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* Eddie "[=KillBane=]" Pryor of ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIII'' is introduced as TheBrute of the Syndicate, but over the course of the game, he proves to be far more than DumbMuscle, being a competent strategist and a skilled PR manipulator, as well as capable of making allusions to classical mythology on the fly. It doesn't make him less of a HotBlooded, sadistic nut-case, though.
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* ''VideoGame/PonyIsland'': While abysmal at creating video games, the devil is frighteningly competent at creating artificial intelligence executables.
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* Dr. Peace, the 9th ranked assassin in ''NoMoreHeroes'', is described as a corrupt police officer with ties to the mafia and a merciless [[TheGunslinger Gunslinger archetype]]. When you finally reach the battleground, you find that he's also a fan of karaoke, and has a damn good singing voice to boot.
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* Dr. Peace, the 9th ranked assassin in ''NoMoreHeroes'', ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'', is described as a corrupt police officer with ties to the mafia and a merciless [[TheGunslinger Gunslinger archetype]]. When you finally reach the battleground, you find that he's also a fan of karaoke, and has a damn good singing voice to boot.
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** Sans [[spoiler:is a Reality Warper and, thus, the most powerful monster in the Underground. He could easily solve most of the Underground's problems if he tried, but he's aware that doing so is futile as long as someone with Determination is around to undo it all by LOADing an old SAVE. He cites this futility as a reason for his laziness, though not even he knows whether it's a real reason or just an excuse. In addition, he seems to be aware of Dr. W. D. Gaster and his fate, and has been trying to fix a machine of some sort to bring him back into existence - sadly, Word of God has stated that he never succeeds.]]
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** Sans [[spoiler:is a Reality Warper and, thus, the most powerful monster in the Underground. He could easily solve most of the Underground's problems if he tried, but he's aware that doing so is futile as long as someone with Determination is around to undo it all by LOADing {{LOADing}} an old SAVE. He cites this futility as a reason for his laziness, though not even he knows whether it's a real reason or just an excuse. In addition, he seems to be aware of Dr. W. D. Gaster and his fate, and has been trying to fix a machine of some sort to bring him back into existence - sadly, Word of God has stated that he never succeeds.]]
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* Everybody (except[[spoiler: Grave who really is just evil]]) in SymphonicRain aren't what they seem to be at first glance such as Fal and Torta who initially seem to be nice girls who fall in love with Chris during their route but [[spoiler: Fal is just a ruthless person who is using Chris for his skills and Torta is filled with self loathing.]]
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* Everybody (except[[spoiler: Grave who really is just evil]]) in SymphonicRain ''VisualNovel/SymphonicRain'' aren't what they seem to be at first glance such as Fal and Torta who initially seem to be nice girls who fall in love with Chris during their route but [[spoiler: Fal is just a ruthless person who is using Chris for his skills and Torta is filled with self loathing.]]
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* In ''{{Solatorobo}}'', even Red himself is a bit surprised in Samoyede, when Elh reveals that [[spoiler:she knows a little about flowers, despite not being the girlish type, though [[IWasJustPassingThrough she claims it's only because they grew in her home village]].]]
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* In ''{{Solatorobo}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Solatorobo}}'', even Red himself is a bit surprised in Samoyede, when Elh reveals that [[spoiler:she knows a little about flowers, despite not being the girlish type, though [[IWasJustPassingThrough she claims it's only because they grew in her home village]].]]
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** Even before Sonic 2006, Shadow's massive backstory takes [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 a]] [[VideoGame/SonicHeroes good]] [[VideoGame/SonicBattle four]] [[ShadowTheHedgehog games]] to completely reveal. He goes from being only a mysterious superweapon/black hedgehog/ultimate lifeform to a rather complex character who befriended his creator's daughter, who is killed during a government attack on the massive space station he was created in, giving him a powerful hatred for human beings in general that never quite goes away. He was created using the blood of a dark alien creature named Black Doom, who eventually comes and tries to take over the world so that humans can [[ImAHumanitarian be food for his alien race]], so Shadow kicks the crap out of him and blows up their "planet". On the outside, he's a mean, cold anti-hero. Inside, however, he's a lot deeper, and often does more thinking than the rest of Sonic's cast put together, as mentioned for Sonic 2006.
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** Even before Sonic 2006, Shadow's massive backstory takes [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 a]] [[VideoGame/SonicHeroes good]] [[VideoGame/SonicBattle four]] [[ShadowTheHedgehog [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog games]] to completely reveal. He goes from being only a mysterious superweapon/black hedgehog/ultimate lifeform to a rather complex character who befriended his creator's daughter, who is killed during a government attack on the massive space station he was created in, giving him a powerful hatred for human beings in general that never quite goes away. He was created using the blood of a dark alien creature named Black Doom, who eventually comes and tries to take over the world so that humans can [[ImAHumanitarian be food for his alien race]], so Shadow kicks the crap out of him and blows up their "planet". On the outside, he's a mean, cold anti-hero. Inside, however, he's a lot deeper, and often does more thinking than the rest of Sonic's cast put together, as mentioned for Sonic 2006.
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** Medic... mostly averts this trope. Still, he's quite supportive of his pet bird, and even [[spoiler:brought back a 100% dead man]] after helping to kill him. This took over a billion dollars.
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* Say what you will about ''Franchise/GodOfWar's'' Kratos, he still cares about the children when he's not murdering [[OmnicidalManiac everyone else]] for looking at him funny.
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* Say what you will about ''Franchise/GodOfWar's'' ''[[VideoGame/GodOfWarSeries God Of War's]]'' Kratos, he still cares about the children when he's not murdering [[OmnicidalManiac everyone else]] for looking at him funny.
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* The various customers of ''VideoGame/CarriesOrderUp'' a shown in the end credits to have likes and dislikes you wouldn't always expect just by looking at them. For example, Anchor, a Hammerhead SharkMan, likes to tell stories, and Quincy, a Jellyfish, is into pottery and history. Carrie herself also has a passion for writing.
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** Kokonoe, a genius Sector Seven scientist that makes less than popular (but pragmatic, and often necessary) choices who had two apprentices she drove away due to her attitude and is willing to do almost anything to get revenge on her mother's killer, [[spoiler:places herself under constant mental strain and risk of being removed from existence if she were to slip up for so much as a fraction of a second simply so that Roy, one of her old apprentices, doesn't suffer the same fate. She's also willing to drop everything, including getting revenge on her mother's killer, if one of her ex-apprentices is going to die from something she feels she can prevent. Even if it's known to be ''impossible'' to prevent.]]
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** Kokonoe, a genius Sector Seven scientist that makes less than popular (but pragmatic, and often necessary) choices who had two apprentices she drove away due to her attitude and is willing to do almost anything to get revenge on her mother's killer, [[spoiler:places herself under constant mental strain and risk of being removed from existence if she were to slip up for so much as a fraction of a second simply so that Roy, one of her old apprentices, doesn't suffer the same fate. She's also willing to drop everything, including getting revenge on her mother's killer, if one of her ex-apprentices is going to die from something she feels she can prevent. Even if it's known to be ''impossible'' to prevent.]]]] She also has an arsenal of nukes large enough to wipe out a country if she so pleases, but she exercises more restraint than most of the cast would be able to by not using them unless she has no other options and needs results ''now''. She's even willing to [[spoiler:resort to self-experimentation to kill Terumi, who is responsible for her mother's death]] before seriously considering using her nukes.
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** Sans [[spoiler:is a Reality Warper and, thus, the most powerful monster in the Underground. He could easily solve most of the Underground's problems if he tried, but he's aware that doing so is futile as long as someone with Determination is around to undo it all by LOADing an old SAVE. He cites this futility as a reason for his laziness, though not even he knows whether it's a real reason or just an excuse. In addition, he seems to be aware of Dr. W. D. Gaster and his fate, and has been trying to fix a machine of some sort to bring him back into existence - sadly, Word of God has stated that never succeeds.]]
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** Sans [[spoiler:is a Reality Warper and, thus, the most powerful monster in the Underground. He could easily solve most of the Underground's problems if he tried, but he's aware that doing so is futile as long as someone with Determination is around to undo it all by LOADing an old SAVE. He cites this futility as a reason for his laziness, though not even he knows whether it's a real reason or just an excuse. In addition, he seems to be aware of Dr. W. D. Gaster and his fate, and has been trying to fix a machine of some sort to bring him back into existence - sadly, Word of God has stated that he never succeeds.]]
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Added as many Undertale examples as I could think of
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** The PlayerCharacter [[spoiler:is not the "fallen human" you name when you start the game. The character, Frisk, is a pacifist at heart regardless of how you play. Killing monsters is explained as the fallen human, whom you named (but whose default name is Chara) and who is a manifestation of all of the player's characters in every RPG they play, taking over Frisk's body.]]
** Flowey [[spoiler:is a soulless reincarnation of Toriel and Asgore's child, Asriel. The main reason he's so sadistic is that he can neither feel positive emotions nor die, can SAVE and LOAD much like a video game player, has grown bored of his world, and is desperate to feel ''anything''. (All of this except the latter changes when Frisk arrives, which can be good or bad depending on the player's actions.)]]
** Toriel [[spoiler:is an immensely powerful monster, as well as Asgore's ex-wife. She divorced him for not actively hunting down humans to harvest their SOULs and destroy the barrier locking everyone in the Underground. She does show this less child-friendly side occasionally, but clearly makes an effort not to do so around Frisk.]]
** Napstablook [[spoiler:is a music enthusiast whose mental state is largely (but not entirely) the product of missing their cousin, Mettaton.]]
** Sans [[spoiler:is a Reality Warper and, thus, the most powerful monster in the Underground. He could easily solve most of the Underground's problems if he tried, but he's aware that doing so is futile as long as someone with Determination is around to undo it all by LOADing an old SAVE. He cites this futility as a reason for his laziness, though not even he knows whether it's a real reason or just an excuse. In addition, he seems to be aware of Dr. W. D. Gaster and his fate, and has been trying to fix a machine of some sort to bring him back into existence - sadly, Word of God has stated that never succeeds.]]
** Papyrus [[spoiler:is more than strong enough to join the Royal Guard - he's even stronger than Undyne, according to in-game stats - but Undyne won't let him join because he's too innocent to survive a life-or-death battle. This is shown to be completely justified in a Genocide run, in which he spares Frisk/Chara from the start in an attempt to turn their life around, and doesn't give up on them ''even if he's killed''. In addition, he may be naïve and bad at puzzles and cooking, but he's not unintelligent; he knows that the quickest way to make Undyne befriend Frisk is to frame the concept as a challenge. Finally, he only wants to capture a human and join the Royal Guard because he thinks it will earn him more friends; apart from Sans and Undyne, he doesn't appear to have any.]]
** Snowdrake [[spoiler:ran away from home after losing his mother, and is trying to become a comedian to follow in his father's footsteps. His father reveals that they don't know what happened to his mother. Frisk, however, finds out by seeing her first-hand: she was merged with fifteen other monsters in a lab accident, and is still alive, but barely self-aware and on the brink of falling apart.]]
** Chilldrake [[spoiler:regularly shares his lunch with Snowdrake; he and the other Drakes know about "Snowy's" lack of parents, and are more than willing to help him get by.]]
** The dogs [[spoiler:lost all their parents in the same lab accident that made a Body Horror out of Snowdrake's mother. In this case, the parents were all merged into a single entity.]]
** Undyne [[spoiler:refuses to let Papyrus into the Royal Guard not because he's too weak (which he isn't), but out of concern for his safety, as mentioned above. She also has a crush on Alphys and just wants her to be comfortable in her own skin.]]
** Shyren [[spoiler:is the way she is because she lost her friend to a "fall" of some sort, as well as her sister to the aforementioned lab accident.]]
** Alphys [[spoiler:has zero self-esteem and is suicidal because she's responsible for the lab accident and has been keeping it a secret for years.]]
** Mettaton [[spoiler:was originally a ghost who was pickier about his body than either of the Dummies. The story of Alphys befriending him and building a body that would let him "be who he really is" is ''very'' reminiscent of transgenderism. In addition, despite his narcissism, he cares deeply for his cousin, Napstablook, and will be ''livid'' at Frisk if they reject "Blooky's" friend request.]]
** Asgore [[spoiler:wants to free his people from the Underground, but hates having to kill humans to do it. This internal conflict and its effect on his actions have cost him his wife, and he still misses her.]]
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** Yuan: Unemotional, practical to the point of sounding uncaring and being a HeelFaceRevolvingDoor to both TheHero and TheBigBad, apparently apathetic at the death of his utterly devoted subordinate... [[spoiler: [[TearJerker was engaged to a woman who died 4000 years ago]], still wears the engagement ring and searches ''all over the two worlds'' for it after having lost it.]] Oh, and by the way, there are a few subtle hints that he actually cares a lot for all his men.
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** Yuan: Unemotional, practical to the point of sounding uncaring and being a HeelFaceRevolvingDoor to both TheHero and TheBigBad, the BigBad, apparently apathetic at the death of his utterly devoted subordinate... [[spoiler: [[TearJerker was engaged to a woman who died 4000 years ago]], still wears the engagement ring and searches ''all over the two worlds'' for it after having lost it.]] Oh, and by the way, there are a few subtle hints that he actually cares a lot for all his men.
