Due to the fact this is a long-running show, this character list does contain unmarked spoilers for the entire series, so please tread lightly or not at all.
Note: Degrassi: Next Class is a continuation of the original series; we are going by the original season numbering. Netflix splits the 20 episode season into two Next Class seasons, season 15 is Next Class seasons one and two, season 16 is Next Class seasons three and four.
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Frankie Hollingsworth
Francesca "Frankie" Hollingsworth
Played by Sara Waisglass, Season 13 (recurring), 14-16 (regular)
"Mom, it's so unfair. I'm expected to be a saint and my brothers get away with murder!"
Frankie is Miles's younger sister, and twin sister to Hunter. Unlike Miles, Frankie gets along with her father and unlike Hunter, Frankie is friendly and cheerful. She is the most levelheaded of her family and friends and a good compass for morality, from standing up to queen bee cheerleaders to standing up to her abusive father. Despite her popular rich girl status, Frankie is also into comics and into geeky guys like Winston, whom she dated for a bit. However, Frankie is also very sensitive and becomes insecure when it comes to being in relationships. After her breakup with Winston, she goes through a depressive period due to his love and familial issues. She starts seeing reformed bad boy Jonah Haak which finally lifts her spirits.
In Next Class season 3, she's happily dating Jonah. But as Jonah starts to hang out with Grace more, Frankie's paranoia grows and she takes extreme measures to make sure her relationship with Jonah doesn't fall apart. Due to her constant insecurity, Jonah ends up dumping her. Heartbroken and misunderstood by her friends, she starts to hang with Zig and Esme and ends up in a three-way relationship. However as Esme starts acting out, Frankie becomes uncomfortable with it and ends it on her own accord.
- Abusive Parents: Shut her father out of her life at the end of the first half of Season 14 due to his abuse of Miles, only for them to reunite in the second half of the season, with conditions.
- Ambiguously Bi: Enters a three-way relationship with Zig and Esme until she calls it off herself. Though it's unclear if her sexual/romantic interest in girls is merely situational.
- Brainy Brunette: She's a brown-haired girl and very intelligent.
- Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: The Gentle Girl to Jonah's Brooding Boy in the later seasons.
- Childhood Friend Romance: With Winston in seasons 13 and 14 before he dumps her for getting emotionally close with a co-worker.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: BIG time with Jonah, to the point of hacking into his social media accounts to view his messages and being completely insecure about their status. Jonah ends up breaking up with her due to it. In Season 4, this leads to a bunch of histrionic Freak Out moments whenever she sees Jonah and Grace together. Overlaps with Insecure Love Interest.
- The Cutie: Frankie is a total sweetheart and friendly and kind to everyone. She only retaliates when pushed.
- Deadpan Snarker: Mainly when dealing with the craziness of her classmates (when she herself isn't being the crazy one), she lets out some pretty good one-liners.
"I've got butterflies. Carnivorous butterflies that are bent on eating my intestines."
- Drama Queen: Her antics, from posting sad selfies and photos during her breakups to acting out in fury after she found out Jonah was dating painted her as dramatic by her peers. Her friends are a bit more down-to-earth than she is.
- Everyone Has Standards: While she admittedly had fun in her three-way relationship with Zig and Esme, in #Fire; she straight-up tells Esme that she's not going to have a three-way with them.
- Expository Hairstyle Change: Shay and Lola thought her blonde streaks were a cry for help while she was dealing with her breakup with Winston.
- Fatal Flaw: Immaturity, as well as being sheltered and naive.
- Freudian Trio: Between both Shay and Lola, Frankie takes The Kirk position mostly.
- Geeky Turn-On: Winston's geekiness was what attracted her to him, ever since she was a little girl.
- Girly Girl: Frankie's usual fashion choices are dresses and skirts, and she is this compared to the athletic Shay and even Lola.
- The Heart: Frankie has (so far) has not been outwardly mean towards anyone. She's the first one of the Power Cheer squad who was friendly toward the geeky Arlene, usually mediates conflicts at home and at school, and is the Only Sane Woman in her family. She brought up the morality of Degrassi Nudes and could only do one topless picture before she felt dirty.
- Hidden Depths: Frankie is a comic book geek.
- Homoerotic Subtext: Heaps with Esme. They're both involved in a complicated "three-way" relationship with Zig, but it's ambiguous whether they're attracted to each other or just their mutual boyfriend.
- Innocent Bigot: After being pranked by the volleyball team from Northern Tech (nicknamed "The Zoo"); Frankie initiates a prank against the team by drawing them as animals, particularly monkeys. Northern Tech and the volleyball team are completely comprised of mostly black and Latino students in a low-income area. Frankie doesn't really make the situation better, at first by making insincere apologies.
- Insecure Love Interest: With Jonah, which saw her hacking into his messages and trying to appear sexy and trying to have sex with him to get him to stay. It didn't work.
