History Main / CastOfExpies

* In the HGame ''Season Of The Sakura'', each of the heroines is an Expy of a 90s anime heroine. They have the Anime/MagicKnightRayearth girls, the Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion girls, and the Manga/KaitouSaintTail girls.

* {{Enforced}} with the ''Literature/NikkiHeat'' novels, due to being a {{defictionalization}} of a [[ShowWithinAShow fictional novel series]] in the ''Series/{{Castle}}'' TV show that is {{very loosely based|OnATrueStory}} on InUniverse true stories. Jameson Rook is an AuthorAvatar of Rick Castle, Detective Nikki Heat is a HotterAndSexier version of Detective Kate Beckett, MissingMom backstory and all, and ThoseTwoGuys Detectives Raley and Ochoa are based on Beckett's sidekicks Ryan and Esposito. And that's just the core cast.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' is a DeconstructiveParody of old "boys' adventure" stories like ''Literature/DocSavage'' and ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest'', and most of its cast are riffs on classic characters of the genre. Doc Venture and Brock Samson are an adult Jonny and Race Bannon (although [[ExpyCoexistence the real Jonny and Race also exist in this setting]]), and the titular brothers are ersatz [[Literature/TheHardyBoys Hardy boys]]. Then there's [[Series/TheGreenHornet the Blue Morpho]], [[Franchise/JamesBond Colonel Gentleman]], [[ComicBook/DoctorStrange Doctor Orpheus]] and many more.

* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': In ''Fantastic Four'' #541 (During the ''Civil War'' crossover), Ben Grimm decides to skip the hero-vs-hero infighting and flies to France. There he meets the Parisian super group "Les Héros de Paris" ("The Heroes of Paris"), a collection of Justice League pastiches: Comte de Nuit (Night Count; or Batman); Anaïs (a combination of Catwoman and Wonder Woman), La Lumiére Bleue (The Blue Light; the Green Lantern of the team); Le Vent (The Wind, or Flash), and Detective Fantôme (Phantom Detective; the Question expy). There is also Docteur Q, the armor-wearing, technology enhanced member; Le Cowboy, and Adamantine.
* ''ComicBook/{{Planetary}}''. Almost every character except for the members of the central team is a Captain Ersatz of a character from superhero comics or wider pulp fiction.

* ''ComicBook/{{Wanted}}'' was originally an official DarkerAndEdgier ''LegionOfDoom'' reboot. It's pretty apparent who everyone is: Fuckwit is Bizarro, Shithead is Clayface, the Fox is Catwoman, etc.
* The central cast of ''{{ComicBook/Watchmen}}'' are all expies of Creator/CharltonComics characters that had been recently acquired by [=DC=] at the time of writing. Nite-Owl is Blue Beetle, Rorschach is The Question, The Comedian is Peacemaker, Silk Spectre is Nightshade, Dr. Manhattan is Captain Atom, and Ozymandias is Thunderbolt. In fact, the story was originally conceived as being about the original Charlton characters and taking place in the Charlton Comics universe, but [=DC=] put the nix on this as they wanted to make those characters residents of the mainstream [=DC=] universe and Moore's intended plot would kill several of them and make others unsustainable as ongoing characters. As a result ''Watchmen'' was rewritten to be about Charlton expies and taking place as a stand-alone continuity.
** Comes full circle with ''ComicBook/TheMultiversity: Pax Americana'', a story from one of DC's many alternate universes, which features alternate versions of Blue Beetle, The Question, Peacemaker (deceased), Nightshade, and Captain Atom, [[AndZoidberg and also Tiger]] (another Charlton hero who has no analogue in ''Watchmen'') whose appearances and backstories are much closer to those of their ''Watchmen'' equivalents, effectively making them expies [[ExaggeratedTrope of expies]] ''[[ExaggeratedTrope of themselves]]''.

* ''ComicBook/SquadronSupreme'' began as a Marvel parody of the Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica for a single two-part story in ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'', but remained an obvious team of Ersatzes when they got a mini-series to themselves, and when they were reimagined in ''ComicBook/SupremePower''.
* Practically every character in ''ComicBook/ThePro'' except for the protagonist is a parody of a DC comics character. The protagonist has some visual similarities to ComicBook/PowerGirl, but a very different personality and backstory.
* Practically every character in ''ComicBook/MarshalLaw'' is a parody of some superhero comics character or other. Of Marshal Law's major enemies, the Public Spirit is Franchise/{{Superman}}, the Private Eye is Franchise/{{Batman}}, and the Persecutor is ComicBook/ThePunisher. In relation to groups of characters, the patients in the New York mental hospital are all parodies of the big name Silver Age Franchise/MarvelUniverse heroes, the zombies in "The Hateful Dead" are the ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica (plus ComicBook/CaptainAmerica), the Secret Tribunal are Dark Age Marvel heroes, and the "League of Heroes" group of "heroes" in training are the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperheroes. Marshal Law himself is based on ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd''.

