History Characters / WestSideStory

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: His real name isn't revealed in the stage version or either film adaptation.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Their real names aren't revealed in the stage version or either film adaptation.

The most quick-tempered member of the Jets, always ready for a fight.

* LatinoIsBrown: The ethnic make-up of the Sharks can vary based on the stage production, and differs in the two film versions.
** Played straight in the 1961 film, in which the Sharks were played by white actors in {{Brownface}}. Even Rita Moreno, who actually ''is'' Puerto Rican, had her skin darkened, while Natalie Wood spent a lot of time in tanning booths.

A gang of white Americans in New York City's Upper West Side.

A gang of Puerto Ricans in New York City's Upper West Side.

!!Tony Wyzek

!!María Nunez

!!Riff Lorton

!!Bernardo Nunez

!!Chino Martin

!!Anita Palacio

* BoomerangBigot: A white cop who disdains the Caucasian Jets nearly as much as the Latino Sharks, referring to the former as "tin-horn immigrant scum." Given his last name and chosen profession, it's just as likely that he himself is descended from immigrants. Possibly an aversion, given that the story takes place in a time where most Poles [[ValuesDissonance were still considered]] AcceptableEthnicTargets.

* EnemyMine: If there’s anything the Jets and Sharks can agree to do, it’s to make fun of Schrank. He himself tries--and fails-- to invoke this with the Jets against the Sharks, albeit only to get the location of their rumble so he can arrest both gangs at once.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Usually is the kind-hearted and concerned voice of reason, and has a aversion to physical violence. [[spoiler:After witnessing the Jets nearly rape Anita]], he kicks the Jets out in a quiet voice of [[TranquilFury pure hatred]]. When Doc gives Tony some getaway money a moment later, Tony is [[ItsAllAboutMe only thinking about himself and his future with Maria]]. This is enough to provoke Doc to [[TheLastStraw snap]], and furiously [[WouldHurtAChild smack Tony across the face.]]

!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Chita Rivera (1957 Broadway, 1958 West End), Creator/RitaMoreno (1961 film), Creator/ArianaDeBose (2021 film)

!!Tony

!!María

!!Riff

* AllThereInTheManual: Both Kyle Coffman and Kevin Csolak, Ice and Diesel's respective actors in the 2021 film, [[WordOfSaintPaul shed some light on them]] in the ''Making of West Side Story'' book:
** Coffman says that Ice's is real name is Isidor, but that he now commands enough authority and cool to be called "Ice" instead of "Isidor" or "Izzy".
** Csolak says that Diesel's nickname stems from his love of cars: Diesel was beaten nearly to death for trying to steal a car before being saved by Riff and joining the Jets in [[IOweYouMyLife gratitude]].
* AmbiguouslyJewish: According to Tony Kushner and Kyle Coffman, Ice's real name is Isidor, which is more commonly used by Jews.
* AscendedExtra: Has a few lines in the stage show and a decent amount of stage-time, but he's a lot more prominent in the movie, to the point where he has what is effectively his own solo. In the 2021 film, Diesel gets the lead solo in "Gee, Officer Krupke."

* DecompositeCharacter: The character was named Diesel in the stage version, and was renamed Ice in the 1961 film.
** In the 2021 film, Ice and Diesel are separate characters with Ice being TheLancer to Riff and Diesel being TheBigGuy.
** They are also mentioned as separate characters in Irving Shulman's novelization, despite Shulman's version of Ice essentially being a DemotedToExtra FlatCharacter.

* IcyBlueEyes: Ice sports these in the movies, and they are likely the origin of his nickname.

!!Bernardo

!!Chino

!!Anita

* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the scrappy tomboyish type character. Anybodys's entire character revolves around wanting to be one of the boys, and she seems eager to challenge them to fights and argue with them, and eventually it seems like she's starting to get accepted...[[spoiler:then in the 1961 film and most productions, the Jets try to ''rape Anita'', and Anybodys, while looking disturbed, simply stands by as another woman is ''almost assaulted.'' This throws a wrench in her being seen as any kind of proto-feminist character. Some productions make it better by having her try to stop them and finally be the one to go get Doc, though.

* AmbiguouslyAbsentParent: His mother is mentioned in the stage version and 1961 film, as Riff jokingly says he stays with Tony's family because "his ma is hot for him." His dad is not mentioned in any version; in Irving Shulman's novelization, he's mentioned as having been killed at the Battle of Tarawa in 1943, while Mrs. Wyzek does appear in one of the chapters. In the 2021 film, Tony's mother is not mentioned and he's living in the basement of Doc's because he has nowhere else to go, hinting that his parents are dead.

* DeathBySex: [[spoiler:While most productions may imply what happens between Tony and Maria after "Somewhere," in the 2021 film, it's quite clear that they have sex. He ends up dead a short time later.]]

* TokenGoodTeammate: He's the only one of the Jets who doesn't feel oppressed by the Sharks' presence. In the 2021 film, Tony is the only one who treats Anybodys with respect.
* WideEyedIdealist: He's generally portrayed as this in the stage version and also the 1961 film, ever hopeful that something great is coming to him. In the 2021 film, this is toned down and he's much more cynical after spending a year in jail while attempting to rebuild his life.

* BigNo: In the 2021 film, [[spoiler:she screams, "NO!" when she sees Chino is about to shoot Tony]].

* CaptainObvious: In the 2021 film, she remarks that Tony isn't Puerto Rican, much to his amusement.

* HugeGuyTinyGirl: In the 2021 film. Ansel Elgort is a full foot taller than Rachel Zegler, and Maria lampshades the height difference in their first dance.

* InvisibleParents: Her mother is mentioned, but her father is heard. In the 2021 film, it's implied that both of her parents are dead.

* MassiveNumberedSiblings: In Irving Shulman's novelization, Maria is mentioned to have at least three younger sisters who came to New York with her, after Bernardo and their parents went ahead. Apart from Bernardo, we don't see any other relatives in the stage version or 1961 film, and in the 2021 film, it's clear that they live on their own.

* AmbiguouslyAbsentParent: Neither his father or mother are around as he mentions his only choice aside from living with Tony's family is living with his uncle that he hates. In the 2021 film, it's hinted that his dad is long dead.

* IGaveMyWord: He ropes Tony into coming to the dance by promising the rest of the Jets that he will be there, before he's even gone to talk to him. In the 2021 film, he promises Bernardo that Tony will be at the rumble too.

* TattooedCrook: He sports a number of tattoos on his arms in the 2021 film.

!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Bert Michaels (1961 film), Myles Erlick (2021 film)

!!!'''Portrayed by:''' David Bean (1961 film), Julian Elia (2021 film)

** He gets more focus in the 2021 film as well, as he [[spoiler:is with Riff when they buy the gun and then partakes in "Cool" with Ice, Action, and Numbers in addition to Tony and Riff.]]
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: When Tony tells Riff to call off the rumble in the 2021 film, Tiger asks why they should call it off when they have [[spoiler:a gun.]]
* HotBlooded: Described in Tony Kushner's script as "a fighter, eager to rise in the ranks."

* AscendedExtra: In the 2021 film, he's the one who pretends to be Krupke in "Gee, Officer Krupke."
* MathematiciansAnswer: In the 2021 film, he and other members of the Jets are interrogated by the police about the rumble happening that night.
-->'''Mouthpiece:''' Nah, they don't tell me nothin'. They know I can't keep secrets.
-->'''Detective:''' They tell you when to show up, right?
-->'''Mouthpiece:''' No, they don't, I just hang around until somebody says let's go.
-->'''Detective:''' And then?
-->'''Mouthpiece:''' I go.
* MilesGloriosus: Described in Tony Kushner's script for the 2021 film as "a noisy showoff."
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: After the Jets cruelly attack Anita and Valentina rightfully ripped into them for it, Mouthpiece is shown with a tear rolling down his cheek, presumably due to his guilt and shame over taking part in the incident.
* NiceHat: He wears a flat cap in the 2021 film. He also wears Officer Krupke's police hat during the titular song.

* PetTheDog: In the 2021 film, while he and the other Jets trash the precinct during "Gee, Officer Krupke", he at least has the decency to give Krupke his hat back before fleeing.

* PetTheDog: He has a couple moments in the prologue of the 1961 film, particularly tossing back a boy's basketball.

* DeathByAdaptation: An unusual case. He's reportedly died before the events of the 2021 film, but his role is still present in the form of Valentina, who's his widow and takes over his part.

!!Anton "Tony" Wyzek

!!María Nunez

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thejets2021.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:2021 film]]

!!Riff Lorton

%%Please note, the character is cis female in the 1961 film and trans masculine in the 2021 film, while the stage version can vary based on the production. The pronouns used here should be "they" if referring to the character in general, and "she" or "he" if specifically talking about the 1961 or 2021 films, respectively.

* AmbiguouslyGay: In productions in which Anybodys is depicted as a cis woman, she may be hinted to be a lesbian. The 2021 film shows him trying to make a pass at some of the Jet girls, though since he is trans masculine, he would be straight.

* DarkAndTroubledPast: It's all but outright stated in the film that their sister is a prostitute. Tony Kushner's research for the 2021 screenplay indicated that a transgender boy of his era would likely be desperate to look for acceptance or any semblance of protection.
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the scrappy tomboyish type character. Anybodys's entire character revolves around wanting to be one of the boys, and she seems eager to challenge them to fights and argue with them, and eventually it seems like she's starting to get accepted...[[spoiler:then in the 1961 film and most productions, the Jets try to ''rape Anita'', and Anybodys, while looking disturbed, simply stands by as another woman is ''almost assaulted.'' This throws a wrench in her being seen as any kind of proto-feminist character. Some productions make it better by having her try to stop them and finally be the one to go get Doc, though, and in the 2021 film, [[AdaptationalGenderIdentity he]] tries to warn Anita not to go into the store]].

* InformedAbility: Anybodys claims to be able to fight as well as any of the Jets, but this isn't actually seen in the stage version or the 1961 film. Averted in the 2021 film, in which he fights, punches, and kicks half the cops in the precinct and manages to cleanly escape, along with beating the crap out of A-Rab and giving him a bloody nose.

* LimitedWardrobe: The only outfit Anybodys wears during the 1961 film is a light blue long-sleeve t-shirt with yellow sleeves and a pair of blue jeans, even during the dance scene where everybody else dresses up. In the 2021 film, he wears a denim jacket over a t-shirt, and has a suit jacket on at the dance.
* OneOfTheBoys:
** She tries her best to be one, but none of the Jets really want her around. It isn't until she actually helps them find Tony that they treat her as one of them.
** In the 2021 film, he gets accepted by the Jets but it's highly implies he starts questioning by the time he perceives the danger Anita is in.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Anybodys's real name isn't mentioned in the stage version or either film adaptation. Doubly justified in the 2021 film, as their name would be considered a deadname today.
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: In response to A-Rab's constant transphobia, Anybodys frequently insults his Italian background with various ethnic slurs.

!!Bernardo Nunez

!!Chino Martin

!!Anita Palacio

* DeadpanSnarker: Especially around Bernardo and to a lesser extent Maria.
** She's the only one who can get away with calling her boyfriend a [[NWordPrivileges Spic]] without him flying into a blind rage, instead with him only proclaiming "You are not so cute."
** In the 2021 film, she has this comeback when Bernardo says he wants her to become a baby factory.
--->'''Bernardo:''' Last night I dreamed I was back in Puerto Rico. In my dream we had six kids.
--->'''Anita:''' ''Six kids?'' Marry a cat.
* ImmigrantPatriotism: Unlike Bernardo and the rest of the Sharks, who face racism from the Jets and other white Americans on a daily basis, Anita is completely enamored by the opportunities that await her in New York. In the 2021 film, she repeatedly tells Bernardo and María that they need to practice speaking English. However, [[spoiler:after the Jets attempt to rape her, she is completely broken and realizes that Bernardo was right about America. In the 2021 film, she even remarks that she plans to go back to Puerto Rico.]]

* PoorCommunicationKills: Invoked. [[spoiler:After getting assaulted by the Jets, she lies and says that Chino killed Maria. When Tony learns this from Doc (Valentina in the 2021 film), he becomes so distraught that he runs onto the street begging for Chino to kill him, and he's shot moments after seeing Maria alive.]]

* EthnicMenialLabor: In the 2021 film, she works as a cleaning lady at Gimbels, along with Maria.

* DemotedToExtra: Certainly far from a major role in the stage show, she sings the solo in "Somewhere". The 1961 film omits the song's ballet sequence and makes the whole thing a duet between Tony and Maria. The 2021 film also doesn't include the ballet and has the new character Valentina sing the song instead.

* PosthumousCharacter: He's been written out of the 2021 film by way of death, and his role is filled in it by new character Valentina (his widow) to allow [[CastingGag Rita Moreno]] to have a fitting role in it.

* ButtMonkey: Nothing goes how he wants it to at the dance. In the 2021 version, he's irritated that the gangs refuse to even try dancing with other partners.

