Saints Row (2022) / Characters

These are the new cast of characters introduced in Saints Row (2022). For the characters from the original series, go here.

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3rd Street Saints

In General

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/05saints_row_self_made_lineup_4k0.jpg

Self-Made. ^note

The newest gang in town, founded by four college students in a tiny apartment. Besides Eli, each founder is a former member of a different faction; the Boss was a Marshall soldier, Kevin was an Idol, and Neenah was a Pantero. Now free of their old gangs, they come together to build their own criminal empire, on their own terms. Based in an abandoned chapel, this newbie gang quickly blossoms into one of the most powerful (and influential) organizations in Santo Illeso.

Adaptational Nice Guys:
- Compared to their original counterparts, who couldn't care less about collateral at best, in this installment, all three of them are more considerate towards bystanders. During the opening heist at the Loan Shark place, Neenah calmly orders an innocent bystander to leave, something that the original Saints wouldn't really bother with (especially in SR2).
- They don’t indulge in some of the seedier crimes the previous Saints did, most notably sex trafficking. That said, several of their rackets such as illegal toxic waste disposal make money off of harming the local community rather than the "rich assholes and corporations" they claim to be punching up against.
Adaptational Villainy: The Saints in the original continuity were created to put a stop to the violence of the other gangs despite being criminals themselves, only going through Motive Decay by the time of the sequel. In here, they are formed as a means for the first four members to amass wealth and influence without any care for morality from the very start.
Badass Crew: Just like their original counterparts, these guys are a tight-knit group of Gangbangers, though compared to even in the original game where they had larger numbers (not as much as they would come Saints III), there's merely four of them (as even in Saints IV there was still at least eight key members) with the rest simply consisting of nameless and expendable mooks like in the previous games.
Blue Is Heroic: More like "Blue is a lesser evil", but their signature color this time around is turquoise - at least in the beginning, anyway.
Defector from Decadence: The Boss, Kevin and Neenah were low-ranking members of Marshall, the Idols, and Los Panteros - respectively - before they eventually decided to strike out on their own.
Equal-Opportunity Evil: The main members of the Saints, as seen in promotional material so far: Eli is Black African, Neenah is Hispanic Amerindian (specifically Mexican), Kevin is East-Asian, and the Boss... can be anything. It is also worth noting that the three lieutenants are all of immigrant background, Neenah being one herself and Kevin and Eli being sons of immigrants.
Evil Versus Evil: An up-and-coming gang whose main foes are two other equally vicious gangs and a corrupt Megacorp.
A Father to His Men: The leaders of the Saints take very good care of the lower-ranking thugs, going to great lengths to keep them safe (like acting as a distraction for the police so the others can escape), well-paid (planning a Train Job to afford a good salary for them) and just happy in general (complimenting them on their performance while collecting an allocated share of a job's loot, which the subordinate is happy to pay).
Five-Man Band:
- The Leader: The Boss
- The Lancer: Neenah
- The Smart Guy: Eli
- The Big Guy: Kevin
- Fifth Ranger Traitor: The Nahualli
Forced into Evil: A heavily downplayed example. The four of them are already amoral but Kevin and Neenah are relatively low ranking members of their respective gangs while the Boss does attempt to get a legitimate job working for Marshall Defense Industries. But the Boss gets fired and the entire group incurs the wrath of both of the major gangs in the city for trying to keep their friends alive. It is then that the Boss decided to create the Saints, starting them on the path of taking over the city.
Odd Friendship: Prior to creating the Saints, at least. The Boss worked for Marshall Industries, Kevin was a DJ for the Idols, and Neenah was a driver for Los Panteros. All three factions are in open conflict with one another and often come to blows. This is lampshaded by the roommate agreement where if one person in the group goes against the gang of another member, they have to do their laundry for a week.
Purple Is Powerful: In true Saints Row fashion, they go from being a small-time pack of thugs to a whole empire that can go up against the likes of even Marshall Defense Industries.
The Smurfette Principle: Unless your Boss is female, Neenah is the only female lieutenant in the Saints.
Start My Own: They were members of other gangs before they decided to use their own skills to form their own gang.
Team Pet: Kevin's cat Snickerdoodle qualifies as this.
True Companions: From the start of the game it is made clear that the four are a tight-knit Family of Choice. Kevin and Neenah don’t hesitate to abandon their respective gangs once the choice came down between them and continued membership.

The Boss

Male Boss voiced by: Max Mittelman (Voice 1), Catero Colbert (Voice 3), Antony Del Rio (Voice 5), Adam Gold (Voice 7)
Female Boss voiced by: Erica Lindbeck (Voice 2), Bryce Charles (Voice 4), Emily O'Brien (Voice 6), Rachel Butera (Voice 8)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sr_reboot_boss_default.png

Default Appearance (Mogul)

"It's our time now. Let's get this shit started."

