I've heard about your plans. You never think things through. Everything you do ends in chaos. And most likely with an explosion. — Lotek to Rufus (Deponia)
- Not to be confused with Future Rufus.
- For an image gallery of Rufus, see here. For a list of Rufus's injuries, illnesses, and deaths, see here. For a list of anecdotes about Rufus, see here. For a list of Rufus's quotes, see here.
Rufus is the playable protagonist of the Deponia series. He lives on Deponia, the trash planet, but dreams of living in the beautiful floating city of Elysium, and constantly concocts new schemes to get there.
Appearance[]
Rufus has a grungey, unkempt appearance. He has messy dark brown hair, a short, scruffy beard, and thick eyebrows. He has a long, thin neck, lines under his eyes, and (like most characters) four fingers on each hand.
He wears a gray-green cap with straps that hang down past his ears and have gold-colored rectangles at the bottom. He also has matching gold-colored goggles with small spokes around the rim and a gray-green strap.
Over all his clothes Rufus wears a light purple-brown coat that goes a little past his knees and is folded at the end of the sleeves. On the back of the coat, at the waist, is a decorative strap held at either end by square gold buttons. On each of the lapels are misshapen gold buttons.
Rufus wears an orange shirt with small white buttons down the middle, two white stripes around the lower half of the shirt. Around his neck is tied a dark red scarf, and around his waist are two diagonally crossed brown belts with several pouches.
He wears beige pants and heavy, dark brown boots just below knee-level. The boots have folds on the top with tiny gold buttons and straps over the middle of the shoes with rectangular gold buckles on the ends.
Personality[]
Rufus is an antihero, lacking empathy or morals. He is egotistical and selfish; though sometimes claiming his actions are for the benefit of others, Rufus's main motivation is to satisfy his own goals, often at the harm of someone else. He is clumsy, especially when he means not to be; when purposefully attempting to break off the antenna at the Resistance base in Goodbye Deponia, he fails to move it, but after stating that he wants to "adjust" it, he manages to tear it free. Rufus's constant antics often end up harming himself and others, and he leaves a trail of destruction in his wake. Despite his many negative qualities, he is persistent, creative, and has a near-superhuman ability to survive almost anything. Additionally, at the end of Goodbye Deponia, Rufus makes a completely selfless decision to let himself fall so someone else can be saved. However, he still laughs at the pain of his fan, Barry, indicating that he hasn't completely changed. He believes he is a dashing daredevil and a savior to many of those he comes across, due to his narcissistic worldview.
Background[]
Rufus was originally designed by Hermes as a prototype prior to the mass production of the Organon, an army of dispensable workers. Hermes attempted to improve them by taking away their respect for life, but it caused them to not fear death; the clones took dangerous risks and it is implied many of them died. Only Rufus (Prototype R), Cletus (Prototype C), and Argus (Prototype A), survived the process. Hermes thought he could tell the three apart by giving them each different hair colors (Rufus had red hair). However, the color was not permanent and faded after puberty.
Rufus, or one of his identical clones, was later found in the trash of Kuvaq, a kicking and screaming baby. He was adopted by Seagull, the mayor of Kuvaq, whose name at that time was different. During his childhood, he caused a lot of trouble and bodily harm to others through his dangerous antics, and was neglected and punished by his father. Seagull abandoned Rufus when he was eight, telling Rufus that he was leaving to live in Elysium. Ever since, Rufus has spent his life designing elaborate, but often unsuccessful, plans to reach Elysium.
Deponia[]
- Main article: Deponia (game)
Rufus is first seen during the optional tutorial, confused that the game hasn't started yet. Wenzel says that the junk press broke down, and the time could be used for a short tutorial. The two explain how to look at an object, talk to someone, open inventory, and more. Rufus combines yin and yang pieces and places it in a slot on the junk press control panel. Despite Wenzel attempting to warn him, Rufus stands directly beneath the junk press while he pushes the button to test if it's working, and, to Wenzel's amusement, is crushed beneath it.
The game begins with Rufus at Toni's house, looking through a telescope at the landscape outside. He is disappointed that there is only junk as far as he can see, and expresses his desire to leave Deponia. He looks at his list of items to pack for his journey. He collects the items from around the house, and finds several notes from Toni complaining about him and asking him to take better care of the house. After his suitcase is packed, he carries it outside to the backyard.
...
Chaos on Deponia[]
- Main article: Chaos on Deponia
Goodbye Deponia[]
- Main article: Goodbye Deponia
Deponia Doomsday[]
- Main article: Deponia Doomsday
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Hermes (creator) -
- Seagull (adoptive father, formerly) - Rufus has a poor relationship with his father. From a very young age, Rufus's antics and tendency to cause trouble annoyed Seagull, who mistreated him and even locked him up. Seagull blamed Rufus for the death of his wife, and eventually abandoned him, claiming that he was leaving for Elysium. Rufus and Seagull later reunite in Chaos on Deponia, and while they work together at first, Rufus discovers that his father tricked him and sabotages his date to get revenge. In Goodbye Deponia, Rufus again meets his father, who he presumed was dead. TBC
- Unknown adoptive mother (deceased) - Little is known about Rufus's adoptive mother, except that she died and Rufus thinks it's his fault.
- Argus (clone) -
- Cletus (clone) -
Romantic[]
- Toni (ex-girlfriend) -
- Goal (girlfriend) -
Friends[]
...
Enemies[]
Gallery[]
Rufus' concept design by Poki.
Trivia[]
Notes[]
- ↑ In an attempt to restore the original timeline, original Rufus (the one disguised as Cletus who chose to let go of the rotor blade) and Backseat Rufus allow themselves to fall, presumably to their deaths. In a different timeline, Old Rufus (the one hit by the altered Shinshuma-Clux) and Backseat Rufus become stuck in the dinosaur era, but are alive.