Character page for the ''Theatre/WestSideStory'' musical and its [[Film/WestSideStory1961 1961]] film adaptations. The [[Film/WestSideStory2021 2021 film version]] has its own page [[Characters/WestSideStory2021 here]].

[[folder:Valentina]]
A new character created for the 2021 film, she is Doc's Puerto Rican widow who runs the candy shop following his death and acts as a mentor for both the white and Puerto Rican communities. For tropes on her, see [[Characters/WestSideStory2021 here]].

[[/folder]]

* KickTheDog: During the Prologue, he knocks down Anybodys, who wasn't vandalizing the mural, after he signals to the Jets the Sharks are coming.
* TheLancer: Along with Quique, he's quick to lead the Sharks into battle when the Jets begin to vandalize a Puerto Rican flag mural.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: When the Sharks regroup outside Doc's, he is shocked and horrified by what transpired.
-->"''¡Yo no quería que esto pasara, yo no quería que esto pasara!''"[[note]]I didn't want this to happen, I didn't want this to happen![[/note]]

*** [[WordOfSaintPaul Kevin Csolak]] has said that Diesel's nickname stems from his love of cars (see AllThereInTheManual).

!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Anthony "Scooter" Teague (1961 film), John Michael Fiumara (2021 film)

%%* AdaptationalVillainy: See CorruptTheCutie.

!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Tucker Smith (1961 film),

!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Arch Johnson (1957 Broadway), Ted Gunther (1958 West End), Simon Oakland (1961 film), Creator/CoreyStoll (2021 film)

->''"Every block of Lincoln Square, every inch of San Juan Hill. I want the West Side locked down."''

Character page for the ''Theatre/WestSideStory'' musical and its [[Film/WestSideStory1961 1961]] and [[Film/WestSideStory2021 2021]] film adaptations.

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ice_2021.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:Ice, 2021 film]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/diesel_2021.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:Diesel, 2021 film]]
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Tucker Smith (1961 film), Kyle Coffman (Ice) & Kevin Csolak (Diesel) (2021 film)

->''"Welcome to the North Pole."''
-->-- Ice, 2021 film

* AdaptationalIntelligence: In the 2021 film, Diesel is aware that Puerto Ricans are American citizens, which is backed up by Snowboy saying "Puerto Rico is like a state" and Baby John being aware it's something other than a state.
* AdaptationalVillainy: In the 2021 film, both Ice and Diesel are present and take part in Anita's harassment and AttemptedRape. Specifically, they throw Graziella, Velma, and Tessa outside and lock the door so that they can't help and Anita can't escape.
** Interestingly, this is mildly zigzagged as Ice in the 2021 film has the hindsight to disband the Jets once and for all in shame after Valentina chews them out for attempting to rape Anita, whereas in all other versions the Jets remain an active gang (presumably until Tony's death).

* BigBrotherInstinct: In the 2021 film, Diesel is the one who takes on the big brother role towards Baby John and helps the latter deal with his fears of going to jail.

* TheBrute: Diesel in the stage musical and the 2021 film.

* ChivalrousPervert: In the 2021 film, Ice wolf-whistles after Graziella as she walks away.
* DecompositeCharacter: The character was named Diesel in the stage version, and was renamed Ice in the 1961 film. In the 2021 film, Ice and Diesel are separate characters with Ice being TheLancer to Riff and Diesel being TheBigGuy.

* DemotedToExtra: Downplayed in the 2021 film. His character is split into two, Ice and Diesel, and his big solo number is given to Tony and Riff instead. Diesel, however, gets the lead solo in "Gee, Officer Krupke," and Ice is still prominently featured in "Cool," along with being the first Jet who appears on-screen.
* DumbMuscle: Diesel is specifically mentioned as such in Irving Shulman's novelization, and as such is ruled out as a candidate to lead the Jets after Riff's death. He is decidedly not this in the 2021 film (see the AdaptationalIntelligence entry).
* EveryoneHasStandards:
** In the 2021 film, Ice is unnerved when Riff suggests using knives during the rumble and is relieved when Bernardo declines.
** Also in the 2021 film, while he still misgenders Anybodys, Diesel at least tells A-Rab to leave him alone.

* PetTheDog: Ice in the 2021 film shows a few moments of emotional intelligence. He stops Tiger from getting involved with Riff and Tony's argument about the rumble, recognizing they need to hash things out themselves. Later at Doc's, he understands and respects Tony's wish to be left alone with Valentina and keeps everyone else away from the basement despite their protests.

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: In the 2021 film, [[spoiler:after the Jets nearly rape Anita, Ice decides they're done and leaves, effectively disbanding the gang.]]

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/action2021.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:2021 film]]
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Tony Mordente (1961 film), Sean Harrison Jones (2021 film)

* AscendedExtra: In the 2021 film, he's one of Riff's lieutenants, along with Ice, as they agree the terms of the rumble with Bernardo.
* TheBigGuy: He's much taller in the 2021 film, to the point that he can be mistaken for Diesel.

!!!'''Portrayed by:''' David Winters (1961 film), Jess [=LeProtto=] (2021 film)

* AdaptationalJerkass: In the 2021 film, he's much more of a jerk to Baby John, as he is unsympathetic to the kid's fears about going to jail and tells him to just get over it. He's also openly transphobic to Anybodys, and even mentions to have pantsed him at one point.
* AllThereInTheManual: According to Tony Kushner and Jess [=LeProtto=], A-Rab's real name is Gabriel and he has a Sicilian background.

* JerkassHasAPoint: In the 2021 film, he, along with Balkan, tries to convince Riff that Tony is done with the Jets, as he hasn't even hung out with them in the five months since he got out of prison.
* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent: During the opening of "Tonight (Quintet)" in the 2021 film, as the camera focuses on Riff, A-Rab can be seen in the background taking a pipe and banging it against the wrecked hood of a cab.

* PetTheDog: In the 2021 film, he can be seen trying to console an injured Baby John after the opening scuffle.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: In the 2021 film, he says a number of transphobic slurs to Anybodys.
-->'''Baby John:''' I can't go to jail, Deez!
-->'''A-Rab:''' Dry up, weepy, or else go sit on the ladies' bench with the other dickless wonder.
-->'''Diesel:''' Leave her be. Jesus, A-Rab.
-->'''Anybodys:''' Get stuffed, why doncha?
-->'''A-Rab:''' Go back to the zoo, why doncha?
-->'''Anybodys:''' Go suck on your sister's titty, why doncha, ya guinea hyena.
** Later, [[spoiler:when Anita asks to see Valentina, A-Rab's comment "She's too dark to pass" is what signals the beginning of their sexual harassment against her, as this is when Graziella realizes what they're going to do and tells them to stop.]]
* RambunctiousItalian: Tony Kushner's script describes A-Rab as Italian, and he is loud, rude, and angry.
* SkewedPriorities: In the 2021 film, he's more concerned about the fact the cops consider Anybodys an associate of the Jets than that they know about the rumble and are actively investigating it.

[[folder:Balkan]]
!!Balkan
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Kyle Allen (2021 film)

* BlatantLies: He's grilled by one of the detectives about the location of the rumble.
-->"I don't know where the rumble is! I don't even know ''what'' a rumble is!"
* CanonForeigner: He's a new Jet character in the 2021 film.
* CharacterTic: He's constantly shown to be flipping a coin.
* JerkassHasAPoint: When Riff tells the Jets he's going to get Tony to help with setting up the rumble, Balkan rightfully tells Riff that Tony is done with the gang and Riff needs to stop thinking Tony's going to come back and accept it. By the middle of the film, Riff reluctantly does.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: His real name isn't revealed in the 2021 film adaptation.

[[folder:Snowboy]]
!!Snowboy
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Bert Michaels (1961 film), Myles Erlick (2021 film)

* AdaptationalIntelligence: In the 2021 film, he's vaguely aware that Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States, along with Diesel and Baby John.
* LackOfEmpathy: In the 2021 film, [[spoiler:even after partaking in the attempted rape of Anita, Snowboy has the gall to tell her to "go back where she came from."]]
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: His real name isn't revealed in the stage version or either film adaptation.

[[folder:Joyboy]]
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Robert Banas (1961 film)

* AdaptedOut: He doesn't appear in the 2021 film.
* FlatCharacter: He's a background Jet with little characterization.
* TheGenericGuy: He has no distinguishing characteristics.

[[folder:Big Deal]]
!!Big Deal
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Anthony "Scooter" Teague (1961 film), John Michael Fiumara (2021 film)

* AbledInTheAdaptation: He doesn't have glasses in the 1961 or 2021 films, while he does in the musical.
%%* DeadpanSnarker
* TheGenericGuy: Described in Tony Kushner's screenplay for the 2021 film as "a little dull, but dependable."
* NerdGlasses: Many productions describe him as bespectacled. This is is not the case in the 1961 film, where none of the gang members on either side wear glasses.

[[folder:Tiger]]
!!Tiger
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' David Bean (1961 film), Julian Elia (2021 film)

* AscendedExtra:
** The 1961 film gives him a larger presence and more lines compared to the stage show, where he's just an ensemble member. For example, he pretends to be Krupke for "Gee, Officer Krupke" and restrains Tony during Riff's duel with Bernardo.
** He gets more focus in the 2021 film as well, as he [[spoiler:is with Riff when they buy the gun and then partakes in "Cool" with Ice, Action, and Numbers in addition to Tony and Riff.]]
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: When Tony tells Riff to call off the rumble in the 2021 film, Tiger asks why they should call it off when they have [[spoiler:a gun.]]
* HotBlooded: Described in Tony Kushner's script as "a fighter, eager to rise in the ranks."
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: His real name isn't revealed in the stage version or either film adaptation.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mouthpiece]]
!!Mouthpiece
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Harvey Evans/Hohnecker (1961 film), Ben Cook (2021 film)
----

[[folder:Numbers]]
!!Numbers
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Harrison Coll (2021 film)

* TheBrute: Described as a veteran footsoldier in Tony Kushner's script.
* CanonForeigner: Created for the 2021 film.
* FlatCharacter: He gets little characterization in the film.
* TheGenericGuy: He's a background Jet.

[[folder:Little Moly]]
!!Little Moly
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Daniel Patrick Russell (2021 film)

* TheBabyOfTheBunch: Downplayed. The script mentions that he's the same age as Baby John, but he's described as more hardened.
* CanonForeigner: He's a new Jet character added for the 2021 film.
* {{Foil}}: Seems to have entirely been created as one for Baby John.
* PetTheDog: After Lt. Schrank pulls the nail out of Baby John's ear, Little Moly can be seen taking a look at the wound and comforting him.
* TheVoiceless: Along with Skink, he doesn't get any audible lines in the film. They appear in "Jet Song" and "Tonight (Quintet)," but don't partake in "Gee, Officer Krupke" or "Cool," both of which give a lot of focus to the rest of the Jets.

[[folder:Skink]]
!!Skink
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Garrett Hawe (2021 film)
* CanonForeigner: Created for the 2021 film.
* TheVoiceless: Does not get any audible spoken lines in the film, and does not partake in "Cool" or "Gee, Officer Krupke," which add some characterization to the ensemble Jets.

[[folder:Baby John]]
!!Baby John
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/baby_john_1961_8.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:1961 film]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/babyjohn2021.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:2021 film]]
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Eliot Feld (1961 film), Patrick Higgins (2021 film)

The youngest Jet, who is beaten up during the opening sequence. A-Rab's best friend.

* AdaptationalIntelligence: In the 2021 film, along with Diesel and Snowboy, Baby John is vaguely aware that Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States, though he doesn't know the exact term.
* AdaptationalVillainy: See CorruptTheCutie.
* AscendedExtra: In the 2021 film, he begins the final stanza of "Gee, Officer Krupke."
* AttemptedRape: [[spoiler:The Jets' assault on Anita culminates with them picking up Baby John and trying to force him on her. Most productions make him just as traumatized by this as Anita.]]
* TheBabyOfTheBunch: His nickname stems from him being the youngest member of the gang and the others frequently tease him for his naivety.
* ButtMonkey: Given that he's the youngest of the Jets, ''no one'' gives him any sort of respect, including the Sharks, the police, and even some of the members of his own gang. In the 2021 film, he's subjected to a lot of physical comedy by the other Jets during "Gee, Officer Krupke."
* ComfortingComforter: At the end, he places the grieving Maria's dropped shawl back around her shoulders while the other boys are [[spoiler:carrying Tony's body]].
* CorruptTheCutie: His arc in the 2021 film mostly consists of this: his naïve persona is thrown aside during the "Gee, Officer Krupke" number and he more or less becomes a petty thug like the rest of the Jets by the Rumble, where he indirectly contributes to Riff's death; at Maria's ending speech, he is one of the many Jets absent, suggesting he will not necessarily give up a life of crime and bigotry.
* EarAche: He gets a cut on his ear during the brawl in the prologue. In the 2021 film, he has a ''nail driven through his earlobe''.
* MommasBoy: Implied to be one in the 2021 film, as he's freaking out at the idea of going to jail and says it will "kill his ma."
* NaiveNewcomer: In the 2021 film, he appears to be a relatively new member of the Jets, as he's hesitant to enter the Puerto Rican neighborhood and is extremely nervous when the police start questioning them about the rumble.
* OhCrap: He gets cornered by the Sharks at the end of the prologue, calling for the Jets to save him.
* OnlyOneName: He's the only member of the Jets, apart from Riff, who has an actual name, with "Baby" being added due to his young age.
* TenderTears: In the film, in his first reappearance after [[spoiler:the deaths of Riff and Bernardo]].
* TokenGoodTeammate: As the most naive and inexperienced of the gang, it's obvious he goes along with what they do mostly because he succumbs to peer pressure.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: In the 2021 film, upon a switchblade being dropped at the Rumble and Bernardo taking one out of his pocket in response, Baby John immediately throws it to Riff, leading to the fight that results in Riff's death.

