Any thoughts on the Darth Vader/Gendo Ikari example listed above?

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Generally I think a lot of the subtropes like Darth Vader Clone are/should be less restrictive than Expy itself - I know that sounds counterintuitive, but their definitions are a lot more clearly about being inspired by the original character than being a full-fledged copy.

Gendo's... pushing it, though.

From Characters.DC Super Hero Girls 2019:

• Captain Ersatz: It's impossible not to see the similarities between the Super Hero Girls and the Mane Six from Lauren Faust's previous creation, My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic. Supergirl is Rainbow Dash; Batgirl is Pinkie Pie; Bumblebee is Fluttershy; Zatanna is sort of a mix between Rarity and Trixie, and Wonder Woman, with her combination of stellar intellect, sheltered upbringing, unworldly awkwardness and innate leadership skills, is a more combat-ready Twilight.

I doubt this. These character archetypes just seem like motifs of Faust's. She's used them in other works.

From DuckTales 2017: Duckburg, under "B.O.Y.D."

• Expy: To Harvey Beaks. Both are young, sweet, and mild-mannered avians with oddly-shaped heads, large eyes, and polite dispositions towards everyone they meet. It helps that B.O.Y.D.'s original "father" has the name Beaks as a surname.

Sounds to me that's just describing a Nice Guy who happens to be a young anthropomorphic bird in an art style with big eyes, with the last name "Beaks". And last time I checked, Harvey Beaks isn't an android. The title and summary of the next episode of Ducktales 2017, "Astro B.O.Y.D.!", implies BOYD is more of an Astro Clone than an expy of Harvey Beaks, but that can be decided upon when it airs.

I say remove that Expy entry due to it being a case of "There's a few similarities, they must be an Expy!" misuse, coupled with the lack of confirmation of authorial intent.

Edited by dragonfire5000 on Apr 27th 2020 at 8:00:42 AM

Just a quick check: I seem to remember there being a rule that a character doesn't count as a Expy if they are based on a real life person but I cannot find it now, id this true?

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It is, because there's another trope for that - No Historical Figures Were Harmed.

Ah, thanks. I thought so.

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I found this on the character sheet for the MCU incarnation of Ultron, and I'm suspicious of it being a valid example (spoilers removed):

I never played Chrono Cross, but this entry seems like a very big stretch. Should this entry be cut?

So this entry wants us to believe the film version of a king standing villain is an Expy of a semi-obscure Playstation 1 RPG?

More importantly, expy requires proof of intent. Per the page itself: Remember that an Expy must be a clearly deliberate reference on the part of the author; superficial or random coincidental similarities (even very striking ones) do not qualify, so if you aren't certain, they probably are not an Expy. This doesn't have that.

Not an example. I have nuked it.

Edited by sgamer82 on Jun 7th 2020 at 10:47:55 AM

Was cleaning Disney.The Lion King, and found this. Is he an Expy, or do I just cut the wicks, and label Surrounded by Idiots as ZCE?

Characters.One Stormy Night:

Edited by Malady on Jun 22nd 2020 at 8:53:55 AM

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576

How much looser are Fountain of Expies tropes on this? Because King Koopa Copy has a lot of shoehorns. I've deleted Galvatron from Transformers, but there's also the Pokemon Tyranitar which is comical misuse, but the other examples just sorta seem to be "video game boss? THEY COUNT." Wreck-It Ralph (which the entry specifically says he's more Donkey Kong), Ridley (the only connection is "reptilian"), or one tabletop games example where according to the example, the only joining thread is that the player designs side scrollers.

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It's a ZCE. A comparison to another work isn't context. What happens in THIS work?

I found this from Char Clone. The entry doesn't explain why the character in question was a clear enough reference to Char Aznable.

• Amon from The Legend of Korra (the Dark Messiah version). Interestingly enough, while it turned out that he was someone's older brother, it turned out to be of Tarrlok, one of the other antagonists of the series.

