Characters from the Netflix series Shadow and Bone.

For characters from the books, see here.

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Main Characters

Alina

Alina Starkov

Played by: Jessie Mei Li, Kaylan Teague (young) ^{Other languages}

"I've always felt like an outsider. Especially when I first got here. But now I finally feel like I belong. And not just that I belong here, but to something greater. That we can offer Grisha and Ravkans hope for the future."

An orphaned cartographer. She follows her childhood friend Mal inside the Shadow Fold, only to defeat an ambush by awakening her powers as the legendary Sun Summoner.

Action Girl: Though she starts off as a soldier, Alina's a mapmaker who doesn't display much fighting skill at first. Later though she gets trained in combat intensively.
Adaptational Backstory Change:
- In the books, Alina was born along the Ravka-Shu Han border, and her parents were killed in the Border Wars' crossfire. In the show, her parents died in the Fold.
- The origin of the scar on her hand differs between mediums, but the core sentiments remain the same. In the show, Alina squeezed a broken piece of pottery to help hide her powers when she went through the Grisha test and the injury left a scar. In the book, she got it as a teenager from, likewise, squeezing a piece of broken pottery she was supposed to be repairing when Mal gave her a platonic Twirl of Love, which lead Alina to have a Love Epiphany. In both cases, she equates the scar to Mal and her feelings for him and often rubs a thumb over it as a form of comfort.
- Alina originally was solely Ravkan. Here being half Shu Han adds an extra layer as she faces racism over it.
Adaptational Nice Guy: At least at the start, book Alina is rather moody and feisty, which is implied to be related to her physical sickliness and general dissatisfaction with life. In the show, she is more smiley with a sunnier personality.
Adaptational Personality Change: Alina has a little more agency and assertiveness as a character than her book counterpart.
- While in the book she and Mal are automatically assigned to the same unit, here she deliberately burns maps in order to not be separated from him.
- In the book Botkin paired up her and Zoya to fight, while here she deliberately challenges the latter to a fight (which was heavily implied to be because Zoya called her a half-breed who "smelled like the orphanage".)
- In the book the Darkling initiates their makeout session; here Alina makes the first move.
Adorably Precocious Child: Flashbacks indicate that as a child she took it upon herself to always watch over Mal.
Always Someone Better: Alina is this for Zoya, as she takes her spot at the Darkling’s side. Her treatment towards Alina is heavily implied to be because Alina has replaced her as his "favorite".
Childhood Friend Romance: Her mutual attraction to her childhood friend Mal is obvious to basically everyone, and she follows him into the most dangerous place in the world because she refuses to risk losing him.
The Chosen One: Ravka has a key figure in its mythology: the Sun Summoner, capable of harnessing pure sunlight and banishing the Shadow Fold. When Alina's ability to summon light manifests, many latch onto this legend, and the most powerful people in the country attempt to control her.
Combat Pragmatist: Due to only having skills in cartography, Alina has minimal hand-to-hand combat skills. She knows how to throw an (easily telegraphed) punch due to courtesy of Mal, but she's not afraid to fight dirty if the odds are against her. A couple examples are her sucker-punching Zoya after being bested by her one too many times during their sparring and the other is using her powers to blind a racist Ravkan man's eyes in order to run away.
Costume Evolution: From lowly mapmaker uniform to Grisha coat to a black Grisha coat, a colour only worn by the Grisha leader himself.
Cute Monster Girl: When Kirigan fuses the Stag's antlers with her collarbone, its outline remains visible beneath her skin and its two finger-long main prongs poke through it, giving her a vaguely Kerrigan-esque look. Both Alina herself and everyone who witnesses it are horrified, but it actually does little to nothing to detract from her beauty. It also doesn't last very long.
Deadpan Snarker: Alina has a cheeky sense of humor, usually when she's around Mal or whenever she's frustrated with her circumstances.
Determinator: Alina burns a dozen maps so she won't be separated from Mal. Even when she's been outmatched by the more experienced Zoya, she's still determined to beat the latter. And she does, though she pays the price for it when Zoya uses her Squaller abilities to throw her against a barrel of hay and briefly knocks her out.
Didn't Think This Through: When she sabotages the maps of Western Ravka to ensure she'll have to tag along on Mal's expedition, she clearly didn't realize this also meant the other cartographers in her squad would have to come as well. They all end up dead as a result.
Dreaming of Things to Come: In a deviation from the books, Alina has been having dreams of Morozova's stag, which she later meets and whose power she later takes, since childhood.
From Zero to Hero: She goes from an irrelevant orphaned mapmaker who is looked down on for her heritage to one of the most powerful and famous Grisha in the setting.
Half-Breed Discrimination: In the show, Alina is half-Shu Han (one of Ravka's warring neighbors) and is visibly mixed, so she is on the receiving end of a lot of verbal abuse for it.
The Hero: Alina is the protagonist with the heroic capability to destroy the nightmarish Shadow Fold. In-universe she is already being venerated by the population for it.
Hero with Bad Publicity: At the beginning of season 2 Alina loses her worshipful status among much of the Ravkans, who think she's dead and/or now see her as an ally of the villainous Kirigan. Fortunately, she falls in with Nikolai, who is able to use his own status to redeem her public image.
Hope Bringer: Not just for the general public who want to see the Fold destroyed and the country united again, the Grisha themselves hope she can help redeem them to the public eye.
How Do I Shot Web?: Since there never has been a Sun Summoner until Alina unlocked her powers, a ton of expectation from everyone is placed on her shoulders as she tries to master them. Thankfully, Baghra's (albeit harsh) teachings have given her a very stable grasp on her powers.
Instant Expert: Subverted. Despite being The Chosen One, she initially cannot control her powers. Her first public demonstration at the royal court required the general’s amplifier abilities, and she had to spend time training before she could demonstrate her powers again in a second public appearance.
It Sucks to Be the Chosen One: Alina does not enjoy being the Sun Summoner at first, since she's separated from Mal. It also doesn't help that she's in constant fear of being killed more than other Grisha and being manipulated for power and political purposes.
Light 'em Up: As the Sun-Summoner, she can emit enough light to vaporize the creatures that hide in the Fold. Legend says that she can destroy the Fold entirely.
MacGuffin Super-Person: Alina is the Sun Summoner, a nigh-mythical Grisha who could possibly destroy the Fold. As a result, she's a person of great public interest. Kirigan tries to keep her and her power under his thumb, but altars are already being erected in her name, and even across the True Sea in Ketterdam, the Crows accept a million-kruge job to kidnap her for a businessman's unknown ends. After the protagonists escape from Kirigan's skiff in "No Mourners" Alina and Mal go on the run, with Zoya warning her that everyone will be gunning for her now.
One-Woman Army: As the Sun-Summoner she could be this against the monsters in the fold
Plucky Girl: Puts up with a lot prior to and following the discovery of her abilities. While she's perfectly able to have a cry and has her moments of despair, Alina is feisty and determined enough to make her situation work.
The Power of the Sun: It comes with being a Sun Summoner and her powers are driven by light.
Refusal of the Call: Alina spends a good majority of season one refusing to believe she's the Sun Summoner. Because she knows she'd be torn away from Mal if she was grisha, it takes a while for her to accept she's someone important, especially the mythical Sun Summoner. She grows out of this when she reclaims her power back from Kirigan's control by the season's end.
Reluctant Warrior: She is very reluctant to embrace her role as The Chosen One. A good amount of season one is her becoming less reluctant.
Race Lift: Alina is explicitly biracial (half Shu Han and half Ravkan, which equates to being half East Asian and half white), a detail that was not in the books. She faces constant Half-Breed Discrimination, which adds to her overall loneliness and alienation before she is recognized as the Sun Summoner. The book character was solely Ravkan.
She Cleans Up Nicely: Alina is naturally good-looking, but her beauty really comes to the fore once she joins the Second Army and receives some proper food, clothes, and a fancy haircut.
Significant Wardrobe Shift: After being taken to the Little Palace, Alina wears a kefta like every other member of the Second Army. The Darkling gives Alina a black kefta to wear, which is his personal color, but Alina instead chooses to wear the blue kefta assigned to other Grisha of the Etherealki order, as she doesn't want to stand out anymore than she already does (considering she's biracial in a country where that's often looked down upon, plus she's the Chosen One). As she grows closer to the Darkling and becomes more confident in herself and her abilities, Alina does indeed start wearing a black kefta.
Slave Collar: Receives a horrifying example of one in the form of the Stag's antlers as an amplifier, putting her powers under the control of Kirigan. Unlike the novels, here the collar fuses with her literal collarbone.
Took a Level in Badass: A lot of season one consists of Alina training her powers in order to destroy the Fold.
Traumatic Superpower Awakening: When a monster tries to kill her, she explodes with light, destroying it and every other monster within a mile. It probably didn't help that this was moments after Mal almost died, as well.
What the Hell Are You?: She herself doesn't ask this, but a lot of characters ask her not who, but what she is, after she discovers her powers. Her arc for season one is her trying to answer that question and accepting her responsibility without any half-heartedness. By the season one finale, she gloriously fires back an answer against Kirigan after she regains her power.
Alina: Your first words to me were, "What are you?" This is what I am. (proceeds to blast away the surrounding darkness and volcra)

Mal

Malyen Oretsev

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sb_mal.png

Played by: Archie Renaux, Cody Molko (young)^{Other languages}

"I'm sorry that it took me this long to see you, Alina. But I see you now."

Alina's childhood best friend and a corporal in the First Army. Like her, he lost his parents to the Fold. He is an excellent fighter, said to be completely fearless, and spends much of his spare time in the fight rings.

