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The N.E.R.D.S.

    Jackson Jones/Braceface 
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The newest member of NERDS. Once a star football player, his popularity comes to an end once he gets an unwieldy set of braces. After discovering the Playground, he accidentally receives upgrades for his terrible braces that allow them transform into any gadget, receiving the codename "Braceface".
  • The Atoner: Once he realizes what a jerk he used to be, he makes it his mission to make up with his former victims, especially his teammates.
  • Break the Haughty: Even after being reduced to a social outcast at school, he still has somewhat of an ego and thinks he's better than his nerdy new teammates, believing they should be glad that a cool kid like him joined their team. After his Jerkass Realization, he becomes sullen and realizes he should be glad for the team to accept him.
  • Embarrassing Nickname: "Braceface" is this to him in Book 1, since he didn't pick his own codename, it was given to him automatically. Towards the end, he finally embraces it.
  • Jerk Jock: Before getting his braces, he was a star football player and tormentor of nerds.
  • Morph Weapon: His braces can take on whatever shape Jackson thinks of, including Spider Limbs, tentacle-like arms and even vehicles. It's not quite an Imagination-Based Superpower, because there are limits.
  • Naïve Newcomer: The series begins from his perspective as he becomes a member, learns the purpose and history of the NERDS organization and goes through training.
  • Street Smart: While he's not the smartest of the NERDS, Jackson's experience as a former popular kid gives him a lot of knowledge when it comes to social interactions, something the rest of his team lacks.

    Duncan Dewey/Gluestick 
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The NERDS' paste-eating tech geek whose special upgrades allow him to make glue from his body and stick to everything.
  • Big Fun: The chubbiest and most cheerful member of the team.
  • Black and Nerdy: While the entire team are nerds, Duncan is the most tech-savvy of the bunch.
  • Nice Guy: Probably the kindest member of the team overall. From the start, he's the only NERD willing to eat lunch with their former bully Jackson Jones and doesn't resent him for his past cruelty.
  • Paste Eater: Started eating paste as a dare and actually ended up enjoying it. His enhancement allows him to make paste with his own body, so he can stick to any surface.
  • Wall Crawl: His sticky hands allow him to do this. In Book 2, it's shown that he often hangs upside-down from ceilings as a force of habit.

    Matilda Choi/Wheezer 
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An asthmatic Korean-American girl whose nanobyte-enhanced inhalers allow her to fly and shoot fire. Even without her upgrades, she's one of the most capable members of the team in hand-to-hand combat.
  • All Asians Know Martial Arts: Subverted - though she loves hand-to-hand combat, she specializes in wrestling and street fighting moves, believing martial arts to be too restricting, though she at least knows enough about it to counter it.
  • Big Ol' Unibrow: She purposely keeps it that way because she likes to look different. The Hyena forcibly shaves it in Book 3 when giving Matilda a makeover.
  • Blood Knight: Really enjoys putting the hurt on bad guys.
  • Disability Superpower: Or, more accurately, Disability Equipment Superpower. Her nanobytes allow her to supercharge her inhalers, giving her the ability to fly and blast enemies.
  • Flying Firepower: Her inhalers shoot jets of flame that lift her up and also work as blowtorches.
  • I Have Brothers: It's implied, but never outright stated that her tomboyish personality has something to do with her six older brothers.
  • Massive Numbered Siblings: The only girl of seven siblings.
  • Nerdy Inhaler: The trait that makes her a nerd and her weakness that's been upgraded into a power, allowing her to fly and shoot flame.
  • Pint-Sized Powerhouse: A little Korean girl and smallest NERDS member but easily one of the toughest. In Book 3, she mentions arm-wrestling college students for money. Keep in mind that she's only ten or eleven.
  • Token Flyer: The only member of the team who can fly.