* ''ComicBook/TheRedTen'': The main cast [[spoiler:and victims]] of the murder-mystery is a collection of expies from the Justice League.
* ''ComicBook/TopTen'', about cops in a city where everybody is a superhero or supervillain, is an odd example. Many of the minor characters are copies or parodies of well-known superhero comic characters, but for some reason most of the regular characters are easily recognisable expies of characters from ''Series/HillStreetBlues'' reimagined as superheroes.
* In ''Comicbook/{{PS238}},'' many of the important adult heroes (including some parents and teachers) are {{Captain Ersatz}}es, most obviously Ron's dad [[TheCape Atlas]] for Comicbook/{{Superman}} and Tyler's mentor [[TheCowl the Revenant]] for ComicBook/{{Batman}}. Many of the kids are, too. Because of the large cast this goes beyond the more obvious examples--for example, we have a [[Characters/MarvelComicsAIM M.O.D.O.K.]] (bratty kid [[BigBadWannabe Zodon]]), [[Comicbook/{{Preacher}} Genesis]] (friendly [[GooGooGodlike Malphast]]) and [[Comicbook/TheSandman1989 Morpheus]] (loopy [[PiecesOfGod Murphy]]).
* ''ComicBook/ThePowerpuffGirls'' story "Steal A Meal" (DC Comics, Cartoon Network Block Party #26) has Him bringing three cereal mascots to life to steal all the cereal in Townsville. The mascots are expies of the Trix rabbit, Lucky the Leprechaun (Lucky Charms) and Twinkles the Elephant (Twinkles cereal, an obscure 1960s entry).
* When Creator/AlanMoore wrote ''ComicBook/{{Supreme}}'', he turned it into a blatant tribute to Silver Age ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'', in which, apart from a few Creator/RobLiefeld characters who survived the retcon (namely Diehard of ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}'' fame), and a couple of guest-starring [[ComicBook/TheSavageDragon Erik Larsen]] characters, pretty much ''everybody'' is a barely-disguised version of a Silver Age DC hero or villain: Supreme is Superman, Supremium is Kryptonite, Suprema is Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}, Professor Night is ComicBook/{{Batman}}, Twilight is Comicbook/{{Robin}}, Darius Dax is Comicbook/LexLuthor, Diana Dane is Comicbook/LoisLane, Billy Friday is (a JerkAss parody of) ComicBook/JimmyOlson, Judy Jordan is Lana Lang, Emerpus is Bizarro, Shadow Supreme is the Reverse Flash, Optilux is ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}, Glory is ComicBook/WonderWoman, Doc Rocket is Franchise/TheFlash, Black Hand is the Golden Age Franchise/GreenLantern, Roy Roman is Comicbook/{{Aquaman}}, the Fisherman is Comicbook/GreenArrow... And even the Larsen characters, Superpatriot and Mighty Man, are used as an Ersatz ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and an Ersatz [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] respectively.

* ''ComicBook/XMan'': The last arc of the series, [[ComicBook/XManCounterX issues #71-74]], had a team called the People's Protectorate, created by Warren Ellis. Its members were clearly based on The Authority: Nightfighter on Midnighter (dark-clad hero with a nocturnal nickname), Thor on Apollo (burly, strong mythical-named hero), White Bird on Swift (winged aerial combatant), Citydweller on Jack Hawksmoor, and Technocrat on the Engineer (technopath).

* ''ComicBook/XMan'': The last arc of the series, [[XManCounterX issues #71-74]], had a team called the People's Protectorate, created by Warren Ellis. Its members were clearly based on The Authority: Nightfighter on Midnighter (dark-clad hero with a nocturnal nickname), Thor on Apollo (burly, strong mythical-named hero), White Bird on Swift (winged aerial combatant), Citydweller on Jack Hawksmoor, and Technocrat on the Engineer (technopath).

