http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CharClone

Narrator: Anyway, he must use this seizure-inducing machine to save the world! And/or space colonies.

Neo Roanoke: But to do so he has to get through me, the conflicted villain who also serves as his main rival. Also, I have a cool mask.

Rau Le Creuset: Hey, wait a second, you're just copying me.

Zechs Merquise: No, you're copying me.

Cronicle Asher: No, both of you are copying me.

Char Aznable: No, all of you are copying me! Gundam: A Summary Anyway, he must use this seizure-inducing machine to save the world! And/or space colonies.But to do so he has to get through me, the conflicted villain who also serves as his main rival. Also, I have a cool mask.Hey, wait a second, you're just copying me.No, you're copying me.No, both of you are copying me.No,of you are copying

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A Char Clone is a character who is based on Char Aznable from the Gundam franchise, a Fountain of Expies. The Gundam series was (and is) wildly popular in Japan, with a cultural impact comparable to Star Trek or Doctor Who in the West. Char, an antagonist in the original Mobile Suit Gundam, became the most iconic character of the series, outpacing even the main characters and the Big Bad in popularity. Given the sheer number of characters that reference, homage, or flat out are Char with a different name, they eventually became known as Char clones.

A brief history of the original Char: in Mobile Suit Gundam, he was The Rival to the main character. A mysterious masked man with distinctive blond hair, he was an Ace Pilot called the Red Comet with a penchant for piloting Ace Custom mecha painted red (which was said to be three times faster than its mundane counterpart, despite the only visual difference being its color). Over the course of the series, it is revealed that Char has a hidden agenda — avenging his father, who was assassinated by the series Big Bad — and that his estranged sister is part of the heroes' crew. In the sequel series, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, he adopts a Paper-Thin Disguise and makes a HeelFace Turn, allying with the good guys and acting as The Mentor for the new generation. His final appearance comes in the appropriately-named Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack, where he's a villain again, attempting to drop a giant asteroid onto Earth for the good of mankind. Expect to see these traits in a Char clone:

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Other than those universal aspects, these characters tend to fall into one of three aspects, which could be roughly aligned with the three works Char appeared in: Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, and Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack. The bolded parts are mainly the defining role of that character. When two or more of these types of Char Clone appear in a story, they need not be the same character at different points in the timeline; it's perfectly acceptable to split up Char's three primary roles into multiple clones, and indeed this is what's more often done so as to help the clones distinguish themselves from the original.

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Incidentally, Char himself is based off Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron (at least in terms of characterization. His visual design was based on Prince Sharkin of Raideen, while his name is a reference to famous French singer Charles Aznavour).

Char Clone is a character-specific subtrope of Fountain of Expies. Compare Stock Shōnen Rival, Shana Clone, Rei Ayanami Expy, and Darth Vader Clone.note The fact that many traits are shared between these two character archetypes is not entirely coincidental. Not to be confused with expies of Charmander, Charmeleon, and Charizard. See also Red-plica Baron; Char being an expy of Richthofen makes this whole trope an expy of an expy of the original Red Baron.

Examples:

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Anime & Manga

Comic Books

Robin: Red Hood is Batman's crime-fighting rival who comes off of as a Well-Intentioned Extremist due to his utter disdain for Batman's one rule. His deadlier fighting style and namesake Cool Helmet gives him a Char look.

Literature

Live-Action TV

Tabletop Games

Video Games

Visual Novels

While not from a mecha-game (and thus not a mech-pilot), Godot from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations meets some of the criteria of a Char Clone. To wit, he's a masked, white-haired stranger who's introduced as an enigma with quite the reputation, he has an intense rivalry with the main charcter (if mostly from his side in his particular case), he's revealed to have been connected to another major cast member ( namely, he and Mia used to be lovers ), and while introduced as antagonistic he reveals more sympathetic qualities over the course of the story. Earlier concept art actually shows that his mask looked a lot like Char Aznable's before the makers settled on the design seen in the final version.

), and while introduced as antagonistic he reveals more sympathetic qualities over the course of the story. Earlier concept art actually shows that his mask looked a lot like Char Aznable's before the makers settled on the design seen in the final version. Luna-Terra is Heaven Will Be Mine's take on the Char Clone. She's the light-haired Ace Pilot Red Baron of the Memorial Foundation. She's also previously, openly betrayed the organization she still works for, and is Older and Wiser than the other protagonists.

Webcomics

Operator: Just about the only named enemy character is blond-haired Humongous Mecha ace Jaeger, who incidentally wears red and seems to exist purely to fight the main character one-on-one.

Web Animation

RWBY: Adam Taurus' sword is a crimson red katana, his semblance is described as being a stronger version of Yang's, similar to the original and his mech , he wears a mask or bandana until a big unmasking reveals that his left eye has been branded by anti-Faunus racists , and he has a relationship with the main cast in the form of Blake, who he was a mentor and lover of . The only exception to the typical Char Clone is Adam's red hair instead of blond hair. Similarly to another clone, he was the leader of the White Fang.

Western Animation