- Ironic Echo: Back in Season 3 Frankie was worried that Jonah would break up with her when he started to hang out with Grace, despite others telling her things will be fine, she thus becomes insecure in her relationship to the point of stalking him and hacking his social media. Her insecurity eventually makes Jonah break up with her. Fast forward to #Fire, Frankie (who is now friends with Esme and in a three-way relationship with her) is trying to tell the insecure Esme that Zig isn't going to break up with her despite Maya coming back into his life.
- My Girl Is Not a Slut: Mrs. Hollingsworth treats Frankie differently than her brothers when it comes to relationships, and even notes the Double Standard, stating that her brothers can't get pregnant.
- Seems to catch a downplayed version of this trope a lot. Jonah (her boyfriend at the time) is put off by her trying to sleep with him, and Winston dumps her over having an emotional affair with a co-worker.
- Naïve Everygirl: Frankie is immature, self-conscious, and sheltered which causes her problems with dealing with relationships or conflicts. In the aftermath of her misguided prank, Frankie was more concerned about people thinking she was racist than actually apologizing to Northern Tech. And while dating older guy Jonah, she gets so wrapped up in jealousy that she starts reading his private messages to make sure Jonah isn't thinking about breaking up with her.
- "Not If They Enjoyed It" Rationalization: Frankie stops short of saying that Zoë deserved to be sexually assaulted, but says that she enjoys male attention so much with Keisha chiming in on her behavior at the party.
- Only Sane Woman: It's becoming quite clear that Frankie is the only person in her family that isn't a mess, and also she was the only person skeptical of Zoë's Oomphchat scheme.
- Parental Favoritism: Frankie and her twin brother are liked much more than her brother Miles by their father, mainly because they don't make trouble. Notably, Frankie is the only Hollingsworth who isn't physically abused by their father, and she is the most willing to have a relationship with him.
- Polar Opposite Twins: With Hunter, Frankie is a lot more outgoing and friendly but insecure about what people think of her.
- Shamed by a Mob: As Frankie keeps making non-apologies for her prank, she draws more and more ire until she's shamed at the Degrassi 60th anniversary gala by a protest for Tiny's suspension.
- She's All Grown Up: Chewy had this reaction seeing her in a bikini, as he always thought of her as Miles's bratty little sister.
- Spoiled Sweet: Frankie was raised in an astoundingly wealthy household and was sheltered by her parents and older brother, however, she is one of the nicest characters on the show and doesn't seem to care about popularity and is friendly and kind to "lower" social classes. The fact that her family relationships are less-than-perfect probably contributed to her modest demeanor.
- Woman Scorned: After the breakup with Jonah, Frankie is livid to see him date Grace due to Jonah constantly assuring her that nothing was going on between them. She demolishes his guitar and then makes a big show out of paying him back.
- You Need to Get Laid: Her friends pretty much have this attitude (PG-rated, of course) with her after Winston dumps her and she's moping throughout Next Class season one.
Hunter Hollingsworth
Hunter Hollingsworth
Played by Spencer MacPherson, Season 13 (recurring), 14-16 (regular)
"You know that story about that guy who has to roll that same boulder up the hill everyday?...That's how I feel. Everyday is this huge struggle...and even when I do get it to the top like when I got the gaming team...it just rolls back down again, crushing me."
Hunter is Frankie's twin brother and Miles's younger brother. Like his sister, he goes along with his father's well-oiled campaign machine. Unlike his sister, Hunter is a stark loner and a generally creepy teenager. A lot of the student body is unnerved by him, but Hunter is equally upset with their bullying behavior. He is a gamer, and in Next Class he leads a gaming club in with his friends in order to get out of intramural sports. But when his new club starts to encounter criticism due to sexist content, Hunter's anger leads him down a dark path that where he bullied and harassed Maya. After he was caught, his anger spiraled out of control until his mother finally made his seek treatment during a psychiatric hold. After he came to terms with his depression and anger, he started a relationship with his friend, Yael. But as Yael starts to explore their gender identity, this unnerves Hunter to the point where he can't date them without questioning his own sexuality.
- Alliterative Name: Much like the girl he was "seeing" online, Becky Baker.
- Ax-Crazy: Was sent to a psychiatric ward because of his unsettling behavior that kept getting worse to the point that he wrote a list of people that he wanted to kill and brought a gun to school.
- Axes at School: Brings his father's gun to school, with the intent of using it on Tristan, Maya, Zig, and a few others. Thankfully, Miles was able to talk him down.
- The Bully: Became a cyber-bully and tormented Maya just to get back at the feminist club for getting the gaming club canceled and aimed at Maya just for being the most successful.
- Byronic Hero: Hunter is an attractive male that's also a very gloomy and Troubled Teen that's pretty moody, intense, and prone to anger. He's overly passionate about his interests and intelligent in a cunning way, but he's also very cynical and impulsively acts out when he feels insulted. He eventually becomes less antagonistic and tries to be a more sensitive person, even if he still struggles with it.
- Character Development: After being sent to a mental hospital because Miles told their mother that Hunter brought a gun to school, he was able to feel remorse for his actions, understand that he has depression that manifests in rage, and tries to be a more emotionally stable person.
