This is the characters page for Fence. Spoilers for the series are unmarked.
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Main Characters
Nicholas Cox
- Bastard Angst: Nicholas is the "illegitimate" son of fencing prodigy Robert Coste who left him and his mother. For the most part, he took care of himself while living in poverty with fencing as his only escape.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Nicholas's whole backstory involving his father and living in poverty fits the trope quite perfectly.
- Determinator: Despite his lack of experience, Nicholas is determined to best Seiji and prove his worth in the world of fencing.
- Embarrassing Nickname: Zero. Only time will tell if he'll go from From Zero to Hero.
- Friendly Rivalry: With Seiji, after the latter gradually warms up to him.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Nicholas harbors a lot of resentment towards the more experienced Jesse who has their father's love, attention, and dreams involving fencing. When Jesse shows up at King's Row for a practice demonstration and Nicholas sees Seiji's interest be piqued, he becomes angered at the thought of Jesse stealing Seiji away from him as well.
- Hot-Blooded: Nicholas is enthusiastic and passionate about becoming the best fencer he can possibly be.
- Incompletely Trained: He finds himself way out of his depth at Kings Row as his speed, strength, and luck can't quite overcome the lack of fundamentals that his old coach failed to instill in him.
- Lamarck Was Right: There is absolutely no reason Nicholas should have inherited his world-champion father's fencing skills — it's a learned skill, not a genetic ability.
- Left-Handed Mirror: Both Nicholas and Jesse are this to Seiji.
- Long-Lost Relative: Nicholas is the illegitimate son of Robert Coste, making him Jesse Coste's younger half-brother, not that Jesse or Robert are aware of that fact.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to Seiji's blue. When fencing, their shoes are Color-Coded for Your Convenience.
- Southpaw Advantage: Nicholas being left-handed gives him an edge over other fencers as many of them are more accustomed to fighting right-handed opponents.
- Trademark Favorite Food: His profile states he loves cheeseburgers with extra pickles and no sauce.
- Underestimating Badassery: Nicholas's lack of experience and exposure within the fencing world gives him the advantage of being an unknown variable to the rival schools, making them underestimate his true potential and allowing him to make strides here and there.
- Unskilled, but Strong: Nicholas was improperly trained by his coach before attending Kings Row (who admittedly told Nicholas he wasn't the best coach). To compensate for his terrible technique, he's very strong and left-handed which gives him an edge in the sport. Coach Williams even mentions that Nicholas is a prodigy, his issue is that when up against fencers like Seiji, he's facing prodigies who have accumulated over a decade of training.
Seiji Katayama
- The Ace: Seiji is a well-renowned fencer and an excellent student, even invoking fear from most of the fencing team tryout athletes as well as his opponents.
- Aloof Dark-Haired Boy: His aloofness is why he and Nicholas initially don't get along well with one another.
- Always Someone Better: Seiji has this towards Jesse Coste who he seemingly can't beat.
- Asian and Nerdy: Seiji is Japanese and happens to be excellent at both fencing and academics.
- Brutal Honesty: Seiji's criticism of others is less mean-spirited and more painfully honest.
- Defrosting Ice King: Seiji gradually starts to like Nicholas, though it takes him a while to admit this to himself.
- Friendly Rivalry: With Nicholas after Seiji warms up to him.
- Inscrutable Oriental: Being poised, polished, and cold, Seiji also happens to be Japanese-American.
- Lonely at the Top: Seiji's skill sets him apart from other students and his teammates.
- Mirror Character: How he sees himself and Jesse.Seiji: I was… Jesse's mirror, I reflected his — glow, his glories and his victories. I used to think it was an honor. We were similar, I told myself, in all the ways that really mattered.
- No Social Skills: He's not exactly the most socially graceful person in the story.
- Not So Stoic: Gets shaken up whenever he loses in a fencing match. This ends up happening twice upon losing to Jesse and later Aiden.
- Parental Neglect: Seiji's parents are busy people who've provided every material possession Seiji needed but were emotionally neglectful. Overlaps with Parents as People, as his father attempts to engage with Seiji's life, but still finds him a difficult child to communicate with.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to Nicholas's red. When fencing, their shoes are Color-Coded for Your Convenience.
- Stock Shōnen Rival: Seiji doesn't believe in teamwork and is Nicholas's rival.
