< Tiger and Bunny

Tiger and Bunny/Characters


The Eponymous Duo

Kotetsu T. Kaburagi (Wild Tiger)

Voiced by: Hiroaki Hirata (JP)
Affiliation: TopMag (former) / Apollon Media (current)
Suit Advertisements: S.H. Figurarts (Japanese toy line) / Softbank (Japanese media company).

The primary protagonist and a veteran NEXT past his prime, whose total disregard for property damage when fighting earned him the nickname "Crusher for Justice". Currently he is the least popular hero in Sternbild City and his old company, TopMag has been taken over by Apollon Media, which is now forcing him to become Barnaby's partner against his will. He has a daughter, Kaede, who, like most people in the city, is unaware of his secret identity. He possesses the power to increase his physical abilities hundredfold for 5 minutes.

Antonio: "I just want to know one thing -- Why did you hide that you were a NEXT? You could have used those powers against me."
Kotetsu: "Because I only want to use my powers to save people."

"I’m a hero because I want to save people. Isn’t that enough? It really doesn’t matter if anyone acknowledges me or not."

Karina: "Listen... Uh... I'm going to treasure this forever!"

  • Karina runs off, blushing to the roots of her hair*

Kotetsu: "...What's up with her?"

Barnaby: There's one man I feel I can never compare to, and my only wish is to become someone worthy of his trust.

    • Interestingly, he's both the "Father" in the straight example to Barnaby and the "Son" example to his own daughter in an inversion - one of his main wishes is that his daughter thinks he is cool. She eventually does.
  • When You Coming Home, Dad?: Superheroing really does take its toll on his relationship with his daughter.
  • Wide-Eyed Idealist: Less concerned with sponsorship money, more concerned with saving people. Naturally, this is not a good attitude to have in Sternbild.
  • Widower Hero: His wife Tomoe passed away from an illness five years prior to the beginning of the series.
  • Workaholic: Lloyd actually has to order him to use some of his vacation days.
  • Yank the Dog's Chain: He finally starts getting some respect from his partner, climbs up in the rankings and the population doesn't consider him a joke anymore, then he starts losing his powers.

Barnaby Brooks, Jr.

Voiced by: Masakazu Morita (JP)
Affiliation: Apollon Media
Suit Advertisements: Bandai / Crusade (Bandai's trading card game) / Amazon.co.jp [from episode 6 onwards]

The other main character. A rookie hero who does not feel the need to conceal his identity, he is the newest addition to the Hero TV team. Has the same superpower as Wild Tiger and is employed by Apollon Media, which partnered the two of them for the new season in the hope that the "first superhero team" would attract more viewers. A cold, introverted, asocial young man, he has completely different views on being a superhero -- the major cause of his frequent disagreements with Kotetsu in earlier episodes.

  • Alliterative Name
  • Aloof Ally
    • I Work Alone: For the first 8 episodes he steadfastly stands by this, but towards the end of the series...
  • Animal Motif: According to Kotetsu, he's a "bunny"; but his lack of typical 'bunny-like' behaviour is hilariously lampshaded in episode 3 following their successfully dealing with the bomb.

Barnaby: You can interpret it however you like. I don't care for such feelings of camaraderie.
Kotetsu: For a rabbit, you're not very cute.

  • Animation Anatomy Aging: The official artwork shows that he's followed a fairly standard style of age progression so far. (Pictured at ages four, ten, fifteen, and twenty-four)
  • Anime Hair: Those elaborate curls would be impossible in real life without a perm -- but Barnaby has had them practically since birth, and his mother's hairstyle is much the same. It is, however, mentioned that he pays regular visits to the hair-dresser's.
  • Because You Were Nice to Me: By series end he stays on as a hero simply because he wants to continue being Kotetsu's partner.
  • Being Selfless Is Old-Fashioned: Sports this attitude quite a bit earlier on in the series. Like in episode 3;

Barnaby: Then evacuate. I'll handle this by myself.
Kotetsu: Idiot! I'm not so cold-hearted that I'd leave my partner behind and escape on my own.
Barnaby: (Gives Kotetsu a sideways glance)
Kotetsu: What!?
Barnaby: As always, you're so old-fashioned.

  • Beneath the Mask: Actually has two masks; The Charming ace facade he exposes to the general public and the Jerkass Ice King that the other heroes see -- both of which conceal his Broken Bird / Broken Ace tendencies.
  • Berserk Button: Becomes uncharacteristically emotional and violent when Ouroboros comes into the picture.
  • Bishonen
  • Break the Cutie: The entirety of his backstory hinges on this, resulting in...
  • Bridal Carry: Seems to be his preferred method of rescue -- Episodes 1, 10 and 25: Kotetsu. Episode 2: Kaede. Episode 4: Blue Rose. Episode 9: Agnes. He even hangs a lampshade during the instance in ep. 10, and almost drops the name of the trope (by using the phrase "princess carry" which was translated literally from Japanese where it has the exact same connotations as "bridal carry").
  • Character Development: To cement his Defrosting Ice King status.
    • Hidden Depths: Most people tend to dislike him at first -- a Glory Hounding, Jerkass Ice King and in-universe Chick Magnet who exists simply to upstage, annoy and insult Kotetsu...that's his role, right? But then we find out that he's not a Glory Hound, the Jerkassery is simply a facade to hide his true personality; he's a more a Broken Ace than an actual Ace, is definitely not in the superhero scene for the women, and is actually an Ice and Sugar King who eventually begins Defrosting in earnest.
  • The Charmer: Has no issues with the fangirls he attracts.

Kotetsu: Don't you get tired of doing that?
Barnaby: Not really. It's part of our job.