[[folder:Anybodys]]
!!Anybodys
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/anybodys1961.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:1961 film]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/anybodys2021.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:2021 film]]
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Susan Oakes (1961 film), iris menas (2021 film)
%%Please note, the character is cis female in the 1961 film and trans masculine in the 2021 film, while the stage version can vary based on the production. The pronouns used here should be "they" if referring to the character in general, and "she" or "he" if specifically talking about the 1961 or 2021 films, respectively.
A tagalong tomboy, eventually accepted into the gang after Riff's death. According to the stage directions, she falls in love with Action, though some modern productions play her as a butch lesbian or even a trans boy instead.

* AdaptationalGenderIdentity: Some productions have portrayed Anybodys as transgender or non-binary. The 2021 film explicitly makes the character into a trans boy.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the 2021 film, Anybodys doesn't take part in the Jets' harassment of Anita. In fact, when Anita is about to enter Doc's, Anybodys walks past her and gives her a sincere warning not to go inside for her own safety.
* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: While Tony is generally nicer to Anybodys than the rest of the Jets in the stage version and 1961 film, the 2021 film makes it clear that they are genuinely friends, as they warmly hug each other at the dance and Tony is the only one who treats him with a degree of respect. It's also mentioned that Tony was in favor of Anybodys joining the Jets prior to getting sent to prison, whereas previously he didn't think a girl should get mixed up in a gang.
* AmbiguouslyGay: In productions in which Anybodys is depicted as a cis woman, she may be hinted to be a lesbian. The 2021 film shows him trying to make a pass at some of the Jet girls, though since he is trans masculine, he would be straight.
* AscendedExtra: He has a much greater presence in the 2021 film. He first appears wanting to join the Jets as they vandalize a Puerto Rican flag mural, and whistles a warning as the Sharks arrive. Anybodys gets a lot of focus at the dance, rather than just being in the background, and is present in the police station when the Jets are questioned about the rumble.
* {{Bifauxnen}}: Depending on the production and how much she's made-up, she can actually pass for an attractive young man.
* BoyishShortHair: In the film adaptations and most stage productions. Anybodys is a boyish young woman who is usually depicted as having short-cropped hair, in contrast to the other women who wear their hair [[LongHairIsFeminine long]].
* ChekhovsSkill: Being physically a small, petite person and psychologically unworthy of attention from either gang means they're able to hang around Sharks territory in the shadows where no one sees them. This allows them to overhear Chino talking about wanting to kill Tony and to later find Tony to warn him.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: It's all but outright stated in the film that their sister is a prostitute. Tony Kushner's research for the 2021 screenplay indicated that a transgender boy of his era would likely be desperate to look for acceptance or any semblance of protection.
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the scrappy tomboyish type character. Anybodys's entire character revolves around wanting to be one of the boys, and she seems eager to challenge them to fights and argue with them, and eventually it seems like she's starting to get accepted...[[spoiler:then in the 1961 film and most productions, the Jets try to ''rape Anita'', and Anybodys, while looking disturbed, simply stands by as another woman is ''almost assaulted.'' This throws a wrench in her being seen as any kind of proto-feminist character. Some productions make it better by having her try to stop them and finally be the one to go get Doc, though, and in the 2021 film, [[AdaptationalGenderIdentity he]] tries to warn Anita not to go into the store]].
* DudeWheresMyRespect: In the 2021 film, Riff tells him to beat it when the Jets start to vandalize a Puerto Rican flag mural. However, Anybodys stays behind and whistles a warning to them when the Sharks arrive, ensuring they don't completely get the drop on the Jets. Even then, they continue to push Anybodys aside during "Jet Song."
%%* {{Expy}}: Of Balthazar.
* InformedAbility: Anybodys claims to be able to fight as well as any of the Jets, but this isn't actually seen in the stage version or the 1961 film. Averted in the 2021 film, in which he fights, punches, and kicks half the cops in the precinct and manages to cleanly escape, along with beating the crap out of A-Rab and giving him a bloody nose.
* TheLadette: Dresses and acts like one of the boys.
* LimitedWardrobe: The only outfit Anybodys wears during the 1961 film is a light blue long-sleeve t-shirt with yellow sleeves and a pair of blue jeans, even during the dance scene where everybody else dresses up. In the 2021 film, he wears a denim jacket over a t-shirt, and has a suit jacket on at the dance.
* OhCrap: In the 2021 film, [[spoiler:he sneaks into the gym where Bernardo trained, and sees that Chino has Riff's gun, while telling the Sharks not to follow him as he leaves to find Tony.]]
* OneOfTheBoys:
** She tries her best to be one, but none of the Jets really want her around. It isn't until she actually helps them find Tony that they treat her as one of them.
** In the 2021 film, he gets accepted by the Jets but it's highly implies he starts questioning by the time he perceives the danger Anita is in.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Anybodys's real name isn't mentioned in the stage version or either film adaptation. Doubly justified in the 2021 film, as their name would be considered a deadname today.
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: In response to A-Rab's constant transphobia, Anybodys frequently insults his Italian background with various ethnic slurs.
* TransTribulations: In the 2021 film the character is written as a trans boy whose gender identity is dismissed and made fun of by the other Jets.
* UndyingLoyalty: He is fiercely loyal to Tony in the 2021 film, as Tony is the only person who treats Anybodys with any degree of respect. It's mentioned in passing that, before Tony was sent to prison, he was in favor of Anybodys joining the Jets. [[spoiler:When Tony runs onto the street in despair and calls for Chino to kill him too, Anybodys desperately tries to convince Tony to hide with him. After Tony is killed, Anybodys leads the funeral procession.]]
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: In the 2021 film, [[spoiler:he grabs the gun out of Tony's hand and tosses it aside, where it's picked up by Chino]].

!!!'''The Girls'''

[[folder:Graziella]]
!!Graziella
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Gina Trikonis (1961 film), Paloma Garcia-Lee (2021 film)

Riff's girlfriend. She is Ice / Diesel's girlfriend in some productions.

* AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder: In the 2021 film, she used to date Tony before he went to prison. The script mentions that she still has a thing for him when she first sees Tony at the dance, something Riff is oblivious to.
* AdaptationDyeJob: She's a redhead in the 1961 film and blonde in the 2021 film.
* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: In the 2021 version, it's mentioned that she was Tony's girlfriend before he went to prison and then found comfort in Riff. [[spoiler:After the rumble and Riff's death, she says she wants to see Tony because he cared about her once before.]]
* AdaptationalHeroism: In the 2021 film, [[spoiler:she and the other Jet girls try to save Anita when the Jets begin to sexually assault her.]]
* AscendedExtra: Graziella has more prominence in the 2021 film. She appears in the opening with Riff, having apparently made out with him in the cab of a wrecking crane, and it's also established that she was originally Tony's girlfriend before he went to prison. [[spoiler:She also attempts to stop the Jets from assaulting Anita.]]
* BerserkButton: In the 2021 film, Anita calls for Valentina in Spanish, and Graziella lashes out at her for it.
* BreakTheCutie: She's understandably heartbroken after Riff is killed.
* EveryoneHasStandards: In the 2021 film, she's just as bigoted as the Jets and hates Anita because she was Bernardo's girlfriend. [[spoiler:However, when the Jets' harassment of her turns sexual, Graziella and the other girls desperately attempt to put a stop to it.]]
* ForcedToWatch: In the 2021 film, [[spoiler:she's thrown out of Doc's when the Jets begin to assault Anita, and pleads through the door for them to stop.]]
* HiddenDepths: While she might be a bit dim and mostly eye candy, she clearly loves Riff, breaking down after his death and exclaiming, "[[SayMyName Riff!]] I want Riff!"
* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: She gets pissed off after one of the Jets calls her a Velma a pair of "dumb broads", proclaiming, "I and Velma ain't ''dumb!''" But apparently being a broad is alright.
* LooseLips: In the 2021 film, she berates Riff since he told her he wasn't going to fight until he challenged Bernardo to the rumble. Officer Krupke overhears the word "challenge," leading the police to start to investigate the gangs' plans.
* MinorCharacterMajorSong: Played with, her only real role is being Riff's girlfriend, and she has no solos to speak of, but she's heavily featured as a spotlight dancer alongside Riff in the "Mambo" scene, and later the principal female dancer in "Cool".
* TragicKeepsake: In the 2021 film, [[spoiler:she's wearing one of Riff's shirts after his death, which is likely the only thing she has left of him.]]

[[folder:Velma]]
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Carole D'Andrea (1961 film), Creator/MaddieZiegler (2021 film)

Ice's girlfriend, and Graziella's best friend. She is Riff's girlfriend in some productions.

* AdaptationDyeJob: She's blonde in the 1961 film, and in most stage productions, but brunette in the 2021 film.
* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: She's Mouthpiece's girlfriend in the 2021 film.
* AdaptationalHeroism: In the 2021 film, [[spoiler:she and the other Jet girls try to save Anita when the Jets begin to sexually assault her.]]
* AscendedExtra: Along with Graziella and Tessa, [[spoiler:she tries to stop the Jets' sexual assault on Anita in the 2021 film.]]
* DumbBlonde: Usually depicted as blonde and vapid.
* EveryoneHasStandards: In the 2021 film, [[spoiler:she's horrified when the Jets' harassment of Anita turns sexual and tries to stop it.]]

[[folder:Minnie/Tessa]]
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Pat Tribble (1961 film), Talia Ryder (2021 film)

Baby John's girlfriend.

* AdaptationalHeroism: In the 2021 film, [[spoiler:she and the other Jet girls try to save Anita when the Jets begin to sexually assault her.]]
* AdaptationalNameChange: In the 2021 film, Baby John's girlfriend is named Tessa.
* AscendedExtra: Along with Graziella and Velma, [[spoiler:she tries to stop the Jets' sexual assault on Anita in the 2021 film.]]
* ChastityCouple: In comparison to the more sexual dancing at the gym in the film the gang members are doing with their girlfriends, Baby John and Minnie seem to be having a grand old time simply skipping around the dance floor together. Riff gets embarrassed by them and smacks Baby John to get him to dance with Minnie in a little more heated fashion.
* EveryoneHasStandards: In the 2021 film, [[spoiler:she's horrified when the Jets' harassment of Anita turns sexual and tries to stop it.]]

%%[[folder:Clarice]]
%%!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Rita Hyde d'Amico (1961 film)

%%Action's girlfriend.
%%[[/folder]]

%%[[folder:Pauline]]
%%!!!'''Portrayed by:'''

%%A-Rab's girlfriend.
%%[[/folder]]

!!The Sharks

[[folder:In General]]
!!The Sharks
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sharks1961.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:1961 film]]

->'''Riff:''' Who jumped Baby John this afternoon?
->'''Bernardo:''' Who jumped me the first day I moved here?
->'''Action:''' Who asked you to move here?

A gang of Puerto Ricans in New York City's Upper West Side.

