Hamtaro (Hamutaro)
The protagonist and The Heart of the Ham-Ham Gang. Very kindhearted, brave, adventurous and a loyal friend. He's also a bit naive, especially about love.
- Accidental Misnaming: Jingle never gets his name right, much to Hamtaro's annoyance.
- All-Loving Hero: He’s naturally innocent and friendly towards everyone and everything.
- Badass Adorable: In "The Ham-Ham Clubhouse", Hamtaro rescues Penelope from a ferocious cat during a huge rainstorm.
- Betty and Veronica:
- The Archie to Bijou's Betty and Sparkle's Veronica.
- He can also be considered the Betty in the Hamtaro/Bijou/Boss love triangle, even though he's Oblivious to Love.
- Chaste Hero: He just wants to have fun with his friends and is totally clueless about romance.
- Chick Magnet: Bijou, her friend Oshare from France, Lapis, and Sparkle all have crushes on Hamtaro.
- Clueless Chick-Magnet: Unfortunately, he's a Chaste Hero and far too clueless to notice when a female hamster has a crush on him.
- Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: In the 1999 OVA, Hamtaro is seen wearing a pink sweater.◊
- The Heart: Definitely the heart and the soul of the Ham-Hams, and frequently lampshaded.
- Nice Guy: Very much so, and this is what makes him such a Magnetic Hero among his friends.
- Oblivious to Love: Oblivious to Bijou's feelings for him.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Weirdly enough both:
- The Manly Man to Oxnard's Sensitive Guy.
- The Sensitive Guy to Boss's Manly Man.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: If Ham-Ham Heartbreak is any indication, he doesn't like rollercoasters.
Bijou (Ribbon-chan)
Hamtaro's potential love interest. Cute, feminine, sweet Bijou used to live in France. She has a big crush on Hamtaro, but unfortunately he's too clueless to notice.
- Betty and Veronica:
- To Betty to Sparkle's Veronica for Hamtaro's Archie.
- She can also be considered the Archie in the Hamtaro/Bijou/Boss love triangle, even though Hamtaro is Oblivious to Love.
- The Cutie: The most obvious Ridiculously Cute Critter in the series, and she's very lovable. Her squeaky French accent and general niceness makes her even more cute.
- Dude Magnet: Surprisingly downplayed, especially compared to Pashmina. Panda (initially), Boss, and possibly Hamtaro himself have had a crush on her. Stan also flirts with her, but he’s a Casanova Wannabe who flirts with basically every girl so he doesn’t count.
- Girlish Pigtails: Wears two blue ribbons to make two little pigtails.
- Gratuitous French: In the English dub, Bijou would sometimes add various french words to her sentences such as "Oh là là" or "Bonjour".
- Meaningful Name: "Bijou" is French for "jewel".
- Nice Girl: She's a very polite and sweet hamster who loves her friends and gets along with everyone.
- Oblivious to Love: Just like Hamtaro is oblivious about her crush on him, Bijou doesn't seem to notice Boss’s obvious crush on her.
- Ojou: Like her owner Maria.
- Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Her crush on Nice Guy Hamtaro is this.
- Spoiled Sweet: Her owner is rich thus granting her some luxuries the other ham-hams don't have and she can be somewhat vain on occasion. Most of the time, however, she is very nice and will do her best for her friends even if it means getting her paws and fur dirty.
- Town Girls: The Femme to Sandy’s Butch and Pashmina’s Neither.
- True Blue Femininity: Her blue ribbons.
Oxnard (Koushi-kun)
Hamtaro's main sidekick and best friend. Their owners are best friends too. He's somewhat awkward and loves to eat.
- Big Eater: He loves food, and is the most gluttonous of the hamsters. This is best demonstrated in Episode 195, where the rest of the Ham-Hams get full easily from eating the candies of Sweet Paradise yet Oxnard isn't and continues to eat. Unfortunately, this causes him to literally gain a Balloon Belly and fly away.
- Childhood Friend Romance: With Pepper. He was always in love with her and they become an Official Couple at the end.
- Lovable Coward: Usually, but he can become a Cowardly Lion on occasion.
