Characters / Return of the Obra Dinn

All characters in Return Of The Obra Dinn.

WARNING: Because the entire premise of the game revolves around identifying both the names and fates of all characters, the assignment of ANY AND ALL TROPES AND IMAGES whatsoever to any character IS IN ITSELF ALREADY A SPOILER. The mere existence of certain folder names on this page at all can also be potential spoilers.

To avoid redundantly whiting out the entire page with spoiler tags, all tropes will be left unmarked. It is highly advised you do not view anything on this page without completing the game first. You Have Been Warned.

Player Character

Inspector

HEIC Chief Inspector

Voiced by: Adam Beauchesnesp (male), Debbie McReadie (female)

"On behalf of the Honourable East India Company, I certify all statements as accurate and declare this matter closed in its entirety"

An insurance adjuster sent to investigate the Obra Dinn using only the Memento Mortem and the catalogue.

---

• Featureless Protagonist: The only parts of the Inspector that are ever seen are gloved hands and the coat sleeves. While the Inspector does have a few voiced sentences at the beginning of the game, the gender of the voice is chosen randomly.
• Got Volunteered: Didn't ask for the job, and got sent to Falmouth anyway. The tone of voice used when talking to the boatman suggests the Inspector wasn't too keen on it either.
• Mathematician's Answer: Gives one of these in the intro.
  Boatman: What's in the box?
  Inspector: I don't know. Hoist it up in a few minutes.
  Boatman: Eh? How?
  Inspector: Carefully.
• Neutral No Longer: Potentially. Should you fill out every possible entry before leaving the Obra Dinn, Evans' letter has him declare that the Inspector must be as invested in seeing the ship's catalogue completed as him and mails the means to do so. While never verbally agreeing with this, the Inspector gives the finished book a place on the bookshelf, implying that Evans was right.
• Occult Detective: Implied. Given the collection of mysterious artifacts at home, the Inspector seems to specialize in claims with paranormal events.
• Only Known by Initials: As seen by the conclusion in the report, the inspector's initials are A.G., but the signature is otherwise illegible.
• Purely Aesthetic Gender: The Inspector's voice at the beginning of the game is randomly chosen per save to be either male or female. The character model for the inspector consists of simply a long coat and a pair of gloves; nothing else about the inspector is ever seen.
• Unfazed Everyman: Shows no discernible reaction to the magical properties of the Memento Mortem, any of the events on board, or being mailed a monkey's mummified paw in the Golden Ending.

---

Crew and Passengers of the Obra Dinn

Officers

1. Robert Witterel

Captain Robert Witterel

Origin: England

Voiced by: Rob Townsend

Fate: Suicide by gunshot to the chest in Chapter X.

"You bastards may take exactly what I give you!"

The English Captain of the Obra Dinn and leader of its ill-fated journey, assisted by his steward Filip Dahl. He was the husband of Abigail Hoscut Witterel. His friend and brother-in-law, William Hoscut, served as first mate.

---

• Big Good: He seemed to be pretty reasonable to his crew for the most part, with most of his actions being well justified. He’s even present during the crab rider attack and fights one himself.
• The Captain: Of the Obra Dinn. The only time he's really seen exerting his authority is during the execution of Hok-Seng Lau, where he orders the man dead for presumably murdering another passenger.
• Cassandra Truth: He correctly tells Henry Brennan that the shells are not on board the ship. Unfortunately, Brennan thinks he's lying and attacks him.
• Chekhov's Gunman: Of a sort. It's mentioned that he's below deck during the Kraken attack, but he is never seen with the gunners in any of their flashbacks. We finally see what he was up to during the epilogue as he tries to get the mermaids to call off the Kraken.
• Crime of Self-Defense: Captain Witterel kills Hoscut, Brennan, and Walker after the three carry out a mutiny and try to kill him, but Captain Witterel gets charged with murder.
• Despair Event Horizon: The combination of his entire crew being brutally wiped out, including his beloved wife, and the killing of several crewmen at his own hands (including his own brother-in-law and First Mate), was too much for him to bear, leading to his fate.
• Driven to Suicide: He takes his own life by shooting himself, being the last living member of the crew still on the ship. This is both due to the fact that he realistically has no chance to sail a ship as big as the Obra Dinn all by himself, and the events that led to that point have taken such a toll on his mind that he sees it as the best way out. This led to the forfeiture of his estate, as suicide was illegal in England during the 1800s. He's also the only passenger on board the ship to commit suicide.
• Going Down with the Ship: He seemingly accepts the fact that he will not be leaving the ship alive and authorizes the surviving female passengers, stewards, and Dr. Evans to leave the Obra Dinn in the last remaining lifeboat. He also intervenes on their behalf when topman Volkov attempts to prevent them from doing so, demanding that Volkov "let them go".
• Happily Married: He genuinely loves his wife Abigail. He tucks her body in a bed attached to the Captain's cabin and spends his final moments speaking to her body before his suicide.
• Hero with Bad Publicity: Captain Witterel's kills were all in self-defense. Sadly, he went down in history as a murderer. His estate is also forfeited to the Crown due to his suicide.
• Killing in Self-Defense: He only kills First Mate Hoscut, Seaman Brennan, and Topman Walker after the three openly carry out a mutiny and attempt to murder him.
• Language Barrier: He relies on his Chinese topmen to act as interpreters when interrogating the Formosans as he has no grasp of Hokkien, but this is further complicated by the fact that the Formosans and the Chinese topmen speak different, mutually unintelligible dialects (presumably Cantonese from Li Hong, Mandarin from Huang Li).
• Large and in Charge: One of the taller crewmembers.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Implied in his Last Words to be his response towards the death of Hoscut at his own hands, and possibly the events of the entire game in general (trusting Second Mate Nichols and executing Hok-Seng Lau, and bringing the Formosan treasure and the mermaids on board the ship in the first place).
• No Sympathy: On the receiving end of this from the insurance company as he gets his estate forfeited for his "crime of committing suicide". Nowadays, vilifying a suicidal person this way would be considered unacceptable, but this game takes place in 19th-century England, where suicide was illegal and frowned upon by some societies.
• Pre-Mortem One-Liner: Has two of them. His image quote, and:
  They're at... the bottom of the sea.
• Rank Scales with Asskicking: The man is at least age 40, likely 50 (evidenced by him telling his steward "Twenty years my steward!" in one scene). And he still fights off, and kills, two other sailors who are presumably much younger than him, shrugging off strikes to the chest from a sharpened wooden stick and a literal stab to the back with a knife. He also kills two mermaids by himself. Granted, they were encaged, but they had already killed a lot of people near-effortlessly.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Captain Witterel threatens to shoot Leonid Volkov if he does not let an escaping party leave peacefully, implying that he authorized the group to escape.
• Sean Connery Is About to Shoot You: Your initial memory-glimpse of Witterel is as he shoots one of the mutineers, pistol and bullet-trail pointed directly toward where you're standing.
• Talking to the Dead: Confesses to the corpse of his dead wife Abigail shortly before committing suicide.
• Together in Death: Shortly before shooting himself, he vowed to be with his beloved wife in death.

---

2. William Hoscut

First Mate William Hoscut

Origin: Scotland

Voiced by: James McCreadie

Fate: Shot by Captain Witterel in Chapter X.

"Captain! Open the door! Lest we break it down and take more than those shells!"

The Scottish first mate of the Obra Dinn. He was assisted by his steward, Paul Moss, with whom he never appears. He was the captain's friend and brother-in-law. His sister was the Captain's wife.

---

• A Father to His Men: He immediately tends to Midshipman Lanke after he is stabbed, reassuring him and staying with him until his death.
• Axe Before Entering: Attempted when he threatens the captain that he'll break down the door of the locked cabin with an axe and take "more than those shells". The captain responds, "You bastards may take exactly what I give you!" and shoots him in the chest.
• Despair Event Horizon: It can be reasonably inferred that he must have been very stirred up indeed to turn on his own captain and best friend; he'd already put down at least one mutiny himself hours earlier. Probably after seeing the whole crew reduced to four men, including himself, not to mention his sister being among the victims, he broke and decided to get at the shells by any means. Unfortunately for him, the Captain's claim that there are no shells left is true (while he didn't throw out all of them, the last one was given to the surviving mermaid), so the mutiny was ultimately pointless even if it had been successful.
• Et Tu, Brute?: It seems that he and the captain were close friends, as Hoscut is referred to as such while the captain is lamenting his death.
• Face–Heel Turn: Turns on Captain Witterel, demands he hand over the shells, and convinces Seaman Brennan and Topman Walker to join him in rebelling. The exact reason for his violent mutiny, while heavily implied, will ultimately remain unknown.
• Fallen Hero: To see Hoscut, a close friend of Captain Witterel and a man who is quick to tend to the dying Lanke, turn on him after some indeterminate time is quite jarring...invokedand devastating.
• No Shirt, Long Jacket: During Chapter X, Hoscut has shed his shirt before trying to enter the captain's cabin, as he was still wearing it when he was tending to Lanke.
• Posthumous Character: While nearly everyone aboard the Obra Dinn is a posthumous character, Hoscut is a special case - his death is literally the first one you see, so you see all his appearances in other memories knowing exactly how his story ends.
• Same Surname Means Related: The captain tells his dead wife (Abigail Hoscut Witterel) that he shot her brother dead. Since her maiden name matches William's surname, this allows for clear identification of the latter.
• Violent Glaswegian: Mostly subverted, as during the Obra Dinn's voyage, he's consistently shown to be A Father to His Men. Played straight during his mutiny, though, where he threatens to break down the captain's door.