* AnimalMotif: Like their namesake, the Sharks are cunning, vicious, and attack in packs.
* AscendedExtra: In the stage version and 1961 film, the Sharks more or less disappear from the story after the rumble, up until the final scene. In the 2021 film, they are given much more prominence during the final act.
* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Most productions and the 1961 film have them wearing red and purple, while the 2021 film has them wearing red and yellow.
* DefensiveFeintTrap: A favorite tactic of theirs in the 1961 film. In the prologue, the Jets are shown chasing a single Shark into an area, only to get overwhelmed when the Sharks are revealed with greater numbers. Pepe lures the Jets into a construction site, but when the Jets arrive at the ridge, the Sharks are standing at the bottom ready to throw fruits and vegetables at them.
* FlatCharacter: Most of the Sharks get little characterization and focus, apart from Bernardo, Maria, Anita, and Chino. Tony Kushner's script includes descriptions of them to help flesh them out, but even then, most of them are described in groups rather than individually.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Bernardo created the Sharks to oppose the Jets' bigotry, but by the time the story begins, they have become virtually indistinguishable from their rivals. Each side is concerned only with vengeance on them for whatever the other's last act of vengeance on ''them'' was. In the "Tonight Quintet," each side sings the line "They began it." They also sing the exact same ''music'' on that line, suggesting that the genesis of each gang's hatred is basically identical.
* HotBlooded: Tony Kushner's script describes Chago, Manolo, Sebas, and Aníbal as street-wise Nuyoricans who are used to fighting.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** The Sharks look down on the Jets for being juvenile delinquents, while they themselves have jobs. However, a few of them are actually teens who play hooky so that they can fight all the time.
** In the 2021 film, they cite the Jets stealing from their neighbors' stores as one of their justifications for fighting them. Meanwhile, Aníbal is shown hijacking melons from a local produce truck to use as weapons against A-Rab, Big Deal, and Diesel as they chase after him.
* LatinoIsBrown: The ethnic make-up of the Sharks can vary based on the stage production, and differs in the two film versions.
** Played straight in the 1961 film, in which the Sharks were played by white actors in {{Brownface}}. Even Rita Moreno, who actually ''is'' Puerto Rican, had her skin darkened, while Natalie Wood spent a lot of time in tanning booths.
* MoralMyopia: They resent the Jets for their xenophobia and harassment and their solution is to be xenophobic and harass them themselves.
* MirrorCharacter: Most of the Sharks are equivalent versions of the Jets, especially in the 2021 film. Braulio is the second-in-command, like Ice. Quique is TheBigGuy, like Diesel. Chago is HotBlooded and eager to fight, much like Action.
* NotSoDifferentRemark: María tells the gang in her TheReasonYouSuckSpeech that they're just as responsible as the Jets for [[spoiler:Riff, Bernardo, and Tony's deaths]].
* OnlyOneName: In contrast to the Jets, the Sharks have actual given names.
* PatrioticFervor: The Sharks are deeply patriotic for their native Puerto Rico, with some, like Bernardo, expressing a desire to return. In the 2021 film, Bernardo leads the Sharks in singing "La Borinqueña," Puerto Rico's national anthem.
* PurpleIsPowerful: In the 1961 film, purple is a prominent color for the Sharks.
* RedOniBlueOni: Red to the Jets' blue. Paul Tazewell, the costume designer for the 2021 film, emphasized this by dressing the Sharks in passionate red and yellow colors.

!!!'''The Boys'''

[[folder:Bernardo]]
!!Bernardo Nunez
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bernardo1961.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:1961 film]]
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Ken [=LeRoy=] (1957 Broadway, 1958 West End), Creator/GeorgeChakiris (1961 film)

->''"Look, every one of you hates every one of us and we hate you right back! Let's get at it!"''

Maria's brother, leader of the Sharks. He is an analogue of both Tybalt, Juliet's hotheaded cousin, and Lord Capulet, as the leader of one of the FeudingFamilies who tries to marry her off to a suitor.

* AccidentalMurder: [[spoiler: During the rumble, Riff runs into his knife, killing him.]]
* AscendedExtra: Already one of the main characters in the original stage show, but his singing is alongside the ensemble rather than getting any solo numbers. The movie has him as the second most prominent soloist in "America". The 2020 Broadway revival and 2021 film did this as well.
* BelligerentSexualTension: With Anita, their bickering and sensuality contrasts with Tony and Maria's innocent ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet''-style romance.
* BerserkButton: Tony dating Maria is this for him, along with being called a "spic."
* ControlFreak: He tries to keep Maria under his thumb, ostensibly for her protection.
* DeadpanSnarker: He frequently lets off a number of sarcastic remarks.
** In the 1961 film, after Lt. Schrank scolds the gangs, Bernardo asks him to repeat what he just said into Spanish. [[ActuallyPrettyFunny Even this elicits a laugh from the Jets.]]
** Just before "America" in the 1961 film, when Anita says they had nothing in Puerto Rico, he replies that in New York, they still have nothing, "only more expensive."
** In the 2021 film, when Ice explains they need to "set up" the rumble, Bernardo asks if it's like a date.
* DeathByRacism: [[spoiler:The last thing he says before the knife fight with Riff and his subsequent death is a racial slur towards Polish people.]]
* FatalFlaw: His MoralMyopia. While Bernardo understandably resents the racist attitudes and treatment by the Jets and the authorities, he allows his hatred to cloud his judgment and engages in much of the same behavior as them. [[spoiler:Ultimately, his refusal to accept Tony's attempts to make amends and let go of his hatred leads to the knife fight with Riff and his death at Tony's hands.]]
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** Resents the Jets and the authorities' racist attitude, but isn't the most inclusive sort either, as shown when he arranges Maria's marriage and his own intolerant behavior towards Tony.
** Anita points out that Maria does have a mother and father who can parent her rather than Bernardo trying to do it all himself. He brushes off her concern by saying they don't know anything more about America than Maria does and Anita tells him neither does he, outside from the few square blocks of the city they inhabit.
* JerkassHasAPoint: In the film versions, he's the second soloist in "America." While Anita sings about the virtues of living in America, Bernardo sings about the flaws, especially the racism that the Puerto Rican community faces every day.
* KnightTemplarBigBrother: He's fiercely protective over Maria, to the point he has her confined to her apartment and job.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Bernardo teasing Tony instead of backing down when Tony said he didn't want to fight him, ultimately leads to [[spoiler: Tony murdering Bernardo in revenge after Riff gets (accidentally) stabbed by Bernardo while stepping in on Tony's behalf.]]
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler: After stabbing Riff during the rumble,]] Bernardo is left stunned in horror. [[spoiler: Not that he lives long enough for any guilt to set in.]]
* MySisterIsOffLimits: Taken to extremes when it comes to Tony.
* NamedByTheAdaptation: No surname in the original stage show. In Irving Shulman's novelization, his and Maria's surname is Nunez.
* ParentalSubstitute: While their parents live with them in the stage version and 1961 film, Bernardo has a more direct influence over Maria, even directly telling her what she can and can't do. The 2021 film implies their parents are dead, allowing Bernardo to fully take over this role. He even calls their apartment "his house."
* PatrioticFervor: Bernardo is a proud Puerto Rican and even floats the idea of moving back to the country due to his growing cynicism of America. However, Anita accuses him of having NostalgiaFilter for the country and continually reminds him that they came to America because they had nothing when they lived there.
* StrawMisogynist: He has this trait in all three versions, though it's much more prominent in the 2021 film. He prefers to keep Maria under his thumb, forbidding her from pursuing her own dreams like getting a college education or finding her own love. He also wants Anita to give up on her dream of owning a dress shop and instead move back to Puerto Rico where she can start making babies for him. There's also the fact he considers the apartment the three of them live in "his house", even though both Anita and Maria help pay the rent.
* WideEyedIdealist: What he describes himself as when he first came to America. He's long since become more [[TookALevelInCynicism cynical]] by the time the audience meets him.

[[folder:Chino]]
!!Chino Martin
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chino1961.jpg]]

!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Jose De Vega (1961 film)

Maria's unassuming but secretly hot-tempered suitor, Bernardo's best friend. He's the story's version of Paris, Lord Capulet's intended betrothed for Maria.

* BearerOfBadNews: He goes to tell Maria what happened at the rumble. Unfortunately, when the only thing she asks is if Tony is okay, he snaps and shouts that [[spoiler:Tony killed Bernardo.]]
* BewareTheNiceOnes: The script's stage directions describe him as "a gentle, sweet-faced boy," but [[spoiler:after Tony kills Bernardo and after Chino realizes that Maria is in love with Tony, he goes on a {{Roaring Rampage of Revenge}} with lethal results.]]
* {{Expy}}: Of Paris, as Maria's intended who does not take her dalliance with Tony (the Romeo analogue) well.
* NamedByTheAdaptation: He gets the surname Martin in Irving Shulman's novelization of the musical.
* NonActionGuy: ImpliedTrope. When he goes to see Maria after the rumble, she asks if he's been fighting, which is unlike him.
* RealMenWearPink: Wears a pink shirt to the dance.
* SanitySlippage: [[spoiler:He's clearly shell-shocked after the rumble and witnessing Bernardo's death. When Maria innocently asks if Tony is okay, he snaps and becomes determined to kill him, to both avenge Bernardo and to eliminate a romantic rival (the latter at least in the stage version and 1961 film).]]
* SparedByTheAdaptation: Chino's counterpart in the original ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' is killed by Romeo before Romeo's suicide. Here, Chino is arrested after [[spoiler:killing Tony]].
* ThousandYardStare: He has one after the rumble in all versions of the story, which is why Maria immediately knows something terrible has happened.
* WhiteCollarWorker: He is this in each version. In the 1961 film, he works as an assistant, and Bernardo points out that Chino makes half of what Tony does as a delivery boy for Doc, because he's Puerto Rican. In the 2021 film, Maria refers to him as a "drone" to Anita.

[[folder:Pepe]]
!!Pepe
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Jay Norman (1961 film)
Second-in-command of the Sharks.

* KickTheDog: During the Prologue, he knocks down Anybodys, who wasn't vandalizing the mural, after he signals to the Jets the Sharks are coming.
* TheLancer: Along with Quique, he's quick to lead the Sharks into battle when the Jets begin to vandalize a Puerto Rican flag mural.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: When the Sharks regroup outside Doc's, he is shocked and horrified by what transpired.
-->"''¡Yo no quería que esto pasara, yo no quería que esto pasara!''"[[note]]I didn't want this to happen, I didn't want this to happen![[/note]]

[[folder:Indio]]
!!Indio
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Gus Trikonis (1961 film)

* MandatoryLine: Literally speaks one word in the entire stage show.

%%!!Loco

%%!!Jauno

%%!!Luiz

%%!!Rocco/Anxious

%%!!Toro

%%!!Nibbles/Del Campo

%%!!Chile

!!!'''The Girls'''

[[folder:Anita]]
!!Anita Palacio
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/anita1961.jpg]]

!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Chita Rivera (1957 Broadway, 1958 West End), Creator/RitaMoreno (1961 film), Creator/ArianaDeBose (2021 film)
!!!'''Singing voice:''' Betty Wand (1961 film, for "A Boy Like That")

->''"♫ I like the island Manhattan.''
->''Smoke on your pipe and put that in! ♫"''

The saucy friend of Maria and girlfriend of Bernardo. She is analogous to the Nurse, Juliet's wordlier caretaker and confidant, as well as of Lady Capulet as the partner to Bernardo (Lord Capulet's analogue).

* AgeLift: Inverted: while Juliet's Nurse is an adult caregiver, Anita is a teenage friend only slightly older than Maria and dating her brother.
* AttemptedRape: [[spoiler:She suffers this at the Jets's hands while trying to take a message from Maria to Tony, leading to her lying in anger that Maria is dead instead.]]
* BelligerentSexualTension: With Bernardo, their bickering and sensuality contrasting with Tony and Maria's innocent ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet''-style romance.
* BetaCouple: She and Bernardo have been in a loving relationship for some time prior to the start of the story and are affectionate all throughout.
* BreakTheCutie: In just one night [[spoiler:her boyfriend is killed and she herself is almost raped.]]
* CondescendingCompassion: While she lends a sympathetic ear to Maria and listens to her concerns about Bernardo's treatment and being set up with Chino, Anita clearly expects her to accept the situation anyway and advises her to look at the positives instead of moping.
* DeadpanSnarker: Especially around Bernardo and to a lesser extent Maria.
** She's the only one who can get away with calling her boyfriend a [[NWordPrivileges Spic]] without him flying into a blind rage, instead with him only proclaiming "You are not so cute."
** In the 2021 film, she has this comeback when Bernardo says he wants her to become a baby factory.
--->'''Bernardo:''' Last night I dreamed I was back in Puerto Rico. In my dream we had six kids.
--->'''Anita:''' ''Six kids?'' Marry a cat.
* ImmigrantPatriotism: Unlike Bernardo and the rest of the Sharks, who face racism from the Jets and other white Americans on a daily basis, Anita is completely enamored by the opportunities that await her in New York. In the 2021 film, she repeatedly tells Bernardo and María that they need to practice speaking English. However, [[spoiler:after the Jets attempt to rape her, she is completely broken and realizes that Bernardo was right about America. In the 2021 film, she even remarks that she plans to go back to Puerto Rico.]]
* NamedByTheAdaptation: She gets the surname Palacio in Irving Shulman's novelization of the musical.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: [[spoiler:Maria convinces her to go to Doc's and tell Tony that she'll be late, as Lieutenant Schrank is questioning her about Bernardo's death and Chino's intent to kill Tony. Unfortunately, by the time Anita arrives, the Jets are already holed up there, and they decide to take their frustrations out on her in the worst way imaginable.]]
* OverlyLongName: Bernardo teases her by calling her by her full name "Anita Josefina Maria Teresa etcetera etcetera," while she reminds him that it's just "Anita" now.
* PoorCommunicationKills: Invoked. [[spoiler:After getting assaulted by the Jets, she lies and says that Chino killed Maria. When Tony learns this from Doc (Valentina in the 2021 film), he becomes so distraught that he runs onto the street begging for Chino to kill him, and he's shot moments after seeing Maria alive.]]
* SpicyLatina: One of the Trope Codifiers for the type seen starting in pop culture in the 50's.
* WhatTheHellHero: To Maria, in "A Boy Like That", when she sees that Maria has both {{Easily Forgiven}} and slept with Tony [[spoiler:after Bernardo's murder.]] Maria's rebuttal "I Have a Love" brings her around to her side, [[spoiler:but it doesn't last.]]