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** Kaidan Alenko initially appears to be a quiet NiceGuy with nothing worth noting. Once he opens up, he turns out to be very introspective about humanity's place in the galaxy, as well as his own. His restraint is born from [[BleedEmAndWeep an incident]] where he learned how easy it would be to hurt or kill someone by accident if he doesn't control himself, and he holds no illusions [[HumansAreBastards about human history]] and how [[{{Hypocrite}} hypocritical]] it would be to judge an entire race on the actions of "one ass".
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* Death from ''VideoGame/{{Darksiders 2}}''. Arrogant DeadpanSnarker? You bet. Then you remember that the entire game is him [[BigBrotherInstinct trying to prove War is innocent]], so much so that saying War is guilty is his BerserkButton.
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* Death from ''VideoGame/{{Darksiders 2}}''.''VideoGame/DarksidersII''. Arrogant DeadpanSnarker? You bet. Then you remember that the entire game is him [[BigBrotherInstinct trying to prove War is innocent]], so much so that saying War is guilty is his BerserkButton.
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*** Another [[Creator/{{Nippon Ichi}} Nippon Ichi]] example would be Valvolga from ''VideoGame/MakaiKingdom'', more specifically Micky. Though he appears frightening, he's acually somewhat cowardly and easily bullied by his other two parts, Ophelia and Dryzen. However, in his battle, not only does he show how he became the General of the Star Element, his cameo in ''VideoGame/ZettaiHeroProject'' shows he's also the only character in NIS canon to take down BonusBoss Tyrant Baal for good.
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*** Another [[Creator/{{Nippon Ichi}} Nippon Ichi]] Creator/NipponIchi example would be Valvolga from ''VideoGame/MakaiKingdom'', more specifically Micky. Though he appears frightening, he's acually somewhat cowardly and easily bullied by his other two parts, Ophelia and Dryzen. However, in his battle, not only does he show how he became the General of the Star Element, his cameo in ''VideoGame/ZettaiHeroProject'' shows he's also the only character in NIS canon to take down BonusBoss Tyrant Baal for good.
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*** Another NipponIchi example would be Valvolga from ''VideoGame/MakaiKingdom'', more specifically Micky. Though he appears frightening, he's acually somewhat cowardly and easily bullied by his other two parts, Ophelia and Dryzen. However, in his battle, not only does he show how he became the General of the Star Element, his cameo in ''VideoGame/ZettaiHeroProject'' shows he's also the only character in NIS canon to take down BonusBoss Tyrant Baal for good.
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*** Another NipponIchi [[Creator/{{Nippon Ichi}} Nippon Ichi]] example would be Valvolga from ''VideoGame/MakaiKingdom'', more specifically Micky. Though he appears frightening, he's acually somewhat cowardly and easily bullied by his other two parts, Ophelia and Dryzen. However, in his battle, not only does he show how he became the General of the Star Element, his cameo in ''VideoGame/ZettaiHeroProject'' shows he's also the only character in NIS canon to take down BonusBoss Tyrant Baal for good.
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\"Minutes\" isn\'t giving him enough credit
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* Adell from ''VideoGame/Disgaea2CursedMemories'', who seems the very epitome of the IdiotHero and HonorBeforeReason tropes... effortlessly solves a Geo Puzzle within minutes of seeing it. As Adell himself puts it, it's not that he's an idiot- far from it. It's just that the straightforward method usually works ''extremely well'', and so there's no reason not to just bash an opponent to death if you can. Only rarely is Adell's brain ever called upon to function- which should scare anyone who thinks about that too much.
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* Adell from ''VideoGame/Disgaea2CursedMemories'', who seems the very epitome of the IdiotHero and HonorBeforeReason tropes... effortlessly solves a Geo Puzzle within minutes moments of seeing it. As Adell himself puts it, it's not that he's an idiot- far from it. It's just that the straightforward method usually works ''extremely well'', and so there's no reason not to just bash an opponent to death if you can. Only rarely is Adell's brain ever called upon to function- which should scare anyone who thinks about that too much.
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*** Another NipponIchi example would be Valvolga from MakaiKingdom, more specifically Micky. Though he appears frightening, he's acually somewhat cowardly and easily bullied by his other two parts, Ophelia and Dryzen. However, in his battle, not only does he show how he became the General of the Star Element, his cameo in ''VideoGame/ZettaiHeroProject'' shows he's also the only character in NIS canon to take down BonusBoss Tyrant Baal for good.
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*** Another NipponIchi example would be Valvolga from MakaiKingdom, ''VideoGame/MakaiKingdom'', more specifically Micky. Though he appears frightening, he's acually somewhat cowardly and easily bullied by his other two parts, Ophelia and Dryzen. However, in his battle, not only does he show how he became the General of the Star Element, his cameo in ''VideoGame/ZettaiHeroProject'' shows he's also the only character in NIS canon to take down BonusBoss Tyrant Baal for good.
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*** Another NipponIchi example would be Valvolga from MakaiKingdom, more specifically Micky. Though he appears frightening, he's acually somewhat cowardly and easily bullied by his other two parts, Ophelia and Dryzen. However, in his battle, not only does he show how he became the General of the Star Element, his cameo in ZettaiHeroProject shows he's also the only character in NIS canon to take down BonusBoss Tyrant Baal for good.
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*** Another NipponIchi example would be Valvolga from MakaiKingdom, more specifically Micky. Though he appears frightening, he's acually somewhat cowardly and easily bullied by his other two parts, Ophelia and Dryzen. However, in his battle, not only does he show how he became the General of the Star Element, his cameo in ZettaiHeroProject ''VideoGame/ZettaiHeroProject'' shows he's also the only character in NIS canon to take down BonusBoss Tyrant Baal for good.
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* The entire {{Nasuverse}} is ripe with this trope from a BoisterousBruiser [[LightNovel/FateZero King]] who justifies tyranny, a WideEyedIdealist Determinator who is also a broken MartyrWithoutACause, a GenkiGirl [[{{Tsukihime}} who]] is [[StepfordSmiler emotionally dead]], and a PsychoForHire Tsundere [[KaraNoKyoukai who just wants to love]] amongst many.
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* The entire {{Nasuverse}} is ripe with this trope from a BoisterousBruiser [[LightNovel/FateZero King]] who justifies tyranny, a WideEyedIdealist Determinator who is also a broken MartyrWithoutACause, a GenkiGirl [[{{Tsukihime}} who]] is [[StepfordSmiler emotionally dead]], and a PsychoForHire Tsundere [[KaraNoKyoukai [[LightNovel/KaraNoKyoukai who just wants to love]] amongst many.
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Added the Lloyd example under tales of symphonia
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** Lloyd: Starts the game as a typical IdiotHero who was put down often for his nativity. Develop the skills to be a capable leader and came up with most of the plans during the second half of the game. [[spoiler: He was also the one who figured out that Collete is loosing parts of her humanity and the Zelos is actually a double agent.]]
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-->My cousin Floyd says that strip clubs objectify women. But you're not objects, [[CrowningMomentofHeartwarming you're people!]]
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-->My cousin Floyd says that strip clubs objectify women. But you're not objects, [[CrowningMomentofHeartwarming you're people!]] people!]]
* All the FOIL members in ''VisualNovel/FleuretBlanc'' present themselves as pretty simple, shallow stereotypes at first. However, they all reveal themselves to have complex pasts and outlooks if you take the time to talk to them.
** Odon is a calm, laid-back monk who doesn't seem to care about anything. He wasn't always like that; he became a delinquent as a young man after [[spoiler:his family's fortune was swindled]], and based his current persona on his wife, who helped him through that rough time. Then [[DisposableWoman she died]], sending him into a relapse. He is still deeply uncertain about his life direction, and his calm persona is mostly a front that he desperately clings to. You can find hints of this early on, as there's one scene where you can see him [[TheAlcoholic drowning himself in liquor]] -- odd behavior for a monk, no?
** Masque is a strange, [[TheQuietOne taciturn]] man who at first appears to be nondescript, unapproachable DumbMuscle. However, he is actually highly knowledgeable about masks, and collects them in an attempt to preserve the cultural history that surrounds them. If you manage to actually bring up the subject, he becomes quite the chatterbox.
* All the FOIL members in ''VisualNovel/FleuretBlanc'' present themselves as pretty simple, shallow stereotypes at first. However, they all reveal themselves to have complex pasts and outlooks if you take the time to talk to them.
** Odon is a calm, laid-back monk who doesn't seem to care about anything. He wasn't always like that; he became a delinquent as a young man after [[spoiler:his family's fortune was swindled]], and based his current persona on his wife, who helped him through that rough time. Then [[DisposableWoman she died]], sending him into a relapse. He is still deeply uncertain about his life direction, and his calm persona is mostly a front that he desperately clings to. You can find hints of this early on, as there's one scene where you can see him [[TheAlcoholic drowning himself in liquor]] -- odd behavior for a monk, no?
** Masque is a strange, [[TheQuietOne taciturn]] man who at first appears to be nondescript, unapproachable DumbMuscle. However, he is actually highly knowledgeable about masks, and collects them in an attempt to preserve the cultural history that surrounds them. If you manage to actually bring up the subject, he becomes quite the chatterbox.
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* [[TheDitz Wade]], Trevor's juggalo assistant from ''VideoGame/{{Grand Theft Auto V}}'', is most of the time a bumbling idiot who keeps [[ComicallyMissingthePoint Comically Missing the Point]]. However, he was able to narrow down Michael's identity to just a few people in a city of millions, and after a certain point in the game he gets this line:
-->My cousin Floyd says that strip clubs objectify women. But you're not objects, [[CrowningMomentofHeartwarming you're people!]]
-->My cousin Floyd says that strip clubs objectify women. But you're not objects, [[CrowningMomentofHeartwarming you're people!]]
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* Dante from ''DevilMayCry'', Though his main persona is the same in each game, chronologically he matures quite a bit, witness his change from thrill seeking (''DMC 3'') to guilt ridden (''DMC 1'') to cool headed (''DMC 4'').
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* Dante from ''DevilMayCry'', ''Franchise/DevilMayCry'', Though his main persona is the same in each game, chronologically he matures quite a bit, witness his change from thrill seeking (''DMC 3'') to guilt ridden (''DMC 1'') to cool headed (''DMC 4'').
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* The entire {{Nasuverse}} is ripe with this trope from a BoisterousBruiser [[FateZero King]] who justifies tyranny, a WideEyedIdealist Determinator who is also a broken MartyrWithoutACause, a GenkiGirl [[{{Tsukihime}} who]] is [[StepfordSmiler emotionally dead]], and a PsychoForHire Tsundere [[KaraNoKyoukai who just wants to love]] amongst many.
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* The entire {{Nasuverse}} is ripe with this trope from a BoisterousBruiser [[FateZero [[LightNovel/FateZero King]] who justifies tyranny, a WideEyedIdealist Determinator who is also a broken MartyrWithoutACause, a GenkiGirl [[{{Tsukihime}} who]] is [[StepfordSmiler emotionally dead]], and a PsychoForHire Tsundere [[KaraNoKyoukai who just wants to love]] amongst many.
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* Cody from ''FinalFight'' and ''Franchise/StreetFighter''. Once a hero, now a recluse fight-a-holic who only wants to start fights and frustrates fellow liberators of Metro City Guy and Haggar to no end. However, his quotes and endings (Especially in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'') indicate longing for the better days, when he was a hero, and he always ends up doing the right thing. He defeats (''a'') Seth, but he tells Guy that he only did it because "[[TheChosenZero he was standing in my way]]".
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* Cody from ''FinalFight'' ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' and ''Franchise/StreetFighter''. Once a hero, now a recluse fight-a-holic who only wants to start fights and frustrates fellow liberators of Metro City Guy and Haggar to no end. However, his quotes and endings (Especially in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'') indicate longing for the better days, when he was a hero, and he always ends up doing the right thing. He defeats (''a'') Seth, but he tells Guy that he only did it because "[[TheChosenZero he was standing in my way]]".
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** Kokonoe, a genius Sector Seven scientist that makes less than popular (but pragmatic, and often necessary) choices who had two apprentices she drove away due to her attitude and is willing to do almost anything to get revenge on her mother's killer, [[spoiler:places herself under constant mental strain and risk of being removed from existence if she were to slip up for so much as a fraction of a second simply so that Roy, one of her old apprentices, doesn't suffer the same fate. She's also willing to drop everything, including getting revenge on her mother's killer, if one of her ex-apprentices is going to die from something she feels she can prevent. Even if it's known to be ''impossible'' to prevent.]]
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* ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'': The Radioman comes off as a stoner asshole who is detached from the insanity that is Dubai, but acquiring the intel in the game paints a different character. He was once an idealistic journalist that truly believed in the mission to save Dubai, as things went more and more to shit, it becomes more clear that his now present nature is probably a coping mechanism to help him with the horrors he has witnessed. One memorable piece of intel shows him interviewing Konrad with a hidden tape recorder. Once Konrad thanks him for listening to him and being a friend, the last bit of audio heard is the Radioman turning his recorder off, saying that he needed to grab another pen.
* ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'', GLADOS took this to an extreme. In the first game, she was just the usual "[[AIIsACrapshoot Kill-everything-AI]]." Later, this turned out to make perfect sense: She watched the man she loved go insane running a company he loved, then watched as a byproduct of the work killed him, then her previous coworkers dumped her brain into a computer, "The dummied out audio for it sounded like a rape scene." After that, they effectively forced schizophrenia on her, by dumping various cores on her: "I've heard voices all my life," including one that acted like a brain tumor. On top of that, the system they put her in was acting like drugs to her. By the time you finish playing Portal 2, her hidden depths make you want to cheer on her massacre against the employees. In summary: AIIsACrapshoot becomes WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds.
* ''VideoGame/AtelierIrisEternalMana'', you have various shopkeepers that can synthesize items for you. After enough times of this, they start to unlock various character scenes. Veola's scenes in particular are much more developed than one would expect from a mere side-character [[spoiler: having her contemplating risking her life making an item to try to bring back her dead family.]]
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'', as an effect of its absurd amount of CharacterDevelopment, has a few examples.
** Zelos: on the surface, TheCasanova[=/=]HandsomeLech, with a generous helping of narcissism. [[spoiler:Turns out it's almost entirely [[StepfordSmiler fake]], a result of his contempt for people wanting to take advantage of his position.]] As for his position as Chosen of Tethe'alla, which he seems to enjoy, [[spoiler:it's actually helped spawn a self-loathing that makes him borderline (or, depending on the player's actions, actually) suicidal]].
** Colette: {{Pollyanna}}, somewhat [[TheDitz ditzy]], and friend to all living things. [[spoiler:Hides a level of extreme insecurity and social anxiety, all tied to her fear of failure and unwillingness to burden other people with her own problems, even when it comes close to killing her]].
** Genis: Elven BrattyHalfPint and [[TeenGenius 12 year-old genius]]. [[spoiler:Actually half-elven, and develops an extremely deep resentment of humans for their [[FantasticRacism prejudicial treatment]] of half-elves, even coming to sympathize a lot with the [[WellIntentionedExtremist well-intentioned]] BigBad]].
** Regal: Yeah, you know that [[TheBigGuy six-foot-three muscular convict]] who tried to kidnap Colette when you first met him? [[spoiler:He's actually a duke, the president of one of the world's largest companies, and [[GeniusBruiser one of the most intelligent characters in the party]]. Oh and if he didn't feel guilty for the crime he committed he'd be the strongest party member. He can throw Hadoken...]]
** Kratos: Random mercenary who comes to help Colette out on her journey. [[spoiler:Turns out to be [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld 4000 years old]], a major DoubleAgent who ''wrote'' the book on BlackAndGrayMorality. Also [[LukeIAmYourFather the main character's father.]]]]
*** He also [[spoiler: had to kill Anna, the only woman he ever loved, after Cruxis (who he abandoned to protect Anna) turns her into an EldritchAbomination and she nearly kills their infant son (Lloyd). Then Lloyd tumbles off a cliff in her arms, leading Kratos to believe everyone he cared about is dead, completely demoralizing him. While Anna had turned him into somewhat of an optimist, this cemented his cynicism.]]
** Yuan: Unemotional, practical to the point of sounding uncaring and being a HeelFaceRevolvingDoor to both TheHero and TheBigBad, apparently apathetic at the death of his utterly devoted subordinate... [[spoiler: [[TearJerker was engaged to a woman who died 4000 years ago]], still wears the engagement ring and searches ''all over the two worlds'' for it after having lost it.]] Oh, and by the way, there are a few subtle hints that he actually cares a lot for all his men.
*** [[spoiler: He's actively working against a plan to revive his dead fiancé because of the injustices the BigBad plans to commit once the plan is complete.]]
** Raine: Genis' [[TheSpock cold and intelligent]] big sister who becomes ecstatic when she's discovering ancient ruins [[spoiler: is that way because her and Genis' mother abandoned them by an ancient ruin so they would get sucked into the world of Sylvarant, leaving Raine to raise Genis herself.]]
* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'': Alex initially appears to be an anti-villain who's just going along with the villains for the ride. Turns out that [[spoiler:he's the most dangerous one of all, and is using every other character for his AGodAmI moment. It works.]]
* Adell from ''VideoGame/Disgaea2CursedMemories'', who seems the very epitome of the IdiotHero and HonorBeforeReason tropes... effortlessly solves a Geo Puzzle within minutes of seeing it. As Adell himself puts it, it's not that he's an idiot- far from it. It's just that the straightforward method usually works ''extremely well'', and so there's no reason not to just bash an opponent to death if you can. Only rarely is Adell's brain ever called upon to function- which should scare anyone who thinks about that too much.
** An earlier example would be Seraph Lamington from ''Hour of Darkness''. He likes flowers, prefers to make love and not war, and appears gullible to a fault, to the point where he entrusts command of an army to his ObviouslyEvil right hand man. Actually, let me rephrase that last bit - he hinged the success of his plan to reunite the Netherworld and Celestia on the efforts of his {{Otaku}} LoveFreak trainee and played the actions of his right hand like a game of chess, leaving fellow OutGambitted Vulcanus in the dark about his whole plot until the curtain fell. If there's an example of a man being smarter than he looks, Lamington would be it.
*** Another NipponIchi example would be Valvolga from MakaiKingdom, more specifically Micky. Though he appears frightening, he's acually somewhat cowardly and easily bullied by his other two parts, Ophelia and Dryzen. However, in his battle, not only does he show how he became the General of the Star Element, his cameo in ZettaiHeroProject shows he's also the only character in NIS canon to take down BonusBoss Tyrant Baal for good.
** Etna starts off as a fairly cranky, backstabbing, sarcastic [[BadBoss bitch of a Prinny Squad commander]] who'd make an ideal evil demon. One look at her diary entries shows that she has a major adoration of the old Overlord, and went to great lengths to ensure that his dying wish was fulfilled. [[spoiler: She even cries a little at the end of her own story mode when she realises exactly how far off track she went in relation to said promise]].
* Dr. Peace, the 9th ranked assassin in ''NoMoreHeroes'', is described as a corrupt police officer with ties to the mafia and a merciless [[TheGunslinger Gunslinger archetype]]. When you finally reach the battleground, you find that he's also a fan of karaoke, and has a damn good singing voice to boot.
** Plus, he wanted to see his wife and daughter one last time before dying.
* Almost everyone in ''PrincessWaltz'' has something that counters their outward personality:
** SilkHidingSteel Suzushiro wavers dangerously into BitchInSheepsClothing and [[spoiler:LoveMakesYouEvil]]. To her credit she manages to [[CharacterDevelopment overcome both]], coming out a stronger person.
** Angela looks like a PsychoForHire at first, yet quickly shows her colours as a SpiritedCompetitor who gets honestly upset when her opponents are disrespected.
** Liesel portrays herself as a CombatPragmatist and LittleMissSnarker, displaying a confident, bitchy face to the world. [[spoiler:She?s actually a ShrinkingViolet and ExtremeDoormat, using the [[JekyllAndHyde Liesel personality]] to escape.]]
** Liliana, who at first seems to be a mere comic relief character [[spoiler:turns out to be the oldest (yes, including Shizuka), wisest (according to her "ending") and most experienced princess of them all. She even managed to (well, almost) outbattle local PsychoForHire (Angela) using a glorified magic water gun, despite a few handicaps.]]
** Chris seems like TheWisePrince at first, [[spoiler:before her obsession with becoming a real prince leads to [[IDidWhatIHadToDo outright dog kicking and]] playing [[NiceJobBreakingItHero right into the BigBad?s hands.]]]]
** Shizuka lives up to her name as TheQuietOne OneeSama AloofDarkHairedGirl big sister to the main character, always calm and controlled. [[spoiler:She's actually TheBerserker, and has a bit of a BodyguardCrush on her brother to boot.]]
* Shadow from ''SonicTheHedgehog'' is much smarter than he looks. Though this aspect only shows up in [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 the awful 2006 game]], it shows how dangerous Shadow can be. He was the only person in the entire game who was aware of what was really going on and sought to put a stop to it, even convincing Silver that he was duped. Unfortunately, Shadow's plan was only 99% effective as one fragment that escaped caused the last story. He does give an awesome ShutUpHannibal speech in the end of his story.
** [[InspectorJavert Silver]] shows a bit of this as well when he [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone acts extremely hurt]] after Amy [[WhatTheHellHero calls him out]]. [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot After a heart-to-heart talk with Blaze,]] he decides that a RivalsTeamUp is his best shot at redemption.
** Even before Sonic 2006, Shadow's massive backstory takes [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 a]] [[VideoGame/SonicHeroes good]] [[VideoGame/SonicBattle four]] [[ShadowTheHedgehog games]] to completely reveal. He goes from being only a mysterious superweapon/black hedgehog/ultimate lifeform to a rather complex character who befriended his creator's daughter, who is killed during a government attack on the massive space station he was created in, giving him a powerful hatred for human beings in general that never quite goes away. He was created using the blood of a dark alien creature named Black Doom, who eventually comes and tries to take over the world so that humans can [[ImAHumanitarian be food for his alien race]], so Shadow kicks the crap out of him and blows up their "planet". On the outside, he's a mean, cold anti-hero. Inside, however, he's a lot deeper, and often does more thinking than the rest of Sonic's cast put together, as mentioned for Sonic 2006.
** Sonic is actually an example, too. He's an adventurous, fun-seeking character who seems to act on impulse rather than thinking things through, which makes him come off as too carefree and not very bright to many. And yet:
*** In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', he was able to pull off a Chaos Control with a fake Chaos Emerald. To put things in perspective, Shadow himself didn't think it was possible to activate it with a fake emerald, yet Sonic managed to do it in a single try, without having ever used the move before. It turns out that he was able to deduce how to perform Chaos Control ''just from watching Shadow use it once''.
*** For most of ''VideoGame/SonicBattle'', Shadow is bent on destroying Emerl to prevent him from absorbing all emeralds and going berserk, with Sonic protecting the robot (who he had befriended) being his main obstacle. Then during the second to last story, to Shadow's surprise, Sonic simply lets him take Emerl with him a few moments after he (Shadow) reaffirmed that he was going to destroy the robot. It then turns that after seeing how similar he and Emerl are, Shadow sympathizes with him and chooses to help him rather than destroy him. ''Sonic had seen all of this development coming and made Emerl go with Shadow to make it happen''.
*** In ''VideoGame/SonicRush'', he's very kind and comforting to Blaze the Cat, as he can tell that underneath her cold and hostile facade is a very shy and troubled girl.
*** In ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', Eggman releases [[SealedEvilInACan Dark Gaia]], a gargantuan beast made out of energy, which then becomes scattered across the planet in the form of dark energy. During night, this energy causes the behavior of people from all over the world to change, making them act more aggressive. Sonic permanently absorbed much of its energy into his body, which caused a far less subtle effect on him: went night arrives, he transforms into the infamous Werehog, who then powers himself up by absorbing even more dark energy. And yet he keeps his personality and normal behavior under this form. Near the end, it's revealed the the reason for this was that Sonic was strong enough to withstand the energy's influence. In other words, even though he was possessed by far more Dark Gaia energy than anyone else, Sonic, who has the fame of being an overly carefree person, [[HeroicSpirit had a willpower and a dedication to fighting for justice strong enough to resist Dark Gaia's influence]] ''without even trying''.
** The events of ''SonicLostWorld'' are pivoted partially by Sonic's [[ATragedyOfImpulsiveness recklessness and over eagerness]] to stop Eggman (inadvertently enabling another foe to take control instead). The story shows him coming to accept his shortcomings and showing humility over it. His usually positive approach is also tested greatly due to having clashes with his best friend Tails (who is convinced Sonic doesn't trust his abilities) and the Deadly Six succeeding in taking his allies out of commission one by one. Though he becomes more jaded as the story progresses as a result, his determination never fades.
** This and several other games such as ''SonicColors'' also show Sonic to be rather GenreSavvy.
* Many charcters from ''[[Franchise/DotHack .hack]]''. If you build up your relationships in the game (or check supplementary materials) you'll find something.
** GenkiGirl Mistral? A housewife, who despite her online persona, is very mature and dependable woman who becomes a mother/big sister type to [=BlackRose=]. Her Daughter, who plays Mireille, is a four year old prodigy.
** Samurai enthusiast Sanjuro? A Japanese teacher from America who uses the Japanese version of ''The World'' to improve his Japanese.
** Wiseman, a genius who helps the heroes throughout the series? [[spoiler:A prodigious ten-year-old kid who loves Digimon cards and hates vegetables.]]
** Piros, the goofy Heavy Axeman? [[spoiler:A graphic designer for the game who plays to appreciate his work.]]
* The Boss from the ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' series is an uncouth, foul-mouthed, violence-loving sociopath. The Boss is also [[UndyingLoyalty undyingly loyal]] to their friends, and enjoys the works of Creator/JaneAusten.
* Every potential companion in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' [[spoiler: (even Loghain -- ''especially'' Loghain)]] has depth. Likewise, the companions in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII''.
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'' has this with most characters in the game. Stepping out of your own shadow and doing what was thought to be impossible is the main theme that stretched through the entire series all the time.
