History Characters / TheSopranos

* {{Foreshadowing}}: After his release from prison one of the first things he does is threaten Chris Moltisanti for hitting Adriana who is Richie's niece and Christopher's girlfriend. Richie specifically tells him to wait until they're married to put his hands on her. Richie eventually [[spoiler:punches his fiancee Janice in the mouth]], which causes her to [[spoiler:lose her temper and shoot him]], he probably should have listened to his own advice.

* BigBad: During the seasons 3 and 4.

* FakeEthnicity: Jamie Lynn-Sigler is of Cuban descent and has a noticeably darker skintone than the rest of the family. Lampshade in-universe by Carmela's mother being disappointed about her not looking as caucasian of the rest of the family.

* ActorSharedBackground: Tony Sirico really did have mob connections at one time. This is [[ActorAllusion referenced in the show]] when he mentions his association with the Gambinos during the 70s.

* LackOfEmpathy: Yes, as isual in ruthless mobsters.

** JerkWithAHeartOfGold[=/=]PetTheDog:
** His relation with his mother. Deconstructed in that it leads to more crime in order to provide for her.
** A straightforward example in ''From Where To Eternity'', which shows him comforting his goomah's children after they are awakened by his night terror.

* {{Jerkass}}: He's petty, vindictive, self-centered, and superstitious.

* PetTheDog:
** His relation with his mother. Deconstructed in that it leads to more crime in order to provide for her.
** A straightforward example in ''From Where To Eternity'', which shows him comforting his goomah's children after they are awakened by his night terror.

* BreakoutCharacter[=/=][[BreakoutVillain|Villain]]: He is arguably the most famed character in the series.

* TheStoic

* {{Jerkass}}: Possibly one of the biggest in the series and that is saying a lot.
* KarmaHoudini: Arguably one of the most despicable characters on the show, to the point of [[RefugeInAudacity absurdity]], but he never really gets any kind of comeuppance.

* PsychopathicManchild: He's petty, vindictive, self-centered, superstitious and a [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas mama's boy]]; and he has not one iota of concern for human life.

* FreudianExcuse: He hates the mere concept of the excuse yet he's diagnosed with a very powerful one; Tony was literally born into the mob and his abusive parents wrote the proverbial book about how not to rise a model citizen.

* AxCrazy: Downplayed. However, he is very aggressive, paranoid and homicidal.

* AxCrazy: Possibly the best example throughout the series. He has extreme outbursts and it shows every time he kills (or attempts to kill) someone.

* AxCrazy: And How.

* {{Jerkass}}: By far, the best example in the series. He is extremely rude and unpleasant to anyone who interacts with him.

* TheSociopath: Possibly the biggest example in the entire series.

* AxCrazy

* BadassGrandpa: While he's unmarried and never had children, he beats the crap out of some Colombian drug dealers who could be his grandchildren, among other examples.

* {{Jerkass}}: Possibly the biggest in the series and that is saying a lot.
* KarmaHoudini: Arguably the most despicable character on the show, to the point of [[RefugeInAudacity absurdity]], but he never really gets any kind of comeuppance.

* {{Jerkass}}: In a show full of people with anti-social behavior he's the most triumphant example, which is saying something.

* TheSociopath: For sociopathic dickery, Ralphie takes the cake in a show like this which is no mean feat.

* AxCrazy

* TheSociopath

* BerserkButton: Tony really hates it when people abuse animals. [[spoiler: Ralphie found that out the hard way when he had Tony's beloved race horse killed for the insurance money.]]

* BerserkButton: Implicitly tolerates the infidelities of her husband until one of his goomahs calls their house and speaks to AJ; cue her throwing all his stuff into the living room at (sort of) divorcing him. Being cheated on with a handicapped woman seems to be the specific issue that humiliates her the most.

* BerserkButton: He absolutely detested Livia and delivers an epic speech detailing why at her funeral.

* BerserkButton: For Janice. When Tony wants to [[KickTheDog piss her off]], he only has to bring him up during a conversation.

* BerserkButton: He really, ''really'' disapproves of homosexuality.

* BerserkButton: Normally one of the coolest and level-headed characters in the show. But don't EVER insult his wife.

* BigBad: Of Season 2. Upon being released from prison, Richie actively undermines Tony's authority as boss of the [=DiMeo=] crime family and ultimately moves to have him killed towards the end of the story arc. [[spoiler: However, he is killed by Janice in the season's penultimate episode before his plans come to fruition.]]

