Heavy Rain Player Characters / Characters

Heavy Rain Main Character Index
The Player Characters | The Secondary Characters | The Villains

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Action Survivor: Ethan and Madison are an architect and a photojournalist respectively, and have no formal combat experience, contrary to Jayden and Shelby who have police (and military, in the latter's case) training. Despite this, both show themselves to be competent fighters if the QTEs are succeeded, and can each save Shaun singlehandedly if certain choices are made. In Madison's case, her backstory reveals she was embedded with troops during the Iraq War, so it's plausible she learned to defend herself there.
Anyone Can Die: Played with. All four protagonists can be killed, but two of them (Ethan and Shelby) have Plot Armor and cannot be killed until the end of the game, even if the player flubs certain Quick Time Events.
Bound and Gagged:
- Norman is handcuffed to the steering wheel of his car if his interrogation with Mad Jack goes badly.
- Scott and Lauren are both tied up in a car and are left to drown in it.
- Madison is tied down to a table by Dr. Baker. If Madison escapes, you earn the trophy "Queen of Ropes."
Controllable Helplessness: Some of the protagonists have sequences where they must escape a dangerous situation while their movements are limited:
- In "The Doc", if Madison gets captured by Dr. Baker, there's a sequence where she's helpess to untie herself while the madman threatens to drill her alive. When he leaves to answer his door, Madison has a limited amount of time to untie herself with the drill before Baker comes back.
- In "Mad Jack", if Jayden didn't take his Triptocaine in time before arresting Mad Jack, the latter will knock him out, handcuff him inside his car and try to have it crushed while he's still inside. Like Madison, Jayden has around a minute to free himself before it's too late.
- In "Trapped", Scott and Lauren have been knocked out and tied inside a sinking car, courtesy of Charles Kramer. Scott has some quick thinking to do if he and Lauren want to get out of there alive.
Good Is Not Nice: All four protagonists can be played as good people, but undertake rather ruthless tactics in order to achieve their goals. The most prominent examples are Madison and Jayden, who can possibly let the Origami Killer die in their respective fight sequences in "The Old Warehouse".
Hard Head:
- Ethan can be struck in the head with a shotgun in "The Shark" if the player fails certain QTEs. He's only briefly staggered when Brad throws him out and doesn't have any bruises to show for it later.
- Madison can get hit on the head with a baseball bat if she alerts Dr. Baker to her snooping around or simply waits for him to come back. She's unconscious for some time (enough for him to drag her into the basement and tie her up) but suffers no apparent lasting injury.
- If Norman's interrogation with Mad Jack goes sideways, the latter stomps on his head to knock him out. He complains of other injuries from the ensuing fight later on, but shows no sign of brain trauma.
- Scott gets a Tap on the Head from one of Charles Kramer's men and doesn't even have a bruise to show for it afterwards.
- During Norman's fight with Scott at the warehouse, the former can get hit in the head with several objects including a broken TV. He can even survive taking a sledgehammer to the face and still win the fight.
- Scott can potentially be whacked upside the head with a metal pipe by either Norman or Madison. All this does is briefly stagger him.
The Hero Dies: Any of the protagonists can die throughout the game. Scott is actually the Origami Killer and can kill Madison or Jayden during the final confrontation..
Race Against the Clock: All protagonists are trying to save Shaun from being the Origami Killer's newest victim. As Jayden points out, there's 72 hours between the kidnapping and the time of death of the victims. Averted with Scott, who pretends to be a private investigator going back to the evidence he left behind in order to cover his tracks.
Token Evil Teammate: Scott Shelby, who is revealed to be the Origami Killer towards the end of the game.
Traitor Shot: A case of this being used in the cover art. On the US cover art, which shows all four protagonists, Scott is shown framed in shadows and holding a gun. Sure enough, he's the Origami Killer.

Ethan Mars

"Everything I did, I did for love."

Voiced by: Pascal Langdale (English)^note

An award-winning architect with a happy marriage and two young sons, Ethan's perfect life falls apart when his elder son Jason dies in a car accident that also puts Ethan in a coma for six months. Two years later, now estranged from his wife Grace and distant from his other son Shaun, he remains depressed and stricken with grief. His life takes a second turn when Shaun goes missing; he soon discovers that Shaun may become the Origami Killer's next victim, and is forced to go through five trials sent to him by the killer: danger, suffering, brutal suffering, murder and sacrifice.

