The Mystic Knights:
Rohan, Mystic Knight of Fire (Lochlann O'Mearain)
An orphan raised as Cathbad's apprentice before learning he was the long-awaited Chosen One Draganta, making him the leader by default. He is the only one who can control Pyre, the Dragon of Dare, whom he summons with the Dragon's Breath Dagger. Rohan revealed in one episode his heart's desire is to know who and where his real family is. Be Careful What You Wish For...
- Element: Fire
- Mystic Weapon: The Sword of Kells, a sword that shoots flames
- Big Good: Once he's revealed to be Draganta. It gets deconstructed at times, as the other Knights are miffed about being overshadowed and Rohan feels the pressure of fulfilling his destiny.
- Birthmark of Destiny: The Mark of Destiny, which is on his arm. Cathbad suspected it meant big things for him, although only having an incomplete scroll meant he didn't want to push it. Rohan learning what the birthmark could mean results in the team coming together and his destiny as Draganta. Much later, it is revealed to be a family trait, as Lugad and Maeve also have it.
- Cain and Abel: After a couple fights, Rohan learns that Lugad is his brother. He can't believe it, but he genuinely tries to appeal to Lugad and refuses to fight him no matter the risk. He ends up getting through to Lugad, though it takes some time.
- The Chains of Commanding: The pressure of leading the team and having to achieve the destiny of Draganta sometimes takes a toll on him. He was actually quite unhappy to learn he was Draganta.Rohan: How can I lead?
- Determinator
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Choleric (fire).
- Hidden Backup Prince: Since he's Maeve's son after all.
- Law of Chromatic Superiority: His "Battle Fury" armor.
- Parental Abandonment: Was an orphan living on the streets before being taken in by Cathbad. Towards the end of the series, it's revealed his mother is Maeve, though the identity of his father remains unknown.
- Playing with Fire
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Though of course he doesn't realize he is this until near the end of the series.
- Standardized Leader: He tends to be the Only Sane Man in contrast to the others' quirks and foibles. Lampshaded when he learns he's Draganta. Everyone just can't believe it, saying they expected the legendary figure to be far more impressive and awe-inspiring. Rohan also questions his ability to achieve such a lofty destiny. He ultimately realizes that he's capable of leading the Mystic Knights and that ultimately victory will be a group effort, not just one guy with a destiny.
- This Cannot Be!: His stunned reaction to learning that he is Draganta. He gets a couple other notable examples when he learns Lugad is his half-brother and, to his horror, Maeve is his mother.
- Took a Level in Badass: The Battle Fury armor allowed him to fight off Lugad, who was previously able to overcome all the Knights at once.
- Warrior Prince
Angus, Mystic Knight of Earth (Vincent Walsh)
Rohan's best friend and roommate. The two grew up on the streets together, and Angus was — and still is — the troublemaker. Rohan trusts him unquestionably (the power of their friendship was once enough to free Rohan from a spell), despite his reputation as The Trickster and pickpocket. His skills in that area frequently come in handy.
- Element: Earth
- Mystic Weapon: Terra Mace, a mace that shoots large boulders and creates earthquakes
- Butt-Monkey: If someone is going to suffer a comedic pratfall or some other misfortune, odds are it's going to be Angus.
- Dishing Out Dirt
- The Everyman: Especially since he turns out to be the only one of the knights not to be royalty in any way.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Melancholic (earth).
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Rohan.
- The Lancer
- Lovable Rogue: He'd like to think so; in reality, not so much.
- Plucky Comic Relief: Always has a joke, or is the butt of one.
- Reformed Criminal
- Toxic Friend Influence: Cathbad thinks Angus is this to Rohan. He might have a point at times.
Deirdre, Mystic Knight of Air (Lisa Dwan)
The Rebellious Princess of Kells, who finds herself a habitual blackmail tool. In the finale, it took all of one minute for Maeve to grab her and the knights to sulkily abandon their weapons as if it had become routine, which it had. Fortunately, no one in her world seemed to notice, any more than they were bothered by her tendency to pull rank whenever she wanted to get her way. ("That's a royal command.")
