History Main / CharClone

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'': Jeritza, a highly skilled, masked, blond-haired teacher at Garreg Mach who is secretly the brother of [[spoiler:Mercedes]] and is the true identity of [[spoiler:the Death Knight]].

[-[[caption-width-right:348:[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Char Aznable]] (bottom left) and some of his "clones" throughout the franchise. From top: [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Mr. Bushido]], [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny Neo Roanoke]], [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED Rau Le Creuset]], [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Zechs Merquise]], [[Anime/TurnAGundam Harry Ord]], [[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam Schwartz Bruder]], [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn Full Frontal]], [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamF91 Carozzo "Iron Mask" Ronah]], [[Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam Cronicle Asher]].]]-]

* ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'': As Nightshroud of the Shadow Riders, Atticus Rhodes wears a mask very similar to Char and his other expies from ''Gundam''. After his defeat, his identity as Alexis's long lost brother is revealed.

*** Kyosuke and the Alt have proven popular to spawn a number of clones in their own right (sometimes with an Excellen clone in tow), both within the ''SRW'' franchise and without. Examples include [[VideoGame/EndlessFrontier Haken Browning]], [[VideoGame/ProjectXZone Reiji Arisu]] and [[Anime/LyricalNanoha Vita]].

** Vita, the "Knight of the Iron Hammer" is a FieryRedhead completely clad in red, with a fighting style [[CloseRangeCombatant heavily focused on melee]]. She serves as Nanoha's rival in ''[[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs A's]]''; after her HeelFaceTurn, she is also one of the instructors of the Forwards in ''[[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikerS StrikerS]]''. Somewhat of an indirect example, in that she also has a number of references to Kyosuke Nanbu of ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars''.

** Sleigh Presty, who pilots a high-speed red mech and gains the nickname of the "Scarlet Comet." The characters were actually going to call her something starting with "Re-", but one of them [[BreakingTheFourthWall breaks the fourth wall]] to stop them, saying [[YouWannaGetSued they'll be sued]] if they finish the joke. And once again, you can have her face off against the real "Red Comet" in her debut game.
** Kyosuke Nanbu and his [[BattleCouple girlfriend/wingman]] Excellen Browning are loosely modelled on Char and Amuro respectively. Kyosuke's signature unit, the [[GratuitousGerman Alt Eisen]] ("Scrap Iron") is a horned red SuperPrototype which despite using only "conventional" technology is loaded with such heavy weapons[[note]]Including a PileBunker, a "[[HotBlade Heat]] [[HornAttack Horn]]" and massive shoulder-mounted "Claymore Launchers" which [[ShortRangeShotgun function like fully-automatic shotguns loaded with buckshot]][[/note]] and armour that it can perform the battlefield role of a SuperRobot in a much smaller package. Initially designed as a successor model to [[TheWorkhorse the ubiquitous Gespenst Mk-II]], it was rejected for its [[CloseRangeCombatant lack of long-range capabilities]] and [[FlawedPrototype its poor weight distribution making it incredibly hard to control]]. Kyosuke himself acts as TheRival and TheMentor while on [[AscendedFanboy Ryusei]]'s route in ''Original Generation'', and while his hair isn't fully blond it does have blond tips ({{Lampshaded}} in one of the 4komas where Quattro claims that Kyosuke was trying to dye his hair blond so that he can become a complete Char Clone).

** Fate is a blonde whose fighting style is geared for speed. She starts out as Nanoha's rival in the [[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha original season]]. She gets faster with her Sonic Form in ''[[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs A's]]'' and later her Shin Sonic Form in ''[[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikerS StrikerS]]''. She has three nicknames: the "Ace of the Navy," "God of Speed," and "Golden Flash." She has an older brother among the good cast, though they weren't siblings before she was adopted by Chrono's mother.
** Vita is a FieryRedhead knight, completely clad in red. She serves as Nanoha's rival in ''[[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs A's]]'', and after her HeelFaceTurn, she is one of the instructors of the Forwards in ''[[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikerS StrikerS]]''. The red knight holds the title of the "Knight of Iron Hammer."

** Kyosuke Nanbu. Pilots a red, horned mech? Check. Acts as TheRival (From Ryusei's point of view) and TheMentor? Check. Has blond hair? Semi-checked. Lampshaded in one of the 4koma's where Quattro confronts Kyosuke on the idea that the blond bangs at the tips of his hair are actually a failed attempt to dye his hair blond so that he can become a complete Char Clone.