Adaptational Nice Guy:
- Instead of the possessive and needy guy from the books, Mal in the show is loyal and dependable.
- In the book, he was a womanizer who's more-or-less said to Really Get Around and didn't realize his feelings for Alina until mid-way through the book. Here it's never stated whether or not he sleeps around, but he does refuse Zoya's advances (whereas he does sleep with her in the book). Additionally, it's obvious from the start that his feelings for Alina are mutual but they need to move past their Twice Shy issues.
Badass Normal: Mal can hold his own in fights against groups of people and soldiers who are much older and better trained than him. He even somehow manages to go toe to toe with General Kirigan, the strongest mage in the setting, in a physical fight at the end.
Childhood Friend Romance: He's clearly smitten with his childhood friend Alina. His squadmates also tease him about how he talks about Alina all the time.
Dare to Be Badass: Before season one began, Mal was chastised by the orphanage housekeeper, Ana Kuya, that he needed to stop running away from his problems or else he'd suffer for it. Taking this to heart, he now has a reputation in the First Army for being a fearless combatant, even though Alina knows he's still human.
Determinator: Mal was willing to risk punishment by deserting the army for Alina. Even though he's essentially a Badass Normal, he can hold his own pretty well against Kirigan and soldiers who are much older and skilled than him. Even when he's been stabbed and had his own veins and heart manipulated, he never gives up.
Fight Clubbing: Mal's introduction past the flashback is him winning a brawling match for monetary gain.
Handwraps of Awesome: Wears cloth wraps during his introduction in a brawling match and he ends up the victor.
I Have Your Wife: Kirigan knows Mal's very important to Alina and uses him as leverage against her to ensure she does his bidding.
Informed Flaw: Kirigan suggests a few times that Mal is unaccepting of Alina's power and never "saw" her. Alina doesn't deny this claim. However, while that may be true in the books, in the show Mal has shown himself to be nothing but attentive and supportive.
I Will Find You: His main goal for most of season one is to find Alina after they're separated. They reunited in the sixth episode.
Legacy Character: At the end of season 2, he takes on the identity of Captain Sturmhond the privateer, Nikolai's former alter-ego.
Long-Lost Relative: He is eventually revealed to be the descendant of Morozova's younger daughter, making him a many-generations-removed relative of Baghra and Kirigan.
Living Emotional Crutch: To Alina, who despairs at the thought of losing him or being separated from him and will go to great lengths to avoid it.
Made of Iron: Over the course of the first season, Mal receives several injuries that should have incapacitated him, but he just keeps going.
Mayfly–December Romance: He's rather disquieted to learn that Alina is likely going to outlive him by several centuries, due to the effects of her power.
Scarily Competent Tracker: Mal is an incredibly competent tracker, able to track a fabled mythical deer and capably follows Alina once she takes flight from the capital despite being injured. This is later justified as him being a descendant of Baghra's amplifier sister.
Worthy Opponent: When he defeats a man in the ring, he gives him a hand up.

General Kirigan/The Darkling

General Kirigan/The Darkling/Aleksander

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sb_kirigan.png

Played by: Ben Barnes ^{Other languages}

"I shall be right by your side. You and I are going to change the world, Alina."

A Shadow Summoner and the leader of the Grisha, who answers directly to the King. Upon learning that Alina is a Sun Summoner, he takes her to the Little Palace so that she may train to eventually destroy the Fold.

Adaptation Distillation: In the trilogy and prequel story "The Demon in the Wood", the reader is told the Darkling's real name has been a secret to everyone his whole life except his mother. It's part of his characterisation, and the moment he trusts Alina with it in the third book is poignant. In the show, it is said casually only 4 episodes in.
Adaptation Name Change: 'The Darkling' in the books becomes General Kirigan in the show, and he's colloquially known as the 'Black General'; 'darkling' is a slur/insult used by his enemies rather than an official title. This developed during filming, since the original title works on the page but just sounded silly when constantly uttered on screen.
Adaptational Backstory Change: The Darkling does not have a dead lover in the books. Moreover, the show leaves out the short story "The Demon in the Wood", which tells the story of how a 13-year-old Darkling was nearly drowned while living as a fugitive with his mother, prompting him to vow to create a safe place for Grisha.
Adaptational Personality Change:
- In the books the Darkling is fairly distant and implacable, even towards Alina, and keeps tight control of his emotions. In turn, his moments of vulnerability stand out. General Kirigan is played more human and emotional, working his way into Alina's confidence via companionship and getting visibly frustrated and upset when things don't go according to plan.
- In addition, we are led to believe he is manipulating her throughout the first book. In the show, we see his perspective and the things he says and does when she's not looking, which can't be explained by manipulation alone.
- He actually has a motive for destroying Novokribirsk although still extreme, which is stopping General Zlatan and getting revenge for the attempt on Alina's life and Zlatan's allowing Fjerda to kidnap and execute Ravkan Grisha.
Age Lift: In a physical sense. The Darkling of the books is The Ageless and while an exact number is never given, he's centuries old. Physically he's described as looking a little older than Alina, roughly late teens, early twenties, and is often described as a "boy"; Alina considers his physical youth a contrast to his position of power. In the series, he's played by Ben Barnes, who was 38 when filming started, and looks the part of a high-ranked general.
Antagonistic Offspring: To his mother Baghra, who goes behind his back to sabotage his grabs for power out of concern for him and Alina.
Big Bad: He's the Black Heretic responsible for the creation of the Fold, and intends to use Alina to weaponize it.
Casting a Shadow: He is a Shadow Summoner, a rare Grisha who can manipulate shadows and darkness.
Color Motif: Black. He's a dark-haired, dark-eyed man known as the "Black General", he has shadow powers, and he dresses exclusively in black. Alina choosing to wear black in the fifth episode shows that she's becoming closer to him.
Determinator: Even when Baghra warned him not to try to experiment with his powers, he's so determined to get rid of the armies terrorizing Grisha that he unleashes his full power out of pure rage, which leads to the creation of the Shadow Fold. Despite being outnumbered by his former allies and the Crows, he still tries to fight them off. Not even throwing him into a swarm of volcra will deter him, and he stumbles out of the Fold with an army of shadow giants behind him.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Is distraught by the death of his lover in the flashback.
Healing Factor: He is seen using merzost to quickly heal from injuries that would kill an ordinary person, like being stabbed in the chest with a throwing knife.
Kirigan: It will take more than this!
Hypocrite: Convinced that he is fighting for the Grisha against power-hungry opportunists like the King and General Zlatan who exploit them and the Fold, all while he exploits Grisha like Genya and Alina so he can amass more power.
Manipulative Bastard: One instance is when Kirigan asks Mal to tell him Alina's favourite flower as proof that he knows her, and is then shown giving Alina the same flowers to woo her. He also prevents Mal for receiving her letters and vice versa, to make her think he's given up on her. Baghra scoffs at the idea that he's shown Alina his true vulnerable side, saying he's had hundreds of years to perfect his act on impressionable young girls.
My God, What Have I Done?: When Alina rejects him in "The Unsea", telling him they could have had an equal relationship if he hadn't enslaved her, Kirigan is clearly affected as he realises Alina will now likely hate him forever.
My Grandson, Myself: He tells Alina that he is the descendant of the Black Heretic, the Grisha who created the Fold. He is in fact the Black Heretic himself, faking multiple deaths through the years in order to keep up appearances.
No One Should Survive That!: Alina, Mal and the Crows assume that Kirigan was killed in the Shadow Fold after a volcra takes off with him. He promptly shows up in the last scene, a little worse for wear but now with the volca at his command.
Not Quite Dead: Kirigan is seemingly killed in the Shadow Fold when a volcra takes off with him, but the last scene of the season is him emerging from the darkness, covered in wounds and followed by creatures literally formed out of shadows.
Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: To the public and his followers, his viler and more extreme actions are in service of his goal to destroy the Fold and (more broadly) stop discrimination towards Grisha. However, it becomes increasingly clear to Alina and the audience that whatever noble intentions he may have had have warped into selfishness and a need for power.
Off with His Head!: His Signature Move is the Cut; he summons shadows into the shape of a blade that then moves forward at high speed to behead opponents.
Really 700 Years Old: Being the Black Heretic who originally erected the Fold, Aleksander has served countless Ravkan kings over several centuries.
Red Baron: He is often referred to by the public as "The Black General".
Sexy Mentor: To Alina. He's the handsome, older master Grisha who first helps her learn how to use her powers. Things get a bit physical between them before Alina learns some truths about him.
Signature Move: His perferred method of ending a fight quickly is to throw a horizontal blade of shadow.
Sins of Our Fathers: He tells Alina that he's spent his life trying to atone for the actions of his ancestor the Black Heretic. Who is actually him.
Tall, Dark, and Handsome: A handsome, brooding, dark-haired shadow magic user and mentor played by the 6'1" Ben Barnes.
Terrifying Rescuer: When Alina is attacked by a Fjerdan soldier who comes within inches of killing her, the Darkling saves her by using his shadow powers to bisect the man, spattering Alina with his blood. Alina is already afraid of the Darkling and is almost as scared of him as the man who attacked her. When she expresses horror at him being capable of slicing in half a man from several feet away, the Darkling snarkily asks if she'd preferred him to have used a sword.
Villain Has a Point: Kirigan accidentally created the Shadow Fold in the first place because he was trying to create an army to protect his fellow Grisha from being hunted and slaughtered, after the king that he'd aided betrayed and turned on him; and he's right to worry about the fate of the Second Army should the Fold be destroyed, especially since General Zlatan had already been turning a blind eye to Fjerdans abducting Grisha in West Ravka and arranged for Alina's assassination. His goal of protecting Ravka and his people is, or was, noble - but he takes it way too far.
Villainous Crush: While he was manipulating Alina from the start and ensuring she'd be more under his thumb, he does appear to have genuinely developed feelings for her in the process. During the Winter Fete when their make out session is interrupted by his being summoned away, he goes back for one more kiss, unable to help himself; he seems to be legitimately hurt when Kaz reveals that Alina escaped of her own volition rather than being kidnapped, and is quite jealous of the connection that Alina shares with Mal; and he wipes out Novokribirsk at least partly in revenge for General Zlatan paying for Alina's assassination. Of course, such feelings don't redeem his actions but make them even worse.