Action Dad: Overlaps with Action Survivor and Papa Wolf. If all the QTEs are performed correctly, Ethan can be surprisingly capable, whether navigating a maze of electrical capacitors or outrunning a SWAT team.
Action Survivor: He's a former architect and has never used a gun prior to the game's events. He can still manage to save his son from the Origami Killer, possibly singlehandedly.
Baritone of Strength: In the Japanese dub, Ethan's voice is much deeper, but it still fits the bill for his fatherly determination.
Badass Boast:
- If Madison calls him after she finds the address to the warehouse, she warns him to be careful because the killer is still out there. Ethan says this in response:
  Ethan: No one's going to stop me from saving my son.
- He can later give one to Scott if he is alone at the warehouse and chooses not to kill him.
  Ethan: You manipulated me, but now it's over. I have my son. You have no power over me anymore.
Badass Bookworm: The badass part comes later, but Ethan is a former architect with no fighting experience and is still no slouch when it comes to finding his son.
Badass Normal: Compared to the other Quantic Dream protagonists. He's a human with no supernatural powers or combat experience, unlike Lucas Kane and Jodie Holmes, who are supernaturally gifted humans with martial arts training, and Kara, Markus and Connor, who are androids. Possibly subverted, if one takes the explanation behind Ethan's blackouts to mean he does have supernatural abilities.
Beard of Sorrow: After Jason's death, he puts down the shaving cream. He goes clean-shaven again in his good endings.
Beware the Nice Ones: He can be played as this overall, depending on the choices the player makes. Pascal Langdale has also said this is why Ethan pistol-whips Brad Silver if he chooses not to kill him. Ethan might be a nice guy, but he's not happy about being chased around and shot at.
Big Damn Kiss: With Madison in "On the Loose." It's up to the player if they go through with it.
Big Damn Heroes: It's possible for him to save Madison in "The Old Warehouse" by shooting Scott in the back just as he corners her.
Big "NO!": Yells out one of these in "The Mall" while running into the street to push Jason out of the way of a car.
Bleed 'Em and Weep: If he kills Brad Silver to complete the fourth trial, he throws up and can barely look at what he’s done, and is seen crying in his motel room later on.
Break Them by Talking: If he is the only one to reach the warehouse, he can do this to the Origami Killer by way of the Badass Boast listed above. Scott’s solemn expression as the two part ways says it all: with his purpose fulfilled, he wanted Ethan to kill him, but he refuses to give him the satisfaction of manipulating him again. It could also be seen as Cruel Mercy, considering Scott is being forced to live with what he’s done.
But Thou Must!: Ethan is usually given the option to walk away from a trial as soon as he learns what it entails. The only exceptions are the first and fourth trials. In the latter, there's no option for him to choose not to go to the drug dealer's apartment; he can only choose whether or not to go through with killing him at the end.
Classical Anti-Hero: He's just a regular guy struggling to find his feet again after his whole life fell apart and who finds himself in over his head as things get worse.
Clawing at Own Throat: In "Lexington Station," he clutches his throat after the crowded station causes his agoraphobia to flare up.
Cluster F-Bomb: He has a few moments of this, but a particularly notable one happens if you don't do all the trials, which leaves Ethan without the complete address to where Shaun's being held.
Ethan: Damn fucking shitty letters from this fucking, fucking address!
- Some unused lines from "The Bear" also have him swearing up a storm, which is completely justified considering the situation he's in.
Color Motifs: Ethan has blue eyes, and his main outfits all contain the color blue. He wears a light blue shirt in the prologue, symbolizing his idyllic and peaceful life. In "The Mall," he wears a darker blue shirt. After the Time Skip to "Father and Son," he wears an even darker blue hoodie for a few chapters, symbolizing his melancholia after Jason's death. The dull blue sweater he wears for most of the game starts to look more gray as the story progresses, symbolizing his despair and desire for redemption (both for failing to save Jason and his fear that he may be the Origami Killer).
Convenient Coma: He goes into a six-month coma after Jason dies.
Crucified Hero Shot: If he is killed at the warehouse.
Deadpan Snarker: Certain dialogue options and even a few of the mandatory lines can make him look like one.
Death Seeker: One dialogue option in "The Shrink" has him admit that he doesn't want to live anymore.
Determinator: He will rescue his son, everything else be damned.
Madison: You can't keep going like this. You're destroying yourself, Ethan.
Ethan: Finding Shaun is the only thing that matters.
Dies Wide Open: Two of his possible deaths have him die this way.
Dirty Coward: If he chooses not to complete the trials. The game occasionally calls the player out on it: for example, the door leading to freedom in the Butterfly trial is labeled "Coward", and the player is also awarded an identically-named trophy if they choose not to do the trial.
Disappeared Dad: If he is killed by the police at the warehouse, he becomes this to Shaun.
Diving Save: Tries this in the prologue when he sees Jason about to get hit by a car. It unfortunately doesn't save him and sends Ethan into a six month coma.
Driven to Suicide: Any ending where Shaun dies. He either hangs himself in his jail cell after being falsely convicted, shoots himself in a run-down motel room, or similarly offs himself in front of Shaun's grave.
Drives Like Crazy: The Bear trial requires Ethan to drive at 60 MPH on a rain-slicked freeway on the wrong side of the road. He can potentially pull this off without crashing into any other vehicles.
Drowning My Sorrows: Implied. He isn't seen getting drunk, but a look in his apartment's fridge reveals he's at least started keeping beer in the house after Jason's death. Several apparently empty bottles are also seen in the motel room he kills himself in in the "Origami Blues" ending.
Expository Hairstyle Change: In the first two chapters, his hair is neatly slicked back and he's clean-shaven. Afterwards his hair is more unkempt and he's grown a Beard of Sorrow.
Expy:
- Of Lucas Kane. Both are the central protagonists, are being pursued by the police for crimes they didn't commit, and can develop a romance with the female protagonist. Ethan is also implied to have psychic powers like Lucas, down to them both suffering from a Psychic Link developed with the main antagonist.
- Fans of Silent Hill may compare him to Harry Mason. The outfit Ethan wears in early parts of the game is even similar to the outfit Harry wears for much of Silent Hill.
- Ethan is comparable to Jeff Denlon from Saw III. Jeff like Ethan, is divorced mentally unwell father who's young son died after being accidentally hit by a car before the events of the main story, and later has to deal with his other child (in Jeff's case, his daughter) getting kidnapped by the serial killer Jigsaw, who forces him to undergo a series of gruesome challenges in order to ensure her survival, similarly to how the Oragami Killer threatened to kill Shaun in order to make Ethan do what he demanded from him.
Failure Hero: Depending on how you play, he can avert this or play it straight. You can have him fail or refuse to do every trial the Origami Killer subjects him to, meaning he never makes any progress in the finding of his son, and leaves it up to the other heroes to do all the work for him (or fail in their own ways).
Fingore: Loses his pinky finger during the Lizard trial, if the player decides to go through with it.
Fugitive Arc: After Ethan is accused of being the Origami Killer, the rest of the game becomes this for him.
Gaining the Will to Kill: Ethan balks at the idea of killing a man in cold blood during the Shark trial, and is distraught if the player has him go through with it. He can potentially be the one to kill the Origami Killer in the finale, and shows no remorse if he does. The killer's reaction if Ethan kills him suggests the fourth trial was meant to invoke this.
Gangsta Style: Ethan uses this on the drug dealer briefly in the Shark trial.
Happily Married: To Grace at the beginning of the game. It doesn't last.
Has a Type: Appears to have a thing for brunettes; he used to be married to Grace (whose hair is a reddish brown) and can potentially find love again in Madison (who has darker brown hair).
Hero with Bad Publicity: Becomes this after he is accused of being the Origami Killer.
High-School Sweethearts: Dialogue in the opening chapter reveals that Ethan met and fell in love with Grace in high school. They were Happily Married for years until tension caused by Jason's unexpected death ended their marriage.
I Did What I Had to Do: Uses this to justify his actions while completing the trials, especially the final one. Justified, as he is trying to rescue his son.
Improbably Quick Coma Recovery: Implied. No one seems to mention the coma or physical therapy he would have needed afterwards as an alibi when he is suspected of being the Origami Killer, as both would have rendered him incapable of committing the murders.
Innocent Blue Eyes: He has blue eyes and is generally a good-natured guy.
The Killer in Me: Subverted when his blackouts turn out to be a Red Herring.
Love Makes You Evil: He thinks this is the cause of his Split Personality. Subverted when it's revealed that the Origami Killer is a separate individual, not his alter ego.
The Lost Lenore: Potentially to Madison in two of his possible endings. In "Tears in the Rain," he kills himself in front of her when visiting Shaun's grave, and in "Ethan's Grave," she can be seen behind a tree mourning at his grave if she is still alive.
Made of Iron: He can handle everything the trials throw at him surprisingly well.
- He walks away from a car crash in the first trial with only a nasty cut on his forehead and some broken ribs.
- In the second trial, he can receive some pretty bad electrical burns if the player does poorly. He's still conscious enough to drive himself back to the motel and is still awake, albeit feverish, when Madison arrives to treat his wounds. Once she patches him up, he isn't seen with any lasting side effects from the shock.
- He can also fall from a three-story building while fleeing from the police and is up and about shortly after with no visible injuries, though he is limping for a short time afterwards.
- Depending on how events play out in the last chapter, he can potentially walk off getting shot in the abdomen at close range. Then again, this could easily be pure determination at work.
Meaningful Name:
- Ethan can mean "strong" or "enduring", and he can be played as a Determinator willing to do or endure anything to save his son.
- Mars is also the god of war and courage. Ethan must go through hell and back and show courage and determination in order to save his son from the Origami Killer. It can also be an Ironic Name, as he is suspected by the police of being the Origami Killer and a violent individual due to his mental distress after Jason's death.
Mr. Fanservice: He has a Shower Scene in the first chapter of the game with a shot of his bare buttocks, and there are a few scenes where he's in nothing but his boxers. He can also possibly have a sex scene with Madison.
My Greatest Failure: The death of his first son, Jason. He grows a Beard of Sorrow after it, and it is part of the reason he's so determined to save Shaun.
Optional Sexual Encounter: Between himself and Madison.
Outliving One's Offspring: His eldest son Jason died two years before the main story. Ethan can potentially outlive both of his sons if Shaun drowns, though not for long.
Papa Wolf: His thread of the story is his fight to save his living son, Shaun, from a serial killer. Get into it, and you'll see he'll go To Hell and Back to save his kid, to the point that he could easily be a reincarnation of Harry Mason. It's later revealed that the Origami Killer invoked this, as the entire point of the tests are to prove that Ethan is a father capable of giving his life to save his son. Depending on your actions, this can end up working too well for the Origami Killer.
Please, Don't Leave Me: Sobs this to Shaun as he attempts to revive him after saving him from drowning. Luckily, Shaun wakes up soon after and starts coughing.
Plot Armor: Despite the ridiculously high number of situations he faces that would be fatal to almost anyone, Ethan can't die until near the end of the game.
Post-Victory Collapse: If he saves Madison from Scott during their fight, he collapses in front of her afterwards.
Pre-Mortem One-Liner: If he kills Brad Silver, who begs him he has daughters: "I'm a father too."
Psychic Powers: Deleted content reveals that he developed a psychic connection with the Origami Killer after the mall accident, enabling him to access the killer's mind and experience visions of his memories. The scenes explaining this were cut, but references to them remain in the final game and Quantic Dream has never officially stated whether they're no longer canon.
Rasputinian Death: Considering the amount of potentially fatal situations he gets put into over the course of the game, any of his possible deaths could qualify.
Relationship Upgrade: Can potentially have one with Madison, if he sleeps with her and forgives her after discovering that she's a journalist.
Room Full of Crazy: In two of his bad endings, he commits suicide in a room full of origami figures.
Sadistic Choice: All of Ethan's trials involve these.
Say My Name: Via the Holler Button, which used to be called "Press X to Jason".
"JASON!"
"SHAAUUUUUUUUNNN!"
Split Personality: Subverted. Ethan is suggested to have one, and certainly has a disturbing set of symptoms and an equally-concerned shrink. However, it turns out that his other self is not the killer.
Stress Vomit: If he kills the drug dealer in the fourth trial.
Survivor Guilt: He is wracked with guilt from the accident, and believes he should have died instead of Jason. When his therapist tells him he is lucky to have survived, his only response is "I don't exactly feel lucky, doctor."
These Hands Have Killed: Expresses guilt over killing the drug dealer, if he goes through with it.
Ethan: I've got blood on my hands. Whatever happens now, nothing can change what I've done.
Thou Shall Not Kill: Subverted if you allow him to kill Brad Silver and Scott.
Took a Level in Badass: And how. Each of the trials is practically a level.
Trauma Conga Line: One of his sons gets run over by a car, he ends up in a coma for six months, when he wakes up his wife wants to divorce him, and his surviving son hates him. Then his son gets kidnapped and he is forced to complete a series of increasingly dangerous trials in order to save him.
What the Hell, Hero?: Calls out Madison when he finds out she's a journalist.
Would Hit a Girl: He doesn't hit Madison directly, but he does throw her notebook at her rather violently if he discovers she is a journalist.
Wrongful Accusation Insurance: Depending on the player's actions, Ethan can evade arrest (twice), assault police officers, damage property, and drive recklessly. Should he make it to the warehouse and survive, he is given a pardon by Captain Perry and is let off scot-free. If he killed Brad Silver, there's no indication he served jail time for that either.