- Deadpan Snarker: Hunter is both a bitter, gloomy, and edgy cynic and a calculating, rude and condescending intellectual, so he's especially sarcastic. He even sasses off his twin sister.
- Driven to Suicide/Interrupted Suicide: Saved just in time by his older brother at the end of the Next Class season one finale. It's probably the first time anyone has ever taken his emotional well-being seriously.
- Evil Genius: There's about no denying how intelligent, vindictive, and cunning Hunter is. It's proven in his storyline in The Next Class where he successfully hurts Maya emotionally by cyber-bullying her (not to mention swatting her) and brings a gun still without any trace.
- Fake Guest Star: He is only seen a few times in season 13, but he has a pretty big connection to two main cast members, namely he's their brother.
- Fatal Flaw: Anger. To the point where he wants to hurt other people and himself.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: With the gaming club, he's the phlegmatic one; and his sensitive and sweet-natured side shows through after his intense feelings when he was trying to impress Arlene and later, Yael.
- Gadgeteer Genius: With internet tech, from hacking passwords to sending SWAT teams to people's houses.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Hunter is a very hostile and aggressive person that is easily set off; he's quick to insult anyone who makes him angry which combined with his lack of social skills makes him seem creepier. He makes a racist comment to Goldi (a Muslim girl) trying to defend his gaming club and then destroys computer equipment in a rage afterward. After being exposed as the troll harassing Maya, his anger drives him to take his father's gun to the winter dance to take revenge on those who crossed him. Thankfully Miles talked him down.
- Has a Type: Crushes on girls who share his nerdy interests, and seems to prefer girls who are overtly feminine in appearance (as indicated by his excitement over Yael's girly makeover and attraction to Lola). This becomes an issue when Yael comes out as non-binary and expresses their dislike of shaving and preference for androgynous clothing.
- He Who Fights Monsters: Hunter hates bullies and the Feminist Club criticizing his gaming club. After the gaming club gets shut down, he becomes a bully online to harass Maya.
- Hot-Blooded: He's erratic, impulsive, and has a fiery rage, and these traits can make him both passionate and unsettling.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's abrasive, stubborn, temperamental, and can be violent at times, but he's not always antagonistic. He can genuinely care for other people even though he struggles with expressing himself due to his intense anger issues.
- Jerkass Has a Point: While he's not the most sensitive or tactful about it, his point in Season 4 is that he is straight, and Yael coming out as genderqueer is complicated for him as far as sexual/romantic attraction goes.
- Lack of Empathy: He's able to torment a person without feeling remorse.
- Large Ham: His actor really made his character seem like an insane and egotistical megalomaniac that's really just an emotionally unstable, intense, and insecure teenager.
- Loners Are Freaks: Hunter displays some seriously concerning behavior, and everyone takes his introversion as creepy. He didn't even want to celebrate his own birthday and just let Frankie have a lavish party instead.
- Manipulative Bastard: He attempts to blackmail Zig to keep his mouth shut about Hunter's actions towards Maya.
- Mood-Swinger: His emotional state is unpredictable, unstable, and difficult to manage.
- Morality Pet: Arguably Yael. Him pushing them is a major Kick the Dog moment. In therapy, the idea of making amends with Yael is what inspires him to change.
- The Internet Is for Porn: His avatar and Becky's avatar have cybersex.
- No Social Skills: Hunter is an antisocial and insecure nerd that can't even really seem to talk to anyone outside of his friend group without getting angry or insulting them.
- Parental Favoritism: He and Frankie are more liked by their father than poor Miles. Though his father still throws a mug at him and expresses distaste for Hunter's hobbies.
- Polar Opposite Twins: With Frankie; Hunter is a loner and more guarded and doesn't seem to care what others think outside of being bullied.
- Pronoun Trouble: He has a lot of trouble accepting Yael as gender-fluid and frequently slips up calling them by she/her pronouns.
- Raging Stiffie: After Lola accidentally brushed his pants getting rid of crumbs she spilled on him, Hunter got this and lied to Yael about it happening.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Due to his privileged background, he's not facing too many repercussions for his bullying and swatting of Maya.
- Shadow Archetype: For Miles; as Miles starts to get his life on track, Hunter starts to show his instability and hatred towards everyone, echoing what Miles was going through bingeing on medication and dealing with his father and Esme.
- The Sociopath: Hunter's actions were so dark and sociopathic that Yael almost believed him to be this. Considering he feels a sense of superiority towards his classmates, lashes out when he doesn't get his way, makes a list of people he wants to hurt, secretly brings a gun to Degrassi, and also emits a creepy essence of himself to others. Plus, with his high intelligence, he attacks Maya through swatting and online harassment, doesn't regret doing it at all, and believes that she deserves to be miserable. If it weren't for his loving family, Hunter Hollingsworth would still be on the verge of being the evilest character on Degrassi: Next Class.
- Took a Level in Kindness: After his time in the mental health ward, he becomes substantially more gentle. He's still very fiery, intense, and prone to lashing out verbally, but he's not doing the outright vicious things he was doing prior.
