Characters / Blue Hour (Reboot)

Team Avalon

Samuel Wilson

Samuel Wilson

Shadow Paladin (Force)

A new arrival in Winchester along with his sister Leah, Samuel's apparent reluctance to return to the world of Vanguard masks skills easily described as pro level. Despite his obvious strength, he is clearly haunted by something that occurred in the past and remains aloof from others. Despite this, he has occasional moments of kindness and his sister's faith in him suggests that he wasn't always so cold.

Samuel uses a Shadow Paladin deck based around the Blaster series of Units. His aim is to generate advantage cheaply with cards like Blaster Javelin and Skull Witch, Nemain, before feeding that advantage to his ace card Phantom Blaster Dragon to devastate his opponent's field and pressure them with an empowered Critical 2 or greater Vanguard. His Blasters also possess cheap retire abilities that wear away at his opponent's defenses, supplemented by his use of Tragic Knight, Cathbad to capitalise upon having more rear-guards in play than his opponent.

Tropes:

• Adaptational Angst Upgrade: While Samuel in the original fic brooded, he was still able to be openly supporting towards Robert and the others. Here however, he is a lot more morally ambiguous and cryptic that makes everyone, including his sister, unsure of what he is really thinking or feeling.
• Adaptational Badass: Not him directly, but instead his Phantom Blaster Dragon card falls under this. In the original fic, several characters emphasize the card's Awesome, but Impractical nature due to the severe costs of its Damned Charging Lance skill in terms of card advantage and resources, yet can easily be stopped by a simple Perfect Guard, with Samuel's success with it being more attributed to his general skill with his deck and as a fighter as opposed to the card itself. In the reboot however, V Series Phantom Blaster's Damned Charging Lance now costs one less Counter Blast, gives it more power, and retires three of the opponent's rearguards as well, along with having a new skill capable of dealing direct damage and having better supporting rearguards that build/mitigate its costs (such as Skull Witch, Nemain) - thus making the card way more practical and believably devastating for the characters.
• Adaptational Jerkass: While Samuel had his colder moments in the original fic, he was on the whole rather cordial and helpful. In the reboot he's a lot more aloof and cryptic, and openly acknowledges his superior skills as a fighter while taunting Agatha in their rematch, something the original Samuel never did.
• Aloof Big Brother: Samuel's cold and distant attitude extends to his sister Leah as well, much to her discomfort.
• Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Unlike his original counterpart, the reboot Samuel acknowledges himself as a superior fighter to just about everyone else in Avalon Gaming.
• Blood Knight: Though he might not openly show it, he does genuinely enjoy Vanguard fights.
• Broken Ace: When he is convinced to try Vanguard again by his sister, he walks through the best players in Avalon Gaming without breaking a sweat, but it's clear that there was a reason he stopped playing that still hangs over him.
• Byronic Hero: He plays a deck of dark knights and sorcerers headed by an evil dragon, has a bitter and cynical outlook, stands by his belief in giving his all in Vanguard even when his opponent is a new player, and clearly lets his mysterious troubled past hang over him. Lampshaded when Alice notes that Leah didn't mention that her brother broods.
• Catchphrase: "Final Turn", thus far.
• Color-Coded Characters: Black and teal Vanguard gloves, referencing his brooding and cold personality.
• Dare to Be Badass: It's revealed in Chapter 4 that this was his intent with Robert: to give him a 'push' to better himself and live up to the potential Samuel saw in him.
• Dark Is Not Evil: He uses Shadow Paladins but is generally heroic.
• Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: His eyes are described as 'clouded' in contrast to his sister's.
• Expy: As in the original fic, he has strong vibes of Kai, a pro-level fighter disillusioned with Vanguard due to something in his past who liberally uses the phrase "Final Turn".
• The Gift: Samuel's level of Vanguard skill is treated as something beyond what can be achieved by training alone: Agatha notes that his mulligan is so fast that it's instinct rather than choice driving it, and despite being seven months out of practice he still wipes the floor with the best fighters in Avalon Gaming in quick succession.
• Invocation:
  Black sword of determination. Carve a path defined by your wishes alone! I Ride Blaster Dark!
  Cursed dragon, rise now and make all before you a sacrifice to your glory! Ride, the Vanguard! Phantom Blaster Dragon!
• Kick the Dog: In Ride 11, he rather coldly refers to Seth as a 'stray' while talking to Leah.
• Mysterious Past: Even his own sister doesn't know the full details of why Samuel quit playing Vanguard seven months before the story.
• New Transfer Student: While he's not introduced in a school or college setting, he and Leah are essentially this trope.
• Personality Powers: Samuel's use of the Shadow Paladin clan, which emphasises sacrificing one's own rear-guards to empower the Vanguard, reflects his view of the world as one where all that matters is victory at any cost.
• Pet the Dog: While Samuel is more overly cynical in this version, he notably softens up with Robert due to admiring the boy's courage, to the point that he happily buys five booster packs for him with his only wish in return being that Robert grows strong enough to give him an incredible fight one day.
• Sibling Yin-Yang: With his sister Leah. While he's a cold and brooding Byronic Hero, Leah on the other hand is a cheerful, friendly and caring Genki Girl. And where his eyes are mostly described as "clouded", Leah's eyes are mostly described as "warm". To emphasize this point, when they get their Vanguard fight gloves, his are black with teal gems and hers are white with orange gems.
• Signature Mon: Phantom Blaster Dragon
• Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: The reboot's take on Samuel is much more overly cynical than his original counterpart and he has moments of this with both Robert and Leah as a result.
• Tall, Dark, and Handsome: As in the original, he comes with black hair and dark blue eyes.
• Took a Level in Cynic: Seven months prior to the story, Samuel was once a happy and cheerful individual who loved Vanguard and being with friends. Then something happened which turned him into the jaded and cynical individual he is in the present.
• We Have Reserves/You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: This is how his Shadow Paladin deck operates: Gather as many units as possible for little to no cost, then retire them for his Phantom Blaster Dragon's skill once they've served their purposes.