  • Celibate Hero: He might be The Charmer in public, but there are no women in his private life.
  • Chest Insignia: In episode 5 he gets a small bunny-shaped one on the left side of his suit.
  • Collateral Damage: Suffers from this quite a bit in the latter half of the series. Samantha's death and his subsequent capture and Mind Rape at Maverick's hands are more catalysts for Kotetsu to become involved with the Big Bad than anything else.
  • Color-Coded Secret Identity: Doesn't actually have a secret identity, but his casual clothes are color-coded nonetheless.
  • Comically Serious: Kotetsu's bumbling antics are often complimented by Barnaby's attempts to be The Only Sane Man.
  • Compassionate Critic: To Kotetsu.
  • Cool Car: Is seen driving a Honda NSX in episode 15 (and yes, it's red).
  • Dark and Troubled Past: Has spent a good part of 20 years brooding over this.
  • Deceased Parents Are the Best
  • Death Is a Sad Thing
    • Harmful to Minors: His parents were murdered right in front of his eyes when he was a child.
  • Deuteragonist
  • Determinator: Not a healthy one either, as his twenty-year obsession with revenge can attest to.
  • Dude in Distress: Picks up the Distress Ball in episode 19, and continues to carry it throughout ep. 20.
  • Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Subverted. Despite his Kuudere Ice King persona, Stoic Facade, and clearly stated lack of enthusiasm in letting others get involved in his life (and vice versa), he reacts surprisingly positively to Kotetsu's concern over his past.
  • Embarrassing Nickname: "Bunny". By episode 5 he seems to have given up on complaining about it, but he absolutely will NOT stand for being called "Bunny-chan"
    • In-Series Nickname: Although Kotetsu is the only person who actually refers to him by the abovementioned moniker, hilariously enough the Mid-Season Upgrade in his suit does as well.
  • Emotions Versus Stoicism: Keeps to the stoic end for the first part of the series, but eventually winds up much closer to the emotional end.
  • Enthusiasm Versus Stoicism: Slides back and forth along this scale as well, but usually hovers around the stoic half.
  • Evil Mentor's Handsome Protégé
  • Exactly What It Says on the Tin: His Hundred Power, same as Kotetsu's.
  • Exposition Victim: In episode 19.
  • Extremity Extremist: His fighting style seems to focus mainly around kicking, though he will occasionally throw a punch or two.
  • Face Palm: Can't help but do this in episode 5 following Kotetsu's attempt to retrieve a pen for one of his fans.
  • Fake Memories: Maverick tweaked his memories quite a bit in order to give himself an alibi, among other things. Word of God reveals that his memory has been edited beyond the extent shown in canon.
  • Fatal Flaw: His single-minded obsession with revenge has completely isolated him from the world, ridding him of the friendly, cheerful personality he had as a child and constantly hindering his usually calm and calculative behaviour.
    • Actually lampshaded in episode 22;

Maverick: Your wild emotions are your only flaw.