The fully-customizable protagonist of the game. Unlike the original counterpart, this version of the Boss is a more sociable and friendly leader, but still as amoral and ruthless as you would expect a gang leader to be.

Formerly a mercenary who worked for Marshall Defense Industries, this individual decides to start the 3rd Street Saints after being let go from that job and seeing friends nearly getting killed in a crossfire between the warring gangs of Santo Ileso - the Idols and Los Panteros.

Main Tropes

Adaptational Heroism: Downplayed, but this Boss seems more benevolent than the original counterpart. Most of all compared to the SR2 counterpart, who would have simply killed everyone involved in the weapons deal during the reveal trailer. This overall characterization is closer to the SR4 version, but less hardened and experienced by comparison.
Adaptational Nice Guy: Goes out of the way to make friends with not just the crew but also people in the Ventures. When the Nahualli joins, they also insist on including him in a team-building exercise to establish a rapport, whereas the previous Boss mostly cared about how useful people were. The previous Boss were also quick to insult and belittle even the core crew they love with a few calling them out on it while this Boss is more good natured in their ribbing.
Adaptational Wimp: Played With. In the opening shootout, while the Boss manages to hold their own against the Nahualli's crew, they become a victim of getting curb-stomped pretty badly by the Nahualli himself and would have been killed had it not been for the timely intervention of Gwen and her reinforcements. That being said, however, this is still the Boss, which means the One-Man Army Blood Knight tendencies are still very much apparent.
Affably Evil: The Boss is rather pleasant and fun to be around despite being an amoral Blood Knight. Even exchanging friendly small talk with the various clients in Side Hustles.
The Alleged Car: The starting vehicle of choice is a Ridgelord, a rundown pick-up truck that has seen better days. While it cannot be removed from your garage, it can be customized, allowing you to turn it into a Cool Car instead.
Almighty Janitor: Is a low-level rookie for Marshall Defense Industries at the beginning of the game despite being an extremely powerful One-Man Army. Outside of that, is a struggling young adult who could barely pay rent and is stuck to low-level stick-up jobs. Averted when the decision is made to create the Saints, however,
Alternate Self: To the original Boss. Whereas the original was a mere underling in the Saints system before being promoted, this Boss is The Leader (of both the main group and the Saints themselves) from the get-go.
Artificial Limbs: The Boss can have prosthetic arms and legs with a range of styles and colour options to boot.
Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Although the Boss shares power over the Saints gang with three best friends, the reason why this individual is the Boss is because of being a One-Man Army. The Boss single-handedly dominating a Deadly Game is what draws attention to the Saints and has people joining them, with brutal efficiency being what earns them the respect of the underlings.
Authority in Name Only: Of a sort. Despite being the leader of the Saints, in practice, the four members of the crew seem to share an equal amount of power. They do not really mind and acknowledge that they need each one of their roommates to make everything work.
Badass Boast: When saying why the Boss and friends got what it takes to be their own gang, they call themselves a murder party.
Badass in a Nice Suit: The default look in the game's prologue, regardless of whether or not you downloaded the design from the Boss Factory and gave the Boss an entirely different outfit. Of course, being customizable, you can have your character wear one for the entire game if you so choose.
Benevolent Boss: Much like the original counterpart, the Boss is very friendly and easy-going with both the crew and any of the Saints' business associates during the Ventures, especially Jim Rob, who was also a former coworker during the time with Marshall. Even the lowest-ranking Saints are treated nicely, with some missions showing the Boss giving advice to the thugs, praising them for a job well done, and going out of a way to help them.
Blade Enthusiast: The Boss loves knives. During a bout of depression, The Boss copes by watching a knife infomercial show for two hours straight and buying every single one. When Idols porch pirates steal the knives, the Boss goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge to get them back. Many of the Boss' takedown animations involve stabbing the enemy.
Blood Knight: Much like the original Boss, once it comes to trying to take control of the locale, this one is just as ferocious and terrifyingly violent towards anyone that gets in the way, to the point of going guns blazing if given the first choice of a solution. When the Saints need someone dead, who else but the Boss goes in first.
Bond One-Liner: The Boss will occasionally make one after dispatching an enemy with a headshot.
[The Boss has just shot a cop attempting to radio for reinforcements]
Boss: Don't be making calls on my time.
Boyish Short Hair: Plenty of options available for a female Boss in this respect. The Boss' default appearance above also has her donning a half-shaven quiff á la Laura Matsuda.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: A walking murder party who successfully leads a criminal gang to take over an entire city. Also pretty weird no matter how you slice it.
Cluster F-Bomb: After the events of the first mission and getting chewed out by Gwen, the Boss decides to voice frustration this way, to amusing results depending on the voice picked.
Comic-Book Fantasy Casting: While not apparent at first, the Boss' default (Mogul) appearance - as shown above - bears a striking resemblance to Rosario Dawson.
Crazy Enough to Work: The Boss' plans are, more often than not, batshit insane. The insanity of the plan and/or the Boss being a Made of Iron One-Man Army are usually why they work.
Deadpan Snarker: Definitely the most smart-assed iteration of the Boss shown by far, be it towards others or even the crew.