* In the HGame ''Season Of The Sakura'', each of the heroines is an Expy of a 90s anime heroine. They have the Anime/MagicKnightRayearth girls, the Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion girls, and the Anime/KaitouSaintTail girls.

** A living rock that evolves at level 25, then by trade; Roggenrola, Boldore, Gigalith (based on Geodude, Graveler, and Golem).

* ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'': Since the games were meant to serve as a soft reboot of sorts, the developers decided to have the Unova Dex consist of nothing but new Pokemon, meaning there were 150 new Pokemon in total. They bit off more than they could chew though, and many of the "new" Pokemon ended up being similar to Gen I Pokemon. Outside of the ones that get expies in ''every'' game (think your regional birds and rats and such) some of the notable ones include:
** A living rock that has two evolutions, one of which is a trade evolution. Based on Geodude.
** A pure fighting-type that has two evolutions, one of which is a trade evolution. Based on Machamp.
** A dual-type bat pokemon that appears in caves as GoddamnedBats. Based on Zubat.
** A pure psychic-type, tapir-like Pokemon with one evolution that has dream-related powers. Based on Drowsee.
** A steel type based on gears, and its evolutions are just it becoming ''more'' gears. Based on Magneton.
** A pure electric Zebra that has its element woven into its design. Based on Rapidash.

* In ''Comicbook/{{PS238}},'' many of the important adult heroes (including some parents and teachers) are {{Captain Ersatz}}es, most obviously Ron's dad [[TheCape Atlas]] for Comicbook/{{Superman}} and Tyler's mentor [[TheCowl the Revenant]] for Franchise/{{Batman}}. Many of the kids are, too. Because of the large cast this goes beyond the more obvious examples--for example, we have a Comicbook/{{MODOK}} (bratty kid [[BigBadWannabe Zodon]]), [[Comicbook/{{Preacher}} Genesis]] (friendly [[GooGooGodlike Malphast]]) and [[Comicbook/TheSandman1989 Morpheus]] (loopy [[PiecesOfGod Murphy]]).

* When Creator/AlanMoore wrote ''ComicBook/{{Supreme}}'', he turned it into a blatant tribute to Silver Age ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'', in which, apart from a few Creator/RobLiefeld characters who survived the retcon (namely Diehard of ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}'' fame), and a couple of guest-starring [[ComicBook/TheSavageDragon Erik Larsen]] characters, pretty much ''everybody'' is a barely-disguised version of a Silver Age DC hero or villain: Supreme is Superman, Supremium is Kryptonite, Suprema is Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}, Professor Night is Franchise/{{Batman}}, Twilight is Comicbook/{{Robin}}, Darius Dax is Comicbook/LexLuthor, Diana Dane is Comicbook/LoisLane, Billy Friday is (a JerkAss parody of) Jimmy Olson, Judy Jordan is Lana Lang, Emerpus is Bizarro, Shadow Supreme is the Reverse Flash, Optilux is ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}, Glory is Franchise/WonderWoman, Doc Rocket is Franchise/TheFlash, Black Hand is the Golden Age Franchise/GreenLantern, Roy Roman is Comicbook/{{Aquaman}}, the Fisherman is Comicbook/GreenArrow... And even the Larsen characters, Superpatriot and Mighty Man, are used as an Ersatz ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and an Ersatz [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] respectively.

* ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'' is an animated RealityShow parody with expies of cartoon characters living together, including Franchise/{{Superman}}, a Franchise/DisneyPrincess, [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]], [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Pikachu]], WesternAnimation/BettyBoop and WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants.
* ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' is about a bunch of kid ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' expies training to become like their idols. They vary how much they resemble their counterparts: Plucky and Dizzy greatly resemble Daffy and the Tasmanian Devil, for example, while Elmyra is both a GenderFlip and ContrastingSequelAntagonist to Elmer Fudd (as she [[AndCallHimGeorge comically hurts animals by accident]] instead of comically failing to hurt them on purpose). Bugs Bunny is [[DecompositeCharacter decomposited]] into two expies, with Buster Bunny emphasizing his DeadpanSnarker traits while Babs Bunny tends to be wackier.
* ''WesternAnimation/LoonaticsUnleashed'' has a cast that is based off of the original ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' characters, specifically Bugs, Lola, Daffy, Taz, Road Runner, and Wile E. Coyote.

