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A word that is used to describe who is the narrator and how he addresses the characters.

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When the writer makes the main character the narrator and uses pronouns like I, me, and we.

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The series of related events in a story or play, sometimes called the story line.

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Story Elements - Plot - Main Events - Literacy Short Clips

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The beginning of the story. It is where the characters are the setting is introduced.

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Where the story starts to make conflicts and roadblocks for the characters to overcome.

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Where the story has the most suspense and the turning point of the story.

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Is the time where the plot slows down and characters reflect after the climax.

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The conclusion or ending of the story.

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Where the story is taking place and is going to take place.

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The protagonist is typically the good guy commonly the main character. The antagonist is typically the bad guy someone trying to prevent the protagonist.

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Features
Here's a look at the best and worst appearances of the Joker on Batman: The Animated Series.

It really is amazing how many things Batman: The Animated Series got right. Whether it was the fantastic writing, art design, or voice acting, it always got right to the soul of its characters. Mr. Freeze was in an issue of Grant Morrison's Animal Man with the joke being that he was a forgotten relic lost to obscurity. Two years later, "Heart of Ice" defined him as such an interesting character that they went on to put him in a movie.

Not a good movie, but still! Arnold Schwarzenegger played him! That's huge!

The Joker was already popular thanks to many factors, but Mark Hamill brought some extra life to the character and gave us what many would consider the ultimate take on the Clown Prince of Crime. He was the right level of charismatic, psychotic, funny, crafty, and flat-out dangerous. If it wasn't for Clayface being a thing, he would have been the most animated villain on the show.

To celebrate the new Joker movie, we thought we'd take a look back at the Joker's appearances on Batman: The Animated Series and the New Adventures of Batman and Robin to rank them from worst to best. Of course, this is only the core Batman show. Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League Unlimited, and the animated movies are off the table.

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I'm also going with episodes where Joker has at least a supporting role. Merely hearing his laughter in Lock-Up doesn't cut it.

19. LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT

On its own, Legends of the Dark Knight is a great episode. It's about how Batman is a concept that's seen many incarnations and at the end of the day, he's a marriage of silly, badass, and flamboyant concepts. But as a Joker episode? Eh.

The first chunk of the episode is a hearsay retelling of a Batman adventure in the style of the old 1950s Dick Sprang comics. Batman takes part in ridiculous fight scenes, calls Robin "chum," and has the voice of the original Space Ghost. While the Joker gets voiced by Michael McKean instead of Mark Hamill, he's otherwise...not that different?
read more: Joker Movie Review
Other than the art direction, there's nothing really dissimilar about this Joker. Even the part where he intimidates his goons into laughing at his joke is the kind of behavior we've seen him do.

18. OLD WOUNDS

I recall how when they did the Green Hornet crossover episode of Batman '66, they originally intended to bring in the Penguin as the villain. Then they realized that Burgess Meredith was going to be wasted because viewers only cared about Green Hornet showing up (and retroactively, everyone only cares about Kato being there). So instead they just had Batman, Green Hornet, and their sidekicks take on some guy whose supervillain gimmick was that he really liked alphabet soup and stamps. Bruce Lee still kicked Burt Ward into another timezone, so viewers were happy.

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read more: 10 Times the Joker Almost Nailed Batman
"Old Wounds" is a very important episode. Not only does it show that Batman knows Batgirl's secret identity and makes it so that she knows about Bruce and Dick's dual lives, but it's all about Dick quitting his life as Robin in a fit of rage. Less important stuff includes Tim Drake Robin being part of the framing device and a subplot about a father who dips his toe in crime and then gets a second chance via Batman's compassion.

Meanwhile, Joker is the main villain and his big plan is something with radar disruptors. He just feels unnecessary here. He's the fifth or sixth most important character in this episode and that's no place for Mr. J.

Oh, and that awful pager noise early on helps vindicate the low ranking. Yikes.

17. HOLIDAY KNIGHTS

It's another anthology episode and of the four segments that make it up, Joker's is the least interesting. It doesn't help that we already have a holiday-based Joker story. At least this part takes place during New Year's Eve to make it slightly fresh.

It's an excuse to show us Joker's new animated design and introduce Tim Drake Robin into the mix. It doesn't do much more than that.

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read more: The Actors Who Have Played The Joker
It is pretty nifty that they decide that now's the time to explicitly show that Joker's been killing people to the point that we see close-ups of their smiling corpses. Ah, the stuff you can get away with in children's entertainment sometimes.

16. THE LAST LAUGH

This feels like the most generic Batman vs. Joker story you can tell. On April Fools' Day, Joker has a garbage boat filled with gas that's turning everyone into laughing lunatics so he can rob them. Batman has to stop him, though they do a good job raising the stakes by having Alfred affected and put in danger of permanent insanity.

Really, the best thing this episode has going for it is Captain Clown, a creepy robot programmed to drive Joker's boat and crush Batman. Before we find out what Captain Clown's deal is, he's really, really unnerving due to both his creepy default look and the very Michael Myers way he stalks Batman while taking excessive damage.
read more: The Many Deaths of the Joker
The rest of the episode just looks at its watch and waits for Batman to have survived the Joker's machinations long enough that Joker can trip over a wire and almost die. This is the Joker's second appearance on the show and the second time he loses because he trips over something while running away. Maybe the censored death scene from Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (where he runs away and stumbles into puddle with an exposed wire nearby) was more fitting after all.

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Good little moment worth mentioning is when Joker makes a joke about "laughing stocks" in regards to the stock market. He does his usual cackle while his two henchmen look like, "Ugh. This fucking guy..." If only he had a lackey who really understood his sense of humor. If only.

15. THE MAN WHO KILLED BATMAN

This one's always felt a little half-baked to me. Maybe because of how ridiculous Rupert Thorne comes off in the way he insists Sid the Squid is a criminal mastermind in spite of everything. Joker, on the other hand, plays the part well. He knows that Sid's so-called victory over Batman was pure luck. He's just pissed about it enough to kill the poor man.
read more - The Best Batman: The Animated Series Episodes
For his time in the episode, Joker's great. His eulogy for Batman is the highlight of the episode and Harley's involvement gives us a made-it-past-the-censors joke about Harvey Bullock having a tiny penis. Thumbs up.

Still, there's this push that Sid barely surviving Joker's murder attempt is somehow "making a fool out of him." Enough that criminals idolize him. It feels unearned to me.

14. CHRISTMAS WITH THE JOKER

It's an episode I can easily watch every December. It's a fine introduction to the idea of Batman and Robin vs. the Joker. There are some decent crime clown gags thrown in there. That said, the episode really runs out of gas about halfway in. After the wonderful setup and the scene where a crying Summer Gleeson points out that Joker's put her mother in peril, the episode just kind of happens until it's over.

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read more: The Best Batman Beyond Episodes
Seriously, the reason Joker loses is because he trips on a roller skate when running away. That's it. Right after Batman is able to swing across a vat of boiling liquid death and catch Commissioner Gordon, Summer Gleeson, AND Harvey Bullock at the same time. A lot of little things mix with the finding-its-footing animation to make this one of the less grounded installments of an otherwise grounded series.

Also, I can't help but obsess about the candy cane gags used to keep his prisoners silent. Were they covered in crazy glue? Why were they so good at keeping everyone's mouth shut when they weren't tied to anything? Why didn't it hurt like hell whenever Joker briefly removed them?

13. BE A CLOWN

Props to Mark Hamill for taking the concept of "play a clown pretending to be another clown" and hitting it out of the park. He voices the HELL out of Jekko.

This little adventure is like a prototype for a way better Joker story. Namely, the idea of Joker taking a kid under his wing and showing him the ropes is a really good one. It's a promising idea that will ultimately lead him to his own death one day, but that'll be a while. Instead, we're stuck with Jordan, who is a total wiener.
read more: What the Joker Movie Controversy Gets Wrong

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I get it. It's still a kids' show. You aren't going to get away with having Jordan consider being a maniac's sidekick. I just wish he had more of a mean streak in him to add some extra conflict. Otherwise, you're left with a basic Batman vs. Joker story with a peppered subplot of, "Wait, you mean the creepy clown living in an abandoned building is EVIL?!" Jordan's so lucky he didn't get Georgie'd, the little dumbass.

On the upside, it ends with the old Batman thumbs up animation. It's really sweet when you realize how much of a win it is for Batman that the rich kid gets a second chance to connect with his father.

12. THE STRANGE SECRET OF BRUCE WAYNE

Gritty or not, Dr. Hugo Strange is a hard fit for a Batman cartoon, but this episode does a good job incorporating him. The way the episode is written, the inclusion of Joker, Two-Face, and Penguin is a bit of a crutch. About 2/3 in, once Batman screws over Strange, the episode is practically over. Batman's third act mission is not about his own survival but the decision that Hugo Strange probably shouldn't be killed by mutated criminals.
read more: The Secrets of the Joker Movie
For the time he appears, Joker makes the most of his screentime. He's the right amount of goofball and ominous. I also like that whenever the two share an episode, Joker and Penguin strangely seem to get along. Penguin, one of the sanest arch-criminals, never seems annoyed with the Joker's behavior and Joker never really antagonizes him like the other villains. I guess when it comes to style, game respects game.

That part with the villains pooling their monetary resources together as part of an auction never really made that much sense to me. But whatever. It's the Joker.

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11. HARLEQUINADE

Joker's plan here is as simple as it is excessive: blow up Gotham with a nuke. Batman makes a deal to bring Harley Quinn in to track him down and the team-up goes better than it has any right to. This is really more of a Harley episode than a Joker one, but he has his moments.

On a writing level, I do like that Harley controls the situation. Batman and Robin have Joker and his goons beat until Harley double-crosses them. Then Harley turns things around again once she turns on the Joker. She even asserts herself against him more than any other episode and shows full intent to kill the guy.
read more: Everything You Need to Know About the Birds of Prey Movie
In the big picture, it's a fitting ending, since a gun with a bang dart would be Joker's ultimate undoing. It's just that Harley doesn't get the honor.

Otherwise, there's not much to say about "Harlequinade." Decent episode but not really a stand-out.

10. TRIAL

No superhero series would be complete without the "shitload of villains team up" episode. It's done in a way that's very loosely based on Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth comic, but also works against the tired argument that all these psychos exist because Batman exists. Being the villain known for having a lax backstory, Joker sidesteps the proceedings by playing judge. The perfect role for THE Batman bad guy.

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A fun game to play here is figuring out which voice actors they didn't feel like hiring for the story. Don't think I didn't notice you sitting in the background and doing absolutely nothing, Riddler!
read more: How The Man Who Laughs Inspired the Joker
Sometimes it's easy to wonder why various villains don't just band together like this and the finale really shows why a Batman revenge squad doesn't work out. Sure, putting a bunch of Superman villains up against Superman is a good idea. The Sinister Six going after Spider-Man makes sense. Batman, on the other hand, has a bunch of villains who are just normal folk in colorful outfits. Unless your team has the steroid luchador or the unkillable mud blob, you're just throwing bodies against a high-tech ninja who can take out a dozen men with little problem. Who would you rather have on your side when fighting Batman: a regular henchman built like a linebacker or a scrawny guy whose superpower is that he's good at Sudoku and tells on himself?

After Batman deals with two of the most physically imposing enemies (the guy with a skin condition and the gymnast fangirl), everyone else is easy pickings. Then Joker gets to shine when he steps up as the final boss of the big villain team-up. As it should be.

9. BEWARE THE CREEPER

My main problem with "Beware the Creeper" is that I love the Creeper and want to see more from him, but the series is about over at this point and although he joins Justice League Unlimited down the line, he never does anything more than cameo as an extra. He got his own issue of the comic tie-in (coincidentally, with an incredibly similar plot to "Harlequinade"), but it's not enough!

The episode is about Joker getting a taste of his own medicine. He exposes reporter Jack Ryder to his trademark laughing gas and throws him into the same acid that mutated his skin and hair. The prolonged dip doesn't kill Ryder, but makes him stronger. A vengeful Creeper arises, out to bring Joker to justice by fighting crazy with crazy. It's the closest thing we'll ever get to a Batman/Freakazoid team-up.

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read more - Creepy Clowns are Nothing New: A Brief but Disturbing History
His endless creeping on Harley...might not have aged well. It's played for laughs for the most part, but at the end, when she's exhaustingly telling him to leave her alone while he's pawing at her feels ickier than it should. Then he buries his head in her boobs while falling unconscious. Sure.

The series has to come up with more ways for Joker's defeat to mean something and having him come crawling to Batman because he's too freaked out by Creeper's behavior is a fitting way to see him take an L.

8. HARLEY AND IVY

Ah, yes. The episode that made my 11-year-old self realize, "Wait, those two are totally doing each other, right?" Then Bruce Timm and DC Comics spent many years making it apparent that yes, absolutely.

This is our first time seeing that Joker and Harley's relationship is a toxic and one-sided one. Joker's abusive and manipulative, but not to the levels that we'll eventually get to. It's enough to make us realize that Harley is capable of being her own character and not just an extension of Joker. Who knows? Maybe one day she can hijack a movie about a team of bird-themed superheroines!
read more: Everything You Need to Know About The Batman Solo Movie

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Joker is a much-needed villain for this episode because while Harley and Ivy are dangerous criminals, we are kind of meant to root for them a little bit. Poison Ivy even gets a badass moment when she shrugs off Joker's laughing gas like it's nothing, feeling an awful lot like when Joker did the same to Scarecrow in Knightfall. Man, how many weaponized-gas-based villains does Batman even deal with?

Ivy's headquarters is on a toxic waste dump, which only seems to exist for the sake of Joker accidentally blowing the place to kingdom come in the end. They use so much of the animation budget on explosion on top of explosion and God bless them for that.

Sadly, his henchmen are probably toast.

7. THE LAUGHING FISH

As a kid, I always thought this one was kind of drab, but revisiting it years later, it's truly one of the best concepts for a Joker plot. It's essentially a gigantic ransom job with a side of bullying wrapped up in nonsense and body horror. They practically go out of their way to explain that the Joker fish are edible, but they're still purely disturbing to look at. How do they even have teeth like that?!

This episode is a nice mixture of several classic Joker stories, but I especially love that it sort of adapts the Joker's very first appearance where he explicitly targets someone at a specific time and all the police protection won't stop him from claiming his victim. They even used the same concept in The Dark Knight.

Quality episode from start to finish, even giving us some mutual respect developed between Batman and Detective Bullock. Also one of the better endings to a Joker story as although we know he doesn't die, they really sell the hell out of the possibility that he does. Like, if this was an animated Disney movie, that would have absolutely been his death scene.

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read more: The Essential Episodes of Tales From the Cryptkeeper
For the record, Joker responding to, "GREAT SCOTT!" with, "Actually, I'm Irish," is one of the harder laughs the character got from me.

6. JOKER'S MILLIONS

This episode is really strange when you look at it. One of the pre-commercial cliffhangers is that some mob goons are going to gun down the Joker. This is an episode where they're trying to tell you, "Uh oh! The Joker's about to die! Stay tuned to see how he gets out of this!"

