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Barberin Family
As a whole
- Abusive Parents: Jérôme was extremely harsh to Remy because she wasn't his biological child, and decided to get rid of her by selling her for money. Anna protested because she loved Remy like her own, but it fell on deaf ears.
- Country Mouse: Anna, Nina and Remy have lived in the idyllic village of Chevanon their entire lives.
- Farm Girl: Anna, Nina and Remi run a farm while Jérôme works in Paris.
- Good Parents: Not Jérôme - Anna. She raised Remy in secret because she was abandoned as a baby, and was nothing short of kind and loving to her.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Nana has Anna's deep, red hair. Remy has (a different shade of) red hair, but looks nothing like them, which is a hint that she's adopted.
- Oblivious Adoption: Anna deliberately hid Remy's adoption from her and raised her as if she were her own child, because she didn't want to break her. Sadly, Remy finds out the hard way and is forcibly separated from her.
- Parental Favouritism: Averted with Anna as she treats Remy and Nana equally. Jérôme, on the other hand...
Remy
Rémy Barberin (レミ・バルブラン)
Voiced by: Mitsuko Horie (Japanese), Marta Sáinz (European Spanish), Daniela Fava (Italian), Hanadi Al-Saadi (Arabic), Luna Basa (Tagalog)
A bright and energetic 10 year old girl. She was raised in a French village called Chavanon, but she doesn't know where she was born.
Alternate outfit
- Animal Lover: When Remi lived in her Idyllic French Village, her adoptive family worked on a farm and Remi helped care for the various animals there. One of her favourites was their bright, orange cow, who she and her sister Nana decorated with flowers. When she's living with Vitalis, she befriends his three dogs and monkey.
- Beautiful Singing Voice: She gains a lot of attention by being a great singer at a young age, which motivates Jérôme to sell her for cash.
- Break the Cutie: She's been through harsh winters, was nearly sold off to a slave trader by her adoptive dad, and beaten by someone who couldn't care less about children, and even has a terrible fight with Matthias because he believes Remy will leave him. But she pulls through, each time.
- Blue Blood: It turns out that she is actually the eldest daughter of the prestigious aristocratic Milligan family.
- Cheerful Child: When she was living with the Barberins, she was very, very happy. After Jérôme kicked her out, she lived with Vitalis and was able to retain her upbeat personality, but when she's taken in by Gaspard, it becomes hard.
- Doorstop Baby: Her adoptive dad found her in Paris in front of a building. She actually isn't native to France, and was kidnapped by traders since she's actually from a noble family.
- Cool Big Sis: She's a good big sister to Nana Barberin, Jérôme and Anna's biological daughter, and Nana follows her wherever she goes.
- The Cutie: Mrs. Milligan, Vitalis, and many other adults are charmed by Remy's adorable appearance and sweet singing voice, and some of them even want to adopt her.
- Gender Flip: In the original novel, Sans Famille by Hector Malot, Remi was a boy.
- Genki Girl: Remi is a huge bundle of energy. This becomes more apparent as she's at Gaspard's orphanage, as the other kids are drawn to her cheerful nature.
- Happily Adopted: By Anna, though she had no idea at the time and thought she was her biological mother.
- Heartwarming Orphan: She's a cute and adorable child who's amazing at singing, and she always encourages her fellow orphans to never lose hope, even if they're under an abusive caretaker like Gaspard.
- Inconsistent Spelling: Is it Remy or Remi?
- Never Learned to Read: As she was a Farmer's Daughter under Anna, she never went to school and spent the day Down on the Farm. Vitalis taught her how to read, write and play instruments. He also stressed the importance of education to her.
- Nice Girl: Remy is a nice girl by nature, and does her best to encourage everyone, and loves animals and people alike. She's even nice to people that don't deserve it like Cosette.
- Orphan's Plot Trinket: Remi has a brooch with a woman on it. It was left with her when she was a baby. Milligan has the same one, which makes them realize Remi is her lost child.
- Plucky Girl: Remi has Pollyanna-like willpower and is adamant she'll get through Gaspard's abuse with her friends.
- Redheaded Stepchild: Remy has ginger-red hair and is disliked by Jérôme for not being of his blood.
- Spirited Young Lady: Living under Vitalis helped Remy develop herself into a Genki Girl who loves music and playing, and she shares this attitude with her fwllow orphans.
