Archetype:Trickster

Trickster
Feared by gods and mortals, Heaven and Hell, John Constantine (DC/Vertigo Comics) is considered the world's greatest conman.
Archetype of:	Trickster

"The Trickster represents the quality of randomness and chance in the universe, without which there could be no freedom. [...] The cosmos is interesting rather than perfect, and everything is not part of some greater plan, nor is all necessarily under control. "

― Starhawk, in The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Goddess (1979), p. 231

"The trickster, the riddler, the keeper of balance, he of the many faces who finds life in death and who fears no evil; he who walks through doors."

― Christopher Paolini (Brisingr)

"I'll kick them in the bollocks and spit on them when they're down, and then I'll be gone back into the darkness, leaving only a nod and a wink and a wisecrack."

― John Constantine (DC/Vertigo Comics)

"It seems you like tricking, but you hate to be tricked!! You may have lived for over 10,000 years. But to compete with my skills, you need another decade!!"

― Joseph Joestar to Kars (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part II: Battle Tendency)

"These things create chaos and mischief as easy as breathing. [...] Tricksters target the high and the mighty, knock 'em down a peg, usually with a sense of humor – deadly pranks, things like that."

― Bobby Singer (Supernatural, 2X15, "Tall Tales")

"My teammates are all pretty good when it comes to meeting strength with strength. Problem is they're a little too earnest when it comes to doing battle. They tend to get tripped up by opponents who fight dirty. Fortunately, they have me to handle sneaky folk like you who rely on all manner of trickery, because I have no problem with getting down in the gutter!"

― Master Roshi (Dragon Ball Super)

The power of character who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior.

Also Called

• Con Man
• Cunning
• The Cunning One
• Fool
• Jester
• Joker
• Master Manipulator
• Mastermind
• Mischief Maker/Mastery
• Trickery Mastery
• The One Who Lurks in The Shadows
• Puppeteer
• Sneak
• Topnotch Actor
• Ultimate Grifter

Properties

User is a trickster: a god, goddess, spirit, anthropomorphic animal, man or woman who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior. Trickster openly questions and mocks authority encourage impulse and enthusiasm, seeks out new ideas and experiences, destroys convention and complacency, and promotes chaos and unrest. At the same time, tricksters bring new knowledge and wisdom. Even when punished horribly for their effrontery, their indomitable spirit (or sheer foolishness) keeps them coming back for more.

Tricksters can be anything from gods of chaos, bedeviling heroes for a few laughs, to master manipulators who use cruel ploys and sadistic choices. They can also be heroes (or more likely anti-heroes) who make up for a lack of strength or bravery with manipulation, planning, or outright cheating. Tricksters are often masters of disguise and may have magical powers.

Associated Powers

• Combat Perception
  • Enhanced/Supernatural/Absolute Gambling Mastery
  • Enhanced Instincts
  • Enhanced/Supernatural/Absolute Intelligence
  • Enhanced/Supernatural/Absolute Reflexes
  • Enhanced/Supernatural/Absolute Senses
  • Enhanced/Supernatural/Absolute Thievery
  • Enhanced/Supernatural/Absolute Wisdom
  • Enhanced/Supernatural/Absolute Wits
• Disguise Mastery
• Escapology Mastery
• Indomitable Will
• Luck
• Magicians Mastery
• Path Making
• Scam Artistry
• Tactical Genius
  • Psychological Mastery
• Trapping Mastery
• Unpredictability
• Vocal Mind Control
  • Treachery Inducement

Variations

• Con Artist
• Gadfly
• Illusionist
• Rebel
• Trickster Deity

Associations/Relationships

• Gadfly
• Rebel: The user is closely related to rebellious tendencies. Commonly apprehensive and opposed to authority, may be for a good reason (A good-willed Trickster against a tyrannical government) or an antagonistic manner (Opposing the system to deceivingly overtake it).
• Trickster Deity: Transcendent version of this archetype.
  • Absolute Unpredictability
  • Chaos Manipulation
  • Fraud Empowerment
  • Freedom
  • Hidden Arsenal
  • Hypercompetence
  • Hyper Instincts
  • Illusion Manipulation
    • Absolute Illusion
  • Intuitive Aptitude
  • Lie Manipulation
  • Magic
    • Magic Mastery
  • Probability Manipulation
  • Rule Bending
  • Shapeshifting
    • Gender Transformation

Flaws/Weaknesses

• Due to their very nature, tricksters may be unable to stay away from trouble.
• Since some tricksters are physically weak, they are limited to outsmarting the opponent by using tricks to win.
• May be unable to trick those with Reality Perception.
• People may find the user untrustworthy due to their nature of causing mischief and manipulating others.