Despair Event Horizon: After the events of "The Peter Principle", the Boss is shown to be in a slump, seeing as their only source of stable income is lost (Side Hustles notwithstanding). Played for Laughs, however, since most of the beginning of "Be Your Own Boss" shows the Boss being so downtrodden that a single waffle cannot be toasted properly. The Boss is pulled out of it when forced to save Eli and Kevin from the Panteros and Idols, and subsequently gets the idea to form the Saints.
Dissonant Serenity: Quite a lot. Whether being hounded by the entire city or absolutely livid at Marshall's attempted takeover of the Saints, the Boss is quite calm and level-headed either way.
Even Evil Has Standards: As callous and amoral as the Boss might be, even the Saints leader takes issue with the Idols' attempt to blow up the Santo Ileso sign in "Idol Threat", beyond the fact that they were willing to blow it up with Kevin still on it. The Boss is also surprised that the Nahualli never gets tired of murder while the Saints capo has a huge but finite bloodthirst and can appreciate a day off killing people.
Boss: Blowing up a tourist sign. What is WRONG with you people?
From Camouflage to Criminal: The "Meet The Saints" police report notes that the Boss "Displays evidence of military training". Starts the game as a rookie mercenary at Marshall, but form the Saints gang after being unjustly fired.
From Nobody to Nightmare: The Boss was just a low-level criminal hoping to pay off student loans and rent. Being fired from Marshall Defense Industries set this individual on the path of being the city's most fearsome gang leader.
Frontline General: The Leader of both the friend group and the Saints at large. Also, the first one present in any fight and leads from the front.
Gender-Inclusive Writing: Due to being a fully customizable character, the Boss is only ever referred to in-game with gender-neutral pronouns. However, the fact their arranged marriage to Gwen in A Song of Ice and Dust is referred to as "historically problematic but genre appropriate" seems to imply they're canonically female.
Genre Savvy: More often than not, with how often the Boss lampshades some of the situations that are found in. The most notable example being during the game's penultimate mission, after trying to get a lot of mooks to just tell the Boss where their leader is by killing dozens of them until one talks -
Boss: (exasperated) Dude. I've had a long fucking day. Can we... ah... can we please be reasonable people?
Nahualli Grunt: I ca—
Boss: You're gonna say you can't tell me because The Nahualli will kill you, then I'll say, "if you don't tell me I'll kill you", and we're just gonna be right back to where we started so let's just skip that part.
Hellbent For Leather: Leather & Lace - for all of your leather-wearing needs. The Boss also wears a nice fitted leather jacket (that is quite expensive in-game) throughout much of the game's key visuals and promotional material.
Hypocritical Humor: Claims to refuse to take a loan, despite now having a legal job at the beginning of the game, because of not wanting to support a corrupt industry. The Boss' friends are quick to point out their leader is working for a PMC run by a corrupt MegaCorp.
I Am Very British: One of the female voices (provided by Emily O'Brien - aka, Voice 6) is an upper-class English woman.
I Control My Minions Through...: A combination of power (initially caught new recruits' attention by kicking massive amounts of ass on Boot Hill), kindness and respect (being a Benevolent Boss who treats the underlings much better than the other gangs).
Improbable Weapon User: During the First Strike venture, the last melee weapon is a crutch.
Inexplicably Awesome: Just like the previous Boss, it is not really explained why a desperate college grad with student loans and rent issues is an unstoppable One-Man Army. Various characters express disbelief whenever the Boss suggests just going through the army of mooks on the way to an objective. At least one voice comments on being a walking murder party with none of the friends disagreeing; one female voice for the Boss states that their first car was a tank.
In Spite of a Nail: Despite being in the Southwest rather than Stilwater, the Boss still ended up in charge of a group of Gangbangers called the Saints. The difference is starting off as the leader and coming up with the idea of forming a gang rather than being a subordinate to an existing gang leader and taking over after.
It's Up to You: Despite being the leader of a city-spanning gang, the Boss often does missions alone or with just one of the friends. Many ventures likewise require some serious legwork done in order to get things started rather than having someone else do it instead. Sometimes handwaved by the venture's manager saying the Boss' crew are not ready for their workload and need help.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: This Boss is far less callous than the previous continuity’s Boss. While still an amoral Blood Knight criminal, this version did try to get a legitimate job at first (albeit working for a PMC) and are more openly caring for the True Companions. The catalyst for the Saints being created is because the Boss and Neenah attack both of the biggest gangs in the city and mark targets on their backs in order to save Eli and Kevin.
Lampshade Hanging: As often as breathed, especially during the Cleanup Crew Venture where the Boss will often wonder just how badly the crew screwed up a simple cleanup.
Boss: (walking through an Idols mansion) How do post-capitalists afford a house this big?
Leaning on the Fourth Wall: During "Shoot the Shit", when teaching Eli how to shoot, the Boss pretty much makes an analogy for him to use his gun as if there were a reticle in front of him. A little on the nose and then some.
Made of Iron: As always. At the start of the game, the Boss takes multiple explosions and impacts that kill everyone else on the squad. The CO even expresses surprise multiple times that this individual is still alive.
Military Maverick: At the start of the game, the Boss is rather loose with orders and constantly talks back to the superior officer. Of course, it does not help that said officer continually makes it clear she expects this soldier to die.