---

3. Edward Nichols

Second Mate Edward Nichols

Origin: England

Voiced by: Chris Sharpes

Fate: Shot by Chioh Tan in Chapter IV.

"Watch your step. Here, let me help you..."

The English second mate. A morally bankrupt man, he was assisted by Samuel Galligan, his steward.

---

• Big Bad: Chronologically the first murderer on the Obra Dinn and the head conspirator of the deserters. His greed (and willingness to employ fraud and violence to satiate it) kicks off a chain of events that results (either directly or indirectly) in the deaths of 52 of the 60 people on board the Obra Dinn, including himself.
• Dirty Coward: Despite having a gun, he uselessly cowers in fear within his rowboat while his fellow deserters and Formosan hostages are left to fend for themselves against the mermaids. His steward calls him out for this.
• Greed: His desire for the Formosan chest and treasures is what sparks his kidnapping of the Formosans and desertion of the ship, and what sparks the events leading to the deaths of everyone on the Obra Dinn.
• Hate Sink: Completely devoid of any redeeming qualities. He is notably the crew member with the dubious honor of the highest amount of fines charged to his estate due to his manifold crimes committed on the Obra Dinn.
• Instant Death Bullet: When Nichols returns to the Obra Dinn with his two lifeboats, he is immediately shot dead by Chioh Tan (presumably for directly or indirectly killing the other Formosans, holding them hostage, and/or stealing their treasure).
• Jerkass: He is revealed to be the most abhorrent member of the crew by order of magnitude. His Evil Plan seems to have been to hold the Formosan royalty and their magic chest for ransom, killing an innocent man and framing one of the Formosans for his murder, resulting in his conviction and execution. Nichols then kidnaps the royalty, sets out with some other people in on his conspiracy, and gets them all killed as he cowers in his rowboat. When Nichols tries to bargain with the Obra Dinn as they catch up, he is dealt a very-deserved Karmic Death by the last remaining Formosan.
• Karmic Death: As he returns to the Obra Dinn following his failed mutiny, he shouts for the crew to hold their fire, as he has treasure (the Formosan chest). He is promptly shot through the heart by Chioh Tan before he can get within ten feet of the ship.
• Pre-Mortem One-Liner: See his image quote.
• Sole Survivor: Of the mermaid attack on the conspirators and Formosans because he hid during the fight. It doesn’t matter when he returns to the ship, as he gets what he deserves.
• Token Evil Teammate: He's easily the most reprehensible of the captain's mates.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Nichols's personal greed sets off the chain reaction of events that end up getting almost everyone killed.
• Xanatos Speed Chess:
  • Having knocked out Hok-Seng Lau to get to the shell in the Formosan chest, an unexpected witness appears in the form of Nunzio Pasqua. He quickly kills Pasqua and frames Lau to get him even further out of the way.
  • Tries doing this again following the mermaid attack. Seeing that all his fellow conspirators are dead and he's got no way of outrowing the Obra Dinn on his own, he quickly makes the most of a bad situation. He grabs the incapacitated mermaids, ties them up, and rows back to the Obra Dinn to bargain for his life. It might've worked too, if Chioh Tan hadn't been looking for revenge.

---

4. Martin Perrott

Third Mate Martin Perrott

Origin: England

Voiced by: Kamran Nikhad

Fate: Spiked by a mermaid in Chapter VIII.

"Have you lost your mind? Get back inside!"

The English third mate. He was assisted by Roderick Andersen, his steward.

---

• Benevolent Boss: One of the most active and virtuous crewmen onboard the ship. He is praised for extraordinary valor and exceptional performance of his duties, is the one officer who's most frequently shown attempting to deal with the various crises that crop up throughout the journey, and has the honor of being the most handsomely rewarded of all crewmen because of it.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: He gets spiked before he gets to assure the last mermaid that he intends to set it free.
• Never Found the Body: Lays dead in the inaccessible lazarette for the duration of the Inspector's investigation. He's only found through the use of Evans' monkey.
• Obi-Wan Moment: Despite being spiked by the mermaid he tried to free, he seems at peace with his death as long as his actions can see the ship to safety. He might have been less complacent if he knew that, well, it would take 5 years with no one else on the ship.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Has the sense to free the last mermaid and reunite it with the last shell. Unfortunately, he gets spiked before he can assure the mermaid of his plans.
• Senseless Sacrifice: Tragically, the aforementioned price he paid to release the mermaid in exchange for them "seeing the ship home" ends up wasted by the survivors. A few crewmen and passengers escape in a lifeboat, but the rest kill each other in short order. The mermaid does hold up her end of the bargain. The Obra Dinn is returned to its home...five years later and completely devoid of life.
  • Then again, it might be the reason why the last lifeboat made it out in one piece.

---

5. John Davies

Fourth Mate John Davies

Origin: England

Voiced by: Ryan Laughton

Fate: Clubbed by Seaman Brennan in Chapter IX.

"Easy now, you're in a bad way."

The English fourth mate. He was assisted by his steward, Davey James, with whom he seems very close.

---

• A Father to His Men: Seems to be the case with him and his young steward, Davey James. The two are rarely seen apart, and Davies protects James when the crab riders attack.
• Crime of Self-Defense: More like "Crime of Defending Someone Else", but he gets charged with murder when thwarting Wiater's coup de grace.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: He intervenes just as Wiater is about to shoot Lanke (after already stabbing him in the back) and blows Wiater's face off in the resulting dust-up, but Brennan, thinking he killed Wiater with malicious intent, clubs him to death. He also gets fined £15 for murder.
• One-Steve Limit: Averted for the sake of complicating the player's investigation. He shares his first name with John Naples.

---

6. Alfred Klestil

Bosun Alfred Klestil

Origin: Austria

Voiced by: Tim Simmons

Fate: Loses his arm to the Kraken in chapter VII, passes away in Chapter IX.

"A curse like that... does not lift for nothing."

The Austrian bosun. He was assisted by his "Frenchman", Charles Miner, in overseeing the crew's day-to-day activities.

---

• An Arm and a Leg: His arm is torn off by the Kraken, as evidenced by one of the tentacles grabbing his arm in Part 8 of Chapter VII and the fatal aftermath that follows at the beginning of Chapter IX.
• Dodge the Bullet: Manages to lean out of the way of a mermaid's spike attack when the mermaids are first brought onboard. Unfortunately, the last Formosan aboard and another crewman are not so quick on their feet.
• Famous-Named Foreigner: Shares his unusual surname with former President of Austria Thomas Klestil.
• Superstitious Sailors: Appears to be one of these.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: His final words, "A curse like that... does not lift for nothing" are in regards to how the captain mysteriously got the Kraken to back off. This may have put the notion into the nearby officers' heads to mutiny, since the next conversation we hear is them discussing how the captain can't be trusted and said attempted mutiny just kills more crew, including themselves.

---

7. Charles Miner

Bosun's Mate Charles Miner

Origin: France

Voiced by: Brian Stivale

Fate: Torn apart or drowned by the Kraken in Chapter VII.

"Heave! Heave together! Heave!"

The French bosun's mate, or his "Frenchman" as Klestil calls him. He assisted Klestil in overseeing the crew's day-to-day activities.

---

• Accidental Murder: During the fight with the giant crab monsters, he fires at one crab and unknowingly kills the ship's steward, who was hiding behind the wall just beyond said crab. The insurance company still considers it murder and fines his estate accordingly.
• Bald Head of Toughness: He's strong and bald.
• The Big Guy: He can be considered the toughest of the crew.
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: He's one of the more frequently appearing crew members and is present in every fight against the creatures. In fact, he's typically seen overseeing the crew without Klestil present at all.
• Never Found the Body: He's last seen stabbing into the Kraken's tentacle but is never seen on the ship post-mortem. However, he's described by Fourth Mate Davies as having been torn apart, which is also implied by how it seems to have twisted around him.
• One-Steve Limit: Averted. He shares his first name with Charles Hershtik.