Example Characters

See also The Trickster and Tricksters.

Anime/Manga/Manhwa

• Soh Woonhwi (Absolute Sword Sense)
• Chelsea (Akame Ga Kill!)
• Zora Ideale (Black Clover)
• Gin Ichimaru (Bleach)
• Kisuke Urahara (Bleach)
• Sosuke Aizen (Bleach)
• Aion (Chrono Crusade)
• Utsugi Tsukimiya (A Destructive God Sits Next to Me)
• Mitsune (Disaster Fox Kuzure-chan)
• Truth (Goblin Slayer)
• Taikoubou (Houshin Engi)
• Hisoka Marrow (Hunter X Hunter)
• Shaiapouf (Hunter X Hunter)
• Shippo (InuYasha)
• Suho Kim/Lloyd Frontera (The Greatest Estate Developer)
• Joseph Joestar (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
• Shuuya Kano (Kagerou Project)
• Kan Ki (Kingdom)
• Flip (Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland)
• Cheon Yeo Woon (Nano Machine)
• Haku (Naruto)
• Naruto Uzumaki (Naruto)
• Boruto Uzumaki (Naruto/Boruto: Naruto Next Generations)
• Han Sooyoung (Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint)
• Caesar Clown (One Piece)
• Capone Luke Bege (One Piece)
• Charlotte Pudding (One Piece)
• Donquixote Doflamingo (One Piece)
• Jabra (One Piece)
• Krieg (One Piece)
• Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)
• Usopp (One Piece)
• Teufel Diabolos (Senyu)
• Xelloss (The Slayers)
• Hideyoshi Soya (The Law of Ueki)
• Misogi Kumagawa (Medaka Box)
• Chung Myung (Return of the Blossoming Blade/Return of Mount Hua)
• Malty S Melromarc (Rising of the Shield Hero)
• Lazar (Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's)

Cartoons

• Azula (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
• Peter Griffin (Family Guy)
• Cosmos (IDW's My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)
• Bugs Bunny (Looney Tunes)
• Megamind (Megamind)
• Discord (My Little Pony series)
• Lotso (Toy Story 3)
• Murdoc Niccals (Gorillaz)
• Woody Woodpecker (Woody Woodpecker)
• Luan Loud (The Loud House)
• Bart Simpson (The Simpsons)
• Lisa Simpson (The Simpsons)
• Mother Gothel (Tangled)

Comics

• John Constantine (DC Comics)
• Mister Mxyzptlk (DC Comics)
• Bat-Mite (DC Comics)
• Joker (DC Comics)
• Mammon (Image Comics)
• Flip (Little Nemo)
• Gwenpool (Marvel Comics)
• Impossible Man (Marvel Comics)
• Loki (Marvel Comics)
• Mystique (Marvel Comics)
• Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Marvel Comics)
• Nimona (Nimona)
• White Spy, Black Spy and Grey Spy (Spy vs. Spy)

Folklore/Mythology

• Tricksters (Mythology)
  • Anansi the Spider (African Mythology)
  • Brer Rabbit (African-American Mythology)
  • San Martin Txiki (Basque Mythology)
  • Saci (Brazilian Folklore)
  • Kuma Lisa (Bulgarian Mythology)
  • Sun Wukong (Chinese Mythology)
  • Set ( Egyptian Mythology)
  • Puck/Robin Goodfellow (English Folklore)
  • Reynard (Various European Mythology)
  • Dionysus/Bacchus (Greco-Roman Mythology)
  • Hermes/Mercury (Greco-Roman Mythology)
  • Prometheus (Greco-Roman Mythology)
  • Kitsune (Japanese Mythology)
  • Tanuki (Japanese Mythology)
  • Coyote (Native American Mythology)
  • Loki (Norse Mythology)
  • Māui (Polynesian Mythology)
  • Billy the Kid (Real Life)

Literature

• Cheshire Cat (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
• Hoki (Discworld)
• Agi Hammerthief (Discworld)
• Peeves (Harry Potter)
• Fred and George Weasley (Harry Potter)
• Setne (Kane Chronicles)

Live Television

• The Trickster & His Brigade (Doctor Who/The Sarah Jane Adventures)
• The Doctor (Doctor Who)
• The Master (Doctor Who)
• Ace Ukiyo/Kamen Rider Geats (Kamen Rider Geats)
• Kaguragi Dybowski/Hachi Ohger (Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger)
• Jeramie Brasieri/Spider Kumonos (Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger)
• Q (Star Trek: TNG)
• Gabriel (Supernatural); also called Loki
• Tricksters (Supernatural)
• Kitsune (Teen Wolf)
  • Noshiko Yukimura
  • Nogitsune