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Oxnard is timid, nervous, inactive, and sensitive (Feminine Boy), his Love Interest Pepper is adventurous, boisterous, athletic, and a bit short-tempered (Masculine Girl).
- Nice Guy: Possibly the biggest example in the series. Oxnard is so friendly to a fault that it almost makes one wonder if he's even physically capable of hating someone.
- Official Couple: With Pepper. They even get married at the end.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Sensitive Guy to Hamtaro's Manly Man.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Sunflower seeds. He always carries one around.
Boss (Taisho-kun)
Self-proclaimed leader of the Ham-Hams who has an enormous crush on Bijou. He tends to be jealous of Bijou's feelings for Hamtaro, but is still a great friend for him and the rest of the group.
- All Love Is Unrequited: His love for Bijou.
- Betty and Veronica: The Veronica to Hamtaro's Betty for Bijou's Archie.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: At times he can be quite temperamental, especially if he's thinking about Bijou.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He’s very loyal and nice deep down, and don't think for a second that he won't go out of his way to help his friends.
- Know-Nothing Know-It-All: He often tries to look like he knows everything, but is usually proven wrong.
- Never Bareheaded: Wears his hat almost all the time.
- Non-Indicative Name: Hamtaro, and not Boss, is the real leader of the Ham-Hams, the most popular and the one that keeps them together.
- Large and in Charge: His name is “Boss”, he likes to think of himself as the leader, and is the biggest and tallest of the gang.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Manly Man to Hamtaro's Sensitive Guy.
- Sour Supporter: Despite his gruff attitude, he's always ready to follow and support his friends in all their adventures.
Pashmina (Mafura-chan)
A kindhearted and motherly female Ham-Ham, who cares for little Penelope and treats her like a little sister.
- Betty and Veronica: The Archie to Dexter's Betty and Howdy's Veronica.
- Celibate Heroine: She believes she is too young for a relationship and ignores Dexter and Howdy's constant fighting for her love. Downplayed, however, as this is only the case in the English dub.
- Cool Big Sis: To Penelope, despite not being actually related to her.
- Dude Magnet: She's the girl hamster with more male admirers, instead of, as one would expect, Bijou. Dexter and Howdy always fight for her affection. Sky Ham also used to have a crush on her. Stan also flirts with her quite a bit, but he’s a Casanova Wannabe who flirts with basically every girl so he doesn’t count.
- Nice Girl: Sweet and motherly, and she takes care of Penelope.
- Oblivious to Love: Downplayed in the English dub, as she's not entirely oblivious, and more just not interested in love, though she also doesn't always realize when Dexter and Howdy are fighting for her affection. In the original Japanese, however, she does once mention wanting a boyfriend and simply ignores the boys fighting over her.
- Pink Means Feminine: Her pink scarf.
- Promotion to Parent: She is viewed as a mother figure to Penelope. She once said "Come on, Penelope dear, the play is starting!" in the episode where Sandy and the other female Ham-Hams are doing a ribbon show.
- Town Girls: The Neither to Bijou’s Femme and Sandy’s Butch.
- Weight Woe: As episode 188 implies, she’s very conscientious about her eating habits.
Penelope (Chibimaru-chan)
The baby of the group who is very close to Pashmina. Never seen without her yellow blanket.
- The Baby of the Bunch: She’s more naïve than the other Ham-Hams, due to her age.
- The Cutie: The youngest and most innocent of the Ham-Hams.
- Early Installment Character-Design Difference: In the 1999 OVA, Penelope's yellow blanket only covered her face. The bottom half of her body is exposed.
- The Faceless: Penelope is only ever seen under cover of a yellow blanket. Subverted in the intro sequence, however, as her blanket flies up to briefly reveal brown and white fur. It's also subverted in the official guide, which includes an illustration of how she really looks like. Some of her toy releases also let you get a look at the ham-ham underneath.
- Security Blanket: She always wears a yellow blanket over herself.
- Shrinking Violet: The reason why she wears that security blanket over her face, because of her shyness.