[[folder:Rosalia]]
!!Rosalia
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Suzie Kaye (1961 film), Ana Isabelle (2021 film)

Argues with Anita in "America"; Indio's girlfriend.
----
* DemotedToExtra: An otherwise the minor role in the stage show, she serves as the soloist countering Anita in "America". The film's reworked version of the number (actually how it was first written) has Bernardo in this role with the other Sharks backing him up. The 2020 revival and 2021 film did the same.
* EthnicMenialLabor: In the 2021 film, she works as a cleaning lady at Gimbels, along with Maria.

[[folder:Consuela]]
!!Consuela
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Yvonne Wilder (1961 film)

Pepe's girlfriend.

* DemotedToExtra: Certainly far from a major role in the stage show, she sings the solo in "Somewhere". The 1961 film omits the song's ballet sequence and makes the whole thing a duet between Tony and Maria. The 2021 film also doesn't include the ballet and has the new character Valentina sing the song instead.

%%!!Teresita
%%Loco's girlfriend.

%%!!Francisca
%% Jauno's girlfriend.

%%!!Estella
%%Luiz's girlfriend.

%%!!Margarita
%%Toro's girlfriend.

!!Adults
!!!'''Doc's Chemists'''
[[folder:Doc]]
!!Doc
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/doc1961.jpg]]

!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Art Smith (1957 Broadway), David Bauer (1958 West End), Ned Glass (1961 film)

->''"Why do you live like there's a war on?? What do you kill?"''

A weary old Jewish candy store owner and often the voice of reason regarding the feuds between the Jets and Sharks. He is most analogous to Friar Laurence, the priest who supports Romeo and Juliet's romance. He also takes some of Balthazar's role.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Usually is the kind-hearted and concerned voice of reason, and has a aversion to physical violence. [[spoiler:After witnessing the Jets nearly rape Anita]], he kicks the Jets out in a quiet voice of [[TranquilFury pure hatred]]. When Doc gives Tony some getaway money a moment later, Tony is [[ItsAllAboutMe only thinking about himself and his future with Maria]]. This is enough to provoke Doc to [[TheLastStraw snap]], and furiously [[WouldHurtAChild smack Tony across the face.]]
* DeathByAdaptation: An unusual case. He's reportedly died before the events of the 2021 film, but his role is still present in the form of Valentina, who's his widow and takes over his part.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Tony. Tony works for him, but it's also clear that they're buddies.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: "Doc" is his nickname, and his real name isn't mentioned in the stage version or either film adaptation, as Valentina's married name is never revealed in the 2021 film.
* OnlySaneMan: The only person who conducts himself in a completely and totally rational way throughout the story.
* PosthumousCharacter: He's been written out of the 2021 film by way of death, and his role is filled in it by new character Valentina (his widow) to allow [[CastingGag Rita Moreno]] to have a fitting role in it.
* TruceZone: Doc's is a favorite hangout of both gangs, and thus is considered neutral ground.
* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:He slaps Tony out of frustration for all the destruction the gang war has brought on the neighborhood.]]

[[folder:Valentina]]
A new character created for the 2021 film, she is Doc's Puerto Rican widow who runs the candy shop following his death and acts as a mentor for both the white and Puerto Rican communities. For tropes on her, see [[Characters/WestSideStory2021 here]].

[[/folder]]

!!!'''NYPD'''

[[folder:Schrank]]
!!Detective Lieutenant Schrank
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/schrank1961_7.jpg]]

!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Arch Johnson (1957 Broadway), Ted Gunther (1958 West End), Simon Oakland (1961 film), Creator/CoreyStoll (2021 film)

->''"Every block of Lincoln Square, every inch of San Juan Hill. I want the West Side locked down."''

A racist police lieutenant of the 21st Precinct. As the highest authority in the show, he's most analogous to Prince Escalus. However, unlike Escalus, who was a responsible authority figure despite having a part in the tragedy, Schrank is significantly more demeaning and unpleasant.

* BadCopIncompetentCop: The Bad Cop to Krupke's Incompetent Cop.
%%* TheBadGuysAreCops
* BigotWithABadge: He's openly racist towards the Sharks and classist towards the Jets.
* BoomerangBigot: A white cop who disdains the Caucasian Jets nearly as much as the Latino Sharks, referring to the former as "tin-horn immigrant scum." Given his last name and chosen profession, it's just as likely that he himself is descended from immigrants. Possibly an aversion, given that the story takes place in a time where most Poles [[ValuesDissonance were still considered]] AcceptableEthnicTargets.
* DirtyCop: More than willing to deliver a beating to the gang members if they don't stop their fighting.
* EnemyMine: If there’s anything the Jets and Sharks can agree to do, it’s to make fun of Schrank. He himself tries--and fails-- to invoke this with the Jets against the Sharks, albeit only to get the location of their rumble so he can arrest both gangs at once.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He mobilizes the police to stop the rumble because he is disgusted by the idea of the morning papers with headlines about dead kids.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Bigoted towards the Sharks and the Jets given their immigrant status when he's undoubtedly the descendant of immigrants himself. However, unlike the Jets, he was able to climb his way up and become a high-ranking police officer.
* ItsAllAboutMe: His concern about the fight between the Jets and the Sharks is only about how it'll affect his chance for promotion. In the 1961 film, he tells the Jets that if they don't knock it off, he'll get [[ReassignedToAntarctica busted down to a traffic corner]].
* {{Jerkass}}: He's unpleasant to talk to at the very least. It would be one thing if he was just doing his job, but the fact that he's a huge racist cements him as this trope.
* JerkassHasAPoint: As much as he's a corrupt racist who really only cares about his career, the fact remains that the Jets and Sharks are hoodlums who regularly break the law and the gang conflict negatively impacts the neighborhood and the other people who live in it.
** His response towards Doc's disdain of him indicates that years of dealing with gangs have left him jaded and cynical, a sentiment that anyone, particularly those in "do-gooder" professions (medicine, law, education, etc.) can empathize with. By the end, Doc almost completely agrees with Schrank's point.
* LackOfEmpathy: He's a complete and inconsiderate dick when questioning [[spoiler:Anita and Maria, even though they have lost a lover and a brother respectively.]]
* PoliceAreUseless: He mobilizes his precinct to stop the rumble, but fails to get there in time. [[spoiler:This results in the deaths of Riff, Bernardo, and ultimately Tony.]]
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Displays racism towards the Sharks. And the Jets too, referring to their families as "tin-horn immigrant scum".
%%* RabidCop

[[folder:Krupke]]
!!Police Sergeant Krupke
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/krupke1961.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:1961 film]]
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' William Bramley (1957 Broadway, 1961 film), Hal Galili (1958 West End)

An aggressive but inept cop. As Schrank's subordinate, he fills the role of Escalus's watchmen.
----
* BadCopIncompetentCop: The Incompetent Cop to Schrank's Bad Cop.
* ButtMonkey: Unlike Lt. Schrank, who both gangs are wary of pushing too far, Krupke is considered a joke by all of them and gleefully taunt him.
* CarryABigStick: He's mainly seen carrying a billy club.
* {{Jerkass}}: Not as bad as Schrank, and he ''is'' doing his job, but he's still a dick.
* PoliceAreUseless: No matter how hard he tries, he can't put a stop to the fighting between the Jets and the Sharks. Downplayed in both film versions, as he's able to realize what the Jets and Sharks are planning and tries to stop it.
** In the 1961 film, he's nearby as Riff and Bernardo make a show of pretending to be friendly. Later, he tells the Jets that he knows they were planning something at the dance, which is why Schrank arrives later at the war council.
** In the 2021 film, Graziella berates Riff for trying to challenge Bernardo at the dance, and Krupke overhears the word "challenge," which gets the police to start investigating the gangs' plans for the following night.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure:
** By all means, he has the authority to arrest all the kids for their constant brawling especially with how the neighborhood fears both gangs. Instead, he gives them verbal warnings and a lot of second chances up to the point that murder happens. Sure he's a bit racist, but he's quite lenient and even [[spoiler:arrests Chino quietly rather than make a big display of it]].
* VillainyFreeVillain: Sure, Krupke ''is'' a dick, but he's just doing his job, and unlike Schrank, we never see anything to indicate he's corrupt. Though in the 2021 film, Kushner's script humanizes him as a person while also portraying him as a perpetrator of the system.
[[/folder]]

!!!'''Other'''

[[folder:Glad Hand]]
!!Murray "Glad Hand" Benowitz
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gladhand.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:1961 film]]
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/JohnAstin (1961 film)

The inept chaperone at the dance.
----
* ButtMonkey: Nothing goes how he wants it to at the dance. In the 2021 version, he's irritated that the gangs refuse to even try dancing with other partners.
-->'''Glad Hand:''' Tonight is a social experiment, boys and girls, brotherhood and all that, and you're the guinea pigs.
-->''(The Jets and their girls begin oinking at him)''
-->'''Glad Hand:''' ''(exasperated)'' Thank you, right on cue.
* MisplacedKindergartenTeacher: He has this trait in the stage version and 1961 film, as he talks to the gangs as though they're middle schoolers at their first social event.
* NamedByTheAdaptation: In Irving Shulman's novelization of the musical, his real name is Murray Benowitz.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: "Glad Hand" is his nickname, and his real name isn't mentioned in the stage version or either film adaption.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: He hosts a "get together" dance for the Jets and the Sharks, which ultimately results in Tony and Maria meeting.
* TruceZone: The gym is considered neutral ground for both gangs, as their girls are brought to the dance as well.
* WideEyedIdealist: He actually tries to get the gangs (and their girls) to interact. This goes down poorly.
[[/folder]]

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tony2021.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:2021 film]]
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Larry Kert (1957 Broadway), Don [=McKay=] (1958 West End), Richard Beymer (1961 film), Creator/AnselElgort (2021 film)

->''"It's like I'm always just about to fall off the edge of the world's tallest building. I stopped fallin' the second I saw you."''

* AdaptationalBackstoryChange: In the 2021 film, Tony distancing himself from the Jets stems from him having served a jail sentence for nearly beating a member of a rival gang to death and wanting to avoid the experience again rather than simply growing tired of gang life.
* AdaptationalBadass: In the 1961 film and stage version, we never actually see him fight [[spoiler:until he kills Bernardo, who is non-resistant due to his shock over just killing Riff. In the 2021 film, he fights back against Bernardo while trying to reason with him and ultimately has him on the ground before he realizes what he's doing. He also gets to partake in some of the Jets' famous choreography, as "Cool" is changed to an attempt by him to convince Riff to call off the rumble]].
* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: His relationships with Riff, Maria, and Anybodys are given an overhaul in the 2021 film.
** In the stage version and 1961 film, it's clear that while Tony left the Jets, his friendship with Riff is still strong and they have each other's backs no matter what. In this film, Tony going to prison and then leaving the gang has caused a much deeper strain and this results in multiple arguments between the two, culminating in "Cool" being an attempt by Tony to convince Riff to call off the rumble.
** Tony takes Maria on an actual date the day after the dance, where they visit the Cloisters museum and he tells her about his past, saying he's done with the gang life. He also takes the time to learn a number of Spanish phrases so that he can better communicate with her in her native language. In the stage version and 1961 film, they meet at the bridal shop where she works, and they already start planning a wedding.
** While Tony was generally nicer to Anybodys in the previous versions, here it's made clear that the two are genuinely friends, as exemplified by when they warmly hug each other at the dance. Tony is also the only one who doesn't mistreat Anybodys for being trans, and it's mentioned that he was in favor of Anybodys joining the Jets before he was sent to prison.
* AdaptationalPersonalityChange: In the 2021 film, he's much more cynical when he first appears than he is in the other versions. This is due to him being five months out of prison and trying to put his life back together.

* BriefAccentImitation: In the 2021 film, he puts on a Puerto Rican accent while repeating Valentina's words about how he should stay away from Riff and the Jets.

* HiddenDepths: In the 2021 film, his cot in the basement has magazine clippings about outer space as decorations. Given how he and Riff refer to each other as ComicBook/{{Superman}} and ComicBook/{{Batman}}, respectively, it's also clear the two are fans of comic books.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: In the 2021 film. Ansel Elgort is a full foot taller than Rachel Zegler, and Maria lampshades the height difference in their first dance.
* InformedAbility: See AdaptationalBadass above.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
** [[spoiler:After killing Bernardo in a blind rage, and after all the others have fled, due to sirens blaring]], Tony lingers a moment, finally realizing in horror that he's done the opposite of what he promised to do, and screams [[SayMyName "Mariaaaaa!"]] in tears, and is [[NarrowEscape nearly caught, before he too flees]].
** In the 2021 film, he had gone to prison after he nearly beat a rival gang member to death, and the fact that he nearly killed someone is the main reason for him distancing himself from the Jets.

