History Characters / LisaMainCharacters

* FreudianExcuse: By the time of ''Joyful'', she's violent and ruthlessly pragmatic, but the way almost every man in Olathe has treated her (not to mention she was also raised by Brad, a very violent and ruthlessly pragmatic man) you'll understand why she became so hardened and cruel.

* PetTheDog: [[spoiler:Depending on your choices, she can hug Brad at the end of ''The Painful RPG'', showing that as much as she hates him, she still pities him for all the shit he's dealt with in life.]]

* NeverMyFault: In the Definitive Edition, [[spoiler:on the "Flowering" ending path, Buddy cuts off Buzzo's final ramblings about Lisa with a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, declaring him a BrokenPedestal, someone whose power she initially respected but she has since realized he doesn't truly understand pain like Brad or Lisa did, and is just a big baby still blaming them for his own suffering instead of finding a way to heal from it. Buddy then states that maybe Lisa would still be alive without Buzzo, and he ''breaks'', his Joy Mutant transformations now sparked by him calling out for his mommy and Lisa, and actually fighting back against Buddy instead of just biting himself to hasten his own demise]].

!!Brad Armstrong

* RememberTheNewGuy: Despite being Lisa's brother, Brad is never mentioned in ''The First''. [[JustifiedTrope Justified,]] as Lisa never got to know him before he left.

* MadeOfIron: [[ExaggeratedTrope To an insane degree.]] Not only does Brad have the best HP of all party members, but he also can lose ''both'' of his arms and somehow keep tracking on, not dying neither from blood loss, the pain or the shock of losing a limb. He also will always only get [[NonLethalKO knocked out]] by OneHitKill moves that include getting [[OffWithHisHead decapitated or having your head bit off]], getting [[NeckSnap your neck snapped]] or having [[AndShowItToYou your heart ripped off your chest]]; which, as expected, normally [[PermaDeath eliminate another party member for good]]. [[spoiler:In the end game he fights most of Rando's army and [[OneManArmy WINS]], before defeating Rando himself while bloodied and riddle with arrows, although that is {{Justified|Trope}} because of the effect of the [[SuperSerum joy overdose]]]].

* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: [[spoiler:Becomes a Joy Mutant at the end of ''The Joyful.'']].

* DarkActionGirl: Goes from a DistressedDamsel in ''The Painful'' to a ruthlessly effective combatant in ''The Joyful.'' The transformation is more than a little disturbing.

* DistressedDamsel: Seems to be this at first[[spoiler:, but it's [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] in that not only is she escaping captivity on her own, she is actively trying to get away from Brad, even preferring her supposed captors (Marty and Rando) over being with him. Subverted even ''harder'' come Joyful, as it turns out she's only helpless when she's without her sword. With it, [[DarkActionGirl she's a killing machine]]]].

* SociopathicHero: While Brad's goal of saving Buddy is understandable and relatable, his actions throughout the game are nothing short of repulsive. He murders just about anyone who stands in his path, even if all they're guilty of is standing in his way. He also routinely forces people to join him by doing such things as stealing something valuable from them, holding their loved one hostage, or lying to them by saying he will help them with their cause or desire. And in the end, he has more or less doomed any and all chances for Olathe to ever recover by killing influential people and destroying important gangs and organizations that were keeping some kind of peace and order. In the end, one has to wonder how much of these actions are caused by Joy, Brad himself, or a mixture of the two, and how redeemable Brad is will come down to the conclusions about his character that each player comes to themselves.

* StoicWoobie: Despite having had a TERRIBLE life, Brad never shows any emotion beyond anger.

* UnscrupulousHero: All Brad wants to do is find and protect his adoptive daughter, but thinks nothing of the morally questionable things he does in order to do so. [[DeconstructedTrope His behavior gets so bad that pretty much EVERYONE turns on him by the end of ''The Painful'', including Buddy herself.]]

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler: In the Definitive Edition's "Flowering" ending, Brad is absent unlike the other two endings, where he either stuck with the grown up Buddy or was killed by her mutant form, leaving his fate ambiguous.]]

* NotInThisForYourRevolution: Everything Brad does is for his own reasons; he legitimately couldn't care less about saving humanity or anyone that he isn't close to. [[DeconstructedTrope This causes a lot of problems, to say the least,]] [[WeUsedToBeFriends to the point that his old friends want nothing to do with him by the time ''The Painful'' comes to a close.]]

* DoesNotLikeMen: With few exceptions, he's not particuarly fond of guys in general. This is justified, of course, considering that most of the men she comes across are murderous and attempted rapists. Even people like Rando aren't exempt from this, despite Rando having her best interests in mind. It eventually backfires on her when Rando leaves her in the dead of night, because he's unwilling to continue helping her kill people.