- Troll: Initiated the online harassment against Maya and even swatted
Maya. - Troubled, but Cute: Just seeing the way he interacts with Becky after she breaks up with... his avatar, it's pretty obvious that he may be just as emotionally damaged as his brother Miles, if not more so. More pronounced in Next Class where there's no denying that he's not all right, mental health-wise.
- Troubled Teen: He's filled with rage, self-isolates, and engages in self-destructive behavior.
- Unsettling Gender-Reveal: He gets a little confused about his sexual orientation when Yael comes out as genderqueer and changes their pronouns and manner of dress. He ends up breaking up with Yael, saying that he's straight and is confused about his feelings for them.
- Unstoppable Rage: Hunter is placed in a mental facility for a psychiatric hold after he crashes Miles's car on purpose, and then Miles comes clean to his mother about Hunter bringing a gun to school. He lashes out uncontrollably before coming to terms with his anger. He is eventually diagnosed with depression (which manifests as anger) and thought to have oppositional defiant disorder.
- Villain Decay: In season 3 of Next Class, he's definitely mellowed out considerably.
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: In the first season's finale of Next Class, Hunter finally loses all control and brings a gun to a school dance. Luckily, the situation was handled safely before anyone could get hurt.
Lola Pacini
Lola Pacini
Played by Amanda Arcuri, Season 14-16 (regular)
"You want people to think you're the funny one...just like Frankie's the smart one, Shay's the confident one, and I'm the dumb one. It's okay, it's just the way it is."
Lola is introduced in season 14 as part of the Power Cheer squad and she's also friends with both Frankie and Shay. Lola is bit of an airhead and she is very flighty but she's also courageous and spunky when she wants to be. She stands out from the rest of the school by dying her hair in different colors. Lola is also very social-media obsessed with vast knowledge on how to be popular online, trending topics and using it to her advantage, such as getting boys to buy her pizza. She dated Tiny briefly, before they break up due to Tiny having feelings for Shay.
In Next Class season 3, Lola is bummed that she doesn't have a boyfriend anymore, but her best friends do. She finds solace in Miles Hollingsworth and they bond while Miles writers his play and their relationships starts to get really deep, really fast. After a sex fling, she ends up pregnant but later has an abortion with no regrets. After the experience, she starts to really help out other students with their problems.
- A Friend in Need: Stands by Frankie (for the most part) during the Northern Tech scandal, lends Shay money despite Shay having stolen from her, and is generally a dedicated friend.
- Badass Adorable: She's adorable and ditzy, but she can be strong and very determined when she needs to be (see the protest at the end of Next Class season two).
- Betty and Veronica: When the two of them are in love with Tiny, she’s the lively, beautiful Veronica to Shay’s intellectual Betty.
- Break the Cutie: Averted, for once. Unlike her precursor Manny who was forever changed after being Craig's mistress and ending up pregnant and later terminating the pregnancy, Lola deals with relatively little blowback and personality changes even after announcing her abortion to the school via YouTube as nothing to be ashamed about.
- Brutal Honesty: When Shay asks her for permission to date Tiny, Lola doesn't mince her words, though she's less "brutal" than most examples of this trope.
- Cannot Keep a Secret: According to Shay. She was not trusted with Zoë's surprise party because of this. And she inadvertently blurts out that she and Winston kissed.
- The Ditz: Oh yes. She even nicknamed her phone "Julio."
- Drama Club: She's cast as Hope in Miles's controversial play ("I.M Hope"), and she nearly played a significant role in Winston's musical as well.
- Expy: Her ditzy cheerfulness is very reminiscent of Manny, pre-season three before her radical makeover. She also has an abortion without any hesitancy, just like Manny. She's also one for Emma to a degree due to her willingness to protest and speak out, which Emma herself lampshades when she visits the school.
- Failed a Spot Check: The main reason she got pregnant is that she failed to read the label properly on how to take birth control pills.
- Fatal Flaw: Social media-obsessed and hesitant to deal with offline problems.
- Freudian Trio: Lola is a very emotive The McCoy with Shay and Lola.
- Good Girls Avoid Abortion: Averted in #IRegretNothing. She has no regrets.
- The Heart: Lola loves helping people, gives second chances and is very empathetic and emotive. She's also happy to be friends with anyone, regardless of social status or difference of opinion.
- Manic Pixie Dream Girl: To both Miles and Saad.
- Missing Mom: Lola's mother walked out on her and her father.
- The Mistress: She and Miles have a fling while Miles's boyfriend Tristan is in a coma.
- Naïve Everygirl: Lola is boy-crazy and a social media addict, but also very innocent about boys and sexuality. This was until she met Miles and had sex with him.
- Odd Friendship: With Yael, who helps her deal with her abortion, and then later Lola helps them understand their gender identity.