* OnlySaneMan: Is this in the 2021 film. Thanks to his experience of nearly killing someone and spending a year in jail, Tony is the only one of the teenage males who realizes how senseless and dangerous being a gang member really is. When he learns Riff [[spoiler:has acquired a gun]], he's horrified both by the damage it could cause and the serious legal troubles it could get him into.
* ReformedCriminal: While he's already left the gang life behind him in all versions of the story, in the 2021 film, he's spent a year in jail and is deeply troubled by the things he did while he was with the Jets. He also is worried about getting in trouble with his parole officer when Riff tries to get him to come to the dance.

!!María Nunez Vasquez
%%While she has a different surname in the novelization and 2021 film, having two surnames is common in Spanish-speaking countries, including Puerto Rico.

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maria2021.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:2021 film]]
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Carol Lawrence (1957 Broadway), Marlys Watters (1958 West End), Creator/NatalieWood (1961 film), Creator/RachelZegler (2021 film)

->''"This is my first time dancing in New York City, so you tell me. Is it OK?"''

* AdaptationalBadass: In the 2021 film, she isn't afraid to call out Bernardo for embarrassing her at the dance with his behavior towards Tony.
* AdaptationalIntelligence: In the 2021 film, she's much more aware that dating Tony is only going to cause problems between his friends and her brother, as well as the racism that the Puerto Rican community faces in America. She also shows some intellectual curiosity during her date with Tony at the Cloisters museum and mentions that she wants to take classes at City College during her argument with Bernardo. At the end of the film, she's the one who comes up with the plan to get help from Valentina in leaving the city.
* AdaptationalJobChange: In the 1961 film and stage version, Maria works in a bridal shop. In the 2021 film, she's a cleaner at Gimbels, an upscale department store.
* AdaptationalPersonalityChange: Like Tony, she's more cynical in the 2021 film, which is due to her frustration that Bernardo refuses to let her pursue her own dreams to go to college and find her own love.
* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: Her relationships with Tony and Bernardo are given an overhaul in the 2021 film.
** Her LoveAtFirstSight with Tony is severely downplayed. While she enjoys the dance with Tony and is clearly smitten, she's startled when she finds him singing outside her apartment and asks ([[BilingualBonus in Spanish]]) how he knew where she lives (it's a coincidence that he ended up at her place by wandering, but still, not a good first impression). In the script, it's mentioned that much of her dialogue in the balcony scene is meant to be mock-serious or playful teasing. It isn't until the end of "Tonight" that she really begins to reciprocate his feelings, and her date with Tony truly cements their love.
** Her relationship with Bernardo is also more strained, due to his controlling nature over her life. She isn't afraid to call him out for embarrassing her at the dance with his behavior towards Tony.
* ArrangedMarriage: She's forcibly engaged to Chino in the stage version and 1961 film, despite having lived in New York for only a month. In the 2021 film, there's no mention of this, though it's clear Bernardo wants her to get married as quickly as possible and start making little Puerto Rican babies.

* GirlySkirtTwirl: She does this in both film adaptions after putting on her dress for the dance and realizing how beautiful it looks.

* InformedFlaw: Invoked in the 2021 film. Bernardo tells Chino that Maria is bossy, but considering how controlling he is of her life, it's likely he's projecting his own flaws onto her and takes any attempt by Maria to assert herself as an example of her "bossiness."

** It's {{Subverted}} and {{Deconstructed}} in the 2021 film. Everyone ''treats'' María as though she is a young, sheltered, naive girl when the truth is she's an intelligent young woman who could easily take care of herself were she not kept under [[StrawMisogynist Bernardo's]] thumb. In fact, a lot of her feelings towards Tony seem to stem from the fact he actually respects her as an individual and doesn't treat her with CondescendingCompassion like the Puerto Ricans.

* LettingHerHairDown: In the 2021 film, Maria is introduced with her hair in a bun, but she lets it down as she gets ready for the dance.

* NamedByTheAdaptation: She and Bernardo have the surname Vasquez in the 2021 version. In Irving Shulman's novelization, their surname is Nunez.

** In the 2021 film, she tells off Bernardo the morning after the dance for trying to control her life.
--->'''Bernardo:''' ''¡Te prohíbo ver a ese estúpido Polack!''[[note]]I forbid you to see that stupid Polack![[/note]]
--->'''Maria:''' Maybe Chino and your friends fall down at your feet and maybe you scare the ''Americanos'' when you make fists and angry faces, ''pero yo no estoy interesada ni en boxeo ni en peleas. ¡Y tú no eres mi jefe!'' [[note]]but I'm not interested in boxing or fighting. And you are not my boss![[/note]] And I'm not interested in what you have to say.
* RebelliousPrincess: Bernardo treats her like a princess, pure and innocent, much to her chagrin. In the 2021 film, Maria sneakily puts on lipstick when he refused to let her wear makeup.

* TrueBlueFemininity: In the 2021 film, she wears a blue dress for the final scenes. As blue is associated with Tony in this version, it represents her allegiance with him.

* AdaptationalIntelligence: In the 2021 film, Diesel, Snowboy, and Baby John are vaguely aware that Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States, and thus the Sharks are also American citizens like them.
* AdaptationalJerkass: In the stage version and 1961 film, their fight is only with the Sharks and they're not shown partaking in any other crimes, apart from pinching an apple from a bodega. In the 2021 film, they are openly engaged in harassing the Puerto Rican community in general, including stealing from their shops and vandalizing their public spaces. The Jets are also openly transphobic, as they are dismissive of Anybodys and repeatedly misgender him.
* AscendedExtra: While the Jets are one of the main focuses of the story, they mostly just appear as a full ensemble and get little characterization by themselves. In the 2021 film, they are split up on the day of the rumble, with half being questioned by the police, which leads into "Gee, Officer Krupke," and half accompany Riff as he buys a gun, which leads into "Cool."

* GreaserDelinquents: The 2021 film gives them this style, as a number of the Jets wear leather jackets. In addition, their HQ prior to the rumble is a chop shop.

* RedOniBlueOni: Blue to the Sharks' red. Paul Tazewell, the costume designer for the 2021 film, emphasized this by dressing the Jets in cool blue and grey colors.

* TattooedCrook: Riff and a few other Jets sport tattoos in the 2021 film.

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/riff2021.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:2021 film]]
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Michael Callan (1957 Broadway), Creator/GeorgeChakiris (1958 West End), Creator/RussTamblyn (1961 film), Creator/MikeFaist (2021 film)

->''"I wake up to everything I know either getting sold or wrecked or being taken over by people that I don't like and they don't like me."''

* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: His friendship with Tony in the 2021 film. In the previous versions, it's clear that while Tony has left the gang life behind him, his friendship with Riff is still strong and they have each other's back no matter what. In this version, Tony being sent to prison and then leaving the Jets has caused a much deeper strain, resulting in multiple arguments between the two.
* AdaptationalPersonalityChange: In the stage version and 1961 film, he has a general cocky swagger that comes from being young and feeling invincible. In the 2021 film, he has a far more nihilistic outlook on life, outright telling Tony that he fully expects to die young.
* AdaptationalVillainy: In the 1961 film and the stage version, his hatred is directed only towards the Sharks and he's never seen engaging in any crimes outside of fighting. In the 2021 film, he's much more bigoted towards Puerto Ricans in general, having the Jets engage in petty crimes and harassment against a number of them as they walk through their neighborhood. Valentina also mentions that he's been shoplifting from her since he was ''six years old''.

* BatterUp: In the 2021 film, Riff chooses a baseball bat as his weapon of choice for the rumble, and wields it like a StaffOfAuthority.
* BlatantLies: In the 2021 film, he describes himself to Valentina as a paying customer, even when he's in the middle of stealing a Milky Way.
* DeathSeeker: Implied to be one in the 2021 film. [[spoiler:When the Irish bartender holds the gun on him, Riff presses his forehead against the barrel and tries to goad him into pulling the trigger. He also tells Tony that he doesn't expect to grow up, and will instead die young. When he's stabbed by Bernardo, he almost looks relieved.]]
-->'''Tony:''' When are you gonna grow up?\\
'''Riff:''' Never, probably. Born to die young, daddy-o.
* AFatherToHisMen: He's hugely respected and admired by the rest of his gang. In the 2021 film, he takes the time to inspect Baby John's ear injury and gives some encouraging words.
-->'''Riff:''' That's gonna scar, buddy boy.
-->'''Baby John:''' ''(smiles)'' You think so?
-->'''Riff:''' Frankenstein time!

* IRejectYourReality: In the 2021 film, it's clear that all of the Jets have accepted that Tony is done with them, but Riff insists he'll eventually come back. He comes to realize this at the end of "Cool," when Tony tries to get him to stop the rumble.
* LackOfEmpathy: In the 2021 film, after Tony talks about how he's had time to reflect and wants to become a better person, Riff derisively replies "You're just too deep for me, kid."
* TheLancer: The 2021 film hints that the Jets started with Tony as the leader and Riff as his right-hand man. Riff even tries to convince him to take command at the rumble. After "Cool," there's mentions in the script that Riff now realizes that the Jets are ''his'' gang, not Tony's anymore.
** This is confirmed by Irving Shulman's novelization, in which Riff is driven by a need to prove the Jets are still a strong gang with him as leader instead of Tony.

* MotiveRant: In the 2021 film, he gives a little speech to Tony about why he's so entrenched in staying with the Jets and in the Upper West Side even though it's all being torn down around them.
-->"I don't know who I am, and who cares who I am? Nobody, includin' me. I know that this dust that's covering everything now? That's the four-story buildings that was standing here when you went upstate a year ago. You know, I wake up to everything I know either gettin' sold or wrecked or bein' taken over by people that I don't like. And they don't like me. And you know what's left, outa alla that? The Jets. My guys. My guys who're just like me. ''(slams a can down in front of Tony)'' Who are just like you."

* OralFixation: In the 2021 film, he chews on a toothpick [[spoiler:when he buys a gun from Abe and Rory.]]
* PersonaNonGrata: In the 2021 film, he was banned by Valentina for shoplifting and trying to get Tony back into the Jets.

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: In the 2021 film, [[spoiler:the gun that is used by Chino to kill Tony is obtained by Riff before the rumble and it falls into Chino's hands after he brings it there]].
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Tony in the 2021 film. It's clear that Tony going to prison and then leaving the Jets has caused a significant strain on their friendship.

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sharks2021.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:2021 film]]

* AdaptationalHeroism: They come across in a much better light in the 2021 film, as they're fighting to protect their community from the Jets' bigoted attacks and aren't shown going out of their way to provoke them like in the musical and 1961 film. In addition, [[spoiler:they don't help Chino hunt down Tony, and actually try to talk him out of revenge.]]
* AdaptationalNameChange: Most of the Sharks are given different names in the 2021 film.

** Averted in the 2021 film, as Steven Spielberg cast Latino actors from a wide range of backgrounds. Rachel Zegler (Maria) is of Colombian ancestry, David Alvarez (Bernardo) is Cuban-Canadian, Ariana [=DeBose=] (Anita) is Afro-Latina, Sebastian Serra (Braulio) is Puerto Rican, Julius Anthony Rubio (Quique) is Dominican, and Andrei Chagas (Jochi) is Brazilian, while Rita Moreno (Valentina) appears with her natural skin tone.

* VigilanteMilitia: In the 2021 film, the Sharks were formed in response to the Jets vandalizing their public spaces, stealing from their shops, and harassing their community. Officer Krupke chides them for trying to take the law into their own hands instead of calling the cops like good citizens, though Bernardo points out that the cops are more likely to arrest ''them''.
* WorkingClassHero: In the 2021 film, the Sharks are blue-collar workers who try to defend their shops from the Jets, and are cheered by their community for their valiant efforts.

!!Bernardo Nunez Vasquez
%%While he has a different surname in the novelization and 2021 film, having two surnames is common in Spanish-speaking countries, including Puerto Rico.

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bernardo2021.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:2021 film]]
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Ken [=LeRoy=] (1957 Broadway, 1958 West End), Creator/GeorgeChakiris (1961 film), David Alvarez (2021 film)

* AdaptationalHeroism: PlayedWith in the 2021 film. On the one hand, Bernardo is a local boxer and considered something of a hero amongst his community, as he and the Sharks defend the area from the harassment and petty thefts of the Jets. He is also aware that the gang life is not ideal and had convinced Chino not to join the Sharks, recognizing that he had a better chance at life by staying in school. However, he's also a StrawMisogynist whose treatment of Maria is less "being protective of his younger sister" and more "being a sexist ControlFreak".
* AdaptationalJerkass: In the original musical and 1961 film, he and Tony are familiar with each other because of Tony's previous dealings with the Jets. Thus, Bernardo's suspicions of him are somewhat understandable. In the 2021 film, he had never met Tony before the dance and thus has no knowledge of his past association with the Jets. His hatred towards him comes entirely from the fact that he's white.

