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Protagonist

    Ritsuka Tachibana 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ritsukapromotionaimage.png
Voiced by: Himika Akaneya (Japanese), Dawn M. Bennett (English)

The main protagonist of Dance With Devils.


  • Affectionate Nickname:
    • "Special butterfly" by Urie.
    • "Rose" by Shiki.
    • "Baby" by Mage.
    • "True Love" by Lindo.
  • All-Loving Heroine: She cares very much for everyone she knows and doesn't like to see them get hurt. She even says, "I hate watching people hurt and be hurt." She is willing to sacrifice herself to protect the ones she loves and cares for, be they human, vampire, dhampir, exorcist, fallen angel, or devil.
  • The Baby of the Bunch: The youngest of the main cast.
  • Badass Adorable: Downplayed. She has no experience of exorcism or fighting in general, but makes up for it on her outspokenness.
  • Character Development: By the end, she matures drastically but keeps her sweet heart.
  • Curtains Match the Windows: Brown hair and light brown eyes.
  • Damsel in Distress: Justified. Ritsuka has no way of handling the devil worshipers or vampires after her. although in the end of episode she become Damsel out of Distress.
  • Dude Magnet: The Student Council quickly become infatuated with her. Her older cousin, Lindo, has always been in love with her. In Episode 11, Roen admits his love to her.
  • Feminine Women Can Cook: The first episode shows off her impressive culinary skills.
  • Friend to All Living Things: She gets along well with Rem's pet dog and she helps a pigeon go outside in Episode 6.
  • Half-Human Hybrid: She is a half-Human, half-Devil born from her human mother, Maria, and her devil father, Maksis. She is in fact the first human to be born of royal devil blood in 615 years.
  • Hidden Depths: She enjoys oil painting, and is part of the Art Club.
  • Humanity Is Infectious: Ritsuka's influence over the student council has changed them from manipulative, sneaky devils who only care for the grimoire to individuals who show a more caring and empathetic side.
  • I Am Who?: She is revealed to be the daughter of Lord Maksis, the devil king in Episode 10 by Jek.
  • I Choose to Stay: When given the choice by Rem to come with him to the devil world or stay in the human world, Ritsuka chooses the latter.
  • I Just Want to Be Normal: Th whole ordeal she goes through, being targeted because of her being a possible connection to the grimoire, has made Ritsuka desperate to have her old and content life back.
  • It's All My Fault: In Episode 10, after she finds out that she is the devil king's daughter, she feels extremely guilty as a result of knowing that everything that's happened to her family was because of her and what she is, and she goes temporarily numb when she learns the truth.
  • Living Emotional Crutch: To Lindo. It is revealed that when they were children, Ritsuka was the only one who would not leave him alone. He claims that he is an ambiguous being—being half-human, half-vampire — and she gave his life meaning.
  • Living MacGuffin: It is stated by Loewen that Ritsuka herself is the Forbidden Grimoire. This is expanded upon by Jek in Episode 10 when it is stated that she was born with the grimoire's power resting within her.
  • Locked Out of the Loop: Deconstructed. No one on either side (exorcists or devils) tell her what's going on around the Forbidden Grimoire or what will happen if it's retrieved. This nearly leads her to trusting those who are more shadier than the rest. She even lampshades it at one point.
    Ritsuka: Who should I trust? What's the truth, and what's a lie?
  • Mama Bear: Inverted. Ritsuka's entire motivation for getting involved with the devil student council members in the first place was to find her kidnapped mother.
  • Meaningful Name: "Ritsuka" is Japanese for "good law" which reflects her high ideals and morals.
  • Morality Pet: To the entire student council. They each show their more nobler and softer side thanks to her influence.
  • Nerves of Steel: She may not have the magical prowess as the others, but the one thing she has is guts.
  • Nice Girl: She is a strong, optimistic and straightforward girl.
  • Not Blood Siblings: She and Lindo were raised as siblings by Ritsuka's mother Maria, after Ritsuka's aunt Marta, Lindo's real mother, died when he was young. Subverted in that while the trope is usually used to give familial love interests no blood relations, Ritsuka and Lindo are still blood relatives, though not as close as siblings.
  • Ordinary High-School Student: Up until the meeting the devils, Ritsuka lived a peaceful and content life with her mother and cousin.
  • Plucky Girl: Two things that Ritsuka will not give up on: Finding her mother and learning more about the grimoire.
  • Protective Charm: The pendant her mother gave her contains Potpourri, which has the power to repel the powers of devils and vampires. The ring her brother gave her seems to be one too as seen in Episode 5 when Mage tries to use his power on her.
  • Protectorate: To Lindo, he vows to keep her safe.
  • Rescue Romance: The start of Ritsuka's feelings for Rem was after he saved her from Jek and his devil worshippers in Episode 1.
  • Screw Destiny: After several bouts of people telling her to follow what they say because it's her destiny, she has quite enough of that and decides right there and then to decide her fate herself in the final episode.
    • To contrast with this trait of hers, her clone in Dance with Devils -Fortuna- and Dance with Devils -Fermata- is The Fatalist.
  • Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Ritsuka is the closest to Rem because he has helped the most out of devils in the student council and she realizes that she has feelings for him in Episode 8.
  • Strong Family Resemblance: She resembles her mother, Maria, very much.
  • Sympathy for the Devil: Despite her disgust and dislike for Lord Nesta, Ritsuka felt no pleasure in delivering the killing blow to him. Instead, she pities him as a vampire cannot back to being a human and die in peace.
  • Took a Level in Badass: She went from the Damsel in Distress to being the one who delivers the deathblow to Lord Nesta.
  • Turn the Other Cheek: She is shown to be very forgiving to those who harm or lie her, though she may have a hard time trusting them again.
  • Uncanny Family Resemblance: Lord Nesta states that Ritsuka takes after her aunt as well.