* ''LightNovel/InfiniteStratos'': Charlotte Dunois is the pilot of an orange-coloured AceCustom IS under the disguise of a guy named Charles. Before the UnsettlingGenderReveal. she served briefly as TheMentor of sorts to Ichika; after the reveal though, she immediately became TheRival to the viewpoint of the other main female characters (as well as an EnsembleDarkhorse). Her InSeriesNickname is "Char".

[[folder:Light Novels]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* While clearly coincidental, Kitiara ut Matar from ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' ended up sharing a lot of common Char elements. In ''Chronicles'' she is introduced as a mysterious antagonist in a CoolHelmet with a nickname corresponding to her color scheme of choice (the Blue Lady) and riding a blue dragon, which are considered the smartest of evil dragons. She turns out to be a missing older sister of two members of the main cast, who had pulled a FaceHeelTurn. She develops fierce rivalry, both on the battlefield and in love, with Laurana, a woman who was more or less forced into a position to oppose her and turned to be really good at it. Finally, she has her own agenda [[spoiler: which ends up directly leading to death of the BigBad]]. In ''Legends'' she advanced to ''Char's Counterattack'' version, having been the leader of what remains of evil armies of the original trilogy and willing to commit horrible atrocities for what could ''arguably'' be seen as benevolent reasons - she is trying to stop her brother's scheme because its two possible outcomes [[spoiler: her brother becoming a god or the setting's GreaterScopeVillain being freed from her prison]] aren't good for her personally...but they're not very good for the whole world either.
* Marco Inaros of ''Literature/TheExpanse'' has too many similarities to ''CCA''-era Char to be a coincidence, being a VisionaryVillain who orders a massive asteroid attack on Earth in retaliation for their mistreatment of the space colonies while giving dramatic speeches about those born in space being the future of humanity who alone can rise above the mistakes of the past. This was not lost on the TV series' costuming department, who saw fit to give him an outfit with a giant golden eagle on the front invoking the winged motifs typical of Zeon military dress.
* ''Literature/LucifersStar'': Cassius Mass is a blond-haired blue-eyed RedBaron AcePilot (later BrokenAce) in a FeudalFuture. He even has an affinity for red outfits both before and after the fall of his homeworld. WordOfGod says he envisioned the character as "Somewhere between Char, Clone Wars Anakin, and Han Solo."
[[/folder]]

A brief history of the original Char: in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'', he was TheRival to the main character. A mysterious [[CoolMask masked man]] with distinctive blond hair, he was an AcePilot called the [[RedBaron Red Comet]] with a penchant for piloting AceCustom mecha painted red (which was said to be [[Memes/{{Gundam}} three times faster]] than its mundane counterpart, despite the only visual difference being its [[RedOnesGoFaster color]]). Over the course of the series, it is revealed that Char has a [[HiddenAgendaVillain hidden agenda]] -- avenging his father, who was assassinated by the series BigBad -- and that his [[LongLostRelative estranged sister]] is part of the heroes' crew. The first indication of these goals came from leading Garma Zabi, who seemed to be a long time friend, into an enemy ambush where he was killed, and this was the start of him systematically targeting the Zabi family. In the sequel series, ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'', he adopts a PaperThinDisguise and makes a HeelFaceTurn, allying with the good guys and acting as TheMentor for the new generation. His presence solidifies the twist in the series that [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters the heroic Federation of the original series had turned into the villains]]. His final appearance comes in the appropriately-named ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack'', where he's [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor a villain again]], attempting to [[ColonyDrop drop a giant asteroid]] onto Earth [[WellIntentionedExtremist for the good of mankind]]. His self-righteous campaign involved leaking new technology to the heroes in the belief that he needed a WorthyOpponent at the top of their game to make his actions justified.

* A ''Zeta Gundam''-style Char clone will be '''TheMentor''' to the main character, OlderAndWiser with a BigBrotherMentor vibe, but still a mysterious figure with a violent past.

* An AceCustom HumongousMecha (or [[CoolPlane plane]]/[[CoolCar car]]/[[CoolBike motorcycle]]/whatever), [[LawOfChromaticSuperiority usually red]] (but occasionally gold, from Char's ''[[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Zeta Gundam]]'' mecha). May be referenced as being three times better ([[RedOnesGoFaster especially faster]]) than normal. Often, despite being highly-tuned their initial machine will [[TechnologyMarchesOn lack the advanced technology used in the hero's]], making them WeakButSkilled while the hero is StrongButUnskilled (which can create an arms race as the hero grows in skill but their rival gradually closes the technology gap).

