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Main Characters
BrianD
Brian "BrianD" Doheny
Played by: Josh Blaylock
A minor and unimportant FPS gamer who manages to kill world-famous player the Law during a pubstomp. This gets Brian into VGHS on a scholarship, and he has to prove he has real talent.
- Battle Couple: Becomes this with Jenny in Season 2; best seen in the finale, where the two of them end up spending most of the final battle fighting alongside one-another and, besides Ki, are the last two alive on the VGHS team in the final battle in S3E6.
- Cannot Talk to Women: For a while, Brian couldn't speak properly to Jenny without screwing up or stuttering.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep" / His Name Really Is "Barkeep": Subverted, he does in fact have a real name that his gaming name is based on.
- Hidden Depths: Despite his dorky nature, he's actually a highly skilled gamer, and as shown near the end of the first season, he's a pretty good businessman given he's able to rise up the ranks of a small arcade in less than 24 hours.
- Nice Guy: A decent, kind and loyal person.
- Supreme Chef: Brian made a coconut cake that Jenny and the FPS Varsity team enjoyed in Season 1. And in Season 2, he made the Leetmas dinner (though he was so stressed he forgot the brine for the turkey).
Ted
Theodore "Ted" Wong
Played by: Jimmy Wong
The Resident Advisor for the Frag Floor, he ends up as Brian's best friend when Brian saves him from some bullies. He starts dating Ki almost by accident, and when he moves into Brian's room she moves into his old room.
- Abusive Parents: His dad's a massive jerkass, and constantly berates Ted.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Is generally a bit out-there.
- Hilariously Abusive Childhood: At first, at least; by the third season, the abuse Freddie gives him gets treated far more seriously.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Played for Laughs; when the Duchess of Kart kisses him in Season 2, Episode 2 he immediately declares "Oh my god, I just cheated on Ki!"
- Stepford Smiler: He becomes this when his father dies, though had shades of this prior. He's in deep denial about his dad's abuse.
- We Used to Be Friends: With Brian. Brian doesn't think so but when looked at from Ted's view, Brian was hardly around or hanging out with him, always having something to do with Jenny. This ultimately results in him moving out of Brian's dorm at the end of Season 2, Episode 6.
Ki
Kimberly "Ki" Swan
Played by: Ellary Porterfield
The somewhat spacey daughter of two famous video game designers. She is at VGHS mostly to learn what people want for their games, and quickly starts dating Ted almost by accident. She later ends up as RA for the Frag Floor because no one else is doing the job (and she's living in the RA's room anyway).
- Action Girl: When it comes to fighting. In the finale, its also shown she's pretty good at Field of Fire too, even though she doesn't play it as much as the FPS players.
- The Ace: Deconstructed; Ki is so good at almost everything she sets her mind to that she very easily, and very quickly, grows bored of games, something shown as unusual in the VGHS Verse, making it difficult for her to enjoy games with as much enthusiasm as everyone else.
- Break the Cutie: After losing the election, she went through a nihilistic emo phase. Thankfully it didn't last more than an episode.
- Go-Getter Girl: So much so that she seems genuinely traumatized when Freddie tells her that she's failing his class.
- Emo Teen / Straw Nihilist: The phase she went through after losing the election.
- Heroic BSoD: Losing the student president election to Shane Pizza and leaving the school in season 3 episode 3.
- Jack of All Trades: Ki comes from a family of prominent game developers. Thus she masters almost any game quite easily.
- Lady in Red: In season 3 episode 2.
Jenny
Jenny Matrix
Played by: Johanna Braddy
The star of the Junior Varsity FPS team, daughter of one of the most famous FPS coaches in the business, and girlfriend to the Law. Brian's crush.
- Abusive Parents: See Mary below.
- Battle Couple: Subverted with The Law, as they're never shown fighting alongside one-another, but rather against each other, while they're dating. As of Season 2, she becomes this with Brian, and are shown to be pretty effective.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: In Season 2 with Brian. Both clearly have feelings for each other, but know they cannot be together due to the FPS Tournament and their coach being Jenny's mother. Ultimately inverted when the two actually start dating in Season 2, Episode 3.
- Friendly Sniper: Besides sometimes being pretty moody, she's generally a very friendly girl who happens to be a very effective sniper.