Murder Is the Best Solution: The Boss often believes that the best way to solve a problem is to shoot or blow up whoever is responsible. This is best shown during the mission "Non-Compete Clause", where Marshall tries to use a hidden clause in the Boss' employment contract to take over the Saints. The Saints chief shoots the messenger in a rage, then orders the Saints to raid the Marshall tower in order to personally murder Atticus, while Eli tries to convince his boss to calm down and try using diplomacy instead. At one point, Eli finally convinces the Boss to stop killing in order to search through desks for a keycard, but they end up finding it on the body of a killed enemy, seemingly validating this opinion. The mission ends with Myra Starr deconstructing this, explaining that killing Atticus would not solve the problem as his position as owner of Marshall Defense Industries would only be taken up by his next of kin, and he has a very large family.
Must Have Caffeine: Amusingly, the female Boss is holding a coffee cup in her other hand alongside a sniper rifle in the game's key visual.
New Meat: At the start of the game, the Boss is a new recruit at Marshall. The time spent as a mercenary does not last for very long.
Nice Guy: To friends and allies, at least. Unlike the previous continuity's Boss, this version's ribbing of crew is firmly in the realm of Vitriolic Best Buds rather than actual insults. Many missions, main or otherwise, even start with the Boss inviting out friends or trying to do something nice for them before chaos inevitably hits.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished:
- Despite saving the life of Myra Starr, one of the board members of MDI, the Boss ultimately fails to protect the codex from the Idols, which results in a termination by Atticus Marshall himself. Subverted later on, however, as Myra is fully cooperative with the Boss when Marshall tries to take over the Saints, with her role as Marshall Board Member being crucial in getting Atticus ousted from his own company.
- After breaking the Nahualli out of prison, the Boss insists on establishing an actual friendship with him rather than treat him like a coworker and even gives him a knife as a present. The Nahualli stabs the Saints leader in the gut with the same knife and tries to usurp both the gang and the Boss' friends.
No Name Given: As expected.
Not So Above It All: At first, the Boss is rather apprehensive when asked by Eli to help him with the Dustmoot, the city's annual LARP event, but by the end of the first mission, eventually comes around to it.
Offhand Backhand: An armed variation. In "Non-Compete Clause", after MDI's lawyer breaks the news to the Boss that the Saints are now property of Marshall and smugly proclaims that he wrote the fine print, the Saints leader shoots him dead where he stands, without even bothering to face him.
One-Man Army: Yup. And it shows as early as the opening mission that the Boss is still every bit as capable of dealing with most of the game's threats on own. Taken to its logical extreme in "Aggressive Recruiting", where the Boss - out of nowhere from the competitors' perspective - pretty much kills everyone in the way.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: During the final battle against The Nahualli, after spending the whole game full of quips, the Boss tells him that they're "done talking". And meant it; outside of gameplay dialogue, the Boss does not say anything until the game's ending cutscene.
Pajama-Clad Hero: After being fired from Marshall Defense Industries, the Boss goes with Neenah to rescue Kevin and Eli from a Panteros ambush while barefoot and clad in underwear. Evidently, there was no time to change into a new outfit.
Pet the Dog: In the penultimate mission, when the sole surviving Nahualli Grunt during their raid on Silver Gulch tells the Boss where the Nahualli actually is, the Saints leader decides to spare him by punching his lights out rather than killing him outright, even offering him a job in the Saints before doing the deed.
The Sociopath: Described as such in promotional material, though it is heavily downplayed compared to the original counterpart. While the Boss is prone to madcap violence, this leader very openly cares about True Companions and the insults towards them are far more friendly in nature. Compare how the original Boss treated Pierce to how this one treats Eli, for example. Overall they're more along the lines of Comedic Sociopathy compared to the original Boss' cold-blooded sociopathy.
Surrounded by Idiots: The Clean Up Crew venture frequently involves the Boss having to do the heavy lifting because the novice team either panic or shot the client in the face.
Universal Driver's License: Pretty much the norm in the Wide-Open Sandbox genre as a whole. This Boss is no exception, being able to ride a Hover Board, drive tanks, and pilot helicopters and VTOLs. Lampshaded as the Boss refers to having received training from Marshall in operating their technology.
Unusually Uninteresting Sight:
- The Boss' One-Man Army capabilities are not completely ignored since a few characters and even friends do mention it, but it is far less than how you would expect people to react, considering the stuff done. This individual's CO Gwen even admonishes for it rather than act with any surprise.
- On their end, the Boss is not even phased at the fact that the entire city is going after the Saints leader's head during the events of "Donut Run", even taking time to mock some of the citizens of Santo Ileso in their futile attempts to kill them.
  Boss: Fuckin' amateurs...
Use Your Head: One takedown animation has the Boss hit the victim square in the gut, before finishing them off with a spinning Sumo Headbutt.
Virtual Paper Doll: As you would expect, you can customize the Boss in any way you like, with the official promo blurb claiming that this game offers the most extensive options for creating your own Boss.
Walking Armory: But of course. On top of that, while the Boss cannot quite trick out their gun a la Modern Warfare (2019), can still have some very bright and colorful weaponry for sure; like a golden revolver or perhaps something more improvised, like the Recycled SMG which can be found in a dumpster.
Younger and Hipper: While the previous Boss had Vague Age, it is heavily implied was at least in late 20's to mid-30's. This Boss, judging by the friend group, is more of a young adult with the problems to match early in the game.