Robert Macmillan

Robert Macmillan

Dimension Police (Force)

A young man who only recently started playing Vanguard, Robert's poverty-stricken home situation leaves his deck bereft of high rarity cards. Regardless, despite a somewhat shy demeanour, he can surprise even himself with moments of courage and resolve that impress those around him.

Robert uses a Dimension Police deck that focuses around Miracle Beauty, using Imaginary Gift: Force and Unit skills to raise her Power to 30000. At this point, her ability allows him to stand a rear-guard copy of herself on attack, and when a rear-guard copy stands the boosting rear-guard in her column also does. This allows Robert to unleash a flurry of attacks uncommon for a Force Clan, catching his opponent off-guard. He later upgrades his deck to remove Miracle Beauty in favor of focusing on Super Dimensional Robo, Daiyusha, using its inherent additional Critical to apply continuous pressure to the opponent while also threatening various skills from the rear-guard that activate when the Vanguard's attack hits.

Tropes:

• Adaptational Superpower Change: A zigzagged example. While he still uses Dimension Police as per the original, his initial deck in the original fic featured Super Dimensional Robo, Daiyusha as his ace card before he received several more card additions. In the reboot however, his initial deck features Miracle Beauty as his ace card instead but he does obtain Daiyusha later on from the booster packs Samuel bought for him.
• All Your Powers Combined/The Power of Friendship: The modus operandi of his Dimension Police deck: By using his rearguards to help his Vanguard reach certain thresholds of power, he is able to unlock said Vanguard's skills to the fullest.
• Composite Character: While he's largely the same Robert from the original story, his deck's strategy is taken from Mary Prescott of Team Bright Dawn, who used a stand-focused variant of Dimension Police featuring Miracle Beauty.
• Disappeared Dad: A scene with Robert at home in Ride 6 implies that his father isn't present, which is confirmed in Ride 7.
• Expy: On a surface level he's the Aichi to Samuel's Kai: a shy, inexperienced fighter who somehow gets the disillusioned pro to briefly open up to them and is capable of moments of great courage.
• Heroic Wannabe: He uses Dimension Police because he loved the idea of essentially playing a superhero team.
• Invocation:
  Those who follow justice are never truly alone! Muster the courage in your heart and your allies will always stand by your side! Ride, my Vanguard! Super Dimensional Robo, Daiyusha!
• Hoist by His Own Petard: In his cardfight against Agatha during the Avalon Gaming shop tournament finals: He puts her straight to 5 damage with his 3 Critical Vanguard. Unfortunately for him though, the third damage he inflicts to her was a Draw Trigger - allowing Agatha to draw into her Nightmare Doll, Alice and then proceeding to defeat him the following turn. Agatha herself notes this mistake on Robert's end after their game.
• Humongous Mecha/Sentai: The main thematic of his Dimension Police deck.
• Naïve Newcomer: Robert is the most unfamiliar with the world of Vanguard among the main cast.
• Parental Neglect: His mother is suggested to work extremely long tiring hours that leave her asleep while she's home with Robert.
• Perpetual Poverty: It's not explicitly stated thus far, but between his worn clothes and the low-rarity nature of his deck, it's implied that he hasn't got a lot of money behind him. This is more confirmed by Ride 6, where he's shown to live in a small flat with his mother.
• Signature Mon: Miracle Beauty and then Super Dimensional Robo, Daiyusha.
• Socially Awkward Hero: Downplayed. While he's clearly a bit anxious, it's not to a crippling extent and he can hold a conversation just fine once he gets past initial nervousness.
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: Despite his current situation, Robert clearly has a bright outlook on the world. When Samuel notes that he uses Shadow Paladins to reflect cruel reality, Robert's retort is that the world isn't like that.

Leah Wilson

Leah Wilson

Oracle Think Tank (Protect)

Samuel's sister, Leah clearly did not share whatever caused him to stop playing Vanguard, because she is warm where he is cold, happy where he is neutral. While he stands isolated, Leah happily makes bonds with others, causing her to find Alice and in turn lead her brother to Avalon Gaming in the hopes of getting him to recapture the passion he lost. While she disapproves of Samuel's darker outlook, she clearly cares deeply about her brother.

Leah uses an Oracle Think Tank, with CEO Amaterasu as her ace card. She aims to control the order of the cards in her deck and manipulate its top card in order to increase her odds of drawing Triggers during drive checks, supplemented by Amaterasu's ability to gain Power whenever she uses a skill to look at her deck. For more drawn-out games, she aims to stall with Imaginary Gift: Protect in order to build up the number of grade 3s in her Soul via repeated Rides, culminating in the use of Victorious Deer's powerful Soul Blast to stack Critical Triggers on top of her deck while greatly empowering her field.

Tropes:

• Adaptational Early Appearance: In the original fic, Leah did not appear until after the Card Shop Avalon shop tournament arc whereas in this reboot continuity however, she makes her debut in the literal first scene of the first chapter. She even participates in the Avalaon Gaming shop tournament whereas she didn't compete at all in the original fic.
• Adaptational Superpower Change: While Leah has used Oracle Think Tank in both continuities: In the original fic, her deck focused on the Tsukuyomi ride chain whereas here in the reboot her deck focuses on CEO Amaterasu and Victorious Deer instead.
• Ascended Extra: In the original fic, Leah's role was basically relegated to nothing more than a cheerleader up until Midnight Sun where she gets a increase in relevance, along with being Promoted to Love Interest for Robert. Here in the reboot: She's considered one of the main characters from day one, even becoming part of Team Avalon with Samuel, Robert and Agatha.
• Color-Coded Characters: White and orange Vanguard gloves, reflecting her warm and bright personality compared to her brother and her light-themed deck.
• Composite Character:
  • As a a result of her Ascended Extra status: Leah takes over the role of Charles Bannerman, who was the fourth protagonist character/member of Team Avalon in the original story who likewise used an Oracle Think Tank with CEO Amaterasu as an ace card.
  • Additionally the way she meets Seth by rescuing him after getting his bag back from some bullies, and resolving to be his friend is similar to that of Sophia's role from Setting Sun.
• For Happiness: Leah's driving motivation for playing Vanguard is simply fun and friendship.
• Genki Girl: Leah never goes by without her cheerful and perky personality.
• Hoist by Her Own Petard: In her cardfight against Samuel during the Avalon Gaming shop tournament finals: Leah places most of her faith in her rearguard Promise Daughter to counter Samuel's retire skills, constantly guarding it from Samuel's attacks. This comes to bite her in the ass at the end where she is left with little to no cards to defend herself from his Phantom Blaster Dragon.
• Invocation:
  Sun goddess, cast your gaze to the future! Choose your fate with your own hands! Ride, the Vanguard! CEO Amaterasu!
  Harbinger of victory, bathe my field in your light! Turn the chaotic future into a certain triumph! Ride, Victorious Deer!
  Noble oracle with wings of steel, let your arrival turn calamity into triumph! Descend before me! Ride! Imperial Daughter!
• Light Is Good: Leah's fights often emphasise the light that her avatar cards radiate, and she's a kind-hearted and loving girl who genuinely wants to have fun with her friends.
• New Transfer Student: As with her brother, she's new to the area.
• Personality Powers: Leah's use of Oracle Think Tank, which aims to control the top of the deck and set up their strategy well in advance, reflects her distaste for the concept of fate and wish to eliminate luck as much as she can from her games.
• Screw Destiny: Leah uses Oracle Think Tank for this reason: their ability to control the top card of the deck and stack cards at the bottom allows her to avoid the influence of luck. She states to Ruth that she doesn't believe in fate because she feels that the entire concept makes your choices meaningless.
• Sibling Yin-Yang: She is basically Samuel's opposite: a cheerful, friendly and caring Genki Girl to his brooding and cold Byronic Hero.
• Signature Mon: CEO Amaterasu and Imperial Daughter

Agatha Gladstone

Agatha Gladstone

Pale Moon (Accel)

The current best player of Avalon Gaming, Agatha was left in that role after the departure of Gabriel, the fighter who mentored her. Continuing to try and live up to him, she faces Samuel only to be defeated. While in the original universe Agatha chased after Gabriel because of her unrequited crush on him, in the reboot her feelings are far closer to vengeful and it's increasingly hinted that he somehow hurt her and Richard to the point of leaving them traumatised.

Agatha uses a Pale Moon deck that aims to use the Soul as a toolbox, filling it with cards in order to call out the ones she needs. Several of her cards allow her to swap cards between her rear-guards and the Soul in the middle of the battle phase to gain extra attacks, aided by the ability to gain additional rear-guard circles via the Accel Imaginary Gift.

Tropes:

• Adaptational Angst Upgrade: In the original fic, Agatha had a happy home life and her relationship to Gabriel consisted of a crush on him that caused her to chase him. In the reboot, her home situation is closer to work-caused Parental Neglect and it's hinted that her relationship with Gabriel was far colder.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: Agatha's hair was dyed blue in the original fic as a Mythology Gag to Asaka from the anime, who used the same Clan and also had blue hair. In the reboot, she never did this and her hair is instead a natural blonde.
• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul:
  • In the original fic, Agatha was very much still pining for Gabriel at least at the start. In the reboot, she's clearly traumatised by, afraid of and hateful towards him and any notion of loving him is very much in the past tense.
  • To a lesser extent is her initial relationship with Samuel, due to the above overhaul. In the original fic, Agatha was initially cold towards Samuel feeling he was trying to fill in the hole Gabriel left behind. In the reboot, she's more concerned over the aspect of Samuel being just like Gabriel regarding his relationship with Robert but aside from that, is relatively more civil towards him.
• Cool Big Sis: Due to her role as the current best player at Avalon Gaming, at least until Samuel enters, Agatha treats the others with care and welcomes newcomers. She notably tries to reassure Robert whenever the rest of the crowd puts pressure on him in some way.
• Circus of Fear: Uses a Pale Moon deck.
• Dark Is Not Evil: She uses a deck based around a Circus of Fear, but she is kind and friendly, if haunted by her past.
• Deadpan Snarker: Most prominently with Richard, Agatha has a witty and sarcastic streak.
• Disabled in the Adaptation: In this version, Agatha's hands uncontrollably tremble, with her narration suggesting that it's a constant condition. She had no such condition in the original version.
• Foil: Both she and Samuel suffered something traumatic in the past that left them more cynical and doubtful of people, but while Samuel shut himself off from the world and became cold in accordance with what he 'learned', Agatha only clung to her friends more and chose to set a defiant example that Gabriel's philosophy was wrong.
• I Hate Past Me: She looks at her past self as stupid and lovesick.
• Invocation:
  Puppet of the abyss, perform for me on your glorious stage! May your strings be yours alone to rule! Ride, my Vanguard! Nightmare Doll, Alice!
• Keep the Reward: When asked why she wants to reach the top of nationals, Agatha responds that she would do this with the prize money because it's not what she's after.
• Parental Neglect: It's implied that both of her parents are effectively Married to the Job, leaving Agatha more isolated outside of her close friendship with Richard, Ruth and Oliver.
• Platonic Life-Partners: With Richard. She reflects at one point that everyone expected her to hook up with him before Ruth entered the picture, but that it was never like that between them.
• Reluctant Ruler: Though Agatha doesn't want to lead, she resolves to do so for the new Team Avalon regardless because the other members either don't have the experience of competitive Vanguard (Robert and Leah) or show no interest (Samuel).
• Removed from the Picture: Ride 3 reveals she did this towards someone in her picture depicting the original Team Avalon, that person strongly suggested to be Gabriel.
• Revenge: Agatha's primary motivation is trying to reach Gabriel again in order to defeat him and 'prove him wrong' because of what he did to her, Richard and Oliver in the past.
• Signature Mon: Nightmare Doll, Alice
• Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: Due to her experience with Gabriel, while Agatha is kind, she veers toward a more cynical outlook, ironically rather similar to Samuel.
• Trauma Button: Something about Samuel mentioning giving people a challenge causes Agatha to lapse into a state where her eyes seem 'haunted', implied to be some sort of traumatic flashback. Later scenes make it clearer that her specific trauma is connected to Gabriel.
• True Companions: With Richard, Ruth and Oliver.
• You Remind Me of X: As in the original, Samuel reminds her of Gabriel.