** Ashley Williams from the first game is often considered a generic ActionGirl with a touch of FantasticRacism. Talk to her, and you'll discover she's really close to her family (memorising Ulysses because it was her dad's favourite poem) and is deeply religious, neither of which you'd notice at first glance.
** Mordin from the second game is an even better example, having a deep characterisation right from the start - a DeadlyDoctor willing to [[IDidWhatIHadToDo do morally ambiguous things for the greater good]] while still having a chipper demeanor - who just gets deeper the more you talk to him. For example, he refuses to become a KnightTemplar, deliberately grounding himself by talking to his favourite nephew before going out to save the galaxy.
*** And then he takes it several steps farther in the third game [[MeaningfulEcho echoing]] his line ''"I am the very model of a scientist salarian."''.
** The DLC ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' is filled with it. First, Liara goes through a great deal of CharacterDevelopment throughout the entire thing. Second, [[spoiler:after killing the Shadow Broker]], you have detailed dossiers on your party members which provide extra depth. Some are [[CrowningMomentOfFunny hilarious]] and some are just [[TearJerker heartbreaking]]. Finally, you can show Shepard's hidden depths at the end of the DLC when s/he and Liara reminisce.
** [[spoiler:Legion]] has a few surprising cases. While he's mainly there to deliver an expo dump on how the [[spoiler:geth]] work, he also shows himself to have a bit of an emotional side, with his salvaged armour and long play time on a dating sim.
** Miranda Lawson: Coolly self-confident about her superiority over most unmodified humans and when you first meet her face-to-face she shoots a guy who's been helping you in the face. Then you can find out she has serious daddy issues, cares deeply about [[spoiler: her "twin" sister]], and is obviously distressed to learn she [[spoiler: can't have children]].
*** By the third game, she admits to being plagued with guilt for having wanted to install a RestrainingBolt in Shepard's head, having [[HeelRealisation realised]] much to her horror that if she had, this would have made her [[NotSoDifferent no different]] from her controlling father.
** Jack initially comes across as an [[AxeCrazy unstable]] convict with too [[HotBlooded little]] [[HairTriggerTemper restraint]] and way too much [[MindOverMatter biotic power]]. If Shepard has taken the time to earn her trust, she slowly reveals a much warmer and vulnerable side, while her Shadow Broker dossier reveals she even writes poetry in her spare time. She continues this CharacterDevelopment into the third game, where she's discovered to now be [[spoiler: a BadassTeacher working at Grissom Academy]] and is barely recognisable from the AloofAlly Shepard had sprung from a prison cell.
** The krogans are explored much more deeply in the third game with the introduction of the previously unseen females. In the first two games, all krogans are shown as dumb brutes picking fights at every opportunity and blindly charging at any enemies to their death. Only Wrex is really standing out, being relatively smart and picking fights at every opportunity. The third game shows a lot more of their culture and history and also deals with other aspects of krogan life than war, showing them capable of great devotion for the good of their people and the survival of their homeworld and its culture.
*** In terms of individual krogan, Grunt in ''Mass Effect 2'' really gets this. Yes, he's a young krogan who ''loves'' combat and acts like you'd expect a BloodKnight to act. However, if you talk to him, you find out that he's introspective and philosophical. Just look at his reasons for choosing the name "Grunt" over something more impressive-sounding. He also develops an interest in classical Earth literature (particularly Hemingway).
** On the surface, James Vega is big and reckless. Dig a bit deeper, and it turns out that he's leaning towards becoming a DeathSeeker after being forced to make a SadisticChoice that ultimately proved unnecessary, he's considerably smarter than he appears at first look, and his command chops are impressive enough that he's been recommended for [=N7=] training.
* Detective Gumshoe of ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' is incredibly incompetent as an investigator, and his salary is so low the police hire him more out of pity than anything else. However, he's popular with the recruits, looks after the police dog Missile, is a relentless {{Determinator}}, fiercely loyal to his friends, able to stand up to a room full of mafia men and survive and always manages to find that one crucial clue when the heroes need it most. One of his songs is called 'I can do it when it counts, pal!'.
** Several other characters too, Edgeworth starts out as a typical 'evil rival', but is really (after CharacterDevelopment) a kind hearted man dedicated to justice, a huge ([[GuiltyPleasure though secret]]) fan of the Steel Samurai and earned his reputation as a prosecutor. The Judge is borderline senile and easily swayed, but speaks fluent Spanish and will shout down the most feared legal figure in the country if it means uncovering the truth in a trial.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series - In most appearances, Princess Zelda appears to be a typical PrincessClassic on first glance. However, optional dialogue or reading between the lines often reveals her to be actually somewhat of a RebelliousPrincess with borderline [[{{Tomboy}} tomboyish]] tendencies. Her alter egos, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime the Sheikah Warrior Sheik]] and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker the Pirate Captain Tetra]] beautifully illustrate that Zelda not only isn't as innocent as she usually seems, but also has hidden fightings skills that one wouldn't expect from her.
** Ganondorf, suprisingly enough, also has some hidden depths. While he is almost always a CardCarryingVillain, in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' (which takes place after he had been sealed for hundreds of years, ''twice'' - once in the Dark World and once under the ocean), he is much more calm and seems to regret a lot of what he did in the past. But then at the end of the game [[LaughingMad he]] [[TakingYouWithMe completely]] [[VillainousBreakdown snaps]].
* Tsugumi of ''{{Ever17}}'' is quite obviously not all she appears. First she seems like a total {{jerkass}} but since she's rather attractive and around the same age as the hero, we assume {{tsundere}}. But then she's mean to everyone, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold except when she isn't]] so then maybe she has a SugarAndIcePersonality. Finally, CryCute, BrokenBird, WhoWantsToLiveForever, ProperlyParanoid, DefrostingIceQueen and a good many other tropes to finally show who Tsugumi really is.
* The entire {{Nasuverse}} is ripe with this trope from a BoisterousBruiser [[FateZero King]] who justifies tyranny, a WideEyedIdealist Determinator who is also a broken MartyrWithoutACause, a GenkiGirl [[{{Tsukihime}} who]] is [[StepfordSmiler emotionally dead]], and a PsychoForHire Tsundere [[KaraNoKyoukai who just wants to love]] amongst many.
* According to ''VideoGame/PokerNightAtTheInventory'', it turns out that [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 Heavy Weapons Guy]] is the only one of the characters that went to college, and while there, he earned a [=PhD=] in Russian Literature. Therefore, he is ''DR.'' Heavy Weapons Guy. So much for being the DumbMuscle. In fact, the Russian version of ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' actually has him [[EloquentInMyNativeTongue speak quite eloquently]] just so that Valve can avert a DubInducedPlothole induced by this fact. He also shows a certain amount of remorse for how he got to where he is now (listen for his "sparrow" story).
* Supplemental material for ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' add a lot of depth to characters, though the game itself gets in on this as well.
** The deranged Soldier is apparently surprisingly well-read (he knows about ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' and has an understanding of Greek mythology) and has a bizarre talent for infiltration and deception on a wholly different level than the Spy.
** Spy [[WouldntHurtAChild is apparently fond of children]] and in spite of his supposed womanizing is actually quite personally fond of his mistresses. He's also emphatically ''not'' an IneffectualLoner; ''Expiration Date'' shows him making a RousingSpeech and attempting to make sure that the whole team will end their last days fulfilled.
** Even a BrattyHalfPint loudmouth like Scout doesn't like to see children being harmed, and he connects with kids quickly. Both of his life plans that we've seen so far, getting rich and getting with Miss Pauling, involve, respectively, waiting patiently and a rigorous self-improvement regiment conducted in record time. From a guy you would think wouldn't even know how to spell "wait."
** Heavy and his family were sent to TheGulag after his father was killed for being a tsarist--it's heavily implied he tortured all the guards to death, freed all the prisoners, and burned the place to the ground because they harmed his mother and sisters. As mentioned in the ''Poker Night'' entry, he is also an [[EloquentInMyNativeTongue erudite]] [=PhD=] and a teetotaler.
** Pyro is an apparently an IdiotSavant ramped UpToEleven, being able to run a construction company as its CEO and turn its entire board of directors into multimillionares in under a year in spite of never actually taking off his mask and perceiving everything as a SugarBowl.
** Demoman is a patient, doting son to his demanding blind mother. He is phenomenally rich, a hard worker even in his youth, and proud of his work. In spite of this, he still takes time out to watch corny, gimmicky TV shows.
** Engineer may be a hard-working GoodOlBoy, but he's a patron of the classical arts, loves his father and grandfather and respects his history, and shows us all why you really should BewareTheNiceOnes.
** Even Sniper is shown to have a complex relationship with his often disapproving parents as well as a firm belief that his job is all about being professional...even when he isn't all that professional himself.
* The plot of ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'' is largely about finding these quirky people--from {{Bunny Ears Lawyer}}s to literal mental patients--and going into their minds to find out ''why'' they're that way. Among them are Milla, whose GenkiGirl personality hides [[spoiler:grief over dozens of orphans in her care dying in a fire]], a WhiteDwarfStarlet who [[spoiler:seems to blame herself for her mother's suicide]] and a BigBad who [[spoiler:was driven mad by his father constantly killing and eating his pet rabbits when he was a child]].
* Cody from ''FinalFight'' and ''Franchise/StreetFighter''. Once a hero, now a recluse fight-a-holic who only wants to start fights and frustrates fellow liberators of Metro City Guy and Haggar to no end. However, his quotes and endings (Especially in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'') indicate longing for the better days, when he was a hero, and he always ends up doing the right thing. He defeats (''a'') Seth, but he tells Guy that he only did it because "[[TheChosenZero he was standing in my way]]".
* The characters of ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors'' were developed by building them upon stereotypes, then subverting them, according to an interview.
* Dante from ''DevilMayCry'', Though his main persona is the same in each game, chronologically he matures quite a bit, witness his change from thrill seeking (''DMC 3'') to guilt ridden (''DMC 1'') to cool headed (''DMC 4'').
* Billy Coen of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil0'' comes off as a rather thuggish, bitter, and cynical ex-Marine during his early appearances. As the game progresses, however, we discover he's a KnightInSourArmour with a powerful belief in the justice system (despite it having condemned him), has a strict code of honour, plays the piano rather well, and seems to know more about Umbrella than he's letting on.
** Easter eggs in 5 show that Chris Redfield isn't particularly patriotic and dislikes capitalism.
* Solid Snake of ''Franchise/MetalGear'' is characterized as a guy who lives entirely for fighting and being a soldier, but as the man exclaims himself, he's rather fond of dogsledding. Apparently he even participated in dogsledding competitions before Shadow Moses.
* In ''{{Solatorobo}}'', even Red himself is a bit surprised in Samoyede, when Elh reveals that [[spoiler:she knows a little about flowers, despite not being the girlish type, though [[IWasJustPassingThrough she claims it's only because they grew in her home village]].]]
* In KatawaShoujo, when you go through their routes, all of the girls have much more depth than they first appear.
** Emi, an athletic PluckyGirl who is one of the stars of the school track despite having no legs [[spoiler:who is also haunted by the emotional trauma of losing her father in the same accident where she lost her legs and actively avoids trying to get to close to anyone because she can't deal with the pain of losing anyone else.]]
** Hanako, a FragileFlower suffering from having been badly burned in a house fire that claimed the lives of her parents [[spoiler:who would prefer it if you did *not* pity her thank you very much and will really let you have it if you try too hard to WhiteKnight for her.]]
** Lilly a perfect and motherly and [[spoiler: probably a little *too* good at concealing her emotions to the point where it is difficult for her defy her own parents even when it means being parted from the boy she loves forever, which she does not want.]]
** Rin the Crazy {{Cloudcuckoolander}} [[spoiler:who is frustrated by the fact that it is impossible for people to understand her.]]
** Shizune, the playful, [[SpiritedCompetitor ultra-competitive]] StudentCouncilPresident [[spoiler:who is frustrated by the fact that her deafness, and the communication problems that come with make it so hard for her get other people to open up to her, so she pours all of her efforts into making people happy [[IJustWantToHaveFriends in the hopes that they would like her.]]]]
** This also applies to some of the secondary characters
*** Misha, a cheerful, energetic GenkiGirl [[spoiler:who is tormented by unrequited love for her best friend Shizune, and may even have been bullied for her sexual orientation]]
*** Yuuko, a clumsy and sometimes awkward librarian/waitress/college student, [[spoiler:is actually a fairly good source of advice on relationships, especially considering that she's acquainted with some of the girls]]
*** Kenji, the paranoid misogynist conspiracy theorist, [[spoiler:was in a relationship in a past, and while he broke up with his girlfriend, he still has fond memories of their relationship]].
* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' also contains much depth on nearly everyone:
** Ragna The Bloodedge, a fearful foul-mouthed figure known as The Grim Reaper who claims that he's going to take down NOL [[spoiler:[[JerkWithAHeartOfGold has a lot of sweet spots]] where he doesn't act like a jerk... and not exactly your ChaoticGood Robin Hood figure, he's not there to release the world from oppression..]]