- True Companions: Remi and the rest of the orphans. When she finally reunites with her mother, she takes her to meet them, saying that she can't be happy alone, and they're all in this together.Remi, to the orphans: "If it wasn't for you, I would have given up a long time ago.''
Anna Barberin
Anna Barberin (アンヌ・バルブラン)
Voiced by: Kumiko Hironaka (Japanese), (European Spanish), Unknown (Italian), Unknown (Arabic), Unknown (Tagalog)
Remy's adoptive mother.
- Calling the Old Man Out: She tries to defend Remy from her husband's wrath but in the end, her attempts are futile.
- Token Good Teammate: She's the only one in the Barberin household who advocates for Remy.
Nana Barberin
Nana Barberin (ナナ・バルブラン)
Voiced by: Junko Shimakata (Japanese), Unknown (European Spanish), Serena Clerici (Italian), Unknown (Arabic), Unknown (Tagalog)
Remy's adoptive sister, and the actual biological child of Anna and Jérôme.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: She follows Remy around and highly idolizes her. Sometimes this annoys Remy, but she loves her nonetheless.
- Canon Foreigner: Nana wasn't in the book.
- Redheaded Stepchild: Inverted. She has red hair and is the biological child of Jérôme Barberin, hence being his favourite.
Jérôme Barberin
Jérôme Barberin (ジェローム・バルブラン)
Voiced by: Masahiko Tanaka (Japanese), Unknown (European Spanish), Mario Zucca (Italian), Unknown (Arabic), Unknown (Tagalog)
The father of the Barberins. He was away for most of Remy's life because of work.
- Jerkass: He's a horrible person through and through. The only likable thing about him is that he cares about his family and wants to bring them out of poverty....but even that loses weight when he tries to sell an actual child to do so.
- Parental Abandonment: Jerome tries to get rid of Remy to alleviate his financial issues. Not that he ever wanted her in the first place.
- The Sociopath: He's cruel to his wife for showing empathy to Remy and later sold her to Human Traffickers. To reiterate, he was fine with Remy going into slavery because it would give him a quick buck.
- Would Hurt a Child: When he found baby Remy abandoned, he didn't want to keep her. He expected his wife to send her to the workhouse, before moving to Paris for work. When he's discharged due to a work injury and comes back, he's enraged to see that his wife chose to raise the child and begins abusing her (even raising his fist at her until his wife stops him), before taking her to be sold off.
Rural France
Pollinel
Pollinel
Voiced by: Unknown (Japanese)
A human trafficker who tries to buy Remy.- Human Traffickers: Pollinel is a human trafficker who pays good money for children like Remy, hence why Jérôme wanted to sell her to him.
- Inconsistent Spelling: Is it Pollinel or Pollinare?
- Fat Bitch: Pollinel is a human trafficker and tubby in size, and is beaten by Vitalis for buying a child.
The Vitalis Troupe
As a whole
- Friend to All Children: Whenever the dogs suspect the children are in danger, they come to their aid no matter where they are.
- Gratuitous Italian: All of his dog's names are derived from Italian words. "Capi" from the Italian capitano, which means "head", Zerbino is from the Italian zerbino which means "fashionable", and "Dolce" from the Italian dulce which means "kindness".
- Gory Discretion Shot: Zerbino and Dolce are killed by Savage Wolves and Capi finds their corpses, shortly after the death of Vitalis, too.
- Kill the Cutie: Poor, poor, Dolce and Zerbino.
- Wandering Minstrel: They're street entertainers and make money by awing audiences with Vitalis' musical talent and Capi, Dolce, Zerbino and Joli-Coeur's Funny Animal antics. Remuy is later incorporated into the act because of her Beautiful Singing Voice.
Vitalis
Vitalis (ヴィタリス)
Voiced by: Fubito Yamano (Japanese), Rafael Torres (European Spanish), Riccardo Rovatti (Italian), Maamoon Al-Rifai (Arabic), Lloyd Navera (Tagalog)
After Jerome sold Remi to the slave trader Pollinell, she was saved by an traveling Italian street entertainer named Vitalis. He treated Remi as his own daughter and taught her how to play the accordion.
- Animal Companion: He's often seen with his monkey, Joli-Coeur.