  • Five Stages of Grief: Seems to be going through a combination of stages 2 & 4, with stage 4 being far more prominent. He never quite gets to stage 5, despite wavering towards it every now and again.
  • Flashback Nightmare / Recurring Dreams
  • Form-Fitting Wardrobe: When in casual clothing.
  • Frames of Reference: The lenses are hexagonal, but he has a number of characteristics associated with rectangular glasses; a stoic facade, Kuudere / Tsundere personality and Tsurime.
    • Megane
    • Purely Aesthetic Glasses: Averted. Some fans (and even his own seiyuu) tend to assume this because Barnaby never wears glasses when fighting; but comments from the staff and info from the Hero Gossip Book indicate that while his eyesight is poor, glasses aren't necessary when in superhero suit because the helmet compensates for any vision problems.
    • Stoic Spectacles: Subverted. Though the 'stoic' part holds true for some time into the series, it eventually becomes obvious that this was merely a facade.
  • Friendless Background: For 20 years he has completely rejected the idea of having an actual personal life or any relationships, choosing instead to devote himself to revenge. Word Of God says that Kotetsu is quite literally the first human being he's made a significant connection with since the age of four.
  • Frozen Face: According to Word Of God: "Barnaby's current ability to fake friendly looks and behaviour is the result of much work -- as a teenager he was practically expressionless".
  • Glory Hound: Pretty much everyone (both in-universe and out) considered him to be one for the first few episodes. But later events subvert this completely. Barnaby has no aversion to publicity or the fans, but he doesn't care about them one bit. Superheroics is simply "just a job" in his eyes.
  • Good Is Not Nice: He's polite to everyone other than Kotetsu and is very obliging to his in-series fans...but proves that 'polite', 'nice' and 'good' don't necessarily have to co-exist.
  • Grave Marking Scene: Subverted. After visiting his parents' grave in episode 25, he apologizes for not having come to see them in a while.
  • Hair Flip: One of the many ways he pleases his fangirls.
  • Hates Small Talk: Unless it's for an interview.
  • Hell-Bent for Leather: A very literal example. It's just the jacket, not the pants (and red instead of the typical black) -- but boy, does he love it!
  • Heroic Blue Screen of Death: Experiences one after discovering that Jake wasn't his parents' killer. Realizing that he's back to square one and is now unable to trust his own memories, he begins to doubt his functionality as a hero. This leads to...
  • Heroic Red Ring of Death: Suffers one in episode 19 that also overlaps with Emotional Fainting.
  • Heroic Safe Mode: Tries to go into this in episodes 12-13.
  • Heterosexual Life Partner / The Not Love Interest: To Kotetsu.
  • Hey, You: Spent thirteen episodes calling Kotetsu "old man".
  • Hollywood Nerd: A type-2 one, obviously. He's definitely a bishounen with his glasses on -- though they're not the typical Nerd Glasses by any means, thus averting any likelihood of Handsome All Along or The Glasses Gotta Go situations.
  • Hour of Power: Five minutes per hour.
  • If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him: Experiences a classic example of this towards the end of episode 13, when he was on the verge of killing Jake. But due to Kotetsu's influence he chooses the typical option, which results in...
  • I Miss Mum: One of those rare occasions where someone says this about both their parents. "I miss you...Mum, Dad!" (Episode 25)
  • Ineffectual Loner: A little anomalous in that he isn't an Anti-Hero but is still very much an example of this trope. He eventually opens up a little, but only to Kotetsu. As far as anyone else is concerned, he is still this even by series end.
    • Intelligence Equals Isolation: Implied to have happened to him while at the Hero Academy; since Kotetsu is the first and only friend he's managed to make during the past 20 years, he obviously had no-one close to him during his school-going days.
    • Leave Me Alone: In the earlier episodes, this is his response to Kotetsu's well-meaning queries.
  • It's Personal: His vendetta against Ouroboros and its affiliates.
  • I Was Just Passing Through: Tends to fall into this when it involves Kotetsu; following him into a collapsing offshore drilling rig because he "wanted to score more hero points", responding to Kotetsu's call for help and claiming that he was there for entirely unrelated (and unspecified) reasons, etc.
  • Japanese Pronouns: Uses boku when addressing himself in front of others and ore during monologues or when speaking without keigo.
  • Jerkass Facade: In the earlier episodes, though it later vanishes almost completely.
  • Jet Pack: Part of his suit but is not used for direct flight -- just short boosts of speed and some pretty impressive jumps.
  • Just in Time: Played for Laughs regarding his Unwanted Rescue and Embarrassing Rescue rescues of Kotetsu.
  • Keigo: He uses keigo almost constantly -- even during the more colourful arguments with Kotetsu. It emphasizes his aloofness.
  • Kuudere: Type-2 kuudere is actually his default persona, though it does sometimes alternate with Tsundere where Kotetsu is concerned.
  • Leave Your Quest Test: Faces one in episode 10.
  • Lightning Bruiser: Only when his Hundred Power is activated.
  • Limited Wardrobe: Lampshaded in the case of his beloved red leather jacket.
  • Memento MacGuffin: The sash Kotetsu was wearing in episode 8 is still with him as of ep.12. Word Of God states that he keeps it in his company locker as a good-luck charm.
  • Men Can't Keep House: Completely averts this and takes it to the other extreme. Not only is his apartment meticulously clean and litter-free, but he barely even has any furniture in it.
  • Minored in Asskicking: Since he was the top of his class at the Hero Academy, he technically majored in it. But it's noted that he's also very competent academically.
  • Mood Swinger
  • Mr. Fanservice: As far as Apollon Media and HeroTV are concerned, youth and handsomeness are his major selling points.
  • Mundane Luxury: Becoming "someone who's worthy of Kotetsu's trust" and being a good partner to him is pretty much all Barnaby wants by series end.
  • My Greatest Second Chance: To avenge his parents by having Maverick (and Ouroboros) brought to justice -- though technically speaking, he ultimately fails.
  • My Name Is Not Bunny: "It's Barnaby!"
  • Mysterious Past: Word Of God confirms that most of his current memories are a product of Maverick's psychological manipulations. So even Barnaby himself probably doesn't know exactly what his life was like before the series.
  • Nobody Touches the Hair: His reaction to being hugged by Kotetsu in episode 23...though it was more out of embarrassment than anything.
  • No Sympathy: Can be rather insensitive at times, mostly because of the unique form of lacking social skills that he possesses.
  • Not Bad: His reaction to Kotetsu's locating the bomb in episode 3, to the latter's annoyance and indignation.

Barnaby: [[spoiler:How did you know the bomb was here?<br/> '''Kotetsu:''' You saw that repairman too, right? He looked too clean to have been oiling the cables. Plus this building is brand-new; how could something be malfunctioning already?]]
Barnaby: I see. That's not bad, for someone like you.
Kotetsu: What's with the condescending tone!?