Allies:

Avalon Gaming

Simon Owens

Nubatama (Protect)

The manager of Avalon Gaming.

Simon uses a Nubatama deck focused around Shura Stealth Dragon, Kujikiricongo as his ace card. He aims to control his opponent's hand with discard effects over the course of the fight while maintaining a defensive front via Imaginary Gift: Protect. His finishing move is to return multiple opposing rear-guards to the hand with the skills of Stealth Dragon, Dreadmaster and Shura Stealth Dragon, Kabukicongo, which in turn allows Kujikiricongo to seal his opponent's ability to guard with the same Grades as those of the returned cards.

Tropes:

• Adaptational Super Power Change: In the original continuity, his deck was a Nova Grappler/Nubatama hybrid deck as a result of the Nubatama clan only consisting of four cards at the time. Here in the reboot, he uses a fully-complete Nubatama deck instead.
• Named by the Adaptation: In the original fic, he was only known as "Mr. Owens". The reboot gives him the first name "Simon".
• Ninja: His deck's motif.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Much like his original counterpart, he's a caring and fair man whose priority is making his shop a safe and fun place to be.

Alice Goffe

Kagero (Force)

Robert's cousin and the one who introduced him to Avalon Gaming. Alice is on the surface just the popular girl, but she deeply loves to play Vanguard and wants to support Robert as best she can. In their younger days, Alice was the closest friend Robert had due to his poverty-stricken home life often leaving his aunt to take care of him, creating a bond between the cousins which endures to the present day.

Alice plays a Kagero deck with Vortex Dragon as her ace card. She focuses around using the retire aspects of Kagero to control her opponent's field, in particular Vortex's ability to retire all of her opponent's rear-guards if she herself is on five damage. Combined with Units that gain Power when her opponent's rear-guards are retired, this gives Alice a powerful offense, balanced by Vortex discarding her entire hand to unleash its skill.

Tropes:

• Adaptational Angst Upgrade: While Alice wasn't unsympathetic to Robert in the original universe, in the reboot it's heavily emphasised how much she hates watching her aunt and cousin struggle through life while being unable to do anything about it.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: Alice was black-haired in the original fics, and is a redhead in the reboot.
• Adaptational Early Appearance: Mild example. She first appears in Chapter 4 back in the original fic, while in the reboot she debuts in Chapter 1 instead and thus is present during Robert's cardfight with Samuel.
• Adaptational Super Power Change: In the original fic, Alice's ace card during the shop tournament was Flare Whip Dragon. In the reboot, it is Vortex Dragon instead.
• Ascended Extra: In the original fics, Alice was generally relegated to a cheerleader role outside of the notable instance where she defeated Benedict Deacon. In the reboot, while she isn't as ascended as Leah, she is a much more important character to Robert by virtue of serving a confidant role.
• Fiery Redhead: She's a redhead in the reboot, uses Kagero, and notably gets riled up with Kenneth after he argues with Agatha.
• Playing with Fire: She uses a Kagero deck.
• Signature Mon: Vortex Dragon

Richard Lewis

Tachikaze (Accel)

Agatha's closest friend and teammate on the former Team Avalon, Richard acts like a big brother to the players of Avalon Gaming. Despite his kindness and his deep knowledge of the game of Vanguard, the mention of Gabriel's name brings a darker side of Richard to the surface, as though just like Agatha he hasn't escaped the shadow that Gabriel left behind.

Richard uses a Tachikaze deck with Ravenous Dragon, Gigarex as his ace card. His strategy revolves around the use of equip gauge, placing cards underneath his rear-guards and then manipulating those cards in various ways that usually grant him card advantage. His deck has a minor theme of sacrificing his own units to work in tandem with the gauge mechanic, and his aggressive style combined with the Accel Gift causes him to run Front Triggers in place of Criticals, aided by Gigarex's ability to deal damage to the opponent's Vanguard.

Tropes:

• Big Brother Mentor: To Agatha's Cool Big Sis. Robert muses when seeing him that Richard is like the cool big brother that everyone wants.
• Invocation:
  Mighty dragon, gorge yourself on blood and rage! Annihilate everything that dares stand before you! Ride, the Vanguard! Ravenous Dragon, Gigarex!
• Living Emotional Crutch: To Agatha
• Platonic Life-Partners: While he and Agatha aren't a couple, something binds them so tightly that Richard can calm Agatha from what's hinted to be some kind of traumatic flashback simply by touching her shoulder and saying her name.
• Promoted to Love Interest: Richard never had any hint of a relationship with anyone besides his close but platonic bond with Agatha in the original fics. In this incarnation, he's confirmed to be in a relationship with Ascended Extra Ruth.
• Signature Mon: Ravenous Dragon, Gigarex
• Team Dad: Richard plays this particular role among Agatha's group of friends, often serving as the 'responsible' one who chides Agatha about her love of fast food and takes pride in his cooking skills.
• Trauma Button: The mention of Gabriel's name leaves Richard obviously more stony and withdrawn.

