Pandas
Root Rising-Tree
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Root is killed in the prologue of Creatures of the Flood
- Disappeared Dad: Root dies shortly before the birth of Leaf, Rain and Ghost.
- Maniac Monkeys: A group of monkeys kill Root by knocking him into the flooding river where he is subsequently swept away.
Orchid Rising-Tree
Orchid Rising-Tree is the mother of Leaf, Rain and Ghost.
- Missing Mom: Orchid vanished after abandoning and separating her cubs from one another. It’s revealed in Journey to the Dragon Mountain, that Orchid died shortly after dropping Ghost off in the White Spine.
Leaf
Speaker of the Trees and Sun. Sister to Rain and Ghost.
Rain
Most tempermental of the triplets. Rain is the Dragon-Speaker of the waters and the moon.
Ghost
Leaf and Rain's only brother. Unlike most pandas Ghost is pure white. He is Dragon-Speaker of the Mountains and Stars.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Ghost struggles to fit in among the Snow Leopards in the White Spine. In River Secrets Ghost struggles fitting into the Prosperhill. By the end of the book, Sunset spreads vile slanders among the Prosperhill Pandas subsequently turning them against Ghost.
- Interspecies Adoption: Ghost is adopted by Winter.
- Unwitting Pawn: Ghost is deceived by Sunset Deepwood (Who is technically Sunset’s brother) in River of Secrets.
- Irony: Ghost encounter with Plum resulted in an unresolved feud between the pair. This is Ironic as Plum is Ghost's Aunt. Sadly Plum was killed by Dusk before Ghost could reconcile with her.
Plum Risingtree/Slenderwood
- Cool Aunt: Plum cares deeply for Leaf and Rain. Subverted with Ghost. Due to having no knowledge of their relationship as well as the result of their previous encounter, they didn't get along. Ghost longed for reconciliation but Plum died before she could hear her nephew's side of the story. In Journey to the Dragon Mountain, Plum’s ghost appears (Alongside the ghosts of Orchid and Winter). There, Plum is shown to have forgiven Ghost for their fight and assists him as well as Leaf and Rain.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Plum's son Cloud dies shortly before Orchid arrives with Leaf.
Pepper Tallcrag/Hollowtree
- Disappeared Dad: Pepper’s mother makes her debut in ‘’Journey to the Dragon Mountain’’. However, the identity and status of Pepper’s father is currently unknown.
- Jerk Ass With A Heart Of Gold:
Sunset Deepwood
- Disney Death: Sunset was presumed deceased following the flood. However he arrives at the Prosperhill a year later. Subverted in Journey to the Dragon Mountain, where it’s revealed that Sunset was actually murdered the day before the flood by the paws of his own brother who went on to take Sunset’s place.
- Red Herring: The triplets as well as many other characters blamed Sunset for the crimes committed in his name. In reality Dusk was the true villain of the first three books. Dusk assumed his brother’s identity to hide his true identity as well as his role in the real Sunset’s downfall.
Dusk
Sunset's estranged brother.
- Cainand Abel: Dusk killed Sunset Deepwood and lied about it.
- Asshole Victim: There are numerous examples of Dusk receiving a taste of his own medicine.
- The monkeys scam Dusk into eating poisonous bamboo.
- After Dusk’s true identity is exposed, the monkeys wind up betraying Dusk.
- Dusk finally meets his end after losing his life to a vengeful Shadowhutner.
- Hypocrite: Dusk was also guilty of hypocrisy.
- When Rain returns to the Prosperhill, Dusk claims that Rain pretended to drown to conceal his role in his attempts on the former’s life. Dusk claims are not only slanderous but ignore the fact that he faked his own death by telling the Propserhill under the guise of his brother that he (Dusk) Perished in the Great Flood.
- During his final confrontation with the triplets, Dusk accuses Ghost of cowardice. Once again Dusk proves himself to be a hypocrite as his accusations are not only untrue but ignore the fact that he himself is the true coward for using the real Sunset’s identity, as well as lying about his other schemes as pointed out by Ghost himself.