- Hidden Depths: At first she seems to be something of a typical Satellite Love Interest who happens to be a well-regarded FPS player; then we learn she's got big dreams of becoming a famed gamer, privately enjoys Dance and opera singing simulators, has a really messed up relationship with her mom and was basically raised by her dad, and views herself as a sociopath because she feels she cares too much about her success at video games than she does her relationships, and has a made a private imaginary world full of Unicorns.
- Lovable Alpha Bitch: She's skilled, popular, pretty, dates the equivalent of the Jerk Jock, and comes off as a bit self-entitled at first, but is also fairly friendly, befriends Brian and his friends despite their lack of popularity.
- Nightmare Fetishist: Downplayed, but she's really excited to be taped to a flagpole, as its an initiation ritual for the FPS team, and so it happening would mean a dream come true, basically. When it happens to Brian instead, she's notably jealous, but moreso because it means he made the team instead.
- Progressively Prettier: She's notably less tan in Season 2 compared to 1 and her hair is lightened; assuming you find such 'prettier', of course.
- Tomboy with a Girly Streak: She's a tough FPS gamer chick, but she also enjoys dance and opera singing simulators and has a secret love of unicorns.
- You're Not My Father: Has this attitude towards her mother Mary. Though given their history and Mary's general attitude, it's hardly surprising.
The Law
Lawrence "The Law" Pemperton
Played by: Brian Firenzi
The most famous player in VGHS, the star of the Varsity FPS team, and Jenny's boyfriend. He gets killed by Brian when the Law raids Brian's game in a pubstomp, and declares an eternal vendetta for the insult.
- The Ace: Was the star player and Captain of VGHS' Varsity FPS Team.
- Berserk Button: Don't call him by his real name. Or show him an image of New Law, as an unfortunate game store customer learned the hard way.
- Bested by the Inexperienced: Despite the Law's experience, Brian, a fairly amateur FPS player, managed to kill him. The Law saw it as a insult and swore vengeance.
- Big Bad: At least, in season 1.
- Bling-Bling-BANG!: He has two custom gold-plated pistols, with one marked 'The Long Arm'.
- Broken Ace: Becomes this in Season 2, when Shane Pizza frames him for aimbotting.
- Comedic Sociopathy: He may have actually killed a guy in the finale, or, at least (judging from Brian's reaction), severely beat him to a disturbing degree. He still shows very little care for others, either way, and it's largely Played for Laughs.
- Demoted to Extra: In Season 3. He actually gets taken off the opening credits part way through after the New Law takes his IP and title.
- Fan Disservice: There are select times where we get to see him in his underwear.
- Guns Akimbo: Wields his weapons this way as a signature style.
- Heel–Face Revolving Door: Starts out as the Big Bad of Season 1, goes through a Redemption Quest in Season 2 ending in him and Brian working together, and then immediately leaves VGHS for a rival team. Then in Season 3 he rejoins VGHS in time for the Napalm Bowl and then promptly falls into a stance against his own team as he battles New Law to see who can kill Ki Swan first. The only result out of all of this is that he and New Law become friends.
- He's Back!: Subverted. When he's tagged in during the finale of Season 2, he gets up, the music swells...and then he vomits, presumably from the stress. He also has to go through some sort of brief training level to get his skills back up to par, since he hasn't played since he was banned.
- Jerk Jock: Essentially the in-world equivalent. He's a star player, dates the popular girl, and has a strong dislike of the nerdy main character who he proceeds to torment and sabotage. Unlike typical Jerk Jock characters, however, he lacks actual physical strength, so when Brian actually confronts him physically, he very easily beats him.
- Jerkass Has a Point: When he 'betrays' VGHS. It makes no sense for him to stay at VGHS, all of whom abandoned him and treated him cruelly.
- Large Ham: He's constantly Chewing the Scenery, and is clearly enjoying every moment of it.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Had he brought Jenny onto the varsity team, she would have been banned as well when he was framed for aimbotting. His refusal to do so gave her the opportunity to advance - exactly what he was afraid of.
- Nominal Hero: In seasons 2 and 3, he does occasionally side with the good guys, and help them reach victory, but don't be fooled. Each time, he's doing it for his own purposes, or a separate purpose. The methods/needs just happen to coincide.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: In Season 2, Episode 4. Quite literally, no one is fooled. Except Shotbot.
Other VGHS Students
DK
Drift King
Played by: Rocky Collins
The leader of the drift racing club.
- Large Ham: He loves to shout when the situation calls for it.Drift King: TO WAR!