Eli

Voiced by: Eugene Byrd

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20210827_202347_youtube.jpg

"That is so unprofessional!"

A mild-mannered, aspiring entrepeneur who came to Santo Illeso to build a business empire. He acts as The Strategist for the Saints.

Badass in a Nice Suit: Of the hipster variety, perhaps, but compared to Kevin or Neenah, Eli certainly dresses more concsiously.
Black and Nerdy: He wears nerdy glasses and a rather dated-looking suit, making him look like an escapee from an 80s college film. However, his nerdiness may be attributed to being raised by strict Nigerian immigrant parents. He is also a dedicated LARPer, and gets the Boss involved in his roleplaying shenanigans.
Contrasting Sequel Main Character: To Pierce.
- Both characters are the sharply-dressed (from SR3 onwards in Pierce's case) brains of the Saints' operations. However, whereas Pierce has no problem getting his hands dirty when there's work to be done, Eli is more apprehensive by comparison, since he is not fond of using guns. That is until he gets a bullet to the gut during the events of "Be Your Own Boss".
- Additionally, whereas Pierce was treated as the No-Respect Guy of the Saints (at least until SR3, anyway), Eli - whilst still having some Butt-Monkey traits of his own - is far more respected by his other crew members. Especially when they all go out of their way to make sure he makes it back home alive in the aforementioned mission.
Grin of Audacity: Has quite the nice one if the image on this entry is any indication.
Hipster: He certainly dresses like one, evoking the likes of Marcus Holloway in this regard.
Immigrant Parents: Eli is the son of Nigerian immigrants who came the US via student visas in the 1980s.
Non-Action Guy: At the beginning, since - as Eli himself puts it - he prefers to have "metaphorical blood on [his] hands". That being said, after taking a bullet to the gut, he eventually grows past his stance on gun control and even graduates to using an assault rifle after the events of "Shoot the Shit", subverting this altogether. That said, when called in for assistance via the Contacts app, Eli is noticeably less aggressive in a fight than Kevin or Neenah and is more useful for drawing aggro rather than actually killing lots of enemies.
Only Sane Man: He tends to be the voice of reason when it comes to legal matters. Most notably, when Marshall claims ownership of the Saints, Eli is the only one who points out that no amount of bloodshed will release them from the contract, and that they should instead attempt to solve things in a more subtle fashion. The Boss is initially too pissed to listen to him, but eventually agrees after cutting a deal with Myra Starr.
The Strategist: Much of the Saints' plans are organized by him.
Uncle Pennybags: He's in charge of the Saints' finances and runs the business side of things. He is also an up-and-coming entrepreneur as well. Though he is a bit stingy at first since he is not fond of paying for a $200 waffle maker in the beginning.
Eli: As an investor, I don't like wasting money.
Kevin: You're wearing a fucking bowtie.