* InsaneTrollLogic: Often resorts to this. One example: Tony is concerned that a couple of Arabs they've hired to participate in a credit card scheme might have Al-Qaeda connections. Chris reassures him this couldn't be the case because "Mohammed and his girlfriend have a dog. A springer spaniel."

!!Adriana La Cerva (DreaDeMatteo)

* ButtMonkey: Always suffering mishaps and embarrassments, whether getting his hand stuck down the plughole of his kitchen sink for 6 hours, to discovering his capos have been working behind his back. After series 1 he spends the whole time either going stir-crazy under house arrest or suffering illnesses, finally developing dementia.

* HeelFaceDoorSlam: Begins to show genuine remorse and something resembling human compassion for possibly the first time since he slid down the birth canal...and then is written out of the show 20 minutes later.

* AnyoneCanDie: You don't have to be a genius to twig pretty fast that Ralphie is going to get it at some point in the series. But when it comes, the when and the why are completely out of the blue.

An unstable member of the Soprano crew who returns from an extended stay in Florida in Season 3.

* AllThereInTheManual: Joe Pantoliano has stated that Ralph was sexually abused as a child. Some manner of childhood abuse was implied in "Mergers and Acquisitons", but never made explicit within the show.
* AnyoneCanDie: Out of the blue in the episode "Whoever Did This".
* AssholeVictim: Antagonizes Tony (once too many) and is subsequently killed for it. There is some in-universe discussion about it:
-->'''Albert Barese:''' This is bad, my friend. I mean, don't get me wrong. '''I wouldn't piss on this Ralph if he was on fire'''. But to whack the guy over a horse? How fucked up is that? If it can happen to him, it can happen to any of us.
* BadLiar: His lies are so transparent that it's ambiguous if CryingWolf is in play when he's confronted by Tony about what happened to his beloved horse.

* UsefulNotes/{{BDSM}}: Heavily into bondage and masochism. his kinks include roleplaying as a whore being pimped out by his "mommy" while she holds a vibrator in his ass, having his penis and testicles abused, and [[NoodleIncident something involving a leather mask.]]

* BrutalHonesty: Punctual; Tony gives him some credit for not being a YesMan.
* CombatPragmatist: Isn't above spraying Tony in the eyes while [[spoiler:fighting (and eventually losing) for his life]].

* DepravedBisexual: Strongly suggested.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: His murder of Tracee early on tints everyone's perspective of Ralph from that point on, in-universe and out.
** An earlier scene with Georgie the bartender where he does Gladiator act's and hit's him in the face shows how Obnoxious and of a {{Jerkass}} Ralph is.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: He is introduced in a scene in which Tony yells at him for unnecessarily setting trucks on fire; Tony eventually kills him for setting another fire (which he may or may not have actually set).
* HeelFaceDoorSlam: Starts to regret some of his horrible deeds after he's struck by a personal tragedy, but his never extinguished feud with Tony brings out the worst of them and his change of heart is quickly smashed.

* AffablyEvil: Despite being a hardened criminal, he is portrayed as a benevolent mentor to the hotheaded Christopher Moltisanti whose easygoing personality belies his unwaveringly loyal to Tony Soprano. [[spoiler: This is largely subverted in Season 2 when his likable persona is increasingly revealed to be a facade masking his bitterness towards Tony and his crew for whom he harbors few loyalties. Additionally, while being a genuinely loving father to his son, he is revealed to be a cold and [[DomesticAbuser at times even abusive husband]] to his wife, Angie, whom he ultimately drives to the breaking point towards the end of the season.]]

* [[spoiler: FaceDeathWithDignity]]: [[spoiler: Tries to do this, requesting that the shooters leave his face alone, but he visibly starts to panic in the moments before he is shot.]]

* KickTheDog: The pressure and isolation of being [[spoiler: TheMole]] lead to some horrific treatment of his wife Angie.
** His [[DropTheHammer brutal murder]] of an Elvis impersonator, who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, also qualifies.

* SanitySlippage: A minor variation. After being alienated from his friends and family, Pussy actually seems to think that [[spoiler: he can join the FBI.]]

* {{Narcissist}}: Despite displaying redeeming qualities such as a heartfelt concern for his family's well-being along with a childlike fondness for animals, he is portrayed throughout the series as an exceedingly vain and ruthless mobster who considers himself entitled to unquestioned respect or obedience from those around him and becomes overtly hostile towards those who don't appease him. However, unlike most narcissists, he is self-conscious of the harmful consequences his actions have on others and feels all the more unhappy because of it. Nevertheless, he is too consumed by his own selfish desires to meaningfully change his ways.