Madison Paige

"That's what I call kicking butt. You go, girl!"

Voiced by: Judi Beecher (English, main game), Barbara-Ann Weber-Scaff (English, DLC)^note

Motion capture by: Jacqui Ainsley

Madison is a young, inquisitive photojournalist whose life has been consumed by chronic insomnia and terrifying nightmares. Her only respite is the sleep she finds in motel rooms, but one such trip leads to a chance encounter that turns her world upside down. She soon finds herself involved in the latest Origami Killer case, conducting her own investigations.

Abusive Parents: Implied. While confronting the Origami Killer, she will tell them that she understands what's it's like to not be loved by her parents. Assuming she didn't just make it up to distract them.
Action Girl: And how. For your ordinary journalist, she does a pretty damn good job fending off more than one serial killer. Cut content reveals she was formerly embedded with U.S. soldiers as a reporter during the Iraq War, so it's not impossible that she learned to defend herself there.
Action Girlfriend: Can potentially become this for Ethan.
Aesop Amnesia: In The Taxidermist, Madison survives an encounter with Serial Killer Leland White. While it left her traumatized and plagued with insomnia, it doesn't stop her from persuing the truth about the Origami Killer in the main game (whose events take place only two years after the DLC), and can lead her to multiple possible deaths, some of them being gruesome and cruel.
After-Action Patch-Up: Some of her gameplay sections consist of her taking care of Ethan after he returns from a trial.
All for Nothing: In the "Square One" ending, which happens if Madison never reaches the warehouse, Madison has more mental distress than at the beginning of the game.
All Just a Dream: Madison fighting the burglars in her apartment is revealed to be a nightmare.
Alone with the Psycho: In chronological order: she sneaks into Leland White's house only to end up trapped in the same building as a serial killer when White arrives home early; she pays a visit to Dr Baker, running the risk of being drugged and vivisected; finally, she decides to investigate the Origami Killer's lair, only to be held at gunpoint by the man himself.
Amateur Sleuth: Madison is a journalist, not an investigator by the law. That doesn't stop her from going right in the middle of the action, no matter how much it puts her life in peril.
Ambiguously Bi: Apart from her optional romance with Ethan, nothing is known about Madison's love life. She does not explicitly show interest in women during the game, but during the striptease in "Sexy Girl," she can briefly consider telling Paco that she is a lesbian. She dismisses the thought afterwards with "now is not the time to get funny," but there is also the possibility that she was being serious.
Badass Adorable: She's a beautiful, young, and kind photojournalist, and depending on the player's actions she can defend herself very well in tough situations.
Badass Biker: She rides a motorcycle, and can use it towards the end to distract Blake and the police before entering the warehouse to warn Ethan.
Badass in Distress: She can take care of herself, but can find herself in situations where she can possibly die or need to be rescued by the other protagonists.
Beauty Equals Goodness: She's a gorgeous woman and has her heart and morals in the right place.
Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Madison is the most bright-eyed, well-dressed insomniac you'll ever meet.
Beware the Nice Ones: Kind, compassionate, and more than willing to crush Paco's balls if he doesn't start talking.
Big Damn Heroes: If she successfully finds the address where Shaun is held, she can give it to Ethan or Jayden if neither have it or go to save him singlehandedly. It's also possible for her to save Ethan by warning him about the police waiting for him outside the warehouse.
Big Damn Kiss: With Ethan in "On the Loose." It's up to the player if they go through with it.
Big "NO!": In the "Tears in the Rain" ending, Madison screams this when she sees Ethan about to kill himself with a gun. She is too late to stop him.
Blood-Splattered Innocents: In The Taxidermist, if Madison kills Leland White with his chainsaw, his blood splashes on her face.
Boyish Short Hair: Her hair is styled in a short pixie cut.
Brainy Brunette: Madison is a brunette and a smart and resourceful journalist.
Broken Bird:
- In the "Square One" ending, Madison hasn't left her apartment for days and her insomnia lead to actual hallucinations. The poor woman can't differentiate reality from her dreams, and is clearly in great distress.
- In the "Tears In The Rain" ending, Madison witnesses Ethan killing himself over Shaun's grave and breaks down crying.
Captain Obvious: Some of her lines qualify: "It's a painkiller, it'll help ease the pain."
Cassandra Truth:
- This is the reason why she can't tell Ethan that she's a journalist. If she's found out, she confesses that the reason she didn't tell him earlier was because she was afraid he wouldn't take it well, which is exactly what happened.
- At the warehouse, Blake also won't listen to her despite the fact she has concrete proof that Ethan isn't the Origami Killer.
Celibate Heroine: Nothing is known about Madison's past love life, as the DLC shows her to be practically Married to the Job. However, this can be averted if the player decides to romance her with Ethan.
Chainsaw Good: In one of the endings of The Taxidermist, Madison can potentially use a chainsaw to defend herself from the madman Leland White (giving him a rather brutal death in self-defense).
Character Development: At first, all Madison wants is to be the one to cover the big scoop on finding the Origami Killer. But after meeting Ethan, her motive instead becomes helping him save his son and prove his innocence, and she eventually falls in love with him.
Chronic Hero Syndrome: Madison is so determined to get the next big scoop (and bring the truth to the people in the process) that she ends up putting her own life in danger more than once by confronting dangerous men alone, sometimes dying in the process it if the player is not careful enough.
Combat Pragmatist: Most notably in her brawl with Dr. Baker, in which she ends up fighting him with his own power tools. Later at the Blue Lagoon, she distracts Paco long enough during her strip tease to knock him out with a nearby lamp.
Cruel and Unusual Death: She can choke to death or be burned alive in the Origami Killer's hideout when it's set ablaze, which is followed by the propane tank on the desk catching on fire and blowing up.
Curiosity Is a Crapshoot: Part of being an Intrepid Reporter, Madison investigates as much as a non-cop like her can, and still decides to go in the middle of the action to see the proofs for herself. It can result in her death if she's not careful during QTE sequences.
Curtains Match the Window: Her hair and eyes are chocolate brown.
Damsel in Distress: While she's typically good at getting herself out of trouble as she is at getting into it, if she goes with either Ethan or Jayden (but not both at the same time) in the final mission, she will end up being chased by the Origami Killer and, assuming she doesn't die beforehand, saved by her companion.
Damsel out of Distress: She gets into several situations where she faces a high probability of being raped, killed, or both, but she can escape from them on her own if the player performs the correct actions.
Dark and Troubled Past:
- According to cut content, she was a reporter embedded with U.S. soldiers during the Iraq War. The horrors she witnessed in combat left her with some serious psychological scars, causing her insomnia and hallucinations.
- The Taxidermist DLC dwelves deeper into the causes of her insomnia: she survived an encounter with a serial killer that killed and stuffed women into dolls (she had sneaked into his home to find clues if he was the Origami Killer). She can possibly kill him to defend herself with a chainsaw, which shocks her to the core afterwards.
- If she confronts the Origami Killer alone at the warehouse, one of her dialogue options suggests she suffered from parental neglect and/or abuse growing up.
  Madison: There's nothing harder than not being loved by your parents.
A Day in the Limelight: She's the sole protagonist of the Taxidermist DLC, which takes place two years before the events of the main game (with Madison being 25 years old). Notable since she's the only of the four playable protagonists to get one (though two other DLC with Jayden and Shelby were in the works, the projects were cancelled and they never saw the light of day).
