Darnell

Age	13 (Pico series; via MindChamber) 19 (Friday Night Funkin')
Gender	Male
Status	Alive
Relationships
Relatives	Unnamed parents
Allies	Pico - close friend Nene - friend Three unnamed friends Mr. Flacit - teacher
Enemies	Ghettobots Überkids
Media information
Debut	Darnell Plays With Fire (1999)
Latest appearance	Friday Night Funkin'
Voice	IvanAlmighty (Friday Night Funkin')

"To me, nothing is more stunning than the luminous glow of a burning city."

―Darnell, Darnell Plays With Fire

Darnell is the titular main character of Darnell Plays With Fire (or Darnell's Pyro 101) and a friend of Pico and Nene. Created by Tom Fulp in 1999, he is a trigger-happy pyromaniac who is obsessed with fire and explosives.

General information

Physical appearance

Darnell has a tall black flattop which swipes up in a sharp arc to the left and white sclerae with no pupils as a stylistic choice. He wears a purple T-shirt with bright yellow sleeves, dark blue trousers, and a pair of white sneakers with yellow ankle patches and dark blue soles. In MindChamber's art, his shoes are instead colored light blue. Initially, his design in Friday Night Funkin' resembled his original appearance (save for him wearing red sneakers instead of white), but it later received an overhaul, as he now wears a purple hoodie with yellow sleeves and drawstrings, dark gray trousers, a pair of bluish-gray headphones around his neck and has a purplish shade of hair.

Personality

Darnell is a very trigger-happy pyromaniac with an improbably high intellect. It's his intelligence in fact that allows him to take his love for fire to greater lengths, seeing that he can make his own explosives to blow up buildings in Darnell Plays With Fire. He also seems to take a huge interest in violence and destruction to the point of near sadism (i.e., witnessing a plane full of civilians burning alive), at least until he is on the receiving end of it, especially once he is crushed by said plane. Yet despite seeming to display this aura of self-centeredness, he does actually care about those closest to him, seeking forgiveness from his parents while near death and even willing to help Pico fight against the Ghettobots in Pico 2.

In his campaign to be the school president, he seeks to gain sympathy by claiming that he only has five years to live; however, given his pre-established cunning wits, this could be a lie made to increase his chances of winning. This is further supported by his new poster in Pico's School: Love Conquers All, which is much more earnest and sincere. As he is very intelligent, Darnell could be capable of manipulating many factors in his favor with little effort.

Abilities

Darnell's greatest strength is his experience in pyrotechnics. In his many appearances across the series, he loves experimenting with anything explosive or involving fire. He is even depicted with a lighter in Friday Night Funkin', as well as some promotional art on Newgrounds. Occasionally, he's also seen wielding a pistol and knife, indicating that he has experience with other weapons. He also seems to have an interest in music, as he owns a set of turntables in Pico 2, and a set of headphones that he wears in promo art and in Friday Night Funkin'. As he is noted to be a supergenius, he demonstrates his skills in Darnell Plays With Fire by rigging explosives and burning large buildings down, which is also a huge indicator of his intelligence.

Relationships

The following is based solely on canonical information. Characters unrelated to the Pico franchise are not included.

Pico

Pico and Darnell are close friends. In Pico 2, Pico rushes to stop the Ghettobots once he learns they are threatening Darnell's life, and Darnell invites him over to his house to practice on a DJ turntable his mom bought for entertainment.

However, in Friday Night Funkin', Pico and Darnell fistfight each other after rap battling, due to the former breaking the contract they had with Daddy Dearest to kill Boyfriend, which left Darnell in financial ruin. Afterwards, he and Pico shake hands and reconcile.

Nene

Darnell and Nene have been confirmed to be friends, but they have never actually interacted on-screen, implying that they're not all that close.

History

Darnell Plays With Fire

In Darnell Plays With Fire, Darnell displays his pyromania to the audience by burning down and exploding various buildings. He witnesses an airplane crash and eagerly watches as it blows up, until the flaming debris falls onto and kills him. Now in the afterlife, he then comes face-to-face with God, armed with a flamethrower, which He proceeds to set him ablaze with.

Pico's School

In Pico's School, although not physically seen, Darnell makes a cameo appearance through a poster promoting his presidential campaign can be found in the hallways. It displays a message stating "I only have 5 years left to live!", next to an image of him with a sad expression, shedding a tear. He is also mentioned by Pico if he tries to leave the building, stating that "they're just lucky Darnell never started a fire in here."

Pico vs. Überkids

In Pico vs. Überkids, Darnell returns to school after his absence, being one of the few students left alive after the school shooting, along with Pico and Nene. He is one of the 3 playable characters, facing off against Überjon in a game of Rock Paper Scissors Roulette. Canonically, he and his friends win the game out of "shit-ass luck".

FDA Before Christmas

In FDA Before Christmas, Darnell makes a cameo appearance alongside Pico and Nene. Here, he is dressed up in Lock's devil costume from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Pico 2

In the demo for the cancelled Pico's School sequel Pico 2, the Ghettobots join Pico's class to replace the dead students one week after the school shooting, rather than six months later as previously stated in Pico's School. Darnell explains to Pico that the Ghettobots aren't from North Philly, but rather from outer space, which leads Pico to conclude that the Penilians must have sent them after him as revenge.