- The Unintelligible: She can only say "Ookyoo" (in the original Japanese version, and the first 37 episodes in the English version) or "Ookwee." (beginning with episode 38)
Howdy (Maido-kun)
The practical joker of the group. He loves Pashmina but unfortunately for him, his best friend Dexter is in love with her too.
- Accent Adaptation:
- He speaks with a Southern accent in the English dub.
- In the Mexican Spanish dub, he speaks with a notable Japanese accent.
- Betty and Veronica: The Veronica to Dexter's Betty for Pashmina's Archie.
- Cannot Tell a Joke: He’s known for his terrible jokes and sense of humor.
- Class Clown: An Attention Whore who likes to make silly jokes around his friends.
- Eyes Always Shut: Never seen with his eyes open.
- Friendly Rivalry: With Dexter, only when it comes to Pashmina.
- The Idiot from Osaka: He speaks with a kansai dialect in the Japanese version.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Although he annoys the other Ham-Hams with his terrible jokes, he is still loyal to them and will never let any of them down.
- Laughing at Your Own Jokes: Finishes most of his wisecracks with a "HEE-HEE!"
- Literal-Minded: Some of his jokes, one example defining an amusement park as "a place where you park your car and you amuse yourself."
- Perpetual Smiler: Howdy is always smiling, ALWAYS!
- Pungeon Master: Many of his bad jokes are puns.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red to Dexter's Blue.
- Those Two Guys: With Dexter, his long-time friend and rival.
- Vitriolic Best Friends: He and Dexter are best friends, when they are not fighting for Pashmina’s affections.
Dexter (Megane-kun)
A Gentleman and proper hamster. Often fighting with his long-time friend Howdy for Pashmina's affection.
- Betty and Veronica: The Betty to Howdy's Veronica for Pashmina's Archie.
- Deadpan Snarker: He would always leave comments when ever Howdy would make a joke or gives his own ideas to the other Ham-Hams.
- Friendly Rivalry: With Howdy, only when it comes to Pashmina.
- Gentleman and a Scholar: A well-educated, refined gentleman.
- Punny Name: His Japanese name plus the "-kun" honorific all the male characters are given is a play on "Meganekko".
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blue to Howdy's Red.
- The Smart Guy: Though not as much as Maxwell, he has been shown to be incredibly smart.
- Those Two Guys: With Howdy, his long time friend and rival.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: He and Howdy are best friends, when they are not fighting for Pashmina’s affections.
Maxwell (Noppo-kun)
The Smart Guy of the Ham-Ham Gang. He has a crush on Sandy.
- Bookworm: He always carries a book with him.
- Ship Tease: With Sandy. It’s obvious they both like each other.
- The Smart Guy: The most cultured and book-smart of the Ham-Hams.
- Strong Girl, Smart Guy: He's an intellectual bookworm (Smart Guy) while his Love Interest Sandy is a Passionate Sports Girl (Strong Girl).
Sandy (Torahamu-chan)
A sporty young girl Ham-Ham with a twin brother, Stan. She has a crush on Maxwell.
- Early Installment Character-Design Difference: In the 1999 OVA, Sandy is seen wearing green pants.
- Deadpan Snarker: Her responses to Stan's flirting.
- Half-Identical Twins: With her twin brother Stan, who looks almost exactly like her.
- Passionate Sports Girl: Very athletic and interested in rhythmic gymnastics, like her owner.
- Ship Tease: With Maxwell. It's obvious they both like each other.
- Strong Girl, Smart Guy: Sandy is a Passionate Sports Girl (Strong Girl) while her Love Interest Maxwell is an intellectual bookworm (Smart Guy).
- Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: How do you tell Stan and Sandy apart? At simple sight, Sandy has a bow right above her tail. But, but if you look at them clearly on a close up, Sandy's eyes are shown to be green, while Stan's are blue; and her belly is white while Stan's is beige.
- Town Girls: The Butch to Bijou’s Femme and Pashmina’s Neither.
- Valley Girl: In the English dub of the anime.
Stan (Torahamu-kun)
Sandy's twin brother, Attention Whore and Casanova Wannabe. Often an annoyance to the other guys and his sister who's sometimes embarrassed by his antics.