Ruth

Granblue (Protect)

Ruth uses a Granblue deck with King of Demonic Seas, Basskirk as her ace card. Her strategy involves setting up her drop zone in order to use it as an additional source of resources. Furthermore most of her units gain or strengthen their skills when she has several cards in her drop zone, with 10 or more cards being the common recurring criteria such as Basskirk's Critical. To fortify her strategy, Ruth uses the Protect Imaginary Gift as defensive option.

Tropes:

• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: In the original fic, Ruth had no special relationship with any of the main and supporting characters as she was just as a one-time bit character. Here in the reboot, she's a close friend of Agatha and Oliver and in a relationship with Richard.
• Adaptational Badass: In the original fic, Ruth was no different from any regular cardfighter at Card Shop Avalon. Here in the reboot, she's established to be one of Avalon Gaming's best players.
• Ascended Extra: Ruth literally appeared in a single chapter of the original Blue Hour as a bit character to suffer The Worf Effect at Samuel's hands. In the reboot, she's one of the four most skilled players in Avalon Gaming.
• Lampshade Hanging: She lampshades the idea of 'ride chants' as "theatrical".
• Locked Out of the Loop: Even though Richard is her boyfriend, he hasn't revealed to her what happened with him, Agatha and Gabriel in the past.
• Make-Out Kids: While she and Richard do generally shy away from more open affection in public settings, when it's just them and friends, they're often cuddling and kissing.
• Making a Splash: Uses a Granblue deck.
• Promoted to Love Interest: As mentioned above, Ruth's original incarnation was a bit character with little personality not significant relationships with the main and supporting cast. In the reboot, she's Richard's girlfriend.

Oliver Lloyd

Dark Irregulars (Protect)

The alternate player on the original Team Avalon, Oliver's position apparently left him untouched by whatever happened to Agatha and Richard, and he retains his bright outlook and helpful nature as a result. In the past, he suffered greatly from social anxiety but was able to cope with it due to his experiences when playing Vanguard, leaving him with a empathetic streak that leads him to take Seth under his wing.

Oliver uses a Dark Irregulars deck with King of Masks, Dantarian as his ace card. He aims to control his opponent's field via the retire skills of his Units while building up his Soul to unlock more powerful skills and empower his Doreen the Thruster to incredible heights. On the defensive side, Dantarian's ability to call Grade 2 or above cards from the Soul as guardians gives Oliver's deck a surprisingly strong defensive wall when combined with Imaginary Gift: Protect.

Tropes:

• Adaptational Badass: In the original fics, Oliver wasn't hinted to be anything particularly special until the events of Midnight Sun. In this version, he was a close fourth behind Gabriel, Agatha and Richard, and is still counted as one of Avalon Gaming's best.
• Adaptational Superpower Change: In the original fics, Oliver used Shadow Paladins albeit with a different playstyle compared to Samuel's (one more reminiscent of Royal Paladin's playstyle), while in the reboot he uses Dark Irregulars instead albeit using similar strategies.
• Big Brother Mentor: Acts as this towards younger and newbie cardfighters, specifically towards Seth.
• Dark Is Not Evil: A constant of Oliver's character that carries over to the reboot is that while he uses a dark-themed Clan, he is a kind young man who empathises greatly with the lonely due to his own past.
• For Happiness: Oliver tends to emphasise the importance of having fun in playing Vanguard above all.
• Invocation: Notably, unlike the rest of the cast, Oliver's ride chant is more of a template that he modifies on occasion, for instance replacing 'the greatest and kindest overlord' with 'the final hope' in Ride 12.
  Destined demon king, resolve to be the greatest and kindest overlord! Forge the mask of a hero! Ride, my avatar! King of Masks, Dantarian!
• Large Ham: When he adopts his Dark Mask persona, he hams it up as befits a tokusatsu hero.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Like Ruth, Oliver doesn't know the truth of what happened between Agatha and Gabriel.
• Mr. Imagination: One of Oliver's quirks new to the reboot is a more active imagination that causes him to act like a superhero when riding Dantarian, in particular quoting catchphrases from Kamen Rider.
• Mythology Gag: Him being the one to fight Seth in Chapter 4 is a nod to how he was the only returning character amongst the original cast to appear in Setting Sun.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: His disguise as "Dark Mask", a cheap Kamen Rider costume that doesn't disguise the fact that his voice is the same and he's using the same deck.
• Shrinking Violet: Was once this in the past but has since outgrown it into the open and sociable individual he is at the present.
• Signature Mon: King of Masks, Dantarian
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: Agatha thinks this of him with some justification, noting that his own past leads Oliver to constantly try to see the best in others no matter how cruel they may be. Tellingly Oliver is the only member of the cast who has any compliments to pay Kenneth.

Kenneth

Narukami (Accel)

A fighter who was present at Avalon Gaming when Gabriel first arrived, Kenneth never let go of the fact that he was passed over in favor of Agatha and Richard when Gabriel chose the fighters he would personally mentor. His bitterness over this left him with a desire to prove himself worthy in hindsight, and as a result he came to try and emulate Gabriel's qualities in an attempt to find the same greatness.

Kenneth uses a Narukami deck with Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion as his ace card. He aims to control his opponent's front row, either using Vermillion's ability to attack the entire front row to wipe out his opponent's advantage or snipe away a rear-guard to allow Vermillion to gain an extra Critical instead. He plays an extremely aggressive style in tandem with this, trying to overwhelm his opponent with a flurry of attacks that are empowered by his opponent's emptied front row.