Exorcists

    Lindo Tachibana 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lindopromotionalimage.png
Voiced by: Wataru Hatano (Japanese), Gregory Lush (English)

One of the main protagonists of Dance With Devils. He is Ritsuka's cousin and an exorcist.


  • Beware the Nice Ones: Lindo is a nice, if stoic, person who cares deeply for his little sister. But, should anyone harm his sister...he will not hesistate to kill you.
  • Big Brother Instinct: Lindo is very protective of his sister. He says that he will do whatever it takes to keep her safe, even if it costs him his life.
  • Boomerang Bigot: He's a dhampyr who despises other vampires and devils.
  • Bring My Red Jacket: Wears a white dress shirt with an odd red streak across the front and has red hair. He also tends to sustain the most severe injuries most often out of the entire cast.
  • Brother–Sister Incest: His song "Kimi Dake no Exorcist" in Episode 4 implies that he is in love with Ritsuka. It's a good thing they're Not Blood Siblings after all...
  • Chick Magnet: A group of Ritsuka's female classmates ask her if Lindo is single while complimenting on his handsomeness.
  • Cool Big Bro: Ever since they were kids, Lindo was always a kind and protective big brother to Ritsuka. However, it becomes complicated when he reveals that he's in love with her.
  • Creepy Crosses: Being an exorcist, he carries a rosary.
  • Curtains Match the Windows: When his eyes become red.
  • Dark Is Not Evil: His outfit is mostly black, but he's one of the heroes.
  • Dhampyr: It's revealed in Episode 9 that he is in fact a dhampyr — born from his human mother, Marta, and his vampire father, Nesta.
  • Fiery Redhead: Downplayed. Lindo is usually calm and stoic, but will get emotional if Ritsuka is in danger.
  • Half-Human Hybrid: A dhampyr, with the vampire coming from his father's side.
  • Heroic Bastard: His biological parents were lovers, not a married couple, making him this. And despite his angst, Lindo is a genuine Nice Guy.
  • Hunter of His Own Kind: He's a dhampyr exorcist, meaning he hunts devils and vampires.
  • Kissing Cousins: Brother–Sister Incest becomes this when it is revealed in Episode 6 that he is really her cousin. It culminates in an Almost Kiss in Episode 9.
  • Like Father, Unlike Son: He is kind, selfless, and even though he has eyes for Ritsuka, he doesn't act like a pervert to her. Things his father doesn't have.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: Feels horrible for attacking Ritsuka after being consumed by rage in his vampiric state.
  • Nice Guy: Lindo is kind, selfless, and noble.
  • Noble Bigot: Lindo doesn't see devils as anything other than liars and monsters, but he's deeply devoted to the safety of Ritsuka.
  • Not Blood Siblings: He and Ritsuka were raised as siblings by Ritsuka's mother Maria, after Ritsuka's aunt Marta, Lindo's real mother, died when he was young.
  • One Hero, Hold the Weaksauce: As he is an exorcist, who happens to be a dhampyr, it can safely be said that he has none of the vampire weaknesses towards anything holy.
  • Power Makes Your Hair Grow: Downplayed. Only a strand of his hair on the left side of his face seems to grow when his vampiric powers are used.
  • Real Men Wear Pink: According to the official website, his hobbies are cooking and housekeeping. As such, he doesn't mind wearing a frilly apron when doing either.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: His eyes turn red when his vampiric powers are active.
  • Single-Target Sexuality: Lindo has only been in love with Ritsuka, which has been further cemented in their flashbacks regarding their childhood.
  • The Stoic: He's described as being one.
  • Strong Family Resemblance: Lindo gets his physical looks from his mother.
  • Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Downplayed. He's more of a stoic than "icy" person when he's around others. But he shows more emotion when he's around Ritsuka.
  • Trash Talk: Taunting Rem during their fight was evidently not a good idea.

    Azuna Kuzuha 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kuzuhaazuna.png
Voiced by: Risae Matsuda (Japanese), Katherine Bourne (English)

A classmate and friend of Ritsuka's in Dance With Devils.


  • Action Girl: She was perfectly capable of fighting off any of the devils or vampires that were hurting her, Lindo, or Ritsuka.
  • Badass Adorable: She is capable of fighting against demons and the one who fought against Shiki despite being overpowered by him. She is an Exorcist, after all.
  • Best Friend: She is Ritsuka's best friend.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: As an exorcist, Azuna is considerably forceful, and does not back down when it comes to fending off the Devils from Ritsuka, nor is afraid of them.
  • Brutal Honesty: She is extremely blunt in her hatred against Devils, calling them 'disgusting'.
  • Creepy Crosses: Being a exorcist like Lindo, she possessed one.
  • Died in Your Arms Tonight: Azuna died in Ritsuka's arms after being fatally wounded.
  • Empty Eyes: Her eyes are like this when she is about to die.
  • Girlish Pigtails: Her main hairstyle.
  • Groin Attack: Arguably. after Shiki defeated her, he seemingly stomping on between her legs.
  • Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: She has blonde hair and has shown to be a caring friend to Ritsuka, and person in general.
  • Innocent Blue Eyes: Azuna has blue eyes that represent her friendly nature.
  • Killed Off for Real: In episode 8, when she is killed by Jek.
  • Nice Girl: A thoughtful and protective person.
  • Noble Bigot: Like Lindo, she didn't believe that devils or vampires have any goodness in them. That being said, Azuna was a genuinely nice person who cares for Lindo and Ritsuka.
  • Spared by the Adaptation: In the visual novel, Azuna can get saved by Rem in the other boys' routes.
  • Walking Spoiler: Just known as Ritsuka's best friend to hide the fact that Azuna is an exorcist.

