Branch (Character)

Branch is Poppy's boyfriend, and the male protagonist of the DreamWorks *Trolls* franchise. He's a member of The Snack Pack, having joined the group since the events of *Trolls* and acting as its second-in-command after Poppy.

Personality: Branch came out of Bergen Town with psychological trauma that would follow him around throughout most of his life. In the first *Trolls* movie, he was one of the more complicated Trolls due his complex emotions. On the outside, he appeared to be a grump who only looks out for himself, but on the inside he really does care for other Trolls; he hides his true feelings by being sarcastic. This left his true self unknown to almost everyone, and prevented himself from showing his "True Colors".

His sorrows made it impossible for him to be a normal Troll because he felt responsible for the event, and was unhappy for 20 years of his life. It also left him frightened of getting caught unprepared ever again, and is a source of paranoia to the annoyance of the other Trolls. Thus, at the beginning of *Trolls*, Branch is a Troll who doesn't sing, dance, hug or attend parties, making him an oddball among his people and the only one who seemed to be carrying a burden from the past. Both a loner with no friends and a self-induced outcast, he chose to live alone rather than in Troll Village. He states that he likes silence and that he doesn't relax. As the events of the movie progress, he slowly learns that he can be happy.

By the time of the *Trolls Holiday* special, Branch is shown to be putting a lot more effort into life than in the past. He's not only seen trying to practice his smile, but also gets on board with Poppy's plan. He tags along mostly because he knew her plan to give the Bergens a new holiday would fail, and he attempts to try and help her understand why it failed.

In *Trolls World Tour*, Branch has become a close friend of Poppy and is now a former recluse, happily taking part in their singing and dancing and having fun together. However, Branch is harboring strong romantic feelings for Poppy from *Trolls*, and he credits her for being the one who changed his life for the better. He still has issues with emotions at times, and struggles to tell Poppy how he feels due to shyness. But though he's no longer a recluse, it doesn't mean he has forgotten his former life. Branch makes sacrifices, even when he has opposing opinions because of his good nature and loyalty to Poppy and his friends. His emotional feelings for Poppy result in him trying to back her up throughout the film, as this is tested by their opposing personalities, and after listening to the other Trolls they meet on their journey. He even admits to like the Country Trolls because he knows life is sad sometimes. When he was temporarily transformed into a Rock Zombie, Branch expressed a zealous support for Rock music. As part of a joke, he suggested they all get ripping tattoos everywhere on their bodies, except their faces in case they still needed office jobs. He also showed a vicious aggression when he used his rocking mullet to ensnare Poppy at Barb's command. Otherwise, he stood there with an empty look.

In 2D animation, he's usually shown to be arrogant. Since he has opposing views to his fellow Pop Trolls in *Trolls: The Beat Goes On!*, he often would see a different approach to the world compared to them, and thus scoffed their antics and views. As the series went on he progressively became less grumpy and scowly. By the end of the series, it was generally recognized that while he wasn't the most huggable Troll, he was reliable and very kind going above and beyond what was expected of him in his efforts. By the time of *Trolls: Trollstopia*, he's a much more friendlier Troll and open to others. He has trouble with displaying sarcasm and cynism, and can have issues with separating them from concern and serious thoughts.

In *Trolls: The Beat Goes On!*, whenever Branch is too confident or comfortable doing something, he tends to act like he's the expert around him; at his best, he's just arrogant. In episodes like Peril Patch or Bunker Break-in, this led him to be a target for someone else (usually Poppy) to bring him back down to earth. The most extreme example was in Branch Bum, where he got so engrossed with a new comfortable, confident lifestyle that he adopted an entirely different persona under the name of "Frond". *Trolls: Trollstopia* continued this part of his characterization with Buckin' Branch, wherein when he's asked to try out for the Country Corral rodeo he adorns a Country get-up and tries to act like the Country Trolls. In many cases of him doing this in the 2D animation, however, it tends to have a disastrous effect. This characterization is simply a overexhaggeration of his personality, which is normally self-confident to begin with, and Branch has a lot of knowledge on practical engineering and survival skills that other Pop Trolls usually lack. These short comings from his arrogance have resulted in him receiving lessons in humility, and often expose his weaknesses the most of any type of storyline in the 2D animations, showing his personal limitations and restrictions that he has as a Troll, with some resulting in new victories as he overcomes them or accepting his defeat.

True ColorsBranch in Trolls World TourBranch in Trolls: The Beat Goes OnBranch in Trolls: TrollstopiaBranch as an elfBranch PosterPrincess Eliza Paisley gives Branch and Abby a hard TimeBranch's Cruise LookBranch plush with GaryBranch in MiitopiaGacha Club BranchBranch In The House Of Trolls