- Plucky Girl: Lola is optimistic and determined once she's motivated. She staged a sit-in on the date of the Degrassi 60th anniversary gala when Tiny got suspended for fighting. She almost quit when Tiny told her, but once she learned how zero-tolerance rules can be racist and sexist, she righteously got angry and amped up the protest and even got Principal Simpson to re-evaluate the rules. She was also the only one who listened to Saad's beliefs about the Brussels terrorist attack and treat him like a terrorist like everyone else. Also, she was very accepting and proactively encouraged Yael to accept their gender identity.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Seems to have this dynamic with Saad.
- The Social Expert: She's tuned in to social media and using it to her advantage, though occasionally she can be wrong.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: With Shay, as she's the girly girl who loves pink things and dating.
- Has this dynamic with Yael as well, though Yael is non-binary.
Shay Powers
Shaylynn "Shay" Powers
Played by Reiya Downs, Season 14-16 (regular)
"I can't afford to make any mistakes...your dad is the mayor! You can go to any school you want! You don't have to worry about scholarships, and about bursaries but I have one route! And I cannot mess it up!"
Shay is introduced as being on the Power Cheer team along with her friends, Frankie and Lola. Shay is serious-minded and goal-driven. She's driven by success in sports and academics. She also has high standards for boys, even to the point where she tried to bag senior Mike Dallas. In Next Class, she found a boy she liked in Tiny but she was insecure on how voluptuous she was to appeal to him, not to mention how his past dealings may mean he doesn't measure up to her standards. While dealing with her feelings for Tiny, she's also confronted with a more difficult situation as her friend ends up in a racist row.
In Next Class season 3, Shay is more determined than ever to get an athletic scholarship. She also starts dating Tiny, who is very supportive of her as she tries to reach her goals. As they get closer, Shay's anxieties about sex kick in, which leaves her wondering if she's ready to lose her virginity.
- Academic Athlete: Runs track and also was on Power Cheer and driven in her studies to where she's taking Grade 11 science as a sophomore.
- Baby Don't Got Back: Shay is insecure about her rear end, namely over how small it is.
- Celibate Hero: The only one out of her friends who isn't looking to have sex and seems uncomfortable with the subject. This is partly due to her high standards, though dating Tiny has had her considering it. Later, they do end up having sex.
- Characterization Marches On: Before Next Class, Shay had a more stereotypical mean girl personality. She bullied Arlene for being a geek, makes a move on Dallas despite him having a girlfriend, and participates in the OomfChat selling nudes for money scheme. In Next Class, Shay is much more academic and prudish about boys and sex.
- Conflicting Loyalty: Shay was initially torn between supporting Frankie during the racist scandal or siding with the other team but as Frankie kept avoiding responsibility, she eventually kicks Frankie off the team.
- Determinator: Shay strives to be the best academically and athletically in order to become successful. It's to the point where her own parents poke fun at her driven nature. Deconstructed in Season 4, when she comes to realize that despite how hard she works, some things are still out of her control or out of reach.
- Discriminate and Switch: It looked like Shay was going to confront Frankie about her racist volleyball team prank initially but then Shay said that she was jealous that she was rich and didn't have to work as hard. That all changes once Shay met with the captain of the opposite team and Shay realizes how wrong Frankie was.
- Education Mama: Averted. Shay's an overachiever who pushes herself to study and train until her breaking point, and it's actually her parents who intervene and tell her to take a break from time to time.
- Expy: Shay is a black girl who has good grades and constantly drives herself to succeed, like Liberty.
- Fatal Flaw: Uptight and uncompromising about her vision for herself to her own detriment.
- Foil: For Esme, as both are so hard workers and great students but Shay is uncomfortable with sex/sexuality and her body compared to Esme's Ethical Slut nature.
- Freudian Trio: Shay is an earnest Spock in her friendship with Frankie and Lola.
- Green-Eyed Epiphany: Shay decides not to go out with Tiny due to his past as a drug dealer. Lola has crushed on Tiny forever and asked Shay for her permission to date Tiny. Shay agrees but then realizes that she did like him and can't stand seeing Lola and Tiny together.
- No Periods, Period: Averted with her bleeding through her shorts (and on Tiny's pants when sitting on his lap) after a race. She felt embarrassed about it until she realized she shouldn't be ashamed.
- Rage Breaking Point: In #OMFG after Frankie tells her they won't win against Northern tech if she keeps being a ball hog she asksShay: So what, I'm supposed to give up the ball like everything else?... I'm just so sick of having to give up everything I want for other people. Volleyball, sports camp, Tiny I mean, I thought he'd at least show up.
- Passionate Sports Girl: She's a brilliant athlete (particularly when it comes to track) and trains very hard to maintain this.
-
Real-Life Relative: Shay's mother is portrayed by Reiya Downs's own mother, Elle Downs. - The Rival: Esme, who uses a lot of Virgin-Shaming against Shay.
- Slut-Shaming: She's prone to this, although it's slightly justified considering she's an insecure teenage girl and really does have good intentions at heart.
- Smitten Teenage Girl: She crushed on Dallas in season 14, someone who's four years older. She also wasn't afraid to act on it.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: With Lola, as Shay is an athlete and not really into girly things.