Tropes:

• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: In the original fic, Kenneth had no strong feelings towards Gabriel besides knowing he was an exceptionally powerful fighter. In the reboot however, Gabriel both admires Gabriel for being the pinnacle of strength but also resents him for choosing Agatha and Richard as his students over him.
• Adaptational Jerkass: In the original fic, Kenneth was a fairly civil guy who accepted his loss to Robert gracefully and got along well with Agatha and the others. In the reboot however, he's an overconfident and arrogant Jerkass who openly antagonizes Agatha by pressing her Truma Buttons regarding Gabriel.
• Adaptational Superpower Change: In the original fic, Kenneth used the fanmade Phoenix Colosseum clan. Here in the reboot, he uses Narukami instead.
• Attack! Attack! Attack!: Kenneth's style relies on dumping his hand onto the field to try and overwhelm his opponents with a rush of attacks. The downside to this strategy is that it leaves him extremely vulnerable: arguably the only reason he lasts as long as he does in his fight with Samuel is that Samuel draws Phantom Blaster Dragon late.
• Glass Cannon: Kenneth's strategy deals out a lot of damage very quickly, but his inability to replenish his cards quickly means he has to win the game fast or lose against an opponent who can endure the pressure.
• Green-Eyed Monster: He deeply envies Agatha and Richard for being picked as Gabriel's students.
• Invocation:
  Shatter everything in this world to pieces with your apocalyptic lightning! Ride, the Vanguard! Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion!
• Irritation Is the Sincerest Form of Flattery: An odd variant where the character being imitated isn't actually present. Kenneth directly tries to imitate Gabriel and live up to his example in a desperate attempt to prove that Gabriel was mistaken in not choosing him. His red jacket can be taken as a nod to Gabriel's Badass Longcoat, he uses Vermillion because it heavily resembles Gabriel's Signature Mon, and he copies Gabriel's Invocation with minor alterations. Agatha furiously lashes out at this seemingly because it hits her Trauma Button, saying that Kenneth is doing a shallow imitation at best.
• Jerkass: He's arrogant and obnoxious to a fault, with the most notable example being hammering Agatha's Trauma Button and then having the audacity to act like she's the unreasonable one.
• Mythology Gag:
  • Arguably the conceit behind Kenneth's character is the notion of Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion being a Suspiciously Similar Substitute to Dragonic Overlord at the time it was introduced.
  • His use of Narukami and their rear-guard formation manipulation-based skills is a nod to the Phoenix Colosseum clan he used in the original fic, which also focused on manipulating rearguard formations.
• Shock and Awe: He uses a Narukami deck.
• Signature Mon: Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion.
• Smug Snake: For someone who derides Samuel's 'superiority', Kenneth oozes misplaced arrogance.

Seth Abbott

Neo Nectar (Force)

A lonely, shy boy tormented by bullies for talking to his cards, Seth is rescued by Leah and grows attached to her as a result. Though socially awkward and new to the world of Vanguard, Seth's inexperience and anxiety serve to mask a surprisingly keen insight where the game is concerned.

As in the original universe, Seth uses a Neo Nectar deck. In this case, his strategy revolves around the use of Plant Tokens, 5000 Power grade 0 tokens called by the abilities of his Units. While they're initially weak, Seth's strategy aims to buff them with skills such as Knight of Coprosperity, Craig and Maiden of Trailing Rose along with the Force Imaginary Gift, giving him a surprisingly powerful offensive force.

Tropes:

• Adaptational Angst Upgrade: In this universe, Seth never met Sophia, and correspondingly his anxiety and social awkwardness are even worse without her presence to help him.
• Adaptational Early Appearance: In the original universe, Seth wasn't shown at all until Setting Sun.
• Age Lift: In his original appearance in Setting Sun, Seth was eighteen and going to university, while in the reboot, he debuts as a fifteen year old.
• Friendless Background: Before Seth met Leah, he didn't have any friends at all.
• Green Thumb: He uses a Neo Nectar deck.
• Hyper-Awareness: Seth has a strange and special insight into Vanguard that allows him to see details that he shouldn't be able to, such as a cursory look at the field during Agatha and Isaac's fight allowing him to determine instantly that Isaac will lose despite not knowing the contents of his hand, or seeing Oliver's Units acting excitably due to Oliver's own input even though they're fighting using purely imagination with no Motion Figure System involved.
• Mythology Gag: Having Arboros Dragon, Ratoon as his starting Vanguard is a nod to how he used an Arboros deck in Setting Sun.
• Parental Abandonment: Seth's parents died in an accident when he was young.
• Parental Neglect: Meanwhile his aunt and uncle barely care about him, with even them buying his deck being more a way to get him out of their hair than any real expression of love for their nephew.
• Personality Powers: The Shrinking Violet Seth who desperately wants to have friends and grow uses a deck that focuses on generating initially weak Grade 0 tokens and using other Units' skills to make them more powerful.
• Shrinking Violet: Seth is an exceedingly shy young man who struggles with social interaction, even with Leah and Oliver trying to coax him out of his shell.
• Socially Awkward Hero: It's very clear that Seth is extremely socially awkward, tripping over his words and finding eye contact difficult to hold.

Independents:

Others

Gabriel Collins

Kagero (Force)

The former best player at Avalon Gaming, Gabriel departed ten months prior to the events of the fic. Regardless, his shadow still hangs over the shop and its players, especially his former teammates Agatha and Richard. Regarded as the pinnacle of strength and power, it's heavily implied that something happened between him and his teammates that left them haunted by his memory to the point of refusing to use his name.

Tropes:

• The Ace: The only player acknowledged to even be in Gabriel's league is Samuel.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: Gabriel had brown eyes in the original universe, while in the reboot they're a much more striking amber.
• Adaptational Villainy: In the original fic, Gabriel's only 'crime' as such was that he left for no apparent reason in and of itself. In the reboot, it's hinted that he did something that left Agatha and Richard traumatised and despising him.
• Badass Longcoat: At the least, he used to wear one in the past, a particularly cool red leather one.
• Dare to Be Badass: Gabriel believed that the only way to grow stronger was to take on challenges and overcome them, and he would challenge his teammates to do so.
• Determinator: Richard's one-word description of Gabriel is 'driven', stating that he would do whatever it took to win, even if it meant training for insane hours or the like.
• The Dreaded: For reasons yet unrevealed, Agatha and Richard shy away from using his name where possible, though they're always certain when it's him being referred to.
• Famed In-Story: Everyone in Avalon Gaming knows his name and acknowledges him as being a pinnacle of power and skill in Cardfights.
• Invocation:
  Reduce everything in this world to ash with your apocalyptic flames! (quoted rather than shown, and heavily implied to be for Dragonic Overlord)
• The Mentor: He chose to train Agatha and Richard out of all the fighters in Avalon Gaming.
• Mythical Motifs: Agatha associates him heavily with a dragon, specifically the Western connotations of power, solitude and flames.
• Personality Powers: The playstyle of a Dragonic Overlord deck tends to focus in heavily on the Vanguard and its ability to restand and continue attacking the opponent until victory is achieved. As more about Gabriel comes to light, it becomes clear that this style reflects Gabriel himself, a relentless Determinator who if he were allowed would have fought every single game on the way to the top himself.
• Playing with Fire: Is heavily implied to use a Kagero deck.
• Signature Mon: Dragonic Overlord.