Kaz

Kaz Brekker

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sb_kaz.png

Played by: Freddy Carter, Fflyn Edwards (young) ^{Other languages}

"Hope is dangerous. It clouds your judgment. Pray, scream, do whatever you have to do to push this out of your mind, and move on. We all have debts to pay."

A minor crime lord in Ketterdam, west of the Fold. He chases after a lucrative job to make him and his people rich.

Adaptation Dye-Job: Has blue eyes while in the book they were brown.
Adaptational Nice Guy: Downplayed as he's still pragmatic and ruthless. However, he's more emotionally open than his book counterpart. Also, he has fewer smug moments than his book counterpart and is less nasty to Jesper; in the book, he punishes Jesper when he makes a mistake and keeps rubbing it in, while in the show, he only becomes annoyed with him when he screws up.
Animal Motifs: Kaz calls his crew the Crows, he carries a walking stick with a crow's head handle, and one of his businesses in the Barrel is called the Crow Club. He later reveals that this is because crows are birds that remember both those who have wronged them and those who were kind to them.
Anti-Hero:
- Initially, he refuses to approach Tante Heleen to try buying out Inej's contract fully since he knows Heleen will set a price he can't pay. When Jesper questions how he knows she'd do that, Kaz calmly replies that it's what he would do. Neither is he at all interested in helping other girls at the Menagerie to get out of their contracts; as seen when Inej tries convincing him to buy another girl, claiming she has similar skills to hers, but he instantly shuts the idea down.
- When he realizes that Marie is acting as Alina's body double and has worked out that Arken's been hired by General Zlatan to assassinate Alina, he sets up Arken to get caught while the Crows can make an escape with the real Sun Summoner, knowing Marie could likely die — as indeed she does.
Arbitrary Skepticism: He lives in a world where certain people can weaponize the elements or heal someone without even touching them, but he initially maintains that Alina's powers are merely a clever trick. Justified: the Grisha ability to control light is so very rare that the Sun Summoner has been mythologized by the Ravkan faith, and part of Kaz's attitude is the denial that a higher power is watching over the faithful. Even after he accepts that Alina's powers are legitimate, he balks at the idea of her being a saint.
Arch-Enemy: Pekka Rollins is this to him. When Kaz was a child, Rollins scammed him and his brother out of their entire savings, which indirectly led to the elder brother's death. While a million kruge is a massive draw, he really doubles down on the mission to kidnap Alina in order to steal the opportunity from Rollins out of spite. In season 2, he sets up an elaborate revenge scheme centered on taking his son hostage. Even the Crows worry that he might actually kill the kid just to get at Rollins, although Kaz restrains himself to merely making him beg for his son's life and then lying that the boy is dead to break his spirit.
Cane Fu: He's rather willing to use his cane in combat, including using it to face down a volcra in the eighth episode. Justified since he has a limp that already puts him at a disadvantage.
Cannot Spit It Out: There are hints that his feelings for Inej (whether platonic or romantic) are deeper than he'd like to admit and not completely professional. (He puts up his beloved Crow club as collateral for her indenture, a gesture that surprises her.) However, he's reluctant to voice them until she's about to walk out on him, and he keeps it limited by simply saying that he (not just the crew) "needs" her. In season 2, this upgrades to him saying he wants her, and she sees it for what it is but remains committed to searching for her family.
Classy Cane: A solid piece with a detailed crow's head for a handle. Stylish and efficient for bludgeoning.
Combat Pragmatist: He fights dirty, largely because his bad limp puts him at such a disadvantage.
The Comically Serious: He maintains his humorless, deadpan demeanor even in the most absurd situations and amid his crew's antics, frequently resulting in comedy.
Conspicuous Gloves: He wears gloves throughout the entire season. They come off only once, so he can wash his hands, and it's treated as a big deal.
Crazy-Prepared: He can rethink schemes on a moment's notice, and when he figures out Arken has been hired to assassinate Alina, he quickly readjusts the plan so Arken will get caught and the Crows will be able to escape. He also brought along a gunpowder or phosphorus bomb, and makes good use of it when he comes face to face with General Kirigan.
Dark and Troubled Past: Pekka Rollins scammed him and his brother out of their life savings when he was younger, which led to his brother's death and him only barely surviving by clinging to the corpses on the river. Surviving it turned him into the crime boss he is today.
Deadpan Snarker: Kaz has a dry wit, to say the least.
Jesper: (Looks at a forged document for himself) No one is ever going to believe I'm that old.
Kaz: You tell yourself that.
Determinator: No one, not Pekka Rollins or Kirigan himself will keep Kaz Brekker from going his own way and achieving his goals.
Emotionally Tongue-Tied: He eventually admits to caring about Inej and Jesper, but he clearly finds the confession as excruciating as having his teeth pulled.
Genius Cripple: He can't walk properly without his cane, but when it comes to plotting and scheming, he can easily outmaneuver everyone around him. He didn't work his way into becoming a crime boss for nothing.
Genre Refugee: While all of the Crows are technically this, he fits it best of all, being a ruthless crime boss from a Low Fantasy heist story whose plan to kidnap a bounty lands him squarely in Alina's Chosen One High Fantasy narrative. He gets quite a few moments of Wrong Genre Savvy until he wises up and decides to let her go, albeit with a very expensive necklace for his trouble.
Good Counterpart: (Well, comparatively Less Evil Counterpart) Kaz shares a couple of attributes with General Kirigan, which the show displays. Both are intelligent and dark-haired men who strive to maintain a certain image for the people around them. (Kirigan as a wise savior of Grisha, Kaz the dangerous criminal mastermind of the Crows). They both have a knack for manipulation and can be terrifyingly ruthless in achieving their goals and maintaining their power. However, Kaz is fully aware of what kind of bastard he is and admits to it; while Kirigan repeatedly justifies his actions and continues to exploit the girl he is attracted to. While Kaz somewhat admits to Inej that he wants her by his side (and book readers know this is due to romantic feelings), he tells her she has the freedom to leave if she wants to. He also objects to Inej's wording that he "bought her" from the Menagerie and specifically states that he bought her indenture, not Inej herself.
Kaz: And I saw [Kirigan's] face as he boarded. I know that look. He's a man consumed with vengeance.
Jesper: See it enough in the mirror, do you?
Guile Hero: He steals a valuable asset out from under a man who he knows is about to be murdered, bribes his way past a guard with money he knows is counterfeit, and manages to bluff his way into the confidence of a man who is willing to kill for a secret.
Handicapped Badass: Kaz's limp causes him a bit of frustration, but it by no means makes him helpless. He outmaneuvers and breaks the hand of one Inferni, then later successfully escapes a confrontation with Kirigan by countering his Casting a Shadow powers with a flashbang.
Hates Being Touched: Throughout the entirety of the first season, he's violently averse to being grabbed, and never comes close to touching anyone without his gloves. It's most apparent when Inej is injured — he clearly wants to help her, but can't bring himself to actually touch her. Even with the gloves, the only time he touches someone willingly or initiates it himself in Season 1 is when he shakes hands with Alina to seal their deal of her paying him to abandon his pursuit of her.
Hope Is Scary: Though he doesn't do it vindictively, he insists that Inej give up the hope of her family still being alive as "hope is dangerous" and only serves to "cloud your judgment".
In-Series Nickname: Dirtyhands, as he's renowned for doing any job, no matter the violence or bloodshed involved.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite being a brusque career thief who is ruthless to his enemies and often cold to those in his inner circle, he genuinely cares about his teammates. (As also implied when he says he chooses the name The Crows on the basis of crows remembering both those who wronged them and those who are kind to them.) When Inej threatens to walk, he admits that he believes in her, and looks out for her and Jesper multiple times in the skiff battle.
Know When to Fold Them: Kaz eventually gives up on kidnapping the Sun Summoner and a million kruge bounty when he grudgingly accepts that Alina's light magic is real and more important to the world than the money is to him. Kaz also knows that returning to Ketterdam without the Sun Summoner means his crew will be marked for death, and so immediately begins planning countermeasures.
A Man of Wealth and Taste: Despite living in the slums, he dresses nicely and speaks politely. He had a famous painting stolen not for the money, but simply because he wanted it as decor for his own home.
No Sense of Humor: Never laughs at any of Jesper's good-natured prattle.
Perpetual Frowner: He only smiles once in the first season, and that's while he's undercover as a sculptor — plus it's a rather terrifying Unsmile.
Precision F-Strike: A very stealthy example. When the infiltration of the Little Palace starts going sideways, Kaz tells Inej to switch to Plan B... and then straight to "Plan F" when he spots Grisha guards converging on them seconds later. Considering the show's almost complete lack of swearing, it's the closest thing to an actual F-bomb you'll get to hear in Season One.
The Reliable One: Kaz can handle himself in the fight. Although he seems to have an injury that requires him to use a cane, and usually comes up with plans that Jesper or Inej carry out, he is not a Non-Action Guy. Kaz is not above doing whatever he asks his Crows to do and he is capable of defending himself against even Second Army Grisha. Kaz has survived situations that would be noteworthy even without his disability:
- He is cornered by the Black General but escapes by being Crazy-Prepared with a phosphorus bomb to counter Kirigan's shadow power.
- Although Kaz is the last member of the crew to join the skiff battle and he doesn't directly fight any of the enemy Grisha, he saves the lives of both Jesper and Inej in the Fold; by pushing Jesper out of the way of Kirigan's otherwise fatal Cut, and then fending off a volcra that attacks Inej.
Secret Secret-Keeper: He cuts off Jesper telling him he's a Durast by saying that he figured it out a long time ago and just kept it to himself.
Sherlock Scan: Kaz has a sharp eye for details, quickly figuring out a woman at the Crow Club is actually a fugitive from Ravka just by the way she counts her cash and how she refers to her alleged country as West Ravka instead of the term actual natives of that homeland use.
Signature Headgear: He wears his signature Homburg hat in almost all his scenes.
Technically a Smile: The only time we see Kaz outright smile in the first season, as opposed to a very slight grin when things are going his way, is when he's pretending to be a sculptor for the Kribirsk heist — and it looks painful.
Trauma Button: He wears his gloves all the time to avoid touching people with his bare hands and even washing seems to be something he does on a routine. Accidentally touching bare skin in season 2 sets off a bad PTSD episode flashing back to the time he was left floating in the river on a pile of corpses, including his older brother.
Villainous Cheekbones: The casting department sure chose well when they picked Freddy Carter to play a ruthless crime boss.
Wrong Genre Savvy: He initially assumes that Alina is a fake Sun Summoner for some political or religious scheme, and when he sees her powers and admits her gift is the real deal, he still refuses to believe she's a saint or anything special. It isn't until the events in the Fold that he realizes the full implications of her power and that kidnapping her would be far more trouble than it's worth.
Xanatos Speed Chess: Kaz is very adaptable with his plans. The Conductor attempts to double-cross him and murder Alina instead of capturing her? Kaz sets him up to take the fall and makes a new plan. The train they used to get through the Fold needs a driver? Kaz memorized the timers. The Conductor set it to blow up? The Crows disable and impersonate a Kerch delegate that will be leaving on the same ship that Alina and Kirigan are on. Even after Kaz finally gives up capturing Alina, he has a new plan for dealing with Dreesen and Pekka Rollins, both of which will be waiting for the Crows when they return to Ketterdam.