It's a cathartic installment of the series as we get to see the Joker get shit on for a half hour so badly that in the end, Batman rather happily drags him away from a suicide attempt. But damn if it isn't an entertaining half hour. We get some prime bickering between Joker and Harley, a blatant OJ Simpson trial reference, the unforgettable introduction of Harley 2.0, Joker's intense fear of dealing with the IRS, and even a scene inspired by The Killing Joke.
read more: 10 Hilarious Ways the Original Voltron Censored Death
"Joker's Millions" is a lot of fun for what is essentially a story where the evil serial killer is the protagonist. At least he's at his most harmless (relatively) and he certainly gets his in the end.

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5. MAKE 'EM LAUGH

The Joker tries to get revenge on Roseanne Barr. We're supposed to be opposing this...?

As with Harley Quinn, Captain Clown, and the Jokerz gang from Batman Beyond, there's a goldmine to be found in the idea of Joker-inspired villains. This episode leans into that and gives us the debut of three comedians-turned-villains who knock it out of the park with gimmicks that are inane, but too stupid not to love. Hell, Condiment King got to show up in Lego Batman! Good for him!

Has it ever been said who is based on who? While Mighty Mom is obviously Roseanne, I always figured Condiment King was Jay Leno. Pack Rat gives me a Rick Moranis vibe, but he doesn't fit the stand-up comedian aspect.
read more: The Scariest Episodes of The Real Ghostbusters
It's a strong Joker story, mostly because it's about a genuine obsession that's more than just him trying to best Batman and act on whims. That trophy means more to him than all the diamonds in the world and by the time he gets it and receives laughter from an audience of onlookers, it's a true monkey's paw situation that outlines how much of a loser he truly is.

4. JOKER'S WILD

This makes for a great companion piece to "The Laughing Fish." Considering how much of that plot had to do with Joker's ego and identity, it fits that someone would try to use that very concept against him. Cameron Kaiser's attempts to build a casino are causing him to go bankrupt, so he dresses it up as a Joker-themed place of business to piss the villain off enough to blow the place to smithereens and allow Kaiser to swim in the insurance money.

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read more: Why is Vehicle Voltron Forgotten?
Two things I want to talk about with this plan. First, Kaiser tries to play off his use of the Joker by talking up how it's a concept that's always been tied to playing cards, so whatever. It's such a laughably bullshit excuse because there are female employees walking around in red and black, skintight jester outfits with facepaint.

Second, Kaiser fumbles harder than nearly any Batman villain by absolutely getting the best of the Caped Crusader and then following it up with the decision to throw Batman into a confrontation with the Joker. Batman blabs the whole plot and screws up everything for Kaiser immediately.

"Joker's Wild" also has one of my favorite Batman tropes that doesn't get used enough. Joker's used to getting played by Batman, but nothing is more satisfying than seeing Bruce Wayne screw with Joker. Sure, Batman can punch him in the teeth, but Bruce Wayne can drive him madder with his competent smarm.

3. ALMOST GOT 'IM

This one doesn't even need a finale about saving Catwoman to be one of the all-time best episodes of any cartoon. Just seeing the villains chilling out and playing off each other feels like seeing a great Brian Michael Bendis comic in action. Toss in some fantastic action sequences without having to spend time on building up the narrative and you get pure gold.

For me, the highlight is the whole Croc disguise. Watching the episode and paying extra attention to every little thing Croc says and does makes Batman look like a better actor than Matt Hagan ever was. Not just for the rock gag, but for taking a dive against Poison Ivy and acting confused by Penguin's vocabulary.
read more: Extreme Ghostbusters is Better Than You Remember
But this list is about the Joker. While he is only a cog in the awesome machine, the episode still makes it very apparent that he is the king of the Gotham criminals. He destroys them in cards (via cheating, most likely) as he goes into his story about how he came closer than anyone at killing Batman. And who could forget that beautiful, emotionless facial expression when Batman/Croc tells them all, "I threw a rock at 'im!"

In the end, while it may arguably be the best episode of Batman: The Animated Series, it's still an ensemble piece and it can only go so far on a list of Joker stories.

Oh, and one more thing. The ending sort of insinuates that Batman just beats the shit out of a defenseless Harley Quinn for trying to kill Catwoman. Huh.

2. MAD LOVE

"Mad Love" is the final episode of Batman: The Animated Series and there's something completely fitting about it. One of the things that made the show work so well was that it took Batman's rogues gallery and made them sympathetic. Nearly everyone has been given some level of pathos, from Two-Face to Clayface to Rupert Thorne. Even Penguin had his emotional spotlight. Joker was one of the very few to never get that kind of treatment.

This last episode plays at the idea of getting behind the Joker. Through a lengthy flashback, we see how he was able to win over Dr. Harleen Quinzel by telling her about his abusive childhood and how being a funnyman was based on his desire to earn love from his monster of a father. It's something that, when taken at face value, is up there with Harvey Dent's repressed anger and Jervis Tetch's social issues. But it's all a lie and it destroys the life of a promising woman who's tried to help society.
read more: The Craziest Episodes of the Beetlejuice Animated Series
The big twist is that this isn't the Joker's heartbreaking day in the sun, but Harley's. Batman: The Animated Series ends with a sad look at the backstory of its own creation. "Mad Love" is part of the show's ultimate legacy and treats Harley Quinn as a human being while Joker is nothing more than a force of nature that chooses to spread evil like a plague.

We also find that in the end, Harley is proven better than the Joker, retroactively winning the "Almost Got 'Im" game according to Batman himself. And the tragic part is that she's too broken on the inside to realize that and folds the moment Joker tries to manipulate her again.

On another note, I love that in the first episode, the showrunners got some flack for having Batman bleed out of his mouth. In his final one-on-one with Joker, we get bloody mouths from both hero and villain. What are they going to do, cancel them?

1. JOKER'S FAVOR

This one's well-known for being the first appearance of Harley Quinn, even though her defeat at the hands of Batman is laughable in how simple it is. This episode isn't about her. It's about Charlie Collins, the unlikely true hero and, when you get down to it, one of the few true winners in the animated world of Batman.

Charlie is just a middle-aged schmuck who snaps into a bit of road rage, only to realize to his horror that the Joker is driving the other car. In a scene that does an excellent job showing off how purely frightening Joker can be, Joker casually endures Charlie's attempts to lose him and chases him down. He decides to show mercy, offering to spare Charlie for the sake of a favor down the line. Charlie tries to move away and change his name, but again, Joker is immune to his tricks.
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Charlie is forced to play by Joker's rules, only to be betrayed and nearly killed regardless. When Batman seemingly has things figured out, Charlie has the ability to walk away from all of this, but instead chooses to step up.

When you're young, you idolize Robin for being a child who gets to hang out with Batman. When you get older, you realize that you just want to be Batman. But the further you look at the character, the further you realize his own limitations as a person. In this instance, it's the curse of the Joker. Batman can never escape the Joker. He can never fully defeat him. He won't stop locking Joker up and Joker won't stop escaping and killing. They're destined to keep going until one or both of them dies and Batman won't be the one who makes the killing blow, else he destroys everything he stands for.

Charlie actually stands tall because not only does he defeat the Joker, but he does it decisively with finality. The fear of the indignity of being blown to bits by Charlie causes Joker to admit full defeat. Even then, it's a pure bluff and Joker is made to look like such a fool that even Batman has to chuckle. Charlie's washed his hands of the Joker and leaves the Hell that is Gotham City to the tune of 1950s sitcom music accompanied by fart sounds. He escapes to spend the rest of his days as a normal family man with normal family man problems and doesn't seem to fully grasp how inspiring that is.
Gavin Jasper writes for Den of Geek and can't get over how animated Roseanne is capable of backflips. Read more of his articles here and follow him on Twitter @Gavin4L

Gavin Jasper is a buffalo wing enthusiast who loves the hell out of comic books and professional wrestling. In the end, that makes him an expert...

Movies

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Batman: The Animated Series - Ranking the Joker Episodes

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Features Here's a look at the best and worst appearances of the Joker on Batman: The Animated Series. It really is amazing how many things Batman: The Animated Series got right. Whether it was the fantastic writing, art design, or voice acting, it always got right to the soul of its characters.

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Conflict is when two characters or people have different opinions or beliefs on a subject and argue about through words or violence.

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When a character is having a conflict with their selves.

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When a character has a conflict with many other things that are not himself.
-Man vs Man When two characters have a conflict with another this can be physically or verbally.
-Man vs Society When a character has done something to create conflict with a group of people
-Man vs Nature When a character is struggling with natural events like the weather.
-Man vs technology When a character is struggling against a mechanical conflict such as robots fighting back.

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The meaning that the author was trying to get the viewer to understand.

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The style of writing the author is going for using word chose.

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A set of rules that determines the arrangement of words in a sentence

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Download for free Hallway Line Cliparts #2847212, download othes line up for free

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Connotation is the way a word is emotionally defined. Denotation is the way a word is literally defined in the dictionary.

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The tone reflects the writer's attitude toward a subject matter or audience.

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Mood is the literary element that evokes certain felling or vibes that the author is trying to give.

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Moves the setting from the present to the past of a characters to reflect something that is going to or did occur.

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This is when the story says something earlier in the book than it actually or almost happens.

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The repeating of sentence structure across several clauses or sentences.

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Parallelism: Explanation, Effects, Example | AP Lang Rhetorical Strategies

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When the writer brings the reader into the book by using pronouns like you.

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It happens just like this: You are sitting at your keyboard, a lot intimidated by the story or essay you want to write next. You get up, pat the dog, water the plants, stare at the laundry pile. You open the refrigerator, wonder if you can cook something just complicated enough to suck up some time, but not too complicated - you don't want the whole day to slip by before you've laid some words down.

You can't settle, so after air-conditioning the kitchen with your refrigerator, you come back to your desk and just randomly start typing. You're panicking, so your brain does something along these lines:

Fzzzt.

Pop!

Sizzle.

And then it shows some mid-channel television fuzz a la the mid-'80s, and then, because you really have to get cracking or the thing will never get written, you say to yourself, "Oh, fork it," and you start telling the story from second-person point of view, just to try and give it a little zhuzz.

Or it happens like this: You are dared, by a well-meaning friend, to write a short story in second-person POV in the next 24 hours.

By now you will have figured out where this is going. We're going to spend some time poking around the second-person point of view this month, mostly because it's been on my list to write ever since I started writing this column, and, like the writer at the beginning of this little narrative (who is, obviously, totally fictional), I have come to realize that it is never going to happen if I don't just knuckle down and do it.

By the time you read this, I will have spent the better part of five years, as long as I've been editing for Tahoma Literary Review, musing over why second person works in some places and why it doesn't work in, well, most places. As a writer, I love the challenge it presents, but I almost never set myself to that challenge because (editor hat on now) it's hard to find a narrative that demands this point of view.

What do I mean by this? Well, put it this way: I think unique narratives that can only be accessible if you force the reader into the narrator's shoes can demand second person. I'm thinking of Jay McInerney's Bright Lights, Big City here, a book that opens on a bar scene with the narrator so full of snow he doesn't know which way is up. I once dated a guy who could access this point of view in intimate fashion, but I definitely wouldn't want to be him. McInerney's book helped me to see what it might be like.

Another reason writers might strive for second-person point of view? They're looking for immediacy. One example that springs readily to mind is, of course, the "Choose Your Own Adventure" series of YA/middle-grade books. What more thrilling way for a kid to escape her suburban California existence than to set herself firmly in the boots of an explorer in Bangladesh or hot on the trails of a thief? (Again, I speak in total theoreticals.) Middle school a blur? Perhaps more easily accessible to you might be Italo Calvino's If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, which pulls at the meta strings, opening with a line that imagines you, the reader, settling down to read Calvino's latest novel. Boom. You're hooked because you're in the book, and we all know that folks love reading about themselves.

There's another facet to this intimacy: In epistolary novels, where the narrator is either spending all of her time awash in "Dear Diary" or writing letters to someone else, there's an obvious push for "you" and a handy case of voyeurism. Writer Camille Griep's first novel, Letters to Zell, uses it, but that book comprises entirely letters: The characters are all writing to each other, so the letter-writer is never alone. Again, here, too, the narrative demands it, and, actually, it wouldn't really feel right without the "you" construct. "I snuck the second-person in," Griep told me, sounding guilty for the subversiveness.

But I think there's another reason writers try out the "you" form. Because it's so hard to execute if you're not, as copywriter Elisa Doucette puts it, writing sales copy that begs you to "wait, there's more!," there's an innate challenge in trying it out, seeing if it works. And I think there's something really joyful in answering the call to write with something totally wacky, something you may have never tried out before.

And that's where most writers get stuck when answering the question of when and why they might use second-person narration. A lot of writers who answered my call for "why" (yes! Social media was one of the ways I distracted myself during my long march back to my desk, whyever do you ask?) said they didn't know when it would pop up in their work. Memoirist Tabitha Blankenbiller said, in the comment equivalent of a shrug, "[I use it when] it feels right." A lot of other writers echoed her.

There is something really magical about the whole "when it feels right" aspect of nailing a point of view. It ties into the story we tell ourselves about writing, that sometimes great characters just come to us. That dialogue sometimes spills out of them. That these characters who are speaking oh-so-well sometimes do things all by themselves to advance the plot. But still, second person niggles at me. Surely there's something more to it than just ¯\_("Ä)_/¯.

Writer and teacher Sean Bernard has an answer. He thinks second-person narration is especially handy when a narrator might be particularly inaccessible in another voice. "Sometimes," he told me, "you have an obnoxious character who might be really whiny in a first-person or a third-person voice. But then you can kind of 'hide' them behind a 'you,' because, well, then it's the reader who's the 'you.' And that makes the character easier to read, maybe."

We're right back to accessibility, I think.

I've told a lot of people that I think we really only read for two reasons: First, to get to know someone new. Second, so we don't feel so alone. Ultimately, I think second-person narrative can answer both of these desires in a reader. And if the answer to how we get there - on a dare; out of sheer desperation; because the narrative demands it; because your protagonist is a jackhat - is a little nebulous, I think that's OK, too.

-Yi Shun Lai teaches in the MFA programs at Bay Path and Southern New Hampshire Universities. Her book Pin Ups is forthcoming from Homebound Press in September. Visit her at thegooddirt.org.

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From the Front Lines: When should an author write in the second person?

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Add to Favorites Advertisement It happens just like this: You are sitting at your keyboard, a lot intimidated by the story or essay you want ... Read More "From the Front Lines: When should an author write in the second person?"

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This is when the writer doesn't know the characters thought, but can see all their actions.

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Can see all characters actions, but only a few (typically the main characters) thoughts.

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When the writer is able to see all of the characters thoughts along with their actions.

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When a writer compares two unlike things using like or as.