** Jin Kisaragi, psychotic, brother-obsessed rival who is cold as ice and an utter {{Jerkass}} to everyone, ESPECIALLY TO NOEL VERMILLION, [[spoiler:is actually a hardworking boy who has an aspirations of being a hero, utterly protective to his childhood friend Tsubaki, and would eventually become that hardass hero Hakumen. His Jerkass attitude was actually magnified from his Nox Nyctores Yukianesa, when he's not influenced with it, he's actually decent.]]
** Noel Vermillion, a standing up soldier, lieutenant of Jin who was abused for no apparent reason, [[spoiler:is actually unfit to be a soldier and only became efficient when wielding her guns Bolverk, which seals her unnecessary emotions. Also, she's Mu-12, a weapon designed to kill Gods and has disdain to nearly everything.]]
** Rachel Alucard, a snarky vampire that stalks Ragna nearly all the time and doesn't drink bloods but tea, [[spoiler:has been through many iterations of time loop, remembering each iterations and has been trying to stop the malicious Terumi Yuuki from manipulating the timeloop further.]]
** Taokaka, a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} {{Catgirl}} who forgets things in every 3 steps, [[spoiler:her race is actually cloned offsprings of Jubei, one of the Heroes that saved the world.]]
** Iron Tager, a hulking cyborg fighting with [[ScienceHero THE POWER OF SCIENCE]], and programmed to be loyal to a fault by Kokonoe, [[spoiler:is actually a dead Ikarugan man whose soul was transplanted into his current body.]]
** Litchi Faye-Ling, a buxom, kind-hearted doctor dead set/obsessed in killing/saving her friend-turned-into-EldritchAbomination, [[spoiler:suffers extreme GuiltComplex, is actually dying from the same corruption that granted her power and turned that friend into EldritchAbomination. She eventually joins NOL to save him, and this has Hidden Depths: On the surface, it looks like she's blinded by obsession and becomes a HorribleJudgeOfCharacter, trusting someone ObviouslyEvil, but in truth, she's ForcedIntoEvil thanks to the corruption getting very close to turn her into abomination, and she doesn't trust those evil men.]]
** Arakune, said 'friend-turned-into-EldritchAbomination' above, only obsessed in eating Kaka kittens and hunting down Ragna's Azure Grimoire to be consumed, [[spoiler:WasOnceAMan named Lotte Carmine, whom Litchi loved... but he himself ignores her and is a glory-hound and suffers ''massive'' inferiority complex, always trying to one-up Kokonoe and constantly failing, eventually leading him to that experiment that turns him into Arakune.]]
** Bang Shishigami, HighlyVisibleNinja, Tokusatsu/Shonen satire character, Ikaruga War survivor, who's got a one-sided crush on Litchi, the designated JokeCharacter, [[spoiler:actually is aware of the greying morality of the world, savvy enough to pull back when things come to push (as shown with Hazama), as well as possessing an inactive Nox Nyctores that could really up his relevance.]]
** Carl Clover, a young prodigy who carries around a marionette he refers as 'sister' (Nox Nyctores Nirvana), very polite even when killing people heartlessly, [[spoiler:has an utterly fucked up childhood of witnessing his sister turned into that marionette thanks to his father Relius.]]
** Hakumen, a very {{Badass}} KnightTemplar who happens to be one of the Six Heroes, [[spoiler:is actually Jin Kisaragi as a FutureBadass who was thrown into the past during one time loop. This particular version came from a world without Noel Vermillion and is extremely crushed with the death of his lover in front of him before he made the jump to the past.]]
** Tsubaki Yayoi, Noel's best bud and Jin's childhood friend, a model student and princess of the Yayoi clan of the Duodecim family, seemingly all too eager to uphold justice and is a member of the Zero Squadron, [[spoiler:AKA the 'trash collectors'. Her dream job as Jin's secretary was taken over by Noel due to machinations of Hazama that she's not aware of, making her harbor extreme jealousy at Noel... or anyone taking Jin from her. As with above, she also IS Hakumen's lover, whereas if Noel didn't exist and she got her dream position... she'll get ''killed''. She's unaware of this.]]
** Makoto Nanaya, Noel's other best bud and a happy-go-lucky spacey Squirrel Girl who is in the Intelligence Department, [[spoiler:has suffered a LOT from the FantasticRacism of her race to the point she was hostile the first time she met her friends. She also is a GeniusDitz and her loyalty with her friends gave her so much willpower enough to survive passing the Boundary unharmed... Oh and that loyalty also translates into 'Anyone harming my friends will be splattered into the wall to death'. She also is a DoubleAgent for Sector Seven.]]
** Hazama, a seemingly mild-mannered NOL agent with an affable feel and eyes constantly shut... [[spoiler:is actually Terumi Yuuki, a total bastard who runs things (such as [[BreakTheCutie cutie-breaking]], [[KickTheDog puppy-kicking]], [[ManipulativeBastard manipulations]], [[MindRape mind probing]] and [[DealWithTheDevil shady deals]]) ForTheEvulz and believes the only truth is despair, the rest are lies and he ''so'' want to shove that truth to be the universal truth of the world.]]
** Relius Clover, Carl's father with moniker 'Mad Puppeteer', extreme perfectionist genius MadScientist who turned his wife and daughter into automatons, [[spoiler:is actually thrown into the future from the past, about 80 years. [[ImplacableMan Can be shoved into the Cauldron to die and survived it just fine]]. His goal is revealed to have a little pragmatism of creating the perfect soul and perfect human being.]]
* Everybody (except[[spoiler: Grave who really is just evil]]) in SymphonicRain aren't what they seem to be at first glance such as Fal and Torta who initially seem to be nice girls who fall in love with Chris during their route but [[spoiler: Fal is just a ruthless person who is using Chris for his skills and Torta is filled with self loathing.]]
* In ''Videogame/IMissTheSunrise'', your entire crew is shown to have this, if you take the time to talk to them between missions.
* Everyone in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening''. They all have their quirks, and some of them are rather obvious, like how Anna has the most hidden savings, being a money-obsessed merchant of rare items. However, one of the antagonists, Walhart, a SocialDarwinist king has a more surprising one... [[spoiler: Take one look at him and tell me you thought he was a vegetarian!]]
* Weapons dealer [[TestosteronePoisoning Mr. Torgue]] from {{Videogame/Borderlands2}} loves EXPLOSIONS for being so BADASS, thinks subtlety SUCKS, and knows that the fact that 97% of all life on Pandora isn't exploding is BULLSHIT! However, there's nothing more BADASS than treating a woman with RESPECT!
** Krieg the Psycho might be a crazed lunatic like most other psychos, but he's guided by the remnants of his past self into only killing "the deserving" and to never harm innocents. It's also shown that his true reason for joining the Vault Hunters is because [[LoveRedeems he's in love with Maya, who he believes might make him sane once more]].
* ''{{Agarest Senki}}'': Considering how many party members join during the game, (The game is split into generations where the hero of the next generation is the son of the previous one) it's par for the course in this game. The {{LoveInterest}}'s generally show some more depth as you increase the RelationshipValues. One notable one is [[UsefulNotes/FurryFandom Sherufanir]]. She is generally TheTease but get to know her better and she shows a clear disdain for fighting and tends to offer Ladius (2nd gen hero) a chance to run away and live with her in peace away from the war. Putting her down softly has Ladius say he has a destiny to fulfill. Her response is said with [[OutOfCharacter a sad and solemn tone]]:
--> "Destiny. That word is the bane of you. (pause) and me."
* In ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', this is frequently invoked about Sith characters, if playing along the Light Side route;
--> '''Warrior''': [[WarriorPoet Memories of the best times in life, are treasures later in life.]]
--> '''Vette''': *''Flabbergasted''* Who ''are'' you and what did you do with the ''[[BloodKnight Sith]]'' I know?
* Virtually [[HoldYourHippogriffs everybirdie]] in ''VisualNovel/HatofulBoyfriend'' has some of these; at a glance the whole cast seems to fit into otome game stereotypes, but digging deeper always produces something that runs counter to appearances. The heroine is a cheerfully bombastic [[ContemporaryCaveman Contemporary Cavewoman]] [[spoiler: whose parents were killed when she was a child]]. Sweet crossdressing ChildhoodFriend Ryouta is [[spoiler: taking care of his dying mother, [[MayflyDecemberRomance very aware of mortality]], and unnervingly possessive of Hiyoko]]. FrenchJerk RoyalBrat Sakuya really likes music [[spoiler: and has a terribly stern FantasyForbiddingFather who he's starting to doubt, and a secret core of actual integrity]]. Shy bookish Nageki is [[spoiler: a ghost bound to the library, who is willing to sacrifice himself painfully to save people]]. {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Oko San... [[TheFool doesn't have much depth]], but he has a sort of simple wisdom that makes him valuable in a crisis. [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Doctor]] Shuu is [[ObviouslyEvil exactly as bad as he seems]] but [[spoiler: has a TheLostLenore thing going on, and appears to be pretty good with little kids, if Miru and Kaku are any indication]]. TalkativeLoon [[FallenAngel Anghel]] is more aware of things than he seems and [[spoiler: apparently can sense the future]].
** The cake-takers, though, are Yuuya and Nanaki. Appearing to be the HandsomeLech SchoolIdol and the {{Sleepyhead}} HotTeacher, respectively, their otome routes show that Yuuya [[spoiler: is a TeenSuperSpy]] and Nanaki [[spoiler: feels like he can't love anyone after losing someone he loved]]. BBL and ''Holiday Star'' reveal that they're both [[spoiler: massive {{Stepford Smiler}}s with horrific pasts and blood on their, er, wings; but while Yuuya is TheAtoner and and very protective and heroic, Nanaki's kind of more CryForTheDevil.]]
* Arguably the point of the [[RelationshipValues Social]] [[LevelUpAtIntimacy5 Links]] of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' and ''[[VideoGame/{{Persona 4}} 4]]'' is to show that the various characters are far more than what they appear to be on the surface.
** Becomes a major plot point and theme in ''4'', where the refusal of the party members to accept their hidden depths and character flaws is what drives a lot of the game's conflict. And again, they are explored even more in depth in their social links.
* Every character in VisualNovel/{{Danganronpa}} has more depth than they might seem to have at first. Even Yamada, who initially seems like just a one-note otaku comic relief character who spouts video game references turns out to be very passionate about a certain magical girl show, that he considered saved his life when he was at a really low point, and wants to do the same for other people with the doujinshi he creates.
* In most of the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' games, most of the characters are kind of one-note. But in the spinoffs (mostly the [=RPGs=]) they get a bit more depth.
** ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'' may have solidified Luigi's status as a CowardlyLion, going to great lengths to rescue his brother even when he really didn't want to. But before that, Luigi's journals in PaperMario showed that he has a case of BigBrotherWorship in regards to mario.
** While in most games Bowser is kind of a one note villain, the ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' and ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' series both help to establish Bowser as an IneffectualSympatheticVillain who actually does care about Peach, even if he thinks the best way to show her this is to kidnap her. This finally comes to a head in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'', where he [[spoiler:manages to successfully hijack the plot]].
** Peach is a bit inconsistently written, but some adaptations (most notably ''ComicBook/SuperMarioAdventures'' and the ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' series) show her as headstrong and willing to try and rescue herself.
** And then there's Waluigi. At first glance, we see that Waluigi is Luigi´s rival, and works hard just so that he can make Luigi´s life suck. Then, at times, the character involved into having a strong hatred for everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom, and works hard to make everyone miserable and hateful. However, the reason for that is his self-pity. Why does Waluigi act like such a [[{{Jerkass}} massive jerk]] to everyone and is always presented to be an onverconfident character ? Because if there is one person Waluigi hates, besides Luigi, it's himself. His life is just so full of failures and bad luck (even when he isn´t doing something dastardly) that, alongside his crushing self pity and bitterness, caused him to be the way he is, harming others to make himself happy.
** [[TheHighQueen Rosalina]], introduced in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'', is the elegant and soft-spoken mother of the Lumas and guardian of the cosmos, with some strong implications of PhysicalGod. That said, she is not above letting herself go and having some fun, and as ''VideoGame/MarioKart Wii'' states, she has [[BikerBabe a passion for motorcycles]].
** Ultimately averted, however, with Wario. It's a running gag at this point to set up a scenario where Wario can show some character development, only for him to prove that [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk he really is just a greedy bastard underneath it all]].
* Death from ''VideoGame/{{Darksiders 2}}''. Arrogant DeadpanSnarker? You bet. Then you remember that the entire game is him [[BigBrotherInstinct trying to prove War is innocent]], so much so that saying War is guilty is his BerserkButton.
* Say what you will about ''Franchise/GodOfWar's'' Kratos, he still cares about the children when he's not murdering [[OmnicidalManiac everyone else]] for looking at him funny.
* A lot of characters in ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'' have some level of hidden depths to them, but two of them stand out the most:
** Reyn is a self-admitted DumbMuscle that nonetheless can be surprisingly insightful, such as the moment he calls out Shulk when he's threading into PoorCommunicationKills territory; and is also more emotionally mature than he lets out.
** Riki is a RidiculouslyCuteCritter with a child-like attitude common in his species. He's also [[OlderThanTheyLook a 40-year-old]] father of several children who shows some moments of fatherly care and wisdom that surprise everyone, including TeamDad (and actual ParentalSubstitute) Dunban.