* BigEntrance: He is unseen in the prologue of the 2021 film, which features the Sharks rushing in to drive away the Jets as they vandalize a Puerto Rican flag mural. Once the two gangs start to brawl in an empty lot, Bernardo climbs up ready to join the fray and heads right for Riff in a more dramatic fashion.
* BreakTheHaughty: In the 2021 film, he starts off as a confident, charismatic professional boxer and leader of his gang who is widely respected by the Puerto Rican community and thinks he can control María, Anita, and Chino's lives. But by the rumble, [[spoiler:he's first given a humiliating beatdown by Tony that turns him into a raving SoreLoser before being reduced to a [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone sobbing mess due to his horror over killing Riff.]]]]

* EverythingIsRacist: In the 2021 film, it's clear that five years of living in New York City has made him suspicious of anyone who's not Puerto Rican and caused him to think any slight against him and his community (real or imagined) is because of racism. During "America," he accuses an old shopkeeper of overcharging Anita for fabric after he sees the price. However, the offended look on the shopkeeper's face indicates he did no such thing; Bernardo believed he was being racist simply because the man was white. He also thinks Tony is going to take advantage of María and is aggressive before he's even had a chance to introduce himself.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:In the 2021 film, he's killed with his own knife after Tony pulls it out of Riff's body.]]
* {{Hypocrite}}: Resents the Jets and the authorities' racist attitude, but isn't the most inclusive sort either, as shown when he arranges Maria's marriage and his own intolerant behavior towards Tony.

** In the 2021 version, he is clearly offended by the language used by the Jets, but has no problem calling Tony a "Polack." Anita points out that using ethnic slurs makes him sound like a true American.
** Also in the 2021 film (albeit one that relies on AllInTheManual), he looks down on the Jets for being a gang of aimless delinquents and boasts about how he and the Sharks have jobs. While that's true with many of the Sharks, a few of them, such as Flaco, Junior, and Tino, are delinquents who play hooky or don't work so can they spend all of their time with the gang.
** In addition, Bernardo had convinced Chino not to join the Sharks because he knows how self-destructive the gang life is, and tells him he has a better chance at life by going to school. However, Bernardo is shown to have a promising young career as a boxer, which means it's really not in his best interest to be in a gang either.

* TheLeader: Of the Sharks. The 2021 film expands on this by making Bernardo a local boxer and thus a hero among his community for defending them against the Jets.
* MotiveDecay: In the 2021 film, he formed the Sharks to defend the Puerto Rican community from the bigoted Jets. [[spoiler:However, his desire for the rumble is more so that he can fight Tony for dancing with Maria, rather than keeping the Jets out of their way for good.]]

* NamedByTheAdaptation: He and Maria have the surname Vasquez in the 2021 version; you can see it on the boxing poster in their apartment. In Irving Shulman's novelization, their surname is Nunez.

* PetTheDog: In the 2021 film, despite his controlling nature towards Anita and María, he at least understands that María doesn't want to date someone who's like him, and takes this into account when he sets her up with Chino.
* PrecisionFStrike: In the 2021 film, he describes the Jets as "''hijueputas''", which roughly translates to "motherfuckers."

* TooDumbToLive: In the 2021 film. [[spoiler:Even after Tony proves that he can easily overpower him, and decides to show him mercy by walking away, Bernardo ''still'' tries to provoke him into fighting. This results in the knife fight between him and Riff, which ultimately kills them both. Justified as Bernardo is so clearly blinded by his hatred that he isn't thinking rationally.]]

* WorfHadTheFlu: In the 2021 film, Bernardo is a boxer and thus is a formidable opponent when he fights Tony. However, their fight [[CripplingOverspecialization is not a boxing match]], and Tony has no problem using other tactics to ultimately gain the upper hand against him.

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chino2021.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:2021 film]]
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Jose De Vega (1961 film), Josh Andrés Rivera (2021 film)

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: He's not a member of the Sharks in the 2021 version, but a nice young man who's just trying to earn an honest living by going to school. After Bernardo angrily breaks up the dance between Tony and Maria, he calmly and politely asks if she'd like to stay or go home. He helps Tony get into the rumble at the salt shed and isn't overtly hostile to him [[spoiler:until after Tony kills Bernardo]].
* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: In the stage version and 1961 film, Chino is betrothed to Maria, which she is unhappy about because she wants to find her own romance. In the 2021 film, there's no mention of this. Bernardo sets Maria up with his best friend for the dance. In addition, Maria is flattered by Chino's politeness and amused by his geeky persona, and even joins in with him as he starts to dance, suggesting that, had Tony not noticed her at that moment, things probably would have gone well between them.
** In the 1961 film, Tony seems to already know Chino, while the 2021 film implies that they don't know each other. In addition, Chino doesn't seem to have any resentment towards Tony for Maria dancing with him.
* AdaptationalWimp: In the 2021 film, he's a much more geeky, soft-spoken and awkward person. He isn't even a member of the Sharks as Bernardo refuses to let him join so he can focus on night school. [[spoiler:His murder of Tony is literally the first and only act of violence he commits]].
* AntiVillain: To an extent. [[spoiler:While he spends the second act trying to and eventually managing to kill Tony, he's got an understandable motive in that Tony has murdered his best friend and is in a relationship with his fiancee.]]
* AscendedExtra: He gets little characterization in the stage version and 1961 film beyond being Maria's date to the dance and Bernardo's best friend. In the 2021 film, he's fleshed out as a sweet, somewhat geeky young man who's going to school to get an honest job fixing adding machines. He isn't even overtly hostile to Tony when Maria chooses him, and helps Tony get into the rumble when they both arrive late.

* BoringYetPractical: In the 2021 film, he is going to night school to study adding machine repair. Not glamorous, but with all the adding machines in New York City, from Wall Street to the local banks, he'll have a steady stream of work and make decent money.
* DeathSeeker: [[spoiler:In the 2021 film, Quique tries to reason with him by saying that if he kills Tony, a gringo, he'll be killed too. Chino's grim response is "Sooner or later, the gringos kill everything."]]
* EveryoneHasStandards: In the 2021 film, he is disappointed, but understanding, when Maria chooses Tony over him. When Bernardo becomes enraged enough that it looks like he's going to kill Tony while he's trying to smooth things over, Chino momentarily tries to restrain the Shark leader.

* {{Foil}}: Becomes this to Tony in the 2021 film, thanks to his AscendedExtra status. Both are the best friend of one of the gang leaders, both are in love with Maria, and both are initially distant from the gang conflict. However, Tony is deliberately separating himself from the gang war because of his past actions, while Chino wants to join the Sharks out of a genuine desire to protect his community. [[spoiler:While both witness the death of their best friend at the rumble, Tony realizes the seriousness of his actions and initially intends to turn himself in before Maria talks him out of it, while Chino becomes consumed by a desire for revenge even though it means throwing away his entire future.]]
* IJustWantToBeBadass: In the 2021 film. He's not a member of the Sharks, but wants to join out of a desire to help protect their community from the Jets. He also thinks that being someone who stands up to bigotry will make María respect him.

* NerdGlasses: Keeping in line with his new personality in the 2021 film, he wears a set of horn-rimmed glasses, [[TheGlassesComeOff which he loses]] [[spoiler:when he becomes determined to kill Tony.]]
* NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead: Averted in the 2021 film. [[spoiler:When he meets up with the Sharks after the rumble, Chino says that Bernardo was a fool for accepting the fight with the Jets, as it ultimately got him killed.]]
* NonActionGuy: In the 2021 film. Despite his desire to join the Sharks and help protect the Puerto Rican community, Chino is not a particularly threatening or imposing guy. When the rumble breaks out into an all-out brawl, [[spoiler:he is only clutching Bernardo's dead body, clearly terrified of the violence happening around him.]]
** He's implied to be this in the stage version and 1961 film as well. When he goes to see Maria after the rumble, she asks if he's been fighting, which is unlike him.

* RevengeBeforeReason: [[spoiler:In the 2021 film, it's clear that he's terrified about killing Tony, but sees no other way to avenge Bernardo. Even when Quique points out the last thing Bernardo would want is for Chino to throw away his future, Chino refuses to back down.]]

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: In the 2021 version, Chino helps Tony get into the rumble after arriving late. [[spoiler:This results in the fight escalating, and ultimately leads to the deaths of Riff, Bernardo, and Tony, the last one at Chino's own hands.]]

[[folder:Pepe/Braulio]]
!!Pepe/Braulio
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Jay Norman (Pepe, 1961 film), Sebastian Serra (Braulio, 2021 film)

* AdaptationalNameChange: He's named Pepe in the stage version and the 1961 film, and Braulio in the 2021 film.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the final scene of the 2021 film, [[spoiler:he gently helps María as the gangs get ready to take Tony's body away.]]
-->"''María, ya es tiempo. Vente con nosotros.''"[[note]]María, it is time. Come with us.[[/note]]
* BearerOfBadNews: In the 2021 film, he tells Valentina about the rumble [[spoiler:and that Tony killed Bernardo.]]

* TheSmartGuy: Tony Kushner's script describes Braulio as serious and political. He tries to tell Schrank that they are citizens and have rights, only to get slapped in response.
* ThoseTwoGuys: Braulio and Quique both serve as Bernardo's lieutenants, accompanying him when Riff calls for a meeting to set the rumble.

[[folder:Quique]]
!!Quique
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Julius Anthony Rubio (2021 film)
A senior member of the Sharks.

* AscendedExtra: In a sense, even though he's a new character. The Sharks more or less disappear from the stage version and 1961 film after the rumble, [[spoiler:up until Chino kills Tony and Maria scolds both gangs for the senseless violence]]. In the 2021 film, the senior members of the Sharks are given much more prominence in the final act, [[spoiler:including telling Valentina about the rumble, holding a prayer vigil for Bernardo, and trying to talk Chino out of killing Tony]].
* TheBigGuy: One of the biggest members of the Sharks.
* CanonForeigner: He's a new Shark character added for the 2021 film.
* EveryoneHasStandards: [[spoiler:When Chino reveals that he has Riff's gun, Quique tries to convince him that it's not worth throwing away his entire life for revenge over a single neighborhood. Chino doesn't listen.]]
* TheLancer: He leads the Sharks into battle during the prologue, along with Braulio.
* ManlyFacialHair: He has a very thick mustache.
* MirrorCharacter: He serves as one to Diesel, due to both of them being one of the biggest members of their gangs and trying to advise their friends when they're in a stressful situation.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He wants to fight the Jets as much as anyone, but he's deeply affected [[spoiler:by Bernardo's death. When he sees that Chino has Riff's gun, he desperately tries to reason with him, telling him it's not worth throwing away his future for revenge.]]
* ReligiousBruiser: He wears a large crucifix necklace.
* ThoseTwoGuys: With Braulio in the 2021 film.
* YoungerThanTheyLook: Quique is a teenager like the rest of the Sharks, but looks significantly older than the others thanks to his mustache.

[[folder:Chago]]
!!Chago
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Ricardo A. Zayas (2021 film)
----
* CanonForeigner: He's a new Shark character added for the 2021 film.
* HotBlooded: He hates the Jets for stealing from the Puerto Rican shops and vandalizing their public spaces, and thus is quick to want to fight. He also lunges at Chino [[spoiler:for saying that Bernardo was a fool.]]
* {{Jerkass}}: During the Prologue when the Sharks go after the Jets for vandalizing their mural, he leads a small group in ganging up on Baby John, the youngest and weakest of the Jets. They even go as far as ''shoving a nail through his ear''.
* MirrorCharacter: His HotBlooded nature and eagerness to fight basically makes him the Sharks' version of Action.
* OhCrap: All of his bravado instantly vanishes when [[spoiler:Chino pulls out Riff's gun.]]
* PatrioticFervor: When Bernardo leads the Sharks in singing "La Borinqueña," Puerto Rico's national anthem, Chago raises his fist and screams ''"¡Viva Puerto Rico libre!"'', or "Long live free Puerto Rico!"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Indio]]
!!Indio
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Gus Trikonis (1961 film)

----
* MandatoryLine: Literally speaks one word in the entire stage show.
[[/folder]]

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/anita2021.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:2021 film]]

* AdaptationalBadass: In the 2021 film, Bernardo practices throwing punches with Quique during "America." Anita pushes him aside and throws a punch into the focus gloves, causing Quique to wince in pain afterwards (something that didn't happen with Bernardo). She also puts up one hell of a fight [[spoiler:when the Jets begin to assault her, though she's quickly overpowered.]]

* CharacterTic: In the 2021 film, she has a habit of snapping her fingers before she says something.

