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The Most Memorable Goths In TV History
Since goth subculture was founded in the late 1970s, it has been made evident that every TV ensemble benefits from a token goth character or two in their show. They may serve as an antagonist that galvanizes the moral compass of the group into counteracting their dark forces, or they might be a kind, gentle soul shrouded in studs and veils. Many of their outfits and catchphrases have been repeated, built upon, and sublimated into the public consciousness. It's possible that your own person goth phase may have been inspired by some of these lovable (or deplorable) freaks. We may see ourselves in their darkness. Whatever their purpose may be, these goth characters are some of the best known and loved on television.
Type of goth: Shady, cloaked half-demon
Aesthetic: Demonic super heroine
Signature quote: “Azarath, metrion, zinthos.”
General outlook on life: Chaos reigns without emotional regulationRaven's face is enveloped in darkness for the overwhelming majority of her time on-screen. Reclusive and moody, Raven is a hard nut to crack, even for her closest friends and fellow Titans. She struggles with her dark past, and she often suffers interpersonal struggles as a result of her traumatic origins.
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Type of goth: Highly variable
Aesthetic: Forensic scientist vamp
Signature quote: “I do not have a guest casket, I have a guest room!”
General outlook on life: “The happiest goth you’ll ever meet.” - Tony DiNozzoWell-loved and respected by her team, Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perette) leans heavily into her gothic attire, going so far as to drive a vintage Ford Model A and show off her giant spider web tattoo. She is so confident in her gothic identity that her upbeat nature and devout Roman Catholicism have no effect on how she is perceived.
Are they memorably goth?Type of goth: Vampire
Aesthetic: Goth bassist casual
Signature quote: “I'm not mean. I'm a thousand years old, and I just lost track of my moral code.”
General outlook on life: Tricks and pranks to cope with daddy issuesMarceline the Vampire Queen loves drinking shades of red, playfully antagonizing the Land of Ooo, and angrily serenading her father and on-and-off girlfriend, Princess Bubblegum. She can turn into a bat on command, and she can become a genuinely dangerous vampire if she does not drink the requisite amount of red hues.
Are they memorably goth?- 4
Gwen - 'Total Drama Island'
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Type of goth: Space station coutoure
Aesthetic: Goth survivalist
Signature quote: “I'm buried alive? Again?”
General outlook on life: Don’t let them catch you slippingStrong-willed and sarcastic, Gwen relies on her tough goth exterior to hold her own in the competition. She initially struggles with connecting with the other campers throughout her tenure on the island, due to her spooky individualist nature.
Are they memorably goth? - 5
Goth Kids - 'South Park'
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Type of goth: “Nonconformist”
Aesthetic: Romantic
Signature quote: "A goth believes that deep down, the world is totally f*cked up. But an EMO thinks that deep down, THEY are totally f*cked up." - Michael
General outlook on life: At least we’re not emoThe Goth Kids are often seen in proximity to South Park Elementary, but never inside - they are above education. These creepy children represent the stereotype of a goth, claiming to be “nonconformist” but dressing the same as all of their friends. Despite their general hatred for the public, they deeply care about one another.
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Type of goth: Nickelodeon’s interpretation of what a goth is
Aesthetic: Goth-flavored mean girl
Signature quote: “Is it a transporter from the future that can beam you to another table, because if it is, what button do I push?”
General outlook on life: If I hate you, I hate you, and if I love you, I don’t totally hate youJade (Elizabeth Gillies) is not easy to get along with. She is known for her harsh and unforgiving attitude toward most of her classmates and even close friends, and she is even shown to be occasionally hostile to Cat, her best friend. She has a fixation on scissors, the passed, and blood.
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Type of goth: Cybergoth schoolgirl
Aesthetic: Black and neon
Signature quote: “Sorry, Mr. Fenton. I was into ghosts, but they're so mainstream now. They're like cellphones.”
General outlook on life: Ultra recyclo-vegetarianness is next to godlinessThe brains and voice of reason of Danny Phantom’s ghost hunting operation, Sam is the token goth girl of their trio. Despite her gothic apparel and insistence on individuality, Sam is not much one for doom and gloom, but she does love industrial music, especially Nine Inch Nails.
Are they memorably goth?- 8
Richmond Avenal - 'The IT Crowd'
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Type of goth: Alice Cooper impersonator
Aesthetic: Victorian vampiric
Signature quote: “An ill wind is blowing. Last night, I was stirred from my slumber by a crow calling three times. Caw... caw... well, you know what a crow sounds like. Passing to my window, I trod on a piece of LEGO. Oh, it went right in the heel.”
General outlook on life: Goth to boss to goth againRichmond Avenal (Noel Fielding) was canonically not always a goth. He went from being a high-octane business pro to a pasty-faced vampire after listening to a Cradle of Filth album, committing himself to a life of being a misunderstood-but-kindly basement dweller.
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Type of goth: Baby goth
Aesthetic: Skulls ‘n’ Stripes
Signature quote: “Let it be known that from this day until the end of the day, vengeance will be mine! Dib, you will not know the meaning of peace for I shall rain misery down upon your pizza-stealing heart!”
General outlook on life: Anyone who interferes with my pizza or video games will be annihilatedDib’s menacing and creepy younger sister serves as a secondary antagonist in the show’s ensemble. She is introverted and quick to anger, particularly when dealing with her older brother and his antics. She exacts revenge on anyone who comes between her and her creature comforts, pizza, and video games.
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Type of goth: Punk flavored
Aesthetic: Minimalist, retro
Signature quote: "I'm in the Torrid Zone. Call my feather."