After another confrontation with the Ghettobots on the school playground, Darnell and Pico leave the school, with Darnell instructing Pico to take the train to West Philly to "find out what's up". The demo abruptly ends with Pico saying he should head to Darnell's house, as nothing happens when Pico gets there.

Pico Roulette

In Pico Roulette, Darnell appears as a playable character.

Friday Night Funkin'

In Friday Night Funkin', Darnell appears as the opponent of the eighth week, "Due Debts". He is seen fighting Pico, having previously been hired by Daddy Dearest to kill Boyfriend. He also appears in the background of the fifth Week, "Red Snow".

Pico's School: Love Conquers All

In Pico's School: Love Conquers All, Darnell's presidential campaign poster reappears, only now he has a very happy expression. The campaign poster now displays the message "Integrity. Honesty. Ingenuity."

The content below is not official to the Pico franchise.

Newgrounds Rumble

In Newgrounds Rumble, although he isn't a playable character, the poster promoting Darnell's presidential campaign from the original Pico's School can be found in the eponymous stage.

Indie Game Battle

In Indie Game Battle, Darnell appears as an alternate skin for Pico.

Chenso Club

In Chenso Club, Darnell makes a cameo appearance alongside Pico and Nene.

Quotes

"Hello! I'm Darnell! I am here to teach you about one of my favorite things - FIRE!"

―Darnell, Darnell Plays With Fire

"I only have 5 years left to live!"

―Darnell, Pico's School

"Oh my God... I've accomplished nothing with my life."

―Darnell, Darnell Plays With Fire

"Respect."

―Darnell

"Wow, that gun is crunk!"

―Darnell, Pico 2

"Is it getting hot in here?"

―Darnell, Darnell Plays With Fire

"I hope you die in a fire."

―Darnell

"Is that you, God? What are you doing with that flamethrower?"

―Darnell, Darnell Plays With Fire

"HOLY CRAP!!!"

―Darnell, Darnell Plays With Fire

"I think I shit my pants!"

―Darnell, Pico 2

"LOL, that was wack."

―Darnell

"Those bruthas aren't from North Philly. They are some sort of space jawn."

―Darnell, Pico 2

"Pyrotechnics like that bring a tear to my eye. So does getting crushed by a plane."

―Darnell, Darnell Plays With Fire

"My ears are bleeding a little."

―Darnell

"Wow! There is a lot of fire here! I must be in HEAVEN!"

―Darnell, Darnell Plays With Fire

"Are you gonna bark all day, little doggie, or are you gonna bite?"

―Darnell, Pico 2

"I'm gettin' down to this!"

―Darnell

"This is really exciting! Hundreds of passengers, burning alive!"

―Darnell, Darnell Plays With Fire

"Butterscotch, yo!"

―Darnell

"Integrity. Honesty. Ingenuity."

―Darnell, Pico's School: Love Conquers All

Gallery

Main article: Darnell/Gallery

Trivia

• In Pico's World, an old Flash hub by Tom Fulp, many facts about Darnell are listed:
  • Darnell is neurodivergent, as he is a pyromaniac.
    • Darnell's pyromania was inspired by and based around Tom Fulp's childhood interest in playing with fire.
    • In the Pico 2 demo, his room (which is an unused location) features various burn marks.
  • He suffers from migraine headaches.
  • Darnell is described as "hormonal".
    • Being hormonal is described as acting upon one's urges, often sexual, as influenced by their hormone levels. This is a common occurrence through puberty in adolescents.
  • Darnell is a supergenius with an IQ of 241, which is technically classified as "very superior".
    • In Darnell Plays With Fire, he states that he makes his bombs with ammonium nitrate fertilizer and blasting caps.
  • Darnell has 5 years left to live, as seen on his presidential campaign poster in Pico's School.
    • However, in Pico's School: Love Conquers All, his poster promotes the ideals of "integrity, honesty, and ingenuity," implying that the claim was really a lie made to boost his chances in becoming school president, given that he was still alive in the present day.
    • An unused school background for Pico 2 suggests that Darnell succeeded at becoming school president, as the banner in the hallway was replaced with a new one that seemingly promotes him as acting president.
• In the Pico 2 demo, Darnell's house is located in Center City, but he mentions having to go to North Philly to talk to his father, suggesting that his parents are divorced.
• Darnell originally acted as the mascot of the Newgrounds Audio Portal alongside A-Bot. He was also seen in its vote system before being replaced by Pico in 2015 and eventually phased out by 2020.
• Within the Friday Night Funkin' fandom, a popular name for Darnell is "Chud", or "Chudnell", as one of the sounds in his chromatic scale sounds like he is saying that.
• Darnell has non-canonically died a total of 3 times in the Pico series:
  • Darnell Plays With Fire - Crushed by a plane.
  • Pico vs. Überkids - Can shoot himself.
  • Pico Roulette - Can shoot himself.
• Tom Fulp has confirmed that some of Darnell's favorite music artists are Krept and Konan, DigDat, Santan Dave, and Blood Orange.
  • Darnell would like songs that involve fire and burning things, and as such, he would listen to "Burn It Down" by Linkin Park.
• When asked about which subjects the Pico characters would major in if they entered college, Fulp replied that Darnell would major in Chemistry, as he has a love of accelerants.