Hakum Village
Appearances: Stories
A secluded village where humans and monsters coexist. It does not have many connections to the outside world, which is due to them wanting to avoid conflict with the Hunter-dominated cultures of the outside world that clashes with their Rider-focused culture. They also believed themselves to be the only Rider culture in the world, but this turns out not to be the case.
Lilia
An energetic young girl who wishes to explore the world. Initially interested in becoming a Rider, she chooses a different career path and becomes a Scrivener instead.
- Deadpan Snarker: Makes friendly jabs at the player and Cheval from time to time.
- Fire-Breathing Diner: In the Ride On anime, her homemade Energy Drinks are feared among friends and strangers alike due to them being incredibly spicy, causing their drinkers' faces and even their whole bodies to turn red and making smoke blow out their noses.
- Genki Girl: She's very energetic and enthusiastic.
- Hero Worship: She's very enthusiastic about Simone, the leader of the Scriveners, due to her acts of heroism.
- I Just Want to Be Special: Her motivation for becoming a Scrivener is wanting to do something no one else in Hakum Village can do in addition to helping out her friends.
- Ms. Exposition: Explains how to take Subquests in Stories.
- The Power of Friendship: She believes in this, insisting that she can get Cheval to snap out of his single-minded drive for revenge if she can get him to realize just how important the bonds he once valued are.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Downplayed in Stories 2. She's considerably more blunt and taciturn when compared to how she was in the first game, but she's still a good hearted woman willing to hear the protagonist out and give them a chance to prove Ratha's innocence. Its all but stated that her colder attitude is due to both the pressure of being a Scriviner and being put in charge of handling the potentially apocalyptic Razewing Rathalos.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Calls out Cheval for wanting to destroy every monster affected by the Black Blight, stating that, according to the Rider's Code, Riders are supposed to form bonds with monsters instead of seeing them as enemies.
Cheval
A young boy who dreams of becoming a Rider. Once a gentle, timid soul, he became obsessed with vengeance and power after his mother was killed by a Nargacuga under the influence of the Black Blight.
- Bad Boss:
- He treats Rathi as nothing but a tool for him to use throughout the course of the game. This comes back to bite him in the rematch against him in the Pondry Caves, where Rathi refuses to obey his orders due to the abuse she suffered. He gets better.
- In the Ride On anime, this extends to other Monsties as well as Mil and Hyoro after they joined his cause, with him viewing them as tools and abandoning them when they fail him and display weakness in his eyes.
- The Chosen One: Versa Pietru recognizes him as Redan thanks to the influence of one of Dr. Manelger's inventions, and allows him to become its Rider and bring him closer to his goal of destroying the Black Blight. It doesn't last due to the machine's failures causing Versa itself to become corrupted by the Blight, though.
- Fighting Your Friend: He frequently clashes with the player throughout the course of Stories despite being close friends with them at the start of the game, insisting that they're too idealistic, that their bonds with their Monsties are only holding them back, and that Ratha should be put down due to exhibiting signs of the Black Blight despite the player and Navirou insisting that he'll be fine.
- Foil: To the player character of Stories. While the player character bonds with their Monsties, treats Ratha like a good friend, tries to save Ratha after he falls under the Black Blight's influence, and succeeds in wiping out the Black Blight with the help of their bonds, Cheval views bonds as a weakness, treats Rathi as nothing but a tool, attempts to kill Ratha after he exhibits signs of the Black Blight, and is recognized as a legendary Rider through artificial means until the device in question malfunctions and, along with his drive for revenge above all else, causes the very thing he sought to destroy.
- Freudian Excuse: His actions throughout Stories were influenced by anger and grief over Vlau's death, with an NPC saying that it's understandable how different he's become as a result of it.
- Knight Templar: He becomes obsessed with eradicating every monster under the influence of the Black Blight, insisting that it's the only way to stop the spread of it, and will use any means to achieve his goal, even if it means harming those he's grown close to. He realizes the error of his ways after Versa Pietru becomes Makili Pietru, however.
- Misplaced Retribution: Although monsters are just as victims of the Black Blight as humans are, going into an uncontrollable, frenzied state and suffering throughout it, he primarily directs his anger of the Blight towards the monsters themselves, treating them like vermin that should all be exterminated. In contrast, the player character doesn't hold the monsters' actions against them, acknowledging that focusing on the branches of evil instead of the roots solves nothing, and this trope is what primarily sets up the conflict between him and the player.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: His inner darkness along with Manelger's device malfunctioning is what causes Versa Pietru to become corrupted by the Black Blight, transforming it into the more aggressive and potentially world-ending Makili Pietru.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: His Kinship stone is coloured red and black, symbolizing his inner darkness. Subverted in that he isn't really evil, just obsessed with revenge and power.