---

8. Henry Evans

Surgeon Henry Evans

Origin: England

Voiced by: Jeffrey Pillars

Fate: Escapes to Africa in Chapter IX, passes away after the case is officially closed.

"I checked all hands just now, and everyone is healthy."

The ship's English surgeon. He was responsible for providing medical care to the crewmen. Evans is the party responsible for mailing to the Inspector the catalogue and pocketwatch for the investigation.

---

• Action Survivor: One of four survivors who escaped to Morocco, Africa.
• Chekhov's Gunman: His pet monkey, who is prominently seen with him up until suddenly disappearing when he's trying to escape. It's revealed in "The Bargain" that he shot it to exploit a loophole in the Memento Mortem's abilities after the keys to the Lazarette were lost.
• Death by Despair: Downplayed as he's on his deathbed anyway, but in the worst ending, the inspector's poor job of chronicling the events on the Obra Dinn leave him disheartened to the point of worsening his health and speeding his death along.
• Foregone Conclusion: His fate. Since he is the one who sent you the catalogue and pocketwatch (as read in the preface), it can be assumed that he managed to survive the incident. The fact the Evans who sent you the items and the Surgeon Evans are the same is confirmed by the box containing the items being on the lifeboat he escapes on.
• Instantly Proven Wrong: Threefold! He gives a fairly optimistic medical opinion, only to be contradicted shortly. Specifically, he gives Rajub a dose of laudanum in the hopes that he will recover from his illness, but he dies seconds after. He is tending to Naples and assures him that he has been through worse, but the second he turns around and asks for the rest of his leg, Naples bleeds to death. Lastly, he tries to take O'Farrell down after the latter gets impaled by multiple spikes, but O'Farrell dies immediately afterwards. Whoops.
• Interface Spoiler: Downplayed Trope. Since Henry Evans is the one who sends the player character the journal and the Memento Mortem pocketwatch in the first place, it can be reasonably assumed that the Henry Evans listed in the ship's log made it off the ship alive. That said, his name is among the daunting sixty names found on the crew muster roll sheet, and Evans' preface does not elaborate on his connection to the Obra Dinn beyond his interest in seeing its story documented and the "return address" in Morocco (in Africa). Both nudge the player along in commencing the investigation first, which would bring the Inspector to find Evans' role and fate later on.
• Noodle Incident: How he came across the Memento Mortem and learned of its abilities is a mystery he takes to his grave.
• Shoot the Dog: He is not above shooting his own pet monkey if it means guaranteeing passage into the lazarette via the Memento Mortem.
• Stronger Than They Look: Downplayed example. He looks no stronger than an ordinary man, but he has no trouble carrying a case that an active, able-bodied seaman in the present day finds too heavy to lift.

---

9. James Wallace

Surgeon's Mate James Wallace

Origin: England

Fate: Decapitated by one of the giant crabs in chapter VI.

The surgeon's English mate. He assisted the surgeon in providing medical needs to the crewmen.

---

• Off with His Head!: He gets decapitated by one of the crabs.

---

10. Winston Smith

Carpenter Winston Smith

Origin: America

Voiced by: Chris McCann

Fate: Speared by a Crab Rider in Chapter VI.

"Is that all?!"

An American carpenter responsible for woodwork aboard the ship. He was assisted by fellow American Marcus Gibbs.

---

• Ambiguously Brown: His skin complexion is darker than any other people present on board, and while he's said to be American, his exact ethnicity isn't stated (very likely African-American).
• Do Not Go Gentle: Possibly. He probably insisted on confronting the second crab rider because he suspected that the giant spike to his shoulder would have done him in anyway, and he preferred to fire off a shot at the beast before going.
• Handicapped Badass: He takes a spike from one of the crab creatures in the shoulder. Not to be deterred, he goes down the aft stairs, grabs a hand mortar from the bosun, and proceeds to blast the last crab rider to pieces while dying from a spear through the abdomen.
• Heroic Sacrifice: He manages to kill one of the crab riders, giving his life in the battle. The description of his death even comments on his courage.
• Pre-Mortem One-Liner: See his image quote.
• Taking You with Me: He kills the last crab rider with the hand mortar as it's spearing him to death. Notably, you use the crab rider's body to witness this death.

---

11. Marcus Gibbs

Carpenter's Mate Marcus Gibbs

Origin: America

Voiced by: Luke Marty

Fate: Spiked by a Crab Rider in Chapter VI.

"C'mon, boss! Hey! Catch!"

An American carpenter and the foolhardy assistant of fellow American Winston Smith.

---

• Bullying a Dragon: Decides to throw an axe at an approaching beast despite being warned not to by both another crewmember and his immediate superior.
• Bumbling Sidekick: Compared to his more competent, heroic, and sensible boss.
• Fearless Fool: To his credit, he's willing to face danger head-on. However, he attempts to take on a clearly more dangerous threat without backing down. It costs him his life.
• Hey, Catch!: His last words. He also attempts to do this to a crab rider, with less than successful results.
• Pinned to the Wall: After receiving a number of spikes in the upper torso.
• Too Dumb to Live: There was no reason to confront the beast as he did, and his boss and other crewmen tried to ward him off. He still did so, and he got spiked to death for his trouble.

---

12. Thomas Sefton

Cook Thomas Sefton

Origin: England

Voiced by: Ryan Laughton

Fate: Smacked by a mermaid's tail in Chapter V.

"Give em' to me and I can fry us a solid meal, boys."

The ship's English cook. He was responsible for providing meals for the crewmen.

---

• Curiosity Killed the Cast: He attempts to examine the shell a mermaid is holding... and he gets a tail to the face.
• Do Not Taunt Cthulhu: Cracks jokes about cooking the mermaids while they are both alive and within earshot.
• Karmic Misfire: Even though Sefton’s actions cause William Wasim's death, because he didn’t directly kill Wasim, his estate is still given payment.
• Too Dumb to Live: After cracking a joke about cooking the mermaids, he approaches one of them to examine a shell it's holding, despite being warned off repeatedly by everybody else.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: His death is directly responsible for the subsequent death of William Wasim.

---

13. Emil O'Farrell

Butcher Emil O'Farrell

Origin: Ireland

Voiced by: Joshua Nicholson

Fate: Spiked by a giant crab in Chapter VI.

"Hit 'er here. One swing. Get through the skull and stun 'er brain. I'll cut 'er throat when you've done it."

The ship's Irish butcher. He was responsible for providing meat to the crew.

---

• Pinned to the Wall: After taking a number of spikes In the Back, no less. He actually survives for a short time after being impaled but dies when Henry Evans attempts to lift him down.

---

14. Christian Wolff

Gunner Christian Wolff

Origin: Austria

Voiced by: Seumus Maley

Fate: Obliterated by a cannon blast In Chapter VII. Whether the Kraken or Seaman Akbar is responsible is up to the Inspector.

"Right sir. Ready men. Aim. Fire!"

The Austrian gunner, assisted by his mate, Olus Wiater. He was responsible for the ship's weaponry and could be seen handing out weapons to the crewmen. He also took charge of the firing line and the gunnery crew.

---

• Hat of Authority: Wolff is almost always seen wearing his stovepipe hat. He's also an officer in charge of the ship's weaponry, the firing line, and the gunnery crew.
• Your Head A-Splode: And half of his torso, courtesy of a point-blank cannon blast.

---

15. Olus Wiater

Gunner's Mate Olus Wiater

Origin: Poland

Voiced by: Piotr Adamczyk

Fate: Shot during a struggle over a gun with Fourth Mate Davies in Chapter IX.

"We take ship and sail east. Trade wretched fish and shells for gold."

The Polish gunner's mate. He assisted the gunner in looking after the ship's weaponry and handing out weapons to the crewmen.

---

• Laser-Guided Karma: Stabs Thomas Lanke repeatedly as he tries to warn the other officers about the impending mutiny, and then gets his head blown to smithereens.
• Thwarted Coup de Grâce: It is implied that he is about to finish off Lanke with a gunshot after stabbing him In the Back with a knife, but Davies stops him in time... and you can tell where this is going...
• You No Take Candle: When Wiater speaks and attempts to plot a mutiny, his speech does not have any articles.
• Your Head A-Splode: Thanks to a pistol shot that goes in through the bottom of his jaw and splatters his face all over the ceiling.

---

16. Duncan McKay

Purser Duncan McKay

Origin: Scotland

Fate: Launched out of a lifeboat and presumably drowned by the Kraken in Chapter VII.

The Scottish purser, responsible for cargo value and trade transactions. He also managed a small store for the crew.