Devils

    Rem Kaginuki 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rem_4.png
Voiced by: Soma Saito (Japanese), Garret Storms (English)

One of the main characters of Dance With Devils. He is a devil and the Student Council President of Shikō Academy.


  • Amazon Chaser: Rem's reaction to Ritsuka standing up for herself against him in a Plucky Girl manner? A sly smile while saying to her, "Ritsuka Tachibana. You're quite intriguing."
  • Animal Motifs: Rem is represented by the ram.
  • Badass Boast: In his fight with Lindo.
  • Because You Were Nice to Me: Rem falls in love with Ritsuka because she is the first person to genuinely care for and be kind to him.
  • Berserk Button: Downplayed, but he doesn't like people messing with his Shōgi board. Or when the other council members act out of turn. He also completely loses his cool in episode 10 when the student council members try to stake their claims on Ritsuka.
  • Cannot Spit It Out: Zig-Zagged. Rem admits his feeling for Ritsuka in their song in Episode 8 and his duet with Lindo in Episode 9. However, he refuses to admit his feelings in front of Urie, Mage, and Shiki despite the trio knowing that he does have feelings for her.
  • The Chessmaster: He has everything planned out on the Shōgi board on his desk in the Student Council Room. He even referred to Ritsuka as his pawn in Episode 5.
  • Chick Magnet: Episode 4 shows that Rem is popular with a number of girls at his school.
  • Childhood Friends: He has known the longest Urie, since they were both children.
  • Classy Cravat: A beige one. It gives him a sophisticated look.
  • Defrosting Ice King: Starts off cold and aloof (and mostly still is), but Ritsuka defrosts him a bit over time.
  • Does Not Like Spam: He doesn't like mushrooms, as seen in Episode 2 when he takes it out of his sushi roll. As he puts it:
    "Mushrooms are not food. They're a substance that results from fungus adhering to trees."
  • Emotion Suppression: Starts out extremely cold and unsympathetic due to how he was raised. Growing up as the Arlond heir, he was taught to kill his emotions in order to accomplish his goals and fulfill his father's expectations. He sees others as nothing more than pawns he can use to accomplish these goals.
  • Everyone Can See It: The student council members can all see he's got feelings for Ritsuka but Rem is absolutely defiant against the claim when they try goading him into spitting out his feelings for her in Episode 10.
  • Freudian Excuse: It's implied that Rem's icy nature is because of his father's abusiveness. Expanded upon slightly by Rem in his monologue included with his character song. Growing up, he was taught to kill, or at the very least suppress his emotions so as to not allow them to get in the way of achieving his goals.
  • Icy Blue Eyes: Rem has light teal eyes, which fits his icy demeanor.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Rem started off as a cold and manipulative devil who only thought of Ritsuka as his "pawn". However, thanks to Ritsuka's influence he began to defrost. He later shows his bravery, when he courageously goes to the vampire castle with the other five and is prepared to fight a whole horde of vampires to save Ritsuka. He also tells Ritsuka how he feels about her in the song "Crazy About You," and shows his caring side, saying that he will "wipe away despair (Ritsuka's) with his hand."
  • The Leader: Downplayed. He's basically a mix of mastermind and levelheaded. While he's in charge of the other devils, they don't always listen to him, content to do their own thing,
  • Love Redeems: Episode 9 has Rem choosing to be with Ritsuka over fulfilling his father's order to retrieve the grimoire.
  • Meaningful Name: His name 'Rem' is actually another word for 'ram', which is a sheep or a goat. Like his signature animal.
  • Nonchalant Dodge: Pulls a couple of these, complete with nonchalant spinning, in episode 1 when fighting the vampires that were after Ritsuka.
  • Not So Stoic: Rem loses his cool demeanor when confronting either Ritsuka or his abusive father.
  • Oblivious to Love: Rem is rather dense to his feelings for Ritsuka. Come Episode 9, he finally realizes he's in love with her.
  • Only Sane Man: Considering how flirty (Urie), impulsive (Mage), or plain crazy (Shiki) the other members are, Rem's cool headed personality is what (barely) keeps them in line.
  • Playing with Fire: He has the ability to summon flames, specifically ''blue'' flames that match with his icy personality.
  • Princely Young Man: A textbook example of the Ice King variety. Wealthy, aloof, intelligent, popular, and even seems to have the princely walk down. He also wears a cravat and dresses in royal blue.
  • The Proud Elite: Rem is cold, calculating, and has a high sense of pride, though interacting with Ritsuka has thawed some of his icy exterior.
  • Psychotic Smirk: Not the smiling type by any means, but tends to smirk when he's fighting opponents and has the upper hand.
  • Rage Breaking Point: When the other student council members try to stake their claims on Ritsuka, he goes from subtly unnerved, to visibly shaken, to finally shouting at them to lay off — even creating a dramatic gust of wind in the process.
  • Smart People Play Chess: According to the official website, his hobby is playing Shōgi.
  • Spell My Name With An S: His last name is typically rendered as Arlond, which is what Funimation's subtitles use, but the funky text used in episodes to show song titles suggests his name is romanized as Aronde.
  • The Stoic: Of the main cast, Rem is the one who will keep his emotions in check.
  • Student Council President: Of Shikō Academy's Student Council.
  • Sugar-and-Ice Personality: While he was all "ice" in the beginning, he starts to show his "sugar" side to Ritsuka.
  • What Is This Feeling?: In his monologue included with his character song, he says exactly this when he talks about what, unbeknownst to him, are his growing feelings for Ritsuka.