- Butt-Monkey: Quite often due to his arrogance and/or flirting blowing up in his face.
- Casanova Wannabe: He flirts with all the girls he meets, but he’s not that successful.
- Half-Identical Twins: With Sandy, who looks almost exactly like him.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Although occasionally self-centered, he's still a good guy who cares about his friends.
- Long-Lost Relative: To his twin sister Sandy.
- Lovable Sex Maniac: A G-rated version, always flirting with the female hamsters, much to his sister Sandy's irritation.
- Ship Tease: Although he likes flirting with girls, he's completely smitten with Flora. He once spent an entire episode trying to impress her enough to get a valentine from her, and succeeded at the end.
- Small Name, Big Ego: He fancies himself as a popular 'ladies' man, but he’s far from being one.
- Spear Counterpart: Introduced in the middle of season 1 to be this to Sandy, his sister. He looks identical to her, and they even have the same name in the Japanese version, except for the honorifics.
- Surfer Dude: His radical form of speech used make him look as such in the English dub of the anime.
Snoozer (Neteru-kun)
A hamster who is always sleeping. He occasionally talks and gives some helpful advice to the other Ham-Hams.
- Heavy Sleeper: His name obviously lampshades it.
Cappy (Kaburu-kun)
One of the younger Ham-Hams. He loves hats.
- Keet: He gets excited very easily.
- Never Bareheaded: Has a green swimming cap, and he is never seen without it.
Panda (Panda-kun)
A sweet and creative hamster who dreams of becoming a carpenter.
- Gadgeteer Genius: The builder/carpenter of the Ham-Hams.
- Mr Fix It: He built and repaired many things throughout the duration of the anime as well as in the game.
- Nice Guy: One of the nicest hamsters.
Jingle (Tongari-kun)
A recurring character who speaks in rhymes and is always carrying his guitar. He's only an honorary Ham Ham, however.
- Animal Companion: Herbert the Pig, his best friend and mode of transportation.
- Cloudcuckoolander: He sings songs, speaks in rhymes, is absent-minded and forgets the hamsters' names (especially Hamtaro)... He's just a wandering Ham-poet, after all.
- Rhymes on a Dime: Which often confuse the other hamsters.
Lapis (Rapisu-chan)
A magical female hamster who lives in Jewelry House and works in a magical candy world called Sweet Paradise with her younger sister, Lazuli.
- Cool Big Sis: Is very protective of Lazuli and does what she can to keep her sister out of trouble.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: She starts off disliking the Ham-Hams at first. Seeing them as nuisances and refuses to accept their friendship, believing that her sister is all she needs. Fortunately, it doesn't take too long before she opens up to them and has a change of heart.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The responsible to the childish Lazuli's foolish.
- Sixth Ranger: Both her and Lazuli join the Ham-Hams in the later Japanese episodes.
Lazuli (Razuri-chan)
Another magical female hamster who is Lapis' younger sister.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Can sometimes be this for Lapis, usually because of her habit of getting into trouble.
- The Ditz: Can be very childish and a bit clueless about things.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The foolish to Lapis' responsible.
- Genki Girl: Very sweet, cheerful, and friendly. Unlike her sister, she is more than willing to make friends with the Ham-Hams when first meeting them.
- Ship Tease: Ironically, with Snoozer. It has been strongly hinted that Lazuli has a crush on him.
- Sixth Ranger: Both her and Lapis join the Ham-Hams in the later Japanese episodes.
Elder Ham (Chōrōhamu)
An elderly hamster.
- Cool Old Guy: He acts as a source of wisdom for the Ham-Hams.
- Senior Sleep-Cycle: He's kinda lazy and often falls asleep while talking.
- Ship Tease: With Auntie Viv.
Auntie Viv (Ohamubaa-san)
An elderly female hamster who is quite strong and fit.
- Cool Old Lady: She may be old, but she's very athletic and energetic.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Can be rude and mischievous, but she's real kind and gives good advice.
- Ship Tease: With Elder Ham.
Omar (Oasis-kun)
A royal hamster.
- Identical Stranger: Looks exactly like Snoozer.