Lychee
Young Male Panda. He joined the Prosperhill shortly after the events of Journey to the Dragon Mountain. He is Rain's Love Interest.
Red Pandas
Dasher Climbing-Far
- Sidekick: Dasher is Leaf's best friend. He accompanies her on her adventures and provides her his support.
Scratcher Climbing-Far
- Plot-Triggering Death: Scratcher's death is what motivates the Red Pandas and Slenderwood Pandas to travel up north.
Monkeys
Brawnshanks
Leader of The Broken Forest Troop.
- The Leader: Brawnshanks is the leader of his troop
- The Bully: Brawnshanks and his troopmates tease Rain and Ghost as well as harassing Maple.
- Would Hurt a Child: Branshanks and co. beat up Maple on Dusk's behalf.
Nimbletail
Member of the Broken Forest Troop. Becomes a Main Character in The Dark Sun.
- Blacksheep: Despite being a member of Brawnshanks’s Troop, Nimbletail doesn’t support the actions of her troop mates.
Crookedclaw
Member of the Broken Forest Troop. She serves as the head of Brawnshakes Spy Network.
Quicktail
Nimbletail's sister. Becomes a Strong-Arm after completing the Three-Feats.
Snow Leopards
Winter
Ghost's Adoptive mother. Her biological children are Shiver, Frost and Snowstorm. Winter tragically loses her life after saving Ghost from the Endless Maw
- Mama Bear: Winter is protective towards her children. She is particularly supportive towards Ghost.
- Action Mom: Winter defends her cubs from Icebound and her children as well as encouraging Ghost to climb himself out of the Endless Maw.
- Plot-Triggering Death: Winter's demise motivate Ghost and Shiver to migrate towards the Bamboo Kingdom.
- Inter Species Adoption: Winter adopts Ghost.
Shiver
- Dissapeard Dad: Shiver's father isn't seen nor mentioned. This trope is based the fact the Male Snow Leopards don't take part in child-rearing in real life.
Icebound
Winter's Arch-rival. Icebound is extremely Jealous of Winter as the latter has a larger litter and more land than the former. Icebound was particularly mean to Shiver and Ghost.
- Alpha Bitch: Icebound has a rivalry with Winter and is mean to the latter's cubs (Particularly Ghost and Shiver).
- Fantastic Racism: Icebound makes fun of Ghost for being a Panda. Subverted in ‘’Journey to the Dragon Mountain’’. When Ghost returns to the White Spine, he chases Icebound and her cubs away after they threaten Frost and Snowstorm.
- Would Hurt a Child: Icebound Threatens to scar Ghost in order to spite Winter.
- Evil Matriarch: It's heavily implied that Icebound mistreats her own cubs.
Brisk and Sleet
Icebound's children. Sometime after Ghost, Snowstorm, and Frost force the pair and their mother into submission, Brisk and Sleet join forces with Brawnshanks Troop to take down the triplets.
- The Bully: Brisk and Sleet tease Ghost and his adoptive siblings.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Although Brisk and Sleet had always been bullies, they become a more significant threat in The Dark Sun.
- Dirty Coward: Brisk and Sleet aren't above using underhanded tactics to get their way.
Miscellanies
Shadowhunter
- Red Herring: The Blurb in Creatures of the Flood coupled with his role in Scratcher's death gives the reader the impression that Shadowhunter is an antagonist. It's later revealed that Shadowhunter is actually a good guy who sought Leaf, Rain and Ghost out so the triplets could fulfill their roles as Dragon-Speakers.
- Disney Death: After Shadowhunter saves Ghost from the Broken Forest Troop, he is mortally wounded and presumably dies after Ghost leaves for the White Spine. However Shadowhunter is revealed to have recovered from his wounds after he arrives at The Dragon Mountain to save the triplets from Dusk. However, Shadowhunter is killed for real in the process.
Stillwater/“Stick-Legs”
- Known Only by Their Nickname: Although Stillwater’s real name is revealed in the prologue to River of Secrets, Rain dubbed her “Stick-Legs” as Pandas don’t speak the same language as birds.