- Revenge Before Reason: He's obsessed with enacting revenge on the Black Blight, and becomes hostile to friend and foe alike without stopping to think about the consequences of his actions. He gets better.
- Took a Level in Badass: Goes from a timid non-combatant to a powerful Rider throughout the course of Stories.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: He goes from a kind boy who wanted to bond with monsters to a ruthless, power-hungry Knight Templar after the death of his mother.
- Tragic Keepsake: Vlau's necklace, which he holds onto after her demise.
Dan
An excitable Rider who teaches young Riders how to ride monsters.
- Adaptational Personality Change: In the Ride On anime, Dan is notably less bombastic and more reserved in his manner of speech, with his loudness and Berserk Button being given to an original character named Gamigami instead, though his pep talks still retain a hammy flair.
- Anger Born of Worry: He gets angry at the player and their friends for walking into the forest because he cares about their safety, knowing full well that they can't fend off wild monsters unless they become real Riders.
- Big Damn Heroes: Is among the Riders that chase off the Blighted Nargacuga before it can inflict any more harm to Hakum Village and its residents.
- Berserk Button: Entering the forest without permission, like the player, Lilia, and Cheval do early in the game, really sets him off. This is due to how dangerous monsters can be for inexperienced Riders.
- Catchphrase: Is prone to saying "AWESOME!" when excited in English versions of Stories. In Japanese versions of the game and all versions of the Ride On anime, he yells "In top form!" instead.
- He Knows About Timed Hits: He describes the Tactical Rock–Paper–Scissors and Head-To-Head mechanics and how they play out when the player faces their first monster.
- Heroic Sacrifice: In the second season of the Ride On anime, when he and the other Riders of Hakum Village are pursued by the Black Riders, who intend to steal their Kinship Stones on behalf of their boss and are shown to be powerful and capable combatants while the heroes lack experience in fighting other Riders, he along with the other adults opt to stay behind and hold them off while the children escape into Darj Mountains, which costs them their Kinship Stones.
- Large Ham: Passionate and excitable, Dan is prone to yelling things out loud while making exaggerated gestures. This is exemplified by his Voice Grunting, which is quite boisterous compared to the other villagers'.
- The Mentor: Teaches the player how to become a Rider.
- Warm-Up Boss: He's the first Rider fought in Stories, and serves as a tutorial for Rider Battles, explaining the mechanics to you, using the low-level Rider's Armour and Hunter's Dagger, and having a Velocidrome for a Monstie. This extends to the Japan-exclusive Black Riders Tower, where he's the earliest, and easiest, of the Riders faced there, even on the higher floors.
- What the Hell, Hero?: He calls the player out for venturing into the forest twice without permission, stating that it's too dangerous to be out there due to them having no prior experience as a Rider.
Chief Omna
The leader of Hakum Village. Laid-back and reasonable, he's open to the idea of sharing the secrets of Hakum Village to the outside world.
- Cool Old Guy: He praises the player for being able to bond with Ratha without the use of a Kinship Stone, and lets them off with a warning instead of punishing them when they wander into the forest without permission.
- The Mentor: Instructs the hunter as to how to be a proper Rider.
- Miniature Senior Citizens: Like most old Wyverians, he's short.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He lets off Lilia, Cheval, and the player with a warning after their first offense instead of punishing them right away, and is understanding towards Navirou, Lilia, and the player's desire to see the outside world despite initially being against the idea, allowing them to go on an adventure after they prove their worth despite Dan's concerns.
- Rhymes on a Dime: He incorporates rhymes into almost every sentence he makes. Averted in the Ride On anime, where he talks normally.
- Ritual Magic: He enacts the Kinship Ritual, which allows Riders to form bonds with monsters and ride them.
Gildegaran
Appearances: Stories 1
One of the world's great Hunter cities, the Rider of Hakum comes to this city to learn about the ways of Hunters, and is regarded with curiosity (and a bit of fear) by the residents.
Reverto
A easygoing and very capable, if sometimes lazy, Hunter who quickly befriends the Rider of Hakum. He does seem to have something to do with the Royal Scriveners, but he prefers to deflect attention away from that particular topic.