Inej

Inej Ghafa

Played by: Amita Suman ^{Other languages}

"What happens to Saints is fate. What happens here is up to us."

One of Kaz's associates, whom he is in the process of buying off from the brothel she is indentured to. She is a trained acrobat who is skilled with knives.

Action Girl: Inej's specialty is fighting with knives and she was also a professional acrobat as a kid, which helps her during fights.
Adaptational Backstory Change: She mentions having a younger brother in the show that was also kidnapped and sold into slavery as she herself was. She mentions they were separated by their captors when the boys were separated from the girls during captivity; she doesn't know what has since happened to him. In the books, Inej doesn't mention any siblings and is implied as being an only child.
Badass Normal: Inej is very skilled with knives and always hits her target dead on the mark; be it the head or heart. She holds her own against an Inferni woman who's full of fiery vengeance and ends up killing her instead. She's also stealthy enough to pull off any heist, even infiltrating the Little Palace, and can hold her own in combat and puts up a nasty fight even without her knives.
Big Damn Heroes: In season 2, she shows up just in time to save Alina from being taken by one of Kirigan's shadow creatures, wielding the only known weapon capable of destroying them.
Braids of Action: Inej typically wears her hair in a single braid and is a highly dangerous spy and combatant.
Classy Cat-Burglar: Though she doesn't steal for her own gain as being a thief is simply her job, she fits the trope in regards to her elegance, agility, and stealth.
Conflicting Loyalty: Inej, who follows the same faith as most Ravkans, is torn between her loyalties to the Crows and her faith in Sankta Alina. She ends up choosing her faith, letting Alina escape despite it ruining their near successful job. This causes tension with the other Crows.
Circus Brat: She owes her athleticism and flexibility to being trained as an acrobat with her family as a child, and fills in for an acrobat on short notice, giving a beautiful performance despite not having performed in years.
Dark and Troubled Past: She and her brother were kidnapped by slavers when she was fourteen and her brother was twelve, being snatched from their parents' wagon by four men and taken from their parents. The two were then separated when the slave traders eventually divided the boys from the girls, resulting in Inej being sold to a brothel and never knowing what happened to her brother. She was forced to work as a Sex Slave at the Menagerie until Kaz bought her to become part of his crew, seeing "one of a kind" skills in her, gradually paying off her indenture. Since she has no way of knowing where her family now is, she's desperate to know what has since become of them, even if it means learning of their deaths just to find closure.
Devious Daggers: Appropriately for a stealthy and acrobatic thief, Inej carries many knives on her person and is shown throwing them with great accuracy.
In-Series Nickname: She's referred to as "The Wraith" (as she also is in the books).
Like Brother and Sister: She has a snarky relationship with Jesper, but they are nevertheless protective of each other and have a familial type of friendship.
Morality Pet: To Kaz, she is the only person he is nice to (or as nice as Kaz can be at least).
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Inej is usually calm and collected, moving through her tasks with a lot of stealth. She also starts off averse to killing others; it is implied she is somewhat new to the life of crime. However, when she encounters a man she suspects of selling her brother into sexual slavery, she is barely talked out of killing him by Kaz. When Polina, one of the Inferni twins, is trying to kill her, she stabs the Grisha woman to slow her down and then advise her on keeping the wound from becoming fatal. Then Polina calls her "Suli Trash" and threatens to come back to kill her and everyone she loves, which prompts Inej to kill her instead.
Sex Slave: She's indentured to the Menagerie, a high-class yet brutal brothel that kidnaps young women and girls and forces them to work as prostitutes (also forcing indentures on them to legally bind them to the brothel and racking up endless "debt" against them to ensure they never earn their freedom). The show treads so lightly over the ugly reality of this that many non-readers didn't pick up on it, leading to some confusion over why Inej is so desperate to escape the place for good, even willing to murder someone to ensure her freedom.
Ship Tease: With Kaz. There's clearly some romantic tension between the two, with Inej also serving as his Morality Pet. Also, Inej, despite being against killing, instantly throws a knife into the back of an Inferni's head to save Kaz's life. When Inej contemplates leaving the group in the season 1 finale, Kaz convinces her to stay by saying he needs her.
Stealth Expert: In "Otkazatsya" during the Kribirsk Archives heist, she's shown walking directly behind a suspicious guard, deftly turning each time he turns so she's always behind him.
Stealth Hi/Bye: She's very good at this, as lampshaded by Jesper when she seemingly disappears into thin air after their conversation. He literally goes, "How did she do that?"
Thou Shall Not Kill: Inej has a no-kill code due to her faith. She eventually breaks it to save Kaz's life, which briefly leaves her catatonic about it, and she's forced to kill again when a revenge-hungry soldier vows to kill everyone she loves and comes close to killing Inej.
Token Religious Teammate: Unlike Kaz (who scorns the concept) and Jesper (who is apathetic to it) Inej is a staunch follower of the Ravkan faith and genuinely comes to believe in Alina. This causes conflict when she lets Alina go once the Crows have her in their custody because she truly believes her to be a Saint meant to save them.
Tragic Keepsake: Inej has a woven necklace of Sankta Lizabet that her mother gave to her, apparently so financially worthless that nobody even bothered to steal it after she was sold into sex slavery. However, as it's the only thing she has left of her past and family, she refuses to take it off.

Jesper

Jesper Fahey

Played by: Kit Young ^{Other languages}

"When there's something you want, better to act without thinking than think without acting."

A member of Kaz's crew, a talented and hedonistic marksman.

Adaptation Dye-Job: He has grey eyes in the book, while in the show he keeps his actor´s natural brown eyes.
Badass Normal: He can take on both skilled Grisha and volcra with quick thinking and excellent skill with guns. Subverted, as the first episode of season 2 reveals him to be a secret Grisha, specifically a Durast, after all.
The Charmer: Often falls back on his natural charisma to get what he wants — though it doesn't always work.
Combat Pragmatist: Jesper's a friendlier guy than Kaz, but he's from the Barrel too. Instead of confronting Ivan, a trained Heartrender, face-to-face, he hides among sheets and attacks with startlingly accurate ricochets.
Cowardly Lion: Jesper spends much of the ride through the Fold cowering and freaking out. Once he clears his mind, however, his impeccable marksmanship surfaces once more and he fends off multiple volcra with nothing but his guns.
The Dandy: Jesper's a charming flirt who cares about fashion and grooming.
Distracted by the Sexy: He's supposed to be looking for an escape, but gets distracted by the cute stable hand, and ends up sleeping with him. He also spares Ivan not once but twice, both times because he can't bring himself to shoot him in his "pretty face".
Guns Akimbo: Jesper sometimes draws out both of his beloved pearl-handled revolvers.
The Gunslinger: A cocky young man who does a lot of artistic Gun Twirling before unloading his Improbable Aiming Skills. He qualifies as The Trick Shot, and with good reason. On various occasions, he's shot a hole in a coin in midair to prove it as a counterfeit, shot the chain off of a sign to distract two guards without them ever seeing his pistol leave its holster, and even shot a card out of Inej's mouth. Plus, in Season 1, Episode 3, he briefly becomes The Vaporizer, killing about a dozen volcra in quick succession who were swarming Arken's train, without missing a single Boom, Headshot!.
Gun Twirling: Does this almost every time he draws or holsters his revolvers.
The Hedonist: Jesper tends to chase his own pleasure, and Kaz has to frequently remind him not to be distracted while on the job. It rarely works.
Hidden Depths: While Jesper often gets distracted, he can be very quick-witted when he makes the effort. Case in point; when Inej accuses him of flirting with a stable hand, he freely admits to it...and then rapidly reveals that he's also been casing the joint and working out which horses to steal when the time comes for their escape.
Improbable Aiming Skills: Jesper is an exceedingly talented marksman. In his Establishing Character Moment he manages to shoot a hole in a coin while it's being tossed in the air; he pulls off many similar feats throughout the show. One particular feat is defeating Ivan by ricocheting multiple shots into the same spot of his bulletproof vest. Season 2 reveals this is due to him being a Durast: a Grisha who can manipulate non-living materials.
Innocently Insensitive: Thinks nothing of complimenting Wylan on his intelligence and skill with chemistry and demolition and genuinely didn't know the latter couldn't read; unfortunately, Wylan sees the compliments as patronizing in light of his illiteracy, and finds Jesper's incredulousness at such mocking.
Like Brother and Sister: With Inej. Though they snark at each other, they are nonetheless protective and encouraging of one another through thick and thin and have a clear sibling-like dynamic.
Quick Draw: Seriously, those guns in his hands are as fast as the bullets they shoot.
Straight Gay: He's a dapper, skilled gunslinger whose sexual orientation is not showcased before it's shown he had sex with a man.
Willfully Weak: Jesper intentionally only uses his Durast abilities to supplement his marksmanship, despite other characters commenting that he could do much more with them in combat. By the end of season two, he's begun using them in combat more openly, thanks to encouragement from a vision of his dead mother and Neyer.
With Friends Like These...: Jesper gambles away the money they need to buy coal for the trip across the Fold, forcing him to steal a lesser amount (which isn't enough to keep the train going to the length they needed), which nearly gets them all killed before his gunslinger skills save the day.
Wouldn't Hurt a Child: The only thing that stopped him from shooting Ivan point-blank in the head was a child being witness to it. Jesper even lampshades this trope during the moment.