----
* ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'', GLADOS took this to an extreme. In the first game, she was just the usual "[[AIIsACrapshoot Kill-everything-AI]]." Later, this turned out to make perfect sense: She watched the man she loved go insane running a company he loved, then watched as a byproduct of the work killed him, then her previous coworkers dumped her brain into a computer, "The dummied out audio for it sounded like a rape scene." After that, they effectively forced schizophrenia on her, by dumping various cores on her: "I've heard voices all my life," including one that acted like a brain tumor. On top of that, the system they put her in was acting like drugs to her. By the time you finish playing Portal 2, her hidden depths make you want to cheer on her massacre against the employees. In summary: AIIsACrapshoot becomes WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds.
* ''VideoGame/AtelierIrisEternalMana'', you have various shopkeepers that can synthesize items for you. After enough times of this, they start to unlock various character scenes. Veola's scenes in particular are much more developed than one would expect from a mere side-character [[spoiler: having her contemplating risking her life making an item to try to bring back her dead family.]]
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'', as an effect of its absurd amount of CharacterDevelopment, has a few examples.
** Zelos: on the surface, TheCasanova[=/=]HandsomeLech, with a generous helping of narcissism. [[spoiler:Turns out it's almost entirely [[StepfordSmiler fake]], a result of his contempt for people wanting to take advantage of his position.]] As for his position as Chosen of Tethe'alla, which he seems to enjoy, [[spoiler:it's actually helped spawn a self-loathing that makes him borderline (or, depending on the player's actions, actually) suicidal]].
** Colette: {{Pollyanna}}, somewhat [[TheDitz ditzy]], and friend to all living things. [[spoiler:Hides a level of extreme insecurity and social anxiety, all tied to her fear of failure and unwillingness to burden other people with her own problems, even when it comes close to killing her]].
** Genis: Elven BrattyHalfPint and [[TeenGenius 12 year-old genius]]. [[spoiler:Actually half-elven, and develops an extremely deep resentment of humans for their [[FantasticRacism prejudicial treatment]] of half-elves, even coming to sympathize a lot with the [[WellIntentionedExtremist well-intentioned]] BigBad]].
** Regal: Yeah, you know that [[TheBigGuy six-foot-three muscular convict]] who tried to kidnap Colette when you first met him? [[spoiler:He's actually a duke, the president of one of the world's largest companies, and [[GeniusBruiser one of the most intelligent characters in the party]]. Oh and if he didn't feel guilty for the crime he committed he'd be the strongest party member. He can throw Hadoken...]]
** Kratos: Random mercenary who comes to help Colette out on her journey. [[spoiler:Turns out to be [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld 4000 years old]], a major DoubleAgent who ''wrote'' the book on BlackAndGrayMorality. Also [[LukeIAmYourFather the main character's father.]]]]
*** He also [[spoiler: had to kill Anna, the only woman he ever loved, after Cruxis (who he abandoned to protect Anna) turns her into an EldritchAbomination and she nearly kills their infant son (Lloyd). Then Lloyd tumbles off a cliff in her arms, leading Kratos to believe everyone he cared about is dead, completely demoralizing him. While Anna had turned him into somewhat of an optimist, this cemented his cynicism.]]
** Yuan: Unemotional, practical to the point of sounding uncaring and being a HeelFaceRevolvingDoor to both TheHero and TheBigBad, apparently apathetic at the death of his utterly devoted subordinate... [[spoiler: [[TearJerker was engaged to a woman who died 4000 years ago]], still wears the engagement ring and searches ''all over the two worlds'' for it after having lost it.]] Oh, and by the way, there are a few subtle hints that he actually cares a lot for all his men.
*** [[spoiler: He's actively working against a plan to revive his dead fiancé because of the injustices the BigBad plans to commit once the plan is complete.]]
** Raine: Genis' [[TheSpock cold and intelligent]] big sister who becomes ecstatic when she's discovering ancient ruins [[spoiler: is that way because her and Genis' mother abandoned them by an ancient ruin so they would get sucked into the world of Sylvarant, leaving Raine to raise Genis herself.]]
* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'': Alex initially appears to be an anti-villain who's just going along with the villains for the ride. Turns out that [[spoiler:he's the most dangerous one of all, and is using every other character for his AGodAmI moment. It works.]]
* Adell from ''VideoGame/Disgaea2CursedMemories'', who seems the very epitome of the IdiotHero and HonorBeforeReason tropes... effortlessly solves a Geo Puzzle within minutes of seeing it. As Adell himself puts it, it's not that he's an idiot- far from it. It's just that the straightforward method usually works ''extremely well'', and so there's no reason not to just bash an opponent to death if you can. Only rarely is Adell's brain ever called upon to function- which should scare anyone who thinks about that too much.
** An earlier example would be Seraph Lamington from ''Hour of Darkness''. He likes flowers, prefers to make love and not war, and appears gullible to a fault, to the point where he entrusts command of an army to his ObviouslyEvil right hand man. Actually, let me rephrase that last bit - he hinged the success of his plan to reunite the Netherworld and Celestia on the efforts of his {{Otaku}} LoveFreak trainee and played the actions of his right hand like a game of chess, leaving fellow OutGambitted Vulcanus in the dark about his whole plot until the curtain fell. If there's an example of a man being smarter than he looks, Lamington would be it.
*** Another NipponIchi example would be Valvolga from MakaiKingdom, more specifically Micky. Though he appears frightening, he's acually somewhat cowardly and easily bullied by his other two parts, Ophelia and Dryzen. However, in his battle, not only does he show how he became the General of the Star Element, his cameo in ZettaiHeroProject shows he's also the only character in NIS canon to take down BonusBoss Tyrant Baal for good.
** Etna starts off as a fairly cranky, backstabbing, sarcastic [[BadBoss bitch of a Prinny Squad commander]] who'd make an ideal evil demon. One look at her diary entries shows that she has a major adoration of the old Overlord, and went to great lengths to ensure that his dying wish was fulfilled. [[spoiler: She even cries a little at the end of her own story mode when she realises exactly how far off track she went in relation to said promise]].
* Dr. Peace, the 9th ranked assassin in ''NoMoreHeroes'', is described as a corrupt police officer with ties to the mafia and a merciless [[TheGunslinger Gunslinger archetype]]. When you finally reach the battleground, you find that he's also a fan of karaoke, and has a damn good singing voice to boot.
** Plus, he wanted to see his wife and daughter one last time before dying.
* Almost everyone in ''PrincessWaltz'' has something that counters their outward personality:
** SilkHidingSteel Suzushiro wavers dangerously into BitchInSheepsClothing and [[spoiler:LoveMakesYouEvil]]. To her credit she manages to [[CharacterDevelopment overcome both]], coming out a stronger person.
** Angela looks like a PsychoForHire at first, yet quickly shows her colours as a SpiritedCompetitor who gets honestly upset when her opponents are disrespected.
** Liesel portrays herself as a CombatPragmatist and LittleMissSnarker, displaying a confident, bitchy face to the world. [[spoiler:She?s actually a ShrinkingViolet and ExtremeDoormat, using the [[JekyllAndHyde Liesel personality]] to escape.]]
** Liliana, who at first seems to be a mere comic relief character [[spoiler:turns out to be the oldest (yes, including Shizuka), wisest (according to her "ending") and most experienced princess of them all. She even managed to (well, almost) outbattle local PsychoForHire (Angela) using a glorified magic water gun, despite a few handicaps.]]
** Chris seems like TheWisePrince at first, [[spoiler:before her obsession with becoming a real prince leads to [[IDidWhatIHadToDo outright dog kicking and]] playing [[NiceJobBreakingItHero right into the BigBad?s hands.]]]]
** Shizuka lives up to her name as TheQuietOne OneeSama AloofDarkHairedGirl big sister to the main character, always calm and controlled. [[spoiler:She's actually TheBerserker, and has a bit of a BodyguardCrush on her brother to boot.]]
* Shadow from ''SonicTheHedgehog'' is much smarter than he looks. Though this aspect only shows up in [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 the awful 2006 game]], it shows how dangerous Shadow can be. He was the only person in the entire game who was aware of what was really going on and sought to put a stop to it, even convincing Silver that he was duped. Unfortunately, Shadow's plan was only 99% effective as one fragment that escaped caused the last story. He does give an awesome ShutUpHannibal speech in the end of his story.
** [[InspectorJavert Silver]] shows a bit of this as well when he [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone acts extremely hurt]] after Amy [[WhatTheHellHero calls him out]]. [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot After a heart-to-heart talk with Blaze,]] he decides that a RivalsTeamUp is his best shot at redemption.
** Even before Sonic 2006, Shadow's massive backstory takes [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 a]] [[VideoGame/SonicHeroes good]] [[VideoGame/SonicBattle four]] [[ShadowTheHedgehog games]] to completely reveal. He goes from being only a mysterious superweapon/black hedgehog/ultimate lifeform to a rather complex character who befriended his creator's daughter, who is killed during a government attack on the massive space station he was created in, giving him a powerful hatred for human beings in general that never quite goes away. He was created using the blood of a dark alien creature named Black Doom, who eventually comes and tries to take over the world so that humans can [[ImAHumanitarian be food for his alien race]], so Shadow kicks the crap out of him and blows up their "planet". On the outside, he's a mean, cold anti-hero. Inside, however, he's a lot deeper, and often does more thinking than the rest of Sonic's cast put together, as mentioned for Sonic 2006.
** Sonic is actually an example, too. He's an adventurous, fun-seeking character who seems to act on impulse rather than thinking things through, which makes him come off as too carefree and not very bright to many. And yet:
*** In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', he was able to pull off a Chaos Control with a fake Chaos Emerald. To put things in perspective, Shadow himself didn't think it was possible to activate it with a fake emerald, yet Sonic managed to do it in a single try, without having ever used the move before. It turns out that he was able to deduce how to perform Chaos Control ''just from watching Shadow use it once''.
*** For most of ''VideoGame/SonicBattle'', Shadow is bent on destroying Emerl to prevent him from absorbing all emeralds and going berserk, with Sonic protecting the robot (who he had befriended) being his main obstacle. Then during the second to last story, to Shadow's surprise, Sonic simply lets him take Emerl with him a few moments after he (Shadow) reaffirmed that he was going to destroy the robot. It then turns that after seeing how similar he and Emerl are, Shadow sympathizes with him and chooses to help him rather than destroy him. ''Sonic had seen all of this development coming and made Emerl go with Shadow to make it happen''.
*** In ''VideoGame/SonicRush'', he's very kind and comforting to Blaze the Cat, as he can tell that underneath her cold and hostile facade is a very shy and troubled girl.
*** In ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', Eggman releases [[SealedEvilInACan Dark Gaia]], a gargantuan beast made out of energy, which then becomes scattered across the planet in the form of dark energy. During night, this energy causes the behavior of people from all over the world to change, making them act more aggressive. Sonic permanently absorbed much of its energy into his body, which caused a far less subtle effect on him: went night arrives, he transforms into the infamous Werehog, who then powers himself up by absorbing even more dark energy. And yet he keeps his personality and normal behavior under this form. Near the end, it's revealed the the reason for this was that Sonic was strong enough to withstand the energy's influence. In other words, even though he was possessed by far more Dark Gaia energy than anyone else, Sonic, who has the fame of being an overly carefree person, [[HeroicSpirit had a willpower and a dedication to fighting for justice strong enough to resist Dark Gaia's influence]] ''without even trying''.
** The events of ''SonicLostWorld'' are pivoted partially by Sonic's [[ATragedyOfImpulsiveness recklessness and over eagerness]] to stop Eggman (inadvertently enabling another foe to take control instead). The story shows him coming to accept his shortcomings and showing humility over it. His usually positive approach is also tested greatly due to having clashes with his best friend Tails (who is convinced Sonic doesn't trust his abilities) and the Deadly Six succeeding in taking his allies out of commission one by one. Though he becomes more jaded as the story progresses as a result, his determination never fades.
** This and several other games such as ''SonicColors'' also show Sonic to be rather GenreSavvy.
* Many charcters from ''[[Franchise/DotHack .hack]]''. If you build up your relationships in the game (or check supplementary materials) you'll find something.
** GenkiGirl Mistral? A housewife, who despite her online persona, is very mature and dependable woman who becomes a mother/big sister type to [=BlackRose=]. Her Daughter, who plays Mireille, is a four year old prodigy.
** Samurai enthusiast Sanjuro? A Japanese teacher from America who uses the Japanese version of ''The World'' to improve his Japanese.
** Wiseman, a genius who helps the heroes throughout the series? [[spoiler:A prodigious ten-year-old kid who loves Digimon cards and hates vegetables.]]
** Piros, the goofy Heavy Axeman? [[spoiler:A graphic designer for the game who plays to appreciate his work.]]
* The Boss from the ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' series is an uncouth, foul-mouthed, violence-loving sociopath. The Boss is also [[UndyingLoyalty undyingly loyal]] to their friends, and enjoys the works of Creator/JaneAusten.
* Every potential companion in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' [[spoiler: (even Loghain -- ''especially'' Loghain)]] has depth. Likewise, the companions in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII''.
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'' has this with most characters in the game. Stepping out of your own shadow and doing what was thought to be impossible is the main theme that stretched through the entire series all the time.