  • Not Quite Flight
  • Not So Stoic: Played very straight and provides much of the drama in the series.
    • Any mention of Ouroboros, his parents' murderer, or his parents themselves, makes him very unstable emotionally. In Episode 19 we see him crying on several different occasions due to these very reasons. He weeps openly when he learns about his maid's death in episode 20 as well.
    • And Kotetsu's supposed impending death in episode 24 leads to his stoic facade completely breaking down for a few minutes preceding the closing credits.
  • Odd Couple: With Kotetsu.
  • One-Woman Wail: The ominous theme that plays during his flashbacks and whenever he's in danger.
  • Only Child Syndrome
  • Orphan's Ordeal: Everything related to his personality and behaviour basically hinges on this.
  • Pastimes Prove Personality: His one and only hobby is listening to opera, which is often associated with an affluent family background, 'snobbish' personality and being 'intellectual'.
  • The Pawn / Tyke Bomb: Maverick raised him with the express purpose of making him become a superhero.
  • Pet the Dog: When he saves Kaede in episode 2 (even though there are no witnesses other than Kotetsu and no cameras pointed at him), it's the first indicator that he may be indifferent, but he's not heartless.
  • Pose of Supplication: Shortly before his Heroic RROD in episode 19.
  • Powered Armour: His Apollon Media suit ensures that even without tapping into his powers, he's still quite strong and durable.
  • Punch Clock Hero: Of all the heroes, he's the one who explicitly regards superheroics as a job.
  • Quirky but Competent
  • Quizzical Tilt: During the Porn Stash / The Internet Is for Porn confusion in episode 3.
  • Rage Against the Reflection: Smashes the mirror he's looking into in episode 12 after being mocked and all but defeated by Jake.
  • Rant-Inducing Slight: His outbursts towards Kotetsu in episodes 12 and 19 are a result of this.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blue to Kotetsu's red, although he's the one wearing red.
  • Reflective Glasses
  • Rescue Introduction
  • Revenge: The primary motivation behind everything he's done since his parents' deaths.
    • Best Served Cold: Elaborated upon by Maverick in episode 11 while explaining Barnaby's past to the general public.
    • Revenge Before Reason: Subverts this (episodes 11-13), plays it straight (ep.s 21-23), and then averts it (ep.s 24-25).
    • You Killed My Parents: Subverted since he's not the one who kills Maverick.
  • Rookie Red Ranger: A subversion, since he joined the HeroTV superheroes for entirely personal reasons that had nothing to do with helping people. Post-timeskip he becomes much more enthusiastic about his job (if only because of his wish to be a better partner to Kotetsu).
  • Sacrificed Basic Skill for Awesome Training: He's been focused on becoming a superhero for four-fifths of his life, and as a result has developed a very odd personality; he knows exactly how to behave in public in order to inspire awe and boost popularity, but flounders badly when it comes to personal relationships. Throw in the "absolute trust or complete mistrust, nothing in-between" bit and you've got a guy with a very weird form of No Social Skills.
  • Say My Name: "KOTETSUUUU!!!" (Episode 24)
  • School Idol: According to episode 8, he was one during his days at Hero Academy.

Principle Massini: Why, the whole school looked up to you! You even had a fan club, and they all wore glasses just like yours.
Barnaby: You're embarrassing me.

  • Secret Public Identity
  • Ship Tease: With Agnes. When he saved her from one of the kidnappers in episode 9, the way he was holding her, looking right into her eyes and inquiring after her well-being, would have been enough to set even unseasoned shippers off. But the pairing was never so much as hinted at again.
  • Shirtless Scene: Gets a LOT of these.
  • Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids: Often says this to Kotetsu in the earlier episodes...despite being the younger of the two.
  • Single-Issue Psychology: Subverted. It's heavily implied that his current asocial tendencies and unusual personality is the product of not one but two factors; while witnessing his parents' murder is the more overtly stated and obvious one, Maverick's toying around with his mind apparently affected him quite a bit.
    • Epiphany Therapy: Subverted again. His attitude at the end of episode 13 and for the entirety of ep.s 14 -16 seem to point to him having undergone this and, by consequence, Motive Decay -- but from ep. 18 onwards it becomes obvious that this is not the case.
  • Skilled but Naive: His inexperience is sometimes rather obvious, despite him being very skilled in the technical aspects of combat.
  • Slave to PR: Is pretty enthusiastic about maintaining his public image.
  • Sliding Scale of Beauty: According to his in-series fans (and Nathan), he's on World-Class level.
  • Someone Elses Problem: The reason he views superheroing as "just a job".
  • Standard Cop Backstory
  • Stepford Snarker
  • Straw Vulcan: Considering the overall mood of the series and the fact that Kotetsu is the protagonist, it's hardly suprising that he ends up with this role.
  • Strong Family Resemblance: Bears a striking likeness to his mother.
  • Super Strength
  • Super Speed
  • Tall, Dark and Snarky: Not if you take the 'dark' part literally, though.
  • Tears of Remorse: In episode 13, when he was about to give up on the fight with Jake.
  • Technician Versus Performer: The Technician.
  • Tender Tears: Cries these in episodes 20, 24 & 25.
  • Ten-Minute Retirement: Leaves the Hero business when Kotetsu quits, and returns when he does.
  • The One That Got Away: According to the character questionnaire A 100 Questions, his first and only crush was on a girl he met at the Hero Academy; but he was convinced that his feelings were unrequited and never attempted to pursue a relationship with her.
  • There Are No Therapists: He shows several signs (frequent nightmares and faulty recollections of his parents' murder scene, extreme social withdrawal, emotional irregularity, blunted affect [1] etc.) that suggest he's suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. But apparently no-one ever bothered to help the poor guy overcome his problems. Somewhat justified considering what his trusted mentor and guardian turned out to be like, but still...
  • This Is Unforgivable!: Says it several times; in episode 20 when he learns of Samantha's murder, in ep. 23 after Maverick informs them of his kidnapping the other heroes and Kaede, and again in ep. 25 upon believing that Kotetsu is dead.
  • Tranquil Fury: For a majority of the time when he was fighting Jake.
  • Trauma-Induced Amnesia: For twenty years, he was incapable of recalling the face of his parents' killer. Later on, it's revealed that his memories were in fact altered to hide the murderer's true identity, thus counting as a subversion.
  • Tsundere: Not a glaring example, but he sometimes bears this attitude towards Kotetsu.
  • Tsurime
  • Twisted Christmas: Poor 4-year-old Barnaby...
    • And something similar (though arguably less traumatizing) happens to him in episodes 19-20 as well.
  • The Unfettered: Strives to be this, with questionable success.
  • Used to Be a Sweet Kid: He was a happy, affectionate and friendly child prior to his parents' deaths.
  • Waking Up Elsewhere: In episode 20.
  • Was It Really Worth It?: Averted regarding his revenge against Jake. Rather than feeling lost or despondent without his motivation since childhood, he finally feels free to enjoy life and find meaning in being a hero for its own sake.
    • Episode 18 proves that it might not be a good idea to base your happiness on exacting revenge after all; because everything might just go tumbling back when you realize you've actually failed at it. He ponders the same question halfway through episode 25.
  • Why Did It Have To Be Fire?: He's not very fond of fire due to the circumstances of his parents' death. In Episode 9 he has a panic attack seeing Kotetsu playing with a taser in a burning building.
  • Windows to the Soul: Green Eyes to go with his in-series potrayal as being 'exotic' and 'seductive' -- it also counts as a subversion since you learn that neither is actually true once you see past his public face.