Kevin

Voiced by: Greg Chun

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20210827_202504_youtube.jpg

"What are you guys thinking for dinner tonight?"

A thrill-seeking DJ and former member of the Idols. Having spent his childhood in foster care, Kevin grew into a people-pleaser who deeply cherishes the bond between him and his friends. He acts as the Saints' official publicist.

The Bard: His role in the Dust Rod Campaign, though only for the penultimate mission. He does not get to do much music playing, but in an optional conversation with the Boss back at HQ, he does mention he will mix the Boss an epic victory track.
The Big Guy: Physically the strongest of the Saints lieutenants, as he easily knocked out a man with a left hook. Understandable, given he spends a lot of time in the gym and is careful about what he eats. He also seems to be the most effective in a fight when called in via the Contacts app with his D4th Blossom SMG, with only the Sixth Ranger the Nahualli killing enemies more quickly.
Contrasting Sequel Main Character: To Johnny Gat.
- Both characters are the Loose Cannons of their respective gangs and are shown to be Ax-Crazy most of the time. Well, mostly Gat - at worst, Kevin is more of a Cloudcuckoolander than an outright psychopath like Gat was.
- In the first two games, the only other members of the Saints that Gat showed any modicum of respect towards were either the Boss or Aisha (and from time to time, Shaundi). Kevin on the other hand, despite his bickering with Eli in the beginning, clearly considers the crew to be his Family of Choice - enough that he leaves the Idols when Eli gets shot and is forced to make a decision between them or his crew.
- He also has a few traits shared with Shaundi, mainly pre-SR3. A large number of exs, hyperfixates on parties and having a good time, ditzy. Unlike her, however, he actually focuses enough get things done even when it is dull and his obnoxious moments are clearly in good spirits and understanding unlike Fun Shaundi's little moments which tended to be at other people's expense most of the time.
Genius Bruiser: Kevin, being a DJ, is also shown to be quite tech-savvy and good with computers.
Defector from Decadence: Used to be a member of the Idols before he defected to the Saints. When given a Sadistic Choice by a Collective member between the Idols and his friends, he responds in kind by shooting the Collective member in the face.
Expressive Mask: Also doubling as a Cool Helmet, he has quite the nice one that gives Wrench a run for his money. Though he is only shown wearing it in the reveal trailer.
Friend to All Children: When he and the Boss make off with the remaining shipment of FB's Mechaburgers in "The Fast and The Foodiest", he decides to give them to the County Orphanage, rather than keeping them all for himself. Having been raised in foster care, this is clearly his way of paying it forward to children who share similar experiences.
It's All My Fault: Feels extreme guilt for not warning the Boss and Neenah that the Idols were planning on stealing the Hummingbird Codex, resulting in the Boss' termination at Marshall and souring Neenah's relations with Los Panteros.
Kind Hearted Cat Lover: He is the official owner of Snickerdoodle, the Saints' cat and unofficial mascot, and ended up adopting her after he kept leaving out food for Snickerdoodle while she was still a stray until she ultimately decided to move in with Kevin permanently. She was even named Snickerdoodle after the cookies Kevin baked for her, on her first day in the apartment. Ironically, despite being her actual owner, Kevin can't actually touch her because he has allergies.
Mr. Fanservice: Being that he dislikes wearing shirts and is quite the looker, this is kind of a given.
Nice Guy: For an ex-Idol, he's surprisingly very well-adjusted and easy enough to talk to. He even mentioned that he's willing to donate all the Mechaburgers he got from the Idols to the County Orphanage. He's also Snickerdoodle's official owner, despite the fact that he's allergic to her.
Queer Establishing Moment: Dialogue in Kevin's loyalty mission, "Office Décor", reveals that he's dated both men and women in the past.
Really Gets Around: He has many, many exes that are mentioned over the course of the game. The official site confirms that he is both polyamorous and pansexual.
Supreme Chef: In the reveal trailer, he asks the team if they want some of his "world-famous" chile con carne later. None of them seem to object or react negatively to this, which means he is a pretty good cook. The "Welcome to Santo Ileso" trailer mentions that he wants to become a professional chef. Impressive as cooking at a high level while shirtless is a lot harder than it sounds (hot oil splashes are no joke). The full game has several scenes where characters praise him for his cooking, with him making a delicious brunch quiche to celebrate the Boss' first day working part-time for Marshall, making empanadas for the team during a meeting, and making some sort of marinated meat lunch that the Nahualli gives high praise.
Walking Shirtless Scene: Kevin hates wearing shirts for whatever reason. This is also something the other Saints remark on, with Boss outright telling him to put on a shirt after getting home from work in "Making Rent". During the final mission, he is visibly uncomfortable when the Nahualli forces him to wear a shirt.
Weapon Specialization: Once you complete his first loyalty mission, he upgrades from a pistol to a D4TH Blossom SMG.