- Element: Air
- Mystic Weapon: Whirlwind Crossbow, a crossbow that shoots strong blasts of air
- Blow You Away
- Cute Bruiser
- Fiery Redhead: She can get even more choleric than Rohan.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Sanguine (air).
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Compared to the rest of The Team, she's rather short.
- Lady Legionnaire Wear
- Lady of War
- Mini Dress Of Power: She wears an armored version when she transforms.
- Nude-Colored Clothes: She is wearing a pair of skin-toned leggings under her skirt when transformed for obvious reasons. Her action figure, on the other hand...
- What makes this notable is that, in civilian garb, she was bare legged, despite wearing an equally revealing skirt.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something
- The Smurfette Principle: Within the Knights.
Ivar, Mystic Knight of Water (Justin Pierre)
A prince who was passing through Kells on the hunt for a thief who stole a priceless chalice from his kingdom. He eventually learned that very chalice was located in Maeve's throne room, since it was Midar's portal between Earth and the Dark Fairy Realm. His dedication to retrieving the chalice almost matched his uncanny ability to track anything and everything.
- Element: Water
- Mystic Weapon: Barbed Trident, a trident that shoots streams of blue electricity.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Phlegmatic (water).
- It's Personal: Retrieving the chalice. It gets even more personal when he learns it was Torc who stole it.
- Making a Splash
- Not So Above It All: He's usually stoic and reserved in group settings, but he very much enjoys a good fight. He was also more boastful before befriending the others.
- The Quiet One
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Like Deirdre he comes from a royal family. Unlike Deirdre, he had to travel to another country in order to retrieve a magical item taken from his people. Now that's dedicated royalty.
- The Smart Guy
- The Stoic
- Token Minority
- Wise Beyond Their Years
Garrett, Mystic Knight of the Forest (Ben Palmer)
A Sixth Ranger who came to Kells to carry out his betrothal to Deirdre, who instantly shot him down due to his initial severe superiority complex. After a period of fighting the team after being Brainwashed by Maeve, Cathbad realized he was destined to be the fifth Mystic Knight. Deirdre firmly refused to go through with the marriage, but she tolerated him as a teammate, even giving him a kiss good-bye when he left almost as quickly as he came to escort a stranded princess home.
- Element: Forest
- Mystic Weapon: Twin Timber Axes, which are supposedly "sharp enough to slice a stone in half," but were usually used to shoot energy blasts.
- Brainwashed and Crazy
- Evil Is Hammy: As an evil knight.
- Evil Laugh: Had one when he was evil.
- Green Thumb
- Heel–Face Turn
- Put on a Bus: But when The Bus Came Back, he brought back A Mech By Any Other Name.
- Rival Turned Evil
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Garrett is prince of the kingdom Reged, an ally of Kells. His marriage to Deirdre was supposed to unite the two kingdoms.
- Superpowered Evil Side: At first, but Maeve's influence gradually wanes until he's finally freed completely and can utilize his powers for good.
Other characters:
King Conchobar
The ruler of Kells and father of Deirdre.
- The Good King
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Normally a very reserved and even-handed ruler. In the immediate aftermath of Torc's betrayal, though, Conchobar was so angry that he actively tried to kill him during their duel. He even went for the head, while Torc was dazed from a nasty tumble.
- Reasonable Authority Figure
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: When Kells castle is attacked, he sometimes fights with the soldiers in battle.
Cathbad
The druid of Kells.
- Cool Old Guy
- Character Narrator: Later on in the series, Cathbad began to narrate exposition they didn't have to film, or the beginning of episodes to catch people up to the story.
- Druid
- Parental Substitute: To Rohan.
- Wizard Classic
Fin Varra
The fairy king of Tir Na Nog who gave the Mystic Knights their weapons and armor. They frequently came to him for help but more often than not heard Figure It Out Yourself, in riddle form.
- Aloof Ally: At first, so much so in fact that he made the knights take a Test Of Character before he agreed to help.
- The Fair Folk: Their king.