Other Superheroes

Karina Lyle (Blue Rose)

Voiced by: Minako Kotobuki (JP), Kari Wahlgren (EN)
Affiliation: Titan Industry
Suit Advertisements: Pepsi NEX (zero-calorie Japan-exclusive drink developed by Suntory)

A highschool girl with freezing powers. She's also marketed as an idol singer by her company.

Blue Rose: My ice is a little cold, but your crime's been put on hold!

  • Color Character
  • Combat Stilettos: Part of her ensemble, and Episode 4 highlights how impractical they are.
  • Detached Sleeves: When on civilian clothes.
  • Defrosting Ice Queen
  • Eating the Eye Candy: Admits to her herself that she's been having quite a bit of trouble keeping her eyes off Kotetsu.
  • Even the Girls Want Her: The fifth drama CD hints that Pao-Lin has a crush on her.
  • Everyone Can See It: Her crush on Kotetsu. Except him, obviously.
  • Faux Action Girl --> Action Girl: She's a conflicted teen trying to live up to her public image as a domineering badass despite poor combat abilities, a ridiculously impractical costume, and serious misgivings about her job. She still gets stuff done because she genuinely wants to save people, but it's telling that one of her named, publicized special moves, the 'Cutie Escape', involves ducking and running from whatever criminal menace is trying to reduce her to a smear on the pavement this week. She becomes a more genuine Action Girl later, though.
  • Flower Motifs: Blue roses.
    • Her motif is derived from her Product Placement. Suntory (the company that developed Pepsi NEX) also helped develop the first genetically engineered blue rose.
  • Freeze Ray: A variant. Ice manipulation is her natural power as a NEXT, but she uses a pair of guns to focus and direct them.
  • Glass Cannon: She has rather powerful NEXT abilities, but when your sponsors make you wear that kind of suit into combat, you understandably shrink at the sight of guns. In fact everyone else except the rest of the "girls team" (Dragon Kid and Fire Emblem) wear armoured costumes... and those two can either vaporise or dodge bullets, respectively.
  • Gratuitous English: When she does her Catch Phrase she says "cold" and "hold" in English... more or less.
  • Guns Akimbo: Has two freezing guns strapped to her thighs.
  • Heroic Blue Screen of Death: Played for Laughs in Episode 9, after learning that Kotetsu is married and has a daughter.
  • Hopeless Suitor: Word of God confirms this concerning her crush on Kotetsu.
  • Hot for Teacher: According to the Hero Gossip Book, her first crush was on her kindergarten teacher. Looks like her tendency to become infatuated with people far older than her is recurrent...
  • An Ice Person
  • Idol Singer
  • Knight in Sour Armour: Loathes her outfit, her catchphrase, and her job, but keeps working anyways because it means she gets to save lives.
  • Leitmotif: An instrumental version of GO NEXT plays almost anytime she makes an appearance in costume.
  • Love Epiphany: In episode 14, she realizes she's in love with Kotetsu when a thief steals the towel he gave her.
  • Male Gaze: Applied liberally in Episode 7... and everywhere else.
  • Memento MacGuffin/Number One Dime: Receives one from Kotetsu, in the form of a towel, in Episode 14.
  • Most Common Superpower: Subverted -- she uses padding.
  • Ms. Fanservice: Her primary selling point both in-universe and out (apart from the singing bit in-universe)... much to her chagrin.
  • Nice Hat: She wears one both in and out of her superhero costume.
  • Not Quite Flight: Can use her ice to launch herself from the ground, as seen in Episode 2. Can also can make "ice slides" like Iceman, as seen in Episode 7.
  • Ordinary High School Student: Can be considered one in her civilian identity.
  • Required Secondary Powers: Enhanced cold resistance. Particularly given her costume.
  • Romancing The Widower: The latter half of episode 25 shows that she's decided to do this despite her initial qualms. She even provided the new picture for the main trope page!
  • Romanticized Abuser: Deconstructed -- despite this being one of her marketing points, poor Karina's a little unnerved when she reads some fan comments in the Drama CD that see her as this:

Karina: "'It's weird, but I seem to mess up on everything I do lately. I don't have any motivation any more. So please verbally abuse me!' All right let's... wait, verbally abuse you? Ah, um... thank you for your comment, let's move along."

Criminal: "Who are you guys!?"
Tiger: "You mean us? We're--"
Blue Rose: "We're the heroes of this town! (*steps on the criminals face*) My name is Blue Rose. We keep the peace in Sternbild at all times!"
Tiger: "...What she said."

  • Stripperiffic: Another reason why she dislikes frontline superheroing -- costumes designed to maximize sex appeal aren't all that great for withstanding bullets.
  • Superhero Sobriquets: From the first episode, Super Idol of the world of Heroes.
  • Threshold Guardians: Episode 4 is A Day in the Limelight episode about Blue Rose making a decision about quitting her job as a superhero, with various people urging her in both directions. Near the end of the episode, she gets a call from the bar she's been moonlighting at as a singer, and an alert that there's an emergency at the exact same time. She chooses the bar, but seeing her hero friends put their lives at risk on the news brings her back just in time for a Big Damn Heroes moment.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Becomes a much more competent and confident crimefighter over the course of the series.
  • Triple Shifter: High school student, superhero, and part-time lounge singer.
  • Tsundere: Towards Kotetsu.