*** Rarity was originally intended as a new version of Sparkler (though Lauren Faust has stated that Glory, whose color scheme she shares, was an inspiration too) however her fur is a near-white shade of blue. They're both gem stone related, though Rarity uses it in her [[FashionDesigner designs]] while Sparkler collected gems.

* ''Comic/FantasticFour'': In ''Fantastic Four'' #541 (During the ''Civil War'' crossover), Ben Grimm decides to skip the hero-vs-hero infighting and flies to France. There he meets the Parisian super group "Les Héros de Paris" ("The Heroes of Paris"), a collection of Justice League pastiches: Comte de Nuit (Night Count; or Batman); Anaïs (a combination of Catwoman and Wonder Woman), La Lumiére Bleue (The Blue Light; the Green Lantern of the team); Le Vent (The Wind, or Flash), and Detective Fantôme (Phantom Detective; the Question expy). There is also Docteur Q, the armor-wearing, technology enhanced member; Le Cowboy, and Adamantine.

* And his version of ''Comicbook/{{Youngblood}}'' was ''Comicbook/TeenTitans''. Suprema and Twilight were still Supergirl and Robin/Nightwing, Shaft was Speedy/Arsenal, Big Brother was Cyborg, and Doc Rocket II was a genderflipped (Kid) Flash. There was also a possible-timeline earlier incarnation that included Skipper (another Speedy, being the Fisherman's sidekick), Lamprey (Aqualad), Glory Girl (Wonder Girl, but the version that was a projection of Wonder Woman's younger self), and Dandini (Joker's Daughter/Harlequin).

* ''Manga/CheatSlayer'' was infamous for the fact that its main antagonists, the Rebels Against God, were outright parodies of seminal {{Isekai}} characters only portrayed as [[CorruptedCharacterCopy much worse individuals]] than their forebears a la ''ComicBook/TheBoys'', which led to the manga being cancelled after just one chapter. Their ranks included parodies of [[Literature/SwordArtOnline Kirito]], [[Literature/{{Konosuba}} Aqua]], [[Literature/{{Overlord2012}} Ainz Ooal Gown]], [[LightNovel/ReZero Subaru Natsuki]], [[Literature/TheSagaOfTanyaTheEvil Tanya Degurechaff]], [[Literature/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime Rimuru Tempest]], [[Literature/WiseMansGrandchild Shin Walford]], [[Literature/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom Catarina Claes]], and [[Literature/RestaurantToAnotherWorld Aletta]].

* ''Manga/CheatSlayer'' was infamous for the fact that its main antagonists, the Rebels Against God, were outright parodies of seminal {{Isekai}} characters only portrayed as [[CorruptedCharacterCopy much worse individuals]] than their forebears a la ''ComicBook/TheBoys'', which led to the manga being cancelled after just one chapter. Their ranks included parodies of [[LightNovel/SwordArtOnline Kirito]], [[LightNovel/{{Konosuba}} Aqua]], [[LightNovel/{{Overlord}} Ainz Ooal Gown]], [[LightNovel/ReZero Subaru Natsuki]], [[Literature/TheSagaOfTanyaTheEvil Tanya Degurechaff]], [[LightNovel/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime Rimuru Tempest]], [[Literature/WiseMansGrandchild Shin Walford]], [[LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom Catarina Claes]], and [[Literature/RestaurantToAnotherWorld Aletta]].

* Just about every enemy or background character in ''Anime/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt'' is taken from a different show. Panty and Stocking are basically ''Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls'' gone wrong. Panty sleeps with WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo, the Transformers and Decepticons turn the girls into robots for their side, [[ShoutOut/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt etc.]]
* Several major characters in ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' are based off of {{Mecha}} or their pilots. Nanoha is the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam RX-78-2]], Fate is a CharClone, Vita is the [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration Alteisen]], Subaru is a walking ShoutOut to ''Anime/GaoGaiGar'', etc.
* Most of the cast of ''Anime/DogDays'' are based off of characters from ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' (Millhiore is Caro, Cinque is Erio, Leonmitchelli is Reinforce Eins, Eclair is Teana, Nanami is Subaru, Ricotta is Vivio, and Brioche is Signum). The fact that it's made by [[Creator/SevenArcs the same company]] might have something to do with it. They also ride around on birds that are clearly based off of [[Franchise/FinalFantasy Chocobos]].
* The cast of ''Anime/SpacePatrolLuluco'' is basically a reunion of characters from past Creator/StudioTrigger and Creator/StudioGainax series. There's [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Kaworu]] (Alpha Omega Nova), [[Anime/{{FLCL}} Haruko and Commander Amarao]] (Midori and Keiji), WebAnimation/InfernoCop [[spoiler: who turns into [[Anime/GurrenLagann Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]]] (OVER JUSTICE), and [[Franchise/LittleWitchAcademia Professor Ursula]] (Hisho). And that's not even counting the villains' side, which features [[Franchise/LittleWitchAcademia Shiny Chariot]] (Lalaco) and a very [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Viral]]-esque [[spoiler:[[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Anti-Spiral]] (the Blackholian commander-in-chief)]], just to name a few enemies. [[spoiler:Luluco herself would later turn out to be Trigger's mascot Trigger-chan. Not an expy of her, but [[OriginsEpisode the literal character]].]]