- Cool Old Guy: He may be a part of a Wandering Troupe, but he has no tolerance for people that abuse children and saved Remi from Pollinel.
- Clear My Name: In Episode 8, Vitalis is accused and arrested for arson. He is released in Episode 11 after the police caught the real suspect.
- Friend to All Living Things: Vitalis' Animal Companions are three dogs (Capi, Zerbino, Dolce) and a monkey (Joli-Coeur).
- Gentle Giant: Vitalis is big, and his heart of gold is even bigger. He loves children and animals, encourages Remy to follow her heart, and is always ready to use his size and power to protect the weak.
- Kill the Poor: Vitalis dies as a result of being unable to afford a proper home and dies in the snow, and two of his dogs are taken out by wolves.
- Italy: Vitalis is from Italy but currently lives in France as a street entertainer.
- Parental Substitute: Until she reunites with Mrs. Milligan, Vitalis is this to Remy after Jérôme kicks her out, and he gives her a proper home and an education.
Capi
Capi
Voiced by: -
- Blue Is Heroic: He wears a blue top hat and is a Friend to All Children.
- Big Friendly Dog: While not ridiculously huge like other typical examples, Capi is bigger than Dolce and Zerbino, and is very friendly.
- The Leader: Of the dogs. Hence his name, "Capi", being derived from the Italian capitano (head).
Zerbino
Dolce
Dolce
Voiced by: -
- The Baby of the Bunch: He's a small bulldog and less accomplished than Capi and Zerbino.
- Odd Name Out: Unlike the other dogs, his name doesn't end with a vowel.
Joli-Couer
Joli-Couer
Voiced by: Chie Sato (Japanese), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Italian), Unknown (Arabic), Unknown (Tagalog)
- Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal: He has a pirate hat and is a white monkey.
- Hypercompetent Sidekick: Joli-Couer's skillset helps Remy out of many predicaments, particularly ones that involve Gaspard. His small size makes it so he can spy on him and alert him of his presence, and he also brings her trinkets and keys.
- Red Is Heroic: Joli-Coeur wears a bright red suit with golden lining.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Sharp-dressed monkey, more like. Justified since he's a circus animal and it's a part of the act.
Gaspard's orphanage
The owner
Gaspard
Voiced by: Nobuaki Fukuda (Japanese), Unknown (European Spanish), Sergio Romano (Italian), Unknown (Arabic), Unknown (Tagalog)
- Abusive Parents: He is physically abusive to the children he takes in, and only cares about taking their money and using it for his own purposes. He also doesn't give them an education so that they remain dependent on him. Contrast to Vitalis who took Remy to the library since she Never Learned to Read and always encouraged her to follow her passions, and gave her with endless love.
- Adaptation Name Change: He was actually named Garofoli in the book.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: In the novel, he kills one of the orphans and is thrown in jail for it. In the anime, this is averted, though he's still a Hate Sink and an utter bastard.
- Blackmail: When Gaspard learns Remi's true heritage, he plans to extort a ransom from the Milligan family and become very rich, and abducts Remi and imprisons her. Brell hears the news of her confinement and goes to rescue her with a police officer, resulting in Gaspard and his friends being arrested.
- Child Hater: Gaspard hates every child in the orphanage and they hate him back. He only runs an orphanage so that he can use the kids as scapegoats in case they get caught for stealing, and all the money they steal goes to him anyway.
- Dub Name Change: His name was changed to Garofoli in the Italian version, which was his original name in the book.
- The Dreaded: He's a child abuser who uses fear to make sure the orphans are in line and remain dedicated to bringing him money.
- Greed: Gaspard is from a well-off family, but he desires more money. This is why he buys orphaned children and orders them to beg and steal wealth.
- Hate Sink: The vilest character in the entire show, who targets small children (who he knows are too weak to fight back) and threatens them with abuse if they don't satisfy his desire for wealth. Once he finds out Remy is descended from the wealthy Milligans, he kidnaps her and abandons all the other kids under the delusion he can extract wealth from her family.
- Jerkass: He's a self-absorbed, lazy bastard who primarily exploits small children as mules to bring him wealth, and abuses them if they fail to meet his quota.
- Resentful Guardian: He has no true love for the children he cares for and only wants to exploit them, and he physically abuses Remi and Mattia for speaking back to him.
