Booth
The protagonist. Lives in San Francisco; the plot kicks off when his family is killed during a shopping mall massacre perpetrated by the Disciples. The Temple gives him a weaponized car and persuades him to go after the cult.
- Badass Driver: The reason the Temple builds a battle car for him specifically.
- Big Damn Heroes: On a regular basis, including charging into heavily fortified compounds with little or no backup to rescue someone or acquire something.
- Magnetic Hero: Most of the major characters end up following Booth all the way to the end:
- McNally is first met in San Francisco, then he pops up in New York and Tokyo to clear out corruption in local police departments, which always happens to be the Disciples' doing.
- Maria and Little Johnny travel from New York to Tokyo shortly after Booth to directly aid his quest.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: What he's doing the whole game, essentially.
Lazarus
The Big Bad, head of the Disciples, and a certified loon.
- Ax-Crazy: Despite having an entire cult doing his bidding, he's still happy to grab his car and go for a drive around town, slaughtering people - as seen in a lot of briefing screens.
- Evil Gloating: Whenever Booth is hot on his tail, he always gets on the radio and unleashes a torrent of taunts, at one point even insulting Booth's dead family.
- Evil Laugh: Likes to intersperse his taunts with maniacal laughter.
- The Fundamentalist: At multiple occasions, he claims to be the "right arm of God" and professes his desire to cleanse the Earth of the unworthy. Never explains exactly who is "unworthy", however.
- Me's a Crowd: In the final mission, his car seems to regenerate as Booth chases him around the city; shortly afterwards, he reveals that it was actually multiple clones of him driving identical cars, and sics them all at Booth simultaneously.
- Villain in a White Suit: While his Disciples operate a fleet of jet-black vehicles, Lazarus himself rampages through the streets in a stark white car.
McNally
A police officer in San Francisco; his first act is to help activate a weapon stolen from the Disciples, then he becomes a recurring ally as he's reassigned from city to city to fight the Disciples-induced corruption in their police departments.
- The Cavalry: Near the end, Lazarus switches from a car to a helicopter and starts raining missiles, while Booth has none to retaliate with. Cue McNally flying in and dropping a crate of missiles.
- The Lancer: He's the one who sees the most action together with Booth, whether it's riding shotgun, fighting alongside in his own armed police cruiser, or providing support from a helicopter.
Fat Tony
A mafia boss in New York; allies himself with the Temple after his daughter's ordeal in order to drive the Disciples out of town.
- Papa Wolf: When he sees Maria after she's assaulted by the Disciples, he immediately declares his intent to relieve the perpetrator of his head and send it to his (the perp's) mother for Christmas.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: After the Disciples attack him personally and kidnap Maria, he decides enough is enough. The very next mission, he trades his limo for a battle car not unlike Booth's and helps wreck Lazarus's armor squads, as well as directing Little Johnny to track down Lazarus's weapon stockpiles so the player can snatch them up.
- The Mafia: His file describes him as an "old-fashioned criminal with a conscience who looks after his neighborhood".
Maria
The daughter of Fat Tony; she is rescued from the Disciples early into the New York segment and assists Booth on multiple occasions afterwards.
- Action Girl: When accosted on the street by a group of Disciples, she gives one a black eye and another a broken nose before they overpower her.
- Damsel in Distress: Literally described as such by Booth's handler when he receives instructions to save her from the overly insistent Disciples. Makes a repeat performance later when she's kidnapped outright and taken to the local Disciples HQ.
Little Johnny
A skilled car mechanic and a minor league hoodlum; he's associated with Fat Tony and provides a lot of intel of the Disciples' activities.
- The Mole: Gradually becomes an incredibly valuable informant for the Temple, particularly in Tokyo.
- Street Smart: His garage in New York is frequented by Disciples looking to service their cars and paying with threats of violence. He plays along and collects intel to pass on. Also shown sneaking out from under armed supervision on one occasion.