- Purple Prose: The only way he speaks.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Towards Ted in Season 3, coercing him to perform all sorts of acts he didn't agree with. It's revealed that this was because he was grooming Ted to be his successor since he was graduating at the end of the year.
- Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: He speaks like a medieval king, of course with racing talk mixed in.
Games
Games Dean
Played by: Benji Dolly
A suave member of JV. Probably the most prominent student after the main characters.
- Defeat Means Friendship: With Brian.
- Heel–Face Turn: In the final episode of Season 1, where he sticks up for Brian.
- His Name Really Is "Barkeep": Yes, that's actually his real name, as revealed when the JV FPS team gets arrested in season 3, episode 2.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Can be quite arrogant, but is nevertheless a loyal friend to Brian and the rest of the team.
Jax
Randall "Jumpin' Jax" Merryweather
Played by: Joey Scoma
A dim-witted member of JV.
- The Big Guy: Often handles heavier weapons during matches, such as a SAW or rocket launcher.
- Boisterous Bruiser: Loves fighting (in-game, of course) and is thrilled when Bryan goes One-Man Army during the match against Napalm.Bryan: I think I'm finally starting to get you, Jax.
- The Bully: Initially. This got phased out rather quickly however.
- The Ditz: Quite dim-witted.
- The Load: For JV, as he often gets killed in matches due to his own stupdity.
- Too Dumb to Live: Usually the reason behind him getting killed during matches.
Moriarty
Allison "Moriarty" Michaels
Played by: Nicole Wyland
Another member of JV.
- The Generic Guy: Along with Rapwnzel. They weren't really given distinct personalities.
Rapwnzel
Trisha "Rapwnzel" Ashby
Played by: Meghan Camarena
Another member of JV.
- Living Prop: During the first two seasons.
Shane
Shane Pizza
Played by: Chase Williamson
A rich student who crosses paths and butts heads with Ki, as well as the captain of the RTS team and head RA. He runs for school president, with his entire presidential platform being, basically 'give everyone pizza and cool stuff'.
- Best Served Cold: His and Ashley's plan to take over VGHS is a long-running plan to get back at Calhoun for rejecting them from VGHS 5 years previous.
- Big Bad: Of season 2. In season 3 he's one half of a Big Bad Duumvirate with Ashley Barnstormer, his brother.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He appears to at least love his brother a lot, and seems to care about his mom too. Given the latter is the source of his wealth, though...
- Dye or Die: Shane chose both (kind of) - as a kid, he had blonde hair but as part of his Faking the Dead plan, he dyed it brown in order to infiltrate VGHS.
- Faking the Dead: He's actually Shane Barnstormer, brother of Ashley, and co-CEO of Napalm Energy Drink Co. He faked his death to infiltrate VGHS, which he was banned from enrolling in when he was 12 because of the poor attitude he and his brother had.
- My Card: He actually hands his business card to Ki when he makes her RA of the Frag Floor. It even has a response for pointing out his fake last name is dumb: "You're dumb."
- Pick on Someone Your Own Size: There's a very notable height difference between him and Ki, his arch-nemesis, and he seems to make a point to go after and humiliate the social gamers, the poorest of the school's classes, because Ki defended them.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Pretty much his entire attitude towards life. Shows up a lot during the election, when he copies everything that Ki does, but does it bigger, because he can afford to pay for it.
- Smug Snake: A pretty big one too.
- Spoiled Brat: Male version along with his brother. The first reaction the brothers had when rejected from VGHS was to try and buy the school from Calhoun - with their mother's money!
- Walking Spoiler: His presence in season 3, as well as his backstory and relation to Ashley make him one.
Video Game High School Teachers
Calhoun
Dean Ernest "Ernie" Calhoun
Played by: Harley Morenstein
Dean of VGHS. He is a serious, no-nonsense man who believes strongly in the purity of gaming. Also, he hates everyone.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: When you see him finally perform in Season 3, you find out quickly how he became Dean. Despite never actually having graduated
- Badass Teacher: He's a dean, not a teacher, but he can kick wholesale ass when he wants to.
- Does Not Like Spam: Tuna. Justified in that he's allergic to it.
- Hidden Depths: Despite his very callous treatment of Brian and seemingly unsympathetic manner, he does give him more than a few chances he doesn't give others, gives him some advice when he needs it, rewards him for giving him a different meal when the one provided is one he's alergic to, and in the finale is shown to deeply love the school, to the point he became the dean despite never graduating, and has a young daughter.