* TookALevelInBadass: In ''The Joyful'', Buddy takes the initiative in trying to survive in Olathe.

* KarmaHoudini: Yado spends the majority of the series getting away with pretty much everything he does. And unlike Buzzo, Brad suffers under the consequences of Yado's actions without even realizing he exists. It's not until ''The Joyful'' where [[KarmicDeath karma finally catches up to him.]]

* DistressedDamsel: Seems to be this at first[[spoiler:, but it's [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] in that not only is she escaping captivity on her own, she is actively trying to get away from Brad, even preferring her supposed captors (Marty and Rando) over being with him. Subverted even ''harder'' come Joyful, as it turns out she's only helpless when she's without her sword. With it, [[DarkActionGirl she's a killing machine.]]

* NotInThisForYourRevolution: Everything Brad does is for his own reasons; he legitimately couldn't care less about saving humanity or anyone that he isn't close to. [[DeconstructedTrope This causes a lot of problems, to say the least,]] [[WeUsedToBeFriend to the point that his old friends want nothing to do with him by the time ''The Painful'' comes to a close.]]

* TheDreaded: Rando is one of the most feared figures in the setting, and for good reason. He wasn't even put on the The List of Olathe's reigning warlords, due to how terrifying him and his army can be.

* TheFaceless: Rando conceals his face with a red skull mask, which is also his gang symbol. [[spoiler:When Brad breaks his mask during the final battle, he's revealed to be heavily disfigured.]]
** FacialHorror: [[spoiler:Back when he was Dusty, Buzzo carved his face off with a saw.]]
* FinalBoss: In ''The Painful RPG.''

* FromNobodyToNightmare: [[spoiler:He was an orphan in his teenage years and was not very good at fighting. In present day, he has his own army, is the most powerful enemy in the game, and other warlords in ''The Joyful'' respected him so much, his name was left out of ''the list'' so he would go unopposed.]]

* HowTheMightyHaveFallen: [[spoiler:Not only does he have his entire army single-handedly slaughtered by Brad, but in ''The Joyful'', once Bolo and his men hear his voice and realize how weak he ''sounds'', everyone loses respect and begins attacking him. Averted with some of the warlords, who were friends with Rando before.]]
* IronWoobie: The world gave him a bad hand. His birth parents are nowhere to be seen, he may have had a physical and/or mental handicap according to [[WordOfGod Dingaling]], he was neglected by his adoptive father and brutally assaulted by his fellow student. He never stops trying to be a good person despite this.

* MirrorBoss: In the final battle against him he uses several of Brad's moves such as the Buster Punch. [[spoiler:This is because he was formerly Brad's adopted son and trained in Armstrong-Style Karate.]]

* NobleDemon: Rando may be a warlord of a raider army, but he himself [[spoiler:is a good person at heart]].
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: [[spoiler:All Rando/Dusty wanted to do is to make Brad to be proud of him and to save humanity, but he was horribly misfigured by Buzzo and in the end, killed]]
* OneManArmy: He fares better against [[spoiler:a Joy-fueled Brad]] than his entire army [[spoiler:and Brad's party members.]]
* TheQuietOne: Rando very rarely speaks to the point that very few of his men know what he sounds like. This is due to the fact that his actual voice is rather soft and he speaks with a stutter. [[spoiler:In ''The Joyful'', when Bolo and his gang realize what he sounds like, they are no longer intimidated and decided to chance fighting him.]]
* RankScalesWithAsskicking: He's a formidable fighter, being arguably stronger alone than his entire army combined.

* RedemptionDemotion: [[spoiler:He isn't really a bad guy himself, but this trope is in play when he becomes a party member in ''Joyful'', as while he's strong, he's not on the same level as he was as being the previous final boss. However, it's justified, as this comes right after a brutal defeat at Brad's hands. He's also lost his entire army at the hands of Brad while other warlords and enemies have become less intimidated and more willing to fight him due to his scarred face and weak voice making him look more pathetic]].

* ShoutOut: He's named after wrestler Wrestling/DustyRhodes.

* SpeechImpediment: He speaks with a heavy stutter, which serves as a hint to his identity as [[spoiler:Dusty, Brad's adopted son]].

A mysterious man in a brightly colored polka-dot shawl who can be found at several points in the game, playing the trumpet in inaccessible locations. He's actually Dr. Yado, the scientist responsible for Joy and the Great White Flash as well as the biological father of Buddy.

* BigBad: The real one of ''The Painful'', as he antagonizes Brad more directly than [[HeroAntagonist Rando]] and slowly drives Brad further into evil, turning him into the VillainProtagonist he is by the end. [[spoiler: Of course, it turns out even he's merely TheDragon to [[GreaterScopeVillain Dr. Yado.]]]]

