What Does This Mean?
A character in one work who is clearly and deliberately modeled on a character from another work, usually with only small changes such as age, appearance or setting.
REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE
"The new detective is a pure expy of Sherlock Holmes, right down to the violin."
LORE & ORIGIN
A TV Tropes term, short for "exported character". On TV Tropes an expy must be obviously and intentionally based on an earlier character; a vague resemblance does not count, and the term applies only to fictional characters, not to real people. A close imitation with many shared elements is treated separately as a Captain Ersatz, and copies made kinder or meaner than the original are called Virtuous and Corrupted Character Copies. Reasons for creating one range from homage to lacking the rights to use the original. The date of the first use of the word is not documented.
MENTIONS OVER TIME
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