    Julio Escala/Flinch 
A twitchy, sugar-crazed kid whose upgrades channel his hyperactive energy into super-strength and speed.
  • Large Ham: Tends to shout a lot.
  • Lightning Bruiser: His harness makes him the fastest and strongest of the team.
  • Nice Guy: While he does resent Jackson for being a jerk, he's noticeably a lot nicer than the others to him and complimented him when he was able to catch a car with his braces.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: Unlike the others, he's called Flinch even off the field. Only his grandmother calls him Julio.
  • Sweet Tooth: He eats nothing but sweets. His harness converts the sugary energy into super-strength and speed.

    Ruby Peet/Pufferfish 
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The team's current leader, a girl with extreme allergies that make her swell up like a pufferfish. Her enhancements allow her allergies to detect nearly anything.
  • Catchphrase: You'd be hard pressed to find a time where she doesn't say "I'm allergic to..."
  • Combat Clairvoyance: Her allergies allow her to predict her opponent's every move but can be countered, in Flinch's case, by the opponent acting completely randomly.
  • Heart Is an Awesome Power: While Brainwashed and Crazy and fighting Flinch in Book 4, she laments how he and everyone else thinks her upgrades are the weakest and proceeds to use her allergies to dodge his every attack and strike him at his weak points.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Was a more firm Jerkass, in the first book especially. Brand even lampshades this. She's fussy, hardheaded, and can come off as a bit whiny, but is a good leader to her team and cares about her friends.
  • The Leader: The smart, organized and level-headed leader of the team.
  • Living Lie Detector: She's allergic to lying. The first book shows that it works like a polygraph, as her allergies won't trigger if the other person speaks calmly and relaxes their heartbeat.
  • Neat Freak: Loves organizing everything.
  • Plot Allergy: Ruby is allergic to just about everything. Her special enhancement allows her to use her allergies almost as a form of precognition.
  • Schedule Fanatic: Has an insanely specific morning routine she follows daily.
  • Stubborn Hair: Part of her daily schedule is trying in vain to straighten out her super-kinky curly hair twice until she finally gives up.

    Heathcliff Hodges/Choppers 
  • Evil Mask: As Simon.
  • Face–Heel Turn: Was once a N.E.R.D.S. agent until he became very angry due to people's treatment of him when he was actually "superior" to them.
  • Good Parents: Despite suffering at the hands of bullies, he really loves his mom and dad and tries to visit them even right after his face heel turn has solidified-only to find that their memories of their son have been completely wiped. He admits that for all his hard life, his parents were a good part of it.
  • Heel–Face Revolving Door: Reveals himself to be "Simon", the mysterious entity working with the Arc Villain, at the end of the first book. At the beginning of the fifth book, do to having his memories to just when Jackson joined the team, he is reset to the boy he was at that point. When he gets his memories back, one of the first things he does is express a desire to take over a world and beelines for the upgrade chair-which, after analyzing, decides Heathcliff's weakness is that he needs his parents and takes him inside his own mind to have himself talk himself down. This time, the Heel–Face Turn sticks.
  • Mind Control: In the first two books, his nanobyte-enhanced buckteeth allow him to control people's minds and wipe their memories.

Playground Staff

    Alexander Brand 
  • Almighty Janitor: America's former greatest secret agent who works as the school's janitor for cover.
  • Retired Badass: Once a superspy, he's been put out of action due to injuries requiring him to use a cane to get around.
  • Tuxedo and Martini: Was essentially an American version of James Bond before his early retirement.
    Mindy Beauchamp/The Hyena 
A teenaged pageant queen turned assassin for hire who betrayed her employer to work for NERDS. The love interest of Jackson/Braceface
  • The Ace: A junior beauty pageant queen, and a master martial artist and weapons specialist by the age of 13.
  • Berserk Button: Does NOT like being referred to by her first name, it's The Hyena.
  • Heel–Face Turn: Quits working for Dr. Jigsaw to join NERDS.
  • Meaningful Name: Has an obnoxious and incredibly contagious laugh.
  • Puppy Love: Has this with Jackson.

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