---

• Dirty Coward: He hides in his office during the crab-rider attack. To be fair, he's an accountant, not a labourer or soldier... but he also attempts to flee the ship without permission from the captain.
• Never Found the Body: He's tipped out of a boat by the Kraken as he tries to escape and is never seen post-mortem.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He leaves the ship with Alexander Booth and Nathan Peters after surviving the crab rider invasion. It does not end well for him.

---

17. Finley Dalton

Helmsman Finley Dalton

Origin: England

Fate: Yanked off the ship by the Kraken in Chapter VII.

The English helmsman. He's usually seen by the ship's wheel.

---

• All There in the Manual: In an In-Universe sense. He's never seen actually doing his main job in any of the death scenes, so the only way to identify him is through his appearance in the Justice at Sea sketch with a hand resting on the ship's wheel (and, to a lesser extent, both his appearances in-game being close to where the ship's wheel is).
• Butt-Monkey: Appears in two scenes, writhing in pain from a pole through his leg in one and getting pulled overboard by the Kraken in the other. He is portrayed with some dignity in the Justice at Sea sketch, but the death memory of the moment that that sketch was based on (Hok-Seng Lau's execution) doesn't even show Dalton's physical presence, as the boundary of the memory excludes his position outside the captain's quarters.
• Hufflepuff House: He doesn't have much of a role in the story.
• Never Found the Body: As mentioned above, he was in the process of being pulled off the ship in his last appearance, so he is never seen post-mortem.

---

Passengers

18. Edward Spratt

Artist Edward Spratt

Origin: England

Fate: Crushed by the Kraken in Chapter VII.

The English artist responsible for drawing the sketches available to the Inspector during the investigation.

---

• Camping a Crapper: Edward Spratt was using the head (toilet) at the ship's bow. The Kraken promptly crushes his chest.
• Interface Spoiler: Upon discovery of his remains, or when zooming in on his face or body in any diorama he appears in, the game automatically brings up his initials "E.S." from the lower left corner of the Justice at Sea sketch as his "portrait", rather than a close up on the face of any character in the sketches. This is an instant giveaway at both his name and profession.
• Never Found the Body: Dies at the very start of the Kraken attack, and by the end of it there really isn't enough crew left to check the rest of the ship. Only his skull and a few other bones remain by the time the Inspector gets there.
• Non-Standard Character Design: As said above, the game uses his signature as his portrait since this is the closest to a representation in the "Justice at Sea" sketch, he has.
• Undignified Death: The Kraken crushes his chest as he was using the ship's head at the bow. And his pants were down.

---

19. Abigail Hoscut Witterel

Abigail Hoscut Witterel

Origin: Scotland

Voiced by: Debbie McCreadie

Fate: Crushed by falling rigging or crushed/clubbed by the Kraken in Chapter VII.

"I want my husband! Where is he?"

The captain's wife and the first mate's sister.

---

• Beauty Is Never Tarnished: The face of her corpse is in rather good shape considering she was killed by the Kraken slamming a piece of rigging into her jaw.
• Happily Married: Considering how her body is neatly tucked into one of the beds in the Captain's cabin, it can be reasonably inferred that she and the Captain had a very happy marriage.
• Together in Death: Her husband, overcome with grief, vows to be with her shortly before killing himself.
• Too Dumb to Live: The ship's being attacked by a Kraken, so naturally this is the best time to go out on deck to ask for the location of your husband.
• Same Surname Means Related: She shares her maiden name with first mate William Hocsut, and the Captain once tells her he shot her brother. Thus, the First mate gets identified early on.

---

20. Nunzio Pasqua

Nunzio Pasqua

Origin: Italy

Voiced by: Luis Alberto Acevedo

Fate: Stabbed by Second Mate Nichols in Chapter III.

"Signor Nichols, is that you? What are you doing down here?"

An Italian passenger on board the ship. He can play the fiddle.

---

• Gratuitous Foreign Language: He is one of the easiest victims to identify, as he uses the Italian word Signor while being the only Italian on the ship and having a distinctive Italian accent.
• Innocent Bystander: Has the unfortunate timing to come down into the cargo hold while Second Mate Nichols is in the process of attempting to steal the shell in the Formosan chest.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: The only scene in which he appears is when he dies.

---

21. Emily Jackson

Emily Jackson

Origin: England

Voiced by: Michelle Krusiec

Fate: Escapes to Africa in Chapter IX.

"Paul! Look out!"

An English passenger aboard the ship.

---

• Action Survivor: One of four survivors who managed to escape to Morocco, Africa.
• Crime of Self-Defense: She gets fined for murder despite shooting down Leonid Volkov shortly after he killed Moss and proceeded to attack the rest of the escapees. Even more jarring if you assume that Captain Witterel has authorized the crew to escape.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: She shot down Leonid Volkov after he killed Moss and proceeded to attack her. This costs her £35.

---

22. Miss Jane Bird

Miss Jane Bird

Origin: England

Fate: Escapes to Africa in Chapter IX.

An English passenger aboard the ship.

---

• Action Survivor: One of four survivors who managed to escape to Morocco, Africa.
• Exact Words: Her name is Miss Jane Bird, implying she's not married. This is how the player can tell her apart from Emily Jackson, who wears a wedding ring and appears a good deal older.
• What the Hell, Hero?: In the worst ending, her letter to the inspector, though polite, is also scathing, reporting that the poor job chronicling the events sped Dr. Evans' death along.

---

23. Bun-Lan Lim

Bun-Lan Lim

Origin: Formosa

Voiced by: Yi-Chun Hsieh

Fate: Clawed by a mermaid in Chapter IV.

"No! He has done nothing wrong!"

One of the Formosan royals aboard the ship.

---

• Damsel in Distress: Second Mate Nichols uses her as a human shield when he shoots Timothy Butement.
• Slashed Throat: She gets clawed in the throat by one of the mermaids while waiting for her "Uncle Beng" to save her from them and the kidnappers. There's even blood from her neck and all over her shirt when she succumbs to her neck wound.

---

24. It-Beng Sia

It-Beng Sia

Origin: Formosa

Voiced by: Ta-Lun Shao

Fate: Burned alive in chapter IV.

"If the monsters come, you must stay down!"

One of the Formosan royals aboard the ship.

---

• Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: Uses the confusion of the mermaid attack to break free, fight off his captors to reach the chest, and unleash an energy beam from the shell to defeat the mermaids. Unfortunately, the release of the power kills him. Even more tragic, Sia's goal in doing all this was to save Lim's life, but - unknown to him - a mermaid had already clawed her to death before he even reached the chest.
• Crime of Self-Defense: He gets fined for murder even though he was kidnapped and killed off one of Edward Nichols's mutineers.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Unleashes the power of the shell/Formosan treasure to incapacitate the mermaids and save Miss Lim, at the cost of burning himself to death.
• Honorary Uncle: His ward, Miss Lim, even goes so far as to call him "Beng-suk" ("Uncle Beng"), making it possible to deduce his identity.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: He knifed a mutineer and used the shell, at the cost of his life, in an attempt to save Miss Lim... yet he's found guilty of murder, and his estate is charged £25 for it.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: Breaks himself free of his bindings and kills Steward Galligan, then opens and activates the Formosan treasure to stun the attacking mermaids, sacrificing himself in the process.
• Self-Immolation: How he dies. The power of the shell/Formosan treasure burns his arm down to the bone. He likely was aware of the consequences of his actions and did it out of necessity...
• Senseless Sacrifice: Unfortunately, by the time he activates the shell, Miss Lim has already been clawed to death by the mermaids. Even worse, the only person he actually saves is Second Mate Nichols, who ends up bringing the incapacitated mermaids back to the Obra Dinn, thus sealing its fate.

---

25. Chioh Tan

Chioh Tan

Origin: Formosa

Voiced by: Yu-Fu Lin

Fate: Spiked by a mermaid in Chapter V.

"This is your fault! The shell must be protected; we will all die!"

A guard for the Formosan royals.

---

• His Name Is...: He gets spiked before he can say anything more about the shell.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Takes a mermaid-fired spike through the chest.
• Language Barrier: Tan was the last Formosan left alive on the ship, and since he has no concept of English, the crew had a difficult task interrogating him about what was going on, and they had one of the Chinese crew members act as an interpreter. However, this is complicated due to Tan speaking Hokkien, a dialect that is completely different from Mandarin. In addition, Davies orders Tan to hold his fire, but Tan, not understanding the order because it was given in English, shoots down Nichols anyway.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: He shot down the man who kidnapped his masters AND framed his fellow guardsman. He was found guilty of murder and fined £25.
• Revenge: Doesn't hesitate to shoot Nichols when he returns to the Obra Dinn for kidnapping the Formosan royalty and stealing their treasure. It helps that he has the plausible deniability of not speaking English, so he didn't understand the order not to fire.
• Separated by a Common Language: Tan speaks Hokkien, a Chinese dialect that is not very mutually intelligible with Mandarin.

