{{BFG}} Super MAC]].]]
** In ''Halo 5'', [[spoiler:after Cortana tries to explain her actions post FaceHeelTurn John tells her that he doesn't simply want to hear any of it at every opportunity, and judging by the sound of his voice, actually sounds ''[[OOCIsSeriousBusiness pissed]]'' at what Cortana is doing.]]
* TragicKeepsake: [[spoiler:The first teaser for ''Halo 5'' shows him keeping Cortana's data crystal chip on him after her death during the Didact's assault on Earth. Considering that Cortana's chip was destroyed before the final fight with the Ur-Didact in ''Halo 4'', it's more [[RuleOfSymbolism a symbolic representation of what he lost]].]]
* WeaponOfChoice: With the exception of ''Halo 2'' (which doesn't have them), John is usually seen carrying an [=MA5=]-series Assault Rifle, and almost always has it in his opening loadout for missions.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: Master Chief may seem at times like a BloodKnight, but it's more this -- he seldom is in any situation where he has any tools to deal with a problem aside from shooting his way out. He's entirely aware of it and even jokes about it with Cortana after rescuing her in ''Halo 3''.
-->'''Pelican Pilot:''' We need to ''run''!\\
'''Master Chief:''' No, we need to ''fight''.
* WorthyOpponent: The Covenant are more or less [[VillainRespect forced to acknowledge]] he is essentially unstoppable. John has helped to eradicate several fleets and exterminated entire divisions of their troops almost single-handedly.
-->'''Locke:''' May I ask you something? Your people used to call him "Demon." Was that an insult or a compliment?\\
'''Thel 'Vadam:''' ...An insult, to be sure. But one with a modicum of respect.
* YoungerThanHeLooks: When we do get to see glimpses of his face, John has visibly aged quickly thanks to both his augmentations and the stress of fighting in a decades-long war. This is most apparent in the ''Collateral Damage'' comic, in which [[https://www.halopedia.org/images/9/96/HCD_-_John117vsYao.jpg this]] is a 14-year old John.
[[/folder]]

!!!Red Team

[[folder: Douglas-[=042=]]]
!!'''Senior Chief Petty Officer Douglas-042 (born Douglas Rutland)'''
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/9fd525d959005e7fc822afad73999ea9.png]]
->'''Homeworld: Asphodel'''
->'''Birthdate: April 21, 2511'''
->'''Debuted in: ''VideoGame/HaloWars'''''
->'''Voiced by: Matthew Waterson (''VideoGame/HaloWars2'')'''

Douglas was a member of the original Red Team alongside Jerome and Alice. He was initially one of the trainees whose bodies had been crippled by the augmentations, but was eventually rehabilitated, becoming a full Spartan-II. In 2531, he participated in the Battle of Arcadia, where Red Team joined the crew of the ''Spirit of Fire'' in attempting to stop a Covenant plot to take Forerunner technology.
----

See the Characters/HaloMasterChief page for more details.
[[/folder]]

!!!Red Team

[[folder: Douglas-[=042=]]]
!!'''Senior Chief Petty Officer Douglas-042 (born Douglas Rutland)'''
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/9fd525d959005e7fc822afad73999ea9.png]]
->'''Homeworld: Asphodel'''
->'''Birthdate: April 21, 2511'''
->'''Debuted in: ''VideoGame/HaloWars'''''
->'''Voiced by: Matthew Waterson (''VideoGame/HaloWars2'')'''

Douglas was a member of the original Red Team alongside Jerome and Alice. He was initially one of the trainees whose bodies had been crippled by the augmentations, but was eventually rehabilitated, becoming a full Spartan-II. In 2531, he participated in the Battle of Arcadia, where Red Team joined the crew of the ''Spirit of Fire'' in attempting to stop a Covenant plot to take Forerunner technology.

* FamousLastWords: [[spoiler:"Die? Didn't you know? ...Spartans never die."]]

* FamousLastWords: [[spoiler:"Tell 'em to make it count."]]

* MommasBoy: During a mission to rescue Dr. Halsey on Reach, Halsey and Jorge treat each other like a mother and her son.