    Urie Sogami 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/9ee80b69796e40b3ea2754332491d96b.png
Voiced by: Takashi Kondo (Japanese), Aaron Roberts (English)

One of the main characters of Dance With Devils. He is a famous dream devil and the Vice-President of Shikō Academy.


  • Amazon Chaser: Urie's reaction to Ritsuka standing up for herself against Rem in a Plucky Girl manner? A flirty smile while saying to Rem, "Very good. This butterfly's talking back to you."
  • Animal Motifs: Urie is represented by spiders.
  • Chick Magnet: Very popular with the ladies.
  • Childhood Friends: He has known the longest Rem, since they were both children.
  • Flower Motifs: Roses. He's often holding one and they symbolize romance (he's a Chick Magnet and Handsome Lech).
  • Handsome Lech: Urie is a bishounen hottie and is a big flirt, especially to Ritsuka.
  • Hidden Depths: He is extremely perceptive, able to see Rem's growing affection for and attachment to Ritsuka even if he does not. Shown in Episode 3, when he tells Rem that he is putting a lot of effort (i.e. Knowing her name, helping and being concerned for her, etc.) into her, for someone who is supposedly just his "pawn."
  • Hot as Hell: A devil like the rest of the student council and the biggest flirt among them.
  • I Love You Because I Can't Control You: One of the reasons Urie is attracted to Ritsuka is that she's shown to be greatly immune to his charms and doesn't fall for him like other girls.
  • Ironic Name: The name "Urie" could be derived from "Uriel", meaning "God is Light" and his last name, "Sogami" (楚神), has the character for "God" (神 Kami). And yet, he's a devil.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Urie starts off as a flirty and manipulative devil. Thanks to Ritsuka's influence, he began to change. In Episode 10, Urie calls Rem out about denying his feelings, and demands that he admit that he loves her too. Also, during the song "Emo Liar", Urie shows a softer, genuine side, when he calls Ritsuka "the sweet little light that brightened up your gloomy days." Afterwards, he proves his love for her is genuine when he tells Rem that until he can admit the truth in his heart, they can't trust him with Ritsuka. This indicates that in the place of the manipulative devil he once was, a protective, genuine man has taken his place. Although he can still be sneaky.
  • Ladykiller in Love: Urie is a well known flirt, but takes a genuine interest in Ritsuka.
  • Light Is Not Good: His entire school uniform is white, but he's a manipulative devil.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Episode 3 shows us just how manipulative he is. He tricked Ritsuka into leaving her house by tempting her with information about her mother. He tried to seduce (hypnotize) Ritsuka so that she would reveal information about the forbidden Grimoire but was ultimately thwarted by Rem Kaginuki.
  • Number Two: Besides being the Vice President of the student council, Urie is also the leader of himself, Mage, and Shiki if Rem isn't there.
  • The Rival: Mage and Urie have something of a rivalry between them, being polar opposites. They literally go head-to-head in episode 2 over their quirks. (i.e. Mage's manliness and Urie's flirtatious nature) Then, in episode 8, when both of them ask Ritsuka to be their partner at the dance, they literally butt heads over it once again.
  • Whip of Dominance: He is a manipulative and domineering Pretty Boy who uses a rose whip as his weapon, which complements his controlling persona. His controlling behavior actually makes him more obsessed with Ritsuka when she proves immune to his charms, to the point he refers to her as "his pet".
  • Yandere: Episode 3 strongly implied this with his line about how Rtisuka is "mine and mine alone".
  • Yellow Eyes of Sneakiness: Urie has yellow eyes and is a Manipulative Bastard.

    Mage Nanashiro 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/magenanashiro.png
Voiced by: Subaru Kimura (Japanese), Ricco Fajardo (English)

One of the main characters of Dance With Devils. He is a devil and the Secretary of the Student Council in Shikō Academy.


  • Amazon Chaser: Mage's reaction to Ritsuka standing up for herself against Rem in a Plucky Girl manner? Energetically stating that she's "Interesting!"
  • Animal Motifs: Mage is represented by the snake.
  • Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Mage is noted to be an arrogant devil and he shows off his martial arts in Episode 5.
  • Big Eater: Implied. He ordered a lot of meals in Episode 5 that was a lot for only two people.
  • The Big Guy: He is the tallest of the cast and has a strong physique.
  • Boisterous Bruiser: Mage will trash talk his enemies while kicking their butt.
  • Bruiser with a Soft Center: A soft center he has only shown to Ritsuka.
  • Chick Magnet: Episode 8 has Mage being carried away by his own horde of fangirls.
  • Curtains Match the Windows: Mage has blonde hair and yellow eyes.
  • Hot-Blooded: Mage is someone who "lives impulsively".
  • Hunk: Has a thing for manliness? Check? The most muscular of the main cast? Check. A total Chick Magnet? Check.
  • I Love You Because I Can't Control You: One of the reasons Mage is attracted to Ritsuka is because she's immune to his charms, causing him to get extremely frustrated when she didn't fall for him like most souls did.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Mage starts off as an arrogant and self-centered devil. Thanks to Ritsuka's influence, he began to change. In Episode 10, he admits that he is in love with Ritsuka, and wants her to be his. He also gets angry when Rem insists that she is just the grimoire, nothing more. He then agrees with Urie and Shiki that they can't let him near Ritsuka until he admits how he truly feels. This shows that in the place of the self-centered devil he was, a protective man has taken his place.
  • Mr. Fanservice: Mage is the one who wears clothing that shows off his toned and muscular body.
  • No Sense of Personal Space: He really likes to invade all of Ritsuka's personal space.
  • The Rival: Mage and Urie have something of a rivalry between them, being polar opposites. They literally go head-to-head in episode 2 over their quirks. (i.e. Mage's manliness and Urie's flirtatious nature) Then, in episode 8, when both of them ask Ritsuka to be their partner at the dance, they literally butt heads over it once again.
  • Sexy Secretary: A male example. Mage is the Student Secretary of the Student Council who also happens to be a Hunk and Chick Magnet.
  • Shock and Awe: His can generate blue and red bolts of electricity from his hand.
  • Smug Snake: He's an arrogant, smug devil whose animal motif happens to be a snake.
  • Thinking Up Portals: One of his other powers is creating portals.
  • Tsundere: Type A. In Episode 5, he blushes when looking at the sunset with Ritsuka. He gets flustered and drops her in the ocean. When he returns to the student council room, he denies blushing when Shiki brings it up and says he'll murder him.