---

26. Hok-Seng Lau

Hok-Seng Lau

Origin: Formosa

Fate: Executed by firing squad in Chapter III, fatal shot fired by Seaman Brennan.

A guard for the Formosan royals. He was responsible for guarding the chest, stored in the cargo hold.

---

• A-Team Firing: On the receiving end of this. He's one of the easiest passengers to identify, since Captain Robert Witterel says Hok-Seng Lau's name out loud while reading his sentence. The challenge comes from determining which one of the seamen prescribed to shoot him actually hits the mark. Despite being shot at by four seamen during his execution, only one of them (Brennan) actually manages to hit him.
• Bittersweet Ending: As good as he can get; Nichols, the one who framed him for murdering Pasqua resulting in his execution, ends up getting shot by Chioh Tan and having his estate fined £100.
• Frame-Up: Was guarding the Formosan chest before being knocked out by Second Mate Nichols, who was attempting to steal the shell inside the chest. Upon being caught by Pasqua, Nichols knifes him to death and frames Lau for the murder.
• Instant Death Bullet: During his execution, Brennan is the only seaman who actually manages to hit him. Apparently though, a single shot in the back was all it took to kill him.
• Shot at Dawn: For the murder of Pasqua, Captain Witterel has him hung and executed by firing squad. His execution is actually what is depicted in the Justice at Sea sketch, though Spratt got a few details wrong.

---

Stewards

27. Zungi Sathi

Ship's Steward Zungi Sathi

Origin: India

Fate: Accidentally shot by Bosun's Mate Miner in Chapter VI.

The ship's Indian steward. He does general duties for the comfort of the crew aboard the ship.

---

• Alliterative Name: Sathi is the only Indian crewman to avert this trope; the other names of the Indian crewmen are alliterative.
• Determinator: After getting speared, he dragged himself almost all the way to the armory, presumably to get a gun and help fight the crab riders.
• Guide Dang It!: He's one of the handful of crew that have to be identified by process of elimination alone, as there are no other real clues to his identity. On top of this, his cause of death is also tricky to figure out, with the most obvious cause being a Red Herring.
• Hope Spot: In-Universe only. Managed to survive getting speared by the crab riders and crawl to safety, only to be killed by a stray shot.
• In the Back: He takes a spike to the back, though it doesn't kill him, and he's able to pull it out while he crawls to safety.
• Never Found the Body: After getting spiked by one of the crab riders, he crawled past several other crewmembers to the portwalk, where he was killed by a stray bullet, and the rapidly declining number of crewmembers never went back there to check.
• Red Herring: It's easy to mark him down as getting spiked by crabs, just like most of the other crew in the chapter in which he dies. He was actually shot by friendly fire, a detail that can be easily missed, especially since you can barely see the other side of the wall through a peephole.

---

28. Fillip Dahl

Captain's Steward Fillip Dahl

Origin: Sweden

Voiced by: Martin Halland

Fate: Burned alive in Chapter VIII.

"Those ungodly beasts carry a curse! Throw them back or doom us all!"

The Captain's Swedish steward.

---

• Cassandra Truth: He is convinced that the mermaids are cursed after watching a mermaid fatally strike Sefton and Wasim falling a flight of stairs to his death. He tries to warn the Captain, but he gets locked into the lazarette along with the mermaids.
• Curiosity Killed the Cast: He dies after reaching into the contents of the Formosan chest, thinking it's quicksilver. He is Instantly Proven Wrong as his arm burns off.
• Never Found the Body: Lay dead in the inaccessible lazarette for the duration of the Inspector's investigation and was only found through use of Evans' monkey.
• Small Role, Big Impact: Including his death scene, he is only present during four scenes - in one of which he just cut off John Naples' leg. This gives the inspector (and player) access to the 10 parts of chapters IV and V, revealing a) the fate of 13 crewmembers and passengers and b) why apparently every single Sea Monster in the area suddenly decided to attack the Obra Dinn. And after he's locked up in the lazarette he takes the shell out of the Formosan chest; this kills him, but also enables Paul Moss later to hand it over to the last remaining mermaid, finalizing the deal it made with Third Mate Martin Perrott: to return the Obra Dinn back home, where the inspector would investigate years later. Basically, none of the events in the present-day - read: the entire game - would have happened if not for his last action.
• You Fool!: He screams the Swedish version of "You fools!" ("Era dårar!") as he gets dragged away for attacking John Naples.

---

29. Paul Moss

First Mate's Steward Paul Moss

Origin: Wales

Voiced by: Michael Drew

Fate: Stabbed by Topman Volkov in Chapter IX.

"A third shell! Captain didn't toss them all!"

William Hoscut's Welsh steward. Interestingly, he never appears alongside him.

---

• Action Survivor: Subverted. He would've been among the very few to escape the ship with their lives if it hadn't been for Volkov's last-second attack.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Leonid Volkov runs him through with a sword.
• Major Injury Underreaction: Granted, he dies in the next second, but his reaction to being run through is just "Damn."

---

30. Samuel Galligan

Second Mate's Steward Samuel Galligan

Origin: Ireland

Voiced by: Joshua Nicholson

Fate: Stabbed by It-Beng Sia in Chapter IV.

"Nichols, sir! Shoot them, for God's sake!"

Edward Nichols' Irish steward. He was just as morally bankrupt and was a co-conspirator in Nichols' desertion and mutiny.

---

• The Dragon: To Nichols, being his steward and co-conspirator in his desertion/mutiny.
• Failed a Spot Check: He asks O'Hagan if he's okay, even though O'Hagan just got a spear through his neck.
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: Keeps his cool when fighting back against the mermaids, commanding the other crewmen and yelling at his boss to actually use his gun and shoot them (while Nichols is cowering uselessly in his lifeboat despite having a gun in hand).
• Never Found the Body: To the crew of the Obra Dinn at the time, as (presumably) Nichols dumped his body into the sea prior to hauling in the mermaids.
• Slashed Throat: It isn't the mermaids who kill him; it's It-Beng Sia, who manages to break free of his bindings using a mermaid's spear, grab a knife from the bottom of the boat, and use the knife to give Galligan an Impromptu Tracheotomy.

---

31. Roderick Andersen

Third Mate's Steward Roderick Andersen

Origin: England

Voiced by: Callan McAuliffe

Fate: Crushed by a loose cannon in Chapter VII.

"Sir! Loose cannon!"

Martin Perrott's English steward.

---

• Heroic Sacrifice: His last words are warning Perrott of the loose cannon that kills him, so presumably he gave his life to protect his master.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: The player barely knows anything about Roderick Andersen other than he's Perrott's steward. He then gets crushed by a loose cannon.

---

32. Davey James

Fourth Mate's Steward Davey James

Origin: England

Fate: Escapes to Africa in Chapter IX.

John Davies's English steward. He seems to be very close to his master.

---

• Action Survivor: One of four survivors who managed to escape to Morocco, Africa.
• The Baby of the Bunch: Moss addresses him as boy, indicating that James is one of the youngest crewmen onboard the ship. He's also the only person to look away when Hok-Seng Lau is executed.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: He and his master, John Davies, seem to be very close. The two are rarely seen apart, and Davies protects him when the crab riders attack.

---

Midshipmen

33. Peter Milroy

Peter Milroy

Origin: England

Voiced by: Callan McAuliffe

Fate: Caught in an explosion of black powder in Chapter VII

"Never been on a farm, Charlie?"

An English midshipman aboard the Obra Dinn.

---

• I Let Gwen Stacy Die: Is on the receiving end of being the Gwen Stacy when he tries to throw the gunpowder at the Kraken on Thomas' orders while holding onto a rope, but the storm wind causes the powder to blow up in his face, killing him instantly.
• Plucky Middie: Along with Lanke and Hershtik.
• True Companions: Frequently seen alongside his fellow midshipmen, Hershtik and Lanke. He's particularly close to Lanke.
• Video Game Cruelty Potential: If you want, you can blame him for Charles Hershtik's death (in the latter's death scene, Milroy is stabbing the crab rider at an angle so his sword appears to stab Hershtik as well). This lands his estate a £15 fine (presumably charged to his family).

---

34. Thomas Lanke

Thomas Lanke

Origin: England

Voiced by: Callan McAuliffe

Fate: Stabbed by Gunner's Mate Wiater in Chapter IX.

"Tell Pete's mother, I... I tried my best... to pull him back... to save him."

An English midshipman aboard the Obra Dinn.