As cool as a cucumber
The cat moved like lightning when he saw the cucumber

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Almost all of us have used a simile in our daily conversations. Consciously or otherwise, this is one of the most commonly used figures of speech that has become a part of our daily vocabulary. Knowing about different similes can be beneficial, especially for aspirants of competitive examinations such as the , , , etc. To help you understand what this literary device is and how it is used, this blog brings you a comprehensive guide on the definition and examples of simile, along with the ways it can be used in a sentence.

Definition of Simile

A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things that have similar properties or characteristics. Similes are often confused with metaphors, which is another different figure of speech used for comparison. The easiest way to identify a simile as opposed to a metaphor is to look for the words 'like' or 'as'. Thus, the best examples of similes include 'as' or 'like' such as "as proud as a peacock".

Importance of Using a Simile

Similes are a powerful tool for making language more interesting, descriptive, and creative. Because the mind thinks in images and associations, similes can elicit stronger and more effective descriptions than adjectives or exact descriptions; they can activate linked emotions, generate new mental connections, and underline specific features. From common conversation to poetry, similes are almost required for creative expression.

How to Use a Simile in a Sentence?

A simile is generally used in a sentence to make comparisons between two or more nouns and this is done with the use of words such as 'like' or 'as'. The general idea of using a simile with the word 'as' is by using a noun that is known for a particular quality. For example: as proud as a peacock, as busy as a bee and so on. A simile is a direct comparison of two like or unlike things. A simile helps your reader or listener visualize, understand, and have a better conception of the quality of the nouns being compared. It makes it a lot more vivid and descriptive. In other words, it can be said that similes can be used to provide a mental image to your reader or listener.

Examples of Simile

Now that you are familiar with what simile means, we have compiled a comprehensive list of some of the popular examples of similes you must know about! Check out the following list of similes:

Courtesy: Dribble

Courtesy: Tenor

Like these examples of similes? Check out our blog on 50 Common Proverbs with Meaning and Examples !
fun with these examples of similes, and explore our exclusive blog on 50 Common Difficult Idioms with Examples !

Courtesy: Pinterest

Courtesy: Tenor

Similes Example in Everyday Language

You can use similes in everyday language and that makes you look as smart as a fox! You saw what we did there? Now let's see all the similes that you can use in your everyday life.

1. As innocent as a lamb

2. As tough as nails

3. As shiny as a new pin

4. As hot as hell

5. As white as a ghost

6. As bright as a button

7. As cool as a cucumber

8. As cold as ice

9. As light as a feather

10. As sweet as sugar

11. As blind as a bat

12. As common as dirt

13. As tall as a giraffe

14. As hard as nails

15. As cute as a kitten

16. As bold as brass

17. As happy as a clam

18. As black as coal

19. As American as apple pie.

20. As big as an elephant.

21. As black as coal.

22. As blind as a bat.

23. As boring as watching paint dry.

24. As brave as a lion.

25. As busy as a bee.

26. As cold as ice

27. As cool as a cucumber

28. As cunning as a fox

29. As dead as a doornail

30. As deaf as a post

31. As difficult as nailing jelly to a tree

32. As dry as a bone

33. As dull as dishwater

34. As easy as ABC

35. As old as the hills

36. As pale as death

37. As for fit as a fiddle

38. As flat as a pancake

39. As free as a bird

40. As fresh as a daisy

41. As gentle as a lamb

42. As good as gold

43. As hard as nails

44. As heavy as lead

45. As helpless as a baby

46. As honest as the day is long

47. As hot as blue blazes

48. As hungry as a bear

49. As cheap as dirt.

50. As clean as a whistle.

51. As clear as mud.

52. As clear as crystal.

Similes in Classic Literature

Literature has some of the best usages of similes. From Virginia Woolf to Shakespeare, every famous writer and poet has used similes to accessorize their literature. Let's check out some of the best examples of similes in Classic Literature:

"Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like thorn."- Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Credit: Gifer

1. f reach." - Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott

2. "Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail."- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

3. "The water made a sound like kittens lapping." - The Yearling, by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

4. "Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

5. Or fester like a sore- And then run?"- Harlem by Langston Hughes

Similes in Song Lyrics

Many song lyrics have used similes in their lyrics to enhance them. Let's check them out:

Credit: Pinterest

1. "Hit me like a ray of sun, Burning through my darkest night"- Halo by Beyonce

2. "Questions of science, science, and progress

3. Do not speak as loud as my heart"- The Scientist by Coldplay

4. "Shine bright like a diamond

5. Find light in the beautiful sea

6. I choose to be happy"- Diamonds by Rihanna

7. "If all it's gonna cause is pain

8. Truth and my lies right now are falling like the rain

9. So let the river run"- River by Eminem

10. "I see both sides like Chanel

11. See on both sides like Chanel"- Chanel by Frank Ocean

12. " Body Like a Back Road" By Sam Hunt

Similes in Advertising Slogans

Similes have often been utilized in popular advertisements and memorable brand slogans. Take a look at a couple of old favourites.

Credits: Tenor

1. State Farm Insurance - "Like a good neighbour"

2. Doritos Snack Chips - "Taste like awesome feels"

3. Chevrolet Trucks - "Like a rock"

4. Honda Cars - "The Honda's ride is as smooth as a gazelle in the Sahara. Its comfort is like a hug from Nana."

5. Almonds Joy/Mounds Candy - "Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't."

The questions where one has to identify whether the given sentence is a simile or a metaphor are the trickiest. Thus, while understanding or going through the examples of similes, it is important to understand the difference between similes and metaphors. The latest understanding of the difference between the two-

Venue comparison is made using connecting words such as 'like' or 'as' the sentence refers to a simile. Whereas, whenever a direct relationship is established between two things, the sentence is a metaphor in nature.

For Example:

He seemed bright like the sun when I met him last.

He is the son and the sun of the family.

The first sentence depicts the use of simile whereas the second one is a metaphor.

Metaphors are considered to be stronger because they directly cite a comparison between things rather than just indicating that they are similar. On the other hand, similes are majorly used for comparison where the readers are assisted to understand a subtle connection between things.

Similes in Writing

Similes are a terrific way to spice up regular writing by conjuring up a vivid image with only a few words. Consider the following sentences:

Adam walked across the room with purpose.

Adam moved across the room like a warship sailing into battle.

The first sentence is fairly uninteresting. The comparison in the second phase, on the other hand, allows the reader to imagine an old-fashioned vessel heading to battle: majestic, resolute, proud, and maybe dangerous. It portrays Adam as a commanding figure and suggests that once he gets to the other side of the room, he'll be plotting something major.

Similes and Exaggeration

Hyperbole, or exaggeration, is frequently used in similes. Example:

Similes concentrate on a single component of a comparison, preventing hyperbolic comments from sounding exaggerated. Consider the following sentences:

The first version is a metaphor, but it's so straightforward that it comes across as sloppy or infantile. The second version, a simile, stresses the trait Lora has in common with a snake, namely, meanness. A figurative language is a great approach to spice up your writing by adding intrigue and images. So, the next time you're having trouble coming up with the proper words for a description, consider using a simile that's as flawless as a diamond.

Examples of Similes for Kids

YouTube: Homeschool Pop

1. As boring as watching paint dry

2. As busy as a bee

3. As clean as a whistle

4. As cool as a cucumber

5. As cunning as a fox

6. As dead as a doornail

7. As deaf as a post

8. As difficult as nailing jelly to a tree

9. As dry as a bone

10. As dull as dishwater

11. As easy as ABC

12. As sick as a dog

13. As silent as the grave

14. As slippery as an eel

15. As slow as molasses

16. As smooth as a baby's bottom

17. As snug as a bug in a rug

18. As solid as the ground we stand on

19. As sour as vinegar

20. As stiff as a board

21. As straight as an arrow

22. The breeze was gentle like a butterfly.

23. She danced lightly, like a fluttering butterfly.

24. You are as pale as a white sheet.

25. Your hands are as cold as the Arctic.

26. His mind is like an encyclopedia.

27. It was as light as a penny.

28. He soared like an eagle.

29. It was damp like dew in the morning.

30. He was as lost as a sheep.

31. She worked as hard as an ant gathering his harvest.

32. She was as prickly as a cactus.

33. The puppy wagged his tail like a toddler who just got a lollipop.

34. The children were as happy as a hog with fresh mud.

35. The burglar looked as sketchy as jelly with green fuzz on top.

36. As American as apple pie

37. As black as coal

38. Her teeth were as white as pearls.

39. She moved as gracefully as a prima ballerina.

40. They ran around, going this way and that, like leaves on a blustery day.

Credits: Homeschool Pop

Examples of Similes Using "As"

The below-mentioned examples of similes all follow the "as___as" format:

1. She was as sly as a fox

2. That knife is as sharp as a razor

3. He's as sick as a dog

4. It was as big as an elephant

5. He is as bright as a button

6. She's as cold as ice

7. It's as tough as an old boot

8. He's as good as gold

9. It's as dry as a bone out there

10. The car is as clean as a whistle

Examples of Similes Using "Like"

Written under are the examples of similes using the "__like__" format:

1. She eats like a pig

2. She ran like lightning

3. He looks like a fish out of water

4. She slept like a log

5. It was soft like velvet

6. Life is like a box of chocolates

7. It leaked like a sieve

8. It cuts like butter

9. The aeroplane soared like an eagle

10. The shark had teeth like razors

Read more about the Present Indefinite Tense: Meaning, Examples & Exercises
Simile Quiz

A. snake

B. fly

C. fox

D. elephant

A. vinegar

B. potatoes

C. a carrot

D. strawberry jam

A. a pancake

B. glass

C. sand

D. bark

When school let out for the summer, I felt as free as a

A. bird

B. prisoner

C. dollar

D. bicycle

A. a pillow

B. a rock

C. fog

D. an open window

A. the wind

B. an elephant

C. a turtle

D. a snowstorm

The road went off into the distance as straight as

A. a bowling ball

B. a cyclone

C. a figure-eight

D. an arrow

A. an ice cube

B. a shower

C. dust

D. a river

A. snow

B. a sunset

C. coal

D. a flower

My grandfather's mind is still as sharp as

A. an eraser

B. a dull knife

C. a tack

D. a pillow
Answer
Simile Quiz PDF

Simile Worksheets

Both a metaphor and a simile compare two different things. The key distinction between the two is that a metaphor compares two things directly, but a simile uses the terms "like" or "as."
Simile: She is as kind as an angel. Metaphor: She is an angel. Simile: Love is like a battlefield. Metaphor: Love is a battlefield.
How Do We Use Similes in Language?

As we have previously learned, similes are comparison phrases that highlight similarities between two items and draw comparisons between them, always utilizing the terms "like" or "as." We now want to know how to employ similes in writing, particularly in creative genres, and for what purposes they are valuable.

The main goal of employing similes in our writing is to enhance and produce striking images. Teachers and parents may teach students how to utilize similes using a variety of simple and efficient methods.

Here are some pointers for using similes in the classroom:

Elementary pupils may learn about similes through poetry. This is an effective method to get people to utilize similes in their work.

Show a scene from a narrative to your pupils. Ask them to point out a characteristic in the image that they can describe by making a comparison. If a youngster selects a picture of the moon, for instance, they can use similes such, as "The moon was like a face, currency, or plate."

Use an exercise like our Sorting Worksheet or Mystery Simile Animals for lessons on these literary forms to practice differentiating similes from metaphors.

You might find it interesting to study the at least 1300-year-old Kenning figurative language in poetry or to look at some well-known simile poems. Shakespeare's Sonnets, Robert Burns A Red, Red Rose, and Emily Dickinson's "Hope" is a creature with feathers all include several similes and metaphors.

What is a simile?

Hope you found this blog on the definition and examples of similes interesting and useful. Preparing for competitive exams like TOEFL or IELTS? Give a boost to your preparation by joining Leverage Live classes, where you can access live interactive sessions by top experts along with the best study material and exclusive doubt clearance sessions that will enable you to ace your exam and get your dream score. Register for a demo session with us today!Call us immediately at 1800 57 2000 for a free 30-minute counselling session.

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140+ Examples of Similes: Definition, Comparisons, PDFs | Leverage Edu

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140+ examples of similes: meaning, definition, the figure of speech, comparison between simile and metaphors, worksheets and quizzes on similes, and more.

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When a writer combines two things that are not alike in a sentence (a combination of sentences if an extended metaphor)

You're the apple of my eye.
Cause baby, you're a firework. Come show them what you worth. Make them go oh, oh, oh. As you shoot across the sky.

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When a writer drastically exaggerates something for comic effect.

Her smile was a mile wide.

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When the author uses something (typically an object) and gives it significance to the story.

The flag still flew high in the sky. (The flag symbolizes freedom and strength)

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When a sentence contains two words with opposite meanings.

I am pretty ugly. Bitter sweat.

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VocabularyHelp - Learn English Words With Meaning

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Learn English Words - OXYMORON - Meaning, Vocabulary Lesson with Pictures and Examples

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Is a polite word or sentence used instead of using a more harsh one.

We're going to have to let you go. You are fired

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VocabularyHelp - Learn English Words With Meaning

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Learn English Vocabulary: Euphemism 'The Nicer Truth' (Cartoons for Children)

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A reference that uses a well known person or thing to describe someone or something.

He is a real Romeo. He slapped like Will

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The difference between appearance and reality. Opposite of what is expected to be said or happen.

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When a character says one thing but means another. Ex. telling a quiet group, "don't everyone speak all at once."

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This is when something happens that was not expected to occur in the story. Ex. the principal's daughter is a high school dropout.

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When the reader knows something that a character does not know. In snow white, the audience knows the apple is poisoned but she doesn't and eats the apple.

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Dramatic Irony Definition: when the audience is aware of a situation in the plot, but the characters are not

Dramatic Irony

Dramatic irony is used to enhance hidden meanings in dialogue or actions by characters, since the audience understands there is more going on than the characters themselves do. This knowledge can create an atmosphere of suspense, or even comedy. The characters who are unaware of the underlying truth of a situation will seemingly act inappropriately or even stupidly, because they do not know the true intentions of other characters, or the real events that have occurred in the plot. Their misunderstandings can lead to more conflict and a sense of tragedy for the audience or reader. For example, when Brutus is trying to decide whether or not to join the conspiracy against Caesar in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, he receives several letters seemingly written by citizens of Rome, begging him to subvert Caesar's power. This ultimately is what pushes Brutus to finally join the conspiracy, but the audience knows that those letters were written by Cassius, a greedy senator who wants to destroy Caesar and gain some of his power.

Notable Dramatic Irony Examples in Literature

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dramatic irony examples. example of dramatic irony

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Dramatic Irony Definition & Examples | Literary Terms

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Dramatic Irony Definition: when the audience is aware of a situation in the plot, but the characters are not Dramatic irony is used to enhance hidden meanings in dialogue or actions by characters, since the audience understands there is more going on than the characters themselves do.

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The process in which the author reveals the personality of a character.

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When the author literally tells the reader a character's personality.