Video Games

• Hazama/Yuuki Terumi (BlazBlue)
• Queen of Maggots (The Cat Lady/Downfall Remake)
• Araskes (Destiny)
• Erevan Ilesere (Forgotten Realms)
• Fizz, the Tidal Trickster (League of Legends)
• Zoe, the Aspect of Twilight (League of Legends)
• Ren Amamiya/Akira Kurusu/Joker (Persona 5)
• The Contessa (Sly Cooper)
• Dr. M (Sly Cooper)
• Cyrille Le Paradox (Sly Cooper)
• Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog)
• Yukari Yakumo (Touhou Project)
• Tewi Inaba (Touhou Project)
• Trickster (Valkyrie Crusade)
• Loki (Valkyrie Crusade)
• Puck (Valkyrie Crusade)
• Cegorach, the Laughing God (Warhammer 40k)
• The Changeling, the Trickster of Tzeentch (Warhammer 40k)
• Mephet'ran the Deceiver (Warhammer 40k)
• Lukas Strifeson (Warhammer 40k)
• Tzeentch (Warhammer 40k)

Other

• Beetlejuice (Beetlejuice)
• Carrotjuice (Channel Awesome)
• Coyote (Gunnerkrigg Court)
• Reynard (Gunnerkrigg Court)
• Jane Crocker (Homestuck); via spiral sucker
• Jake English, Roxy Lalonde, Dirk Strider (Homestuck); via significant contact with other people in Trickster Mode
• Low Sequence Beyonders (Lord of the Mysteries); Fool/Seer Pathway
• Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean)
• SCP-1447-1 - Tulpa (SCP Foundation)
• SCP-1848 (SCP Foundation)
• Saturn Deer (SCP Foundation)
• John Doe (UnOrdinary)
• Michael Myers (Halloween)

Gallery

Anime/Manga/Manhwa

Hazama/Yuuki Terumi (Blazblue) is known as the 'God of Trolling' because of his use of obnoxious and sarcastic remarks to either hurt people's feelings or manipulate their emotional responses in his favor.

Sosuke Aizen (Bleach) is an extraordinary master of trickery and deception; he had deceived Soul Society for a century and manipulated the entire Gotei 13 for his own goals.

Aion (Chrono Crusade)

From a young age, Joseph Joestar (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) was considered a master trickster, outsmarting a variety of opponents with dirty and unpredictable tactics, including beings that have lived for over tens of thousands of years.

Hisoka (Hunter X Hunter) is a deadly hunter with equal strengths in both physical and mental categories, but his most deadly aspect is his unpredictable nature. Doing things that will either amuse him or not.

As one of the royal guards Shaiapouf (Hunter X Hunter) is extremely loyal to Meruem however in truth he is truly loyal to himself and Meruem and is willing to betray, deceive and manipulate anyone who stands in his way even his fellow royal guards.

Naruto Uzumaki (Naruto) can use his skills in unique and confusing ways.

Like his father, Boruto Uzumaki (Naruto/Boruto: Naruto Next Generations) is tricky and smart despite his age. Even though being a genin, he excels on chunin if not jonin-level, as he creates new jutsu's his own ways.

Obito Uchiha (Naruto) was so skilled in his acting such as "Tobi", he was able to deceive almost everyone in the entire world that he was "Madara Uchiha", down to his voice.

Han Sooyoung (Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint) often takes advantage of her Avatar skill to fool her targets for her desired end.

While not the smartest guy around, Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece) can be sneaky and has some clever attacks.

Usopp (One Piece) is a highly skilled and experienced liar. His fighting style revolves mostly around outsmarting the opponent through clever tactics and trickery.

Living up to his wolf tendencies, Jabra (One Piece) has been known to trick people through convincing lies so he could attack them when their guard is down.

Donquixote Doflamingo (One Piece) dethrone King Riku and disgraced the Riku bloodline, making him look like a hero in front of Dressrosa.

Krieg (One Piece) lives up to his moniker "Foul Play" as his tactics revolve around using dishonest and underhanded methods to defeat his enemies.

Capone Bege (One Piece) is a master of bluffing...

... tricking Caesar Clown, an expert liar himself, to surrender.