- The Mentor
Aideen
A Ninja Butterfly (no, seriously) who followed the Knights around, serving as a messenger and spy. She had a crush on Rohan that occasionally caused her to do foolish things, like having Maeve turn her human or accidentally turning Deirdre to stone.
- Expy: Of Tinker Bell.
- Fairy Companion: Who'd prefer to be The Hero rather than a Side Kick.
- Our Fairies Are Different
Pyre, Dragon of Dare
A red dragon who aids the knights in battle when they summon him with their daggers.
- Defeat Means Friendship: How he had to be obtained
- Draconic Humanoid: A large example.
- Our Dragons Are Different
- Sealed Good in a Can: The spell used to free Tyrune transferred the chains to Pyre and left him trapped in his cave for a bit.
- Undying Loyalty: To Rohan. This becomes a problem in one episode when Rohan is abducted by Tyrune, and Angus needs to convince Pyre to listen to him instead.
Villains:
Maeve
Maeve is the queen of Temra. She believes that being the ruler of Kells is her birthright, so she recruits the help of the dark fairy Mider.
- Bad Boss
- Big Bad: Of the first season.
- Birthmark of Destiny: Revealing she has the very same Mark of Destiny on her arm is how she proves that she is Rohan's mother.
- Dark Action Girl: Unlike Deirdre, was more than capable of holding her own in a one on one fight, even against Rohan.
- Evil Matriarch: To her son, Rohan.
- Evil Plan: The main one is "Conquering Kells". The episodes have smaller ones focused on the Monster of the Week
- God Save Us from the Queen!
- Godzilla Threshold: Lugad was her secret weapon for years. She only called him up because, after so many losses to the Mystic Knights, even her own army was ready to abandon her.
- Large Ham
- Luke, I Am Your Father: She turns out to be Rohan's mother.
- Make My Monster Grow: Rarely.
- Orcus on His Throne: Was usually content to just sit and watch her mooks/monsters fight the knights, But when she actually fought...
- The Starscream: It turns out that she rules Temra now because she betrayed and exiled her former teacher, Nemain. Nemain ultimately returns the favor by the end of the season.
- Villain Respect: Crossed with So Proud of You when she compliments Rohan's fighting abilities after she loses.
- Why Couldn't You Be Different?: She respects Rohan's skills, but she just can't understand why he's on the other side.
Torc
Queen Maeve's right-hand man. Before the series started, he was acting as The Mole for Maeve in king Conchobar's court before a young Rohan and Angus uncovered his treachery. He was revealed to be the one who stole Ivar's chalice.
- Arch-Enemy: To Ivar.
- As Long as It Sounds Foreign: "Torc" is not an actual name in Irish myth or history. In reality, a torc is a type of necklace.
- Chekhov's Gunman: He established as The Dragon right away, but it takes a little bit to learn that he was the one who stole Ivar's chalice, making him responsible for both Ivar being in Kells and Mider using the chalice to enter the world.
- Devil in Plain Sight: He even wears a horned helmet.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: He was once the commander of all the troops in Kells, but he switched sides for Temra to get an even more high-ranking position. An exchange in "The Curse of Kells" suggests that, in his own warped view, that Conchobar enjoyed ordering him around as a lackey rather than considering him a trusted friend.Conchobar: I trusted you, Torc!
Torc: You want power, not trust! - The Dragon: To Maeve.
- Evil Chancellor: Prior to the series' start.
- Evil Former Friend: "The Curse of Kells" shows Conchobar was fairly chummy with him in the old days and took his betrayal hard.
- Face–Heel Turn: Pre-series.
- Fallen Hero: Once a soldier for Kells and held in high-esteem by Conchobar, he turned traitor for the promise of a better position. "The Curse of Kells" shows how it happened.Conchobar: To think what a great warrior you once were, Torc.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Is very displeased over Lugad being recruited and proving more effective on the battlefield than he ever was. His attempts to outdo him lead to further embarrassment and the loss of the Defender vehicle.
- Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Quite content to do this when necessary, most notably in the finale after Maeve is defeated and captured.