    Shiki Natsumezaka 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dwd_shiki.png
Voiced by: Daisuke Hirakawa (Japanese), Seth Magill (English)

One of the main characters of Dance With Devils. He is a fallen angel and the Treasurer of Shikō Academy.


  • Amazon Chaser: Shiki's reaction to Ritsuka standing up for herself against Rem in a Plucky Girl manner? A creepy smile and saying "How exciting."
  • Animal Motifs: Shiki is represented by the crow.
  • Attention Whore: Implied. He manipulated Ritsuka into caring about his pain.
  • Ax-Crazy: Everything he does or says in general. It goes even further in episode 6. On a side note, his song is full of rape analogies. So, yeah, there's something horribly wrong with him.
  • Blow You Away: He can generate powerful gusts of wind even without flapping his wings.
  • Butt-Monkey: He's constantly bullied, mistreated and looked down by Urie and Mage. Also, Rem isn't quite fond of him either. Shiki even claims later that everyone, but Ritsuka, is mean to him.
  • Chick Magnet: Episode 8 has Shiki being carried away by his own horde of fangirls.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: Implied. Shiki is described as a strange person.
  • Combat Sadomasochist: He shivers with pleasure if he gets hurt or at the anticipation of being hurt or killed, in or outside of a fight. He also gets excited to what looks like a sexual degree when there's a possibility he can hurt or kill others as well.
  • Fallen Angel: The only one apparently, since the others are described as "devils".
  • Feather Flechettes: He possesses this ability.
  • The Friend Nobody Likes: He's constantly bullied, mistreated and looked down by Urie and Mage. Also, Rem isn't quite fond of him either. Shiki even claims later that everyone, but Ritsuka, is mean to him.
  • Good Wings, Evil Wings: His wings are black, which stems from being a fallen angel.
  • Hidden Depths: Despite his childish manner, Shiki's rather clever, capable of distracting the student council long enough for him to leave the library and search for Ritsuka at one point. He also doesn't hesitate to try and use Azuna as a 'shield' from Urie and Mage when they later pursue them, claiming that Azuna would know where Ritsuka is.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Shiki starts off (and still is) an Ax-Crazy, aloof devil. Thanks to Ritsuka's influence, he began to change. In Episode 10, he agrees with Urie that they can't trust Rem until he admits how he really feels about Ritsuka. This indicates that Shiki is capable of caring and being protective when the girl he loves is involved. Even if he expresses it in a strange manner.
  • One Hero, Hold the Weaksauce: As he still has angel blood running through his veins, he is immune to an exorcists' power, as seen in Episode 6 when Azuna tried to exorcise him but failed.
  • Psychopathic Manchild: Shiki is the most immature and Ax-Crazy of the Student Council.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: He has red eyes and is pretty much batshit insane.
  • Rule of Creepy: His introduction and almost every time he appears on screen. Even his partners find him creepy!
  • Sadist: His whole existence, specially when he started to think ways of torture Azuna, just to entertain himself, before killing her.
  • Token Evil Teammate: Of the Student Council. While all of them are fairly manipulative and are implied to be yandere for Ritsuka, Shiki takes it a step further by threatening to kill her if she doesn't become "his". His song is full of rape analogies, and he enjoys causing others pain.
  • Winged Humanoid: Being a fallen angel, he can sprout four black wings from his back.
  • Would Hit a Girl: He almost mercilessly killed Azuna.
  • Yandere: The entire Student Counil are implied to this to Ritsuka, Shiki takes the cake. He goes so far as to threat to kill her, if she doesn't agree with being with him forever.

    Roen 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/roen.png
Voiced by: Kazutomi Yamamoto (Japanese, Dog Form), Tatsuhisa Suzuki (Japanese, Human Form), Derick Snow (English)

Initially a servant of the Arlond's, Rem's family, he betrayed them and went back to his former master, Maksis, the demon king. Mainly seen in the form of a Pomeranian, Loewen can change into a human form.


  • Casting a Shadow: It was shown in episode 12 that he can manipulate the shadows into any form he wants and use them to attack the shadows of others, which kills them.
  • Curtains Match the Window: He has blue hair and blue eyes in his human form.
  • The Dragon: Roen is Lord Maksis's most trusted minion.
  • Faux Affably Evil: Although he acts polite towards Ritsuka, he has no sense of her personal space and has no qualms licking her without warning nor permission. He's intent on claiming the Grimoire within her for Maksis' personal use and doesn't mind endangering her life to achieve his goal.
  • Hellhound: When Ritsuka asks if he is a devil as well, he tells her that he is Cerberus.
  • Icy Blue Eyes: Light blue eyes that symbolize his Faux Affably Evil personality.
  • No Sense of Personal Space: Although he acts polite towards Ritsuka, he has no sense of her personal space and has no qualms licking her without warning nor permission.
  • Only One Name: Unlike the others, he only goes by one name.
  • Playing with Fire: In episode 11, it is shown that he can summon the flames of hell and use it in combat.
  • Spell My Name With An S: The official romanization seems to be Roen, though Funimation romanizes it as Loewen.
  • Undying Loyalty: He appears to be very loyal to his master, Lord Maksis.
  • Unknown Rival: In Fortuna and Fermata, Marius has a lot of personal beef with Roen. Roen himself is unaware of Marius's existence, pissing off the latter even more.
  • Voluntary Shapeshifting: He is able to change from his dog form to a human form.
  • Would Hit a Girl: He threatened to rip out Ritsuka's heart.