- Large Ham: He's played by Harley from Epic Meal Time. Need I say more?
- Parental Substitute: As the series progresses, despite being a huge jerk to him, Calhoun slowly becomes the closest thing to a father figure for Brian.
Coach Matrix
Coach Mary Matrix
Played by: Cynthia Watros
The newly hired FPS coach and Jenny's estranged mother.
- The Ace: She was former captain of the Denver Commandos.
- Abusive Parents: Let's see, Mary is...
- An ace FPS Player who was hardly home, forcing her now-divorced husband to raise Jenny.
- Generally neglects Jenny's feelings and makes her do things just for Mary's sake/ego.
- Never supports her daughter in any way.
- Heel Realization: Has one in the third season.
Freddie
Freddie Wong
Played by: Freddie Wong
The Rhythm gaming teacher, and Ted's dad.
- Abusive Parents: He treats Ted like crap and wants to keep him in his own shadow, and isn't above emotional abuse to keep him following his wishes and staying under his thumb.
- Adam Westing: Its safe to say Freddie isn't really this much of a jerk.
- Jerkass: Oh, is he ever. Sometimes it's played for comic effect, sometimes it's played for dramatic effect.
- Killed Off for Real: The fourth episode of season 3 is based around his death in a motorcycle accident. It probably had to something to do with his not wearing a helmet.
Ace
Ace
Played by: Zachary Levi
The FPS coach in the first season.
- American Accents: Speaks with a Southern Drawl.
- Cool Teacher: Compared to Mary Matrix, at least.
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Stunt Casting: Compared to the other cast members, he's probably the biggest name actor, being the Voice Actor of Flynn Ryder, the lead in Chuck, and the new Fandral in Thor: The Dark World.
Napalm Energy Drink High School
Ashley
Ashley Barnstormer
Played by: Bryan Forrest
The captain of Napalm Energy High School's FPS team, and the Big Bad of the third season.
- Best Served Cold: Ashley's scheme to take over VGHS is a long-running plan by him and Shane to get back at Calhoun for rejecting them from VGHS 5 years previous.
- Big Bad: Of season 3, and arguably season 2 by retroactive association.
- Big Bad Duumvirate: With Shane Pizza, aka Shane Barnstormer, his brother.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Just like his brother. Also, he hires a ton of apparently pro gamers from around the world to come for the Napalm-VGHS 32-vs-32 match in the finale, which obviously wouldn't work if he wasn't paying them.
- Smug Snake: He's as big of one as Shane. Which isn't surprising considering they're brothers.
- Spoiled Brat: Male version along with his brother. The first reaction the brothers had when rejected from VGHS was to try and buy the school from Calhoun - with their mother's money!
- Walking Spoiler: His presence in season 3, as well as his backstory and relation to Shane make him one.
New Law
New Law
Played by: Nathan Kress
The most prominent student at Napalm Energy High, brought in to replace the Law as a way of both humiliating the original Law, and increasing his IP's popularity.
- Compensating for Something: The Law 1.0 implies that he's doing this by carrying bigger guns than him.The Law: My, what a big gun you have. Your mother must be so proud of your big gun.
- The Dragon: To the Barnstormers; he's the only person they seem to show any respect to, and he follows their command directly.
- Guns Akimbo: Like the original Law, except he favors a pair of Desert Eagles.
- Implacable Man: When playing Field of Fire; when he's serious about doing something, its terrifying how easily he cuts through everyone. He did have the advantage of the bulk of the players being inexperienced, but still.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: He's able to get a fatal knife throw to the head from on top of a building, that was at least a mile away, on a moving target. From the looks of things, he couldn't even see his target.
- Legacy Character: To the Law; he's actually given his IP and identity.
- Playing Against Type: Nathan Kress usually plays Dogged Nice Guy characters, not... well... characters like this.
- Pretty Boy: Noted In-Universe that he's much more popular with the ladies than the original Law is
- Troll: He's very quick to taunt people after he humiliates them, both in game and real life.
- Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Mixed with a bit of Screw This, I'm Outta Here and Know When to Fold 'Em. When Ashley and Shane get their plans foiled, he makes a quiet exit. He seems more confused than outraged by the turn of events.
- Worthy Opponent: By the end of the final battle, he seems to regard the original Law as one.
