First, please note that I use the term "hero" as an indication of the character's leanings, not necessarily as a description of the character's actions. Villains can be heroic, and heroes can be villainous, but as a rule (at least in shows like Once) characters tend to ally themselves with one "side." When appropriate, I've tried to include villains before they were villains (in other words, to include their "good" side), and heroes when they weren't heroes (in other words, including their "bad" sides).
I've seen several attempts to use personality and story-inspired archetypes to categorize Once characters, but none that I really agreed with so far. After deliberation, here's how I think the characters fit in:
ONCE'S HEROES and VILLAINS:
Mad Hatter/Jefferson and Dr. Frankenstein/Whale: "The Business Man." Described as, "A logical, focused team player who is good at planning but poor at dealing with chaotic forces (including emotions and relationships)." I think both of them fit this category in different ways. Hatter is a focused team player (teaming with Regina and Rumpelstiltskin & Whale), but goes mad when trapped in Wonderland and separated from his daughter, while Frankenstein/Whale means well (also teaming up with Rumpelstiltskin and Hatter), but ultimately sacrifices Regina's happiness for his own ends and loses his father and his brother.
Prince Charming/David: "The Protector." The original site describes this archetype as, "A physically oriented warrior, who revels in competition and risk, defends his kin, fears nothing anyone can do to him - except losing the ability to fully use his body (paralysis would be death to him)." While I'm not sure that paralysis would be death to David (it's interesting that his cursed self was in a coma and rendered inactive), I think he's definitely a man of action. This doesn't mean that David isn't intelligent, but it does mean that he generally likes to shoot first and ask questions later. Surprisingly, it's his quick instincts and follow-through that tend to help him survive and succeed, i.e., killing the dragon or stopping Snow's arrow.
Archie (and the good side of Rumpelstiltskin): "The Recluse." Here's the description: "A sensitive introvert with a rich inner life, a dreamer and philosopher who shies from people; he might yearn for love or companionship but is at a loss as to how to get it." To me this fits both Archie and pre-Dark One Rumpelstiltskin. Archie begins as a fish out of water in his own family, but as someone who has a strong moral sense - definitely a philosopher. He yearns for companionship from his family, but ultimately finds it in Geppetto. Rumpelstiltskin is a dreamer (in a sense) with big plans for the future (a family, glory in the ogre wars, etc.), but through his failures and the stigma on his family, he becomes shy of others and is definitely at a loss as to how to achieve love.
Leroy/Grumpy/Dreamy and August/Pinocchio: "The Fool"is described as, "A playful, carefree soul who enjoys his freedom and doesn’t worry about consequences; he won’t deliberately hurt others, but neither will he let himself be tied down to a relationship (and prison would be death to him)." Again, I don't know if Leroy would see prison as synonymous with death, but it's a bit ironic that he's one of a few who ends up there. This fits Leroy/Grumpy a bit more than Dreamy, though I would argue that all three of his incarnations are rule-breakers and boundary-pushers. We can see, though, that Leroy is interested in at least one relationship, even though he gives it up. I think that prison would be anathema to August/Pinocchio, even though he yearns also for one specific relationship (with his father).
The Huntsman/Graham (and the good side of Hook): "The Woman’s Man." For me, this one is a no-brainer. "A fun-loving, sensual man who can’t relate to masculine pastimes but revels in the company of women, who helps the women around him to find courage and realize their own worth - although the Dionysus himself often feels flawed and may never find the perfect woman he seeks." The Huntsman was a darker Graham, and I actually thought that "cursed" Graham seemed a heck of a lot happier than Huntsman, but maybe this was part of Regina's happy ending? Graham is an encourager of women, both Regina and Emma. If we take their relationship as a good thing, Hook has encouraged Milah to the point that she finds the potential within herself to become a pirate (not a nice thing, necessarily, but definitely a strong position). He also, oddly, often encourages Emma to be stronger as well.
Henry: "The Male Messiah" This is described as, "A spiritual leader focused on his mission, willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good, bringing wisdom and transformation into the lives of those he passes." While Henry isn't exactly a spiritual leader, he is someone with a strong spirit and heart who is very focused on his "mission" which he sees as saving Storybrooke (and reuniting with his mom). He does tend to provide the voice of wisdom and ends up transforming most people, especially Emma.
Tamara/Greg and Hatter/Frankenstein: "The Traitor." Described as "A disillusioned or cynical team
player who feels he can do the work better than his boss and backstabs
him or, in contrast, does evil in the name of his team, for the good of
the team." We can see both Frankestein and Hatter as well as Greg and Tamara play into these roles.
Rumpelstiltskin: "The Warlock." Described as "A secluded introverts [sic] whose lousy
people skills cause him to hurt others. Where the positive side of this
archetype would try to learn from his faux pas, the Warlock blames
others for not understanding him. Also, a character who resents the
people around him because of a social/political difference; in fantasy,
the non-human who resents humans."
Hook: "The Seducer." He does not respect women or want to help them, only use them for sex. He sees every new conquest as a trophy for himself. He doesn’t care about the consequences of his actions and often overindulges in other things.