** Ashley Williams from the first game is often considered a generic ActionGirl with a touch of FantasticRacism. Talk to her, and you'll discover she's really close to her family (memorising Ulysses because it was her dad's favourite poem) and is deeply religious, neither of which you'd notice at first glance.
** Mordin from the second game is an even better example, having a deep characterisation right from the start - a DeadlyDoctor willing to [[IDidWhatIHadToDo do morally ambiguous things for the greater good]] while still having a chipper demeanor - who just gets deeper the more you talk to him. For example, he refuses to become a KnightTemplar, deliberately grounding himself by talking to his favourite nephew before going out to save the galaxy.
*** And then he takes it several steps farther in the third game [[MeaningfulEcho echoing]] his line ''"I am the very model of a scientist salarian."''.
** The DLC ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' is filled with it. First, Liara goes through a great deal of CharacterDevelopment throughout the entire thing. Second, [[spoiler:after killing the Shadow Broker]], you have detailed dossiers on your party members which provide extra depth. Some are [[CrowningMomentOfFunny hilarious]] and some are just [[TearJerker heartbreaking]]. Finally, you can show Shepard's hidden depths at the end of the DLC when s/he and Liara reminisce.
** [[spoiler:Legion]] has a few surprising cases. While he's mainly there to deliver an expo dump on how the [[spoiler:geth]] work, he also shows himself to have a bit of an emotional side, with his salvaged armour and long play time on a dating sim.
** Miranda Lawson: Coolly self-confident about her superiority over most unmodified humans and when you first meet her face-to-face she shoots a guy who's been helping you in the face. Then you can find out she has serious daddy issues, cares deeply about [[spoiler: her "twin" sister]], and is obviously distressed to learn she [[spoiler: can't have children]].
*** By the third game, she admits to being plagued with guilt for having wanted to install a RestrainingBolt in Shepard's head, having [[HeelRealisation realised]] much to her horror that if she had, this would have made her [[NotSoDifferent no different]] from her controlling father.
** Jack initially comes across as an [[AxeCrazy unstable]] convict with too [[HotBlooded little]] [[HairTriggerTemper restraint]] and way too much [[MindOverMatter biotic power]]. If Shepard has taken the time to earn her trust, she slowly reveals a much warmer and vulnerable side, while her Shadow Broker dossier reveals she even writes poetry in her spare time. She continues this CharacterDevelopment into the third game, where she's discovered to now be [[spoiler: a BadassTeacher working at Grissom Academy]] and is barely recognisable from the AloofAlly Shepard had sprung from a prison cell.
** The krogans are explored much more deeply in the third game with the introduction of the previously unseen females. In the first two games, all krogans are shown as dumb brutes picking fights at every opportunity and blindly charging at any enemies to their death. Only Wrex is really standing out, being relatively smart and picking fights at every opportunity. The third game shows a lot more of their culture and history and also deals with other aspects of krogan life than war, showing them capable of great devotion for the good of their people and the survival of their homeworld and its culture.
*** In terms of individual krogan, Grunt in ''Mass Effect 2'' really gets this. Yes, he's a young krogan who ''loves'' combat and acts like you'd expect a BloodKnight to act. However, if you talk to him, you find out that he's introspective and philosophical. Just look at his reasons for choosing the name "Grunt" over something more impressive-sounding. He also develops an interest in classical Earth literature (particularly Hemingway).
** On the surface, James Vega is big and reckless. Dig a bit deeper, and it turns out that he's leaning towards becoming a DeathSeeker after being forced to make a SadisticChoice that ultimately proved unnecessary, he's considerably smarter than he appears at first look, and his command chops are impressive enough that he's been recommended for [=N7=] training.
* Detective Gumshoe of ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' is incredibly incompetent as an investigator, and his salary is so low the police hire him more out of pity than anything else. However, he's popular with the recruits, looks after the police dog Missile, is a relentless {{Determinator}}, fiercely loyal to his friends, able to stand up to a room full of mafia men and survive and always manages to find that one crucial clue when the heroes need it most. One of his songs is called 'I can do it when it counts, pal!'.
** Several other characters too, Edgeworth starts out as a typical 'evil rival', but is really (after CharacterDevelopment) a kind hearted man dedicated to justice, a huge ([[GuiltyPleasure though secret]]) fan of the Steel Samurai and earned his reputation as a prosecutor. The Judge is borderline senile and easily swayed, but speaks fluent Spanish and will shout down the most feared legal figure in the country if it means uncovering the truth in a trial.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series - In most appearances, Princess Zelda appears to be a typical PrincessClassic on first glance. However, optional dialogue or reading between the lines often reveals her to be actually somewhat of a RebelliousPrincess with borderline [[{{Tomboy}} tomboyish]] tendencies. Her alter egos, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime the Sheikah Warrior Sheik]] and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker the Pirate Captain Tetra]] beautifully illustrate that Zelda not only isn't as innocent as she usually seems, but also has hidden fightings skills that one wouldn't expect from her.
** Ganondorf, suprisingly enough, also has some hidden depths. While he is almost always a CardCarryingVillain, in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' (which takes place after he had been sealed for hundreds of years, ''twice'' - once in the Dark World and once under the ocean), he is much more calm and seems to regret a lot of what he did in the past. But then at the end of the game [[LaughingMad he]] [[TakingYouWithMe completely]] [[VillainousBreakdown snaps]].
* Tsugumi of ''{{Ever17}}'' is quite obviously not all she appears. First she seems like a total {{jerkass}} but since she's rather attractive and around the same age as the hero, we assume {{tsundere}}. But then she's mean to everyone, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold except when she isn't]] so then maybe she has a SugarAndIcePersonality. Finally, CryCute, BrokenBird, WhoWantsToLiveForever, ProperlyParanoid, DefrostingIceQueen and a good many other tropes to finally show who Tsugumi really is.
* The entire {{Nasuverse}} is ripe with this trope from a BoisterousBruiser [[FateZero King]] who justifies tyranny, a WideEyedIdealist Determinator who is also a broken MartyrWithoutACause, a GenkiGirl [[{{Tsukihime}} who]] is [[StepfordSmiler emotionally dead]], and a PsychoForHire Tsundere [[KaraNoKyoukai who just wants to love]] amongst many.
* According to ''VideoGame/PokerNightAtTheInventory'', it turns out that [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 Heavy Weapons Guy]] is the only one of the characters that went to college, and while there, he earned a [=PhD=] in Russian Literature. Therefore, he is ''DR.'' Heavy Weapons Guy. So much for being the DumbMuscle. In fact, the Russian version of ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' actually has him [[EloquentInMyNativeTongue speak quite eloquently]] just so that Valve can avert a DubInducedPlothole induced by this fact. He also shows a certain amount of remorse for how he got to where he is now (listen for his "sparrow" story).
* Supplemental material for ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' add a lot of depth to characters, though the game itself gets in on this as well.
** The deranged Soldier is apparently surprisingly well-read (he knows about ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' and has an understanding of Greek mythology) and has a bizarre talent for infiltration and deception on a wholly different level than the Spy.
** Spy [[WouldntHurtAChild is apparently fond of children]] and in spite of his supposed womanizing is actually quite personally fond of his mistresses. He's also emphatically ''not'' an IneffectualLoner; ''Expiration Date'' shows him making a RousingSpeech and attempting to make sure that the whole team will end their last days fulfilled.
** Even a BrattyHalfPint loudmouth like Scout doesn't like to see children being harmed, and he connects with kids quickly. Both of his life plans that we've seen so far, getting rich and getting with Miss Pauling, involve, respectively, waiting patiently and a rigorous self-improvement regiment conducted in record time. From a guy you would think wouldn't even know how to spell "wait."
** Heavy and his family were sent to TheGulag after his father was killed for being a tsarist--it's heavily implied he tortured all the guards to death, freed all the prisoners, and burned the place to the ground because they harmed his mother and sisters. As mentioned in the ''Poker Night'' entry, he is also an [[EloquentInMyNativeTongue erudite]] [=PhD=] and a teetotaler.
** Pyro is an apparently an IdiotSavant ramped UpToEleven, being able to run a construction company as its CEO and turn its entire board of directors into multimillionares in under a year in spite of never actually taking off his mask and perceiving everything as a SugarBowl.
** Demoman is a patient, doting son to his demanding blind mother. He is phenomenally rich, a hard worker even in his youth, and proud of his work. In spite of this, he still takes time out to watch corny, gimmicky TV shows.
** Engineer may be a hard-working GoodOlBoy, but he's a patron of the classical arts, loves his father and grandfather and respects his history, and shows us all why you really should BewareTheNiceOnes.
** Even Sniper is shown to have a complex relationship with his often disapproving parents as well as a firm belief that his job is all about being professional...even when he isn't all that professional himself.
* The plot of ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'' is largely about finding these quirky people--from {{Bunny Ears Lawyer}}s to literal mental patients--and going into their minds to find out ''why'' they're that way. Among them are Milla, whose GenkiGirl personality hides [[spoiler:grief over dozens of orphans in her care dying in a fire]], a WhiteDwarfStarlet who [[spoiler:seems to blame herself for her mother's suicide]] and a BigBad who [[spoiler:was driven mad by his father constantly killing and eating his pet rabbits when he was a child]].
* Cody from ''FinalFight'' and ''Franchise/StreetFighter''. Once a hero, now a recluse fight-a-holic who only wants to start fights and frustrates fellow liberators of Metro City Guy and Haggar to no end. However, his quotes and endings (Especially in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'') indicate longing for the better days, when he was a hero, and he always ends up doing the right thing. He defeats (''a'') Seth, but he tells Guy that he only did it because "[[TheChosenZero he was standing in my way]]".
* The characters of ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors'' were developed by building them upon stereotypes, then subverting them, according to an interview.
* Dante from ''DevilMayCry'', Though his main persona is the same in each game, chronologically he matures quite a bit, witness his change from thrill seeking (''DMC 3'') to guilt ridden (''DMC 1'') to cool headed (''DMC 4'').
* Billy Coen of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil0'' comes off as a rather thuggish, bitter, and cynical ex-Marine during his early appearances. As the game progresses, however, we discover he's a KnightInSourArmour with a powerful belief in the justice system (despite it having condemned him), has a strict code of honour, plays the piano rather well, and seems to know more about Umbrella than he's letting on.
** Easter eggs in 5 show that Chris Redfield isn't particularly patriotic and dislikes capitalism.
* Solid Snake of ''Franchise/MetalGear'' is characterized as a guy who lives entirely for fighting and being a soldier, but as the man exclaims himself, he's rather fond of dogsledding. Apparently he even participated in dogsledding competitions before Shadow Moses.
* In ''{{Solatorobo}}'', even Red himself is a bit surprised in Samoyede, when Elh reveals that [[spoiler:she knows a little about flowers, despite not being the girlish type, though [[IWasJustPassingThrough she claims it's only because they grew in her home village]].]]
* In KatawaShoujo, when you go through their routes, all of the girls have much more depth than they first appear.
** Emi, an athletic PluckyGirl who is one of the stars of the school track despite having no legs [[spoiler:who is also haunted by the emotional trauma of losing her father in the same accident where she lost her legs and actively avoids trying to get to close to anyone because she can't deal with the pain of losing anyone else.]]
** Hanako, a FragileFlower suffering from having been badly burned in a house fire that claimed the lives of her parents [[spoiler:who would prefer it if you did *not* pity her thank you very much and will really let you have it if you try too hard to WhiteKnight for her.]]
** Lilly a perfect and motherly and [[spoiler: probably a little *too* good at concealing her emotions to the point where it is difficult for her defy her own parents even when it means being parted from the boy she loves forever, which she does not want.]]
** Rin the Crazy {{Cloudcuckoolander}} [[spoiler:who is frustrated by the fact that it is impossible for people to understand her.]]
** Shizune, the playful, [[SpiritedCompetitor ultra-competitive]] StudentCouncilPresident [[spoiler:who is frustrated by the fact that her deafness, and the communication problems that come with make it so hard for her get other people to open up to her, so she pours all of her efforts into making people happy [[IJustWantToHaveFriends in the hopes that they would like her.]]]]
** This also applies to some of the secondary characters
*** Misha, a cheerful, energetic GenkiGirl [[spoiler:who is tormented by unrequited love for her best friend Shizune, and may even have been bullied for her sexual orientation]]
*** Yuuko, a clumsy and sometimes awkward librarian/waitress/college student, [[spoiler:is actually a fairly good source of advice on relationships, especially considering that she's acquainted with some of the girls]]
*** Kenji, the paranoid misogynist conspiracy theorist, [[spoiler:was in a relationship in a past, and while he broke up with his girlfriend, he still has fond memories of their relationship]].
* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' also contains much depth on nearly everyone:
** Ragna The Bloodedge, a fearful foul-mouthed figure known as The Grim Reaper who claims that he's going to take down NOL [[spoiler:[[JerkWithAHeartOfGold has a lot of sweet spots]] where he doesn't act like a jerk... and not exactly your ChaoticGood Robin Hood figure, he's not there to release the world from oppression..]]