- Token Minority Couple: With Tiny, as they are the only two black characters on show currently.
- The Unfettered: Shay is very dedicated to her goal of getting scouted for a track scholarship and getting into a good school, so much so that when her training hits a brick wall, she steals money from Lola's restaurant in order to buy supplements. Thankfully she returns it.
- Uptight Loves Wild: She's in love with Tiny, a former gang member.
- Virgin Vision: Shay's friends claim this about her after she has sex with Tiny for the first time.
Baaz Nahir
Baaz Nahir
Played by Amir Bageria, Season 15-16 (regular)
"You think you're so much better than me, with your hair and your girlfriend...you have no idea how lucky you are...you have all this money, and a girlfriend, and you take it all for granted!"
Baaz may be young, but he's planning on being a entrepreneur while he's in high school. He dresses sharp and between classes, he plans business ventures. But sometimes, his calculating ways can lead to him trampling over his friends' feelings. He hangs out with Hunter, Yael and Vijay and after their gaming club is shut down, he heads up their vlogging channel.
- Brutal Honesty: Often says what's on his mind, usually when he shouldn't.
- Butt-Monkey: Doesn't get much respect from his friends or the ladies.
- Casanova Wannabe: Tries to use pick-up artist techniques and cultivate an image of desirability. He has not succeeded.
- Driven by Envy: In #HugeIfTrue, Baaz reveals how jealous he is of Hunter's life with his money and his girlfriend. Hunter then decided he would let Baaz think he won in a measuring contest of their penises.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: He's the choleric one of the gaming club; he's very goal-oriented and business-minded but can also be rude as Grace found out.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: Not to be that harsh because his friends do like him, but sometimes they can't deal with his blunt attitude.
- Hopeless Suitor: Baaz has a crush on Grace, and tries to get with her with terrible results, from trying to neg her to trying to make her jealous by going out with another girl.
- Operation: Jealousy: He asked Yael to kiss him during a date while Grace is looking in their direction so he could "show that he's desired." Neither happened.
- Opposites Attract: It's one way, but his crush on punky, feminist Grace comes off as this.
- Pet the Dog: Baaz is the one to stand up to Hunter when he crosses the line and is surprisingly supportive of Yael when they come out as non-binary, despite having voiced some sexist and intolerant views in the past.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Attempts to invoke this trope, and criticizes Hunter's more casual fashion sense.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Baaz is Goldi's brother. While she's an activist, feminist, and devout Muslim, he's a budding businessman who has some typical men's rights activist views on "social justice warriors", uses pick-up artist techniques, and is much more casual in his faith.
- Those Two Guys: With Vijay; as they're part of the gaming club and have no impact on big plots.
- What Could Have Been: The character was originally named "Dino" with Greek ethnicity.
Yael Baron
Yael Baron
Played by Jamie Bloch, Season 15-16 (regular)
"...I don't want you to make assumptions about my brain based on what's between my legs."
Yael is a take-change teenager, with strong opinions and a stronger desire to lead, even amongst the male dominated careers such as technology. Yael wants to do it all and be a leader at all costs, but they are also shy and introverted. Yael is also a part of the Degrassi vlogging blog crew with Hunter and they are very interested in him, despite his mental illness.
In Next Class season 3, Yael is tired of being assigned the typical "girl" segments of the vlog and starts to lash out against their perceived role, not just with the vlog but with their body and clothing. In rebelling and also bonding with Lola, Yael starts to realize that they aren't a girly girl but they don't feel like a guy, leaving them feeling confused about where they fit in.
- Child Prodigy: Yael is a smart, quick-thinking entrepreneur. In their sophomore year, Yael is shown to be adept at designing apps alongside technology in general.
- The Danza: Jamie Bloch's birth name is Yael.
- D-Cup Distress: Yael is very insecure about their large chest. This is an early hint at Yael's gender dysphoria and non-binary identity.
- Expy: Yael became the first genderqueer character on Degrassi, like Adam being the first transgender character on Degrassi.
- Fatal Flaw: Can be condescending to others, as well as thinking their opinion is the right one.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Yael is the melancholic Gaming Club member; while Yael wants to be a leader and succeed, they are also a bit of a Shrinking Violet.
- Gamer Chick: Before coming out as non-binary, Yael was part of the Gaming Club with Hunter, Vijay, and Baaz as the only female member, and they handle the gaming reviews part of the vlog channel.
- Go-Getter Girl: Yael wanted to succeed in the male-dominated tech industry, despite their perceived gender being a barrier to being taken seriously.
- I Am What I Am: Yael says being their true self is more important than their relationship with Hunter. While Yael is hurt and disappointed when coming out as non-binary results in a break-up with Hunter, they ultimately have no regrets.
- Jewish and Nerdy: Ambiguously Jewish until Season 3, non-ambiguously a nerd.