    Lord Maksis 
Voiced by: Joji Nakata (Japanese; Unit Drama CD)

Lord Maksis is the Devil King. He is Roen's master, who is weakened and in need of the Forbidden Grimoire to regain his lost power.


  • Big Bad Ensemble: With Lord Nesta.
  • Disappeared Dad: To Ritsuka. He is her biological father and has never made an appearance in her whole life. Justified in that Rem's father defeated Maksis and sealed him away.
  • Interspecies Romance: He (a devil) was the lover/husband of Maria Tachibana (a human).
  • Single Woman Seeks Good Man: A gender-flipped example. According to Jek, the reason that Maksis took an interest in Maria was because she was smart, beautiful, and wise.

    Glax Arlond 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mikukier_arlond.png
Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa (Japanese), Greg Dulcie (English)

Rem's father and the head of the Arlond family. He is the one who defeated and sealed Lord Maksis away, taking over his position as the Devil King.


Vampires

    Lord Nesta 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/4801c7b62ddb6f52b38323f5c2ca55b11450284224_full.png
Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara (anime)/Rikiya Koyama (Fortuna)

Nesta is the Vampire King. He wants the Forbidden Grimoire to overpower the Devils. He is also the lover of Marta Tachibana, making him the father of Lindo Tachibana.


  • Abusive Parents: Nesta only takes an interest in Lindo if his son can be useful to him, emotionally manipulating Lindo about his fatherless childhood and willing to kill Lindo if it he wants.
  • Archnemesis Dad: To Lindo. Especially in Episode 12, when Lord Nesta emotionally manipulates his son to be on his side. Likewise, Lindo shows no qualms over attempting to kill his father.
  • Bad Boss: He needlessly kills one of his subordinates when he thinks he may have injured the grimoire...even after Ritsuka explained that she hurt herself. And he was disgusted by Jek's death, even after the latter's loyalty.
  • Big Bad Ensemble: With Lord Maksis.
  • Chick Magnet: Besides having Marta as a lover, his first present-time appearance has him being surrounded by a trio of women.
  • Consummate Liar: Nesta is an unapologetic liar, trying to get Lindo to side with him by preying on Lindo's fatherless childhood and his lack of familial bonds with his biological parents as well has Marta's rejection of her own son. He even said he truly loved Marta when the fact was he did not.
  • Dirty Old Man: His real age is unknown, but given the lifespan of vampires are extremely long, he's probably over a thousand years old. Plus, he's seen being fondled over by three women.
  • Disappeared Dad: To Lindo. Lord Nesta has never made an actual effort to be a part of Lindo's life and only sees his son as a pawn.
  • Evil Laugh: Gives a few of these when he's feeling powerful.
  • Evil Uncle: Since Lindo is his son and Lindo is Ritsuka's cousin, this makes Lord Nesta this to her. He cares for her in the same amount he cares for his son: Zero.
  • Face Framed in Shadow: In Episode 1, you can only see the bottom part of his face, while his eyes remain covered by shadow.
  • Interspecies Romance: He (a vampire) was the lover of Marta Tachibana (a human).
  • Jerkass: A cruel and malicious man.
  • Like Father, Unlike Son: He's cruel, perverted, and selfish, unlike his son. Ritsuka even lampshades this.
  • Manipulative Bastard: He seduced Marta in order to find out about the grimoire, and gain a pawn in their Dhampyr son, Lindo.
    "His (Lindo)'s life is in entirely in the palm of my hand."
  • Offing the Offspring: He showed no problems with attempting to kill Lindo along with the others.
  • The Sociopath: Cares for no one except himself? Check. A huge liar? Check. Willing to use anyone as long as he gets what he wants? Check.
  • Vampire Monarch: He is the Vampire King.
  • White Hair, Black Heart: Nesta has white and is the Manipulative Bastard Big Bad.

    Jek 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jek.png
Click here to see his face. 
Voiced by: Yūto Suzuki (Japanese), David Trosko (English)

Jek is a mysterious man who attacks Ritsuka Tachibana and abducted Maria Tachibana. It seems as though he is searching for the Forbidden Grimoire for Lord Nesta.


  • Curtains Match the Windows: He has pink hair and pinkish-red eyes.
  • Dark Is Evil: Most of his outfit are dark in color and he is as sinister as his master.
  • Disney Villain Death: Jek meets his end when Lindo slashes him and causes him to fall onto a statue's sword.
  • The Dragon: Lord Nesta's number one minion.
  • Evil Laugh: Unleashes one when he holds Ritsuka hostage.
  • Fantastic Racism: He dislikes humans as shown when he killed the man who 'aggressed' Ritsuka while he was bringing her to Nesta.
  • Has a Type: Has a thing "mature, adult" women.
  • Hero Killer: Jek kills Azuna in Episode 8.
  • In the Hood: He wears a dark purple hood.
  • Jerkass: Jek is a merciless vampire who would kill anyone getting in his way.
  • Karmic Death: Ironically, he dies in the same way he killed Azuna: stabbed straight through the heart.
  • Only One Name: Like Roen, he only has one name.
  • Undying Loyalty: He is very loyal to Lord Nesta.
  • Would Hit a Girl: He attacked Maria, attempted to attack Ritsuka, and killed Azuna.

