Ants
Anthony
A teenage boy on Earth, who died after giving his last food to his ant farm, and was reincarnated on Pangera as a monstrous ant. He is clever, and very attached to his new six-legged family, but often scatterbrained.
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Unlike his patient, methodical, entirely dedicated siblings, Anthony is easily bored and moves on from one project to the next. He does try to apply himself, and by human standards he's not bad, but for an ant, he's very flighty.
- Super Prototype: As a result of extra hunting and Level Grinding to maximise his core strength and mutations, Anthony is stronger than any other ant. The Colony has learned from his experience and uses those lessons to raise powerful ants en masse, but they can't afford the resources to make all ants as strong as him.
The Queen
The mother (or at least ancestor) of all the ants. In accordance with her instincts, she is extremely selfless and devoted to her children, even putting her own health at risk and ignoring her own needs for their sake. She is also sapient when Anthony first arrives.
- Mama Bear: When the ants are grievously threatened, she generally takes the field, with her higher evolutionary tier making her a heavy hitter even though she's not really built for combat. Even Garralosh the giant crocodile has cause to regret making her angry.
Vibrant
A "champion" ant, stronger and smarter than usual. Anthony identifies early that she has great potential, when she's unusually active as a grub, and is then hatched already having a monster core. She basically becomes his little sister, even more so than other ants.
- Speed Demon: Vibrant can't stand to go slowly. She and her followers mutate every part of themselves to move and fight at speeds beyond what other ants can possibly manage, until even her speech is shown without any spaces or punctuation because she's goingtoofastfortheotherantstoproperlyfollowbyeeee!
Smithant
An ant who dedicates herself to metalwork and engineering, becoming the first to unlock skills that allow her to build metal armour for ants.
The Twenty
Propellant
A hot-headed mage specialising in fire magic.
Coolant
A calm and organised mage specialising in ice magic.
Grant
A soldier ant, and the first of the Twenty to fall.
- Heroic Sacrifice: During Anthony's fight against Garralosh, she puts herself in harm's way to push Anthony to safety, and is killed. Anthony invokes her memory before delivering the killing blow to Garralosh.
Leeroy
A soldier ant who isn't able to adjust to the new policy of "living ants are more useful than dead ones", and remains intent on gloriously sacrificing herself for the Colony. She gathers other ants who share her philosophy, forming an elite combat unit known as the Immortals, who repeatedly charge into the thickest fighting in hopes of finding enemies who can kill them for good.
- Death Seeker: She won't just kill herself, but her heart is set on giving her life in the Colony's service. The Battle Cry of the Immortals is, "WE SEEK!"
- Leeroy Jenkins: Her reckless behaviour during training causes Anthony to name her Leeroy in homage to the original. Whom she has never heard of, naturally.
Pets
Tiny
Originally a Lightning Fist Ape, whom Anthony discovered fighting a crocodile at the time he found the Colony, and whom he helped the Colony to kill. Anthony later reconstitutes his core just to see what that menu option will do. Tiny is initially just a very hungry companion, but later begins to prove his worth, as his mighty fists and innate lightning magic are able to deal immense damage to his foes.
- Dumb Muscle: Lightning Fist Apes actually become less intelligent each time they evolve, in exchange for very high bonuses to physical strength. Tiny gradually slips from simple phrases into mere single words and grunts, until Anthony alters his core to give him a modicum of intelligence so he can make better evolutionary choices. Even powerful monsters like Garralosh's children have to be wary of his fists, but he has no strategy to using them.
Crinis
Originally a Crinis Inanis shadow beast, colloquially called a "Jellymaw" by Anthony, who attacked the Colony as they were escaping their first Dungeon wave, and whose core was later modified and reconstituted into Anthony's second pet.
In her resting state, she takes the form of a small black ball. In combat, she unfolds into a forest of dozens or hundreds of razor-barbed tentacles made of malleable shadow flesh, surrounding a fanged mouth. She is quite intelligent and articulate, although she is also intensely devoted to Anthony, easily becoming shy and tongue-tied when speaking to him. She excels in slaughtering large numbers of relatively weak monsters, with her many tentacles able to operate semi-independently to entangle, trip, dismember, or crush them before tossing them into her mouth.
In her resting state, she takes the form of a small black ball. In combat, she unfolds into a forest of dozens or hundreds of razor-barbed tentacles made of malleable shadow flesh, surrounding a fanged mouth. She is quite intelligent and articulate, although she is also intensely devoted to Anthony, easily becoming shy and tongue-tied when speaking to him. She excels in slaughtering large numbers of relatively weak monsters, with her many tentacles able to operate semi-independently to entangle, trip, dismember, or crush them before tossing them into her mouth.
- Happy Fun Ball: Crinis is a literal ball in her resting state, turning into a blender of tentacle death when roused.
- Yandere: She is crazy about Anthony. Ax-Crazy. Since she is irrevocably bound to him as a pet, she is already happy with her lot, and does not appear to feel threatened by the other ants or his other pets, but she unleashes berserk fury on all his enemies.
Invidia
An envy demon and Anthony's third pet, reconstituted from the core of a demon Anthony defeated. Takes the form of a single eyeball with rudimentary limbs, but most of his mass is in an extradimensional pocket.