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Sasha Blakeley

Sasha Blakeley has a Bachelor's in English Literature from McGill University and a TEFL certification. She has been teaching English in Canada and Taiwan for seven years.

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Direct characterization is a literary device authors use to establish their story's characters. Read about its purpose, how to differentiate between direct and indirect varieties, and read examples to help understand the idea and usage of characterization. Updated: 09/23/2021

Direct characterization is how an author tells his or her reader about a character. Direct characterization occurs when the author specifically reveals traits about the character in a direct, straightforward manner. Direct characterization is also important in showing the character's motivation. Motivation refers to what characters want, fear, love, and hate.

Indirect characterization is very different. This is when authors indirectly portray characters using dialogue, appearance, actions, relationships, and overall place in the world. For example, stating that a student bit her pencil and began shaking right before a big test is a way of indirectly describing her nervousness. In contrast, direct characterization would be to outright call her an extremely nervous student. You can think of direct characterization as telling the reader something about the character and indirect characterization as showing the reader something about the character.

Video

Quiz

Course

Examples of Direct Characterization

Here are some examples of direct characterization:

1. Karen is bright, energetic, and helpful.

Here, the writer uses adjectives to describe who Karen is as a character.

2. Joe was motivated by money. He had no use for love or family.

The sentence above directly states the character of Joe by telling us what motivates him: money.

3. While Jill loved Bradley, she knew she was not the marrying kind.

Here we are presented with a character who is pulled in two directions. The writer directly lets us know Jill's internal conflict through direct characterization. Internal conflicts refer to the mental and emotional struggles or conflicts a character faces.

4. Raheem is often distracted, but one thing he stays focused on is girls.

This character is described with the adjective 'distracted,' and then Raheem is also described as being a player.

5. When Jill's mother was diagnosed with cancer, Jill felt that the world as she knew it had ended.

Here the author refers to a past event to give context to Jill's state of mind.

Literary Example of Direct Characterization

Check out this passage from To Kill a Mockingbird, where the young narrator, Scout, describes her aunt:

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Direct Characterization: Deeper Dives

This lesson introduced you to direct characterization, an important part of many authors' writing styles. Use these activities to further your understanding.

Compare and Contrast

Direct characterization is, as this lesson said, contrasted with indirect characterization. The two serve different purposes in writing and can be used even within the same story. Write a paragraph explaining the difference between the two terms in your own words and try to think of times when one kind of characterization would be more appropriate than the other.

Further Examples

You read several examples of direct and indirect characterization in this lesson. Now, see if you can find examples of direct characterization in other stories. Virtually all novels have to describe their characters at some point. Find at least three literary passages that include direct characterization and write a short analysis explaining why direct characterization is more (or less!) effective in this case than indirect characterization would be.

Write Your Own

Write a short story in which one or more characters are described using direct characterization. You can also use indirect characterization if appropriate. For instance, consider how your descriptions sound to readers: what will they think of your characters? Which traits have you chosen to highlight in your descriptions?

Unreliable Narrators

One interesting trick that authors sometimes use is to employ direct characterization and an unreliable narrator. In that case, what the narrator tells the reader about the character they are describing may or may not be accurate, and may include the narrator's own biases. For example, this is notable in The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. Find two other examples of direct characterization by an unreliable narrator or include this concept in your own writing. In a journal entry, explain what purpose this technique might serve; why would authors want to give their readers potentially misleading information about characters?

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Direct Characterization: Definition & Examples - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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Direct characterization is a literary device authors use to establish their story’s characters. Read about its purpose, how to differentiate...

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When the author tells us about a character without stating the traits explicitly.

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A character that stays the same throughout the story.

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A character that changes through the story.

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A flat character is one that doesn't have many character traits and is in the story for a short time.

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Bruce

Inspiration

Shark model of the same name from Jaws

Occupation

Leader of the Fish-Friendly Club

Dislikes

Humans, bombs, cameras, when his instincts take over, not knowing his father

Powers and abilities

Swimming abilities, strength, speed

Parents

Unnamed father (mentioned)

"I am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine. If I am to change this image, I must first change myself. Fish are friends, not food."

―Bruce, Chum, and Anchor reciting the Fish-Friendly Sharks motto

Bruce is a great white shark and a supporting character in Disney/ Pixar's 2003 animated film Finding Nemo. He is the leader of the Fish-Friendly Sharks support group.

Personality

Despite his appearance, Bruce is a kind and pleasant shark. He is also shown to be jolly, laid-back, and a jokester. He is also honest and well-meaning. However, his personality is completely different when his hunting instincts start to kick in and change him into a mindless, carnivorous shark (temporarily).

Bruce is first seen in the film when Marlin accidentally comes face-to-face with him when the clownfish began to swim off to go find his son Nemo. Even after Bruce politely introduced himself with a huge grin, Marlin and Dory seemed uneasy. Seeing this, Bruce said that he understood, saying, "Why trust a shark, right?" He then turns to leave, only for the shark to turn quickly and snap his teeth at them, just barely missing their mark. Even though it scares Marlin (who hides behind Dory) and Dory, Bruce gets a good laugh out of it. After he calms down, he asks what a couple of "bites" like them were doing out. When Marlin says they were not doing anything, Bruce takes advantage of this and asks if they would like to get to a little get-together that he was hosting. Dory asks if it's like a party and Bruce goes along with it and asks if they are up to going. Dory readily agrees, but Marlin is very hesitant, and before the clownfish could swim away, Bruce blocks his path and tells Marlin that he insists and begins to lead the two fish away. Bruce soon comes to an old abandoned minefield where Dory mistakes the bombs for balloons, to which Bruce laughs and tells them that they would not want any of the bombs to pop. As Bruce continues to swim through the minefields, a submarine comes into view. Bruce then pushes Marlin and Dory to an opening where two sharks named Anchor and Chum (who appear to be Bruce's buddies) are swimming around in circles. He calls the two sharks (who were complaining that Bruce was late and that they were hungry) that they have company. As Bruce pushes Marlin and Dory closer, it is thought that Bruce has brought them so that his friends could eat them as Anchor opened his mouth to swallow the scared Marlin.

However, in the next scene, Bruce rings a bell and says that a meeting has come to order and they then say their pledge; "I am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine. If I am to change this image, I must first change myself. Fish are friends, not food". After the pledge (and after Anchor and Chum start to complain about dolphins), Bruce announces that the meeting was "Step Five: Bring a fish friend". When he asks if they all have a friend, he's pleased to see that Anchor had one. He then asked where Chum's friend was; when told that his friend was misplaced, Bruce offered Chum one of his own friends (Marlin and Dory). The Great White then says that he had not eaten a fish in 3 weeks, which amazes Anchor and Chum. Bruce then invites Dory (who is excited) to go next. After Dory says that she had never eaten a fish, Bruce and his friends applaud her (and Chum accidentally keeps hitting Marlin with his fin while clapping). After asking who was to go next, Bruce looks at Marlin, asking what his "problem" was. Bruce then pushed Marlin onto the "stage" when the annoyed clownfish said that he didn't have a problem. As Marlin introduced himself as a clownfish, Anchor and Chum got very excited, which ended up with Bruce pushing Chum out of the way so to get close to Marlin and urged him to tell a joke. However, as Marlin starts to rant during his joke, Bruce starts to lose interest. He then murmurs to Anchor that even as a clownfish, Marlin wasn't that funny. When Marlin swims to a scuba diver's mask, he tells the sharks that Nemo was taken from him. Bruce is touched when he finds out that Marlin was looking for Nemo. The shark then breaks down into tears and confesses that he never knew his father, which in turn got him a couple of hugs from Anchor and Chum, who tried to cheer their mate up.

Meanwhile, Marlin and Dory find the scuba diver's mask, and as Dory is about to ask the sharks to read what it says, Marlin pulls on the mask, and Dory pulls back. This makes Marlin let go by accident and the mask hits Dory on the face, causing some blood to spill into the water. Bruce, having just watched all of this, begins to ask Dory if she's okay, but is cut off when he smells her blood. As Bruce's natural instincts kick in, his eyes go from a bright blue to a pitch-black color, and just as he is about to eat his two fish friends, he is pinned to the wall by Anchor and Chum (who quickly decided to intervene and save Marlin and Dory). Finally, Bruce gets free from Anchor and Chum and charges after Marlin and Dory, shouting that he's having fish tonight. He then goes on a hunt after Marlin and Dory, having a few close calls until Marlin and Dory swim into a room and the door closes, making Bruce slam into the door painfully. As the terrified fish look for an escape, Bruce begins to ram against the door, loosening the bolts. Just as Dory and Marlin escape the submarine, Bruce crashes through an escape latch and continues to chase after the fish, finally cornering them in a torpedo tube. In his frenzy, Bruce begins to ram the opening in a futile attempt to get to the trapped fish, nearly crushing Anchor and Chum as they apologized. While stuck inside, Marlin tells Dory that they have to get the mask from Bruce, which had gotten caught in his teeth during the chase. Dory then finds a way to release the torpedo and sends it into Bruce's mouth, momentarily lodging it into his throat, during which Dory and Marlin grab the mask and retreat into the tube. Angered, Bruce swings his head and successfully gets the torpedo out of his mouth, not noticing that he has sent it flying towards one of the active mines. Chum calls out to Bruce, who then takes notice. Now back to his old self while fearing for their lives, he yells for his fish friends to swim away.

After this, the sharks' fates are unknown until the end, where it is revealed that they have survived the explosions. At the end of the movie, Bruce and his friends are shown at the reef, dropping off Dory after one of their meetings before swimming away.

Although Bruce does not appear in Finding Dory, he is indirectly mentioned along with Chum and Anchor by Marlin to Nemo during a dialogue.

Other appearances

In The Incredibles, a framed photograph of Bob a fishing trip is seen in his home, showing Bob standing next to the captured Bruce.

In a character interview, which is available in the "Behind the scenes" menu on the first film's DVD, Marlin and Dory wonder where Nemo went, until realizing he went into Bruce's mouth. As Marlin orders Nemo to swim out, Bruce remarks that he had just cleaned his teeth. Then, as the interviewer urges a reluctant Marlin to tell the viewers how he and Dory saved Nemo, Bruce has enough and ends the interview by breaking the camera with his teeth.

An emoticon version of Bruce appeared in the Finding Nemo entry of the As Told by Emoji short series.

Bruce is seen in the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, where Nemo, Squirt, and the player swim away from getting eaten by Bruce while in his frenzy when he smelled Nemo's blood from touching a nail with his fin. In the end, he swallows a tire and it gets stuck in his throat as he tried to cough it up, but with the help of Nemo, he successfully gets it out and after recovering from his frenzy, apologizes to Nemo and Squirt.

Bruce makes a cameo in the Finding Dory Play Set, where in the first level, he briefly goes savage and almost bites the player's character.

In the discontinued mobile game Disney Crossy Road, when certain characters in the Finding Dory set were selected and played, a large great white shark greatly resembling Bruce would replace certain vehicle obstacles that would normally be fish of different sizes.

Bruce appears in Crush's Coaster as an Audio-Animatronic. Riders narrowly escape him in the wrecked submarine and they enter the coaster portion of the attraction.

He also makes a brief appearance in The Seas with Nemo & Friends, in the shipwreck section, where he tries to get Nemo to come out of hiding and "join him for a bite".

Bruce also appears in Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, in the shipwreck section. There, he sees the people in the submarine, and assures them that he isn't going to eat them, or at least "not all at once", but then is reminded of the Fish-Friendly pledge by Chum. After reciting the pledge, and as the riders' submarine enters the minefield, Bruce warns them to try not to touch the "balloons", or else they'll "pop", but the submarine accidentally touches the mines, and Bruce and Chum swim away as the mines explode.

Bruce is named after the villainous great white shark from the 1975 film . In said film, the shark has no given name, but the shark models used in the film were all named "Bruce".
Another reference to Jaws is shown in the scene when Dory and Marlin are stuck in one of the submarine's torpedo tubes and fire the torpedo, which gets stuck in Bruce's mouth, allowing them to escape.

In the original Circle 7 version of Finding Nemo 2, Bruce would have appeared and scared a diver by saying "Hello."

At one point during the chase scene, Bruce manages to partially break through a door in the submarine. He then sticks his head into the opening and shouts, "HERE'S BRUCEY!" This is obviously a reference to a famous scene in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror film The Shining, when Jack Nicholson's character uses an axe to smash part of the door to the room where his wife is hiding, then sticks his head into the opening and shouts "HERE'S JOHNNY!"
Also during the scene in which he tries to ram a door in the submarine is a reference to the 1999 film Deep Blue Sea featuring three mako sharks. One of them attempts to ram two doors open and rip a hole in a submerged chain-link fence.

Bruce has 202 teeth in his mouth, each of which can be animated individually.

Bruce never knew his father. In real life, great whites never care for their pups and leave them, as their pups are highly precocial.

He also seems to have a closer friendship to Dory than Anchor and Chum.

It is unknown what Bruce's opinion on dolphins is. While Anchor and Chum were making fun of dolphins, Bruce did not say anything; he just called the meeting to order.
Ironically, great whites are one of the few shark species known to hunt and eat dolphins.

The group that Bruce runs is very similar to Alcoholics Anonymous.

Despite being male sharks, Bruce and his friend Anchor do not have any claspers. This is likely for censorship purposes, as claspers are reproductive anatomical features specific to male sharks. Bruce's other friend, Chum, however, does have claspers.

When Bruce's instincts kicked in, he tried to eat Marlin and Dory. In real life, great whites would not bother chasing clownfish or blue tangs, as they are too small and thin to provide the calories necessary to keep a giant shark going.
Actually, Anchor and Chum would've been far more likely prey, as great whites are known to eat other sharks, including other great whites.

Many sharks in real life are incapable of remaining still because water needs to continually pass over their gills for them to breathe. This process is known as ram ventilation. Bruce and his friends, however, are shown to stay perfectly still on multiple occasions. Sharks such as the bullhead and nurse species can remain still because they have other adaptations that allow them to run water over their gills without needing to move. This is possible due to buccal pumping (muscles near the mouth move water over their gills) and prominent spiracles that are located behind a shark's eyes and allow water to be moved even when these kinds of sharks are under the sand.
Great white sharks, mako sharks, and hammerhead sharks are obligate ram ventilators, so they must all keep moving in order to breathe, making these instances of character pause zoological fallacies for all three sharks.

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I am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine. If I am to change this image, I must first change myself. Fish are friends, not food.Bruce, Chum, and Anchor reciting the Fish-Friendly Sharks motto Bruce is a great white shark and a supporting character in Disney/Pixar's 2003 animated film Finding Nemo.

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A round character is one who has many traits and is more like a real person in the way they have a personality.

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A clownfish who becomes an overprotective father after his mate Coral and all but one of his offspring were killed by a barracuda, making him very protective of Nemo to the point of isolating him. After Nemo is taken by divers, Marlin risks life and fin to find and rescue his son, becoming a braver and more self-confident person himself. He is the main protagonist of Finding Nemo and the male protagonist of Finding Dory.

