Hello
Is it me you're looking for?
Is it me you're looking for?
How characters are introduced in stories.
See also How to Gather Characters. Compare Beginning Tropes.
The entrance might also fit an Index Making an Entrance trope.
- 11th-Hour Ranger: Someone who is not already an established character joins the heroes right in time for the final battle.
- Attack Hello: Physically attacking someone (in a friendly way!) as a means of greeting.
- Avengers Assemble: The Dream Team is called to assemble, and after a sequence of them all getting "the call", it concludes with them all together.
- Backstory Invader: A new character alters the other characters' memories, or reality itself, so that they have always been part of the story.
- Bait-and-Switch Character Intro: A character's introduction changes half-way through to reveal something different than what they were first portrayed as.
- Big Damn Heroes: The cavalry appears just in dramatic time.
- Big Entrance: Entering a place in the biggest, loudest, and flashiest way imaginable.
- Bitch Alert: Within .2 seconds of her entrance, you know she's going to be trouble.
- *Click* Hello: The click of a gun behind their head lets a character know they've got company.
- Clique Tour: A quick rundown of the groups involved in the setting.
- Come with Me If You Want to Live: They don't know each other well at all, but it's either one character goes with another, or they die.
- Crash-Into Hello: Friends or love interests meet by literally crashing into each other.
- Debut Queue: Before the actual plot begins, a story's first couple chapters or episodes focuses on introducing and establishing characters.
- Delayed Narrator Introduction: The narrator is presented as just that at first, only to later be revealed as an actual character in the story.
- Dramatis Personae: The characters appearing in a work are listed (and maybe described) at the beginning or end.
- *Drool* Hello: "Ew, what's this wet stuff dripping on m—Oh."
- Dynamic Entry: A previously unseen character appears via attacking an enemy in a showy fashion.
- Early-Bird Cameo: A character who has a larger role in the story later on has a brief appearance earlier, without much attention drawn to them.
- Emerging from the Shadows: Someone's face or body is completely masked in shadow until they dramatically reveal themselves.
- Establishing Character Moment: When a character is introduced in a work, there is a scene—or even as small as a moment—that lets the audience know what kind of character they're going to be.
- Establishing Team Shot
- Everyone Meets Everyone: The main cast meets one another one by one. Some of them may already be acquainted, but it doubles to let the audience get to know them.
- Falling into the Plot: The protagonist falls from the sky at the start of a work.
- Feet-First Introduction: The first thing you see of them is one or both of their feet, and then the camera goes up and up and up until you can see their face.
- Forgotten First Meeting: Two characters have already met, but one or both of them doesn't remember it.
- Hero Looking for Group: The hero is ready to go on their quest, but they know they can't do it alone. So, they head out to find some like-minded companions.
- Incoming Ham: A character's first, single line lets the audience know that they're going to chew up every bit of the scenery.
- Introduction by Hookup: Two people hook up in a one-night stand. No biggie, right? No strings attached... until they meet again, sometime later, under new context.
- Introductory Opening Credits: Opening credits with the characters and their names.
- Intro Dump: Main characters, and just about everything to know about them, are shown right at the very beginning of the work.
- Kick the Dog: Villains are often introduced doing something cruel to others.
- Pet the Dog: Conversely, heroes and other more sympathetic sorts will often get a scene where they do something good or nice for someone.
- Last Episode, New Character: It's the final chapter, but that doesn't stop this character from making their debut.
- Meet Cute: When two characters meet in a way that is awkward and/or embarrassing—but also adorable, because the two will end up as love interests.
- Meet the In-Laws: One of the most serious steps in a relationship—meeting your future in-laws.
- A Minor Kidroduction: A work begins with a brief scene of the protagonist as a child.
- Morning Routine: Introducing a character by showing what they do every morning.
- Mysterious Stranger (a subversion): A character whose motivations, alliance, and even their name and appearance are completely hidden from the audience when they appear.
- Naked on Arrival: The character's first scene, and they don't have a stitch of clothing on them.
- Pursued Protagonist: The protagonist is introduced as they are being chased down by dangerous enemies.
- Putting the Band Back Together: A team which had previously (and permanently, it seemed) disbanded rallies together once more.
- Remember the New Guy?: They have never appeared in the work before, or have even been mentioned, but characters still act like they've always been there.
- Rescue Introduction: The first appearance of a character has them being rescued by the protagonists.
- Retired Badass Roundup: A band of Retired Badasses are being reunited.
- School Forced Us Together: A group of people is brought together by the school system.
- Second Episode Introduction: Putting everything needed in a series' pilot episode can be tricky. Thus, a character who is important but simply couldn't fit into the premiere debuts in the second episode.
- Theme Tune Roll Call: The theme song of a series has one or two lines devoted to each character and their role.
- Together We Are X: Members of an ensemble introduce themselves first individually and then as a team.
- *Twang* Hello: A scene is interrupted by an arrow zipping through the air and striking something with a twang. Five seconds later, company has arrived.
- Welcome Episode: A typical pilot episode for a series, in which the main character joins a previously established group and gets acquainted with them.
- The Worf Effect: To establish just how dangerous the new threat is, they completely floor the strongest character.
- You All Meet in a Cell: Characters meet while they're all captive, and learn why they were taken captive in the first place while they escape.
- You All Meet in an Inn: Everyone meets when they're at the same inn or bar.