Nina

Nina Zenik

Played by: Danielle Galligan^{Other languages}

"Are you afraid that you might start to like me? That's it, isn't it? You don't want to like a Grisha. You're scared that if you laugh at my jokes or answer my questions, you might start to think that I'm human. Would that be so terrible?"

A Heartrender who smuggles Grisha out of the Little Palace. Initially supposed to assist Kaz and company, she is kidnapped by Fjerdan Grisha hunters.

Adaptational Backstory Change: The Nina of the books was Incompletely Trained because she was still a student at the Little Palace, and she partially blames her inexperience for her capture by drüskelle. In the show 'verse she's already an experienced Heartrender in the time period before the Ravkan civil war, answering to Kirigan himself.
Adaptation Dye-Job: Downplayed,has blue eyes intead of green like in the book
Adaptational Personality Change: Subverted. Nina was a proud Heartrender for the Second Army in the books. Here she is a rebel who smuggles young Grisha and their families who don't want to be in the Army out of Ravka, although this is later revealed to merely be her cover story as a spy for General Kirigan.
Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Matthias, though with good reason — he's kidnapped her and is taking her back to his home country to stand trial for witchcraft. Both are equally furious at the attraction.
Big Damn Heroes: Her formal introduction to the the Crows has her using her Heartrender abilities to save Inej, and later Kaz from sticky situations.
Big Eater: Nina loves food. Several of her throwaway lines in Season 2 are her expressing interest in food, and she can frequently be seen snacking on waffles or street food.
Conflicting Loyalty: When Fedyor shows up to bring Nina back, the latter is torn between her newfound friendship/possible romance with Matthias. She ends up choosing to save Matthias' life by not returning to East Ravka with Fedyor, although the decision clearly pains her. By season 2, she's firmly devoting herself to rescuing Matthias even though it displeases Zoya, who points out that Ravka is suffering.
Cunning Linguist: As she tells Matthias, speaking six languages is part of her job. She can speak Fjerdan and Shu almost like natives.
Fights Like a Normal: Or attempts to. Nina relies on her Heartrender abilities in combat, but turns to fisticuffs and improvised weapons when the Druskelle capture her.
Hot Witch: From Matthias' point of view. He was raised to view Grisha as witches, but cannot deny his attraction to her.
How's Your British Accent?: Danielle Galligan puts on an estuary English accent to play Nina and then slips into her native Irish accent when Nina pretends to be Kaelish.
Jedi Mind Trick: Of a sort, though she doesn't meddle with anyone's actual mind. Instead her abilities allow her to speed up or slow down a person's heart rate, which in turn can relax a person, or give them a rush of adrenaline, during which she can coax them into doing her will.
Plucky Girl: Captivity, a shipwreck, survival in the harsh wilderness. Nina marches onward and without pause. She stays spirited even while chained in the hull, matching Matthias's interrogating with taunts.
Shameless Fanservice Girl: If it's in the service of teasing a certain Fjerdan, then yes. She gets more than a little joy out of messing with him while shedding her clothes to dry.
Secret-Keeper: At the end of season 2, it's implied that she's keeping her mouth shut about Mal's "miraculous survival" by Nina and Alina actually being due to Alina using merzost.
The Tease: She's not above using her sexuality to make Matthias squirm. At one point, she openly admits the reason she talks the way she does to him is because it's fun watching him turn red.
Trademark Favorite Food: She describes waffles as her "truest love".

Matthias

Matthias Helvar

Played by: Calahan Skogman ^{Other languages}

"I am a witch hunter and you are a witch. You are my prisoner."

Matthias is a Drüskelle, a highly trained Fjerdan warrior and Grisha hunter, whose fate becomes entwined with Nina's.

Battle Bolas: Like all Drüskelle, he has a bola that he uses (off-screen) to incapacitate Nina. She recognizes it later, hanging from his belt, and realizes that Matthias is the one that took her captive.
Bigot with a Crush: He hunts "witches" for a living, only to find himself falling for Nina, one of his captives.
Character Development: At first a cold, unsympathetic, and misogynistic "witch-hunter", Matthias eventually opens up to Nina and becomes warmer and protective.
Dating Catwoman: From his point-of-view, he's the humorless hunter of evildoers who finds himself reluctantly attracted to the manipulative and sexy villainess, a fact that Nina herself teases him about.
Diving Save: When the ice collapses under Nina's feet he dives across the snow to grab her. There's a moment where she's not sure if he'll pull her up or not, but according to the actor: "by that point, he's already full-on crazy about her."
The Fundamentalist: At least to start with, having been raised in a culture that preaches all Grisha are dangerous witches.
Hypocrite: He captures Nina with the intent to take her back to Fjerda and have her stand trial for witchcraft, with the implicit understanding that no Grisha has ever been found "not guilty". By the end of his storyline, she's turned the tables on him and had him arrested for slaving. He feels angry and betrayed by this, even though Nina (truthfully) insists that she turned him in to spare him from a much worse fate should he have been taken in by the Grisha she was protecting him from.
Lantern Jaw of Justice: Somewhat ironically since it's only from his point of view that he's a heroic figure, bravely capturing dangerous witches to put on trial for their crimes against nature.
"Leave Your Quest" Test: Nina tries to coax him into running away with her to a neutral country. Unfortunately, things don't work out that way.
Pet the Dog: While Nina is being held captive in the hold of the Drüskelle ship, he brings her some food and tells her he doesn't expect anything in return (and given the way he keeps glancing over his shoulder, he's not supposed to be feeding her at all). During the storm, one of his crewmen tells him that if the ship starts to sink, his job is to kill the prisoners — something he obviously recoils at.
Sex Is Evil, and I Am Horny: He's been raised in a traditionalist society in which women are meant to be chaste and modest, and taught to believe Grisha women are evil seductresses that can effortlessly manipulate men with feminine wiles — then claps eyes on Nina Zenik and gets an immediate case of this trope. He deals with it by doubling-down on the Witch Hunter rhetoric about how she's lewd and treacherous, though it's blatantly obvious that all his invectives are born out of a frustrated attraction to her.
Sexy Scandinavian: He's from Fjerda, the Fantasy Counterpart Culture to Scandinavia, which makes him this. Nina is in the middle of informing Matthias that she's not embarrassed by the need for them both to get naked in order to share body heat as Fjerdan men aren't special, they're just like any other type of man... only for her to turn around and be rendered slightly dumbstruck by his shirtlessness.
Sole Survivor: Of the team of Drüskelle that hunt down Grisha in Ravka, he's the only one that survives the shipwreck.
Stay in the Kitchen: He believes Fjerdan women are pious and modest, and that Action Girls like Nina are unnatural and unfeminine.
Straw Misogynist: It is ingrained in him that Fjerdan women are all pious and modest figures who must be protected by men, while Ravkan women (especially Grisha) are all hedonistic temptresses who are trained to fight even though this is unnatural for women. Nina lampshades this, saying that it is impossible for him to speak for all women and it wouldn't take much for a woman to prove him wrong. He eventually comes to see and appreciate Nina's strength.
The Witch Hunter: His job is to hunt Grisha, whom the Fjerdans consider witches.
Uptight Loves Wild: He's humorless and conformist, and promptly falls for the assertive and free-spirited Nina.
You Must Be Cold: After Nina loses her shawl, he silently puts his own massive fur over her.

Nikolai

Sturmhond/Nikolai Lantsov

Played by: Patrick Gibson

"A prince is a songbird in a golden cage. A privateer has freedom to cultivate alliances, develop technologies, gather intelligence."

Initially introduced as a privateer named Sturmhond, Nikolai is revealed to be the second prince of Ravka who cares deeply for its people, and seeks Alina to this end.

A Father to His Men: Nikolai's crew all adore him, and he holds service for fallen crew members.
King Incognito: Introduces himself as a regular privateer named Sturmhond, knowing that Alina wouldn't trust him if she knew he was a prince.
Prince Charming: He's not initially introduced as a prince, but once he's revealed to be one, he turns out to be courteous, regal, good-hearted, and have Ravka's best intentions at heart.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Unlike the rest of the royal family he actively promotes cooperation between Grisha and otkazat'sya, is nothing but accommodating towards Alina, and even takes her at her word that Genya isn't a traitor to the crown even though she killed his father.
Royal Bastard: He's not actually King Pyotr's son, but the product of the Queen's dalliance with a commoner, and he's well aware of this. However, he's not conflicted about it at all, remarking that considering how inbred the Lantsov family is, he's probably better off not sharing their blood.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: He became a privateer because there wasn't anything he could do for Ravka as the Spare to the Throne. Doing so did him the freedom to help directly and cultivate alliances. He also shelters Grisha at his workshop, even though the rest of the country has turned on them.
Spare to the Throne: Nikolai is a much more caring prince than his older brother, but is still startled when Vasily is killed by a nichevo'ya, making Nikolai heir.

Wylan

Wylan Hendricks

Played by: Jack Wolfe

"Well, maybe I'm careful."

A chemistry and explosives expert who formally joins the Crows in season 2.