---

• I Let Gwen Stacy Die: Tries to save Peter from being strangled by the Kraken by tossing a rope at him to grab onto and ordering him to throw the gunpowder at the beast. Unfortunately, the strong storm wind causes the powder to blow up in Peter's face, killing him instantly. You can tell by the look on Thomas' face that he's feeling guilt for Peter's death, from which he might have never recovered. He later tells Hoscut to inform Milroy's mother that he tried to save him.
• In the Back: Dies from multiple backstab wounds by Gunner's Mate Wiater in retaliation for attempting to report his mutiny.
• Plucky Middie: Along with Milroy and Hershtik.
• Stay with Me Until I Die: He begs Hoscut to not leave him to die.
• True Companions: Frequently seen alongside his fellow midshipmen, Hershtik and Milroy. He's particularly close to Milroy.

---

35. Charles Hershtik

Charles Hershtik

Origin: England

Fate: Burned alive in Chapter VI.

An English midshipman aboard the Obra Dinn.

---

• Affectionate Nickname: He's called "Charlie" by Milroy. Notably this hints at the fact that he's English and a close friend with the other midshipmen, which helps not to confuse him with Charles Miner, who shares the same first name.
• Ambiguously Jewish: Has a distinctly Jewish surname, but his ethnicity is never brought up otherwise.
• Man on Fire: Sets a crab rider on fire with a lantern, but he burns to death along with it.
• Plucky Middie: Along with Milroy and Lanke.
• Taking You with Me: Burns to death along with the crab rider.
• True Companions: Frequently seen alongside his fellow midshipmen, Lanke and Milroy.
• Vomit Discretion Shot: He was helping O'Farrell slaughter a cow. Shortly after O'Farrell slits the cow's throat, he throws up. The Inspector hears him vomiting and can see the aftermath.

---

Topmen

36. Omid Gul

Omid Gul

Origin: Persia

Fate: Falls overboard in Chapter VII.

A Persian topman.

---

• Cool Sword: He owns a scimitar and can be seen wielding it.
• Never Found the Body: He falls overboard in one scene and is never seen post-mortem.

---

37. Timothy Butement

Timothy Butement

Origin: Scotland

Voiced by: James McCreadie

Fate: Shot by Second Mate Nichols in Chapter III.

"Give it up!"

A Scottish topman who faced the mutineers as they attempted to escape.

---

• Distinguishing Mark: Has a large tattoo of a woman on his right forearm. You can use this to identify him in the one scene he appears in before his death.
• Failed a Spot Check: Averted. In the first part of The Escape, First Mate Hoscut storms out of his cabin with a serious "there-is-a-dead-man-hanging-by-my-window" expression on his face. In the next part, Walker can be seen climbing over the side of the ship with Captain Witterel standing near him. It shows that they were about to salvage Butement's body... at least until Volkov attacked Dr. Evans and his party.
• Foreshadowing: The rope tying his leg to the rigging can be seen when the ship is boarded.

---

38. Huang Li

Huang Li

Origin: China

Voiced by: Jhe-Jia Lin

Fate: Struck by lightning in Chapter VI.

"He talk about a shell. Very dangerous."

A Chinese topman.

---

• Anachronism Stew: Huang Li speaks a mixture of Standard Mandarin and Taiwanese Hokkien with a Taiwanese accent. Standard Mandarin has not been invented and implemented until over a century after the events of the game. In addition, the Mandarin dialects were largely restricted to northern China. As the only accessible Chinese port to Britain during this time period was Guangzhou, Guangdong, in coastal southern China, this means that Li should be speaking Cantonese as his most probable language. Not that this would help him with interrogating the Hokkien-speaking Tan, because Cantonese and Hokkien are mutually unintelligible.
• High-Voltage Death: Has the dubious honor of being struck by lightning, making him the only fate that must be marked as death by electrocution.
• Separated by a Common Language: While interrogating Chioh Tan, Captain Witterel has Huang Li act as an interpreter. Due to Li's Mandarin and Tan's Hokkien not being very mutually intelligible, this only complicates things.
• Tactful Translation: He leaves out the part where Chioh Tan blames the captain while the mermaids are taken onboard. He has the plausible deniability of the lack of mutual intelligibility between his Mandarin and Chioh Tan's Hokkien.
• You No Take Candle: He talks this way, especially when he relays Tan's information about the shell.

---

39. Jie Zhang

Jie Zhang

Origin: China

Fate: Decapitated by a giant crab in Chapter VI.

A Chinese topman.

---

• Off with His Head!: He gets decapitated by one of the crabs.

---

40. Li Hong

Li Hong

Origin: China

Voiced by: Stephen Fu

Fate: Speared by a mermaid in Chapter IV.

"They say strange things! About monsters!"

A Chinese topman. He was one of Edward Nichols's mutineers.

---

• Never Found the Body: To the crew of the Obra Dinn at the time, as (presumably) Nichols dumped his body into the sea prior to hauling in the mermaids.
• Separated by a Common Language: The only thing that Hong could make out about It-Beng Sia's conversation with Bun-Lan Lim is that they were talking about monsters, due to him speaking a dialect that is mutually unintelligible with Hokkien (presumably Cantonese). He might have also exploited this fact in getting Hok-Seng Lau framed.
• Translation with an Agenda: As one of the Second Mate's mutineers, it's likely that Hok-Seng Lau's 'confession' was an intentional mistranslation by Hong. It helps that he has the plausible deniability of the lack of mutual intelligibility between Cantonese and Hokkien, Lau's dialect.
• Token Evil Teammate: The only Chinese topman who commits a crime.
• You No Take Candle: He talks like this when he voices confusion about the coming mermaids.

---

41. Wei Lee

Wei Lee

Origin: China

Fate: Yanked off the ship (and presumably drowned) in Chapter VII.

A Chinese topman.

---

• Never Found the Body: In his last appearance, he's seen scaling the rigging with a Kraken tentacle beginning to wrap around him, but he's never seen post-mortem.

---

42. Nicholas Botterill

Nicholas Botterill

Origin: England

Fate: Speared by a Crab Rider in Chapter VI.

An English topman.

---

• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: His death is the first inflicted by the crab riders, getting speared through the chest (unless you consider the lightning bolt that kills Huang Li as their doing).

---

43. Maba

Maba

Origin: New Guinea

Fate: Torn in half by the Kraken in Chapter VII.

A New Guinean topman notable for his body tattoos.

---

• Distinguishing Mark: Maba's tattoos serve to identify him as the only New Guinean on board.
• Half the Man He Used to Be: The Kraken rips him in half.
• Only One Name: His name is just Maba.
• Red Herring: The Bosun is told his French mate was torn to pieces by the Kraken just a couple of scenes after the one where you witness Maba being torn to pieces by the Kraken. It's thus extremely easy to mistake Maba for the French Bosun's mate.
• Tattoo as Character Type: Cultural, and in a gameplay sense too. His face in the sketch is unblurred after his first appearance in a memory, meaning his identity can be deduced from the presence of his body tattoos alone (given the time period and how there is only one New Guinean on board the ship).
• Walking Shirtless Scene: Given that his identifying tattoos cover his shoulders and back, notable that he never chose to wear one.

---

44. Lewis Walker

Lewis Walker

Origin: England

Fate: Clubbed in the head by Captain Witterel in Chapter X.

An English topman aboard the Obra Dinn.

---

• In the Back: He drops down from the upper deck into the Captain's quarters to get the jump on him and stabs him in the back.
• Mauve Shirt: He survives all the way up to being the penultimate crewman aboard the ship.

---

45. Leonid Volkov

Leonid Volkov

Origin: Russia

Voiced by: Brent Mukai (English), Vadim Proskryakov (Russian)

Fate: Shot by Emily Jackson in Chapter IX.

"Oy! You'll not take the last boat!"

A Russian topman aboard the Obra Dinn.

---

• The Big Guy: One of the largest crewmen aboard the Obra Dinn.
• Foreshadowing: In Part 4 of Chapter IX, you can hear his battle scream followed by a faint gunshot at the same time that Thomas is spotted by Olus Wiater on the gun deck. What happened is shown in the following scene.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Kills Paul Moss in a rage and then gets shot dead when he attempts to do the same to the passengers of the last boat.
• Meaningful Name: His last name, Volkov, is derived from "volk", which is the Russian word for "wolf". And you can tell that this wolf is going wild. Similarly, his first name, Leonid, is a Russian term for "lion-like", meaning that he has pride and is on the prowl, like a lion. Also falls under Animal Theme Naming.

---

Seamen

46. Alarcus Nikishin

Alarcus Nikishin

Origin: Russia

Fate: Dragged overboard by a mermaid in Chapter IV.

A Russian seaman. He was one of Nichols's mutineers.

---

• Dub Name Change: Is named Alexander in the Russian localization. Indeed, no one in Russia has ever been named Alarcus.
• Never Found the Body: He's seen being pulled overboard by the mermaids but doesn't appear post-mortem.