* An AceCustom HumongousMecha (or [[CoolPlane plane]]/[[CoolCar car]]/[[CoolBike motorcycle]]/whatever), [[LawOfChromaticSuperiority usually red]] (but occasionally gold, from Char's ''[[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Zeta Gundam]]'' mecha). May be referenced as being three times better ([[RedOnesGoFaster especially faster]]) than normal.

** The younger sister, Reika Shindai/Kamen Rider Sabela, is introduced early in the series as a mysterious messenger who instigates the infighting between Touma and the Northern Base swordsmen during the second half of the series and transforming into her red-colored Rider form. When Isaac reveals his true colors, she and her brother would ultimately pull a HeelFaceTurn and sides with Touma and company. In the ''Girls Remix'' mini-series, Reika would serve as the de-facto leader and CoolBigSis archetype to the eponymous team of heroines in their battle against [[Series/KamenRiderStronger Black Satan]].
** The older brother, Ryoga Shindai/Kamen Rider Durendal, is introduced in the third arc of the series, in his debut episode, taking on Rintaro/Kamen Rider Blades without breaking a sweat making him the closest to being the rival to the said Rider due to their respective allegiances. Like his sister, he pulls a HeelFaceTurn once Isaac reveals his true colors.

** ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'': [[NominalHero Kaito Kumon/Kamen Rider Baron]] is the red-colored [[TheRival rival]] to the title protagonist. He starts out as an AntiHero, then joins Kouta's alliance because of bigger threats like Yggdrasill Crporation and the Overlord Inves' invasion on Earth and becomes Lord Baron and effectively the final opponent Kouta needs to defeat before he can liberate the world.

* ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'': [[NominalHero Kaito Kumon/Kamen Rider Baron]] is the red-colored [[TheRival rival]] to the title protagonist. He starts out as an AntiHero, then joins Kouta's alliance because of bigger threats like Yggdrasill Crporation and the Overlord Inves' invasion on Earth, and becomes Lord Baron and effectively the final opponent Kouta needs to defeat before he can liberate the world.

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Adam Taurus' sword is a crimson red katana, his semblance is [[spoiler:described as being a stronger version of Yang's, similar to the original and his mech]], he wears a mask or bandana until a big unmasking reveals [[spoiler:that his left eye has been branded by anti-Faunus racists]], and he has a relationship with the main cast in the form of [[spoiler:Blake, who he was a mentor and lover of]]. The only exception to the typical Char Clone is Adam's red hair instead of blond. Similarly to another clone, he was the leader of [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing the White Fang.]]
[[/folder]]

Char Clone is a character-specific subtrope of FountainOfExpies. Compare StockShonenRival, ShanaClone, and ReiAyanamiExpy.[[note]]The fact that many traits are shared between these two character archetypes is [[FollowTheLeader not entirely coincidental]].[[/note]] [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused]] with expies of [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Charmander, Charmeleon, and Charizard]]. See also RedplicaBaron; Char being an expy of Richthofen makes this whole trope an expy of an expy of the original RedBaron.

* While clearly coincidental, Kitiara ut Matar from ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' ended up sharing a lot of common Char elements. In ''Chronicles'' she is introduced as a mysterious antagonist in a CoolHelmet with a nickname corresponding to her color scheme of choice (the Blue Lady) and riding a blue dragon, which are considered the smartest of evil dragons. She turns out to be a missing older sister of two members of the main cast, who had pulled a FaceHeelTurn. She develops fierce rivalry, both on the battlefield and in love, with Lorana, a woman who was more or less forced into a position to oppose her and turned to be really good at it. Finally, she has her own agenda [[spoiler: which ends up directly leading to death of the BigBad]]. In ''Legends'' she advanced to ''Char's Counterattack'' version, having been the leader of what remains of evil armies of the original trilogy and willing to commit horrible atrocities for what could ''arguably'' be seen as benevolent reasons - she is trying to stop her brother's scheme because its two possible outcomes [[spoiler: her brother becoming a god or the setting's GreaterScopeVillain being freed from her prison]] aren't good for her personally...but they're not very good for the whole world either.

** ''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'': Astronema is the no-nonsense DragonInChief to [[GreaterScopeVillain Dark Specter]]. Her [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair hair color]] undergoes a variety of changes throughout the show but it is ultimately revealed that she is a natural blonde. She is also revealed to be Karone, the Red Ranger Andros's little sister who was abducted by Darkonda. Karone pulls a HeelFaceTurn upon discovering the truth but is {{Brainwashed}} into being evil again. [[spoiler:This is ultimately undone in the season finale]].