General outlook on life: Over itTriana is Dr. Orpheus's daughter. Despite her father's bizarre occupation, she is a normal teen, for all intents and purposes. She goes to high school, parties, and has a fulfilling and very goth life outside of the Venture compound, including her relationship with Raven, a fellow goth.
Are they memorably goth?- 11
Andrea - 'Daria'
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Type of goth: Baby bat
Aesthetic: Baggy clothes with goth accessories
Signature quote: "I'm here. But where are you? Sure, I see your body. Anybody home in that rotting bag of flesh?"
General outlook on life: Andrea is too mysterious to know in this wayShrouded in mystery throughout the entire series, Andrea is mostly shown lurking in the background of Lawndale High, only interacting with Daria and the other main characters on occasion. She performs a morbid poem at the school’s coffee house, which disturbs the audience.
Are they memorably goth? - 12
Circe Nightshade And Azrael Abyss - 'SNL'
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Type of goth: Traditional
Aesthetic: If The Cure had a talk show
Signature quote: “Last Saturday, I saw a new goth band called 'The Grim Reape' and theirs is a morbid elegy to the horrible squallow of life… I think. Actually I missed most of the show when I accidentally dropped my retainer. I spent most of the time looking for it on the floor.”
General outlook on life: Florida is the most sinister land of them allCo-hosts of the fictional talk show Goth Talk, Circe Nightshade (Molly Shannon) and Azrael Abyss (Chris Kattan) find darkness in everything: water slides, the Hard Rock Cafe, Azrael’s job at Cinnabon, and the entire state of Florida, where they reside. Even when their extreme gothness is disputed by Azrael’s jock brother Glenn or their old friends from the pre-goth days, this duo rolls with the punches and doubles down on their goth truth at every turn.
Are they memorably goth? - 13
Jacqueline And Vincent - 'Portlandia'
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Type of goth: Romantic
Aesthetic: Funeral chic
Signature quote: “Do you have anything in black?”
General outlook on life: There is whimsy in lives ending and in the mundaneHearse-driving lovers with pale faces, Jaqueline and Vincent serve as a gothic variant on Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein’s other stereotypical couples. They are often seen behaving in a disruptively gothic manner while doing everyday tasks, such as grocery shopping.
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Type of goth: Identity crisis goth teen
Aesthetic: Hot Topic-core
Signature quote: “I love wearing champagne bubbles - I get to express a whole different side of myself. Because even though I'm painfully shy and obsessed with [lives ending], I'm a really effervescent person.”
General outlook on life: If I stutter hard enough, I won’t have to talk to anyoneTina Cohen-Chang (Jenna Ushkowitz) relies on a false stutter to avoid having to socialize with fellow students at her closed-minded rural high school, and that is incredibly goth of her to do. She is seen wearing studs and clashing colors, and she has purple streaks in her hair for the earlier seasons of the show. Though her gothic appearance lessens over time, she remains the gothic anchor for the glee club.
Are they memorably goth?- 15
Ellie Nash - 'Degrassi: The Next Generation'
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Type of goth: Cybergoth-adjacent turned normie
Aesthetic: Crimped and collared
Signature quote: “It’s a psycho girl thing, emphasis on psycho."
General outlook on life: Just trying to keep my head above waterEllie Nash (Stacey Farber) began her tenure at Degrassi Community School as a troubled goth freshman. Through many trials and tribulations with family, friends, and lovers, she developed an addiction to self-harm. She was able to overcome her struggles, at the cost of her sick goth get-up.
Are they memorably goth? - 16
Nico Minoru - 'Marvel's Runaways'
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Type of goth: Dark wizard
Aesthetic: Corseted mage
Signature quote: "Some people hide behind makeup, others behind a smile. It's still hiding."
General outlook on life: This is who I really am, MomA Wiccan born to dark wizards, Nico Minoru is a genuine distillation of goth values. She assumed her gothic attire after the tragic passing of her sister, and she finds herself haunted and controlled by her magical apparatus, the Staff of One.
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Type of goth: Spooky kid
Aesthetic: Monochromatic nerd in chains
Signature quote: “Her broom touches down at 11.”
General outlook on life: With a father like that, no wonder I’m doomedGoth not by birth but by choice, Frederick (Trever Einhorn) is Frasier's nerdy son. He is a spelling bee champion and private school student who came into his gothness trying to impress a goth girl, and he found his true calling in the process. Frederick eventually enters a relationship with another lifestyle goth, Lilth, and they become bonded for life.
Are they memorably goth?- 18
Orin - 'Parks and Recreation'
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Type of goth: Spooky kid
Aesthetic: Outcast teen
Signature quote: “I can control animals with my mind.”
General outlook on life: When in doubt, freak 'em outOrin (Eric Isenhower) is the universally maligned best friend of April Ludgate, a similarly unsettling brand of freak who is better adjusted to public life. Orin is of relatively few words, though he is seen frequently upsetting Andy and Leslie with his fixation on lives ending and decay.
Are they memorably goth? - 19
Robin Daggers - 'How I Met Your Mother'
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Type of goth: Grunge-goth fusion
Aesthetic: Recently spurned teen idol
Signature quote: “Restraining orders don’t scare me.”
General outlook on life: You can destroy your old self and become goth at any timeRobin Daggers is Robin Scherbatsky's alter ego's alter ego. After performing as "Robin Sparkles," a bubbly teen Canadian pop star, Robin wanted to rebrand herself as a darker, more adult artist, so she became Robin Daggers. She released a very disturbing and upsetting track under the Robin Daggers name, titled "P.S. I Love You," a creepy tribute to David Letterman sidekick Paul Shaffer.
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