- Eye Beams: Invidia's single eye can shoot a powerful laser (green, appropriately enough).
- Green-Eyed Monster: All demons are obsessed with a particular vice; Invidia's is envy. Whatever others have, he wants to take — except from Anthony, his master.
- Squishy Wizard: Invidia isn't physically imposing, but he is a tremendously skilled spellcaster, both offensively and defensively. Anthony was very nearly killed by the original, but used a Rocket Jump to reach him faster than he could retaliate, and ended him with a single chomp.
Humans
Beyn
A preacher, originally from the Church of the Path, who encounters the Colony when they first breach the surface in a small village in the kingdom of Liria. After several upheavals in his faith, he settles on worshipping the ants as noble saviours.
- The Fundamentalist: Whatever he believes to be true, he just can't stop talking about. Loudly. And calling people to action. In fairness, he's no hypocrite; he'll gladly put his own life on the line in any crusade he stirs up.
Enid Ruther
An elderly woman who encounters the Colony when they breach the surface, and helps to lead and organise the refugees who later track the ants down. Anthony takes a liking to her, and she is the first person to whom he reveals his name.
Titus Faronicus
A commander in the Abyssal Legion, married to the Legion's Consul, with a long history of service and an unknown but correspondingly high level. He has zero tolerance for Dungeon monsters, period.
- One-Man Army: Commander Titus doesn't usually fight, because he wants to let the younger recruits level up and learn to be independent. When he does step in, however, he's more dangerous than all of them put together.
Morrelia Faronicus
The daughter of Commander Titus and Consul Minerva of the Abyssal Legion. She dreamed of being a Legionary all through her childhood, but soured on the idea when her brother passed away after completing his training, and she became a wandering mercenary instead, hiring out to kill Dungeon monsters and keep people safe.
She's very suspicious of the Colony when she first meets them, but gives them a chance due to the glowing recommendations of the refugees they saved, and eventually decides that they're genuinely peaceful.
- The Berserker: Morrelia has a Berserker class that lets her enter a dangerous rage, with boosted strength, a Healing Factor, and instinctive Dual Wielding of her swords. She doesn't easily distinguish friend from foe in that state, however, and is fatigued afterward.
Ka'armodo
Ivran'tep
Garralosh's "handler", a member of the Cult of the Red Truth. When he later learns that Anthony is another reincarnator, he allows Anthony to fight Garralosh without interference, and later encourages Anthony to absorb her core so as to make him a better candidate for an Ancient.
- The Man Behind the Man: Garralosh is dangerous, but is actually just a piece in the Red Truth's schemes, with Ivran'tep controlling and directing her.
Rassan'tep
A member of the Red Truth who later takes the management of Anthony's case — without informing Anthony about it, although Granin knows. He admires the Colony's drive and dedication, and wants to make them — and Anthony in particular — stronger through conflict.
- The Social Darwinist: Naturally enough for a Red Truth cultist, he believes that the right to survive is won through strength and conflict. In Anthony's case, he wants to push as hard as possible without actually killing Anthony, to make Anthony stronger.
Golgari
Coriinam Balta
A Warrior from a noble house, who leads the expedition that captures Anthony. His proud and condescending attitude quickly brings him into conflict with Anthony, who embarrasses him, and he holds a grudge.
Granin Lazus
A "shaper" (mage) and long-standing member of the Cult of the Worm. Granin encounters Anthony and becomes his sponsor/advisor, seeking to help him become stronger in hopes that he will eventually descend to the core of the world as the twentieth Ancient.
When the golgari have a falling out with the Colony, Granin ends up ostracized for his association with Anthony. He and his two companions, Corun Nium and Torrina Lakshan, set out to study the ants and document their growth for the cult's records someday, as well as continuing to advise Anthony on his evolutions.
Other species
Formosus Bellus Pulcher
A member of the reclusive Sophos species, who predate the Dungeon but were subsumed by it and turned into monsters due to living underground. He is the first person to recognise Anthony as a reincarnator, and is generally friendly toward him.
- Quintessential British Gentleman: Formo's mannerisms are extremely stereotypically British. It's unclear whether other Sophos are similar.
Garralosh
A reincarnator from long before the story began, who takes the form of a giant crocodile. During her time in the Dungeon, she has slipped into madness and mindless slaughter.
- Was Once a Man: Several of the reincarnators retain somewhat human values, despite their new forms and situation, but Garralosh has fully embraced the life of slaughter.
James
A man who reincarnated in the form of a giant earthworm. With limited combat ability, his first evolutions were underpowered, and he is terrified of combat. Being blind doesn't help.
- Shout-Out: His whole character is a reference to Earthworm Jim.
Sarah
A woman reincarnated as a powerful bear. Despite her strength, and even because of it, she is constantly afraid.
- Afraid of Their Own Strength: Sarah is terrified of what she could do, even to her friends, every time she loses control.
- The Berserker: Sarah's evolutions have given her an organ known as the Asura, which channels any negative emotion to tremendously boost her strength, but it also causes her to fall into a mindless rage where she can slaughter friends and enemies alike.