- The Runaway: Left home because he wished to travel and see the world. Upon discovering that his owner, a wealthy king, missed him terribly, Omar returns home, but still travels.
Sabu (Sabu-san)
A hamster who is usually seen as a seed vendor.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Has dark grey fur and looks like a pirate, but is real friendly and always willing to lend a hand to anyone in need.
- Interspecies Romance: His girlfriend, Françoise, is a white pigeon.
- Speaks Fluent Animal: Even though Françoise doesn't talk, Sabu seems to be able to understand her.
- Traveling Salesman: He's a seed merchant who travels from town to town selling seeds.
Pepper (Jyajyahamu-chan)
A country hamster who is Oxnard's love interest.
- Childhood Friend Romance: With Oxnard, who has always been in love with her, since their owners are cousins. They become an Official Couple at the end.
- Girlish Pigtails: Has two long brown pigtails.
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: She's adventurous, boisterous, athletic, and a bit short-tempered (Masculine Girl), Oxnard is timid, nervous, inactive, and sensitive (Feminine Boy).
- Official Couple: With Oxnard. They even get married at the end.
- Outdoorsy Gal: She loves the outdoors and anything farm-related.
Sparkle (Kururin-chan)
A spoiled Alpha Bitch who has a crush on Hamtaro.
- Betty and Veronica: The Veronica to Bijou's Betty for Hamtaro's Archie.
- Genki Girl: Was turned into this in her second appearance in one of the OVA's where she has a crush on Hamtaro and Bijou is jealous of her.
- Girlish Pigtails: Two little brown pigtails.
- Lovable Alpha Bitch: She starts out as an Alpha Bitch like her owner Glitter but she soften up a bit and become type-A Tsundere in the later seasons.
- Matchmaker Crush: In one episode, she tries to make Bijou and Hamtaro a couple. However, she starts to develop feelings for Hamtaro once again.
- Took a Level in Kindness: Sparkle started out very mean and a little bossy in her debut episode. In the later Japan-only episodes, she's a lot less mean, more optimistic and a little bit silly.
Stucky (Nukenai-kun)
A young hamster who is stuck in a pipe.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Cappy, especially since they both love hide-and-seek.
- Massive Numbered Siblings: Stucky has so many siblings that no one notices him, which is why hides.
- Meaningful Name: He's stuck inside a plastic pipe and cannot escape, hence his name.
Nin-Ham (Ninhamu-kun)
A hamster training to be a ninja.
- Kite Riding: His way of travelling.
- Know-Nothing Know-It-All: When the Ham-Hams meet him, Nin-Ham claims he's the best ninja from Iga Iga Valley. In truth, he's not doing well with his training and has very poor grades. He comes clean in the end.
- Ninja Brat: He's a young ninja-in-training who is struggling to master his skills.
- The Runaway: Because he was the worst ninja in his home, he runs away so he can be appreciated by non-ninja Hams. Upon meeting the Ham-Hams, he lies to them about being a skilled ninja, which leads to them asking for ninja lessons. The Ham-Hams eventually learn the truth and Nin-Ham apologizes for lying. Right afterwards, Elder Ham appears with a note from Nin-Ham's school telling him to return home to continue his training. Nin-Ham happily does so.
Flora (Nasu-chan)
- Her Name Really Is Barkeep: Her Japanese name is just 'Nasu/Nurse'.
- Hospital Hottie: As much as a hamster can be. Stan especially thinks so.
- Nice Girl: She's always ready to help those in need of healing.
- Ship Tease: With Stan. One episode features Stan attempting to impress Flora so she'll give him a valentine. She does so at the end after Stan surprises her by cleaning her clinic for her.
Laura Haruna (Hiroko Haruna)
Hamtaro's owner and main human character.
- All-Loving Hero: She's nice to everyone, and good at befriending strangers. Even after Glitter is revealed to be an Alpha Bitch who is dismissive of her fans and wants to steal Travis, Laura is still sympathetic towards her and thinks she's not that bad deep down, as seen in what she writes in her diary about Glitter at the end of the episode.