- The Makeover: Twice from Lola. Yael gets a girly makeover when they're forced to do make-up tutorials for the Gaming Club vlog series, which is an
Unnecessary Makeover and makes them miserable. In Season 4, Lola gives Yael another makeover, where Lola encourages them to be their true self, regardless of gender expectations. Yael cries tears of joy when they see themself in the mirror in androgynous clothing. - Meaningful Name: Yael in Hebrew means "Strength of God."
- Mistaken for Gay: The counselor Ms. Grell offered help to Yael due to their recent changes in behavior, thinking they were trans (as in, female to male). The label didn't fit, and then Yael's friends speculated they might be a lesbian which didn't fit either.
- Odd Friendship: With the polar-opposite Lola, despite some initial tension and jealousy. Yael is much more supportive of Lola during her abortion than Lola's best friends Shay and Frankie and later Lola helps Yael figure out their gender identity.
- One of the Boys: Hangs out with Hunter, Baaz, and Vijay and wants to be treated the same as them even as they date Hunter.
- Real Women Never Wear Dresses: Has this mindset as they dismissed typical girly things and refused to do makeup/fashion tutorials for the vlog channel. Though, since it was revealed that Yael is genderqueer, it's possible that this attitude came from not feeling comfortable having to conform to conventional femininity.
- Shaking Her Hair Loose: A variation. When Lola tries to give her a makeover in season 4, Yael says, "we can start with this," and reveals their bright red hair has been a wig all along as they were never comfortable with their longer brown locks.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Yael is pretty similar to Arlene, Hunter's original crush. Yael is also a geek like Arlene who likes comics and they have feelings towards Hunter.
- Trans Tribulations: During season 4, Yael starts to dress differently and lament about their body which confused them as they were attracted to their cis-gender male boyfriend which led to people thinking they were gay. Eventually, with a friend's help, they realized they were non-binary and while they embraced their new identity, it lead to a break-up with Hunter.
- What Could Have Been: The character was originally envisioned as a character named "Maude," who was an out-and-proud Butch Lesbian who was also a born leader and outspoken. Most of these traits went to the character of Rasha, as Yael kept the leadership aspects and filled the slot Arlene left. And now with the character coming out as genderqueer, it may be that the initial audition was hiding the aspect that the character may have always been conceived as non-binary.
Vijay Maraj
Vijay Maraj
Played by Dante Scott, Season 15-16 (regular)
"After you asked me out, I broke into song. I'm an alto, you know."
Vijay is young, buoyant gamer geek who's part of the gaming club. Vijay is also openly gay and very flamboyant and dramatic. He has an idealistic view of romance and wants to find his Prince Charming. Vijay is also a very outspoken member of the LGBT club and knowledgeable about LGBT issues.
- Bollywood Nerd: Vijay is Indian-Canadian and also a video game geek.
- Camp Gay: And unapologetically so.
- Drama Queen: Oh boy...from loudly breaking up with Tristan to loudly accusing him of giving him an STI (in front of the student council), Vijay has a flair for the dramatic. He also makes a vlog about Zoe's closeted status and calls her a "self-hating" gay.
- Foil: He's very similar to Tristan; both are gay and flamboyant and large hams, but unlike Tristan's snarky, somewhat jaded demeanor, Vijay is jolly and optimistic.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: With the Gaming Club, he is sanguine; he's cheerful and bubbly to a fault.
- Hopeless Suitor: For Tristan, who's still hung up on Miles.
- Meaningful Name: Vijay means "victory" in Hindi, and Vijay hopes to be victorious at Degrassi.
- Odd Friendship: With the stern and crabby Baaz.
- The Rival: To Maya briefly, when he covers one of her songs on his YouTube channel and gets more views than her.
- Soapbox Sadie: Vijay is very passionate about LGBT issues. He organizes a "kiss-in", after a perceived homophobic slight.
- Thinks Like a Romance Novel: Vijay is an outgoing idealist and has an idealistic view of romance.
- Those Two Guys: With Baaz, as part of the gaming club as they both don't impact plots but support their friends.
- The Twink: He's a young, out-and-proud gay teen, and he's very outspoken about the LGBT club and LGBT issues. He insisted on getting Hunter to call Yael by their correct pronouns.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: Vijay is relentlessly positive.
Rasha Zuabi
Rasha Zuabi
Played by Dalia Yegavian, Season 16 (regular)
"Coming here has literally been a second chance at life. There's so much I want to do. And for the first time, it feels possible."
Rasha is from Syria and immigrates to Toronto to escape the violent uprising in her home country
. As Degrassi opens their doors to the Syrian refugees, she, along with several other Syrian students attend the school. Now that she's in Canada, Rasha wants to make the best of her situation and enjoy her time in school away from the violence, from joining clubs to leading groups and pushing boundaries.- Boyish Short Hair: She wears her hair very short.
- City Mouse: Rasha originally lived in a more liberal, urban part of Syria where she was more open with her sexuality and hung out with boys.