Demolitions Expert: Uses a pre-industrial revolution expertise of chemistry to create a variety of explosives, including a flashbang strong enough to stun the Darkling. Jesper even calls him the team's demo man at the end of Season 2.
Encyclopaedic Knowledge: Is able to identify a butterfly species and their symbiotic relationship with a specific kind of poisonous flower on sight, which saves the Crows when he realizes the butterflies can be used as the Magic Antidote to an aerosolized form of the poison.
"L" Is for "Dyslexia": Wylan has a brilliant mind, but is handicapped by a condition that leaves him illiterate.
Nice Guy: Well-mannered, polite, and charming, especially in contrast to the flirtatious and snarky Jesper and the aloof Kaz.
Straight Gay: He begins a romantic relationship with Jesper and lacks any traditionally campy mannerisms.
The Smart Guy: Has an extensive knowledge of chemistry and demolitions, as well as general knowledge. Jesper initially doubts his competency as a demo man because most in the Barrel are missing fingers from explosive trial-and-error, but is quickly proven wrong.

Supporting Characters - Ravka

First Army

Mikhael and Dubrov

Played by: Angus Castle-Doughty (Mikhael) and Andy Burse (Dubrov)^{Other languages}

Dubrov: I would've made a killing on you. But he refused to loan me any money.
Mikhael: That's because you're a child in a bigger child's body.

Mal's brothers-in-arms in the First Army.

Fat and Skinny: Dubrov is stockier and Mikhael leaner.
Fatal Family Photo: Or rather a letter from an unidentified "she" (whoever she was, she scented the pages) that Mikhail shares with the other soldiers.
Hidden Depths: When Mal is preparing to desert the army in order to go to Os Alta and find Alina at the Little Palace, his friends waylay him and point out why that's a really bad idea; even the somewhat naïve Dubrov reminds him that he'd be trying to break into a fortress filled with people who could kill him with a clear line of sight. They persuade him to bide his time until he can get a legitimate invitation to Os Alta.
Sidekick: They're both this to Mal as he leads the charge in their quest.
Those Two Guys: They're never seen apart and share screentime. Their role is to follow Mal around and back him up with quippy remarks.
True Companions: With Mal. They stick by him through the thick and thin of their stag-tracking journey and die for it.

Zlatan

General Zlatan

Played by: Tom Weston-Jones

A general stationed in Novokribirsk, west of the Fold.

Canon Foreigner: He, along with the rest of the West Ravka secession plot, is a show-only invention.
The Starscream: He's one of the First Army leaders but aims to betray his king and country to form a new one with him at the helm.

Dominik

Dominik Vertov

Played by: Louis Boyer

A commander in the First Army and an old friend of Nikolai.

Ascended Extra: In both book and show Dominik is a childhood friend of Nikolai's who dies tragically, but in the books he is already dead when Nikolai is introduced. In the show he gets to be a minor character who helps with the war effort before dying.
Childhood Friends: He used to be the Lantsov's whipping boy as a child, but he and Nikolai eventually became very close.
Mauve Shirt: Dominik is introduced in the back half of season 2 and given a best-friend relationship with Nikolai only to become a casualty of the fight against Kirigan's grisha.
Undying Loyalty: Dominik is strongly loyal to Nikolai and throws his full weight behind Nikolai in the clash against Kirigan, even dying in the process.

Second Army

Zoya

Zoya Nazyalensky

Played by: Sujaya Dasgupta^{Other languages}

"Saints become martyrs before they get to be heroes."

A proud Squaller.

Action Girl: While not to the same degree as Inej, Zoya can keep up in a fight and has combat training in addition to her Squaller abilities.
Adaptation Dye-Job:Has brown eyes here while in the book they were blue
Adaptational Jerkass: While she and Alina also got off on the wrong foot in the books, here, Zoya shows an additional level of explicit racism as she derides Alina for being half Shu and also makes a negative comment about Inej being Suli. (This is noted as ironic by some fans given that, in the books, Zoya is mixed race - specifically with Suli.)
Adaptational Personality Change: Zoya is less sarcastic and abrasive than in the books, and has a more pronounced romantic rivalry with Alina. We see her get rejected twice, whereas she is pretty much universally desired in the books. Book Zoya's fling with Mal is mutual, and her interest in the Darkling is never sexual/romantic.
Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: The show strongly hints that Kirigan and Zoya have been lovers in the past. No such subtext existed in the books.
Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Her hair's black, her beauty acknowledged, and her self-confidence immense. She's aloof not only to Alina but her other fellow Grisha also.
Blow You Away: As a Squaller, she can manipulate air and wind.
Ethical Slut: Although a bit of an Alpha Bitch, she has an open-minded attitude on the subject of sex, casually inviting Mal to have a one-night fling with her before they headed through the Shadow Fold the following day.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Or aunts, in Zoya's case. While not necessarily a bad guy, she's something of a jerk who braves the dangerous Fold to simply visit her family in Novokribirsk. When Kirigan puts them in danger and has possibly killed them with his Fold, this is what makes her turn on him as she's immediately horrified at the possible loss.
Even the Girls Want Her: Nadia expresses an attraction to her.
Green-Eyed Monster: She used to be Kirigan's favorite and wants his attention, and gets angry with Alina for taking her place as his favorite - even though it was never her intention.
Heel–Face Turn: Zoya is initially loyal to Kirigan, but turns on him when Kirigan expands the Fold and destroys Novosibirsk, where she has family she dearly loves. She then helps the other main characters defeat him and the Grisha loyal to him.
Proud Beauty: She's stunning and she knows it.
Sex for Solace: Offers sex to Mal in order to calm her nerves before crossing the Fold, and later offers to comfort Kirigan after Alina flees. Both men refuse her.
Weather Manipulation: With her Squaller powers, she can manipulate the winds.

Ivan

Played by: Simon Sears^{Other languages}

"Do you know why the Little Palace has walls in the first place, hmm? Because for years, being Grisha was a death sentence. At least now, thanks to General Kirigan, we're protected. Feared. And that's how we survive. Not by being overlooked, but by making them look and knowing you're powerful."

A Corporalnik Heartrender, and one of General Kirigan's Oprichniki or personal guard.

Dies Differently in Adaptation: Ivan dies fairly early in the second book during a battle at sea, while in the first season finale Jesper shoots him several times, enough to knock him off the skiff and potentially into the waiting jaws of the volcra — though we never actually see his fate.
Gleeful and Grumpy Pairing: Grumpy to Fedyor's gleeful.
Not So Stoic: He cracks a rare smile during the Winter Fete when Fedyor gets him to sample one of the delicacies being served.
Perpetual Frowner: Dour, serious, and largely unsmiling. He is the moodiest Grisha in his interactions with Alina, publicly berating her at one point for not working harder to destroy the Fold.
Smug Super: Aside from his demeanor, Ivan is very proud of his Heartrender abilities. He's rather carless while chasing after Jesper, boasting about his bulletproof kefta and sensing his heartbeat and even inviting Jesper to challenge him. Jesper however beats him not only once, but twice in the first season.
The Stoic: In contrast to Fedyor's cheery disposition, Ivan is stern and ruthless.
Uncertain Doom: During the battle in the Fold in "No Mourners", Jesper shoots Ivan several times and blows him off the skiff, but crucially notes that he didn't shoot him in the head. Since Ivan was wearing a bullet proof kefta he might well have survived Jesper's attack, only to be seized upon by the volcra; there's no sign of him when Kirigan emerges from the fold at the very end of the episode.
Undying Loyalty: To Kirigan, as one of his staunchest enforcers. Ivan is among many Grisha who credit Kirigan for their advancement and protections.
Wouldn't Hurt a Child: When he comes across a small boy in the linen factory while pursuing Jesper, he cautions the child to be quiet and puts him to sleep before resuming his hunt.

Fedyor

Fedyor Kaminsky

Played by: Julian Kostov^{Other languages}

"You are hope for the country, yes, but a myth come true for a Grisha. It was a Grisha who created the Fold. If a Grisha destroys it, maybe... maybe we wouldn't need those high walls to protect us anymore."

A Corporalnik Heartrender.

Beware the Nice Ones: Fedyor is friendlier with others than his partner Ivan, and smiles a lot more than the other Grisha. But he's also a deadly Heartrender who can manipulate your heart and veins and possibly kill you; he's eager to kill Matthias for abducting Nina.
Father to His Men: Implied when it comes to junior Corporalki. He's adamant about bringing Nina's captors to justice and seeing her safely returned.
Gleeful and Grumpy Pairing: Gleeful to Ivan's grumpy.
Nice Guy: He is immediately kind to Alina and more patient of her reluctance to accept her newfound role.
Perpetual Smiler: Unless there's trouble brewing, it's rare to see him in a bad mood.
Unexplained Accent: Actor Julian Kostov is Bulgarian, and Fedyor is one of the only Ravkan characters to actually have a Slavic accent (and it is not as thick in real life).

Fruzsi

Played by: Rachel Redford

A Tidemaker that Kirigan entrusts to watch over Morozova's journal and his imprisoned mother.

Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Pale with dark hair. It adds to her creepy appearance. She's obsessively loyal to Kirigan and Baghra calls her "deranged."
Fingore: During the final battle, Jesper uses the buttons on his jacket to sever her fingers, disabling her powers.
Number Two: She's basically second-in-command at Kirigan's Grisha sanctuary as most of his old team has either died, disappeared, or deserted.
Undying Loyalty: She remained loyal to the mission Kirigan gave her, even after he appeared to die in Season 1, because she was confident he survived. She speaks to him almost worshipfully.

Vladim

Played by: Shobhit Piasa

An Alkemi who becomes one of Kirigan's right hands in the second season.

Suspiciously Similar Substitute: David spends the beginning of season 2 either missing or having deserted Kirigan, so Vladim takes over as Kirigan's right-hand Fabrikator.

Os Alta

Marie

Played by: Jasmine Blackborow^{Other languages}

"I panicked! Nobody's ever asked to spend time with me before."

A Grisha student at the Little Palace who is quick to befriend Alina.