Neenah

Voiced by: Jeannie Tirado

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20210827_202234_youtube.jpg

"Yeah. They shot the dealer."

The Saints' "gearhead" getaway driver, and a former member of Los Panteros. Hailing from Guadalajara, she came to Santo Illeso on her own to study art, on her late mother's wishes.

Action Girl: As one might expect, seeing as she was a former member of the Panteros.
Badass Driver: She gives the Panteros a (literal) run for their money in the Cinematic Trailer... until the end anyway. She is good enough that she even gives the Panteros (who were dogpiling the Saints just before) the slip during "Be Your Own Boss", through the train tunnel.
Cluster F-Bomb: Lets out an epic one when the Panteros steal her car (in Spanish, no less).
Neenah: ¡Pinche mierda puñeta culero hijo de puta carajo!
Composite Character: Of Lin and Shaundi post-SR4. She has Lin's driving skills and overall temperament (though is not as rough around the edges) and shares her role with Shaundi as the Action Girl of the group.
Cool Car: A Hollywood (aka, a second-generation Chevrolet Bel-Air) which she tricked out herself. She puts it to very good use in bailing the Boss out of trouble at the end of "Making Rent". It gets destroyed by Sergio at the end of "Neenah's Car".
Contrasting Sequel Main Character: To Lin.
- Lin was the original crew's Badass Driver, sure, but Neenah takes it a step further and is revealed to be both the latter and the mechanic of the crew on top of that.
- Both characters are very serious and aloof, but while Lin is somewhat cold towards her teammates (and most of all Donnie, at least until she warms up to him), Neenah is far more caring toward them in comparison, even ditching the Panteros for them.
Defector from Decadence: Was a former member of Los Panteros before becoming a Saint. When they raid an Idols party that Kevin and Eli happen to be in, she pleads with Sergio to call off the raid, only for his response to amount to a "nope", even telling Neenah outright she would not leave the Panteros; which she absolutely did.
Everyone Has Standards: One of her loyalty missions has her trying to buy some art pieces legitimately. Once she hears how the art owners are treating those pieces, though, she decides to just steal them with help from boss.
Gratuitous Spanish: Justified, since she is Mexican.^note
Hand Cannon: Like the other Panteros, she is rarely seen without the trusty Handcannon .44, the most powerful gun in the world (or rather, one of the best performing weapons in the game).
Hellbent For Leather: Her signature look has her wearing a pretty nice jacket before and after her tenure with the Panteros.
Pint-Sized Powerhouse: By regular standards she is quite normal-sized, even a bit above average by Mexican standards. However, compared to the roided up muscleheads that comprise the rest of the Panteros she's downright petite. She can still wield a sledgehammer or .44 magnum revolver just as well as the rest of them.
Shotguns Are Just Better: After doing her loyalty missions, she'll upgrade from her old Panteros .44 magnum revolver to a stagecoach shotgun. It deals high damage, but needs to be reloaded after every shot,
The Smurfette Principle: Unless your Boss is also female, she's the sole female lieutenant of the Saints.
Spicy Latina: She's Hispanic and easy on the eyes. In terms of demeanor, however, she's a more calmer and aloof example.
Statuesque Stunner: As per the rap sheet in the game's promotional site, she's 5'9"^note 175cm tall. Especially notable since, being Mexican, she is absolutely massive.^note
Team Mom: According to the developers, she is very family-oriented. Which puts her squarely into this. And it shows considering how quick she was to come to Eli's aid alongside the Boss in "Be Your Own Boss".
Tragic Keepsake: Her car, which actually belonged to her mother. When Sergio destroys it to get back at her defection from the Panteros in "Neenah's Car", she's utterly devastated.
Vengeance Denied: Vows to make Sergio pay for destroying her Tragic Keepsake... But the Nahualli kills him before she even gets the chance.
Wrench Wench: She is a mechanic on top of being the team's getaway driver.

Marshall Defense Industries

In General

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saints_row_rival_gangs_marshall.jpg

"It's my name on the GODDAMN BUILDING!"

Atticus Marshall's private military corporation. Armed with advanced, hi-tech weaponry and a "shoot first, question later" mentality, they are considered one of the most dangerous companies in the world, and have proven to be quite the formidable opponents against the Saints.