Acquired Poison Immunity: Marlin is mostly immune to the stings of baby jellyfish, due to living in anemone. This allows him to stay conscious in the jellyfish field longer than Dory.

The trope returns when Marlin thinks Nemo is dead, and has a Adult Fear: Marlin is driven by this through the movie. After his wife Coral and four-hundred plus unborn children are eaten by a barracuda, Marlin becomes an over-protective single parent, in the belief that Nemo is fragile and incapable of looking after himself. It only worsens when Nemo is taken by the divers, sending Marlin on a desperate journey to find his son... though this allows him to realise and face his own fears and that Nemo is not as helpless as he believes. Heroic BSoD, until Nemo and Dory reunite with him.

Aesop Amnesia: The first movie has him learning over the course of the film to be less of a worrywart and a stick-in-the-mud. In the sequel, while not quite as overprotective, he's back to being a worrywart and a stick-in-the-mud.

Anger Born of Worry: In Finding Dory this causes him to lash out at her when she accidentally attracts a hungry squid due to forgetting a warning, which nearly leads to Nemo being eaten.

Artistic License – Biology: Clownfish are protandrous hermaphrodites, meaning that if the breeding female of a group, who is the largest one and effectively the alpha, dies or disappears, then the largest male will actually undergo a physical transition to become the new female alpha.

Badass on Paper: Marlin does get through most of his trials through wits, desperation or luck, and the tales of his are recounted across the ocean to the point that he is re-imagined as an unstoppable badass Papa Wolf - granted, this isn't far from the truth, and he nearly becomes this during the end of the film.

Badass Unintentional: Thanks to his hijinks, Marlin gets this reputation throughout the entire ocean area surrounding Sydney.

Cannot Tell a Joke: He's rubbish at telling jokes at the start of the film due to his neurotic personality and being a hermit for years.

Character Development: Throughout the journey, he makes several friends and begins to understand that he should have given Nemo more freedom, particularly through his interactions with Dory and Crush because, as Dory states, "You can't let nothing happen to him, because then nothing will happen to him," meaning if Marlin doesn't let Nemo grow up and get out in the world, he won't be able to live life to the fullest.

Cloudcuckoolander's Minder: Hanging around with Dory and encountering many more zany fish makes Marlin the Only Sane Fish.

Cowardly Lion: He'll do anything to get his son back; even get over his own fears.

Curb Stomp Cushion: He manages to dodge all of the barracuda's bite attacks and even gets two hits in on it (which actually disorient it) before it knocks him out with a single flick of its tailfin.

Cynicism Catalyst: The death of his wife and all of his eggs (except Nemo) turned him from a cheerful and easygoing fish to an overprotective, neurotic pessimist.

Dark and Troubled Past: No wonder he's so overprotective. His wife and 400 eggs, except Nemo, were eaten by a barracuda.

Deadpan Snarker: Sometimes, towards Dory.

Despair Event Horizon: After Marlin thinks Nemo has died, he crosses, abandoning Dory and swimming off into the sea until Dory and Nemo find him.

Determinator: Willing to tangle with sharks, an anglerfish, jellyfish, and choke his way out of a pelican's throat to find Nemo.

Foil: Marlin is much more pessimistic and serious than Dory.

Hurting Hero: He lost his wife and most of his children, save one, to a barracuda attack, and he is absolutely paranoid of losing his only remaining son.

In-Series Nickname: "Marty", "Clown boy", "Mr. Grumpy Gills", "Jellyman", "Mr. Fish"...not many characters actually refer to him by his real name.

Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While he is mostly polite and friendly, Marlin is extremely overprotective towards Nemo, doesn't trust in him very much and can be harsh towards Dory from time to time, such as when he accidentally tells her that forgetting is the only thing she can do, when he knows very well that she suffers from terrible amnesia. However, he is a pretty nice guy most of the time and everything he does is out of love for his son and later, even Dory.

Leitmotif: "Nemo Egg (Main Title)" , a soft, lullaby-like piano song associated with both Marlin and Nemo that plays during tender moments.

Living Emotional Crutch: Becomes this for Dory. She says being with him helps her remember things better.

Love Hurts: A rare non-romantic, parent-child example. Marlin's extreme obsession with Nemo's safety is genuinely out of love for him, but when his son rebels and tells him he hates him (though he doesn't actually mean it), he is devastated, and believes that Nemo doesn't love him anymore and that he doesn't appreciate his love for him.

Meddling Parents: He is so overprotective of Nemo that it eventually leads him to rebel against him.

Memetic Badass: An In-Universe example; his misadventures, along with alterations to the tale through oral history, made him the undersea, clownfish version of Chuck Norris.

Nervous Wreck: Due to the trauma of losing most of his family Marlin is always worried and anxious about what might happen next. His adventures help him overcome this somewhat.

Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: In Finding Nemo, Nemo had absolutely no intention of actually swimming out to the boat, until Marlin intervenes and scolds him for it, finally pushing him over the edge enough to swim out and touch it.

Only Sane Man: Meeting a lot of crazy fish on their way and hanging around with a Cloudcuckoolander unsurprisingly makes him this.

Orange/Blue Contrast: Serves as the orange contrast to Dory's blue.

Outliving One's Offspring: At the beginning of the film, all of his and Coral's eggs get eaten by a barracuda, except one.

Overprotective Dad: Deconstructed. Marlin's overprotectiveness towards Nemo is understandable given what happened to his wife and other children. However, him constantly telling Nemo what he can and can't do leads his son to resent his father at times.

Papa Wolf: Scared or not; he will face sharks, deadly jellyfish and a whale if it means he will get his son back.

Parental Substitute: Acts like this to Dory, to an extent. The creators state that Dory was introduced to serve as a surrogate child so Marlin could re-adapt his parenting approach.

Platonic Life-Partners: With Dory.

Properly Paranoid: Considering how his family, aside from Nemo, was killed by a barracuda, it's hard to fault him for being at least a little nervous about the dangers of the ocean.

Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Blue Oni to Dory's Red Oni. It's actually kinda ironic, seeing their colors are reversed.

Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: The Savvy Guy to Dory's Energetic Girl.

Stunned Silence: Marlin is rendered completely speechless when Nemo utters "I hate you" to him.

Suddenly Fluent in Gibberish: Marlin is not impressed with Dory's apparent skill to speak whale, believing she is talking gibberish. However, when it turns out she can and the whale that swallowed them is taking them to Sydney, Marlin is ecstatic and tries to thank the whale by speaking its dialect. Dory then responds with "Wow. I wish I could speak whale."

Took a Level in Badass: Marlin goes from a neurotic, overprotective worrywart to a full on Action Survivor.

Took a Level in Cheerfulness: His journey to find his son allowed Marlin to loosen up and learn to have fun again.

Took a Level in Jerkass: Sort of. Marlin was initially a very playful, happy, and easygoing clownfish as shown through the interaction with his wife. The death of Coral and all his kids (sans Nemo) turns him into a pessimistic, neurotic worrywart who has the occasional outburst.

Was Too Hard on Him: Marlin comes to feel this way towards Nemo. He has this again in the sequel after yelling at Dory, which is not helped by his son constantly reminding him about it.

Well-Intentioned Extremist: While Marlin is only overly paranoid and overprotective because he loves Nemo and wants him to be safe, his overprotectivness and refusal to stop babying his son causes the two to have a very strained relationship. This strained relationship is exactly what leads to him rebelling and getting captured.

Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Marlin is very scared and paranoid that anything could harm Nemo.

A Pacific blue regal tang with short term memory loss, Dory becomes Marlin's companion during his search for Nemo. Ditzy and absent-minded, but optimistic and honest, Dory provides much moral support and comfort that Marlin has been missing for years. She becomes the protagonist of Finding Dory.

Ac CENT Upon The Wrong Syl LA Ble: Mispronounces the word "escape" as "es-KA-pay" while in the submarine.

Animal Talk: Can speak and understand whales - then she forgets that she can.

Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Dory suffers from Anterograde amnesia. As she can only remember a relatively short span of time clearly, it's easy for her to forget what she was originally doing and thus is likely to switch to a new topic. It runs in her family... she thinks. Although the sequel proves her wrong.

Badass Unintentional: She just wants to be Marlin's friend and does some pretty awesome things.

Beware the Nice Ones: Dory pulls this on a rude crab when he refuses to tell her where Marlin went, and she uses a Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique to make him talk.

Blipvert:

Experiences this when she remembers Sydney after Marlin abandons her.

She has this again in the beginning of the sequel, when Nemo mentions The Jewel of Morro Bay, California, causing Dory to recall her parents for the first time in years.

Break the Cutie: When she ends up in a tank with some other blue tangs who knew her parents, she thinks that they may have died and goes down the drainpipe to the ocean, frantically swimming about the dark ocean and asking other fish for help, just before she discovers that she's coming close to finding her parents' place.

Breakout Character: The most popular character in Finding Nemo, and subsequently the protagonist of Finding Dory!

Break-Up/Make-Up Scenario: Marlin abandons Dory after his Despair Event Horizon, but reunites with her when she finds Nemo.

Cerebus Retcon: Certain Hidden Depths abilities she showed in the first movie are explained when she's searching for her roots in the second.

Chekhov's Skill: Her ability to speak in whale dialects.

Cloudcuckoolander: She makes an art out of this.

Contrasting Sequel Main Character: In the first film the main character is Marlin, an uptight, anxiety-ridden widower and single father looking for his missing son. In the second film it's Dory, a carefree, scatterbrained amnesiac woman looking for her missing parents.

Dark and Troubled Past: Dory was separated from her parents as a child and to had to survive on her own. Something that wasn't easy because of her short-term memory loss.

Determinator: She is quite persistent in hoping to find her parents in the second film, and just when she's about to lose hope after going through the drainpipe to the ocean and swimming about to get some visual clues, she finds her parents' place.

The Ditz: In spades, but it's mostly due to her short term memory loss rather than actual stupidity.

Fearless Fool: Memory loss or no, she's not afraid of anything, which can be dangerous in the wrong situations. When in the middle of a school of jellyfish, Marlin starts to panic while Dory happily bounces around on the jellyfish tops, unaware of the stinging tentacles.

Forgetful Jones: Played for laughs, but sympathetically, in the first movie: presented as tragic in the second. She has trouble processing new memories and retrieving old ones. She manages to maintain a long-term goal in Finding Dory, but only through constant reminders from companions or the environment.

Foil: She serves as this to Marlin, being a comical and cheerful character in contrast to Marlin who is typically serious and depressed. Incidentally, Marlin becomes much more cheerful after meeting her and Dory starts remembering better.

Gender Flip: The writer explains on the DVD commentary that in fact Dory was originally male, until he saw Ellen DeGeneres on television and realised that was the sweet-but-scattered tone he was looking for.

Genius Ditz: Despite her ditzy nature, she is is quick to come up with solutions, knows how to read human writing, understands whale language to communicate with them, and knows a lot of random facts that she learned in her childhood at the Marine Life Institute.

Genki Girl: Her perkiness and high energy buoy all her friends in rough times, or just annoy them.

Hope Springs Eternal: Pretty good at invoking this with her "Just keeping swimming" mantra.

I Just Want to Have Friends: According to director Andrew Stanton , one of Dory's fears is that she would get ditched all the time by fishes she tries to befriend. She tries to ensure she can be friendly and helpful as possible in hopes that someone will stick around with her, which is evident in the original movie, as Dory is heartbroken when Marlin tells her that he wants her to leave so that he continue the search for Nemo on his own and after he leaves her behind after thinking that Nemo died.

Indy Ploy: In the second film, it is revealed that she has a particular talent for this. So much that the question "What would Dory do?" gets Marlin and Nemo out of some sticky situations.

Living Emotional Crutch: To Marlin. Dory's optimism, easy-going nature and encouragement help rein in his neurotic side and keeps him focused.

Manic Pixie Dream Girl: A non-romantic example. Her energy and quirkiness help Marlin loosen up in Finding Nemo, while in the sequel her optimism helps Hank get over his fear of others and convinces him to return to the sea rather than spend the rest of his days in an exhibit.

Misery Trigger: Dory gets very sad when someone gives off the impression that they don't like her.

Nice Girl: Caring, sweet, friendly, optimistic, helpful, good-natured, cheerful, big-hearted and selfless.

The Not-Love Interest: To Marlin. Most of the movie consists of their dialogue with each other, they share body contact often, and even though Dory is not attentive most of the time, she truly worries for Marlin. Yet it's not a romance, just a case where two friends of opposite gender make each others' lives richer.

Orange/Blue Contrast: Serves as the blue and black contrast to Marlin 's orange and white.

Platonic Life-Partners: With Marlin.

Please, Don't Leave Me!: Dory begs Marlin not to go following his Despair Event Horizon, telling him that when he's around that she remembers things better.

Plucky Comic Relief: She provides most of the comic beats in the first movie, and is fairly goofy even as the protagonist.

Plucky Girl: Considering what she's had to go through, her ability to remain so upbeat is quite impressive.

The Pollyanna: Always happy-go-lucky and optimistic.

Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red Oni to Marlin's Blue Oni.

Ridiculously Cute Critter: Baby Dory is pretty much made of raw, unadulterated "UWAAAAAHHH!" material.

Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Energetic Girl to Marlin's Savvy Guy.

Seldom-Seen Species: Before her, not many people have heard of a blue regal tang.

Smarter Than You Look: As her Genius Ditz section notes, Dory is more intelligent than she appears.

Success Through Insanity: Nemo and eventually Marlin and Hank regard her as this. Marlin even admits in Finding Dory that no matter how crazy an idea she comes up with, it works.

Suddenly Bilingual: She apparently can read Spanish as well as English (and speak Whale). Justified in the second movie: she presumably got a lot of practice at the aquarium she was born in.

This ability leads her back to one of her childhood friends in Suddenly Fluent in Gibberish: Knows how to speak whale but Marlin is skeptical about it. When her skills gets them to Sydney, Marlin thanks the whale in its dialect, and Dory wishes that she could speak whale. Finding Dory.

Survival Mantra: "Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming."

Too Dumb to Live: Has moments of this, such as being oblivious to the danger involved in hanging out with some sharks she has just met, or in being surrounded by a colony of jellyfishes.

Marlin's son. The sole survivor of a barracuda attack, Nemo grows up with a "lucky fin" that did not develop properly. He is very curious and brave, but sheltered. His father's overprotectiveness has kept him from attending school and having adventures. He is captured by divers and placed in a dentist's fish tank, earning the nickname "Sharkbait" for aiding in their escape. In the second movie, he moves from protagonist to Marlin's rather funny moral support.

Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Nemo loves his father dearly, but he is often annoyed and exasperated by his overprotective behavior (and in the sequel when he tells Dory to just forget everything). He even tells him that he hates him early in the first movie when he gets too fed up with Marlin's overprotectiveness. However, it is clearly established that they do in fact love each other despite this.

Badass Adorable: He was willing to risk his life to jam the filter after hearing about all his father had done to come and save him.