* DeadpanSnarker: Especially around Bernardo and to a lesser extent Maria. She's the only one who can get away with calling her boyfriend a [[NWordPrivileges Spic]] without him flying into a blind rage, instead with him only proclaiming "You are not so cute."

* HeroicBSOD: Clearly goes through this in the 2021 film [[spoiler:after Bernardo's death. Any time she's alone, she's visibly shaking and struggling to speak.]]

* IronicEcho: In the 2021 film, she repeatedly tells Bernardo and Maria to speak English, and gets these words thrown back at her [[spoiler:when Lieutenant Schrank questions the girls after Bernardo's death.]]

* RaceLift: Even with the LatinoIsBrown trope in effect for previous ''West Side Story'' presentations, the 2021 incarnation of Anita stands out from the rest due to being portrayed by Afro-Latina actress Creator/ArianaDeBose.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: She gives one to Bernardo in the 2021 film for his StrawMisogynist views towards her and Maria.
-->"You want to know where my home is? It's where I pay rent. Right here, where I work my fingers raw mending pants and hemming neckties so that I can earn enough money to pay other girls to sew for me, so that someday I can rent a shop of my own in this great, big beautiful ''Nueva York''! And if you think that I’m going back home to Puerto Rico with six kids that I put to bed hungry every night, ''amor de mi vida''[[note]]love of my life[[/note]], you're dreaming!"
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: In the 2021 film, [[spoiler:after all the trauma she goes through she decides she's done with America and intends on moving back to Puerto Rico.]]
-->"''Yo no soy americana. ¡Yo soy puertorriqueña!''"[[note]]I am not American. I am Puerto Rican![[/note]]

!!Valentina
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/valentina_43.jpg]]
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/RitaMoreno (2021 film)

->''"Life matters even more than love."''

A new character created for the 2021 film, she is Doc's Puerto Rican widow who runs the candy shop following his death and acts as a mentor for both the white and Puerto Rican communities.

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the previous versions, Doc is rendered so furious [[spoiler:by the Jets assaulting Anita]] that he's unable to delicately tell Tony [[spoiler:the false news that Maria is dead.]] While Valentina is just as disgusted, she keeps her composure and breaks the news in a much more gentle manner.
* AscendedExtra: In playing Doc's role, she appears in more scenes than him and also gets the song "Somewhere."
* BigotryException: Is this for the Jets due to her being Doc's widow and having been a neighborhood fixture their entire lives. She's not comfortable with this, reminding Tony that marrying a white man doesn't make her not Puerto Rican.
* BriefAccentImitation: When Tony imitates her Puerto Rican accent while repeating her words about Riff and the Jets, she puts on an exaggerated New York accent right back at him.
* CanonForeigner: She was created for the 2021 film.
* CastingGag: She's played by Creator/RitaMoreno, who played Anita in the 1961 film.
* ChildOfTwoWorlds: {{Deconstructed}}. Her marriage to Doc resulted in the Jets, who grew up in the neighborhood and knew her all their lives, considering her one of them even though she's still a Puerto Rican and no different from the ones they've been harassing. Meanwhile, many in the Puerto Rican community saw her as a CategoryTraitor for marrying a white man and [[spoiler:Anita]] considers her one for associating with the Jets.
* ConvenientReplacementCharacter: She essentially fills Doc's role in the 2021 film, since he's a PosthumousCharacter in this version of the story.
* CoolOldLady: She's a quick witted woman who gives Tony genuinely good advice and helps him rebuild his life after serving time in jail.
* DeadpanSnarker: When Tony asks for help translating some of the things he wants to say to Maria in Spanish, she points out he might might to take it a bit slow to start off.
-->'''Tony:''' What's forever? Like, "I want to be with you forever."\\
'''Valentina:''' You don't want to start maybe with, "I'd like to take you out to coffee?"\\
'''Tony:''' No, come on, tell me how to-\\
'''Valentina:''' "I want to take you to Chock Full O Nuts for a cream cheese sandwich on raisin bread?"
* GetOut: She tells Riff to leave her store at once because he's been stealing from her since he was six.
* HonestAdvisor: Having been in a mixed race marriage, she understands the hostility Tony and Maria will have to endure and doesn't sugarcoat it to Tony.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: Like Doc in the other versions, it's clear that she genuinely cares for Tony, giving him a place to live and a job as he tries to put his life back together.
* LatinoIsBrown: Averted. While Rita Moreno was covered in {{Brownface}} in the 1961 film, even though she was the only cast member who actually ''is'' Puerto Rican, she retains her natural skin tone in the 2021 film.
* MalignedMixedMarriage: Her marriage to Doc, a white American, while mostly happy did result in some hostility from both of their communities.
* MamaBear: She's very protective of Tony, and tells Riff off for trying to get him involved with the Jets again. She also saves Anita [[spoiler:when the Jets assault her.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Neither of Tony's parents are mentioned in the 2021 film, while Valentina takes on a motherly role in helping him get his life back together.
* PrecisionFStrike: This is what she says when [[spoiler:she finds the Jets assaulting Anita.]]
-->"''OH MY GOD!!! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING YOU DISGUSTING PIECES OF '''SHIT'''?!''"
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: She calls out the Jets for [[spoiler:attempting to rape Anita.]]
-->"I know you. I know all of your names. Since you was born, I watched you grow up. You have grown up [[spoiler:into ''rapists''.]] You dishonor yourselves. You dishonor your dead!"
[[/folder]]

!!!'''NYPD'''

[[folder:Schrank]]
!!Detective Lieutenant Schrank
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/schrank1961_7.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:1961 film]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/schrank2021.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:2021 film]]
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Arch Johnson (1957 Broadway), Ted Gunther (1958 West End), Simon Oakland (1961 film), Creator/CoreyStoll (2021 film)

->''"Every block of Lincoln Square, every inch of San Juan Hill. I want the West Side locked down."''

A racist police lieutenant of the 21st Precinct. As the highest authority in the show, he's most analogous to Prince Escalus. However, unlike Escalus, who was a responsible authority figure despite having a part in the tragedy, Schrank is significantly more demeaning and unpleasant.
----

* ItsAllAboutMe: His concern about the fight between the Jets and the Sharks is only about how it'll affect his chance for promotion.
** In the 1961 film, he tells the Jets that if they don't knock it off, he'll get [[ReassignedToAntarctica busted down to a traffic corner]].
** In the 2021 film, he merely tries to keep the gangs from killing each other because they'll all be displaced once Lincoln Center is built, and he can have a cushy job patrolling a relatively crime-free rich neighborhood.

** He gets a major one in the 2021 film when he points out to both gangs that their war for control over the neighborhood is meaningless because the neighborhood isn't even going to ''exist'' in a few years due to the construction of Lincoln Center.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: In the 2021 film, he talks about how other poor, white men were able to climb their way out of the slums, get good jobs, buy nice houses, drive cool cars, and marry beautiful women, while the Jets are the products of the men who couldn't.
-->"Most of the white guys who grew up in this slum climbed their way out of it: Irish, Italian, Jews. Nowadays their descendants live in nice houses and drive nice cars and date nice girls you'd want to marry. Your dads or your granddads stayed put, drinking and knocking up some local piece who gave birth to you: the last of the Can't-Make-It Caucasians. What's a gang without its terrain, its turf? You're a month or two away from finding out, one step ahead of the wrecking ball. And in this uncertain world, the only thing you can count on is me. I'm here to keep the civil peace until the last building falls, and if you boys make more trouble on my turf, Riff, hand to heart, you're headed to an upstate prison cell for a very long time. By the time you get out, this will be a shiny new neighborhood of rich people in beautiful apartments with Puerto Rican doormen to chase trash like you away."

!!!'''Portrayed by:''' William Bramley (1957 Broadway, 1961 film), Hal Galili (1958 West End), Creator/BrianDarcyJames (2021 film)

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the 2021 film, he's much more civil to both gangs and doesn't have any hints of racial bias. [[spoiler:He's also shown gently helping Anita fill out the necessary paperwork after Bernardo's death.]]
* AdultsAreUseless: In the 2021 film, he genuinely wants to help the teens avoid jail. Unfortunately, between the Jets being hardened by their poor home lives, the Sharks being distrustful of the police due to America's racism, and him having to answer to [[DirtyCop Lt. Schrank]], there's not much he can actually do other than beg the gangs to stop fighting.
* AgeLift: In the 2021 film, he's clearly much older than in the other versions and most of his incompetence stems from his age making him less physically adept than in his younger years.

* DisabledInTheAdaptation: He's mentioned to have a few physical ailments in the 2021 film. He complains about his ulcers after Anybodys kicks him in the stomach, while Riff makes a crack about his asthma (which may or may not exist) after he breaks up the opening fight.
* EveryoneHasStandards: In the 2021 film, he is disgusted by how the gangs can't even stop trying to fight while at the dance.
-->"Whatsa matter with you guys? Pretty girls wantin' a dance, 'n all yiz can think of is to beat up on each other?"

** In the 2021 film, he reprimands Riff and the Jets for going out of their way to harass the Puerto Ricans and tells them to leave the group alone while also chiding Bernardo and the Sharks for being vigilantes, telling them that if they have a problem, they should call the cops and not take it into their own hands. Though he himself upholds the very structures that oppresses both sides in the first place.
** Also in the 2021 film, he scolds Tony at the dance because he thinks he's trying to cause trouble with the Puerto Ricans. When Tony explains he was just dancing with María and Bernardo continues to act hostile, Krupke then tells Bernardo to back off since he's clearly acting as the aggressor in this instance.

!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/JohnAstin (1961 film), Mike Iveson (2021 film)

* AdaptationalIntelligence: In the 2021 version, he comes across as less naive and more frustrated by the constant conflict between the gangs.

* MisplacedKindergartenTeacher: He has this trait in the stage version and 1961 film, as he talks to the gangs as though they're middle schoolers at their first social event. Averted in the 2021 film, where he's much more aware that he's dealing with two very aggressive street gangs.

* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: In the 2021 film, he tells the Sharks to "speak English at school-sponsored functions." Though in his defense, it was clear that [[HidingBehindTheLanguageBarrier the Sharks had just insulted him]].

[[folder:Abe & Rory]]
!!Abe & Rory
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Curtiss Cook (Abe) & Creator/JamieHarris (Rory) (2021 film)

An African-American black market dealer and an Irish bartender, respectively, who associate with the Jets. They were created for the 2021 film.
----
* ArmsDealer: Abe is a black market gun smuggler.
* BlatantLies: Abe asks Riff if he's ever fired a gun before. Riff replies that it was a Colt revolver, with .32 rounds. Abe takes this as a sign that he's lying by saying that Colts fire .22 rounds.
* CanonForeigner: Both were created for the 2021 film.
* GunPorn: Abe and Rory lovingly describe [[spoiler:the S&W revolver that the Jets want to buy.]]
* TheIrishMob: Rory is implied to have been involved with it in the past, along with Riff's father.
* ScaryBlackMan: Abe is a streetwise gun dealer, and he's able to easily intimidate the Jets when Rory pulls the gun on Riff.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: They only appear in one scene in which they [[spoiler:sell a Smith & Wesson Model 10 to Riff. That gun ends up killing Tony at the end of the night.]]
* StreetSmart: Abe is smart enough to namedrop MutuallyAssuredDestruction ([[AnachronismStew a term that wasn't even coined until 1962]]) when Riff explains that they need a gun because the Sharks are bringing a gun while they think the Jets are.
* ThoseTwoGuys: They appear together to sell hardware to the Jets.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fausta]]
!!''Señora'' Fausta
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Andréa Burns (2021 film)

María's boss at Gimbels. She was created for the 2021 film.
----
* AdaptationalNameChange: Maria's boss in the 1961 film is named Madam Lucia.
* AscendedExtra: Maria's boss at the bridal shop is briefly seen in the 1961 film, after "I Feel Pretty." In the 2021 film, she participates in "I Feel Pretty."
* EthnicMenialLabor: She's a Hispanic cleaning supervisor at an upscale department store.
* NotSoAboveItAll: She tries to get Maria and the other cleaning ladies to stop singing "I Feel Pretty," but soon gets swept up in it. At the end of the song, she bluntly tells everyone to get back to work.
* RemakeCameo: Andréa Burns played Maria in the 1992-1993 European tour of the musical.
[[/folder]]

* LatinoIsBrown: Played straight in the 1961 film, in which the Sharks were played by white actors in {{Brownface}}. Even Rita Moreno, who actually ''is'' Puerto Rican, had her skin darkened, while Natalie Wood spent a lot of time in tanning booths. Averted in the 2021 film, as Steven Spielberg cast Latino actors from a wide range of backgrounds. Rachel Zegler (Maria) is of Colombian ancestry, David Alvarez (Bernardo) is Cuban-Canadian, Ariana [=DeBose=] (Anita) is Afro-Latina, Sebastian Serra (Braulio) is Puerto Rican, Julius Anthony Rubio (Quique) is Dominican, and Andrei Chagas (Jochi) is Brazilian, while Rita Moreno (Valentina) appears with her natural skin tone.