The Quintessence Guardian, and the main protagonist. She holds the Heart of Kandrakar, which gives the other girls the power to transform into their guardian forms.
Badass Normal - In season 1, but in season 2, not anymore since she gets her Quintessence powers. Averted in the comic, where she has those powers from the start.
Beware the Nice Ones: In the comic books, after getting mind raped by Phobos, she replied trying to disintegrate him, sparing him at the last moment to invert the Grand Theft Me he had pulled
To be fair, the Guardians default method of defeating villains in the comic is to go for the kill, unlike the cartoon were they usually just subdue them.
Bob Haircut: The only times she's seen with long hair are in possible futures.
Lethal Chef: Her mother and Matt are terrified by her attempts at cooking because she's as bad as Akane Tendo in her first attempts. Or maybe worse: Akane never mistook powdered soap and flour...
Meaningful Name: Wilhelmina can be interpreted to mean "protector."
Will also counts. There's even a villain who claimed that fifth element is willpower!
Most Common Superpower: In her human form she's flat as a board and extremely self-conscious about it, as a Guardian she becomes quite busty and more confident
Notably averted in the story that showed us an older Will. She was still much less well-endowed and also skinnier than her Guardian forms, which would mean the Guardian forms comes with this as an actual power, it doesn't use an older version of the character.
Given some of their comments about their appearance, the Guardian form is fixed from their appearance complexes.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: It was her call not to tell Elyon that the girls were Guardians and Elyon was the lost princess of Meridian, which ultimately allowed Phobos to manipulate Elyon for half the season after telling her the truth and showing her that her friends had been keeping secrets/lying. Cornelia wasn't quite happy about it.
Refusal of The Call: At first rejects the idea of being a Guardian, but later accepts it.
Unkempt Beauty: Her hair is the messiest of the Guardians and her boyfriend doesn't seem to mind in the least. There's a lot of scenes in the comics where Will is shown getting out of bed and her hair is a complete rat's nest... and she looks adorable.
Visit By Divorced Dad: In both the series and comic. Played very darkly in the comics.
Heart Is an Awesome Power: But in the second season she gains Shock and Awe and technopathic skills. Plus, the show Guardians can only transform when Will uses the Heart of Candracar.
You Are Grounded: Seems to get this even more than the others, maybe because she's the only child of a single mother.
Irma Lair
The Water Guardian. Known for being the class clown at her school, she and Cornelia have a long-standing rivalry. She is close friends with Hay Lin. Despite displaying some jealousy over his friend Martin's girlfriend (who previously had a crush on her), she was starting a relationship with Joel, Matt's bandmate. Ultimately, she chose neither and is currently dating a new character named Stephen.
Fat Girl: In the comics, or at least the Bonus Material and Tie In Novels thereof, it's occasionally mentioned that she views herself as one since she's not as stick-thin as her friends. However, this is mostly a case of teenage insecurity since she's Hollywood Pudgy at most, and Depending on the Artist not even that. Completely averted in the animated series, where she's consistently depicted as just as slim as the others (if with larger breasts).
The Earth Guardian, Cornelia is from a wealthy family and is easily one of the most popular girls at school. She enjoys figure skating. At first was head-over-heels for Caleb, but later on realized that they were Just Friends. Later, she falls for Peter, Taranee's older brother. Close friend with Will and best frenemy with Irma.
Lovable Alpha Bitch: She uses her "powers" for good, and not just her earth ones...
To elaborate, for instance, she once pulled an It's a Costume Party, I Swear on two girls... but it wasn't For the Evulz, but as a punishment because they were picking on her friends and she wanted to put them in their place.
Meaningful Name: Her name is the female form of the name "Cornelius," meaning "the horned one" - a reference to her astrological sign, Taurus (which is by extension an Earth sign).
There's some rather amusing chibi art of her cosplaying as Taurus, complete with horns.
In the New Testament, Cornelius was directed by an angel to seek a man named Peter.
Valley Girl: Also in the show, at least on the surface.
Hay Lin
The Air Guardian, Hay Lin is a bit of an airhead. She enjoys art and comic books. Her family manages the Silver Dragon restaurant. She falls in love with Eric Lyndon.