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Is Lennon from Tweeny Witches a Char Clone? I see some similarities between him and Char Aznable, but I need help because I'm unfamiliar with Gundam:

• Is introduced as a mysterious masked figure.
• Starts out as a threatening villain but makes a Heel–Face Turn.
• Has piloting skills as a pirate.
• Has pale skin and blonde hair, the latter of which his mask hides.
• Wears heavy red eyeliner and his mask has red eyes, though he's not as strongly associated as Arusu with red.
• Is revealed to be the lost older brother of the heroine and the son of one of the most powerful figures in the world.
• Has a tragic past involving the loss of his parents and wants revenge for it.

However, I see some differences as well:

• Is only a teenager and physically weak.
• It is his mother, Atelia, who possesses the charisma.
• Is suspected but innocent of being the traitor among the witches. It is Sigma who is The Starscream and possesses the Chronic Backstabbing Disorder.
• Starts out with nihilistic values and doesn't even have big goals.
• Stops seeking revenge after he learns the truth about his parents. It is Sigma who avenges his father against the enemy faction of the series.
• Is capable of remorse, disqualifying from being an example of The Sociopath.
• Stays an ally of the Magical Girl Squad for the rest of the series.

My father told me he's not one because, if he remembers correctly, Char makes efforts to change things. In ElfenLiedFan90's Discord server, however, two people told me he is because he has too many similar traits to be a mere coincidence, and Gundam has a big impact on Japanese anime culture.

Edited by IukaSylvie on Jul 29th 2020 at 10:23:39 PM

Bringing up this example from Superboy (New 52):

• Expy: Being a Hot-Blooded clone/Artificial Human and a Living Weapon (actually, he was a guinea pig) with enormous Psychic Powers, occasional initial vagueness on morals when it came to things like stealing, '90s Anti-Hero morality that eventually developed into that of an All-Loving Hero and a tempestuous relationship with his counterpart that mellowed out over time, he comes across rather like a version of Nate Grey.

The following is on Buso Renkin but I am wondering if they are actually Reused Character Design rather than Expy.

• Expy: Usually confirmed by manga liner notes.
  • Kazuki is visually similar to Misao Makimachi of Rurouni Kenshin, and the author even calls him "A boy version of Misao" in character notes. He also has similarities to Yahiko.
  • Tokiko is a Gender Flip of Kenshin, or mostly his "Hitokiri Battousai" mode.
  • A lot of the character bio pages note that characters are expy's of Kenshin characters and in a few cases shots look like they're lifted directly from Kenshin. An early rival in the kendo club is an expy of Enishi while his sister is one of Tomoe. Later in the series an Alchemist Warrior looks like Hiko Seijuro just forgot to shave for a few days.

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Characters.Steven Universe Little Homeworld, regarding Bixbite:

• Expy: Ian Jones-Quartey admitted on a podcast that he subconsciously based her uncorrupted form off one of his own characters, Darrell.

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I mean, he said it himself, didnt he? Pretty sure creators can create expies of their own characters from other works.

Edit: sorry, didnt notice he said it was subconscious, which means its not deliberate, which means you should Cut it, according to thread rules.

Edited by antenna_ears on Oct 15th 2020 at 12:45:00 PM

That's what Expy was originally meant to be about.

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x4 I don't think the characters look similar enough to count as Reused Character Design, especially since some of the Buso Renkin characters look very different from the Rurouni Kenshin characters they were based off of.

Which is why I wanted to bring it here, as she was based off him, but unintentionally so according to the example (haven't listened to the podcast myself). I'll cut it.

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Thanks.

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Characters.Klonoa says that Garlen and Guntz are expies of Dr. Eggman and Shadow, respectively, from Sonic the Hedgehog.

The one for Garlen has been there as long as I can remember. I added the one for Guntz long ago. I think these choices were pretty deliberate, but I don't have proof... yet. I'll do some research, but I just thought I should point this out.

Gengars are so Creepy Cute. :D

The Gantz entry needs more context.

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If there was less than a year between SA2's release and Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament's release, that makes Guntz being an expy of Shadow pretty unlikely. The games were probably in development around the same time.

The entry mentions Guntz's use of guns as a comparison to Shadow, but Shadow didn't use guns until his own game, released three years after Dream Champ Tournament.

Edited by Primis on Oct 18th 2020 at 1:03:18 AM