Deadpan Snarker: Some of her lines are dry and sarcastic.
- At the end of "Sexy Girl," she gives Paco this line.
  Madison: I really appreciated this romantic moment, but I gotta dash. See you next time, lover boy.
- In The Taxidermist, some Madison's inner thoughts have occasional snark sprinkled in them:
  Madison: [going through a trash can] Way to go, Madison. Lots of imagination. "Madison Paige discovers a serial killer while rooting through a garbage can."
  Madison: [observing an exercise device] So it appears Mr. White is into bodybuilding. Big muscle man who guts animals, he must be a very popular guy.
Defensive Feint Trap: During her brawl with Dr. Baker, Madison pretends to have been knocked out by the latter, not moving even as he gropes her before stabbing him with his own drilling tool.
Determinator: No matter what obstacles get in her way, Madison will not give up without a fight.
Dies Wide Open: Most of her possible deaths involve this.
Early Installment Character-Design Difference: An early model of Madison had long blonde hair tied back into a ponytail, making her look even more like her mocap actress Jacqui Ainsley. This was changed before the game's release.
Expy:
- Of Carla Valenti. Both are investigating a criminal case and end up falling in love with the prime suspect. However, Ethan and Madison’s romance is optional, whereas Lucas will always end up with Carla.
- Madison's jeans, printed biker jacket, affinity for motorcycles and general look is very reminiscent of Claire Redfield.
- She also heavily resembles Monica Bellucci's character in obscure French film The Stone Council.
Fictional Fan, Real Celebrity: The music player in her apartment displays the Gorillaz album Demon Days (Album).
Florence Nightingale Effect: On just about every occasion she meets Ethan, he's been seriously injured and she has to bandage his wounds; this escalates into a desire to help him through the Origami Killer's trials and get the police off his back, to the point that she's willing to endanger her life if it means uncovering the clues, and finally ends in full-fledged romance. Whether Ethan reciprocates her feelings or not is up to the player.
Full-Frontal Assault: A downplayed example. When Paco forces her to strip, Madison, if she discarded her bra, will automatically use the lamp to knock him out before she can take off her panties.
Freudian Threat: She tortures Paco into talking by squeezing his family jewels. Ouch...
Going for the Big Scoop: When not taking big risks for Ethan, Madison can be found taking big risks for her career, as detailed in The Taxidermist.
Good Stepmother: Can become one to Shaun in the Epilogue if she romances Ethan, keeps him out of prison and both Ethan and Shaun survive. Doubly so if she rescues Shaun singlehandedly, though she and Ethan only just started their relationship at this point.
Got Over Rape Instantly: Downplayed. Madison was (possibly) groped by Dr. Baker and forced to strip by Paco prior to a scene where she can have a hookup with Ethan the day after (up to the player's choice).
Groin Attack: Almost all of her fight scenes have her using this at least once.
Handguns: Madison keeps a small pistol in her purse for self-defense that she uses to interrogate Paco. She is not seen with it in The Taxidermist, implying she started carrying it after the events of the DLC. Surprisingly, she doesn't have it on her during the final fight with the Origami Killer at the warehouse (if she makes it).
Hell-Bent for Leather: Her main outfit is a purple printed leather jacket. In the DLC, she trades it for a black biker jacket.
The Heroine: What differs her from her male co-protagonists is the fact she is the sole female. One of her endings is even titled this.
Hero Insurance: She can potentially kill multiple unrelated serial killers during the course of her investigation into the Origami Killer. Journalists are not cops, and in real life she'd almost certainly be detained and questioned by the cops for an indefinite period of time, especially after the second killing, no matter how clear-cut the circumstances of self-defense would appear. Unlike with Ethan, you can't assume she simply keeps her mouth shut about any possibly illegal acts because it's shown she explicitly publicizes her actions.
Heroic Seductress: When at the Blue Lagoon, Madison uses her good looks and her wits to seduce Paco, and gets him to confess what he knows about the Origami Killer once she has him at her mercy.
Hidden Depths: She has some first aid knowledge as seen during the moments where she patches up Ethan. She claims it's because she has brothers and always took care of them when they got hurt during fights.
I Have Brothers: Can offer this explanation to Ethan when he asks why she insists on tending to his injuries.
Madison: When I was a child, I was always the one who used to fix my brothers up when they'd been fighting with the other kids on the block. I suppose I like to play the guardian angel.
The Immodest Orgasm: Exploited in the "Sexy Girl" chapter. When Madison has Paco tied up and held at gunpoint, his bodyguard knocks on the door and asks his boss if he's alright. To trick him into leaving, Madison pretends to have an orgasm to make him believe she's having sex with Paco. Paco's reaction is priceless.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: She can be impaled on a pipe by the Origami Killer if she confronts him at the warehouse and fails.
Improvised Weapon: Grabs a forging hammer during her fight with Dr. Baker.
Innocently Insensitive: If Shaun dies and Ethan lives, she will tell Ethan that life must go on and that they can start anew. She then adds that she'd like to have a child with him. Thing is, she tells him all this as he is standing over his son's grave.
The Insomniac: Her backstory as a reporter covering the Iraq War along with her encounter with the serial killer Leland White in "The Taxidermist" took a huge toll on her mental health before the events of the main story. She starts the game sleep-deprived and plagued with nightmares; she mentions that even sleeping pills, which she hates having to rely on, don't help. The twist is that her insomnia fails if she's sleeping in a motel.
Intrepid Reporter: No kidding. Madison is a journalist, and a very spunky one at that. She goes right where the intrigue she covers take place, no matter how dangerous it might seem and how much it could put herself at risk of being injured, raped, killed or all of these. Luckily, she's shown to be quite able to take care of herself.
Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: When holding Paco at gunpoint doesn't work, Madison decides to threaten his testicles to make him talk. It works.
Killing in Self-Defense:
- If she gets captured by Dr. Baker and the player hits all the QTEs correctly, she will stab him in the heart with the same drill he tried to kill her with. She looks rather shaken about it afterwards.
- In the Taxidermist DLC, if Madison is discovered by Leland, he will start chasing her to make sure she doesn't repeat what she saw. If she goes to the garage, she can use his own chainsaw to defend herself, killing him in the process.
Lingerie Scene: The chapter "Sexy Girl" has her stripping (at gunpoint) to her dark blue and lacey-white underwear. Madison exploits this to distract Paco by doing a dance before knocking him out with a lamp near her.
The Lost Lenore: To Ethan, if she dies post-Relationship Upgrade. If Ethan survives, he will be seen looking sadly at her grave in the "Dead Heroine" ending.
Mama Bear: She goes to great lengths to rescue Shaun Mars, an innocent child held in a death trap by a psychopathic serial killer, even if she never met the kid. She can even be the one to save his life in the climax and fend off the Origami Killer by herself.
The Many Deaths of You: Among the protagonists, Madison has the highest number of possible deaths and can be killed in three of her chapters (not counting her nightmare in "Sleepless Night"). In her own DLC, she can be killed in at least ten different ways; however, these deaths are non-canonical as they take place before the main events of Heavy Rain.
Married to the Job: Madison is passionate about her work, and can be quite impulsive in her decisions if it means she'll get the scoop of the year. Proof is, she doesn't seem to be interested in romance at all unless you're Ethan.
Ms. Fanservice: And how!
- Her Motion Capture actress is a supermodel, and when you play as her, you can have more than one angle of her plump derriere and hips swaying from side to side as she walks.