Blue Rose: Did you have a fight with Barnaby or something?
Kotetsu: No, nothing like that. Are you worried about him?
Blue Rose: What?! Of course not! [kicks him roughly in the Achilles tendon with the heel of her boot, shoves him off-stage and whispers to herself] Who do you think I'm doing all this for?

Antonio Lopez (Rock Bison)

Voiced by: Taiten Kusunoki (JP), Travis Willingham (EN)
Affiliation: Kronos Foods
Suit Advertisements: Gyu-Kaku (Japanese barbecue restaurant chain)

A friend of Kotetsu since they were teenagers. His power is his strong, resilient skin and superior strength. He has a bull-themed suit.

Pao-Lin Huang (Dragon Kid)

Voiced by: Mariya Ise (JP), Laura Bailey (EN)
Affiliation: Odysseus Communication
Suit Advertisements: Calbee (Japanese food company) / DMM (Japanese website)

A young Kung Fu fighter armed with a staff and able to produce lightning. Tomboyish by nature, she has a good heart and is often willing to help someone out if need be. She has a vaguely Chinese-styled uniform.

Fire Emblem: "Let's show them our Girl Power!"
Blue Rose: "One of us doesn't fit that theme!"
Dragon Kid: "It's because I'm a Tomboy, isn't it?"

Keith Goodman (Sky High)

Voiced by: Go Inoue (JP), Patrick Seitz (EN)
Affiliation: Poseidon Line
Suit Advertisements: Tamashii Nations (Bandai's subsidiary figure company) / Ustream (American streaming website)

One of the most popular heroes in Sternbild and winner of at least two "King of Heroes" titles. As a result, he always attempts to be the ultimate role model to other heroes, to the point of always seeming to be "in character". He is able to fly with a rocket backpack and has the power to control the wind.

"Why, you ask? It's because this place has the most delicious lemonade in the city!"

  • Workaholic: He does patrolling all night even when there's no crime to speak off. No wonder he has so many points.

Nathan Seymore (Fire Emblem)

Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda (JP), John Eric Bentley (EN)
Affiliation: Helios Energy
Suit Advertisements: FMV (Fujitsu's PC brand) / Animate (Japanese anime/game/manga retailer) [since Episode 14]

An effeminate warrior with control over fire. He shows no shame about his homosexuality, and often casually hits on other male heroes. Despite his outrageous appearance, he's shown to be very intelligent and observant. He owns his own company, Helios Energy, which also serves as his affiliate as a superhero.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO MY CAR, ASSHOLE?!"

Ivan Karelin (Origami Cyclone)

Voiced by: Nobuhiko Okamoto (JP), Michael Sinterniklaas (EN)
Affiliation: Hesperides Finance
Suit Advertisements: .ANIME (Anime goods website) / Livedoor (Japanese blogging service) / NamuChara Ouendan (of Namco) / Takasu Clinic (An actual beauty clinic) [the latter three are since Episode 14]

A Japanophile in a vaguely ninja-themed costume who engages himself more in advertising than in actual crime-fighting.

  • Adorkable: Yep, another one.
  • Badass Normal: Since his powers don't lead to many direct combat operations, he is effectively just a well-trained gymnast.
  • Bishonen: Katsura was explicitly told by one of his producers to draw a "hot guy who looks like a lead character." Said character was Ivan.
  • Dork Knight
  • Funny Character, Boring Actor: As Origami Cyclone he seems energetic, loud, and shameless. As Ivan, he's quiet, insecure, and reserved.
  • Fuuma Shuriken: In costume has one in his back, but seems to be purely aesthetic. Though as it turns out when he uses it to escape Rotwang's cell in episode 24 and to fight in episode 25, it's actually an Absurdly Sharp Blade.
  • Glory Hound: Takes this to its logical (though fairly harmless) extreme. He's always in the thick of the action, but never for one moment longer than is necessary for the media to recognise his presence. As a result, his catalogue of actual heroic deeds is near-vanishingly small (HeroTV even calls him "Hidden Hero"). Episode 8 reveals that it's due to his lack of confidence in his abilities to accomplish anything, at least not until Kotetsu inspires him to make the effort.
  • Heroic Self-Deprecation
  • The Infiltration: He does this to find the Ouroboros hideout.
  • Instant Awesome, Just Add Ninja: Which lead us to...
    • Highly-Visible Ninja: Yes, a ninja-themed hero whose main purpose is advertising. Curiously enough, he has a power that makes him very hard to spot indeed.
  • I Will Wait for You: Vows to wait for Edward to consummate his prison time and fix their broken friendship.
  • It's All My Fault: Back when he was still in training, Ivan hesitated to help Edward stop a hostage situation, which lead to the latter accidentally killing the hostage and destroying any chance of a superhero career before it even started.
  • Keigo: As Origami Cyclone he speaks like a stereotypical samurai complete with the appropriate Japanese Pronouns and sentence enders, de gozaru.
  • Let's Get Dangerous: In the finale.
  • Master of Disguise: His power.
  • McNinja: A Russian ninja operating in Not-Manhattan.
  • Non-Action Guy
  • Occidental Otaku
  • Shrinking Violet: Of all things, this is his personality under the costume.
  • Stealth Hi Bye: Uses his hero status almost exclusively for photobombing purposes initially.
  • Took a Level in Badass: While he wasn't able to earn enough points at the end of the Hero TV season to dig himself out of last place, it's implied that he's continued to be more confident and active in his superhero work after Episode 8.
    • Compare him simply popping up in the background in the beginning of the series to his parts in the final battle.
  • Threshold Guardians: In episode 8, the return of a vengeful former friend forces Ivan to confront his feelings of inadequacy as a Hero which his theatrics hide. After a pep talk from Kotetsu, he manages to put his powers to good use and resolves to be a real Hero.
  • Troubled but Cute: Has shades of this.
  • Unusual Eyebrows: Has eyebrows that sweep upward.
  • Voluntary Shapeshifting: His superpower is the ability to copy the appearance of any individual he has touched. As shown in episode 21, he can also blend into the wall.
  • What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?: Feels this way about his power.
    • Heart Is an Awesome Power: On the other hand, his true ability would be incredibly useful for undercover work and infiltration, so the lameness can be blamed more on Sternbild's superhero culture revolving around putting on a show rather than tactical law enforcement which is precisely the case in Episode 11.
    • With him turning into a wanted poster of Kotetsu in episode 21 it seems his power is not as useless as he thinks since it means he can turn into inanimate objects and possibly animals.

