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Main Characters
Ruberto "Ruby" Normanson
The main character of the Nuzlocke comic.
- Arc Words: "That's against the rules." Borders on a catchphrase, and also used to justify stupid crap he does when he ISN'T referring to the nuzlocke rules.
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: He has very prominent eyebrows starting in late Kanto.
- Broken Tears: As he loses Pokémon after Pokémon against Steven during his Ruby Run.
- Casanova Wannabe: He occasionally hits on women he encounters, but always fails to score some tail.
- Composite Character: He assumes the roles of the protagonists of Fire Red and White, although the specifics vary by region. Played straight in the Kanto arc, where "Red" is just an alias for him. Zigzagged in the Unova arc; Hilbert does exist as a separate individual, but was Driven to Suicide shortly before Ruby's arrival in Unova and Ruby takes his place as the hero who faces Team Plasma.
- Defrosting Ice King: A recurring trend is him obtaining a seemingly useless Pokémon (ex. Whismur, Luke) and being openly annoyed by it, only for it to do something awesome, prove its worth, and earn his respect.
- Determinator: No matter what's thrown against him, he always will continue, because otherwise all of those who died before him would have died in vain.
- A Father to His Men: He is very attached to his Pokémon, and takes it quite personally whenever one of them dies under his command.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: The end of the Kanto arc leaves him stranded 3 years in the future.
- Heroic BSoD: Is driven to this after the climax of his Ruby Run. Nuzlocke snaps him out of it with the promise of redemption, which starts up the Fire Red run.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He is incredibly short-tempered and verbally abusive towards new meat, but he is also a hero who will always do the right thing when pushed.
- Nobody Calls Me "Chicken"!: The reason he goes through the Unova league.
- Non-Standard Character Design: Even as the author's art and characters became more detailed, Ruby has remained fairly simple in design, still lacking a nose and maintaining his round head.
- Odd Name, Normal Nickname: The Black and White arc reveals that his name is Ruberto. When others question whether that is even a real name, he annoyedly tells them that they should go back to calling him "Ruby".
- Oh, Crap!: When he wonders why N jumped off the Ferris wheel... and finds his Sigilyph ready to Psybeam the cabin he is at.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: He is called "Ruby" until Chapter 7 of White, which reveals his full name to be "Ruberto Normanson". He still typically goes by Ruby.
- Only Sane Man: Among the human characters at least.
- Perma-Stubble: He has grown out a mean stubble at the beginning of the Kanto arc, as a result of his Hoenn team being wiped out to the man.
- Tempting Fate: Ruby seems to do this from time to time, which happens right before another mon dies.Ghetsis: There is nothing wrong with people from Hoenn.
[Ruby is seen behind him about to break into a window from behind while on a vehicle] - The Unfavorite: His father adopted a Slakoth and named it "Good Ruby", which should tell you all you need to know.
- Unwitting Pawn: During the Kanto arc, Mewtwo takes advantage of his grief over his Hoenn team's deaths to take Nuzlocke's form and manipulate him into freeing him so he can conquer the world.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: One of his life goals is to prove himself to his father, who favored a Slakoth/Vigoroth named "Good Ruby" over him.
Nuzleaf
One of the first Pokémon in the comic. While he dies in season 1, his ghost is seen throughout all the seasons. Due to how he was drawn (based on John Locke from Lost) and his catchphrase, he was nicknamed Nuzlocke by the fans, thus originating the name of the run.
- Breakout Character: Pretty much the iconic Nuzlocke character, to the point of lending his name to the comic and the challenge.
- Character Catchphrase: "This is all happening for a reason."note
- Minor Major Character: He lasts all of four episodes before being killed off, but his statement to Ruby that "this is all happening for a reason" haunts him throughout the entire series.
- Posthumous Character: Dies in the first season, becomes a major recurring character in all of them.
- Spirit Advisor: He is killed early on, but advises and encourages Ruby from beyond the grave. In the Fire Red run, this is subverted; it turns out Mewtwo has been taking his form to manipulate Ruby.
Season 1
Treecko/Grovyle/Sceptile
Ruby's first Pokémon.
- Green Thumb: Grass Type.
- Power Glows: His Leaf Blade during color strips.
- Slasher Smile: Right before killing Groudon.
- Starter Mom: Ruby's first ever Pokémon.
Silcoon/Beautifly
One of Ruby's early Pokémon and the first one to die. Caught as a Silcoon.
- Big Creepy-Crawlies: Bug Type.
- Sacrificial Lamb: The first Pokémon to die.
Whismur/Loudred
An early Normal-type Pokémon. Disliked by Ruby early on, but earns his respect after proving to be a perfect counter to Supersonic Zubat.
- The Mentor: To Katie. Loudred takes it under its wing and passes on wisdom about how Ruby's mind works and how to win his respect.
- Non-Elemental: Normal type.