- Smug Snake: He's a sadistic asshole that raises the children in an environment of fear, and enjoys belitting them.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Kidnapping the child of a wealthy family results in him being arrested and sent to jail, alongside all his accomplices.
- Would Hurt a Child: Gaspard makes the orphans under him steal and beg for money. Anyone who fails to fulfill his quota (20 sous a day) is severely beaten, and poor Remi is in the receiving end of one such beating.
The orphans
As a whole
- Children Are Innocent: Despite being repeatedly abused, the children hope for a better future. Remy also encourages them to always be hopeful and curious, just like how Vitalis taught her.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Almost all of them have one, and sadly, at Gaspard's it doesn't get any better.
- Happily Adopted: By Mrs. Mulligan in the finale, on Remy's request.
- Parental Abandonment: The children that ended up with Gaspard's care were either orphaned or abandoned by their parents.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: They're a tightly-knit group who have no one else to depend on, so they stick together and are led by Mattias.
- Redheaded Stepchild: A lot of them, like Pierre, the other kid named Pierre, Marcel and Albert, have red hair and are maltreated by Gaspard.
- One-Steve Limit: Two of the orphans are named Pierre. To be fair, in Real Life it is a very common name in French-speaking countries.
- Orphanage of Fear: Gaspard is a Child Hater and the children are constantly abused physically. Their needs aren't met, but they have to stick with him since they have nowhere else to go.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Nina and her brother Pierre both have fiery, red hair.
- Two Girls to a Team: The orphanage consists of 7 boys (Mattia, Ricardo, Marcel, Pierre, another boy named Pierre, Albert, Jack) and 4 girls (Lise, Maria, Nina, Remy).
Mattia
Mattia (マチア)
Voiced by: Shinobu Adachi (Japanese), Unknown (European Spanish), Patrizia Mottola (Italian), Ziad Al-Rifai (Arabic), Unknown (Tagalog)
- The Artful Dodger: He is the ringleader of the kids and has quite sticky fingers, being able to thieve left and right without being noticed. It's not that he wants to, but Gaspard will harm him and the children if he doesn't.
- Brutal Honesty: He has a sincere and kind personality but is awfully blunt from time to time, unless it's being honest about how he feels about Remi.
- Cool Big Bro: The rest of the orphans certainly think so.
- Innocent Blue Eyes: Mattia has cerulean blue eyes and dark, chest-nut brown hair, and is an innocent and good-heated boy to the core.
- In the Blood: He is good at playing the violin, and his father was a musician.
- I Will Find You: In the final episode, he decides to become a musician and makes a promise that he will become a fine human being and come and meet Remi.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Mattia can be nice when he wants to be, but acts strict when needed.
- The Leader: At 12 years old, he is the oldest of the other orphaned children and acts as their guide.
- Positive Friend Influence: He was forced to steal on Gaspard's orders, but under the influence of Remi he started earning money through legitimate means.
- Promoted to Love Interest: Matthia who was best friends with the protagonist in the novel is this to his Gender Flip version here while Lise, the original love interest, is relegated to a Tagalong Kid who sees Remi as a Cool Big Sis instead.
- Sugar-and-Ice Personality: He can be slightly mean one moment and nice the next.
- Troubled, but Cute: He's a good-hearted boy, even if he does unsavoury things to survive.
- Tsundere: Mattia won't admit he likes Remi but eventually is unable to lie anymore and confesses his love in the Grand Finale.
Maria
Maria (マリア)
Voiced by: Kae Araki (Japanese), Unknown (European Spanish), Serena Clerici (Italian), Unknown (Arabic), Unknown (Tagalog)
- Innocent Blue Eyes: Hers are a cold, light blue colour.
- Shrinking Violet: Despite being one of the older kids, she's the shyest kid in all of Gaspard's orphanage.
- Youthful Freckles: They're all over her cheeks.
Pierre
Pierre
Voiced by: Shinobu Adachi (Japanese), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Italian), Unknown (Arabic), Unknown (Tagalog)
A religious boy at the orphanage. He is the older brother of Nina.
- Big Brother Instinct: He cares about Nina deeply and wishes she could speak again.
- Bratty Half-Pint: Pierre has a penchant for being a prankster and Trolling his fellow orphans.
- Token Religious Teammate: He sneaks into Gerard's mansion and prays to the statue of Holy Mary for Nina to be able to speak again.