Heel Face Turn ("Cornelia! Oh, Cornelia, I'm so sorry!")
Easily Forgiven (Particularly in the animated series. Granted, she wassuckered into it all, but she was warned by the Guardians several times about it and received several hints, but never caught on until it was too late, yet all the Guardians forgive her immediately afterwards for all the times she tried to blast them.)
Then again, this isPrince Phobos we're talking about. And Will's decision not to tell her did result in them being easy to paint as dishonest, as the others pointed out to Will after the fact.
Put on a Bus: In the comic, after the Meridan storyline is over. Like Caleb, she makes occasional cameos later on but is mostly gone from the story. Averted in the animated series, in which she remains an important character in the second season (she didn't appear in the "Nerissa" arc of the comic).
The leader of the rebels, and Cornelia's boyfriend.
Ascended Extra: He's a fairly minor, though still significant, character in the comic; in the animated series he's one of the main characters and frequently acts as a sort of Sixth Ranger to the girls.
Child by Rape: Animated series only. Mostly implied, since his mother Nerissa actually was a shapeshifter who took the form of a deceased sorceress to seduce his father Julian.
Put on a Bus: In the comic. He's forced to choose between his duty in Meridan and his relationship with Cornelia — in the end he chooses his duty, leaving Earth and effectively leaving the story (apart from a few cameo appearances later on).
There is later on a What Might Have Been special where the Oracle sends Caleb and Cornelia dreams that show what would have happened if he had stayed on Earth, or if she had come with him to Meridan. Both scenarios had unhappy endings.
Rebel Leader: Practically his nickname by the girls.
Weak, but Skilled: Both in the comic and the cartoon. In the comic, he possesses some very slight magic power, yet uses it well. When granted a minor part of the Guardians powers, he was the one to invent the teletransportation ability the girls still use. When using powers he was completely new to, he once easily defeated someone who had Elyon's might backing him... in a single move. In the cartoon, he has no powers beyond being slightly superhuman in athletics and a lot more durable than humans, yet he can tangle with tough foes with just physical skills.
Yan Lin
Hay Lin's grandmother, and previous Guardian of Kandrakar, who first tells the girls of their powers and duties, as well as presenting Will with the Heart of Kandrakar. Acts as The Mentor to the girls in the animated series and to a lesser extent in the comic.
Spared by the Adaptation: A strange version; in the comic she dies in the second issue, though her spirit lives on in Kandrakar, where she continues to guide the girls from afar and eventually, after having spent some time as the Oracle's closest advisor, becoming the new Oracle.. In the animated series, she is notably younger-looking and remains active in Heatherfield as The Mentor and Secret Keeper for the girls throughout the series.
A native of the planet Basiliade who serves as Taranee's replacement when she temporarily quits the team. After Taranee returns, Orube becomes more of a Sixth Ranger. She does not appear in the animated series, largely because the story arch that introduced her was never adapted.
Action Girl: A trained warrior from a warrior culture, she embraces this trope sometimes to the exclusion of everything else.
Badass Normal: She has no elemental powers, but she is a lethal and competent fighter.
Cat Girl: Her father is one of the straight-up cat people of Basiliade and she retains enough feline characteristics to warrant a Glamour to pass as human when in Heatherfield.
Defrosting Ice Queen: Starts out as extremely haughty and dismissive of the other girls, viewing them as pathetic children lacking the warrior instinct, but over time she loosens up and becomes a lot more friendly, to the point of becoming somewhat if a Cool Big Sis figure.
Fish out of Water: She's sophisticated enough to realize that tv sets are machines, not magic, but she still needed to be explained that romantic melodrama movies aren't Real Life.
Lethal Chef: sort of. Nobody ever ate an Earth dish prepared by her because she will either flood the kitchen or burn whatever she's cooking, ''even the pasta''.
Mukokuseki: Probably some kind of Asian, but no one's really sure. Then again, she's not even from Earth.
Proud Warrior Race Girl: Basiliadians, both male and female, are trained in martial arts from an early age, and Orube is one of the best warriors. Unfortunately, her mental training hasn't been quite as effective, and she still sometimes has problems controlling her temper.