(The Home Office?) "The Punisher." "A Messiah without patience and compassion is a visionary who quickly realizes most people aren’t as far-sighted as himself. Instead of working to teach other his ways, he pushes people into Sink or Swim Training from Hell at best. At worst, he kills anyone who doesn’t match his ideals. He sees it as weeding out the weak, the job of the grim reaper incarnate."
Mulan: "The Amazon."- "A powerful, independent woman who loves competition, but also identifies with nature and feminism." I have seen Belle described as The Amazon (sometimes known as The Warrior), but to me Mulan fits this archetype much more clearly than Belle.
Cora: "The Father’s Daughter." - "Furthers her career by aligning herself with powerful men and trying to prove she’s every bit as capable as the men around her; doesn’t connect with other women, but loves to be in control." This is a perfect description of Cora, who as little control over her life and only gains it through manipulating powerful men (the king, Rumpelstiltskin, Hook). Her dark side meshes perfectly as well - "The Backstabber" - "This woman would do anything to get to the top, even if it meant ruining the lives or careers of others," which is something Cora is very willing to do.
Belle and Blue Fairy: "The Nurturer." - "A compassionate caregiver who sacrifices much in order to help others - particularly children or those she feels she is responsible for; her whole identity is tied up in caring for others." This archetype seems more obviously Belle than the Amazon, though she shares the independence of that type. Belle's defining quality is sacrificial love, however, and we see this in her sacrifice for her family, and later in her attempts to rescue Rumpelstiltskin. The dark side of this archetype, interestingly, is The Scorned Woman: "She doesn’t take betrayal well and demands respect from all." While Belle doesn't demand respect from all, she doesn't take betrayal very well in season 2, walking out several times on Rumpelstiltskin (and her father) once it's been revealed that he has lied to her. Blue Fairy could also fit this archetype (though it would be nice to know more about her). She seems to feel especially protective of children, and responsible for just about everyone. I would say that, thus far, her identity has been tied up in those she protects and cares for.
Regina: "The Matriarch" - "A strong, supportive, committed woman who sticks by her family no matter what, yet won’t let others wrong her even if they’re family; she’s the shoulder everyone can lean on yet she wants to keep tabs on everyone too." This is Regina to a T. Her most important relationships are familial ones (besides Daniel) - she has almost no friends - and her dark side, The Overcontrolling Mother ("A woman who butts into her children’s lives. Her need to be needed is taken to extremes; she might even kidnap her children if they tried to leave her.") needs no explanation. Cora, though she may seem like it, is not an "Overcontrolling Mother" because her need for control is not based on a need to be needed, rather it is based simply on the need for control itself.
Cinderella (and Nova): "The Mystic." - "A calm, gentle woman of simple tastes, who enjoys solitude and does not shy from basic household chores (a career doesn’t much interest her); she needs to be creative and can be free-spirited, and she wants to do things for herself rather than be beholden to someone else." This doesn't fit Cinderella perfectly, but is the closest of all the archetypes to her personality (besides, possibly, the Maiden). Cinderella/Ashley doesn't have many ambitions beyond bettering her situation (in this she resembles Cora), but unlike Cora, she has no interest in power or position; the things she wants are much simpler: home, husband, kids. After her deal with Rumpelstiltskin, she learns fairly quickly the dangers of being beholden to others. It's possible that Nova fits this type as well.
Snow White and Emma: "The Female Messiah" - "A selfless woman who never sways from her life’s mission, she doesn’t take sides but acts as a detached observer, although she stands up for her own beliefs." Picking this archetype for Emma is not solely based on the fact that she is the savior of Storybrooke. She is selfless and isn't easily distracted from her mission (whatever it happens to be), and typically Emma has been good about not picking sides (or at least, she's good a treating people fairly, including Regina). Snow fits this type as well (though some suggest that she, like Belle, could also be considered as The Amazon). Snow, when she pursues her mission, doesn't swerve and almost always stands up for what she believes in. For most of the series, she has proven to be fair-minded. The dark side of Snow could also fit The Destroyer: "A steadfast woman who never sways from her life’s mission, but sees things in black and white; she is a firm believer in 'the ends justify the means.'" We see evidence of this when Snow loses True Love, and later when she decides to kill Cora. When Snow loses her faith in goodness, her vision begins to grow more and more dialectic and her decisions follow suit.
Red/Ruby (and Aurora?): "The Maiden." - "A carefree, childlike woman who prefers to let others handle the details of life so she doesn’t have to worry about it; she easily opens up and approaches people that others might shun, although sometimes this can harm her." This description could easily read negatively, but it isn't. We see a strange naivete in Red/Ruby - she is unusually childlike and unsure of herself, impetuous in her actions and decision-making (her plan to catch the wolf, for example). She is very quick to open up to others, such as Snow, Belle, and Whale, all of whom are outcasts, to some extent, when Red/Ruby befriends them. Her child-like nature also leads to the darker side o f her archetype: The Troubled Teen - "A selfish girl who likes to indulge herself in parties, drugs, and/or sex; should she get in a pinch she expects her family or friends to bail her out and clean up the mess she leaves behind." We often see evidence of this in Ruby, less so in Red, though even Red has to get her grandmother to rescue her from her lupine predicament. It's possible that Aurora fits this archetype as well, but I don't think we've seen enough of her to make a solid judgment.
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