Characters / Anita Blake

Characters that appear in Anita Blake

Anita Blake

An animator/vampire executioner living in St. Louis. She is also held in retainer for the Regional Preternatural Investigation Team eventually becoming a federal marshal. Anita was born a necromancer, granting her power over all dead.

Tropes associated with Anita:

• Anti-Hero: Of the Unscrupulous Hero type. Though she can bounce between Pragmatic Anti Hero and Nominal Hero depending on how bad this day/week/month/year has been.
• Broken Bird: Dead mother, raised a dead thing as a kid, stepmom doesn't like her, first fiance dumped her for stupid reasons, the first guy she liked after him was killed to spite her, etc.

• Chaste Hero: Originally, due her first engagement fell through. Then Celibate Hero after her second engagement fell through. After that, well, it's complicated.

• Female Misogynist: She seems to see other women mainly as threat to her harem and takes an almost unconscious malicious glee whilst disparaging other women, reasons ranging from their clothes to their hair color.

• Flanderization: Suffers from this in regards to her sex life and sexually-fueled magical powers, to the point where the longest book in the series to-date barely managed to get out of the bed, to say nothing of the bedroom.

• Good Scars, Evil Scars: Tons of 'em, one of them shaped as a cross on her forearm.
• Gun Nut: Early books in particular have Anita describing her guns. Its justified, since that is how she can improve her chances against more powerful antagonists.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Admits she's not comfortable when she isn't mad about something.
• Hot as Hell: In Narcissus in Chains, she gains the ardeur.
• Knight Errant: Jean-Claude even points out that Anita will go out of her way to right some wrong even if it would cost her almost nothing to leave it be.

• Necromancer: The most powerful one still living in America, natch.
• Pintsized Powerhouse: She's 5'3'' and the most dangerous character in the series. Black belt in Judo with training in Kenpo.

• Power Copying: If a power has been used on her, chances are eventually, she'll gain the ability to use it herself.

• Sociopathic Hero: She alternates between running towards and away from He Who Fights Monsters.
• Spicy Latina: Try Angry Latina. Though it should be noted that she goes around proudly telling everyone that she's half-Mexican yet never speaks Spanish, never talks about her mother in any detail, and shows no signs of liking her cultural heritage.
• Unscrupulous Hero: Keeps swearing she has lines she will not cross. Keeps crossing them.

• Wakeup Makeup: In the comics, Anita keeps having blood-red lips in every single panel, even after bathing and sleeping. What makes this even more ridiculous is that she once even states she doesn't wear makeup except for parties. Unneccessary to say, her party makeup doesn't change her looks much.

Jean-Claude

The Master vampire of the city of St. Louis. Jean-Claude is a French vampire somewhere in the age range of 400-600 years. Anita is his human servant and Richard is his animal servant.

Tropes associated with Jean-Claude:

• Anti-Villain: Of the Noble Anti-Villain subtype. Does dastardly things to increase his own power, and fucks over a number of people to have his way (Anita most of all, in the early books), but has very good reasons for doing what he does, and genuinely wishes there was a better way. Some of the time.

• Compelling Voice: While all vampires can pull this trick, Jean-Claude is so skilled he can create physical sensations with his voice. And he doesn't used Hypnotic Gaze to do it, either.

• Mr. Fanservice: Most men in-series are, but oftentimes the narration will just pause to drool over Jean-Claude.
• The Nicknamer: Almost always refers to Anita as "Ma Petite."

• Succubi and Incubi: Vampires of the Belle-Morte line are essentially incubi and succubi.
• Vampires Are Sex Gods: Deliberately invokes this trope, as in line with his specific sort of vampire.

Richard Zeeman

A Science teacher at a local junior high school, Richard is Anita's former fiance (the second one) and the last member of Jean-Claude's triumvirate. He is a powerful Alpha werewolf and the Ulfric (that is leader) of the St. Louis Thronos Rokke clan.

Tropes associated with Richard:

• Battle Strip: Due to being a werewolf.

• Hidden Depths: He has a very (increasingly un-)suppressed dark side.

• Noble Wolf: Starts off as a nice werewolf but becomes increasingly more of the savage variety.

• Take That!: Richard Zeeman, as a character is an example of this trope. Hamilton based the character on her ex-husband, and has admitted in the past that the reason why Richard Zeeman is continually potrayed as physically strong but weak-willed is because she "is trying for a realistic portrayal of the source", quote-unquote.

Edward

An assassin and sometimes friend of Anita. Originally focused on humans but decided to start hunting the preternatural because humans are too easy.

Tropes associated with Edward:

• Anti-Hero: Started as a Nominal Hero (specifically hunting monsters because it would get him in less trouble than hunting humans), starts to move towards Unscrupulous Hero as the books progress and he becomes the mask.

• Big Brother Mentor: A bizarre one to Anita occasionally.
• Blood Knight: Finds human targets are too easy to kill. Practically reacts with delight when Anita comes to him needing help to kill something.
• Good Ol' Boy: His civilian cover, complete with Texas accent.
  • Becoming the Mask: Started dating a woman with kids as cover for one of his identities. Then actually developed feelings for them.

• Hyperspace Arsenal/Walking Armory: Played realistically. Edward is almost always armed. If you can't see anything, it usually means he's got at least five small weapons on him somewhere. If you see him holding a weapon outright, he's got at least ten others.

• Like Brother and Sister: Him and Anita, to the joy of the fanbase.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: Edward is a MASTER at appearing harmless when he's not on assignment, or even while he's on assignment. And then he pulls out a knife. Or a gun. Or a flamethrower.
• Papa Wolf: Touch his family and die.
• Sociopathic Hero: He likes to kill things. He really likes to kill things. To the point when, after finding out someone put a hit out on Anita, volunteered to protect her because he'd get to kill more people that way.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Anita. Doesn't find the fact that his best erotic fantasy is about hunting her as any obstacle to their friendship.
• Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?: It is for this reason that Anita wonders if Edward is secretly Batman.