- Betty and Veronica: The Betty to Glitter's Veronica for Travis's Archie.
- Break the Cutie: She takes Travis moving away overseas very hard. Still, she does say goodbye to him on a happier note and keeps a flower necklace of him as a keepsake.
- Cannot Spit It Out: Her love interest, Travis, ends up moving away before Laura has a chance to confess to him.
- Deuteragonist: While the A-plot focuses on Hamtaro and his friends, she has a subplot on her own in every episode.
- Naïve Everygirl: A normal girl who is nice, innocent, but occasionally makes mistakes.
- Nice Girl: Laura is outgoing, friendly, and a caring owner to Hamtaro.
- Pink Means Feminine: She's an average Naive Every Girl who usually wears her pink pajamas in her bedroom at the end of the episode.
- Shipper on Deck: She supports the relationship between her teacher Mr. Yoshi and Charlotte.
- Single Woman Seeks Good Man: She has a big crush on Nice Guy Travis.
Kana Iwata
Oxnard's owner and Laura's best friend.
- Bespectacled Cutie: A young girl with glasses, long brown hair, a lovely appearance, and an equally lovable personality, being sweet, feminine, and soft-spoken.
- Brainy Brunette: Brown hair, artistic, and apparently a good student.
- Nice Girl: Always a good friend to Laura.
- Satellite Character: One of the main human characters, but mainly appears to be Laura's sidekick and is almost never seen without Laura. She's very nice to her hamster Oxnard, but there's not much focus on their relationship.
- Weight Woe: Inverted. In one episode, she worries about being too skinny.
Travis (Taichi Kimura)
Laura's friend and potential love interest.
- Betty and Veronica: The Archie to Laura's Betty and Glitter's Veronica.
- Lovable Jock: A soccer player and nice guy.
- Satellite Love Interest: He's nice, cute, athletic, and popular, but has no real role other than being a potential boyfriend for Laura and the object of her affection.
- Ship Tease: It's made clear he reciprocates Laura's feelings for him, but he moves away before they have a chance to be together.
Maria
Bijou's owner.
- Ascended Extra: Maria also became Laura's friend after the latter ran away from home.
- Lonely Rich Kid: Until Laura befriends her.
- Ojou: She's rich, elegant, soft-spoken and a talented pianist.
Glitter
Sparkle's owner.
- Alpha Bitch: Even more spoiled and selfish than her hamster.
- Betty and Veronica: The Veronica to Laura's Betty for Travis's Archie.
- Broken Pedestal: Subverted. Laura finds out that she's a sharp-tongued Yandere who tried to steal Travis, but at the end of the episode, she writes in her diary saying that she feels sorry for her.
- Girlish Pigtails: She has the same hairstyle as Sparkle.
- Idol Singer: A successful celebrity singer.
- Jerkass: Towards almost everyone she comes across.
- Nice Character, Mean Actor: Onstage, she's a bubbly J-pop singer with sweet lyrics. Offstage, she's a sharp-tongued, egotistical bitch, and tries to drive Travis away from Laura so he can spend time with her.
- Yandere: For Travis.
Roberto Arvelo
One of Laura's classmates.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Appears to be quite arrogant at first, but is eventually revealed to be a nice person.
- Love at First Punch: It's implied that Roberto has a crush on Laura, who actually stood up against him for acting like a jerk. She doesn't romantically like him back, however; she still prefers Travis.
Phillip Yoshi
Laura's teacher.
- Ascended Extra: He went from just Laura and Kana's teacher to a character with a small spread out arc about him and Charlotte's relationship.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Despite being wimpy, clumsy, and often awkward, he's a good teacher.
- Butt-Monkey: He tends to screw up and embarrass himself a lot.
- Cool Teacher: Laura and Kana clearly like and respect him.
- Dogged Nice Guy: Towards Charlotte in a few episodes, and actually wins her affection at the end.
- Endearingly Dorky: Very clumsy, with a crippling fear of chickens, and a complete dork who often makes a fool of himself in front of Charlotte, the woman he loves, but still manages to win her heart. Even Laura describes him in her diary as "awkward but sweet".
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: He's scared of chickens.