- Her Establishing Character Moment basically consists of her waking up on her couch and roaming around in her apartment while wearing only a tank top and panties. Following that is an exceptionally long quick-time event in which she fights home invaders in her underwear. This scene has absolutely no effect on the plot.
- In the same chapter, she can take a shower before the home invaders hit, with Madison flaunting her well-endowed upper body completely naked for quite some time.
- Especially in the Sexy Girl chapter, where she unbuttons her shirt, rips off part of her skirt so the bottom comes to just below her ass, and does sexy dancing in high heels. It would be especially heavy Fanservice if you weren't concentrating on the QTE to make her dance well.
- Later in the "Sexy Girl" chapter she performs a strip-tease, though it may be more of a case of Fan Disservice rather than Fanservice considering she's being forced to remove her clothes by Paco. Nonetheless, she does use it to her advantage by distracting him long enough to knock him out with a lamp.
- Choosing the "Busy" option in Paco's office when Madison has the latter bound to a chair has her fake moaning to trick his guard from coming in, leaving Paco's mouth dropped open in shock.
- She can potentially have an intimate scene with Ethan, where both are undressing each other while making out passionately.
Multiple Gunshot Death: If the player misses QTEs while she's being chased by the Origami Killer at the old warehouse, the killer will shoot her. If she is shot four times, she will die.
Navel-Deep Neckline: Downplayed in "Sexy Girl", where Madison unbuttons her blouse to her sternum to make her breasts pop out in order to get Paco Mendez's attention.
Nice Girl: Is this by default. She doesn't hesitate to patch up a man she barely knows when she sees him in bad shape, and jumps at the opportunity to save another innocent child from being the Origami Killer's next victim.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Like Jayden, helping the Origami Killer from falling to his death results in him attempting to kill her right after, and might succeed if the player isn't careful enough.
Not the Fall That Kills You…: Jumping out of the killer's hideout through the window gets her killed because it's too high up, as does getting thrown off a crane by the Origami Killer during the warehouse confrontation.
Oh, Crap!: In The Taxidermist, when she hears Leland White come back home while she's still inside his house.
Optional Sexual Encounter: Between herself and Ethan, at the player's expense.
Panty Fighter: Her first scene has her fight off burglars in her apartment in nothing but panties and a tank top. Later at the Blue Lagoon, when Paco forces her to strip, Madison will always have the reflex to knock him out with a lamp before she can be forced to remove her panties.
Painted-On Pants: Her jeans are very form-fitting, to the point where they look vacuum-sealed on her.
The Paranoiac: Her encounter with Leland White left her scarred, and she suffers from nightmares where she's ambushed by masked killers in her own apartment. The "Square One" epilogue has her insomnia causing vivid hallucinations that she cannot differentiate from reality.
Platonic Life-Partners: Though her coworker Sam never physically appears, he and Madison are quite close and he often worries for her well-being. In the "Square One" ending, he leaves a voice message (and has apparently left several) for her after her hallucinations worsen.
Playing Possum: During her boss fight with Dr. Baker, if the player completes all the QTEs, Madison will pretend to have been knocked out on the operating table, prompting the oblivious madman to let his guard down before she stabs him in the heart with his own drill.
Proud Beauty: Madison knows the effect she has on men, and uses her looks at her advantage to get what she wants.
Punny Name: Her last name, "Paige", also sounds like page. Madison is a journalist who writes articles, and possibly a novel (titled ''Heavy Rain'') in the "Heroine" ending.
Rasputinian Death: She can potentially be shot repeatedly by the Origami Killer, punched and thrown around, and stabbed with a pipe several times before finally getting choked to death and thrown off a crane into the water.
Red Is Heroic: She wears a red shirt in "Sexy Girl".
Relationship Upgrade: Can potentially have one with Ethan, if he sleeps with her and forgives her after discovering she’s a journalist.
Rip Tailoring: She rips her pencil skirt shorter in "Sexy Girl" in order to make herself look sexier to attract Paco's attention. Sure enough, it works.
Sanity Slippage: In the ending "Square One", her nightmares turn into full-fledged hallucinations. Sam is concerned that she’s stopped answering her phone, suggesting that she hasn’t left her apartment for some time either.
Second Love: Depending on player choices, she can become this to Ethan.
Self-Deprecation: Madison will sometimes call herself an idiot whenever she makes mistakes, such as applying burn ointment to Ethan's wounds or getting rejected or dumped by him.
Serial-Killer Killer: Madison can possibly kill three different Serial Killers in self-defense: Leland White (in the DLC), Dr. Death (in "The Doc" chapter) and the Origami Killer himself, Scott Shelby, in "The Old Warehouse" chapter. That's only in a playthrough where she kills them all, as their deaths are all optional.
Sex Equals Love: She can potentially have sex with Ethan. Right after that, she tells him that she wants to be in a serious relationship with him once they rescue Shaun and stop the Origami Killer.
Shaking the Rump: Does this when Paco forces her to strip at gunpoint, distracting him long enough to club him with a lamp.
Shameful Strip: Forced to strip at gunpoint by Paco, although she uses it to her advantage to distract Paco long enough to knock him out with a lamp.
She Cleans Up Nicely: While she definitely isn't unattractive, Madison keeps her hair short and sticks to tank-tops and jeans. However in the "Sexy Girl" chapter, she puts on some makeup, unbuttons her blouse to give herself a Navel-Deep Neckline and rips her pencil skirt below her buttocks in order to seduce Paco to interrogate him.
Shell-Shocked Veteran: Although she wasn't a soldier, cut content reveals that she covered the Iraq War as a reporter embedded with U.S. troops. She witnessed quite a few horrific things in combat and these experiences were intended to explain her hallucinations/nightmares.
Shovel Strike: Uses a shovel to protect herself from Dr. Baker during their fight.
Show Some Leg: As she admits herself, she'll do anything to get the information she needs...
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: As she explains in "On the Loose," she started falling for Ethan once she saw how devoted he was to saving his son.
The Smurfette Principle: She’s the only playable female character.
So Beautiful, It's a Curse: Madison is a pretty young woman who unfortunately catches the eyes of more than one creep during the game, ranging from the harmless but still gross motel receptionist to actual killers and/or rapists like Leland White and Dr. Baker.
Sympathy for the Devil: She can show sympathy towards Scott's Dark and Troubled Past, and tries to use it to convince him to let Shaun go. Notably, she's the only Player Character who does so. It doesn't work, but points for trying.
Talking to Themself: Like the other protagonists, although Madison calls herself "girl" and talks to reassure herself as she would to another person.
Tank-Top Tomboy: She sticks to wearing tank-tops and leather jackets, has short hair, and is a skilled biker. The "Sexy Girl" chapter has her wearing a red blouse and black skirt.
Tap on the Head: If she sneaks too far Dr. Baker's house, he will knock her out with a baseball bat. It doesn't seem to affect Madison afterwards if she gets out of his basement alive.
This Is a Drill: Uses Dr. Baker's own drill against him to escape.
Title Drop: In the "Heroine" ending, she writes a novel titled Heavy Rain.
Tomboy with a Girly Streak: She rides a motorcycle, loves wearing leather jackets, has short hair, knows how to lockpick and can hold her own in a fight. She's also good at playing nurse, falls for Ethan quickly and is really, really good at turning the sexy up when she wants to.
Too Dumb to Live: While fearless, sneaking into a suspected serial killer's home while he's absent is far from being Madison's best idea. Especially when she understands he's more deranged than she initially thought.
Two First Names: "Madison" and "Paige" are two female given names.
Undying Loyalty: Develops this towards Ethan, risking her own life to help him save his son.