Beware the Nice Ones: When Marlin went too far as he gets angry at Nemo when he tries to swim off to the drop-off by himself and tells him he can't do everything he thinks he can. Nemo didn't hesitate to tell him to his face that he hates him then touches the boat to prove it. Unfortunately, it isn't a smart and safe choice when he gets abducted by two human divers which Marlin has to chase after leading him to Sydney.

Bilingual Bonus: "Nemo" is a reference to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, where Captain Nemo chose the name because it means "nobody" in his own language.

Cheerful Child: Played straight, personality-wise.

Chekhov's Skill: Learning from Gill, Nemo uses the technique of swimming down to save Dory and a whole net of fish.

Dark and Troubled Past: When he was only a baby, his siblings and mother were killed by a barracuda.

Deadpan Snarker: In Finding Dory, he's written as sometimes snarking at his father.

Depending on the Writer: His aforementioned snarking can be seen as this, as the second film didn't have all the same writers as the first.

Determinator: After learning from Nigel that his dad had been swimming the entire ocean to find and rescue him, Nemo gains a renewed sense of confidence and becomes determined to escape from the tank and reunite with him.

Distressed Dude: Is captured at the beginning and trapped in an aquarium for most of the film.

Fun with Flushing: Nemo's escape plan involves him being flushed down the dentist's toilet to the ocean.

Grilling the Newbie: Gets a friendly version from the Tank Gang.

Handicapped Badass: Despite his bad fin, he is a dauntless little fish.

Heroic BSoD: After he is nearly killed by the fishtank's fan, believing he'd let Gill down.

Jerkass Ball: Nemo is a good kid who wants to make friends and impress his dad but he has his immature moment after Marlin learns that Nemo's going near the open ocean and stops him. As their argument between them escalated regarding the open ocean. Nemo coldly tells Marlin he hates him, then touches the boat in the open ocean to spite Marlin, much to the latter's horror. It eventually backfires when he gets abducted by two human divers prompting Marlin to chase after them to rescue his son.

Keet: Nemo's very first scene is him bouncing around the anemone while excited for his first day of school.

Get up, get up! Time for school! Time for school! Time for school! Time for school! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! Whoa! (falls outside the anemone)

Leitmotif: "Nemo Egg (Main Title)" , a soft, lullaby-like piano song associated with both Nemo and his dad that plays during tender moments.

Living Emotional Crutch: Nemo is Marlin's only family and he will do anything to keep him safe.

Nice Guy: Polite, kind, sweet, pleasant, gentle, and valiant.

Ridiculously Cute Critter: A fish version.

Secondary Character Title: His father Marlin is the protagonist.

Sixth Ranger: In the Tank Gang.

Sole Survivor: Nemo is presumably the only one of Marlin and Coral's children to have survived the barracuda attack.
Interestingly, the planned sequel by Circle 7 Animation would have revealed he had a long-lost brother. However, as none of the original creators would have worked on it, it's unlikely it would even be considered canon with the original film.

Took a Level in Jerkass: Downplayed; Nemo's still generally nice, but Finding Dory gives him a notably sarcastic streak aimed at his father.

The Tank Gang

A Moorish idol and the leader of the Tank Gang.

Dark Is Not Evil: A sinister-looking Moorish Idol, but he actually helps Nemo and the other fish in the fish tank escape back into the ocean.

Determinator: He will almost never give up his dream of escaping from the fish tank and returning to the ocean, despite the fact that all of his previous efforts have failed.

Nemo: How may times have you tried to get out?

Gill: Ah, I lost count.

When he and the Tank Gang finally escape to the ocean in Didn't Think This Through: The Stinger, they're still stuck inside their fish bags, with no apparent way to get out.

Elephant in the Room: Averted. Nemo immediately notices his bad fin, but hesitates to ask about it. Gill, however, doesn't mind telling the story.

Gill: My first escape. Landed on dentist tools. I was aiming for the toilet.

Good Is Not Nice: At first, at least. His goal is to get him and the other fish out of the tank and into the ocean, but is so determined to do so that he risks Nemo's safety. He's not exactly cuddly through the rest of the film, but he doesn't try to risk Nemo's life again.

Great Escape: He is always planning new schemes of such.

Guile Hero: Even though his plans (almost) always fail. He's atypical in that he appears somewhat uncomfortable in this role: he has a My God, What Have I Done? after Nemo almost gets killed by the tank filter while partaking in one of his plans.

Handicapped Badass: Like Nemo, he has a bad fin on one side.

Ink-Suit Actor: Gill's face is strikingly similar to Willem Dafoe's, notably the wrinkles around his mouth.

Intergenerational Friendship: He takes on a mentorly role to Nemo.

Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's certainly not nice most of the time, but isn't a bad guy.

Know When to Fold 'Em: Despite his desperation to return to the ocean, he refuses to continue his escape plan when Nemo almost dies trying to block the filter.

Peach: (holding a sobbing Nemo) Gill...don't make him go back in there.

Gill: ...No. We're done.

The Leader: He's the mastermind of the Tank Gang who constantly comes up with escape plans to get them out of the tank and back to the ocean.

My God, What Have I Done?: Has one after his initial escape plan fails and nearly gets Nemo killed, which leads to this exchange:

Nemo: I'm sorry I couldn't stop-

Gill: No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I was so ready to get out, so ready to taste that ocean, that I was willing to put you in harm's way to get there. Nothing should be worth that. I'm sorry I couldn't get you back to your father, kid.

Mysterious Past: Nothing is known of his life before he was captured and put into the tank.

Old Soldier: Well, he acts like one, anyway.

Papa Wolf: In the climactic scene in the dentist's office, he flings himself onto Darla's head, risking his own life to save Nemo's.

Parental Substitute: Gill acts as something of a surrogate father to Nemo while in the tank.

Rugged Scar: He has a ragged fin and a scar that runs across his mouth from previous escape attempts.

Scars Are Forever: He has multiple scars and a damaged fin, mostly from injuries inflicted during his various escape attempts.

Took a Level in Kindness: Starts out being rather cold towards Nemo, considering he was unwilling to help him, and is interested in him primarily because he believes Nemo will be able to help him escape from the tank. Over time, however, he begins to genuinely care for Nemo and eventually helps him escape alone to reunite with his dad. When Nemo almost dies the first time he tries to block the filter, he's visibly shaken.

Truth in Television: In a sense. While they haven't been known to make escape attempts, Moorish idols are infamously known for not taking captivity well.

Unreliable Narrator: A deleted scene has Gill telling Nemo that he comes from a place called Bad Luck Bay, and that he had several brothers (Marco, Polo, Lester, Linus) and a sister named Lulu, out in the ocean. Later, Nemo sees a human in the dentist office reading this exact backstory in a storybook called "Bad Luck Bay", in the same tone to boot, which casts doubt on whether Gill is actually from the ocean at all, or if he's just as crazy as the rest of the Tank Gang.

A porcupine fish.

Big Eater: He even eats The algae that grows after the tank gets dirty, much to Gurgle's disgust.

Character Tics: When he gets scared or agitated, he puffs up, and then one of the other fish has to deflate him.

Curtains Match the Windows: He's a brownish-gold fish with brown eyes.

Gasshole: Well, he is a blow fish.

Large Ham: Especially during Nemo's "initiation" into the Tank Gang.

Meaningful Name: A blow fish that bloats up.

Vitriolic Best Buds: With Gurgle. While burps on him, argues with him, and even smacks him for unintentionally mentioning Darla around a depressed Nemo, the two are still clearly friends.

A yellow tang.

Cloudcuckoolander: His obsession with bubbles.

The Ditz: As demonstrated by this conversation.

Bubbles: Ooh, the Big Blue. Tell me, what's it like?

Bubbles: I knew it!

Dumb Blonde: A yellow tang and the least intelligent member of the Tank Gang.

G-Rated Drug: His obsession with bubbles can border on such.

Meaningful Name: He really likes bubbles.

Nice Guy: He's friendly and kind...and a complete ditz.

Sanity Slippage: It's implied Bubbles went insane and developed his obsession with bubbles after being stuck in the dentist's tank too long:

Gill: Fish aren't meant to be in a box, kid. [glances at Bubbles] It does things to you.

A blue-and-white humbug damselfish.

An Australian pelican. Technically not part of the Tank Gang but still frequently hangs out with them, mostly to watch the dentist's patients.

Cultural Rebel:

Played With. He does eat fish, but he's not above befriending them, and wouldn't harm any fish friends.

Sorry if I ever took a snap at ya. Fish gotta swim, birds gotta eat.

According to All There in the Manual, other pelicans find him weird because he likes dentistry. Which makes sense, since pelicans are toothless and have no need for such knowledge.

Everyone Has Standards: He does eat fish, but he takes no pleasure from it and only does so because he needs to in order to survive; he makes a point to never eat any fish he's personally befriended.

Instant Messenger Pigeon: He delivers the news of Marlin's journey to Nemo.

Large Ham: It's pretty clear that Geoffrey Rush had a blast when voicing this line:

Nigel: (as the Seagulls continually clamor for fish) Oh, would you just shuuuuuuuutttt UUUUUPPP! You rats with wings!

Motor Mouth: He's prone to babbling, either when excited or talking about dentistry.

Nice Guy: Probably one of the friendliest, most helpful characters in the movie, with probably only Crush and Dory beating him.

What Happened to the Mouse?: The last we see of him is him apologizing to Marlin and Dory before flying off. He's not even in The Stinger, and he doesn't appear in the second film either.

Other Animals

Voiced by: Elizabeth Perkins

Marlin's wife and Nemo's mother.

Death by Origin Story: Dies in Marlin and Nemo's backstory trying to save her young from a barracuda.

Didn't Think This Through: When the barracuda shows up, her first instinct is to rush in to protect her eggs instead of taking shelter. It's likely that the barracuda didn't even see the eggs to begin with, meaning that she gave away their position by rushing in to save them, which cost her her life and all of her eggs barring Nemo's.

Explosive Breeder: She had over 400 eggs with Marlin. Truth in Television, since scientifically speaking, her kind usually lays between a hundred to a thousand eggs. Sadly for her and Marlin, only one of them could hatch.

The Lost Lenore: To Marlin. Losing her is one of the reasons he becomes so overprotective of Nemo.

Mama Bear: She is killed when she tries to protect her eggs from a hungry barracuda.

Missing Mom: She died trying to protect her eggs from a barracuda, for which Nemo, her only surviving son, never got to meet her.

Nice Girl: Before her death, Coral was a kind, caring wife to Marlin who'd even attack a barracuda to protect her eggs.

Oh, Crap!: The look on her face when she's looking at the barracuda does little to hide the fact that she's likely screaming internally. note

Sacrificial Lamb: Presumably gets eaten by a barracuda before the story actually even begins.

Senseless Sacrifice: Subverted. Her attempt to save her children fails and she gets eaten by the barracuda along with all of the eggs...all but one.

Small Role, Big Impact: She only appears in the intro and never mentioned again afterwards, but Marlin's loss of her (and their unborn 400 children) is what made him the overprotective single father we see afterwards, not to mention put the entire plot in motion.

Staring Down Cthulhu: Finds herself in a staring contest with a distant barracuda before she dives down to protect her children and it eats her.

We Hardly Knew Ye: She is only shown in the beginning of the film, where she is eaten by the barracuda, along with her eggs, so all we know of her is that she and Marlin met a long time ago.

Women Are Wiser: Compared to Marlin. Possibly subverted when she goes to protect her fish eggs, which barracuda don't eat. Then again, they don't eat clownfish either, so the fact that it was sitting there waiting to eat them may have told her that her eggs were in danger as well.

A great barracuda responsible for killing Coral along with her and Marlin's other children.

Artistic License – Biology: Barracudas don't eat eggs (or clownfish, for that matter). Lampshaded by Marlin who tries to assure Coral that the eggs will be okay as long as she doesn't give the barracuda a reason to attack. She doesn't listen.

Curb-Stomp Battle: Marlin tries to fend it off when it charges. It goes about as well as you'd think...

Death by Cameo: The creators confirm that this is the same barracuda that appears stuffed and mounted on the wall in Toy Story 4.

The Dreaded: Big time, since the neighborhood totally cleared out when he makes the scene.

Eats Babies: Though is left for interpretation, as the change of luminosity in the water implies Marlin was out for several hours, where another animal could have done the deed, he seems to have eaten Nemo's siblings still in egg stage.

Fiendish Fish: It's a scary, predatory killer that comes out of nowhere, and Marlin and Coral are powerless to stop it.

The Heavy: Despite only appearing for thirty seconds at most, he is ultimately the cause for everything. Marlin wouldn't have been so protective of Nemo, and therefore Nemo wouldn't have gone out into open water and been captured by divers if the barracuda hadn't killed Coral at the beginning of the film.

Incorrect Animal Noise: It can be heard growling softly when stalking Marlin and Coral's nest and utters a long, lion-like roar when it attacks.

Knight of Cerebus: What happens when he first appears? The neighborhood has fled, the cute music has stopped, and the camera pans to Coral looking at... something in the distance with a worried look on her face. The instant we see him, the mood and music take a darker turn, and unlike other antagonists we see throughout the movie, he's not played for laughs in the slighest. Even after he's long gone, the atmosphere is still dramatic. If that's not enough, his actions set up the rest of the movie to be...rather different from the past movies Disney and Pixar have come up with. And he only appears once!

Noisy Nature: Nope, barracudas don't roar like that.

Non-Malicious Monster: Even though its actions caused the loss of Marlin's family save for Nemo, it's just a predatory creature that needs to eat.

Rule of Scary: While barracudas, like many fishes, are not able to utter sounds, this one does as it attacks Marlin and Coral's eggs, likely due to this trope.

Seldom-Seen Species: Admit it, when's the last time you saw a barracuda in a piece of fictional work? note

Small Role, Big Impact: He was only in the movie for roughly thirty seconds, but is (presumably) responsible for eating Marlin's wife and all but one of their children, thus turning Marlin into the Overprotective Dad he is today, which sets up the conflict for the rest of the film.

Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: Along with the anglerfish, it's one of the more frightening creatures in the film. Furthermore, it actually kills and eats Coral and all of her children apart from Nemo.

Would Hit a Girl: Justified. He killed Coral, but he is a predator.

Would Hurt a Child: Justified. He killed all of Marlin and Coral's children (sans Nemo), but he is a predator.

Voiced by: Erica Beck, Erik Per Sullivan and Jordy Ranft

Nemo's friends and classmates. A flapjack octopus, a seahorse, and a yellow longnose butterflyfish, respectively.

Abnormal Allergy: Sheldon the seahorse is allergic to water. Given that he lives underwater, he's quite the sneezer.

All There in the Script: Pearl and Tad's names were not said once (but they were in the video game).

Artistic License – Biology: Real octopi have their mouths under their heads, but Pearl has her mouth right below the eyes to make her look more anthropomorphized.

Bowel-Breaking Bricks: Pearl: "Aw, you made me ink!" Truth in Television, as cephalopods release their ink when they're scared (it's a defensive reaction).