Char Clone is a character-specific subtrope of FountainOfExpies. Compare StockShonenRival, ShanaClone, ReiAyanamiExpy, and DarthVaderClone.[[note]]The fact that many traits are shared between these two character archetypes is [[FollowTheLeader not entirely coincidental]].[[/note]] [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused]] with expies of [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Charmander, Charmeleon, and Charizard]]. See also RedplicaBaron; Char being an expy of Richthofen makes this whole trope an expy of an expy of the original RedBaron.

** ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar'' features a pretty close match in Larry "[[RedBaron Solo Wing]]"/"[[IHaveManyNames Pixy]]" Foulke, who combines attributes of a ''Zeta''- and ''CCA''-style Char. He's blonde, famous for a prior incident, and associated with a plane with a distinctive red-colored wing. He starts off as TheMentor to the protagonist (who, while having ''some'' cred before the game starts, is a total unknown compared to [[FamedInStory Pixy]]), but after losing faith in his reasons for fighting the eponymous war, turns on them, disappearing for most of the game before resurfacing at the finale [[RivalFinalBoss as the]] BigBad.
** To a lesser extent is Yellow 13 of ''VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies'', who is primarily a classic ''MSG'' Char. Blond hair, [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname known mainly by]] [[LawOfChromaticSuperiority a color-themed nickname]], and heavily associated with a high-performance jet painted in that same color, he starts out with the protagonist as a sort of UnknownRival who only piques his interest at first by showing the potential to be very good. Said protagonist even cements his status as an actual rival to him by [[spoiler:accidentally (or rather unknowingly) killing a woman close to him, specifically Yellow 4]]. This in turn makes Mobius One something of an Amuro expy, particularly at the end of the game, where he becomes the leader of his own squadron a la [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack Londo Bell]], and the Arcade Mode of ''VideoGame/{{Ace Combat 5|TheUnsungWar}}'', where he's still proven to be [[OneManArmy better than that entire squadron on his own]].
** Another minor example of an ''MSG''-style clone is in ''VideoGame/AceCombat2'' with the Z.O.E. planes. While they have no physical attributes to share with Char, being that at least in [[VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizonLegacy the remake]] they're an A.I., they do share the predilection towards increasingly-higher-spec, all-red aircraft (eventually, similar to Char's Zeong, getting one of the series' first two unique "superfighters"), and they essentially force their way into being TheRival by being not only the sole recurring named enemy in the game, but also ''the'' single most aggressive one, always seeking you out from the beginning of a mission instead of waiting for you to get close on your own -- acknowledging the rivalry and shooting them down every time they show up is even required to get the best ending. At the end of the game they start to take on some minor ''CCA'' trappings, taking command of the defenses around the rebellion's last fortress, which is particularly pronounced in the remake, where a much bigger deal is made about their presence, and shooting them down is an actual objective rather than being optional.

** Nero tol Scaeva of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' has aspects of both an original ''MSG'' and ''Zeta''-era Char. He starts off as a high-ranking member of TheEmpire, associated with the color red (even his {{Magitek}} armor is all-red), and his characterization is as TheRival, albeit an {{unknown|Rival}} one, and to Cid nan Garlond rather than the player character. After the end of the 2.0 storyline, he defects from the Empire, joining Cid at Garlond Ironworks, wearing the same outfit as the other employees, though colored red and with the addition of CoolShades.

* ''VisualNovel/{{Sunrider}}'': Veniczar Arcadius wears a face-concealing elf mask, pilots a red[[note]]although to be fair, all PACT vessels are red[[/note]] AceCustom [[AMechByAnyOtherName Ryder]], is searching for [[AbusivePrecursors ancient Ryuvian]] LostTechnology for unknown purposes, and is related to [[spoiler:the Sunrider’s chief engineer Chigara Ashada by dint of them both being [[ArtificialHuman Prototype]] clones]]. And, as the charismatic dictator of the [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny People’s Alliance for Common Treatment]] and a GalacticConqueror, Arcadius is definitely the BigBad type of Char Clone. Liberation Day shows that [[spoiler:Alice, the primary Arcadius, also has [[CloningBlues issues with being a Prototype]] and an omnicidal, misanthropic hatred of humanity]], effectively making Arcadius [[spoiler:[[SamusIsAGirl a gender-swapped]]]] Rau le Creuset.