Others

    Maria Tachibana 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tachibanamaria.png
Voiced by: Hibiku Yamamura (Japanese), Morgan Garrett (English)

The mother of the protagonist, Ritsuka and the aunt of Lindo of Dance With Devils.


  • Curtains Match the Windows: Brown hair and light brown eyes.
  • Interspecies Romance: She (a human) was the lover/wife of Maksis (a devil).
  • Mama Bear: Before being abducted by Jek and the other vampires, she motioned Ritsuka to leave instead of coming in the house to save her.
  • Missing Mom: Her disappearance is actually what kicks off the plot.
  • Motherly Side Plait: She ties her hair in a side-tail with two white hairbands.
  • My Greatest Failure: Maria holds a deep well of regret in her heart for being the wife of the demon king, and giving Ritsuka a life full of horror and hardship. She desperately pleads for Ritsuka's forgiveness in Episode 10 for allowing her to be born the way she was, saying that she wore "such heavy shackles" because of it. From this, it is confirmed that Maria blames herself for everything that has happened to her daughter and the rest of her family.
  • Nice Girl: A kind and caring woman.
  • Parental Favoritism: According to Nesta, Maria was favored by her and Marta's father.
  • Sibling Yin-Yang: As Nesta describes, they were as different as the sun (Maria) and moon (Marta).

    Marta Tachibana 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/marta_2.png
Voiced by: Kanami Sato (Japanese)

Maria's sister and the aunt of Ritsuka Tachibana. She is Lindo's real mother. She was the lover of the Vampire King, Nesta.


  • Foil: To Maria. Besides their Sibling Yin-Yang dynamic, Maria is the present mother of Ritsuka who never hated her daughter for being a Half-Human Hybrid and and Maksis was genuinely in love with her. Marta is Lindo's deceased Missing Mom who rejected Lindo as her son because of his dhampyr heritage and Nesta only used her.
  • I Just Want to Be Loved: Deconstructed. She was the unfavorite of her father (Maria being the favorite child), and her sister was also loved by others as well. This formed Marta's resentment of Maria, which led her to become so enraptured by Nesta, who gave her all of the love she wanted. Unfortunately, he only used her to get information about the grimoire.
  • Interspecies Romance: She (a human) was the lover of Nesta (a vampire).
  • Missing Mom: Lindo's biological mother who died when he was only a child. Even before that, she refused to acknowledge Lindo as her son, thinking he was already dead.
  • Posthumous Character: She died before the beginning of the series.
  • The Resenter: According to Nesta, while Marta loved Maria, she also resented her sister for being the most liked between them.
  • Sibling Yin-Yang: As Nesta describes, they were as different as the sun (Maria) and moon (Marta).
  • That Thing Is Not My Child!: She was so heartsick to learn that she would bear a vampire's child that after she gave birth to Lindo (who was a dhampyr), she 'died' from the inside and became quiet, refusing to see him as her son and saying that her darling Lindo was eaten by a monster.

Characters exclusive to other media

Tropes applying to all of them

    Holland 
Rem's butler and primary caretaker. In the first stage play and Da Capo, he's the one who assigns Rem his mission of going to the human world and looking for the Forbidden Grimoire, but later follows him in secret.

He appears exclusively to the first two stage plays.


     Noel 
Lindo's mentor during his time in England. He claims to know Ritsuka and Lindo's grandfather well, and Lindo would usually confide in him whenever he's feeling worried.

He appears exclusively to the first two stage plays.


  • The Cameo: Appears in the All for you! sequence in Dance with Devils: Fortuna baptizing Lindo in a flashback to Lindo's time in England.
  • Evil All Along: He's in fact a vampire working for Jek - he later shows his true colours when Lindo pieces together that his grandfather wasn't killed by devils, but rather by vampires.
  • Ironic Name: An exorcist named Noel would be perfect, right? Not unless he's actually a vampire.
  • The Mentor: For Lindo as an exorcist.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: Once his true nature is revealed. He normally has green eyes.
  • Walking Spoiler: It's really not easy to discuss Noel to those who have not seen the stage plays without giving away his true allegiance.
  • White Hair, Black Heart: Eventually revealed to be this.

     Gran 
One of Urie's butlers alongside Viv. Together, the two of them looked after Urie in his childhood and worry about him often. Later, he's shown in the human world disguised as a student.

He appears exclusively to the third stage play Dance with Devils: Fermata.


  • The Mentor: For Urie.
  • Morality Pet: Again, for Urie. If the two of them did not make it on time, Urie would have went on to kill Shiki and El as they were on the vampires' side then.
  • Those Two Guys: Is hardly seen without Viv.

     Viv 
One of Urie's butlers alongside Gran. Together, the two of them looked after Urie in his childhood and worry about him often. Later, he's shown in the human world disguised as a student.

He appears exclusively to the third stage play Dance with Devils: Fermata.


  • The Mentor: For Urie.
  • Morality Pet: Again, for Urie. If the two of them did not make it on time, Urie would have went on to kill Shiki and El as they were on the vampires' side then.
  • Those Two Guys: Is hardly seen without Gran.

     El 
Shiki's childhood friend. He was an innocent angel until Shiki started becoming obsessed with destruction. His death later sparked Shiki's Start of Darkness.

He appears exclusively to the third stage play Dance with Devils: Fermata.


     Marius 
Voiced by: Toshiyuki Toyonaga (Japanese, Fortuna)

A mysterious being who watches over Ritsuka and the others from afar. Dressed as a masked clown, he portrays Ritsuka's story through song.