A master of deception, Charlotte Pudding (One Piece) is a master of deception, she feigned kindness and innocence to completely concealed her true wicked nature, her victims who fell for her trickery includes not only the Straw Hats but the entire citizens of Tottoland.

Xelloss (The Slayers) "Sore wa Himitsu desu~!" ("That is a secret~!")

Malty S Melromarc (Rising of the Shield Hero) is always manipulating and betraying everyone she meets. Those who have believed her lies have lost everything they had as she laughs at their despair, something the Four Heroes all experienced firsthand.

Azaka Utsuho (Itsuwaribito)

Cartoons/Comics

Azula's (Avatar: The Last Airbender) intelligence made her very skillful in manipulating people.

Joker's (DC Comics) cunning is matched only by his sadism.

Lorenzo (American Dad!) made a deal with Roger Smith to teach him guitar lessons that will ensure his victory against Jamal at the cost of his soul…

…but Roger cunningly conned Jamal into covering the "price for [his guitar] lessons", saving Roger from Lorenzo's grasp at the cost of Jamal's soul.

Bugs Bunny (Looney Tunes) is perhaps one of the sneakiest characters in cartoon history.

Loki (Marvel Comics) is the Norse God of Mischief.

Mystique (Marvel Comics) uses her shape-shifting powers to deceive people often.

Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Marvel Comics) often uses tricks to take out his opponents.

Alejandro (Total Drama World Tour) is the most untrustworthy and manipulative player in Total Drama history.

Luan Loud (The Loud House)

The Fool Pathway (Lord of the Mysteries) seems to be about fooling perceptions and reality. It specializes in illusions, changing appearances, controlling other people as marionettes, divination, and strong muscle and facial expression control. At high sequences, they can create countless miracles, turn their marionettes into another copy of themselves, bring things (including themselves) from the past to the present, create a mysterious environment that's full of tampering and concealment, and are able to fool all sorts of things. Their authority represents Secrets and Changes.

Nimona (Nimona)

Video Games

Araskes the Trickster (Destiny)

Zoe, the Twilight (League of Legends)

Ren Amamiya/Akira Kurusu/Joker (Persona 5) is known as The Trickster for his determinaiton to stand against fate.

The Contessa (Sly Cooper) was able to fool Interpol into sending her criminals who she then steals from.

Dr. M is a skilled manipulator, tricking Sly into leading him through the Cooper Vault via a tracer placed on his cane and planting doubt in Bentley's mind about his friendship with Sly.

Cyrille Le Paradox (Sly Cooper:Thieves in Time) was shown to be an adept manipulator, having been able to persuade El Jefe, Toothpick, Grizz, Penelope, and Ms. Decibel to join him, only to betray them all in the end.

Tewi Inaba (Touhou Project) Trickster, Luck-bringer, Leader of the Rabbits of Earth.

Others

Loki (Norse Mythology) is the god of mischief.

Carrotjuice (Channel Awesome) is a rabbit-like creature and a parody of Beetlejuice, taking the Nostalgia Critic's personal hard-drive and messing with him constantly.

The Trickster (Sarah Jane Adventures)

Gabriel (Supernatural), also called Loki, was an avid trickster during his time amongst humanity.

Beetlejuice (Beetlejuice)

Ace Ukiyo/Kamen Rider Geats (Kamen Rider Geats)

Kaguragi Dybowski/Hachi Ohger (Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger) is the cunning Lord of Toufu.

Jeramie Brasieri/Spider Kumonos (Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger)

Michael Myers (Halloween series) is well-known for tricking and deceiving his victims and targets adroitly, despite his completely mute and stealthy nature.

Videos

Joseph joestar vs straits (part 1)-2

JJBA Joseph defeats Esidisi-2

ジョジョ- Joseph vs. Wamuu (5)『 HD』-2

ジョジョ- Joseph vs. Wamuu 『 Final』-2

Joseph Outsmarts The Empress's Outsmarting

(2-3) Joseph Joestar vs D'Arby the Elder (Eng Sub)

(3-3) Joseph Joestar vs D'Arby the Elder (Eng Sub)

JJBA Stardust Crusaders - Joseph Joestar Vs Dio- Battle of Wits-2

Supernatural - Sam and Dean meet Crowley - S5E10-2

Supernatural Bobby sold his soul "Did you kiss him?" 5x21-2

Crowley - Loss My Head S6E10-2

Crowley - Off His Rocker! S7E23-2

Supernatural - Dean and Crowley fight demons - S9E11 - Logoless

Supernatural - Dean becomes a demon - S9E23 - Logoless-2

SCP-953 Polymorphic Humanoid (SCP Animation)