* TheDragon: [[spoiler:The Joyless ending reveals that he’s secretly working for Dr. Yado, the creator of Joy.]] However, he’s really only this in ''The Painful'', as [[EldritchAbomination Sweetheart]] usurps him from this role in the epilogue.
* DragonInChief: Is this in ''The Painful'': [[spoiler:He's the one causing all of the trouble for Brad. His boss, Dr. Yado, only appears in certain easter eggs, and Brad doesn't even know who he is. Buzzo Is the leader of the joy boys, the one spreading joy throughout Olathe and His goal of ruining Brad's life has nothing to do with Yado's plan.]]

* FauxAffablyEvil: Buzzo speaks to Brad like a friend, offering him Joy and bantering pleasantly, but his only intention is making Brad's life hell.
* HateSink: [[spoiler: Buzzo’s actions were driven out of revenge for Lisa’s death. However, instead of targeting Marty - who raped and abused Lisa and drove her to suicide - he targeted Brad, who didn’t do anything wrong other than escaping Marty’s abuse and leaving Lisa. His actions are inexcusable: mutilating the face of Dusty (who wasn’t even involved in Lisa’s life) just because he was Brad’s adoptive son, kidnapping and possibly cutting off Buddy’s nipple just because she was Brad’s adoptive daughter, force feeding Brad joy pills so he’d be guaranteed to mutate, and more]]. Everything Buzzo does in ''The Painful'' is petty and needlessly cruel.
** Subverted in ''The Joyful'', where he becomes an ally to Buddy and helps her kill Yado. However, in the Definitive Edition [[spoiler:this gets double subvertd when Buddy calls bullshit on Buzzo’s redemption, revealing that it’s inconsistent and only done to garner pity. She also adds the possibility that he never truly loved Lisa and that his actions possibly were one of the causes of her suicide. This reveal removes the one sympathetic quality Buzzo had, leaving him as the second biggest HateSink in the trilogy only second to Marty]].

* MadnessMantra: In his first appearance, he and his followers are singing the lyrics to 'Joy in my Heart'.

* OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler:After getting mauled by Sweetheart at the end of ''Joyful'', he transforms into a Joy mutant, becoming the final boss]].

* AllLovingHero: [[spoiler:Despite his intimidating appearance, Rando is at nature a kindhearted and soft-spoken person. In ''The Joyful'', not only is his class "Peacebringer", he's constantly trying to convince Buddy to drop her quest to murder all the warlords to no avail.]]
* BigBad: Seemingly this in ''The Painful'', as he and his army are the biggest and most constant threat in Brad's quest. [[spoiler:Ultimately subverted, however- While most of his army is made up of scumbags, Rando himself proves to be one of the few morally decent characters by the end. Buzzo is the true BigBad of ''The Painful''.]]

* DarkIsNotEvil: [[spoiler:Don't let his outfit or scarred body fool you, he's the nicest character in the series.]]

* TheDreaded: He is one of the most feared figure in the setting, to the point that he wasn't even put on the The List of Olathe's reigning warlords so that people leave him and his army alone.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Brad first encounters him after crashing his motorcycle into him. The motorcycle is completely trashed, but Rando is completely unharmed, and doesn't even flinch when Brad crashes into him. He then sincerely apologizes for wrecking Brad's motorcycle and gives him some supplies to compensate the damage. This introduces both Rando's badass and NobleDemon traits.

* JerkAssHasAPoint: [[spoiler: Her TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Buzzo in the Flowering Ending is harsh and cruel, ESPECIALLY when she tells him that Lisa would have been "alive if she never met you", but most of what she says about him is correct, especially in regard to him trying to avoid responsibility, and saying he never felt true pain compared to Brad. On the other hand, a lot of it comes off as PsychologicalProjection on her part, given the context.]]

* TookALevelInJerkass: She becomes much harsher and crueler in ''The Joyful'', willing to kill pacifists and treats [[spoiler:Rando]] horribly, constantly insulting and manipulating him. It gets so bad that her initial instinct in the Pacifist Village is to kill the pacifists, and, should the player choose to spare them, she has to force her natural killing instinct down to do so. Part of this is due to her [[spoiler:Joy addiction.]]

* VillainProtagonist: What she becomes in ''The Joyful.''

A mysterious gang leader who is heavily involved in Olathe's Joy trade. He is oddly fixated on Brad for unknown reasons. [[spoiler:It's revealed in "Joyful" that he was Lisa's boyfriend, and that he blames Brad for failing to protect her.]]

* TheAggressiveDrugDealer: Regularly pushes Brad into taking Joy, giving it to him for free and actually force-feeding it to him at one point.

* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: [[spoiler:Becomes a Joy Mutant at the end of ''Joyful'', making him the FinalBoss]].
* ArchEnemy: Makes himself one to Brad, and he and his gang are also one to Rando and his army.
* AxCrazy: He nonchalantly mutilates Brad and is implied to have been responsible for [[spoiler:Rando's scarred face.]]
* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler:Partly. While he fails to capture Buddy for Dr. Yado, he ''does'' succeed in "avenging" Lisa by causing Brad's death.]]
* BerserkButton: If Brad asks why Buzzo is tormenting him, Buzzo loses his temper, [[spoiler:cuts Brad's arm off, and takes all his items and mags]].
* BigBad: The real one of ''The Painful'', as he antagonizes Brad more directly than [[HeroAntagonist Rando]] and slowly drives Brad further into evil, turning him into the VillainProtagonist he is by the end. Though he himself is TheDragon to overarching villain Dr Yado.

* BrokenPedestal: In the Definitive Edition, [[spoiler:in the "Flowering" ending route, Buddy admits that she somewhat respected Buzzo at first; he's clearly not a good person, but he has the kind of power she's always yearned for, able to influence Olathe on a major scale without painting a target on himself like the Warlords. However, seeing him dismembered by Sweetheart and claiming that everything he did was sparked by losing Lisa, Buddy realizes that he's just a sick man that only used his power to fulfill his twisted fantasies instead of trying to find a way to actually heal from past trauma like Brad at least attempted to do]].

* FinalBoss: [[spoiler:In ''The Joyful'', after turning into a Joy Mutant.]]

* APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil: [[spoiler:He was one of Brad's students back in his days as a martial arts instructor for kids.]]
* PyrrhicVictory: [[spoiler:His revenge against Brad comes at the cost of losing his entire army to Rando, and then failing to capture Buddy for Dr. Yado.]] Further elaborated on in ''Joyful'', when [[spoiler:he realizes that torturing and mutating Brad didn't solve any of his problems, and only caused more people to suffer]].
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: In ''The Joyful'', [[spoiler:he saves Buddy from a Joy Mutant, succumbs to Joy Mutation himself, and becomes the final boss fight]]. However, in the Definitive Edition, [[spoiler:the "redemption" part is absent during the "Flowering" ending, as he refuses to admit personal fault for his actions after Buddy calls him out and intentionally tries to hurt her as a Mutant]].

* WalkingSpoiler: Not as much as, say, the Trumpet Man, but he still has some personal ties to the Armstrongs' backstories, contributing to his in-game actions.

* JerkAssHasAPoint: [[spoiler: Her TheReasonYouSuckSpeech given to Buzzo in the Flowering Ending is harsh and cruel, ESPECIALLY when she tells him that Lisa would have been "alive if she never met you", but most of what she says about him is correct, especially in regard to him trying to avoid responsibility, and saying he never felt true pain compared to Brad. On the other hand, a lot of it comes off as PsychologicalProjection on her part, given the context.]]

* LastOfHerKind: The last known female in Olathe.
* LivingMacGuffin: A deconstruction. Buddy is the future of the human race and as such is treated like a prize or an object, and the fact that no one seems to be considering her feelings or mental state, [[spoiler: Brad included]], forms her motivation.
* MoreDeadlyThanTheMale: The men of Olathe are a bunch of perverted thugs, but Buddy is a ruthless killer, capable of slaying countless men without hesitation or mercy.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler: In the end of ''the Joyful'', Buzzo reveals to her that every bad thing Brad had ever done to her was never his fault, and by extension, neither was the much kinder Rando, whom both only wanted to protect her. She breaks down in tears after mercy killing Buzzo, and is given the option to fall into despair, or try to move forward.]]
* NeverMyFault: Is an even bigger case of this than Buzzo. In fact, a lot of her [[spoiler:speech toward Buzzo in the optional ending]] can apply to her just as much as him, especially the parts about being motivated by revenge and trying to avoid responsibility and shift blame. The only thing justifying this is the fact that she's a little girl and Buzzo is a grown man who should probably have known better.

* PetTheDog: [[spoiler:Should the player choose the option, she can hug Brad at the end of ''The Painful RPG'', showing that as much as she hates him, she still pities him.]]

* TookALevelInJerkass: She also becomes much harsher and crueler in ''The Joyful RPG'', willing to kill pacifists and treats [[spoiler:Rando]] horribly, constantly insulting and manipulating him. It gets so bad that her initial instinct in the Pacifist Village is to kill the pacifists, and, should the player choose to spare them, she has to force her natural killing instinct down to do so. Part of this is due to her [[spoiler:joy addiction.]]