Cheerful Child: All three of them.

Demoted to Extra: They're not featured a lot in the original movie, but in the sequel, they're just background characters.

Funny Octopus: Pearl, especially when she "inks".

Ironic Allergy: Sheldon is "H₂O (water) intolerant." ACHOO!

"Not So Different" Remark: They initially tease Nemo about his deformed fin, but Pearl admits that she has one tentacle shorter than the rest ("but you can't really tell"). Then Sheldon admits that he's H₂O intolerant, while Tad just says "I'm obnoxious!"

Ridiculously Cute Critter: They're all smaller, cuter versions of their dads.

Seldom-Seen Species: How often do you see a flapjack octopus or a yellow longnose butterflyfish in a work of fiction?

Small Role, Big Impact: They leave the plot altogether after the first few minutes, but them daring Nemo to touch the boat ends up getting Nemo kidnapped and sets the rest of the movie into action.

The Voiceless: In the sequel, none of them get any lines.

A spotted eagle ray. Nemo's teacher at school.

Cool Teacher: He's the jolliest science master working in marine education. He believes in the practical, taking his little fishy pupils for a ride on his back to teach them about the other creatures of the seabed and singing a whole bunch of memory-aiding ditties along the way. And the kids love him.

A Dog Named "Dog": He is a spotted eagle ray named Mr. Ray.

Educational Song: He sings one about the various species of marine life.

Large Ham: He has shades of this, as he will often begin his statements with a very loud and drawn out high note before resuming with his lecture.

Move Along, Nothing to See Here: Pretty much word for word after he witnesses an angry Nemo tell Marlin he hates him for his overprotectiveness, and he ushers his class away before trying to smooth the situation over.

Papa Wolf: He is very protective of his students, telling them to hide under him when danger approaches.

Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness:

He talks this way during his introductory song in the first movie:

Mr. Ray: Mesopelagic, bathyal, abyssalpelagic..

Later, when the students are on a field trip, he says "Okay students, optical orbits up front, and remember, we keep our subesophangeal ganglion to ourselves."

Still Believes in Santa: One bonus feature reveals that despite being fully grown and a biology teacher, Mr. Ray thinks there's an underwater tooth fairy, who has a full-time job collecting sharks' teeth.

Voiced by: Barry Humphries

A great white shark who wants to quit his habit of eating fish.

Affably Evil: Subverted, in spite of initial appearances. While it initially seems like he's trying to use a polite act to lead Marlin and Dory to their doom, it turns out that he genuinely wants their company and later sympathizes with their journey out of genuine kindness. But when he smells blood...

Ax-Crazy: Only when he smells blood.

Badass Baritone: Has a very loud deep voice and is a Great White Shark.

Black Eyes of Crazy: Bruce has these once he smells blood... Subverted as it is simply his carnivorous tendencies acting up, he tries to control himself outside of these episodes.

Blood Lust: Bruce is a nice shark, really. He just has trouble controlling his instinctive urge to eat fish once he smells Dory's blood.

Cheshire Cat Grin: His smile says it all.

Covers Always Lie: The film's entire advertising campaign heavily implied to audiences that Bruce is the Big Bad of the movie. This is not actually the case.

Creepy Good: For being a shark, the other fish are terrified of him and his support group. Bruce is taking the necessary steps to be in control of his instincts and he's at least trying to fight the prejudice towards sharks.

Dark Is Not Evil: See Face of a Thug.

Disappeared Dad: By his own admission, Bruce never knew his father.

Earn Your Happy Ending: Implied to have gotten over his fish-eating habits by the end of the film.

Emotional Bruiser: Despite being a big, imposing shark, he begins crying when Marlin explains that Nemo was kidnapped by divers.

Evil Sounds Deep: Subverted, he's not evil at all, but he does have a "relapse" into his carnivore nature when he smells Dory's blood.

Face of a Thug: Despite his good intentions, he still comes off initially as extremely terrifying since he is a giant Great White Shark.

Freudian Excuse: When Bruce is frenzied by the smell of blood, Anchor insists that Bruce never knowing his father is part of how he developed this addiction/behavior.

The Gadfly: He genuinely has no intention to eat Marlin or Dory, but that doesn't mean he's against Jump Scaring them, flashing his teeth in their faces and even laughing about it afterwards.

Gentle Giant: He tries to be nice, at least, but he loses control over his predatory instincts when he smells blood.

Large Ham: Particularly in "feeding frenzy" mode, in which he is bellowing every line like a pantomime actor.

Meaningful Name: He is named after "Bruce," the code-name for the mechanical shark prop from Jaws. It's also a name associated with the common caricature of an Australian.

More Teeth than the Osmond Family: Only natural for a shark, of course, but his introduction plays it up for maximum sinister effect. He also provides the trope picture.

Nice Guy: Despite appearances, he's very genuine about wanting to give up his habit of eating fish.

Parental Abandonment: Cries that he never knew his father at one point. This is Truth in Television, as most sharks aren't particularly parental animals.

Put on a Bus: He doesn't appear in Finding Dory.

Scary Teeth: He's a great white shark, it's par for the course.

Slasher Smile: Bruce pulls off a terrifying smile after accidentally smelling blood and relapsing into a feral state.

Threatening Shark: Played with. Although he initially comes off as very threatening towards Marlin and Dory, he is actually a Nice Guy who honestly just wants to make friends with them. Unfortunately, he can't help his instincts when he accidentally gets a whiff of Dory's blood. His friends even Lampshade this:

Anchor: Sorry about- [Bruce bashes the door] Bruce, mate!
Chum: He's really- [Bruce hits the door again] a nice guy!

Tropaholics Anonymous: Bruce is the president of a society for sharks who want to stop eating fish.

"Fish are friends, not food."

Vegetarian Carnivore: He attempts to be one, at least.

Bruce's two friends, a great hammerhead and a mako shark respectively.

Adult Fear: Although their reaction to Bruce's relapse is Played for Laughs, many people who have known an addict who relapsed understands the desperation in trying to help a friend stay on the wagon by force.

Apologetic Attacker: Played with, as they're not the ones attacking, Bruce is, and they're trying to hold him back from causing any more damage.

Chum: SORRY ABOUT— [thud] —BRUCE, MATE! [thud]
Anchor: HE'S REALLY— [thud] —A NICE GUY! [thud]

Black Comedy: Chum appears to have eaten his guest on the way to the meeting.

Creepy Good: For being sharks, the other fish are terrified of them and Bruce. Like Bruce, they are taking the necessary steps to be in control of their instincts and they are at least trying to fight the prejudice towards sharks. Chum had a brief relapse when he ate his fish buddy, but the support group understands how hard it is to overcome their instincts and don't hold it against him.

Dark Is Not Evil: See Face of a Thug.

Face of a Thug: They're scary-looking guys, but genuinely nice.

Fantastic Racism:

They both seem to harbor a strong dislike for dolphins. Possibly inspired by tales of dolphins attacking sharks to protect themselves or humans, and the other way around.

Humans, too. Especially Americans. Their dislike of humans as a whole may also be justified by the way humans have treated and threatened sharks as a dangerous bogeyman following the release of Jaws. This is especially true for Chum's case, as mako sharks are popular targets in trophy fishing.

Seldom-Seen Species: Try to think of another cartoon mako besides Chum.

Those Two Guys: They are always seen together

Tropaholics Anonymous: Ditto to Bruce.

Vegetarian Carnivore: Like Bruce, although it's implied that Chum may have relapsed at some point.

A small green fish that Anchor brings to the meeting as his "fish friend".

Cowardly Lion: He's absolutely terrified to be at the shark meeting. In the post-credits scene, however, he gets over his fear of predators and eats the Anglerfish in one bite.

Named by the Adaptation: He's left unnamed in the film, but is called Blenny in an officially licensed Macintosh game.

Nervous Wreck: He's constantly quaking to the point where he never speaks and eventually sneaks off during the shark meeting.

Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Turns out he's actually quite capable of eating large predators despite his small size.

The Quiet One: He doesn't say a word in the film. Justified, as he was likely so scared at the shark intervention that talking was the last thing on his mind at the time.

Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: He sneaks away after seeing that Chum ate his "fish friend".

Took a Level in Badass: In the Stinger, he overcomes his cowardice and eats the Anglerfish in one bite!

An anglerfish Marlin and Dory run into after following the diver's mask into a pitch-black trench.

Always a Bigger Fish: An example that is oddly both somewhat literal and ironic. In a post-credits scene, she gets Eaten Alive by Blenny, the fish that Anchor brought as his friend earlier. The ironic part is that Blenny is actually much smaller than her.

Bioluminescence Is Cool: Invoked; she lures fish in with her light, then eats them.

Eaten Alive: In a post-credits scene, she gets swallowed in one bite by the tiny green fish that Chum brought to the sharks' meeting.

Eldritch Abomination: How Marlin and Dory see her. Indeed, she's never referred to by any species name and is seen more as a horrifying creature than a normal animal. Justified, as neither of them have seen a creature like this.

Female Monster Surprise: Younger audiences might not realise that this is actually female. Any biologist who is quite familiar with Anglerfish would tell you that Anglerfish like the one seen in the movie are female and the males of the species are much smaller and lack the bioluminescent lure characteristic of the species.

Hell Is That Noise: The shriek it makes, especially when it finally shows itself.

Light Is Not Good: She uses her luminescent lure to catch her victims.

Nightmare Face: Huge blank eyes, giant teeth, cavernous mouth, etc. This is Truth in Television.

Non-Malicious Monster: Like the Barracuda, while she's just hunting to survive, she's nevertheless scary and antagonistic.

Nothing Is Scarier: The only thing Dory and Marlin see of it is its hypnotic light. As it ascends, what descends behind them are long, razor-sharp teeth and big, blank, bug-like eyes.

Rule of Scary: Like the barracuda, it utters noises, namely vicious snarls and screeches.

Scary Teeth: Like all anglerfish, she has a ferocious set of teeth.

The Smurfette Principle: Aside from Dory and Darla, she is the only notable female involved on the journey to find Nemo.

A bloom of jellyfish who harass Dory and Marlin after they attack a baby one.

Don't Go in the Woods: They're referred to as a "forest".

The Dreaded: Marlin immediately panics when he realizes that Dory has found a baby jellyfish, and it only gets worse when he sees a whole swarm of them coming. Additionally, most of fish who hear of Marlin's exploits are quite shocked to learn that he was able to get through them and even the turtles (whose offspring eat jellyfish) are impressed enough with Marlin fighting his way through them to nickname him "Jelly Man".

Electric Jellyfish: All of their stings have a "zap" sound effect.

The Speechless: They say nothing. Which makes sense, since they have no mouths. Oddly enough, Squishy makes a squeal after Marlin tailwhacks it away.

The Swarm: There's a ton of them. They're referred to as a "jellyfish forest".

A green sea turtle who helps Marlin and Dory find their way to Sydney.

Creator Cameo: Voiced by director Andrew Stanton.

Good Parents: He's a great dad to Squirt, knowing when to interfere and when to let him learn on his own. Marlin learns a thing or two from this.

Nice Guy: A friendly guy who's all too happy to help Dory and Marlin out.

The Nicknamer: Marlin is "dude" or "jellyman", Dory is "little blue".

Older Than They Look: He's 150 years old, dude, and still young.

Surfer Dude: Played with. He's a turtle, but he has the laid-back personality.

Totally Radical: The way he talks, dude.

Verbal Tic: Crush tends to end his sentences with "dude", dude.

a hundred and fifty - and Wise Old Turtle: He's a bit of a twist on the trope. While at first he doesn't act like a typical wise old mentor, being instead a laid-back Surfer Dude, he still gives Marlin useful advice for his quest... and when Marlin asks him his age, he answers that he's still young.

Voiced by: Nicholas Bird (Finding Nemo), Bennett Dammann (Finding Dory)

Crush's son.

Cheerful Child: Every smiling just about every second he's on screen and seems to be perpetually excited.

Keet: He's full of energy.

Put on a Bus: Subverted; he still appears in the second film, but is no longer a member of Nemo's class.

Ridiculously Cute Critter: He's small, has huge puppy-dog eyes, and has the energy of a seven-year-old boy. How can you NOT say "Awwww" when he's on screen?

Verbal Tic: He has one like his father, dude.

A blue whale encountered by Martin and Dory.

Artistic Licence – Biology: In real life, a whale's blowhole and its mouth are not connected in any way, making this whale's role in the plot impossible.

Gentle Giant: Belongs to the largest existing species of mammal, which can be up to 30 meters (98 feet) long and 173 tonnes (191 short tons) in weight. Nonetheless, he mainly feeds on tiny crustaceans called krill and doesn't mean to harm larger fish like Marlin and Dory.

Monster Whale: Subverted. While a whale does end up very nearly consuming Marlin and Dory, and Marlin very much acts like they've been swallowed by a terrifying sea monster, it does so unintentionally and turns out to be friendly, giving them some advice that helps them escape its mouth before it can accidentally swallow them.

The Unintelligible: He only speaks "whale" language consisting of low-frequency vocalizations which Marlin cannot understand. Dory claims to be able to speak whale, despite Martin's disbelief, and it turns out she's right.

A flock of seagulls who are minor antagonists, only caring for food. They are rather stupid and only say "Mine!"

A bioluminescent squid who is a minor antagonist in Finding Dory, as well as the sole new character in who isn't a part of the Marine Life Institute.

Bioluminescence Is Cool: Not quite in its case, as it lets it notice potential prey in wreckage but also gives itself away. Justified in that they flash red rather than blue when in hunting mode, suggesting it wasn't actively looking for prey but just disturbed.

Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: Of the Barracuda in the first film. Like the Barracuda, the Humboldt Squid is a non-sentient predator who briefly appears and tries to eat the main characters. However, the Barracuda appeared in the beginning of the movie and despite his brief appearance and having to share its screen time with other antagonistic forces, serves as the main catalyst for the first movie's conflict, while the Humboldt Squid appears in the middle of this movie is the only antagonistic force found here but has nothing to do with its main conflict.

The Dreaded: Cephalopods are major predators of crustaceans so it makes sense that the local crabs would fear it even without taking its temperament into account.

Giant Eye of Doom: It's a jumbo squid, which have disproportionately large eyes compared to most animals.

Giant Squid: Well, not quite the real deal but it plays as one towards the main characters (considering relative size).

Plot-Irrelevant Villain: The only antagonistic figure found in Finding Dory, but has nothing to do with the main conflict and only appears for a short time.

Seldom-Seen Species: When was the last time you saw a Humboldt squid in a fictional work?

Super-Persistent Predator: Crashes through corten steel containers in an effort to catch two clown fish and a blue tang, only stopped because one falls on it, while it continues to try and snap at what are less than bite snap snacks to it with a door slammed on one of its limbs.

Tentacled Terror: He's big, he's mean, and he's hungry.

Humans

The dentist who "rescues" Nemo from the reef and puts him in his fish tank, thus setting up the main plot of the film.