Mider
A dark fairy who wishes to take over the fairy kingdom of Tir Na Nog. To reach that goal, he allies with Queen Maeve and grants her the magical power to create monsters.
- Bad Boss: Whenever he manages to take charge.
- Evil Counterpart: To Fin Varra, being a magical creature that empowers one side of the conflict and seeks to conquer Tir Na Nog for himself.
- Evilis Hammy: No piece of scenery is left undevoured whenever he's around.
- The Fair Folk: An evil example.
- The Man Behind the Man: It is because of him that Maeve is able to create such dangerous monsters.
- Third-Person Person
- Smug Snake
The Sentinels
Four guardians created by Mider to prevent the Mystic Armour from being claimed and used against Temra. After their initial defeats at the hands of the Knights they were assembled into a team and sent out to antagonize the heroes.
Tropes associated with the Sentinels as a group:
- Back from the Dead: All appeared destroyed at the end of their initial appearances yet were resurrected by Mider and sent after the Knights again.
- Badass Cape: All four wear long black capes as part of their outfit.
- The Brute: They're a Brute squad of expendable but powerful muscle, sent out to harass the protagonists when Maeve and Torc are otherwise busy.
- Evil Wears Black: All of them wear black, with or without another accent colour.
- Obviously Evil: All four are blatantly the bad guys, what with their spiked dark armours and ominous names.
- The Psycho Rangers: Each Sentinel is designed to oppose a particular knight. Assembled as a team, they became this.
- Quirky Miniboss Squad: Became this when Mider reassembled them as muscle for Maeve.
- Smug Snake: All four are given the same basic, overconfident, and condescending personality.
- Spikes of Villainy: Dressed in spiky armour.
Rath Coghan, the Ice Lord of Temra
The guardian of Rohan's armour, the Ice Lord is a skeletal figure wrapped in purple armour.
- An Ice Person: Highly resistant to cold, he could also lower the temperatures of his sword, freezing those he touched.
- Disney Villain Death: His initial defeat leaves him plummeting off a cliff after Rohan melts the ice bridge they are fighting.
- Evil Counterpart: To Rohan, as a swordsman wielding the opposing element to his own.
- Grim Up North: The Mountains of the North, where he hides out, certainly evoke this.
- Horns of Villainy: There are notable horns on his helmet and he's evil.
- Master Swordsman: Within the confines of the show's extremely limited choreography budget, he qualifies, easily dominating Rohan, said to be the best swordsman in the show, throughout their initial fight.
- Secondary Color Nemesis: Rohan wears red and gold, the Ice Lord purple.
- Sinister Scimitar: Carries a frozen scimitar that gets colder on command.
- Skeletons in the Coat Closet: His armour is decorated with bones, including a ribcage on the breastplate.
- Skull for a Head: Whether it's his actual face or the mask of his helmet is questionable, but either way, the Ice Lord shows a bare skull to the world in place of a face.
Sinarus Sky, the Lightning Bat of Temra
The guardian of Dierdre's armour, the Lightning Bat comes armed with a magical boomerang and grating voice.
- Evil Counterpart: To Dierdre, as a sky-associated warrior for the other side.
- Super-Scream: His piercing shriek serves as his weapon of last resort, forcing Dierdre to her knees.
- Would Hit a Girl: He was up against Dierdre in his first appearance and targeted her afterwards for revenge.
Forga Macroeg, the Sea Serpent of Temra
The guardian of Ivar's armour, the Sea Serpent was a cackling sadist who held a grudge even better than the other Sentinels.
- Agony Beam: The shocks from his whip could act as one at range.
- Evil Counterpart: Like Ivar he's associated with water, and he has the same ability to obsess over defeats.
- It's Personal: None of the Sentinels took their first defeat well, but the Sea Serpent seems to have taken his the most personally, returning to harass Ivar as both a member of the Sentinels and independently.
- Lightning Lash: His primary weapon was his "Serpent's Tongue Whip" which emitted electrical shocks to those it touched.
- Psycho Electro: Despite his name, his primary power was not based around water but electricity and he was one of the eviler members of the cast.
- Sadist: Probably the member of the Sentinels who most enjoyed causing pain.