Norman Jayden

"I prefer to have all the information before I make a decision. I try to make rational choices when possible."

Voiced by: Leon Ockenden (English)^note

A highly regarded FBI agent sent from Washington to assist the police force in their investigations, Jayden utilizes an experimental augmented reality device known as ARI (Added Reality Interface), which enables deep crime scene analysis and examination. His presence in the police department isn't welcomed by everyone, however, with a leading officer looking to take back control of the case. Jayden also struggles with an addiction to the drug triptocaine, which helps him cope with the side effects of using ARI.

Action Hero: An FBI agent who's almost always thrown in hand-to-hand combats without backup. Depending on how good you are at QTEs, Jayden can be far from being a slouch in a fight despite taking quite a beating each time.
All There in the Manual: Cut content for a DLC revealed that Norman had a same-sex relationship with a colleague named Jack Reilly, who was involved in the development of the ARI and also used triptocaine to deal with its side effects. Reilly died in an apparent suicide and Norman would've investigated his penthouse to find out whether his death was part of a cover-up.
Ambiguous Situation: It's not clear whether the Norman that Blake encounters in the "Uploaded" epilogue is the ghost of the real Norman, who became part of ARI after his death, or a virtual copy created by ARI.
Ambiguously Bi: Jayden was in a same-sex relationship prior to the events of the game, as revealed in development notes for his DLC episode, but whether he is attracted to women or not isn't explored in-game. Leon Ockenden has also stated that Jayden's sexual orientation is up to player interpretation.
Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: If he dies during the investigation, this apparently happens to him in the "Uploaded" ending.
Badass Bookworm: He is the most technologically savvy of the cast and a skilled FBI agent.
Badass in a Nice Suit: As mentioned below, Jayden is always sharply dressed in a proper suit and tie, even when thrown in the middle of the action.
Beware the Nice Ones: Polite and sympathetic by default, you wouldn't want to be around when his patience has reached his limits. He goes as far as to grab one of Paco Mendez' men by the throat and tackle him against the wall when he won't tell him what he wants to know.
Big Damn Heroes: It's possible for him to save Ethan in "The Old Warehouse" by tackling Scott before he can shoot Ethan. Alternatively, if Ethan is not present but Madison is, Norman can save her by shooting Scott just as she is cornered. He can also be one of the characters to rescue Shaun Mars from drowning (if he comes to the warehouse alone or with Madison).
Bittersweet Ending: The endings "Case Closed" and "Resignation".
Boom, Headshot!: Is on the receiving end of it if he makes it to the Abandoned Warehouse alone and lets the Big Bad overpower him in the initial confrontation.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to Blake's red.
Brain Uploading: Implied during the "Uploaded" ending, which occurs if Jayden dies at any point in the game.
Brainy Brunette: He's an intelligent, tech-savvy man with brown hair. He's also the only effective cop in the entire game.
Butt-Monkey: Poor guy is already a drug addict and gets more bullying and disrespect from the police force than he deserves, and he always ends up in some seriously aggravating to painful situations. He even lampshades it himself at one point; reading his thoughts after he goes to interrogate Paco has him observe that he spent most of the investigation getting the shit kicked out of him. To cap it all, the only ending where his situation makes a definite improvement is the one where he fails to solve the case and resigns.
- Iron Butt Monkey: However, succeeding enough QTEs makes Jayden a capable fighter in spite of being thrown and punched around. One thing is sure, he won't give up without a fight.
By-the-Book Cop: And he's a better man for it: he genuinely does good police work by sticking to the rules, while his unhinged partner Blake apparently makes a hobby of wiping his ass with a suspect's Miranda Rights.
Celibate Hero: Noticeably the only protagonist not to have any designated love interest. His DLC episode would have justified this, explaining that his lover Jack Reilly passed away of an overdose before the game takes place.
Clawing at Own Throat: In "Solving the Puzzle," if he spends too much time in ARI, he will frantically clutch his throat with one hand while making choking sounds. He eventually suffocates and dies.
Color-Coded Eyes: Jayden has green eyes, which can symbolize intelligence and mysteriousness. He’s a skilled profiler with a largely unexplored past.
Combat Pragmatist: As Jayden isn't exactly the most imposing member of the cast, he has to resort to a lot of dirty tricks to survive in hand-to-hand combat, especially in his second fight with Mad Jack.
Cool Shades: His ARI device is in the form of sunglasses, which contain a very detailed database and can analyse hidden clues better than your regular cop could without them.
Cruel and Unusual Death: Multiple, most of them involving being crushed to death.
- While fighting "Mad Jack", he can be either crushed in a car grinder while handcuffed to it... or even when he's almost escaped from it. If he escapes the grinder, he fights Jack and can lose, getting crushed by Jack's excavator when his pants get snagged in the wheel.
- When fighting the Origami Killer, he can be thrown into a trash compactor, either by getting knocked cold by the Killer and falling off the conveyor belt, or by getting thrown into it by the Killer after having saved him from the same fate.
Cybernetics Eat Your Soul: Implied.
Dark and Troubled Past: Content for a cut DLC starring Norman revealed that he fell in love with a colleague named Jack Reilly, who also was a user of ARI with a Triptocaine addiction and died of an overdose. However, the DLC would've had Norman investigate his penthouse, since his death was part of a cover-up. At the end, he would've discovered that Mercer, a lawyer connected to the ARI program, was involved in the cover-up. A confrontation between the two would then have resulted in Norman shooting Mercer, causing the latter to fall from the balcony (presumably to his death).
Deadpan Snarker: Has his moments. For example, at one point he and Blake investigate Nathaniel Williams, a religious nut suspected of being the Origami Killer. The walls of his apartment are covered in crucifixes and Bible quotes. Norman's response? "Looks like Nathaniel Williams is a pretty religious guy."
- There's also this gem if you choose the "Ironic" response after Blake questions him about not shooting Nathaniel.
Jayden: Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were a tough guy, a street-cop who's been through the mill. I didn't think you'd scare so easily.
Deadly Nosebleed: In "Solving the Puzzle", his nose will start bleeding if the player runs out of time, also resulting in his death.
Determinator: He doesn't care what obstacles come his way: he'll go to hell and back to save Shaun Mars, prove Ethan's innocence and stop the Origami Killer once and for all.
The Dog Bites Back: Has his moments with Blake and Perry. He can get the both of them suspended if Ethan dies.
- Gets a very satisfying moment where he punches Blake across the face when he gets too violent towards Ethan in the interrogation room.
Driven to Suicide: He will die of an overdose of Triptocaine if Shaun dies.
Drugs Are Bad: Zig-zagged. Norman uses Triptocaine to prevent overexposure to ARI, but his relapses often interfere with his investigation, and how often he uses it isn't exactly doing wonders for his health. See also Driven to Suicide.
Elmuh Fudd Syndwome: His East Coast accent frequently tilts over into a childish rhotacism. "I wanna find da owigahmi kiwwuh JUST as much as you do!"
Expy: He's similar to Fox Mulder and Dale Cooper.