- Dark and Troubled Past: She may be very perky and easy-going, but she is also a refugee escaping war. The audience only gets glimpses of what happened, but she does talk about how ISIS took over and made everything more conservative (putting it lightly) and how she has no idea if her best friend is currently alive. And despite being in a secular part of Syria, she still faced discrimination for being a lesbian as she told Zoe that her aunt tried to have her arrested for being gay when she attended a wedding.
- The First Cut Is the Deepest: Averted. While she cares about her ex-girlfriend's wellbeing and checks in with her after a terrorist attack, Rasha is head over heels for Zoe.
- Foil: To Goldi, Rasha doesn't adhere strictly to Muslim beliefs, she doesn't wear a hijab and is openly gay.
- Foreshadowing: At the start of season 16, Zoe talks about not being able to find a girl to make out with. At that very moment, she gets introduced to Rasha.
- In episode 3, when Goldi tells Zoe that being gay is a sin by the Quran, Rasha is noticeably quiet, foreshadowing the fact that she is gay, but can't tell Goldi.
- Episode 4 has her telling Miles that the (male) lead's feelings for a girl are not exclusive to boys.
- Official Couple: With Zoe.
- Plucky Girl: Despite everything she's been through, she's determined to have the best high school experience as much as possible.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: She's a plucky, casually-dressed Tomboy in contrast to Girly Girl Zoe, a popular ex-cheerleader.
- What Could Have Been: Rasha has traits of a character named Maude (who partly evolved into Yael) that the writers were developing, namely that Rasha is proactive and social as well as being an out-and-proud lesbian.
- You Go, Girl!: She is Muslim and gay. Unlike other characters, she shows zero angst about being gay and religious.
Saad Al'Maliki
Saad Al'Maliki
Played by Parham Rownaghi, Season 16 (regular)
"My village was bombed too. My house, our farm, my school, gone. My friends, gone. It happens all over the world, I can't wear one shirt and not the other."
Saad and his little sister are refugees from Syria, fleeing the civil war and violence.
Saad is a gentle artist and he wants to take up social justice causes stemming from his turbulent situation in his home country. But he's having trouble adjusting to his new life in Canada and at Degrassi and his withdrawn demeanor is off-putting to most.- Creepy Good: Many students are understandably put off by his furtive attitude and death photography, but anyone who can look past that sees him for the Nice Guy he is.
- The Complainer Is Always Wrong: In #Preach, when the students of Degrassi were showing support for Brussels after a terrorist attack there, Saad refused to go along with it because it felt like he was choosing support for another country over another. He does point out that his home country Syria would never receive such support, due to it being a country in the Middle East. The student body pushes back against his opinion, leaving him more isolated than before.
- Country Mouse: In contrast to Rasha, Saad grew up on a farm in Syria but that didn't keep his family from getting caught up in the civil war. Despite growing up in the country, he is something of a fashionista, judging by Lola sneaking a peek at his internet browsing history and pulling up a shopping receipt for designer jeans.
- Expy: Reminiscent of a young Craig Manning. Both have Dark and Troubled Pasts, an interest in photography, moody dispositions, and attract optimistic girls.
- Foil: To Rasha; compared to her plucky optimism, Saad is still dealing with the trauma of getting caught up in the violence and is moody and aloof.
- Foreign-Language Tirade: Prone to these, he goes off on a string of Arabic when angry.
- Mistaken for Terrorist: By Lola and Yael; first Lola couldn't put aside her suspicions after Saad's blow-up about the Brussels terrorist attack and snooped around his browser history. Then when Saad had a suspicion one of his Syrian friends may have been radicalized, he had Yael and Lola help him erase his web history but then Yael took a photo of it and later reported it when a bomb threat was called in during Prom.
- Misunderstood Loner with a Heart of Gold: He barely got close to anyone during the school year, and when he did it was taking "death" photos of Maya, punching Zig, and then his outburst about the Brussels support. After the misunderstanding about the bomb threat, the kids start being friendly with him and Saad returns in kind.
- Ineffectual Loner: His introversion was looked upon as unsettling by the student body, exacerbated when He punched Zig after he broke his camera and later his stance against the Brussels Strong events.
- Innocently Insensitive: As the school showed public support from the victims of the Brussels terrorist attack; Saad was upset and thought the show of support was political (as the Muslim Student Association felt obligated to do so and his home country never received such support). Unfortunately for him, he got very upset at any objections and couldn't articulate his points very well.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: With Lola.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: His sister is optimistic and exuberant, while Saad is more withdrawn.
- The Stoic: Very quiet and doesn't speak much.
- Troubled, but Cute: Saad is a gentle, artistic soul who deals with his turmoil with photography and is withdrawn and aloof but still ends up attracting a lot of attention from pretty girls.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Unintentionally pushed Maya toward her suicide attempt with the death photos they took. Made worse when he didn't realize Maya was in a drug-induced daze and very suicidal when he opened the door to the roof for her.
- War Is Hell: As a refugee of the Syrian Civil War, he has seen a lot of violence, some of which he documented with his photography.
- Zen Survivor: Has been through a lot in Syria and takes an interest in Maya, so he takes artistic shots of her playing dead during her depression.