- Tooka Level In Kindness: Tries to be nicer in the novels by joining the team at breakfast and doing things for Nicholas because "that is what friends do."
- Trademark Favorite Food: Triple fudge sundaes with whipped cream and sprinkles, though he would never admit it out loud.
- We Used to Be Friends: With Jesse.
Harvard Lee
- All-Loving Hero: Harvard genuinely wants the best for everyone and his teammates, sometimes even his rivals.
- A Father to His Men: Harvard takes his leadership responsibilities very seriously, and he has the respect of everyone on the teams and those who went to tryouts.
- Childhood Friends: With Aiden.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: Downplayed, but present. In Striking Distance, Coach Williams tells him he's selfless to a fault and that it's fine to actually take care of himself for once.
- LGBT Awakening: In Striking Distance, Harvard realizes that he is gay after he goes on a date with a girl that his mother help set up. Aiden is encouraging and is thinking this is his chance to finally be with Harvard — only for Harvard to call up his mother and ask her if she can set up a date with a boy.
- Oblivious to Love: Harvard is unaware that Aiden is in love with him, and just sees him as a close friend.
- Nice Guy: Harvard is friendly and nice to everyone. The worst thing you can say about him is that he ignores his needs to put others first.
- Straight Gay: Harvard comes to the realization that he's gay in the prose novel Striking Distance. He further exemplifies the trope by displaying no camp characteristics.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Eye fillet steaks with peas and potato gratin.
Aiden Kane
- Break Them by Talking: Aiden loves doing this to psych out his opponents, and succeeds with Seiji. It doesn't work on Nicholas, because as soon as he finds out Seiji lost to this guy, all Nicholas hears out of Aiden's mouth is "Beating me is like beating Seiji."
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Aiden puts off training and practicing a lot, but still manages to win matches and be competitive due to his talent and penchant for mind games.
- The Casanova: Aiden, who makes his way quickly through the male population of the school.
- Childhood Friends: With Harvard. This complicated matters for Aiden who has genuine feelings for him.
- Even the Straight Guys Want Him: Even a heterosexual boy can't help but be attracted to Aiden.
- Good Stepmother: Aiden has a multiple of these among the women his father dated, though he's never really reciprocated their attempts to bond with him.
- Intentional Heartbreaker: Aiden is infamous for breaking the hearts of many men.
- Ladykiller in Love: A gay version. Aiden is in love with Harvard, though would rather remain friends for fear of ruining his only genuine bond.
- Long-Haired Pretty Boy: He's both good-looking and has hair that goes beyond his neck length.
- Really Gets Around: His promiscuity is the result of Parental Neglect as well as his hidden feelings for Harvard.
- Smug Snake: Aiden, who barely practices at all, yet is great at fencing while crushing other boys' hearts just as much.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Cupcakes.
Bobby Rodriguez
Bobby is a junior at Kings Row Boys School and fencing team manager as of volume 5. He is the first person at Kings Row to befriend Nicholas. He is Dante's roommate.
- Crush Filter: Multiple panels are dedicated to the romanticized way Bobby views Seiji.
- Height Angst: Bobby is the shortest at King's Row and understands he has a disadvantage due to his small size, but after some words of "encouragement" from Seiji and watching Hartley, who is even shorter than he is, fence incredibly well, Bobby swears to overcome his weakness.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Bobby, who dresses in girls' clothing, is a cute and gentle example of the trope.
Eugene Labao
- Determinator: Has tried to make the fencing team for years. Fortunately, his efforts finally pay off.
Jesse Coste
Jesse is the legitimate son of Olympic medalist Robert Coste and Nicholas's half brother. He is ranked 1st in the national under 16s competition and currently serves as the captain of the Exton fencing team. As Seiji's former friend and rival, he wants Seiji to join him at Exton.
- Left-Handed Mirror: Jesse was this to Seiji growing up.
- Opposing Sports Team: Exton is this to King's Row.
- Privileged Rival: To Nicholas. Jesse is the acknowledged son of Robert Coste, who personally taught him everything he knew about fencing throughout childhood. He is also financially well off.
- Stalker without a Crush: Jesse shows up multiple times to ask Seiji to join him at Exton. It could be interpreted as Jesse asking Seiji back as his boyfriend too, but their former relationship is unclear.
- We Used to Be Friends: With Seiji.