Put on a Bus: Returns to Basiliade after Cedric's death.
A "passling" (a smelly, goblin-like creature with the uncanny ability to sniff out portals between worlds) native to Meritian. He's a smuggler by trade, though he prefers being called a "trader" or "businessman."
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Usually he's not much use in a fight, but he's surprisingly resourceful when he needs to be, and on occasion even gets a genuine Badass moment.
The Nicknamer: Irma is "Funny Girl", Taranee is "Brainy Girl", Cornelia is "Blondie Girl", Hay Lin is "Smiley Girl", and Caleb is usually referred to as "Best Friend Caleb".
Vitriolic Best Buds: Has this dynamic with Caleb for a while (type 1), but Caleb warms to him over the course of the series.
The Oracle (Real name: Himerish)
The Big Good of the series and the head of the Council of Kandrakar. He is patient and understanding (to a point), he has great powers and great wisdom, and he is genuinely concerned with the well-being of all — though, as he is sometimes painfully aware of, he is not as infallible as several of the characters seem to think he is.
Demoted to Extra: In the animated series, he has a much smaller role and doesn't even meet the Guardians face-to-face until the second season, probably because Yan Lin is at hand to be the one who explains things.
Deus ex Machina: He has on occasion taken on this role in the comic, though usually unbeknownst to the Guardians. At one point he even Lampshades this.
Everyone Calls Him Barkeep: For much of the comic and all of the animated series, he is only known as "the Oracle." In the comic, it turns out even he himself has forgotten his real name, having placed his old identity behind him when taking up the mantle as the Oracle. During his 10-Minute Retirement he regains the memories of his old life, as well as his real name, Himerish, and when he returns to being the Oracle, he elects to keep his old memories rather than let them go again.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Mostly applies to the comic. While you can usually rely on him to make the right choice, he has had some moments where he made some really bad judgements and made the situation worse.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Most of the time. Sometimes he forgets what it's like for normal people and can as a result come across as needlessly harsh or unreasonable, but he genuinely tries to avoid this.
The Power of Hate: What initially made Shagon strong. The more you hate him, the stronger he gets.
Vathek
Caleb's second-in-command, a native of Meridian
The Atoner: In the comic, he starts out as a bad guy but eventually gets a Heel Face Turn — after which Caleb trusts him enough to make him his Lancer. In the Elyon one-shot comic, he and Elyon encounter a group of people who still remember and hate Vathek for his villainous days, and despite Elyon's protests, Vathek willingly lets them put him on trial because he feels they are justified in their hatred of him.
Demoted to Extra: While never a main character, he is nevertheless a much more important character in the comic. In the animated series he's far less so, but does get the occasional Day in the Limelight.
Heel Face Turn: In the animated series, he was The Mole and on the side of the good guys all along. In the comic, he was originally Cedric's loyal Brute who was sent to the resistance as a Mole but ended up getting sympathy for their cause and genuinely changed sides.
Our Orcs Are Different: Like most Meridian natives, he has an orcish appearance. In the comic, he explains to Elyon that the orcish-looking Meridians call themselves the "Galhot" and are the original natives of Meridan. The more human-looking Meridians are called "Escanors" and are actually descended from humans who came to Meridian many generations ago.
Villains
Phobos
The evil prince of Meridian. He rules the planet with an iron fist, and wants to steal his sister Elyon's magic to add to his own in order to make his power complete. Main villain of the first season, and a major one in the second.He is the most Recurring Villain
Sorcerous Overlord: He's not as powerful as Elyon, but all Meridian royalty are implied to have very potent magical powers, and he's still stronger than all the season 1 Guardians combined.
Kick the Dog: Let's see...He abducts and tortures Will, slowly leaches life away from his homeworld, manipulates poor Elyon for a long time whiole plotting to steal her powers and her crown when she's about to be crowned... Counting it all would make one hell of a drinking game.
Obviously Evil: While not quite a full on Card-Carrying Villain, he's pretty close, never attempting to disguise his regime as anything but the oppresive dictatorship it is- unless Elyon's around.