* ''Franchise/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
** Zuko from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': He starts out as a pseudo-StockShonenRival / DragonWithAnAgenda, out to capture Aang in hopes of restoring his honor within the Fire Nation. Over the course of the series, he learns [[TakeOverTheWorld that the plans of his forefathers]] were not as noble as he was led to believe. [[spoiler:After several false starts, Zuko eventually makes a HeelFaceTurn to teach Aang Firebending (becoming something of a BigBrotherMentor to him) and defeat [[AbusiveParents his father]], becoming his RedeemingReplacement at the end of the series.]] He typically wears red with gold trim ([[ColorCodedElements the colors of Fire Nation royalty]]), has a [[ScarsAreForever burn scar]] over his left eye, [[spoiler:and is revealed to be a descendant of Aang's [[{{Reincarnation}} past life]], Avatar Roku.]]
** Amon from ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' (the DarkMessiah version). Interestingly enough, while it turned out that he was someone's older brother, it turned out to be of [[spoiler:Tarrlok, one of the other antagonists of the series.]]

** ''ComicBook/JamesTynionIVsBatman'': This run introduces Ghost-Maker, another vigilante with more extreme methods than Bruce's. He and Bruce trained under the same teachers and developed a friendship that turned into a rivalry when Ghost-Maker learned Bruce was training to be a vigilante to avenge his parents as opposed to doing it for the art like Ghost-Maker was. However, while Ghost-Maker is often antagonistic and critical of Bruce, the two have a mutual respect for each other. Ghost-Maker may not have qualms about killing, but he's not stupid or unreasonable, and is willing to make compromises and restrain himself for Batman's sake. Ghost-Maker also wears a white mask.

*** Zero.EXE, who is featured as the antagonist of the first half of ''Network Transmission'', shares his red color scheme and his swordsmanship with his namesake, thereby also emulating Char. In a slight twist, since [=ProtoMan=].EXE is a CompositeCharacter of the original Proto Man and Zero, Zero.EXE bears more of a resemblance to various Mobile Suits [[labelnote:(such as...)]][[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Gundam Mk-II]] (which Char actually had a chance to pilot in ''Zeta Gundam''), [[Anime/AfterWarGundamX Gundam Virsago]], and [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Gundam Epyon]][[/labelnote]] than his ''X'' series counterpart, making him look more inhuman and menacing in the process. His first and foremost trait calls ''Char's Counterattack'' to mind, though Zero follows Dr. Wily's plan to destroy the Net with the Zero Virus for the sake of mankind as opposed to spearheading it himself. This, along with his TragicVillain status (being a virus created solely for the purpose of wreaking havoc and expecting to be deleted by [=MegaMan=] for this very reason), instead leads to Zero being spared and reborn as a genuine [=NetNavi=]--provided the player makes the right choices.

A brief history of the original Char: in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'', he was TheRival to the main character. A mysterious [[CoolMask masked man]] with distinctive blond hair, he was an AcePilot called the [[RedBaron Red Comet]] with a penchant for piloting AceCustom mecha painted red (which was said to be [[Memes/{{Gundam}} three times faster]] than its mundane counterpart, despite the only visual difference being its [[RedOnesGoFaster color]]). Over the course of the series, it is revealed that Char has a [[HiddenAgendaVillain hidden agenda]] -- avenging his father, who was assassinated by the series BigBad -- and that his [[LongLostRelative estranged sister]] is part of the heroes' crew. In the sequel series, ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'', he adopts a PaperThinDisguise and makes a HeelFaceTurn, allying with the good guys and acting as TheMentor for the new generation. His final appearance comes in the appropriately-named ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack'', where he's [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor a villain again]], attempting to [[ColonyDrop drop a giant asteroid]] onto Earth [[WellIntentionedExtremist for the good of mankind]].

* A ''Zeta Gundam''-style Char clone will be '''TheMentor''' to the main character, OlderAndWiser with a BigBrotherMentor vibe.

* ''Manga/DetectiveConan'':
** Shuuichi Akai is named after Char's voice actor, Shuuichi Ikeda (who incidentally also voices him), and Char's nick name "Akai Suisei" (The Red Comet). His fake name Dai Moroboshi is also a reference, as he gets called Dai-kun, which sounds exactly like "Deikun", and Moroboshi can mean "falling star", aka a comet. He always wears a knit cap and lately drives a red sports car. His LongLostRelative is [[spoiler: his little sister Masumi Sera.]] She describes his martial arts skills as being "three times stronger than her".
** Subaru Okiya is blond at least for his keyhole, drives a red car (white in some instances) with suicide doors, wears glasses and squints most of the time. His name is a reference as well [[spoiler: as 'Okiya Subaru' (オキヤ スバル) is basically 'Casval' (キャスバル)]].