- The Savage South: Haunts the Southern Shore and is the main reason why it has a bad reputation.
- Villain Team-Up: Not only with the other Sentinels, but with Torc, whom he ganged up on Ivar with in an episode.
- Whip of Dominance: He's a cruel Sentinel that demonstrates a sadistic glee in using his electric whip to cause pain to others.
Fang Mor Fang, the Rock Wolf of Temra
The guardian of Angus's armour, the Rock Wolf was stupid, brutish, and completely uninterested in the world around him.
- Dumb Muscle: None of the four were geniuses but the Rock Wolf was easily the dumbest.
- Evil Counterpart: To Angus, being associated with stone, none-too-bright, and relentlessly lazy.
- Eye Beams: Could fire rays of energy from his eyes.
- Lazy Bum: When Angus first showed up the Rock Wolf didn't even want to fight him and tried to just bluster him into going away. When Angus pressed the issue, the Rock Wolf settled for driving him off, then promptly retreating to his cave.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Wore black armour with red highlights.
- Wolverine Claws: His awkwardly named "Wolf's Tooth Claw" which was fixed to one of his wrists and served as his main weapon.
Lugad
The warrior of Temra and a half-demon, he was raised by Nemain and brought in by Maeve in a last-ditch attempt to crush Kells.
- Always Someone Better: To Torc, being substantially stronger and more effective.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: He takes a liking to Deirdre after she tends to his wounded hand.
- Birthmark of Destiny: During a fight, Rohan sees that Lugad also has the Mark of Destiny on his arm and realizes that it means they're brothers.
- But Now I Must Go: At the end of the series, he opts to leave Kells and seek out his own destiny.
- Cain and Abel: He turns out to be Rohan's half-brother, though the knowledge of this actually makes him confused and question his purpose.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: The reason Maeve didn't want him to know Rohan is his brother is because, as did happen, she knew it would stir feelings of love and compassion from his human side.
- Even Evil Has Standards: He is confused over Rohan saving his life during a fight and, out of respect, refuses an order to finish him off soon afterwards.
- Half-Human Hybrid: The son of a human mother and a demon father, which has granted him amazing physical abilities.
- Heel–Face Turn: Between learning Rohan is his half-brother and that Maeve has no regard for him, Lugad ultimately sides with the Mystic Knights.
- Humans Are Special: He was raised to be evil in accordance with his demon half, but Nemain stresses that no matter what she did, his humanity never completely went away. She is certain it will hamper his ability to fight for Temra, and she ends up being exactly right.
- One-Man Army: More than capable of taking on the entire team at once. Rohan needed the Battle Fury armor just to have a chance of fighting on even footing, and it was still a slog.
- Shadow Archetype: To Rohan. Both were taken in by practitioners of magic at young ages, but Cathbad made Rohan a Druid apprentice and taught him proper values, whereas Lugad was raised by Nemain to embody his demon side and crush all who stand in his way. While Lugad is not without standards, he prioritizes fighting with brute force in contrast to Rohan's more peaceful nature and wits.
- Super-Strength: Maeve describes him as being the equivalent of a hundred men, and he proves it the first time he faces the Mystic Knights.
- Third-Person Person: How he always refers to himself.
- The Unfavorite: Maeve is hardly a great mother to Rohan, but she did pay him a sincere compliment even in defeat, suggesting she at least respects him. Lugad, however, is someone she considers as just a tool for her own agenda, and she has no qualms about abandoning him once he's no longer needed.
- Unwitting Pawn: Maeve made big promises to him should he defeat Kells, and he serves her out of genuine loyalty. He doesn't learn until later that she has no intention of honoring any such promises.
- Villain Decay: He's introduced as Maeve's secret weapon and capable of taking down the whole team all by himself. Rohan needs the Battle Fury armor in order to match his strength, but Lugad is still a handful. Afterwards, though, Lugad can't even put down Rohan when the latter is out of his armor. Justified. The knowledge that he and Rohan are half-brothers cause Lugad to question which side he should be on and no longer fight any of the Mystic Knights with the same ferocity as before.