---

47. Aleksei Toporov

Aleksei Toporov

Origin: Russia

Voiced by: Nikita Ordynskiy

Fate: Dragged overboard by a mermaid in Chapter IV.

"Stop your cheating."

A Russian seaman. He was one of the gunmen in the firing line and one of Nichols's mutineers.

---

• A-Team Firing: He misses his shot on Hok-Seng Lau from a distance of around ten feet.
• Distinguished Gentleman's Pipe: Often carries his trademark tobacco pipe, which he smokes on one rare occasion (see Smoking Is Cool below).
• Smoking Is Cool: In fact, the only way he can be IDed is by the leather tobacco sack hanging by the hammock behind him that matches his ID number on the crew manifest, and when he smokes with his trademark Distinguished Gentleman's Pipe on one occasion.
• Never Found the Body: He's seen being pulled overboard by the mermaids, but doesn't appear post-mortem.
• Notice This: In one scene, you hear a Russian conversation with one speaker saying "Stop your cheating", and the scene includes him sitting at a table with two more men playing card games, hinting that he's and the other two are Russian. While you can identify Aleskei this way if you’ve seen a previous memory, you will need further details to identify the other two.

---

48. Nathan Peters

Nathan Peters

Origin: England

Voiced by: Finnigan Morris

Fate: Launched out of a lifeboat by the Kraken in Chapter VII.

"Thought I'd forget? You killed my brother."

An English seaman and brother of Samuel Peters.

---

• Combat Pragmatist: Attacks the second crab rider from between the stairs in the cargo hold.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Kills Lars Linde for something that was not really his fault, then gets drowned by the Kraken as he attempts to escape.
• Never Found the Body: He's tipped out of a boat by the Kraken as he tries to escape and is never seen post-mortem.
• No One Gets Left Behind: Though primarily associated with his misplaced feelings of vengeance, Nathan demonstrates a noble side during Chapter VI. When Winston is wounded by a crab rider's spike, Nathan swallows his fear and helps him get below deck rather than leave him to die.
• Rage Breaking Point: Judging from Linde's confused reaction, Nathan never let it on that he blamed him for his brother's death. Only when he's faced with Linde in the middle of the night and they're attempting to flee the ship — after bunking next to each other for the entire journey — does he snap and kill him.
• Revenge Myopia: Murders Linde in revenge for allegedly causing his brother's death, despite both Linde and Alexander Booth claiming it was an accident.
• Same Surname Means Related: He mentions having a brother on board. Since the only two men on the Obra Dinn to share the same last names are Nathan and Samuel Peters, this hints at his identity.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Bands with Alexander Booth and Duncan McKay in leaving the ship after surviving the crab rider invasion... it does not end well for him.
• You Killed My Father: Accuses Linde of killing his brother, Samuel Peters, before clubbing him in the head.

---

49. Lars Linde

Lars Linde

Origin: Denmark

Voiced by: Michel Van Steenwijk

Fate: Clubbed in the head by Seaman Nathan Peters in Chapter VII.

"What? That was an accident! The ropes!"

A Danish seaman.

---

• Accidental Murder: Accused of this by Nathan Peters, who doesn't seem to buy into the "accidental" part. The insurance company, for their part, doesn't consider Samuel Peters' death to be a murder.
• Ambiguously Evil: In his death scene, Linde is holding a knife in his left hand, which raises a lot of questions about his character. Given how he said "Let me on" in a stern tone, there is a possibility that he may have used the knife to threaten the other escapees, in which case means that he is not a good guy after all.
• Innocent Bystander: He unsuccessfully attempted to warn someone about the imminently falling cargo in the first chapter. It's not clear if he was speaking to Samuel Peters, who is crushed beneath it, or Alexander Booth, who is not.
• Poirot Speak: When the crab riders attack the ship, a panicked Linde briefly slips into his native Danish and screams "En dæmon!" ("A demon!") at the sight.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Attempts to flee the ship with Alexander Booth, Duncan McKay, and Nathan Peters, but Peters takes exception.

---

50. John Naples

John Naples

Origin: Wales

Voiced by: Ian Russell

Fate: Loses his foot to a sword slash courtesy of Steward Dahl in Chapter V, passing away shortly afterward.

"Careful now, take it slow."

A Welsh seaman. He was one of the gunmen in the firing line.

---

• An Arm and a Leg: Loses his leg when Fillip Dahl attacks him—given that his leg gets lopped off near the lazarette, it can be presumed he was guarding the area at the time. It winds up near the stairs, but it’s not clear how it got there- perhaps Dr. Evans' pet monkey moved it before anyone saw.
• A-Team Firing: Missed his shot on Hok-Seng Lau. He winds up being the only one of the firing squad to get rewarded.
• Older Sidekick: He is noticeably one of the older crewmen aboard the Obra Dinn.
• One-Steve Limit: Averted for the sake of complicating the player's investigation. He shares his first name with John Davies.

---

51. Renfred Rajub

Renfred Rajub

Origin: India

Fate: Succumbs to an illness in Chapter II.

An Indian seaman.

---

• Alliterative Name: As with all of the Indian seamen.
• Incurable Cough of Death: He is seen coughing violently as he succumbs to a disease he contracted in the lascar house.

---

52. Abraham Akbar

Abraham Akbar

Origin: India

Fate: Crushed between a cannon and one of the Kraken's tentacles in Chapter VII

An Indian seaman.

---

• Alliterative Name: As with all of the Indian seamen.
• Never Learned to Read: Implied by his hammock being marked with an X, whereas every other seaman or topman has a hammock with their number on it. At the time, this was primarily done for the benefit of a crewmate who couldn't read, making it easier for them to distinguish their own assigned station compared to the numbered ones around it. It also means the way to identify him is to first identify the other three Indians.
• Video Game Caring Potential: He was the one who lit the cannon that would kill Wolff and Shirley. If the Inspector states that the Kraken was responsible for their deaths, the insurance assessment will praise him for exceptional performance of duties and reward his estate...
• Video Game Cruelty Potential: ...however, should the Inspector conclude that Akbar is to blame, his estate will be fined instead. Both choices allow you to reach the Golden Ending. The estate will be fined less if you blame him for only one death or give Shirley a different fate.

---

53. William Wasim

William Wasim

Origin: India

Voiced by: Kiran Patil

Fate: Breaks his neck in an accident in Chapter V.

"Syed? Syed, get up! Drink something!"

An Indian seaman.

---

• Alliterative Name: As with all of the Indian seamen.
• Death by Falling Over: He falls down a flight of stairs and hits a barrel head-first while the stretcher handle crushes the back of his head.
• Please Wake Up: Tried getting his dying partner Syed to wake up, to no avail.
• Staircase Tumble: He was one of the crewmen carrying the mermaid that struck Sefton. The attack caused him to lose his balance and fall down a flight of stairs to his death, and, indeed, this is one of the valid fates that can be applied to him.

---

54. Soloman Syed

Soloman Syed

Origin: India

Fate: Succumbs to an illness in Chapter II.

An Indian seaman.

---

• Alliterative Name: As with all of the Indian seamen.
• Incurable Cough of Death: He coughs violently as he succumbs to a disease he contracted in the lascar house.
• Small Role, Big Impact: He dies very early on in the journey, but since he passed away in the crewmate's bunkers, he created a very valuable source of information for identifying many of the crew via their numbered hammocks and belongings. Notably, every seaman or topman except Naples and Samuel Peters is at his scene, though almost all of them are asleep and are impossible to identitfy.

---

55. Hamadou Diom

Hamadou Diom

Origin: Sierra Leona

Fate: Spiked by a mermaid in Chapter V.

A Sierra Leonean seaman.

---

• The Big Guy: Noticeably larger than most other crewmembers... not that it saves him from a spike in the heart.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: He takes a mermaid-fired spike to the chest after it passes straight through Chioh Tan.

---

56. Henry Brennan

Henry Brennan

Origin: England

Voiced by: Nick Smith

Fate: Knifed across the throat by Captain Witterel in Chapter X.

"What's all this, you damn fool?"

An English seaman who served as a gunman in the firing line.

---

• A-Team Firing: Averted. Unlike the other gunmen, Brennan was the only one who hit Hok-Seng Lau.
• Mauve Shirt: He is a seaman who managed to be one of the last crewmen to die, and appears in more scenes than any other character in the game (seventeen, in total).
• Slashed Throat: He gets his throat cut after attacking the Captain.

---

57. Alexander Booth

Alexander Booth

Origin: England

Voiced by: Duncan Lawrence

Fate: Launched out of a lifeboat by the Kraken in Chapter VII.

"There's no cause for trouble, boys. Get in the boat."

An English seaman aboard the Obra Dinn.