All There in the Script: His name is only mentioned on the scuba mask (as simply "P. Sherman"). His first name Philip is not said at all.

Humans Are Cthulhu: To the fish when in his scuba diving gear. He's currently the page image.

Jerk with a Heart of Gold: His Establishing Character Moment shows he's more of this than the usual dentist, accidentally pulling a tooth without anesthesia and joking about it shortly after. That being said, he's a relatively friendly guy and loves his niece.

The Kindnapper: Why did he take Nemo? Because he (not unreasonably) thought the young clownfish was going to die if he didn't.

Lethally Stupid: Keeps giving fish to his niece despite the fact that she keeps killing them by shaking their bags.

Papa Wolf: He's willing to tackle a pelican he believes is terrorizing his niece.

Obliviously Evil: To some degree. He was under the impression that Nemo was struggling and dying away from the coral reef and is unaware that he separated a child from his father. Similarly, he is oblivious to the fact that the fish in his tank are miserable and wish to be freed into the ocean.

Punny Name: "P. Sherman" sounds like "fisherman".

Dr. Sherman's niece, but known to the Tank Gang as " the fish killer."

Ambiguous Disorder: Due to her emotional instability, hyperactivity and is oddly babyish by nature, she does seem to suffer from unknown mental disorder.

Anti-Villain:: While she is known for being too aggressive with fish and is pretty creepy, she's not really evil. Just doesn't really know any better because of her age.

Baby Talk: "Fishy!"

Braces of Orthodontic Overkill: God those braces of hers are massive! They basically make her default expression a Slasher Smile for the fish.

Bratty Half-Pint: Although she comes off as rather demanding and obnoxious, her brattiness is unintentional.

Chronic Pet Killer: The reason why she is feared by the Tank Gang is because she kills all her adopted fish through vigorous bag-shaking.

Creepy Child: To the Tank Gang. Subverted considering the fact that she seems quite nice, if not a bit overenthusiastic about her pets.

The Dreaded: To the point that her scenes are accompanied by "Psycho" Strings.

Evil Redhead: Not particularly evil, but she does cause harm to the fish by shaking them too much.

Genki Girl: An overexcited and hyperactive little girl.

Girlish Pigtails: She has red hair in pigtails.

The Heavy: Is more of a direct danger than her uncle, whose only role was putting the fish in the tank and keeping them there.

Idiot Houdini: As far as we know, she isn't punished for killing fish by shaking their bags. If she is, we never hear about it.

Lethally Stupid: Darla is actually a relatively normal girl (except for the braces), what makes her an antagonist is her bad habit to shake her fishes like crazy. This is justified, however, by how young and hyperactive she is.

Obliviously Evil: Even more so than her uncle. She doesn't seem to know that her actions towards fish (particularly shaking their bags) are extremely harmful.

Scary Teeth: Thanks to her Braces of Orthodontic Overkill, her teeth are very large and visible.

Shout-Out: Her sweater reads "Rock 'n Roll Girl", a reference to the 1985 John Fogerty song "Rock and Roll Girls".

Speech Impediment: Darla has trouble speaking with those terrible braces.

Spoiled Brat: She gets everything she wants from her uncle.

Youthful Freckles: That match her red hair.

The Marine Life Institute

A grouchy octopus who's determined to bust out of the institute.

An Arm and a Leg: He's missing one of his arms, and Dory calls him a "septopus" because of that.

Broken Bird: The traumatic loss of his tentacle is implied to be the reason why he's such a bitter loner.

Chameleon Camouflage: Can blend in with any surrounding. Justified because octopuses can do that in real life, though it's mostly for underwater situations; octopuses are not very effective at blending in with human-made objects.

Con Man: Hank is more than happy to trick Dory into handing over her tag in the beginning by any means possible. Once he realizes that she's Too Dumb to Fool, however, he quickly changes tactics and reluctantly begins helping her.

The Cynic: In stark contrast to Dory's more optimistic outlook on life.

Deadpan Snarker: When meeting Dory for the first time, he starts to tell Dory his plan, saying "It'd never work, it's too crazy." When Dory asks to hear it, saying she's okay with crazy, he remarks "You know, I could see that".

Defrosting Ice King: Hank starts out as a cynical, grumpy loner who's only willing to help Dory for his own gain. However, her sweetness and optimism slowly begin to crack away at his icy exterior until he wants to help her for real.

Drives Like Crazy: Twice. First with a baby cart and second with a TRUCK. Justified, however, in that he "can't see squat" either time.

Escape Artist: We never once see where Hank is actually supposed to be within the institute, since he's gotten himself out and been on the run for an indefinite amount of time. His ability to escape and camouflage himself are extremely helpful to Dory and extremely irksome to the staff at the marine hospital.

Foil: Created to be one for Dory. While she is optimistic, friendly, and looking to find her family so she won't feel alone, Hank is cynical, grouchy, and looking to live in solitude for the rest of his life. Dory is also a textbook example of The Fool who relies on good luck and a good attitude to succeed, and generally doesn't bother with making plans; by contrast, Hank is a hypercompetent badass with a whole array of useful "superpowers", and he meticulously plans his every move. And while Dory is rather forgetful and wants to remember her parents, Hank has memories that he DOESN'T want to remember.

Grumpy Bear: He may be the most grumpy character in the series so far, and that's saying something.

Handicapped Badass: Despite having lost one of his tentacles, Hank is easily one of the most agile characters in the series; able to swing from objects with ease, pilot a baby stroller in a crowd of humans, and even drive a truck.

Hates Being Touched: Hank detests physical contact and wanted to be sent to quarantine so that he can live peacefully in an isolated glass box without having to be mishandled by anyone.

Hates Small Talk: Goes along with his ultimate desire to be left alone. Hank actually launches into a small rant about how much he doesn't like "talking and chatter" when Dory initially tries to make conversation with him.

Hollywood Chameleon: Just like real octopuses, he has the ability to change his body color to blend in with his environment.

Ineffectual Loner: Hank doesn't want friends or family and aspires to live completely alone in a glass tank for the rest of his days. Thankfully, he comes out of this mindset after spending time with Dory.

Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Extremely prickly and ill-tempered, and only agreed to help Dory to get her tag. Despite this, he eventually grows attached to her and becomes one of her best friends.

Luminescent Blush: It's very brief, but Hank blushes deeply when Dory tells him, "I think I'll remember you."

Loner-Turned-Friend: Though Hank spends most of the movie rebuffing Dory's attempts to befriend him, she eventually gets under his skin and he actually gives up his goal of going to Cleveland to return to the ocean with her.

Master of Disguise: Due to his flexible body and color-changing abilities, he disguises himself as a number of things over the course of the movie, from a potted plant to a human baby.

No Mouth: As an octopus's beak is on the other side of its body from its eyes, Hank talks for the most part without any visible mouth movement. However, the animators compromised and gave him a mouth between his front two tentacles which can be seen when he shouts or is otherwise riled.

Noodle Incident: Exactly what caused Hank to lose a tentacle and develop his fear of the ocean and physical contact is never explained...in Finding Dory, at least.

Opposites Attract: In a platonic sense. The creators say that Hank was created to be Dory's exact opposite and the two of them become good friends.

Shell-Shocked Veteran: While not a literal veteran, Hank lost one of his tentacles in an unmentioned "accident" that may or may not have to do with his fear of the ocean but which has everything to do with his PTSD-like fear of being touched. It is also implied to be the reason he's so cynical and adamant about not getting close to anyone- physically or emotionally.

Sour Outside, Sad Inside: Over the course of the movie, Hank reveals in bits and pieces that his past (whatever it is) weighs heavily on him and he wishes he could forget about it: "No memories, no problems."

Stealthy Cephalopod: Hank the "septopus" (an octopus with one tentacle missing; it's unclear if this is a birth defect or his tentacle simply hasn't grown back yet) is good at sneaking around, thanks to his quiet nature and ability to change his skin colour.

Straight Man: To Dory.

Super Not-Drowning Skills: Inverted. He can survive outside of water for an improbably long time compared to real-life octopuses.

Trauma Button: Part of his PTSD-like symptoms, Hank is extremely paranoid about being touched by anyone, and the idea of it alone is enough to make him a terrified wreck.

Voluntary Shapeshifter: Like all octopuses, he can make himself look like something else by changing the color and texture of his skin, although since they're going for realism here, his abilities are somewhat limited.

A nearsighted whale shark and Dory's pipe pal.

Birds of a Feather: It's no wonder she got along so well with Dory.

Blind Without 'Em: She has very poor eyesight and is constantly running into walls because of them. She mostly relies on Bailey's echolocation (dubbed in-universe as "The World's Most Powerful Spectacles") to "see".

Childhood Friends: She and Dory used to communicate to each other using the tank pipes when they were younger.

Cute Clumsy Girl: An adorably sweet and helpful whale shark who frequently crashes into objects because of her poor vision. Even in-universe she's seen as cute enough that the MLI is selling stuffed animal versions of her.

Cute Giant: A huge and downright adorable whale shark.

Genki Girl: Cheerful and enthusiastic, she gets very excited to reunite with her old friend, and will stop at nothing to help Dory.

Gentle Giant: Huge compared to the rest of the cast, but super nice. Truth in Television, since the whale shark is the largest living fish species, yet feeds on plankton and is docile even toward humans.

Like an Old Married Couple: Frequently bickers about the most minute of things with Bailey, but they would develop a close bond as Bailey becomes her "eyesight".

Seldom-Seen Species: Whale sharks are fairly well-known, but there's a small chance you might see one in a cartoon.

A beluga whale who lives in the tank next to Destiny. He has an unknown injury that causes his echolocation to not function properly.

Disabled Snarker: Is rather sardonic due to his inability to echo locate.

How Do I Shot Web?: He can't remember how his echolocation works.

Like an Old Married Couple: He frequently pick fights with Destiny, but they share a close enough bond for him to agree to her requests, and he later promises her to be her "eyesight" when they return to the ocean.

Pstandard Psychic Pstance: Invoked. Bailey's not trying to use ESP, but he still takes the pose.

Seldom-Seen Species: Belugas aren't that common in fiction.

Super Senses: While his echolocation is not functioning perfectly, it still allows him to "see" through solid objects and locate stuff from far distances.

Two sea lions that hang around the shore close to the Institute.

Fat and Skinny: Fluke is rather burly, whereas Rudder is slender.

Go-Karting with Bowser: As Marlin points out, sea lions live principally on fish. However, Rudder and Fluke are perfectly willing to help the protagonists.

Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: With Gerald, constantly trying to keep him off their rock.

Sweet Seal: Both are pretty amicable even to their natural prey. That said, they are territorial.

Those Two Guys: They appear together all the time.

Truth in Television: Sea lions are highly gregarious animals.

Voiced by: Torbin Xan Bullock

A common loon that is friends with Fluke and Rudder and tries to help Marlin and Nemo find Dory

Artistic License – Ornithology: She's treated more like a semi-aquatic pigeon than an actual loon, walking around on two legs, eating popcorn and making pigeon noises. Real life loons move rather ungainly on land and are piscivores (which would make them another threat to Marlin and Nemo).

Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Despite trying to help Marlin and Nemo find Dory, she gets distracted by popcorn that has fallen to the ground.

Non-Standard Character Design: She is less anthropomorphized than most animals in the film, with realistic bird eyes. She also looks different from the other loons in the movie, with scruffer feathers.

Red Eyes, Take Warning: Averted. She has eyes that are realistic (if a bit too large) for her species, but is quite friendly.

Trademark Favorite Food: She loves popcorn.

Voiced by: Torbin Xan Bullock

A sea lion that is always trying to get on the rock that Fluke and Rudder are on.

Ambiguous Disorder: From the way he's portrayed, there's clearly something not quite right about him.

Big Ol' Unibrow: Just look at it.

Cloudcuckoolander: Seems to be not quite there.

Comically Cross-Eyed: He has unfocused, outward-looking eyes.

Fish Eyes: Ironic, considering he's one of the few characters that's not a fish.

Nonstandard Character Design: Compared to the rest of the characters, Gerald looks like he escaped from a much more cartoony film.

One Steve Limit: He shares the name with a pelican that attempts to eat Marlin and Dory in Finding Nemo. They are both ugly and unpopular members of their species (the other pelicans refuse to help Gerald the pelican when he's choking on the protagonists).

Thousand-Yard Stare: Again, his eyes are unfocused and looking into a distance.

Dory's long lost parents.

Audience Surrogate: They represent the many parents who live through the struggle of having a child with special needs. Many parents would be able to relate, especially the scene with Jenny crying in worry over whether Dory can survive on her own.

Determinator: They never gave up hope that their daughter would one day return. When she disappeared, they escaped the institute, set up a home near the exit pipe, and spent every day since setting up seashell trails in every direction in the hope that Dory would stumble upon one of them and follow them back home.

Good Parents: They're incredibly patient with Dory and her short-term memory loss, and did everything they could to keep her from getting lost.

Parental Abandonment: Though not by choice. Dory got swept away by the undertow and was lost for years, with her parents trying hard to find her.

Parents as People: As much as they love Dory, they genuinely wondered if she could make it on her own.

Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: Their stripe patterns resemble a hairstyle, with long hair for Jenny and a receding hairline for Charlie.

Alternative Title(s): Finding Dory

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Main Characters A clownfish who becomes an overprotective father after his mate Coral and all but one of his offspring were killed by a barracuda, making him very protective of Nemo to the point of isolating him. After Nemo is taken by divers, ...

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The art of speaking or writing effectively.

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How to use rhetoric to get what you want - Camille A. Langston

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Is a writing piece that uses credibility and trustworthiness to persuade a reader.

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Using passion and emotions to persuade a piece of writing.

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Using logical and reasonable evidence to persuade the reader.

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Giving non human thing human characteristics.

The walls were talking. The stairs screamed in agony as he began to climb them

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The repotition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds.

The fat cat laid on a mat while the rat chased the nat.

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The repetition of the same or similar initial consonant sounds in words closes together.

How much wood could a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood.

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A word that is over used and has became lifeless.

Bless your heart. Love is blind. Pretty as a picture.

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An expression that cannot be interpreted literally.

Its raining cats and dogs. I lost my head

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Play on words based on multiple meanings of a single word or words that sound alike or mean different things.

Puns involving animals are amooseing. Your eggselent.

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http://ourenglishclass.net/class-notes/writing/the-writing-process/craft/tone-and-mood/
http://www1.lpssonline.com/uploads/2dToneMoodWordLists.pdf

https://www.mustangps.org/Downloads/Tone%20Words.pdf

https://www.albert.io/blog/ultimate-list-of-tone-words/

https://blog.prepscholar.com/list-of-tone-words

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The tone and mood words listed below are also available as a Word document. Tone and mood both deal with the emotions centered around a piece of writing. Though they seem similar and can in fact be...

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https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1yFJXjRz0VgpKeg793HA1qQIupL2k0emBGm2tQW19XO8/edit#slide=id.gef5d2d07fa_0_53