He appears exclusively to Dance with Devils: Fortuna and Dance with Devils: Fermata.


  • Adaptational Villainy: Marius in Fermata is more villainous than in Fortuna. However, it's heavily implied that the Fermata timelines take place before the events of Fortuna since in the stage play, Marius is a lot more emotional and is unaware of his origins while in the movie he knows about his connections to Ritsuka and is a borderline Emotionless Boy.
  • Affably Evil: For a given value of evil, but after making fun of Roen and later bites his thumbnail in frustration, he notices the audience watching him and apologises.
  • Ambiguously Evil: For now, we aren't sure which side of the conflict he's on, though from his tone when he talks about the story, he might not be on Ritsuka's side of things...
  • Ambiguously Human: Even the official website does not specify what Marius is, though according to art drawn by animator Kyoko Kotani, he seems to be on the devils' side. Fermata reveals him to be some form of Artificial Human.
  • Ambiguous Situation: At the end of Fortuna and Fermata, Marius disappears into thin air, leaving behind his cape. Where he went to, nobody knows.
  • Artifical Human: Or rather, artificial devil, according to Fermata. He was created by Maksis via sampling Ritsuka's soul.
  • Breaking the Fourth Wall: As Character Narrator and Greek Chorus, he does this often.
  • Catchphrase: "Spin, spin, Wheel of Fortune!", used whenever he's moving the story. And then he repeats it again in Latin: Rota, fatum volvit.
  • Character Narrator: For Fortuna and Fermata.
  • Chained by Fashion: Sports a neck cuff, a pair of handcuffs and a pair of ankle cuffs in his second outfit, similar to that of a prisoner.
  • Character Tics: When contemplating something, Marius would often suck his left thumb. Certain merchandise pertaining to Fortuna would often portray him doing this, most notably in the GraffArt collaboration merchandise.
  • Clone Agnst: In Fermata's Calma side, Roen reveals to Ritsuka (and by extension, Marius himself) that some time before the events of the series, Maksis sampled Ritsuka's soul to create a backup for the Forbidden Grimoire in case anything happened to it, and by extension Ritsuka herself. Marius did not take it well when he realises that Roen was indirectly talking about him.
  • Evil Is Petty: For a given value of evil, but at the end of Fortuna, he breaks the orb he used to observe everyone after Ritsuka and Lindo get together and stomps on the shards with his bare foot for good measure. In a sense, he's stepping on their happy ending.
  • Expy: Rejet's answer to Drosselmeyer, Accord and The Shadow Play Girls. Personality-wise in Fortuna he's often compared to Kyubey.
  • The Fatalist: Has shades of this, if his comments in Fortuna are any indication:
  • Gratuitous Latin: Rota, fatum volvit. It's Latin for the exact same thing as his Catchphrase.
  • Greek Chorus: Fulfills this and Character Narrator at the same time in Fortuna and Fermata.
  • Informed Ability: His character description says that he moves the story through song, indicating that he has a really good singing voice. Ironically, not only does he not have a character song, he has the least singing parts out of the main male cast in both of his appearances. The only solo he gets is a rewritten version of Premonition of the Wind in the Calma ending of Fermata.
  • It's Personal: With Roen. From his point-of-view in Fermata, Roen really betrayed Maksis to join with the Arlonds when the former was defeated. In actuality, Roen was faking his defection. In Fortuna, Marius calls him worse names than the rest of the cast.
  • Japanese Pronouns: Uses watashi in Fortuna. In Fermata, he uses boku instead while switching to watashi when narrating things from Ritsuka's point-of-view. While he still uses boku in the Elegante end of Fermata, in Calma he permanently switches to watashi when he accepts that he and Ritsuka are, in his sense, 'from the same soul'.
  • Monster Clown: Dresses as one in the beginning, but quickly ditches the outfit for one resembling a Roman costume after the Sweet Grimoire! sequence. The mask comes back in the epilogue to Fortuna though, before Marius disappears into thin air.
  • Mood-Swinger: Oh boy...
  • Mysterious Watcher: For the rest of the cast, especially Ritsuka.
  • Mystical White Hair: The only character to actually sport this, to differentiate him from the rest of the cast.
  • Nightmare Face: Has one in Fortuna just before Urie's segment in the same vein as the devils, but unlike theirs the audience has the misfortune of seeing it up close.
  • Opposite-Sex Clone: Fermata reveals that he's this to Ritsuka, which sends him into a meltdown.
  • Riddle for the Ages: Even after Fermata, a lot is still unknown about him, especially what drove Maksis to create him in the first place.
  • Slasher Smile: During the stage play, plenty of times.
  • Sore Loser: As opposed to everyone's Graceful Loser moments after Ritsuka chooses who she loves the most, he's notably the only character who doesn't like her choices. To make things even worse for him, no one knows he even exists, and it's unknown whether he's able to enter the main world from where he is.
  • The Storyteller: His role in Fortuna and Fermata.
  • Supernatural Gold Eyes: Even moreso than Urie and Mage. In Fortuna, his eyes glow more often than the other devils when they use their magic, making him seem creepier.
  • White Hair, Black Heart: Has white hair... and not the best of intentions for Ritsuka and company.
  • Vague Age: Just how old is he?
  • Vapor Wear: In this image drawn by Kyoko Kotani, it's implied that he's wearing absolutely nothing underneath his 2nd costume.
  • Villainous Breakdown: Throws a massive temper tantrum when Roen indirectly reveals his origins to him in Fermata. By the end of the stage play, however, he seems to have calmed down but has made drastic changes to his personality as a result.

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