---

• Never Found the Body: He was tipped out of a boat by the Kraken as he tried to escape and is never seen post-mortem.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He bands together with Duncan McKay and Nathan Peters in leaving the Obra Dinn after surviving the crab rider invasion... it does not end well for him.

---

58. Patrick O'Hagan

Patrick O'Hagan

Origin: Ireland

Voiced by: Ian Russell

Fate: Speared by a mermaid in Chapter IV.

"Give us a weapon!"

An Irish seaman and one of the gunmen in the firing line. He was also one of Nichols's mutineers.

---

• A-Team Firing: Missed his shot on Hok-Seng Lau. Although he was posthumously fined for other crimes along with Toporov, at the very least he was not labelled as a murderer like Brennan.
• Impromptu Tracheotomy: A mermaid throws a spear at him and hits him in the neck.
• Never Found the Body: To the crew of the Obra Dinn at the time, as Nichols dumped his body into the sea prior to hauling in the mermaids.

---

59. George Shirley

George Shirley

Origin: England

Fate: Blown out of a porthole by a cannon blast in Chapter VII. Whether the Kraken or Seaman Akbar is responsible is up to the Inspector.

An English seaman who spent most of his time with the Chinese topmen.

---

• Ambiguous Situation: How George died is unclear. He is the only character that can be assigned six different causes of death, namely a) "Drowned, Beast", b) "Eaten, Beast", c) "Exploded", d) "Fell, Overboard", e) "Shot, Cannon, A. Akbar", or f) "Shot, Cannon, Beast". Three characters have five options, three others have four options, all the rest have three or fewer.
• Exceptionally Tolerant: He's the only British crew member who spends his free time with, and shares hammock-space alongside, one of the ethnic cliques among the sailors. The Chinese topmen as well, as they accept his company quite happily in defiance of the prejudices of the era.
• No Body Left Behind: He and Gunner Christian Wolff are killed in the same cannon blast (as the game automatically includes both their deaths in the same memory). However, while part of Wolff's body was still left behind and detected by the Memento Mortem, Shirley's body is nowhere in sight. However, there's a scream that fades out following the cannon blast. Given that Wolff's head was blown out by the cannon, it is probable that Shirley might have been blown out of the porthole or pulled out of it, as indicated by the Kraken's tentacle reaching out for him in the previous diorama where Akbar was crushed trying to put out the fuse and save him and Wolff from the gruesome fate.

---

60. Samuel Peters

Samuel Peters

Origin: England

Fate: Crushed by falling cargo in Chapter I.

An English seaman and brother of Nathan Peters.

---

• Accidental Murder: On the receiving end of this from fellow seaman Linde.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: He's the very first death in the game and actually died before the ship left English waters.
• Same Surname Means Related: He can easily be identified since Nathan mentions having a brother and he's the only one on board who shares his last name with another man (minus Abigail and William though, since they're brother and sister you won't be mistaken).

---

Others

Boat Puller

Boat Puller

Voiced by: James McCreadie

An unidentified man under the direction of a 'company man' from the East India Company to ferry the Inspector to and from the Obra Dinn.

---

• Continue Your Mission, Dammit!: Sort of. Once the Inspector has unlocked and viewed all accessible memories on the ship, the boatman will warn of an impending storm and urge the Inspector to finish quickly so they may depart. This is merely a progress indicator; there is no real-time limit and the player is free to take as much time as needed to complete the catalogue before leaving.

---

Terrible Beasts

Terrible Beasts

The Obra Dinn encountered a number of strange beasts on its ill-fated voyage, counting three mermaids, two crab riders, and a Kraken.

---

• Abnormal Limb Rotation Range: In one scene, a crab-rider is looking backwards despite its feet still pointing forwards. We don't get a good look at what it is under its seaweed cloak but the effect is eerie.
• Absurdly Sharp Claws: The mermaids have one regular hand and another with spike-like claws, which they use to kill some of the crew, including Miss Lim. The crabs have large serrated pincers that are capable of severing a head from the neck.
• Anti-Villain: Ultimately, all the creatures are trying to do is going on a Roaring Rampage of Rescue to save their comrades (the imprisoned mermaids) and get their shell back. Once they have the shell again, they don't do anything nefarious with it, and even follow their word in bringing the Obra Dinn to her destination.
• Enemy Summoner: At least one of the mermaids has the power to command the Kraken, as she makes the Kraken leave on the captain's orders once he has killed the other two and is ready to kill her. It's possible they summoned the crab riders as well.
• Full-Frontal Assault: The mermaids, most evident in the scene where they emerge from the chest up to attack the lifeboats Nichols stole, have bare chests. One mermaid even has three pairs of breasts. However, the mermaids are treated as Humanoid Abominations, and their presentation is not shown in any sort of sexual manner.
• Giant Squid: The Kraken, obviously. Its first scene is shown with enormous tentacles rising out of the water, easily tearing apart the ship and killing the crew, including by ripping a few full-grown men in half.
• Giant Enemy Crab: Two of them, being ridden by seaweed-covered creatures with glowing eyes.
• Humanoid Abomination: The mermaids are the most human of the terrible beasts, but they're clearly not human. Their faces look vaguely like human women, but they're still half-human, half-fish creatures, they have long claws, and can shoot spikes from their bodies.
• I'm a Humanitarian: The Inspector can imply that the Kraken (and/or possibly the mermaids) ate some of the crew members and still get their correct fates solved in this way.
• I Gave My Word: Eventually, the beasts tow the Obra Dinn back to where it can be found by other humans, as part of their bargain with the crew. The inspector can look over the side of the boat to see the gleaming shell way off in the distance, showing that the beasts kept their word. Albeit after everyone on board is long gone, which probably wasn't what the human sailors had in mind.
• Javelin Thrower: The mermaids can throw their spears. This inflict many initial casualties upon Nichols's deserters, including spearing one man straight through the neck. The crab riders also use this to great effectiveness on the Obra Dinn, piercing several sailors.
• No Name Given: The catalogue generalizes all the different creatures as "terrible beasts", and never states exactly what any of them are. The mermaids and crab-riders are never actually named as such In-Universe; those are names given by the playerbase from their appearances. Played With in regards to the Kraken; it is referred to as a "squid" and "Kraken" by the crew, but only its tentacles are ever shown. What it is exactly is never confirmed in-game.
• Original Generation: The crab-riders are the only beasts not based on pre-existing creatures of oceanic folklore.
• Our Mermaids Are Different: Carrying large, serrated spears, endowed with a clawed hand, spikes, and six breasts.
• Power Pincers: The crabs use these to great effect, brutally decapitating some of the crewmen.
• Roaring Rampage of Rescue: The crab-riders and Kraken are assaulting the Obra Dinn in order to save the captive mermaids held in its lazarette and retrieve the magic shell that the Formosans have stolen from them.
• Sea Monster: Obviously. They're summoned by their fellow mermaids being held captive, attacking the various members of the Obra Dinn to rescue them.
• Spike Shooter: Both the mermaids and the crabs are capable of shooting spikes, which inflict Impaled with Extreme Prejudice on a number of crewmen.
• Super-Toughness: Played with. The crab-riders take a lot of effort to kill, as ordinary swords and guns don't seem to do much to them in the heat of the moment. It takes the 1800s equivalent of a grenade to kill one of the crab-riders, and the other one takes an absurd amount of punishment before it also dies. Nothing at all seems to damage or even slow down the Kraken. The mermaids, however, can be killed with a simple gunshot or bayonet.
• Tail Slap: The mermaids have sharp tails that can kill a man with a good strike, though they prefer either spearing or clawing their prey. The cook dies this way because he stupidly approaches a restrained mermaid.
• Weather Manipulation: Implied. The crab-riders appear when a lightning bolt suddenly kills one of the topmen, and the storm immediately disappears when the Kraken leaves.

---

Stowaway

Stowaway

An unknown stowaway who snuck onto the ship while hiding inside a barrel, only to die inside a barrel when it fell over.

---

• Death by Falling Over: Dies inside a barrel when it falls over.
• He Who Must Not Be Seen: Is never actually seen. The body is sealed inside a barrel that is never opened.
• Never Found the Body: Went completely unnoticed during the entire voyage.
• Small Role, Big Impact: Downplayed. The fact that the dead stowaway was never found during the voyage allows the player to witness the death of Samuel Peters (and thus more easily figure out Nathan Peters's motive for killing Lars Linde), though that is as far as the stowaway's impact goes.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: Even more so than Samuel Peters; the stowaway dies in the chronologically second flashback of the game without uttering a single line and without anyone except, eventually, the player character ever knowing.

---

Housekeeper

Housekeeper

Voiced by: Jo Ashe

A housemaid who works for the Inspector, as shown in the epilogue.

---

• The Voice: Though you can't see her, her voice is heard as she comes up the stairs to the Inspector's room in the Playable Epilogue.

---

---