** Jin Kisaragi, psychotic, brother-obsessed rival who is cold as ice and an utter {{Jerkass}} to everyone, ESPECIALLY TO NOEL VERMILLION, [[spoiler:is actually a hardworking boy who has an aspirations of being a hero, utterly protective to his childhood friend Tsubaki, and would eventually become that hardass hero Hakumen. His Jerkass attitude was actually magnified from his Nox Nyctores Yukianesa, when he's not influenced with it, he's actually decent.]]
** Noel Vermillion, a standing up soldier, lieutenant of Jin who was abused for no apparent reason, [[spoiler:is actually unfit to be a soldier and only became efficient when wielding her guns Bolverk, which seals her unnecessary emotions. Also, she's Mu-12, a weapon designed to kill Gods and has disdain to nearly everything.]]
** Rachel Alucard, a snarky vampire that stalks Ragna nearly all the time and doesn't drink bloods but tea, [[spoiler:has been through many iterations of time loop, remembering each iterations and has been trying to stop the malicious Terumi Yuuki from manipulating the timeloop further.]]
** Taokaka, a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} {{Catgirl}} who forgets things in every 3 steps, [[spoiler:her race is actually cloned offsprings of Jubei, one of the Heroes that saved the world.]]
** Iron Tager, a hulking cyborg fighting with [[ScienceHero THE POWER OF SCIENCE]], and programmed to be loyal to a fault by Kokonoe, [[spoiler:is actually a dead Ikarugan man whose soul was transplanted into his current body.]]
** Litchi Faye-Ling, a buxom, kind-hearted doctor dead set/obsessed in killing/saving her friend-turned-into-EldritchAbomination, [[spoiler:suffers extreme GuiltComplex, is actually dying from the same corruption that granted her power and turned that friend into EldritchAbomination. She eventually joins NOL to save him, and this has Hidden Depths: On the surface, it looks like she's blinded by obsession and becomes a HorribleJudgeOfCharacter, trusting someone ObviouslyEvil, but in truth, she's ForcedIntoEvil thanks to the corruption getting very close to turn her into abomination, and she doesn't trust those evil men.]]
** Arakune, said 'friend-turned-into-EldritchAbomination' above, only obsessed in eating Kaka kittens and hunting down Ragna's Azure Grimoire to be consumed, [[spoiler:WasOnceAMan named Lotte Carmine, whom Litchi loved... but he himself ignores her and is a glory-hound and suffers ''massive'' inferiority complex, always trying to one-up Kokonoe and constantly failing, eventually leading him to that experiment that turns him into Arakune.]]
** Bang Shishigami, HighlyVisibleNinja, Tokusatsu/Shonen satire character, Ikaruga War survivor, who's got a one-sided crush on Litchi, the designated JokeCharacter, [[spoiler:actually is aware of the greying morality of the world, savvy enough to pull back when things come to push (as shown with Hazama), as well as possessing an inactive Nox Nyctores that could really up his relevance.]]
** Carl Clover, a young prodigy who carries around a marionette he refers as 'sister' (Nox Nyctores Nirvana), very polite even when killing people heartlessly, [[spoiler:has an utterly fucked up childhood of witnessing his sister turned into that marionette thanks to his father Relius.]]
** Hakumen, a very {{Badass}} KnightTemplar who happens to be one of the Six Heroes, [[spoiler:is actually Jin Kisaragi as a FutureBadass who was thrown into the past during one time loop. This particular version came from a world without Noel Vermillion and is extremely crushed with the death of his lover in front of him before he made the jump to the past.]]
** Tsubaki Yayoi, Noel's best bud and Jin's childhood friend, a model student and princess of the Yayoi clan of the Duodecim family, seemingly all too eager to uphold justice and is a member of the Zero Squadron, [[spoiler:AKA the 'trash collectors'. Her dream job as Jin's secretary was taken over by Noel due to machinations of Hazama that she's not aware of, making her harbor extreme jealousy at Noel... or anyone taking Jin from her. As with above, she also IS Hakumen's lover, whereas if Noel didn't exist and she got her dream position... she'll get ''killed''. She's unaware of this.]]
** Makoto Nanaya, Noel's other best bud and a happy-go-lucky spacey Squirrel Girl who is in the Intelligence Department, [[spoiler:has suffered a LOT from the FantasticRacism of her race to the point she was hostile the first time she met her friends. She also is a GeniusDitz and her loyalty with her friends gave her so much willpower enough to survive passing the Boundary unharmed... Oh and that loyalty also translates into 'Anyone harming my friends will be splattered into the wall to death'. She also is a DoubleAgent for Sector Seven.]]
** Hazama, a seemingly mild-mannered NOL agent with an affable feel and eyes constantly shut... [[spoiler:is actually Terumi Yuuki, a total bastard who runs things (such as [[BreakTheCutie cutie-breaking]], [[KickTheDog puppy-kicking]], [[ManipulativeBastard manipulations]], [[MindRape mind probing]] and [[DealWithTheDevil shady deals]]) ForTheEvulz and believes the only truth is despair, the rest are lies and he ''so'' want to shove that truth to be the universal truth of the world.]]
** Relius Clover, Carl's father with moniker 'Mad Puppeteer', extreme perfectionist genius MadScientist who turned his wife and daughter into automatons, [[spoiler:is actually thrown into the future from the past, about 80 years. [[ImplacableMan Can be shoved into the Cauldron to die and survived it just fine]]. His goal is revealed to have a little pragmatism of creating the perfect soul and perfect human being.]]
* Everybody (except[[spoiler: Grave who really is just evil]]) in SymphonicRain aren't what they seem to be at first glance such as Fal and Torta who initially seem to be nice girls who fall in love with Chris during their route but [[spoiler: Fal is just a ruthless person who is using Chris for his skills and Torta is filled with self loathing.]]
* In ''Videogame/IMissTheSunrise'', your entire crew is shown to have this, if you take the time to talk to them between missions.
* Everyone in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening''. They all have their quirks, and some of them are rather obvious, like how Anna has the most hidden savings, being a money-obsessed merchant of rare items. However, one of the antagonists, Walhart, a SocialDarwinist king has a more surprising one... [[spoiler: Take one look at him and tell me you thought he was a vegetarian!]]
* Weapons dealer [[TestosteronePoisoning Mr. Torgue]] from {{Videogame/Borderlands2}} loves EXPLOSIONS for being so BADASS, thinks subtlety SUCKS, and knows that the fact that 97% of all life on Pandora isn't exploding is BULLSHIT! However, there's nothing more BADASS than treating a woman with RESPECT!
** Krieg the Psycho might be a crazed lunatic like most other psychos, but he's guided by the remnants of his past self into only killing "the deserving" and to never harm innocents. It's also shown that his true reason for joining the Vault Hunters is because [[LoveRedeems he's in love with Maya, who he believes might make him sane once more]].
* ''{{Agarest Senki}}'': Considering how many party members join during the game, (The game is split into generations where the hero of the next generation is the son of the previous one) it's par for the course in this game. The {{LoveInterest}}'s generally show some more depth as you increase the RelationshipValues. One notable one is [[UsefulNotes/FurryFandom Sherufanir]]. She is generally TheTease but get to know her better and she shows a clear disdain for fighting and tends to offer Ladius (2nd gen hero) a chance to run away and live with her in peace away from the war. Putting her down softly has Ladius say he has a destiny to fulfill. Her response is said with [[OutOfCharacter a sad and solemn tone]]:
--> "Destiny. That word is the bane of you. (pause) and me."
* In ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', this is frequently invoked about Sith characters, if playing along the Light Side route;
--> '''Warrior''': [[WarriorPoet Memories of the best times in life, are treasures later in life.]]
--> '''Vette''': *''Flabbergasted''* Who ''are'' you and what did you do with the ''[[BloodKnight Sith]]'' I know?
* Virtually [[HoldYourHippogriffs everybirdie]] in ''VisualNovel/HatofulBoyfriend'' has some of these; at a glance the whole cast seems to fit into otome game stereotypes, but digging deeper always produces something that runs counter to appearances. The heroine is a cheerfully bombastic [[ContemporaryCaveman Contemporary Cavewoman]] [[spoiler: whose parents were killed when she was a child]]. Sweet crossdressing ChildhoodFriend Ryouta is [[spoiler: taking care of his dying mother, [[MayflyDecemberRomance very aware of mortality]], and unnervingly possessive of Hiyoko]]. FrenchJerk RoyalBrat Sakuya really likes music [[spoiler: and has a terribly stern FantasyForbiddingFather who he's starting to doubt, and a secret core of actual integrity]]. Shy bookish Nageki is [[spoiler: a ghost bound to the library, who is willing to sacrifice himself painfully to save people]]. {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Oko San... [[TheFool doesn't have much depth]], but he has a sort of simple wisdom that makes him valuable in a crisis. [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Doctor]] Shuu is [[ObviouslyEvil exactly as bad as he seems]] but [[spoiler: has a TheLostLenore thing going on, and appears to be pretty good with little kids, if Miru and Kaku are any indication]]. TalkativeLoon [[FallenAngel Anghel]] is more aware of things than he seems and [[spoiler: apparently can sense the future]].
** The cake-takers, though, are Yuuya and Nanaki. Appearing to be the HandsomeLech SchoolIdol and the {{Sleepyhead}} HotTeacher, respectively, their otome routes show that Yuuya [[spoiler: is a TeenSuperSpy]] and Nanaki [[spoiler: feels like he can't love anyone after losing someone he loved]]. BBL and ''Holiday Star'' reveal that they're both [[spoiler: massive {{Stepford Smiler}}s with horrific pasts and blood on their, er, wings; but while Yuuya is TheAtoner and and very protective and heroic, Nanaki's kind of more CryForTheDevil.]]
* Arguably the point of the [[RelationshipValues Social]] [[LevelUpAtIntimacy5 Links]] of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' and ''[[VideoGame/{{Persona 4}} 4]]'' is to show that the various characters are far more than what they appear to be on the surface.
** Becomes a major plot point and theme in ''4'', where the refusal of the party members to accept their hidden depths and character flaws is what drives a lot of the game's conflict. And again, they are explored even more in depth in their social links.
* Every character in VisualNovel/{{Danganronpa}} has more depth than they might seem to have at first. Even Yamada, who initially seems like just a one-note otaku comic relief character who spouts video game references turns out to be very passionate about a certain magical girl show, that he considered saved his life when he was at a really low point, and wants to do the same for other people with the doujinshi he creates.
* In most of the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' games, most of the characters are kind of one-note. But in the spinoffs (mostly the [=RPGs=]) they get a bit more depth.
** ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'' may have solidified Luigi's status as a CowardlyLion, going to great lengths to rescue his brother even when he really didn't want to. But before that, Luigi's journals in PaperMario showed that he has a case of BigBrotherWorship in regards to mario.
** While in most games Bowser is kind of a one note villain, the ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' and ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' series both help to establish Bowser as an IneffectualSympatheticVillain who actually does care about Peach, even if he thinks the best way to show her this is to kidnap her. This finally comes to a head in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'', where he [[spoiler:manages to successfully hijack the plot]].
** Peach is a bit inconsistently written, but some adaptations (most notably ''ComicBook/SuperMarioAdventures'' and the ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' series) show her as headstrong and willing to try and rescue herself.
** And then there's Waluigi. At first glance, we see that Waluigi is Luigi´s rival, and works hard just so that he can make Luigi´s life suck. Then, at times, the character involved into having a strong hatred for everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom, and works hard to make everyone miserable and hateful. However, the reason for that is his self-pity. Why does Waluigi act like such a [[{{Jerkass}} massive jerk]] to everyone and is always presented to be an onverconfident character ? Because if there is one person Waluigi hates, besides Luigi, it's himself. His life is just so full of failures and bad luck (even when he isn´t doing something dastardly) that, alongside his crushing self pity and bitterness, caused him to be the way he is, harming others to make himself happy.
** [[TheHighQueen Rosalina]], introduced in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'', is the elegant and soft-spoken mother of the Lumas and guardian of the cosmos, with some strong implications of PhysicalGod. That said, she is not above letting herself go and having some fun, and as ''VideoGame/MarioKart Wii'' states, she has [[BikerBabe a passion for motorcycles]].
** Ultimately averted, however, with Wario. It's a running gag at this point to set up a scenario where Wario can show some character development, only for him to prove that [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk he really is just a greedy bastard underneath it all]].
* Death from ''VideoGame/{{Darksiders 2}}''. Arrogant DeadpanSnarker? You bet. Then you remember that the entire game is him [[BigBrotherInstinct trying to prove War is innocent]], so much so that saying War is guilty is his BerserkButton.
* Say what you will about ''Franchise/GodOfWar's'' Kratos, he still cares about the children when he's not murdering [[OmnicidalManiac everyone else]] for looking at him funny.
* A lot of characters in ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'' have some level of hidden depths to them, but two of them stand out the most:
** Reyn is a self-admitted DumbMuscle that nonetheless can be surprisingly insightful, such as the moment he calls out Shulk when he's threading into PoorCommunicationKills territory; and is also more emotionally mature than he lets out.
** Riki is a RidiculouslyCuteCritter with a child-like attitude common in his species. He's also [[OlderThanTheyLook a 40-year-old]] father of several children who shows some moments of fatherly care and wisdom that surprise everyone, including TeamDad (and actual ParentalSubstitute) Dunban.
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