- Retirony: Died just a few levels short of becoming Exploud.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Ruby takes an immediate dislike to it due to being caught right after Beautifly's death, and gets even angrier with it after its incompetence in battle forces Zigzagoon to switch into a critical hit and gets it killed. However, things take a turn for the better after it Zubat's dangerous Supersonic move proves useless against it thanks to Soundproof.
Mr. Humpy
Ruby's Numel/Camerupt. Despite the name, she's a girl.
- Dishing Out Dirt: Ground Type.
- Gender-Blender Name: Despite being named Mr. Humpy, she's female.
- Your Tomcat Is Pregnant: Played for laughs. When Ruby names her Mr. Humpy, she takes a long hard look at the gender indicator on her status bar, then makes an "are you fucking kidding me" face.
- Playing with Fire: Fire Type.
Absol
Ruby's Absol.
- Casting a Shadow: Dark Type.
Gulliver
Ruby's Wingull/Pelipper.
- A Death in the Limelight: Gets the most focus right before it dies.
- Making a Splash: Water type.
- Wind from Beneath My Wings: Flying Type.
Katie
Ruby's Spheal/Walrien.
- Butt-Monkey: A non-comedic example. Starts as an HM slave then gets the blame for not being strong enough to prevent Mr. Humpy's death from Sceptile.
- Support Party Member: Only brought onto the team to use HM moves to get Ruby around Hoenn.
Dogen
Ruby's Medicham.
- 11th-Hour Ranger: Joins the team right before the Elite Four.
- One-Hit KO: The victim of one.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Ruby catches him in Victory Road and he's killed when fighting Glacia's Walrein.
Season 2
Ruby's Pokémon
Bruce
Ruby's Charmander/Charmeleon/Charizard, and his best friend for the duration of the series.
- Character Death: Dies in Unova Chapter 12, to Ghetsis' Hydreigon.
- Chekhov M.I.A.: He's still missing at the beginning of the White run, and finding him is part of Ruby's motivation to be champion. It's ultimately revealed that he settled down with N and his family, only to be murdered by Ghetsis when the latter's wife Isis turned against him for planning to conquer the world.
- Expy: Of Batman.
- Fate Worse than Death: After beating Mewtwo, he's sent back 40 years, while Ruby is sent 3 years in the future.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: The ending of the Kanto arc leaves him stranded 40 years in the past. He makes it back 20 before being murdered by Ghetsis.
- Older Than They Look: He is introduced as a sprightly Charmander, but flashbacks indicate that he's actually over 40 at the beginning of the Kanto arc.
- The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: He declares that he alone must defeat Gary's Blastoise. It's double subverted when Ruby decides not to risk it and sends in the wounded Blamo, but Blamo is slain in the battle and it comes down to Bruce to finish it.
- Playing with Fire: Charizard, natch.
- Signature Move: After he learns Blast Burn in the Sevii Islands, it becomes Ruby's go-to attack.
- Sole Survivor: He is the only major member of Ruby's team to survive the Kanto arc.
- Starter Mon: Ruby's initial Pokémon in the Kanto region.
- True Companions: With Ruby.
- We Used to Be Friends: With Gary's Blastoise, before Gary's abuse turned him evil.
- Worf Had the Flu: He is 20 years past his prime in his fight against Ghetsis' Hydreigon, leading to his own death.
Desmond
Ruby's Mankey, the first Pokémon he caught in this run. Dies to Misty's Starmie.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: Being a fighting type, he uses his fists to fight.
- The Berserker: He kills two Pokémon that Ruby could have caught. He interpreted Ruby's instruction to weaken a wild Caterpie as 'KILL' and 'RAPE', and tore the poor thing in two.
- Blood Knight: Enjoys combat to the point of accidentally killing some of Ruby's intended catches.
Buddy
Ruby's Oddish who is quickly evolved into Vileplume to fit the current needs for a raid against Team Rocket.
- The Stoic: After his evolution.
- The Stoner: Before his evolution.
- Took a Level in Badass: Ruby is forced to use him to make up for a gap in his party. On seeing Buddy has no direct attacks, Ruby shoves Cut, Bullet Seed, a Leaf Stone, and a Rare Candy down his throat. Buddy is effectively exploded into a badass Vileplume wielding a gun and katana.
Blamo
Ruby's Voltorb, which evolves into an Electrode. One of his most powerful team members.
- The Ace: He takes down several Gyms by himself.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin: During his death, there's an explosion.
Antagonists
Gary Oak
Professor Oak's grandson, another aspiring Champion, and a persistent thorn in Ruby's side.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: The Episode 19 flashback shows that he is verbally abusive towards his Squirtle.
- Jerkass: Even more than in the original game. His assholeishness caused his Squirtle to grow into an expy of The Joker (specifically, the interpretation from The Dark Knight) and become an Evil Former Friend to Bruce.