Eye Scream: If you take too long investigating with the ARI in one scene, he starts to bleed from his eyes. If you keep using it, he will start bleeding from his nose and mouth, and eventually die.
Fair Cop: He is a youthful and quite attractive FBI Agent.
Fantastic Drug: Triptocaine, a bright blue powder which Norman suffers from an addiction to. "Tript" is reminiscent of tryptamine or tryptophan (precursors/derivatives of serotonin). The suffix "caine" is common among local anesthetics, most notably cocaine and novocaine (which are consumed via snorting, like Triptocaine in the game).
FBI Agent: He's brought onto the case as a profiler, but a close look at his badge reveals that he is also a special agent.
Fight Magnet: He has to throw down with almost everyone he encounters, almost always without backup.
Functional Addict: To a point. Even with his addiction to Triptocaine which can interfere with his work and personal safety, he is the most competent officer of the police station (player involvement aside).
Ghost in the Machine: Seemingly his fate in the "Uploaded" ending, which happens if Jayden dies at any point in the game before the finale.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: He has some unexplained faded scars on his face. Leon Ockenden, who portrays Jayden, got the scars from an abusive ex-girlfriend, and the developers kept them for Jayden's character.
Grin of Audacity: Sports one in "Covered Market" if he chooses the "Ironic" response while talking to Blake.
The Hero: While there are 3 (actually 2) other heroes of the story, Jayden is the most traditionally heroic of all of them, as he has no personal stake in the case other than having been assigned to it, but sees it though to end even when told to pack up and go home, always strives to do things by the book, and cares nothing about personal glory in favor of saving Shaun, especially in comparison to the psychopathic glory hungry Blake. Notably, in every scenario in the final level, Ethan (Shaun's father and the guy the Killer is obsessed with) never actually fights the Killer while Jayden (in every version where he makes it to the warehouse) always will.
Idiot Ball: Accusing Blake of being the killer is a pretty stupid thing to do, especially considering the fact that you can clearly see Blake is nowhere near the height or build of the man who attacked Jayden at the Blue Lagoon.
I Just Want to Be Normal: The "Resignation" ending.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: One of the several ways he can die, at the hands of the Origami Killer using the late Paco's katana.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Even if Norman can be played as a jerk, he will always have his morals at the right place and aim to save Shaun Mars from the Origami Killer.
Limited Wardrobe: He wears identical-looking light gray suits (sometimes with a brown jacket over them) for most of the game. The only time he's seen wearing anything else is in the "Resignation" ending, where he wears a darker suit with a black shirt and tie.
The Lost Lenore: Had a boyfriend, Jack Reilly, who died of an overdose (or so it seems) before the events of Heavy Rain.
Made of Iron: Is regurlary beaten up in his fights, bumps his head against an aquarium resulting in the glass breaking and can survive one hit with a sledgehammer to the head.
Nice Guy: Is this by default. He's at worst a Jerk with a Heart of Gold depending on player choices.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Accusing Blake of being the Origami Killer will result in Norman getting kicked off the case.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: If Norman chooses to save Scott Shelby from falling into the waste grinder, he gets attacked again immediately after and can possibly die if the QTE is missed.
No-Respect Guy: Gets this treatment among the police force.
Obfuscating Insanity: When he has Mad Jack at gunpoint, Norman can scare the thug by threatning to shoot him or his gas tanks, all while appearing deranged for extra effect. It works!
Oh, Crap!: His reaction to seeing tiny virtual desk tanks in the "Case Closed" ending... after he has taken off his ARI glasses.
Only Sane Employee: As mentioned below, Norman is the only cop who isn't a useless Jerkass and wants to arrest the Origami Killer the right way.
Police Are Useless: Subverted. Jayden is the only law enforcement official worth a damn in the whole story.
- Also Played Straight. Carter Blake and his superior officers commit numerous felony offenses right in front of him and other than a few weak protests, he does nothing about their dangerous, illegal actions, even then he could have arrested them and put their entire precinct under federal investigation for Police Brutality.
Pretty Boy: Definitely not an ugly fella. He's beloved by many fans for a reason.
The Profiler: He's even referred to as such in the game. And he's actually spot-on.
Psychotic Smirk: Gives one of these to Blake in the "Uploaded" ending.
Reasonable Authority Figure: He's the only cop shown to be trying to bring in the Origami Killer by the book.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: When Blake kicks Jayden off the case after blindly accusing Ethan of being the killer, Jayden gets sick of his shit and rightfully calls him an "unbalanced psychopathic asshole". Blake simply smirks and retorts that he takes it as a compliment.
Sanity Slippage: As he starts overusing ARI, he starts experiencing visions of the ARI office world even without his glasses on. It gets worse in two of his endings. If he succeeds in solving the puzzle and saving Shaun's life, he starts hallucinating miniature tanks crawling over his desk. If Shaun dies instead, it worsens to the point that he overdoses on Triptocaine after talking to a hallucination of himself.
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: If Ethan is arrested once, Norman helps him escape custody, despite knowing that aiding a suspect could land him in serious trouble if he’s caught.
Sharp-Dressed Man: Never seen wearing something other than a suit and tie.
Shout-Out: Leon Ockenden based his accent on the Boston accents prevalent in The Departed.
- He has also mentioned that the interrogation scene with Mad Jack was inspired by Heath Ledger.
Shower of Angst: In his suit. Justified by the fact that he was having some seriously disorienting and painful withdrawal symptoms at the time. The guy could barely stand upright, so taking off his clothes would have probably been extremely difficult.
Sir Swears-a-Lot: He swears 52 times throughout the game, more than any of the other playable characters (compared with 40 times for Ethan, 17 for Madison and 39 for Scott).
The Smart Guy: The most intelligent one out of the player characters.
Straight Gay: The script for his scrapped DLC revealed Norman had a male lover named Jack Reilly. You wouldn't have guessed Jayden would be into men from the game alone.
Sunglasses at Night: Justified, since ARI is high-tech crime scene analysis technology. Has a song now!
Tears of Blood: If you take too long during Jayden's final use of ARI, his eyes start bleeding under the glasses.
Thou Shalt Not Kill: Strongly believes in this by default. Subverted if you allow him to kill Nathaniel and Scott.
Tomato in the Mirror: In the "Smoking Mirror" ending, the man he is talking to is revealed to be himself, before he dies from an overdose after passing through the Despair Event Horizon.
Took a Level in Badass: And HOW! Norman gets his ass handed to him by Mad Jack and The Origami Killer in Fish Tank. Jump a few chapters later to round 2 with the killer in The Old Warehouse, and Jayden's fist-fighting him on even ground, bashing his head around like a pinata with a metal pipe, and can possibly survive a sledgehammer to the face.
Troubled, but Cute: Good looking, but addicted to at least two substances.
Turn in Your Badge: The ending "Resignation".
Two First Names: "Jayden", his surname, can also be a given name.
Weak, but Skilled: Not necessarily weak, but most of his QTE fight scenes have him up against larger, stronger, and often armed opponents.