Dies Differently in Adaptation: Marie is killed earlier on by Arken when he infiltrates the palace when she serves as a Body Double for Alina. She dies in the second book during the Darkling's attack on Os Alta.
Nice Girl: Marie is cheery, upbeat, and immediately welcoming to Alina.
Playing with Fire: While she never gets the chance to show it, Marie is an Inferni.
Red Shirt: Her screentime mostly consists of admiring Alina because of her powers and giggling with her about boys. She's killed off midway into the series when it's revealed she was a Body Double for Alina.

Nadia

Nadia Zhabin

Nadia as she appears in season 2

Played by: Gabrielle Brooks (Season 1), Joanna McGibbon (Season 2)

A Grisha student at the Little Palace who is quick to befriend Alina.

Ascended Extra: Nadia goes from one of Alina's hangers-on in season 1 to a prominent supporting character in season 2, as one of the people on the frontlines of Nikolai's group.
Blow You Away: Nadia is a Squaller, and her ability to control the winds comes in handy while fighting creatures made of shadow.
Nice Girl: Nadia is cheery, upbeat, and immediately welcoming to Alina.
Race Lift: Nadia is described in the books as being a pale, freckled blonde. She is black in the show.
Twofer Token Minority: In season 1, Nadia is one of the few black Grisha seen and her narrative purpose is "be Alina's friend". Judging by a comment she makes about Zoya, she is also into women. No longer the case in season 2, which introduces her brother and potential romance with Tamar.

Genya

Genya Safin

Played by: Daisy Head ^{Other languages}

"I'm almost as rare as you. Though I'd hardly say saving the queen from sagging tits makes me as important as you."

A Tailor in service to the royal family. She befriends Alina when the latter arrives in court.

Break the Cutie: Genya begins the story as a pretty young woman trapped in a Gilded Cage. In season 2, she is tortured by the First Army, harassed by her rescuer Kirigan, and mauled and scarred by Kirigan's nichevo'ya when she attempts to escape. When she arrives at the rebel camp she is ostracized for her role in the king's death and protected only by the words of Alina and Nikolai. Finally, her beloved David dies.
False Friend: Alina accuses her of being this. Genya had been friendly to her, but had also been intercepting her letters to Mal and spying on her for Kirigan. Genya attempts to justify her position as someone who was essentially enslaved since childhood (and is heavily implied to be abused by the King on a routine nightly basis). Alina initially has none of it, but recognizes Genya's rather tragic position when she confronts Kirigan and learns how he treats his pawns.
Fights Like a Normal: She's Grisha, but briefly shows off hand-to-hand combat against Arken after he kills Marie. Only a bullet to the kefta hinders her.
Healing Hands: She's a Tailor as opposed to a Healer but she can still use her abilites to do some basic healing, making her the Closest Thing We Got for Nikolai's group.
Makeover Fairy: Her job. She's a Tailor who specializes in making people temporarily more beautiful and shows up whenever Alina needs beautifying (and given her new status as a public figure, this is often).
Ninja Maid: Genya might be kept around by the royal family as a glorified servant, but when she's attacked by Arken, she manages to put up a decent fight and is clearly trained in combat.
Pet the Dog: She is quick to undo her Tailoring on Marie so the poor girl can die with her own face.
Proper Lady: Having resided at the court since she was eleven, she's well-mannered and refined.
Rape and Revenge: Implied. She has suffered years of sexual abuse at the hands of the king and doesn't deny her involvement when Alina questions if Genya has something to do with the king's mysterious illness. Confirmed in Season 2.
Selective Obliviousness: She's loyal to Kirigan even though, as Alina points out, he was the one who "gifted" her to the King in the first place. In season 2, she completely turns against him.
Twice Shy: With David. The usually composed Tailor is rendered bashful when he's around.
Two-Faced: Genya is mauled and scarred by Kirigan's merzost in season 2, leaving her blind in one eye and with permanent, prominent dark scars along half of her face. It's ironic since she had taken pride in her looks and had powers relating to changing appearances. She destroys his workshop after she finds out, and does her best to avoid David seeing her face when they reunite.

Baghra

Played by: Zoë Wanamaker^{Other languages}

"I taught you so you could protect yourself. Not them. I told you as much, but you are so stubborn. You wouldn't listen. Maybe you will now."

A teacher at the Little Palace and Kirigan's mother.

Abled in the Adaptation: In the books, Baghra is blinded by her son, as punishment for helping Alina escape him. In the show, she keeps her eyesight, and instead has one of her fingers forcibly amputated.
Adaptation Dye-Job: The novel describes her as having black hair, like her son. She is blonde in the adaptation.
Adaptational Villainy: When word reaches Kirigan of Morozova's Stag, Baghra's so desperate to thwart his plans for the Shadow Fold that she orders the deaths of the soldiers who brought the news, before they can reveal the stag's location — Mal only survived due to sheer luck. While her motivations are similar in the books, she doesn't resort to that.
Brutal Honesty: Baghra does not mince words with Alina, not while bringing out her Sun Summoner powers, and not when she explains to the girl just how Kirigan has been manipulating her.
Casting a Shadow: Like her son, she can manipulate shadows.
Good Is Not Nice: Baghra is stern, cold and borderline abusive to Alina while training her, but she has a strong sense of right and wrong. As soon as she discovers that Kirigan might learn the Stag's location, she does everything she can to thwart him and get Alina out of the Little Palace.
Heel–Face Turn: Baghra is implied to have committed several atrocities in the past, but has forsworn her old way of thinking and now solely wants to help Alina destroy the fold and defeat her son.
Heroic Sacrifice: She sacrifices herself to sever Kirigan's psychic link with Alina, taking down Morozova's workshop with her.
Really 700 Years Old: Again like her son, Baghra is immortal and has been around for many centuries.
Stern Teacher: Primarily to Alina, who begins to learn the finer points of her Light 'em Up powers after many insults and hits from Baghra. Marie and Nadia reveal to Alina that Baghra unleashed entire beehives on them during their training in order to trigger their self-defense instincts. It worked, much to their frustration.

The Apparat

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/apparat.png

Played by: Kevin Eldon

"Because there is something far greater than armies, something strong enough to topple kings and generals, to crumble nations and birth empires. Faith, Alina."

The King's spiritual adviser.

Demoted to Extra: He's an important supporting character in season 1, but appears in only two scenes at the very end of season 2.
The Friend Nobody Likes: He's powerful, influential, knowledgable and generally a valuable ally to have, but it's made abundantly clear that he has no friends at court. Most people avoid him as best they can due to his creepiness, and the ones who deal with him do so out of necessity.
High Priest: Spiritual adviser to the king and something of a religious leader.
Mr. Exposition: He's the one who informs Alina about the Bonesmith and of amplifiers, which become important throughout the show.
No Historical Figures Were Harmed: As the creepy religious advisor to the King in a Tsarist Russia-inspired fantasy who is treated with suspicion, he's clearly inspired by Grigori Rasputin.
Treacherous Advisor: He's more loyal to Kirigan than to his king. When the latter is neutralized (along with the queen) by the former near the end of Season One, the Apparat takes over ruling Ravka as Kirigan's puppet.

David

David Kostyk

Played by: Luke Pasqualino^{Other languages}

"I know there's a lot of things that I don't understand, but I know metal."

A Durast in service to Kirigan.

Adaptational Attractiveness: He's described in the book as reedy and nebbish. Luke Pasqualino is clearly neither of those things, making David more Cute than nerdy.
Beware the Silly Ones: He's very awkward, but he's also able to track Alina via his powers when Kirigan and his other lackeys are left stumped, and he's the one who works out how to give Kirigan control of Alina's power via the antler collar.
Boring, but Practical: David's Durast powers aren't anywhere near as visually impressive as those of Kirigan, Zoya or even Ivan, but his ability to focus on certain types of metal proves far more useful in the long run when it comes to tracking down Alina.
Endearingly Dorky: David's awkwardness helps him catch Genya's eye, something Alina's all too happy to tease her about.
Everyone Has Standards: He reluctantly stays by Kirigan's side as the latter careens into villainy by tormenting Alina and expanding the fold in the back half of season 1, and returns to him early in season 2, but Kirigan's treatment of Baghra finally catalyzes his defection to Alina.
Gadgeteer Genius: He invented the blue lights that skiffs use to navigate the Fold. He also creates a pair of gloves that help Alina control her powers, though she ends up not needing them. He also creates a device that allows General Kirigan to control Alina's powers.
Heart Is an Awesome Power: Durasts, specializing in the manipulation of metal and other solid materials, aren't particular useful in battle. However, he's able to track Alina based on her ring made of iridium, a metal not native to Ravka.
Messy Hair: His appearance is disheveled.
My God, What Have I Done?: He reluctantly goes along with Kirigan's plan to collar Alina and control her power, but he's clearly unhappy about it and hates what he's doing.
Nerds Are Sexy: He's a Gadgeteer Genius handsome enough to catch Genya's eye.
Non-Action Guy: Waits in the carriage and reads while his companions go on a mission to capture the Crows.
Ship Tease: At the fete, he's seen looking at Genya when she herself isn't looking.
The Smart Guy: As a Durast, he is an inventive type among the Grisha, with all the knowledge and social awkwardness that might entail.
Twice Shy: With Genya. He's socially awkward, she's tongue-tied in his presence.
Uncertain Doom: Near the end of Season 2, David pulls a Heroic Sacrifice to protect Genya from one of Kirigan's shadow monsters. This could be a case of Dies Differently in Adaptation, but we are never actually shown his body, only blood splatter on a wall.

Adrik

Adrik Zhabin

Played by: Alistair Nwachukwu

Brother of Nadia.

An Arm and a Leg: His arm is badly mangled by a nichevo'ya, necessitating its amputation. He is later outfitted with a Durast-crafted prosthetic.
Brother–Sister Team: He and Nadia are both Squallers who fight together against Kirigan's creatures.

Royal Family

Pyotr

Pyotr Lantsov

Played by: David Verrey

"I must confess, I am not bored."

The King of Ravka.