Mr Legend

Voiced by: Jurota Kosugi (JP)

Sternbild's first and most famous superhero. He was the one who inspired Kotetsu to accept his powers and use them to fight for justice as Wild Tiger.


Enemies

Lunatic

Voiced by: Koji Yusa (JP)

A mysterious NEXT who manipulates blue flames. Since he has a peculiar idea of justice, making killers atone for their deeds with their lives, he is not compatible with the other heroes. His secret identity is Yuri Petrov, a Sternbild judge and son of Mr. Legend.

Dr. Rotwang

Voiced by: Mitsuru Miyamoto (JP)

A robotics engineer and former colleague of Barnaby's parents. Created Cis and later joins up with Maverick to further his research. He is responsible for the black suited fake Wild Tiger, H-01.

  • Chekhov's Gunman: Introduced early on as a one-shot who worked with Barnaby's parents on android research. Cut to episode 23...
  • Dirty Coward
  • Fantastic Racism Revealed in episode 23 and likely an inspiration for his work.
  • Killed Off for Real: It's safe to say he didn't survive being sent careening off the top of the tallest building in the city. Hero Tv Fan 2 also confirms his death.
  • Mad Scientist
  • Moral Dilemma/Morton's Fork/Sadistic Choice: Gives this to the captured heroes he put explosive leashs on. Either, A: a hero could deactivate their own explosives to save them-self but detonate the others; or B, trust that Tiger and Barnaby can defeat H-01 but if they lost to it all of theirs detonate. And if any of them used their NEXT powers, he would detonate them himself.
    • Then he reveals in episode 24 that trying to deactivate their own explosive will cause them all to detonate anyways and that he had no intention of letting any of them live. When H-01 loses he goes back on his word and attempts to kill the Heroes.
  • Psychopathic Manchild: He uses such juvenile names as "creepy" and "freaky" to describe NEXT.
    • To be fair, that's just the English translation.
    • He refers to them as "bakemono" or monsters, which is a rather exorbitant word and often associated with mythology. Perhaps the the fact he refers to them rather than using actual pronouns lends to his fanatical air.
  • Shout-Out: He shares a name with another robot creator in Metropolis.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Gets one in episode 23.
  • You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: What Maverick does to him in episode 25.

Ouroboros

Kriem

Voiced by: Michiko Neya (JP), Stephanie Sheh (EN)

A NEXT user who labels herself as a part of Ouroboros, she has taken Sternbild City hostage, and has demanded that Jake, who is imprisoned at Abbas Penitentiary, be released.

Jake Martinez

Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara (JP), Steve Blum (EN)

A NEXT currently serving 250 years at the Abbas Penitentiary for a string of very intense deaths.

Hans Chuckman

Voiced by: Kenta Miyake (JP)

A member of Ouroboros who assists Kriem in her plan to get Jake released from prison. He's taken captive in the process and eventually killed by Jake as punishment for his failure.

Benoit Depardieu

Voiced by: Tetsuo Goto (JP)

A serial killer who appears in episode 16. He's been stated to sexually assault and murder women for pleasure.


Hero TV

Agnes Joubert

Voiced by: Yuko Kaida (JP), Tara Platt (EN)

The producer for Hero TV. Her top priority is to increase the show's ratings and please her boss and the sponsors, regardless of its impact on the heroes' work.

Cain Morris

Voiced by: Kiyoshi Katsunuma (JP), Keith Silverstein (EN)

The director of Hero TV. More often than not, he tries to act as Agnes' moral compass by questioning some of her orders, but his concerns usually fall on deaf ears.

Mary Rose

Voiced by: Riho Fushida (JP), Laura Bailey (EN)

The switcher for Hero TV.

Mario

A reporter and live commentator for Hero TV.


Sponsors

Albert Maverick

Voiced by: Nobuhiko Fukuda (JP), Jamieson Price (EN)

President and CEO of Apollon Media, the company responsible for HeroTV and sponsor company for Wild Tiger and Barnaby. He was a longtime associate of the Brooks family, and took Barnaby in after his parents were murdered.

Alexander Lloyds

Voiced by: Wataru Yokojima (JP)

Albert's subordinate on Apollon Media that relays the company's orders to Kotetsu. Shown to be very business-oriented, the only thing he cares about is getting the most out of his employees, whether they like it or not.