Scott Shelby

"I'm a private eye. There's nothing I can't do."

Voiced by: Sam Douglas (English)^note

An old-school detective, former Marine and retired police lieutenant, Scott is hot on the trail of the Origami Killer. He has been hired by the victims' families to investigate possible leads missed by the authorities.

Acrofatic: Despite being on the more unhealthy side of slightly overweight, Scott is still surprisingly able to hold his ground in fast-paced fights.
The Alcoholic: He keeps booze in his desk drawer and has the opportunity to drink at a few points in the game. Guess he picked it up from his father.
Alliterative Name: Scott Shelby. And his birth name, Scott Sheppard.
Always Save the Girl: By default, Scott tries to keep Lauren safe throughout his investigation, constantly telling her to step off and (possibly) saving her life twice.
Badass Arm-Fold: Often folds his arms when he's sitting e.g. at Gordi Kramer's party.
Badass Longcoat: A typical fashion of a hard-boiled private investigator.
Big Damn Heroes: He has more than one moment in the game where he can (potentially) save people's lives:
- In his first scene, he can fight off a violent ex-customer of Lauren when he hears her screaming.
- He can fight a burglar holding the convenience store owner Hassan at gunpoint.
- In "Suicide Baby", he will arrive just in time to stop the mother of one of the killer's victim to commit suicide, and will treat her wounds and take care of her baby.
Beware the Nice Ones: He's an easygoing, overweight private investigator who looks after babies, persuades liquor store robbers to put down the gun and leave without resorting to violence, and he makes a mean omelette. He will still kick your ass if you challenge him. He is also none other than the Origami Killer.
Car Meets House: How he invites himself into Kramer's mansion in "Face to Face".
Combat Pragmatist: Scott isn't very picky on how he takes his opponents down; assuming he doesn't actually have a gun on him, he'll often resort to using anything that can be vaguely classified as a weapon: lamps, panes of glass, bottles, furniture, Samurai swords, bits of scrap metal... and that's when he's not just pummelling them into submission with his bare hands. This becomes even more obvious in the fight between him and Jayden on the conveyor belt, in which they end up attacking each other with just about anything in reach.
Deadpan Snarker: Some of the dialogue options make him this. For example:
Scott: [choosing the Sarcastic option when questioning Gordi Kramer] Okay, so you're a Good Samaritan taking kids home who happen to get lost, right next to your limousine. Now be a nice guy and tell me something I can believe.
Deuteragonist: Comes with the territory of being the main antagonist responsible for putting the plot in motion. As such, he's also the only character besides Ethan who can't die midway through the game.
Dirty Cop: Implied. According to Paco Mendez, Scott kept him out of prison several times. Considering that Paco had a huge criminal record and clearly wasn't a nice guy, it gives the impression that Scott wasn't much of a By-the-Book Cop.
Expy: He looks like Douglas.
Fat Bastard: He can be downright cruel if it means getting what he wants. Then comes the revelation that he's actually the Origami Killer.
Final Boss: Serves as this in the old warehouse. Given that he’s the Origami Killer.
Hardboiled Detective: His entire character is a throwback to this archetype. And a subversion of it.
Leitmotif: Scott Shelby's Main Theme.
Lightning Bruiser: His QTE fights (if done well) show that for a big man, he's a lot quicker than he looks. This includes the ones where another player character has to fight him.
Limited Wardrobe: He wears the same outfit for most of the game with the exception of his disguise at the Blue Lagoon. Besides that, the only other time he’s seen wearing something else is in a flashback played if Ethan makes it to the warehouse, where it’s revealed he witnessed the accident at the mall.
Made of Iron: He can survive getting shot a total of four times (once by Andrew and three times by Kramer's bodyguards) and stabbed in the stomach (by Madison, if she fights him).
Nice Guy: He is by far one of the nicest characters of the game, namely his Pet the Dog moments below. Though he is revealed to be Affably Evil in the end.
One-Man Army: On his Roaring Rampage of Revenge, he can shoot all of Kramer's men without breaking a sweat if all the [QTEs] are hit on point.
Pet the Dog: Many, many moments. A big one where he treats the wounds of a woman who has failed a suicide attempt and takes care of her baby, or the scene after the incident at the watch repair place where he comforts Lauren as she's crying in the rain over her son's death. Finding out the truth about him, though, leaves all these moments open to interpretation.
Plot Armor: Like Ethan, he cannot die until the end of the game.
Private Detective: He spends most of his time investigating the Origami Killer. In reality, he is a Detective Mole and the real Origami Killer, who is using his position as a cover to destroy any evidence pointing towards him.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: He is extremely pissed off after Kramer attempts to assassinate him and Lauren in a sinking car (Lauren can possibly die in that scene, which will double Scott's anger), and will crash a car right into his mansion and go One-Man Army on his bodyguards before (possibly) give Kramer the beating of his life.
Stout Strength: Strong enough to lift Charles Kramer at least three inches off the ground, and can easily pick up Norman during their second fight.
What the Hell Is That Accent?: As a child he had an accent that sounded like it was somewhere between British, Irish and French.
Younger Than They Look: Official statements give his age either as 44 or 45, but he looks at least 15 years older. The Sheppard twins were ten years old in 1977, meaning the surviving boy would be in his forties. This doesn’t become a plot point, but it may throw off players who dismiss the possibility that Scott may be the killer because he doesn’t seem to be the right age. Possibly justified; he tells Lauren that he used to smoke and is also The Alcoholic.

Characters / Heavy Rain Player Characters

Voiced by: Pascal Langdale (English)^note