Adaptation Name Change: The King of Ravka is named Pyotr in the series, but was named Alexander III in the books. This keeps the One-Steve Limit for him and Kirigan/Aleksander.
Adipose Rex: An ineffectual king who is on the pudgier side and sits the throne with a distinctive slouch.
King on His Deathbed: Late in the first season he succumbs to poisoning by Genya, but stays alive long enough for the Apparat to take over the country in his stead.

Tatiana

Tatiana Lantsov

Played by: Georgia Reece

The Queen of Ravka.

Named by the Adaptation: In the books, the Queen of Ravka was unnamed. In the series, she's named Tatiana.
Nice to the Waiter: Nikolai calls her out for her dismissive treatment of Genya as just a servant, telling her that as the Queen she has a duty to care for all her subjects.
Plastic Bitch: Magic variation. Tatiana is a largely oblivious queen and Genya, a rare Grisha with the power to alter appearances, is 'owned' by the royal family. Genya laments her talents being used mainly to do things like fix the Queen's "sagging tits".

Vasily

Vasily Lantsov

Played by: George Parker (Season 1), Edward Davis (Season 2)

"Odds are some Grisha are good people."

The older son and heir of the King.

Half the Man He Used to Be: A nichevo'ya rips him horizontally in two.
Laser-Guided Karma: He invited far too many people to Alina and Nikolai's engagement party knowing full well that the royal family is on the run. He is promptly killed by the Darkling, who has found their location, with his shadow monsters.
The Wrongful Heir to the Throne: Alina mentions that the Prince is an incompetent sleaze, and that his younger brother would make a far better king.

Sturmhond's Crew

Tolya

Tolya Yul-Bataar

Played by: Lewis Tan

"Tend not to your ghosts and they will come back hungry. Want a piece?"

A mercenary and a member of Sturmhond's crew alongside his sister Tamar.

Cultured Badass: Deadly with his shortswords, but also prone to embarrassingly reciting poetry. Everybody (except Kaz) makes fun of him for it.
Dual Wielding: He uses two shortswords in combat.
Fights Like a Normal: He defaults to his swords and hand-to-hand combat skills in a fight. But he's also a Heartrender, and can use his control over bodies to support himself and allies, or get out of sticky situations (such as slowing the effects of a poisonous gas).
Shipper on Deck: He gets rather invested in Wylan and Jesper's relationship drama in season 2, and is happy for them when they sort it out.

Tamar

Tamar Kir-Bataar

Played by: Anna Leong Brophy

"Grisha are born, not made."

A mercenary and a member of Sturmhond's crew alongside her brother Tolya.

Boyish Short Hair: She keeps her dark hair cropped short, befitting her privateer job and preference for martial combat.
Butch Lesbian: A tough female mercenary fighter who's also into other women, with short hair and masculine garb (though admittedly most straight women warriors have similar clothes on the show).
Dual Wielding: She fights using two axes along with her magic.
Fights Like a Normal: Like Tolya, she's a Heartrender and occasionally uses these abilities to support herself and allies in combat, but she defaults to her axes and hand-to-hand combat instead of these powers in a fight.
I Call It "Vera": Tamar refers to the two axes she wields as her "girls".

Supporting Characters - Other Nations

Affiliates of the Crows

The Conductor

The Conductor/Arken Visser

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/conductor_0.png

Played by: Howard Charles ^{Other languages}

A smuggler who is capable of traversing the Fold. The Crows recruit him for the Alina Starkov job.

Canon Foreigner: He was created for the show.
Cool Train: He's the owner of a train that can cross the Fold more or less safely through the brilliance of engineering. Usually, crossing the Fold requires multiple skilled Grisha and several casualties.
Evil All Along: Inej is sent to assassinate Arken having been falsely told he's involved Human Trafficking, but it turns out he runs an Underground Railroad to help smuggle Grisha out of the Little Palace and across the Fold. However he shows his true colors when he double-crosses the Crows and tries to assassinate Alina because Zlatan bought him out for even more of a payout.
Gadgeteer Genius: Uses his scientific expertise to provide the Crows with tools they need, including lubricant to sabotage an acrobat so Inej can replace her and a lodestone to pick a special lock only Grisha are able to open.
Not Me This Time: During his interrogation by Kirigan, when he's accused of having something to do with Nina's disappearance, he flatly denies it.
Self-Harm: Arken has numerous scars on his wrist for each time he's crossed the Fold. He admits doing so can take a toll on your sanity.
Too Dumb to Live: He tries to make a deal with Kirigan to assassinate General Zlatan — after he's just admitted that Zlatan hired him to assassinate Alina. A furious Kirigan promptly smothers him with his shadows.
Venturous Smuggler: As noted, he's one of a handful of people who have managed to exploit the Fold: he smuggles people across it.

Milo

Milo the Goat

Played by: Beugri and Ugri

A goat the Conductor insists on needing for crossing the Fold.

Bait-and-Switch: Literally; the other characters (and the audience) originally assume the Conductor brought the goat as bait to throw to the volcra, but it's one of the many ways he willingly allows them to remain misconceived until the time is right.
Chekhov's Gun: As Jesper tearfully parts ways with him, he ties a bullet around Milo's neck as a way for the goat to "remember" him. Mal later snags it from Milo so he can break free of his chain when he's locked up.
Ridiculously Cute Critter: A young goat that looks adorable even in Kaz Brekker's hands. Once Jesper starts holding him, he quickly takes a liking to him and even names him "Milo."
Security Blanket: At first, it seems that the Conductor only brought the goat along as The Bait in case the volcra attack their train, though Jesper furiously protests throwing him out. But the Conductor clarifies that he wants Jesper to hold the goat; he had them purchase the goat as a comfort animal to calm the nerves.

Jordie

Jordan "Jordie" Rietveld

Played by: Tommy Rodger

Kaz' deceased older brother.

Cynicism Catalyst: Jordie's death turned his younger brother Kaz from a naive little boy into the ruthless budding crime lord he is now, since he is now driven by revenge.
Posthumous Character: The audience learns about him primarily through Kaz remembering how he died.

Enemies of the Crows

Pekka Rollins

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pekka.png

Played by: Dean Lennox Kelly

"A real boss knows how to inspire loyalty in his people."

The leader of a gang in Ketterdam.

Arc Villain: The antagonist for the Crows' subplot in season 2 as they go to war with him for control of Ketterdam's underworld, though he's still operating on a much smaller scale than that of the Darkling and is dethroned halfway through.
But for Me, It Was Tuesday: He and Kaz have apparently met before, but Rollins doesn't remember him — which is fortunate for Kaz, since he's certain Rollins would kill him if he did recall him.
The Don: He's the most powerful mob boss of Ketterdam, and able to pay off the Stadwatch (Ketterdam's version of the police department).
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He's a ruthless crime boss, but he folds completely when Kaz implies that his young son is about to die.
Faux Affably Evil: Despite some of the heinous things he says and does, he's always polite and soft-spoken.
Smug Snake: He spends so much time intimidating, shaking down and eventually killing the owner of the Orchid, all to satisfy his own ego, that he fails to secure what he really wanted — Milana the Heartrender, who is spirited away by Kaz and the Crows.

Tante Heleen

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/heleen.png

Played by: Deirdre Mullins ^{Other languages}

The owner of The Menagerie, a prominent brothel in Ketterdam — and also the owner of Inej's indenture.

Bad Boss: She takes various steps to make sure Kaz can't easily buy out Inej's indenture (the Crow Club was the only thing that equaled in value). Her "employees" are actually enslaved children who were abducted and will likely never be able to pay off their contracts and buy their freedom because she tacks on additional "charges" however she likes and sets said charges at very high amounts. And she makes the Menagerie a very dangerous place to work, either due to her own treatment of her "employees" or her not being too discerning in her clientele; Inej is experienced in treating her own knife wound due to her time there.
Manipulative Bastard: She knows Kaz needs Inej for a job in East Ravka, so she tricks Inej into nearly killing the one person who can get the Crows across the Fold in time. How does she do that? By telling her that if she kills the man then she'll consider Inej's contract paid off and she'll be free again.
Killed Offscreen: She's murdered at Pekka's behest in between seasons.
Smug Smiler: She constantly has a shit-eating smirk on her face, particularly when Inej (who understandably hates her) has to visit her.

Shu Han

"The Disciple"

Ohval Saran

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/neyar.png

Played by: Tuyen Do

"But when you allow yourself to be blindsided by love... two worlds make a universe."

A legendary thief and owner of the legendary Neshyenyer blade.

Actually, I Am Him: Subverted. The crows figure that the Disciple's fence that they meet, Ohval Saran, is the Disciple, but they're separate people after all: the Disciple is her retired husband, while she is the centuries-old Sankta Neyar.
Combat Pragmatist: Not only is she a skilled martial artist, she's also a Durast par excellence who has no qualms destroying her opponents' weapons. When she warps his gun, Jesper complains that it's unfair.
Consummate Liar: She told multiple straight-faced lies to the Crows to throw them off the trail of the Neshyenyer. Though they are smart enough to realize that she was lying, Nina notes that her heartbeat didn't falter once.
Extra-ore-dinary: She utilizes her Durast abilities in combat by controlling her opponents' metal bullets and thrown weapons, as well as throwing hairpins and chains from her person.
Lady of War: An unflappable martial artist and Grisha who doesn't bat an eye taking on a group of strong fighters in a traditional Shu Han gown no less.
Mayfly–December Romance: She's around 400 years old and is on the cusp of outliving her now-elderly husband.
Mirror Character: While she gives her monologue about inevitably outliving your loved ones due to being immortal and being able to love healthily despite that, the episode briefly cuts to Kirigan, who is decidedly not doing that.
Really 700 Years Old: She's a centuries-old Saint, despite not looking differently from any other lady in Shu Han.
Super-Reflexes: She's so attuned to combat that she can sense and react to Inej, a nigh-imperceptible and stealthy assassin.

Characters / Shadow and Bone

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