  • Catch Phrase: "If you don't like it, you can quit." Amusingly enough, Tiger and Barnaby's meteoric rise in popularity after defeating Jake leaves him horrified at the very notion.
  • Jerkass: Takes way too much pleasure in reminding Kotetsu that he's an expendable corporate asset. Until the Time Skip, anyway.
  • Unusual Eyebrows

Ben Jackson

Voiced by: Katsuhisa Hōki (JP)

Director of TopMag's Hero Division and Wild Tiger's old boss, before the division was closed and Tiger was handed over to Apollon Media.

  • Bearer of Bad News: Was the one who informed Kotetsu that he was apparently losing his powers.
  • Benevolent Boss: Was one to Wild Tiger. And since he's made CEO of Apollon Media in the season finale, he most likely resumes this role.
  • Big Damn Heroes: Saves Kotetsu from a brainwashed Ivan and Pao-Lin without a second thought.
  • How the Mighty Have Fallen: From director of TopMag's Hero Division to a mere taxi driver. A sad subversion since, unlike most examples of the trope, he was a genuinely caring boss to Kotetsu. Although, as Episode 12 reveals, he doesn't seem to mind it, as he is more worried about Kotetsu's new lease of superhero life (and what seems to be an impending loss of his powers) than anything else. Ultimately subverted in the last episode, when he is promoted as the new president of Apollon Media.
  • Nice Guy
  • No Celebrities Were Harmed: He's totally not Forrest Whitaker.
  • Spanner in the Works: Maverick didn't take him into account when mind-wiping everyone he knew of that was aware of Wild Tiger's secret identity.
  • Throw the Dog a Bone: After spending most of the season as a penniless taxi driver, gets Maverick's old job as president of the mighty Apollon Media in the series finale.


Other Characters

Doc Saito

Voiced by: Hiroshi Iwasaki (JP)

An engineer working for Apollon Media. He is in charge of developing the suits for the company's superheroes. He speaks with a voice that is barely audible.

  • Asian and Nerdy
  • Big Damn Heroes: Singlehandedly saves all of the heroes by activating the androids' safety mode seconds before they're about to kill the heroes
  • Claustrophobia: It is revealed in Episode 6 that he has this.
  • The Engineer
  • Genius Ditz: Just look at his amazing and very original upgrades for the suits.
  • Insufferable Genius: Saito is insistent to make sure that Kotetsu knows just how awesome the Powered Armor he made for him is (like, say, forcing him to be the "victim" in a crime scene replication so he can feel the suit's fire-resistance capabilities for himself).
    • Although we see exactly how justified Saito's pride is in the finale. Even when everyone thinks Kotetsu is dead, the fact that the suit just broke instead of melting completely after being hit with that laser is pretty damn awesome.
  • Nerd Glasses
  • Sweet Tooth: Shown in Episode 13 to have an L-like affinity for ice cream.
  • The Unintelligible: He speaks so softly that others can barely hear him. (It's even subtitled.) Unless he's talking through an intercom, anyway, in which case he has No Indoor Voice.
    • In the finale, he's rigged up a megaphone to a helmet to make himself heard.

Kaede Kaburagi

Voiced by: Rina Hidaka (JP)

Kotetsu's 10-year-old daughter. She lives with her grandmother and does not know about her father's secret identity.

Anju Kaburagi

Voiced by: Sayuri Sadaoka (JP)

Kotetsu's mother. She has been raising her granddaughter Kaede in his absence. Is aware of her son's job as a hero.

Muramasa Kaburagi

Voiced by: Masahiko Tanaka (JP)

Kotetsu's brother. He lives in the same town as his mother and niece and owns a liquor store. Is aware of his brother's job as a hero.

Yuri Petrov

Voiced by: Koji Yusa (JP)

Sternbild City’s Administration of Justice’s judge as well as the TV hero’s curator. He takes into account the actual situations of all of the various matters and state of affairs of the damages caused to goods during Hero TV. Therefore, he fairly judges indemnities and other such judicial decisions. He's also the criminal-killing NEXT, Lunatic.

  • Chekhov's Gunman: Appears in Episode 1 in the background of the after party behind Blue Rose.
  • Hanging Judge
  • Kick the Son of a Bitch: Episode 16 reveals that he killed his father, Mr. Legend... while he was beating his wife and then turned his violence to him.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: He will always do his research on a criminal if he suspects something fishy with their case. Even if the whole city believes otherwise. This proved vital to Kotetsu's remaining free when he was chased by his brainwashed friends.
  • Scars Are Forever: He has a burn scar with the shape of his father's hand he covers with make up.
  • Self-Made Orphan: Okay, so technically he only killed his father, not his mother.
  • Superpowerful Genetics: His father was Mr. Legend, but he diligently follows his own version of superheroics after having lost faith in the method Legend was promoting before he lost his powers.
  • Talking to the Dead: He talks to a hallucination of his father.
  • White-Haired Pretty Boy

Tomoe Amamiya/Kaburagi

Voiced by: Maaya Sakamoto (JP)

A young lady whom Kotetsu befriended and eventually married some years ago. She died of an illness five years ago, hence why Kaede stays with her grandmother instead of her.

Tomoe: I think Tiger is the best name for you, Kotetsu!
Kotetsu: Did you just call me by my first name?
Tomoe: I-it's not like it matters or anything!

Cis

Voiced by: Akiko Yajima (JP)

A mysterious young woman whom Sky High meets and falls in love with in episode 15.

Samantha Taylor

Voiced by: Yoshiko Takemura (JP)

A former housekeeper of the Brooks family who Barnaby is still friendly with. She sends him a cake on his birthday every year. She eventually finds proof that suggests Maverick tampered with Barnaby's memories. After Maverick finds this out he has her captured and murders her, while framing Kotetsu for it.

  1. ↑ See the "Frozen Face" entry, above
This article is issued from Allthetropes. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.