- The Rival: He's the most prominent and personal antagonist to Ruby throughout the Kanto arc.
- Smug Snake: He constantly taunts Ruby about how much better than him he is, despite never beating him in a battle.
Squirtle/Wartortle/Blastoise
Gary's starter. An old friend of Bruce's who quickly becomes his archenemy due to abuse from Gary and the escalating rivalry between Gary and Ruby.
- Arch-Enemy: Has a very personal enmity with Bruce due to their former friendship falling apart.
- The Dog Bites Back: After being pushed too far by Gary in the epilogue, he finally snaps, rams him into his shoulder cannon, and blasts him away to kingdom come.
- Expy: Of The Joker, particularly the Christopher Nolan version of the character.
- Practically Joker: Betrayed by his friends, driven insane, and develops a fascination with humor and smiles after becoming convinced that society is playing a joke on him.
- Starter Mon: Gary Oak's first ever Pokémon.
- We Used to Be Friends: With Bruce, until their trainers' rivalry drives them apart.
Mewtwo
A legendary Pokémon sealed in Cerulean Cave. Has sinister designs involving Ruby.
- Being Tortured Makes You Evil: The torture he suffered at the hands of his creators drove him to misanthropy and evil.
- Big Bad: The overarching main villain of the Kanto arc.
- Final Boss: The final opponent Ruby faces in the Kanto arc.
- Kill All Humans: His endgame is to wipe out all of humanity in order to get revenge for being tortured when he was created.
- Manipulative Bastard: Takes the form of Ruby's deceased Nuzleaf in order to manipulate him into unsealing him.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: He cannot leave Cerulean Cave as long as Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Mew are still alive. Therefore, he manipulates Ruby into killing them all.
Season 3
Luke
Ruby's starter in the Unova region, an Oshawott/Dewott.
- Making a Splash: He's a water type.
- Starter Mon: Ruby's initial Pokémon in the Unova region.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Ruby really didn't want to choose Luke as his Unova starter Pokémon, and initially treats him somewhat coldly (even stating early into their journey that he intended to replace Luke with a better catch when he could). Downplayed somewhat in Ruby does end up warming to him, but declares Vincent to be his favourite.
Victini
Ruby's legendary. Enjoys blogging and shopping for handbags on Etsy.
- Blood Knight: He considers being used to simply weaken a wild Pokémon for capture rather than to defeat it outright to be a waste of his talents. He always hungers to battle against a Worthy Opponent.
- Jerkass: He's a bit of a dick.
- Olympus Mons: He's the first Legendary Pokémon fielded by Ruby.
- Real Men Wear Pink: Shops for handbags on Etsy.
- Really 700 Years Old: ...Maybe. He claims maybe it wasn't actually two hundred years.
Vincent
A cynical Lillipup and Ruby's first catch. Later evolves sometime before Lenora's gym.
- The Cynic: He overhears Ruby and Luke talking and says "You got no chance, punks... y'all ain't shit."
- Dynamic Entry: He tackles N's Purrloin in a football suit from offscreen.
- Pushed in Front of the Audience: Ruby had intended to select Princess to participate in the Nimbasa City Pokémon Musical
, but accidentally chose Vincent instead. Vincent retained a shellshocked expression for the entire performance, but at least the Nimbasa City Times gave a glowing review.
Señor Fluf/Fluff
A weak Purrloin caught on Route 2 and the first HM slave.
- Butt-Monkey: He's always the guy that gets hurt-until his last battle.
- Character Name Limits: A victim of this; the last "f" is cut off by the character limit imposed on Pokémon names (prior to the sixth generation).
- Throw the Dog a Bone: Or cat, in this case. He gets his first victory in battle right before his death.
Hank
A Pansear given away by some random dude.
- Gory Discretion Shot: His death at the talons of N's Pidove.
- Video Game Stealing: "GO RED TEAM! GO!" It ends up being Cut.
Jenny
A Woobat/Swoobat Ruby finds in a cave.
Pauly
A Timburr that helped Ruby catch Victini.
- Character Death: Falls a lethal height from the Rondez-View Ferris Wheel.
- Disney Villain Death: He dies because of a lethal fall, and his body is never shown.
- Handshake Substitute: A fist bump with Ruby.
Isis
A Yamask that knows Ruby's name and eventually evolves into a Cofagrigus. It quickly turns out there's far more to her than meets the eye...
- Buried Alive: How she was murdered as a human.
- I Never Told You My Name: She already knows Ruby's name when he finds her. Ruby assumes she just heard it somewhere, but Jenny isn't so sure. In her previous life as N's mother, Bruce would often regale her and N with tales of their time together.
- Was Once a Man: Yamask are created from the spirits of humans who died. This one used to be Ghetsis' wife.
Cheren
In the original games, he is the player's main rival. Nuzlocke portrays him as a ditzy creepy guy.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: You really see the other side of him against Team Plasma.