- Youthful Freckles: They emphasize how he's mischevious, yet young.
Nina
Nina
Voiced by: Kumiko Nishihara (Japanese), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Italian), Unknown (Arabic), Unknown (Tagalog)
A mute girl at the orphanage.
- Curtains Match the Window: Nina has ginger hair and eyes of the same colour.
- Cute Mute: Her mother's death was so traumatic that it left Nina unable to speak. Thanks to her brother praying, she was able to speak again.
- True Blue Femininity: Nina wears a navy blue dress with a white apron.
Lise
Lise (リーズ)
Voiced by: Kae Araki (Japanese), Unknown (European Spanish), Serena Clerici (Italian), Unknown (Arabic), Unknown (Tagalog)
- The Baby of the Bunch: She's the smallest and youngest of the orphans.
- Flowers Of Feminity: She loves flowers, whether it's the pink ones she picks with Joli-Coeur or the rose she finds outside, and her main job is a flower seller.
Milligan family
Mrs. Milligan
Mrs. Milligan (ミリガン夫人)
Voiced by: Eiko Yamada (Japanese), Unknown (European Spanish), Patrizia Scianca (Italian), Unknown (Arabic), Unknown (Tagalog)
An Englishwoman currently visiting Toulouse, France, for her son's medical treatment.
- The Beautiful Elite: Mrs. Milligan wears a classy cravat, stylish sunhat and a Simple, yet Opulent gown when she's trying to be modest.
- Good Parents: Arthur's health is her biggest priority.
- Graceful Ladies Like Purple: She wears a violet hat with a pink ribbon.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: She has blonde hair, blue eyes and is a sincere and kind lady who's devoted to her son.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: She is the mother of Remy, who was kidnapped from her as a baby.
- Ojou: She's always dressed very exquisitely and is the widow of the Mulligans, a British aristocratic family.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Arthur has her blonde hair. Remy has her blue eyes.
- Stylish Sunhats: She wears a small purple sunhat with a magenta ribbon.
Arthur Mulligan
Arthur Mulligan (アーサー)
Voiced by: Yumi Touma (Japanese), Unknown (European Spanish), Monica Bonetto (Italian), Unknown (Arabic), Unknown (Tagalog)
- Innocent Blue Eyes: His are a very deep blue colour, like his sister Remy.
- Delicate and Sickly: Arthur is fragile by nature and requires a personal caretaker in the form of Nelly. The only reason the Milligans are even in France is for his medical treatment.
- Lonely Rich Kid: He was born disabled and was often confined to his bed, hence being unable to properly socialize with the other kids. Remy was one of the few friends he's ever made in a long time.
- Disappeared Dad: His father died years ago, and he was raised by his mother and maids ever since.
- Driven to Suicide: Arthur attempts to drown himself in a river, but Remy convinces him not to go through with it, resulting in a Happily Failed Suicide.
- Strong Family Resemblance: He inherited his mother's blonde hair and blue eyes, something Remy also inherited.
Nelly
Nelly (ネリー)
Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara (Japanese), Unknown (European Spanish), Federica Valenti (Italian), Unknown (Arabic), Unknown (Tagalog)
The maid of the Mulligan family.
- Meido: She is a young, pretty red-haired maid that works for the Mulligans.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Nelly let it slip to Gaspard that Remy is the daughter of the Mulligans, causing him to kidnap her and use her as ransom.
- Youthful Freckles: Nelly has freckles under her big brown eyes.
Brell
Brell
Voiced by: Sho Hayami (Japanese), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Italian), Unknown (Arabic), Unknown (Tagalog)
The attorney that represents Mrs. Mulligan.- Big Damn Heroes: Saves a kidnapped Remy from Gaspard with the help of a police officer.
- Underestimating Badassery: Gaspard is left stunned when Brell subjects him to a hard beating for kidnapping Remi.
Other
Cosette
Cosette
Voiced by: Unknown (Japanese)
A circus performer who befriends the orphans.- Circus Brat: Cosette (no, not that one), hates working in a circus and is quite rude to Remi, angering Matthias.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Cosette deliberately gets Matthia and Remi caught by Gaspard, who abuses Remi in front of her. When Matthia tells her about Remi's back story and why she puts up with the abuse, she regrets what she's done.