Regionals Teams:

Team Revelation

The team who defeated the original Team Avalon a year prior to the story. Well-dressed and smug to a fault, the members of Revelation are clearly certain of their chances, insisting that those who face them will have their dreams of victory shattered.

Team Tropes:

• Canon Foreigner: While Charles is a repurposed existing character, Selena and Albert have no counterpart in the original universe.
• Meaningful Name: Revelation was the G-era keyword for Genesis, the clan the majority of their members use.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: Both Charles and Albert are, as Agatha puts it, dressed to the nines in fancy suits.
• Smug Snake: Albeit with more justification than Kenneth, since Revelation actually can back up their boasts.

Charles Bannerman

Genesis (Force)

The leader of Team Revelation, a confident young man who's always dressed for the occasion and has a theatrical streak matched only by his certainty that he'll be the winner.

Tropes:

• Adaptational Superpower Change: In the original fics, as noted under Leah's entry, Charles used Oracle Think Tank. In the reboot he instead uses Genesis.
• Demoted to Extra: In the original Blue Hour, Charles was a protagonist, albeit easily the least important one. In the reboot he's more of a rival.
• Foreshadowing: When he's first mentioned in Ride 12, Agatha doesn't mention his name but says "wore a fancy suit and boasted a lot" to describe him, a description which matches the original incarnation of Charles.
• Jerkass: Much like his original counterpart, he's arrogant and looks down on the chances of others.
• Sore Loser: Charles pretty explicitly was hoping Gabriel would show up again just to get revenge for losing to him.

Albert Northrop

Oracle Think Tank (Protect)

Tropes:

• Signature Mon: Imperial Daughter, according to Agatha's account of losing to him.

Selena Bellamy

Genesis (Force)

The third player of Team Revelation, Selena's prim and proper appearance is only added to by a cold and haughty attitude on the battlefield.Selena uses a Genesis deck focused around the Artemis series of Units. After using cards like Strong Bow of the Starry Night, Ulixes to increase her Soul count, she then uses skills to distribute the cards in her Soul as divine gauges to her rear-guards. Her ace card, Battle Deity of the Night, Artemis then grants all of her rear-guards with divine gauge 5000 Power, protection from her opponent's targeting effects, and the effect of any Trigger placed on Artemis herself, allowing Selena to close out the game with an explosive finish.

Tropes:

• Little Black Dress: A suitably fancy one to go with the suits of her male teammates.
• Lunacy: Her deck is focused around the moon-themed Artemis series.
• Meaningful Name: Her name is derived from that of the moon goddess Selene, reflecting Selena's use of Artemis as her ace card/
• Signature Mon: Battle Deity of the Night, Artemis

Team Cosmo Nova

An eccentric team who fight believing in the power of space and dressed as Gundam characters, two of the members of Team Cosmo Nova are energetic and Hot-Blooded to a point, while their third player has only exasperation and disbelief at their antics.

Charlie Andrews

Nova Grappler (Accel)

The leader of Team Cosmo Nova, Charlie makes a firm impression simply from his outfit alone, a dedicated attempt to look like Char. He follows up with loud boasts and speeches that cement him as an eccentric but passionate fighter.

Charlie uses a Blau Nova Grappler deck based around the titular Archetype. His strategy involves the synergy between Stern Blaukluger and Galaxy Blaukluger, the former of which can Ride the latter from the rear-guard at the end of its attack while the latter itself can Superior Call Stern from the Soul when it attacks as the Vanguard. Combined with Imaginary Gift: Accel and the skill both share that empowers all of his Grade 3 Blaus by 10000 Power so long as a Blaukluger is in his Soul, this gives Charlie the ability to overwhelm his opponent with an unending chain of high-powered attacks. Due to his strategy's dependence upon assembling both Grade 3s, the lower-tier Units in the ride chain have consistency-boosting skills that allow him to tutor Blau cards from the deck when they are placed.

Tropes:

• Catchphrase: Unlike the rest of the cast, Charlie eschews the regular declarations of "Ride!" and "Call!", using "I have control!" and "Engage!" respectively instead.
• Endearingly Dorky: He's ridiculously hammy and nerdy, but as both Agatha and Leah note, he's so sincere that you can't help but like him anyway.
• Geek: For Gundam.
• Graceful Loser: After losing, he unmasks and earnestly entrusts Robert with his wish to show everyone the light of the human heart.
• Large Ham: To say he takes bites out of the scenery is something of an understatement.
• Mythology Gag: While introducing himself, Charlie stumbles and gets cut off in such a way that he says "Char-", a nod to the man he's cosplaying that also happened in the original fic.
• Shout-Out: As with his original counterpart, he cosplays Char as he appeared in the original Mobile Suit Gundam. He also delivers a Get A Hold Of Yourself Man to Noah clearly intended to reference the prevalence of the trope in Gundam, since he word-by-word quotes Jamil Neate's famous summation from After War Gundam X after doing so. The Ride in which he fights Robert is titled "The Crimson Comet", a reference to Char's title, the Red Comet. In said Ride, he delivers even more, from paraphrasing the infamous "This is no Zaku, boy! No Zaku!" line to delivering a speech about the light of the human heart heavily based upon Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn.
• Super Mode: Rather than the approach taken in the original fic where Charlie's Blaus were red at all times, explained as a deal cut by his father with the tournament organisers, instead his Galaxy Blaukluger glows red after Superior Riding via Stern Blaukluger's skill as a reference to the Trans-Am System from Mobile Suit Gundam 00.