* As ''Anime/ReCreators'' is a series all about taking characters and seeing how they fare outside their home worlds, of course the ones that get pulled out share some similarity with something in our world. Mamika acts like a [[Anime/PrettyCure Cure]], fights like a [[Franchise/LyricalNanoha TSAB agent]] and experiences [[Franchise/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Puella Magi]] growing pains, Celestia takes on a role similar to [[Literature/SwordArtOnline Asuna]], Alicetelia is a female [[Manga/{{Berserk}} Guts]] with a dash of [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Saber's]] ideals, Rui displays some [[Franchise/{{Gundam}} Newtype]] behavior, etc. [[spoiler: Even the Military Princess gets in on this, being an expy of an ''in-universe'' mascot character while her story is a send up to how offshoot franchises and original characters like Anime/BlackRockShooter got their start.]]

* The cast of ''Manga/KillMeBaby'' are all based off of ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' characters. Yasuna is Nanoha, Sonya is Fate, Agiri is Suzuka, and the Unused Character is Vita.
* ''Manga/CellsAtWorkAndFriends'': The main trio of cells are practically {{Shoujo|Demographic}} counterparts to the ones from the [[Manga/CellsAtWork main series]]. Killer T's the most blatant as he's a blonde BruiserWithASoftCenter, while U-2145 and [=IM1235=] are more visual expies of U-1146 and [=AE3803=] than characteristic.
* ''Manga/MeAndRoboco'' has a cast primarily made of ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' expies. Yes, this includes Roboco herself (who fulfills the general role but nothing else of Doraemon), who even has her own Dorami expy.
* There's barely a character that exists in ''Literature/GoblinSlayer'' that ''doesn't'' reference a pre-existing character through design, personality, or both, such as Spearman referencing [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Lancer Cú Chulainn]], Heavy Warrior referencing [[Characters/BerserkGuts Guts]], Witch referencing [[VideoGame/DragonsCrown Sorceress]], and many more. Half the reason for this is because the author used all of those characters wholesale as the placeholder designs and overall inspiration for the characters when making the original web novel, so when time came for official publication as a light novel, the author just tweaked the designs a bit while keeping it obvious to well-versed fans what the original references are.

* The main characters of ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' are similar to the ComicBook/FantasticFour, though WordOfGod says that this was unintentional. The Underminer, whom they fight at the end, is also similar to FF enemy Mole Man. This also extends to some of the minor superheroes we hear about like Gazerbeam (''Comicbook/XMen'''s Cyclops).

* There's barely a character that exists in ''LightNovel/GoblinSlayer'' that ''doesn't'' reference a pre-existing character through design, personality, or both, such as Spearman referencing [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Lancer Cú Chulainn]], Heavy Warrior referencing [[Characters/BerserkGuts Guts]], Witch referencing [[VideoGame/DragonsCrown Sorceress]], and many more. Half the reason for this is because the author used all of those characters wholesale as the placeholder designs and overall inspiration for the characters when making the original web novel, so when time came for official publication as a light novel, the author just tweaked the designs a bit while keeping it obvious to well-versed fans what the original references are.

* A self-referential variant shows up in the ''Franchise/YuGiOh'' franchise, as the casts of each anime created after ''[[Anime/YuGiOh Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters]]'' clearly take inspiration from the DM cast. In ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' this was to [[AffectionateParody parody]] the original, but now it's become something of a tradition. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools It works surprisingly well.]]

** Lastly, White Peak is a parody of Makoto Shishio from ''Manga/RurouniKenshin''. Each is the main antagonist, except White Peak wears a bodysuit of white panties that've been sewn together, whereas Shishio is covered head-to-toe in bandages.