- "Not So Different" Remark: When Navirou expresses shock that the first Rider, Redan, was originally a Hunter (having believed the two were mutually exclusive), he remarks that Hunters and Riders aren't really all that different when it comes down to it. Both seek to live alongside monsters in one way or another, and both depend on monsters continuing to thrive for their lifestyles to continue.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: While he's physically quite capable of fighting them, he does all he can to avoid fighting bug monsters, having the protagonist of Stories fetch him mushrooms in the hope that he'll be able to use them to avoid fighting any bugs himself (though he still saves them from a Nerscylla). He reacts with extreme revulsion to even hitting a Nerscylla with his weapon.
Other/Nomadic
Appearances: Stories, Ride On, Stories 2
Navirou
A young Felyne whose past is unknown due to amnesia. Acts as the player's guide throughout the course of Stories. Returns in Stories 2 doing some investigating into the strange events of recent times and ends up deciding to partner up with the new player character, sensing their potential as a Rider. See that page for tropes concerning him in Stories 2.
- Amnesiac Hero: Loses his memory after escaping Manelger's Laboratory due to trauma he suffered prior to washing up on Koapni Village's shores. With help from the player and the Numbers, he regains it, remembering that he was one of the Numbers (Felynes experimented on by Manelger to give them strange powers and appearances), and that he was the one who came up with their plan to escape Manelger's Laboratory.
- Big Damn Heroes: Takes on his Thunder Form and finishes off the seemingly-dead Blighted Yian Garuga after it makes another attempt at attacking Pansy.
- Butt-Monkey:
- He is never taken seriously in the Ride On anime, with various characters making snide and insulting comments on his appearance, gluttony, uselessness, and ego, and a Running Gag involves him getting set on fire by Ratha.
- While not as frequent in the games (characters in general are more forgiving of his appearance and behavior, usually not going further than stating he is "different" or "odd"), he is still routinely the subject of slapstick comedy, usually inflicted by monsties during cutscenes (they seem to love to headbutt him, nibble on him or smack him with their tails), as well as by other characters that don't like him mouthing off at them (Kayna stretching his lips in annoyance).
- Catchphrase: In the Ride On anime, he's prone to saying "Navi-rule" if someone comments on his plans.
- Combat Commentator: Will comment on various actions that occur during battle, from the usage of items to monsters activating special skills.
- Dub Induced Plothole: His name is a portmanteau of "navigator" and "Airou", the Japanese term for Felyne. The English translation preserves "Navirou" instead of coming up with a new pun.
- Exposition Fairy: He acts as the player's guide, explaining the events of the story and the abilities of the monsters they face.
- Fartillery: In the Ride On anime, he has access to doughnut-scented farts thanks to The Channeler's modifications, and likes to put them to good use, to everyone else's dismay.
- Gonk: He looks very strange compared to other Felynes, having an enlarged head, small eyes, and a chubby body (and many characters comment on this). Initially his appearance could be assumed to have been caused by the experiments that gave him his powers, but in a flashback in Stories 2 he looks the same before the experiments as he does after.
- It's Not You, It's My Enemies: Kept his Thunder Form a secret from the other Felynes in Koapni Village during his time there and left the village without warning out of fear that he was attracting harm to it. This leads to a case of Poor Communication Kills, with the villagers thinking that he selfishly abandoned them until he clears things up with the player's help.
- Meaningful Name: Navirou's name is based on the word "navigator", and he serves as your guide. It also refers to his ability to find monster eggs and sense how good the genes and abilities they have are.
- Meaningful Rename: His earliest memories are of being alone on the streets, no name and no family. It's implied he went by a number of different names before settling on "Navirou" comparatively recently to highlight his navigation and sensing skills.
- Miles Gloriosus: Will sometimes take all the credit for himself if the player defeats a monster or Rider despite not taking part in the battle itself, and is prone to boasting about his abilities when in reality, he gets the player to do what he says he'll do. Stories 2 summarizes his introduction by saying he claims he once saved the world, seemingly taking all the credit for the group effort of the final victory in Stories 1.Navirou: Victory! I'm the best!
- Shock and Awe: In his Thunder Form.
- Trademark Favourite Food: He loves eating doughnuts.
- Third-Person Person: Frequently refers to himself in third person in the Ride On anime.
- Unflinching Walk: Parodied in the Molten Tigrex Kinship Attack, where after the monster slams the ground and sends explosive powder everywhere, Navirou simply walks out of the dust cloud with a smirk and uses his electric powers to spark the combustion... albeit he's so close that he also gets sent flying when the powder goes off.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: In the Ride On anime, he and Lute frequently trade barbs with each other and barely tolerate each other's presence, but are always by each other's side.
- You Are Number 6: He was known as Number Five during his time with the Numbers, a title given by the mad scientist who confined them.