Noah Ray

Nova Grappler (Accel)

The second player of Cosmo Nova, Noah shares Charlie's passion for all things Gundam to the extent of also cosplaying while fighting.

Noah uses a Nova Grappler deck with Perfect Raizer as his ace card. He aims to use skills to restand his rear-guards during the battle phase, allowing him to overwhelm his opponent with a mighty flurry of attacks empowered by Accel circles and Unit skills.

Tropes:

• Attack! Attack! Attack!: A staple Nova Grappler strategy that Noah goes all-out with.
• Named by the Adaptation: Noah never actually fought in the original universe and so his surname "Ray" is only revealed in the reboot.
• Shout-Out: On top of cosplaying Harry Ord like he did in the original fic, Noah gets to use his "UNIVEEEERSE" Kiai. His newly revealed surname is a reference to Amuro Ray, he quotes Quattro/Char's memetic "I came to laugh at you" line to Agatha, and a monologue he gets after Samuel uses Damned Charging Lance references the replanting flowers line from Gundam Seed Destiny. Finally, when he attacks with Perfect Raizer, he delivers the Erupting Burning Finger speech from Mobile Fighter G Gundam.
• Signature Mon: Perfect Raizer

Bethan Andrews

Charlie's sister, Bethan's reaction to her teammate's antics is nothing short of exasperation, just like in the original universe.

Tropes:

• The Comically Serious: As in the original fic, she's intended as a straight man to contrast the antics of Charlie and Noah with pure, unfiltered frustration and exasperation.
• Facepalm: Her default expression.
• The Unfought: As a result of Noah and Charlie losing their respective games, resulting in their team's elimination from regionals.

Team Wild Fangs

Rachel Hunter

Gold Paladin (Accel)

The apparent leader of Team Wild Fangs, Rachel's white tracksuit and athletic figure indicate her as a sportswoman, but her intimidating manner hints at her incredible skill in Vanguard fights. Always smiling a confident smile, Rachel overcomes her opponents through a powerful chain-calling strategy.

Rachel uses a Gold Paladin deck focused on Great Silver Wolf, Garmore and White Hare in the Moon's Shadow, Pellinore. With the latter's skill, she is able to Superior Ride mid-Battle Phase when her rear-guard's attack hits a Vanguard, at which point she uses the skills of Knight of Vitality, Brennius and Direcgal to call new attackers to exploit the additional Accel Circle that Pellinore generates. Though this strategy drains her hand, Brennius, Direcgal and Listener of Truth, Dindrane all give her draw power, and Pellinore's second skill allows her to return rear-guard attackers to her hand in a pinch.

Tropes:

• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: In the original fic, Rachel's team was the one which defeated the original Team Avalon a year prior to the fic. In the reboot, this role passes to Charles and Team Revelation, leaving the cast unfamiliar with Rachel until she demonstrates her skill by crushing a hapless member of Team Heroic Chance.
• Adaptational Superpower Change: A mild example. In the original fic, she used a Royal Paladin deck centering around Fang of Light, Garmore and his Blizzard Formation-related units like Brugal and Snogal before changing to a Pellinore-focused Gold Paladin deck in Midnight Sun. In the reboot, she uses Gold Paladins from the start instead but still keeps Garmore (albeit his Great Silver Wolf incarnation) as her main ace unit.
• Cheshire Cat Grin: She's constantly smiling, but Robert notes that it makes her more intimidating.
• Personality Powers: Rachel is an energetic and enthusiastic sportswoman, albeit not to the degree of the original universe, and her use of the Gold Paladin clan with its aggressive rush tactics and rapid barrages of superior calls reflects that energy.
• Signature Mon: Great Silver Wolf, Garmore
• Zerg Rush: Her deck specializes in chaining continuous attacks via superior calling units and superior-riding from her hand mid-Battle Phase.

Team Blazing Lions *Spoilers*

An all-male team who are newcomers to regionals like Avalon, Blazing Lions nonetheless carry a powerful and ominous presence, only increased by their third player's cold stare.

Team Tropes:

• Adaptational Early Appearance: None of the members of Blazing Lions appeared until Midnight Sun in the original universe.
• Canon Foreigner: While all the members of Blazing Lions existed in the original universe, the team itself didn't.

Leonard Jameson

Tropes:

• Shirtless Scene: In this universe, Leonard's most notable feature is that he has his shirt open to bare his chest all the time.

Noel Reid

Tropes:

• Nice Guy: As always, Noel is perpetually friendly and kind, even apologising to Leah because Benedict's stare spooked her.

Benedict Deacon

Tropes:

• Badass Longcoat: As in the original universe, Benedict is always seen in his signature white naval coat.
• Icy Blue Eyes: That coupled with his intense stare are enough to send shivers down Leah's spine.

Professional Teams:

Team Midnight Sun

Team Tropes:

• Adaptational Early Appearance: In the original universe, Midnight Sun didn't form until about a year after Team Avalon in the fic of the same name (in fact, they were formed because of Avalon). In the reboot, they actually predate Avalon and are already a favorite to win nationals.

Joan Blake

Royal Paladin (Force)

Tropes:

• Color-Coded Characters: Heavily associated with white, wearing an all-white suit.
• Lady in a Power Suit: Differently from her original counterpart, Joan wears a white suit rather than more casual clothes.

Team Eternal Nightfall

Alistair Bardon

Dark Irregulars (Protect)

Tropes:

• Badass Longcoat: He wears a black coat.