Orcus on His Throne: Phobos rarely does anything for himself- at least, anything that he can't do from the comfort of his home. Heck, Will and Cedric are the only two he even exchanges a single line of dialogue with until episode 26
Leads to quite a bit of Squick when you realize Miranda's real form really is her human child form, while Cedric is implied to be Older than He Looks and has his monster form as his actual form. Pedophilia and Bestiality in one neat packet.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Something she is VERY good at. As mentioned below, Will was completely taken in by her nice girl persona at first, and Elyon was even more so (at least up until Miranda revealed her true nature).
Manipulative Bastard: Probably her deadliest talent; when she was masquerading on Earth the only reason the Guardians saw through her was because they already found out about her attempts to frame them (Will met her before this happened and she was taken in completely). Even after she's captured she's able to worm her way out of prison by offering to lead Caleb to some captives (Which she uses to permanently escape prison.) And this is AFTER everyone knows her true nature.
One-Winged Angel: Her spider form to a degree. Miranda's human form is her actual form and she needs to consciously maintain her Spider form(any time she is knocked out, she reverts). Cedric on the other hand, defaults to his beast form and does not revert when rendered unconscious. So while the two have similar abilities, they are clearly not the same type of shapeshifter.
Pragmatic Villainy: Advocates a quick execution for Caleb and his friends.
The Sociopath: "Clipping their wings isn't nearly as effective as breaking their spirits." She also takes delight in revealing her true nature to Elyon
The former Quintessence Guardian. She attempts to rule the world by defeating Phobos and the Guardians.
Anti-Villain: Subverted; much like Demona (another Greg Weisman villain), she likes to think she's a Type III, but the other characters aren't buying it.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: She wants to create a peaceful and ordered universe- and because she's a megalomaniac, she sees conquering the whole thing as the best way to do this.
Raythor
One of Phobos's commanders, who is later manipulated by Nerissa into forming the Knights of Vengeance. Is an honorable man, despite his allegiance.
An ogre-like hunter who works for Phobos. He was undefeated in battle until defeated by W.I.T.C.H. and joins the Knights of Vengeance in the second season. He rides a giant rhinoceros creature named Crimson. He forms a rivalry with Raythor, but this vanishes several episodes on and they become respected allies. At the end of the series, he is the only minion of Phobos who remains loyal, the others either dead or turned traitor.
Dirty Coward: He seems to gain this trope seconds after Cedric eats Phobos and declares himself the new Evil Overlord. Frost suddenly becomes loyal to Cedric, despite being previously loyal to Phobos.
The Brute: Shared with Gargoyle and somewhat Sandpit.
The Voiceless: Did not speak in his first appearance, but gained a voice in Season 2.
The Tracker
A demonic-looking skeletal man, the Tracker is Exactly What It Says on the Tin. A feared tracker and hunter hired by Phobos, the Tracker becomes a recurring villain and joins the Knights of Vengeance, although while the other members were loyal to Phobos, the Tracker joined to get revenge on the rebels he once chased. He is aided by a scary dog named Sniffer, who can track down any scent. The Tracker fights with a glowing chained flail and bat-like creatures.
The Voiceless: Zig-zagged. He's silent in his debut appearance, fairly talky in his second, and silent again from then out.
Sandpit
Originally a pool of rebel-consuming quicksand, he was frozen over by the Guardians. In the second season, Nerissa revives him into a humanoid form to join her Knights of Vengeance. He later has a Heel Face Turn.
A giant earth-based monster who guarded the moat of Phobos' castle, but was defeated by the Guardians. He joins the Knights of Vengeance, but later has a Heel Face Turn.
An Arm and a Leg: The Guardians chop off Gargoyle's left arm during their battle with him.
Artificial Limbs: Nerissa gives Gargoyle a new arm made from melted metal, giving him a large club-like weapon in place.
Heel Face Turn: Sides with Elyon after learning Phobos is truly unhonourable.
Others
We
A small, furry creature from the world of Basiliade with strange powers, he followed the Oracle home to Kandrakar and refused to go back home. He was eventually placed in the care of Orube, and became somewhat of a Team Pet to the girls. He doesn't appear in the animated series.
Funny Background Event: He usually doesn't do much in the actual stories, but provides plenty of these.
Invisibility: His main power; he can turn invisible at will — except for his tail.