The Aesthetics of Technology: A lot of their guns combine the low tech of the Old West with high-tech straight out of a cyberpunk setting. Essentially, think the Jakobs Corporation, but lean more into the sci-fi aesthetic.
Bullying a Dragon: Although Marshall is plenty powerful themselves, Myra Starr points out that trying to use legal means to forcefully claim ownership of a rapidly-growing criminal empire with a temperamental One-Man Army for a leader was never going to end well.
Composite Character: Corporation, rather. They're essentially a mix of Ultor and STAG, two of the Saints' biggest and most powerful enemies in the original continuity. They're a privately owned organization with significant influence and power, on top of having their own building in the game's residential area like Ultor, and they have the resources, logistics, and technology of STAG.
Defeat Equals Explosion: Indirect variant. Some of their mercenaries drop their timed bombs after being defeated or killed, which will try to take The Boss down.
Doppelgänger Attack: Their Gunslingers have one that's liable to throw you off given their tendency to overwhelm you with their sheer firepower and incessant Beam Spam.
Energy Weapon: Their arsenal is completely energy-based.
Heavily Armored Mook: The Gatling Gunner, who is without a doubt one of the toughest encounters in the entire game and outright surpasses the Wardens and Archdukes of yesteryear. Unlike the other minibosses, simply shooting at them isn't enough; you have to go directly for their weak points while their minigun is cooling down. That of which is easier said than done with all of the other MDI soldiers gunning for you in the midst of an encounter with them.
Megacorp: Marshall is a multi-national corporation, whose headquarters just happens to be located in Santo Ileso. They have multiple divisions, from mercenary contracts to weapons development, and even an ill-fated toy division which has since been shut down.
Private Military Contractors: Marshall Defense Industries is in part a PMC, contracting trained combatants for missions such as the raid on Silver Gulch at the start of the game.
Skilled And Strong: In terms of raw military might they have even a fully upgraded Saints gang beat with their sci-fi tier gadgets and weaponry. Not only is each Marshal soldier fully combat trained and decked out in powerful armor but they also have access to things like APC carriers, automated tanks, VTOL aircraft and a bunch of other high end tech. This is fully justified though as they are a PMC company with tons of funding, lawyers and other powerful connections backing them up and supporting them rather than just another street gang like the other major factions.
Villain with Good Publicity: They are technically not a gang, but a legally-recognized private military company. However, they engage in much of the same activities as the other gangs.Atticus even legally seizes the Saints by invoking a no-compete clause on the Boss contract. They're still treated like any other gang by the police, who will engage them in combat if they witness them wrecking havok.

Atticus Marshall

Voiced by: Darin De Paul

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20220903_170621_youtube.jpg

"We don't just make a profit, we make the world a better place. So how do we do that? With a little TLC: Technologically advanced weapons, loose morals, and a culture of conflict."

The Founder and CEO of Marshall Defense Industries and the Boss' employer for the game's first few missions.

Bad Boss: Atticus ultimately fires the Boss because the Boss decided to protect Myra Starr instead of a valuable artifact during a Panteros raid, coldly stating that employees are expendable, but treasures are not.
Bait the Dog: The first time he is introduced, he commends the Boss for recovering his property and promotes that individual to chief of security for his museum showcase. This is despite Gwen's warnings of the Boss being a Military Maverick. The end of the next mission showcases his selfish Bad Boss tendencies.
Big Bad: The Marshall forces are by far the most powerful of the game's three gangs, and Atticus cements his place as the story's main antagonist after he attempts to take control of the Saints due to the Boss' non-compete clause in their employment contract. Though he is ultimately disposed of without a fight, with the Nahualli being the Final Boss after pulling a last-minute betrayal just when the Boss thought victory was finally won.
Boom, Headshot!: If you choose to execute Atticus rather than fire him, you take him out with a bullet between the eyes.
Cruel Mercy: Depending on player choices in the mission "Severance Package", he can either end up with a bullet in his brain... or left alive, but stripped of his position at the head of the company he worked so hard to build up, which might be even worse.
Curse Cut Short: Considering how the Boss causes MDI's stock to tank hard, it is safe to say that he was not happy when the Boss calls them about Marshall's AI tank going rogue because of them.
Boss: Oh, it's me.
Atticus: What?!
Boss: Yeah, we hacked your tank. It's been me the entire time.
Atticus: You son of a bitch. When I get my hands on you—
Boss: You won't. 'Cause I'm in your tank.
Atticus: Motherfu—
Hated by All: The fact that he has a voicemail box dedicated solely to death threats should tell you something. Predictably, said box is full when the Boss tries to use it.
Hoist by His Own Petard: He really pushed his luck too far when he tried to exploit the Boss' old contract to claim ownership of the Saints. The gang respond by killing his lawyer, shooting up his headquarters, and helping Myra Starr oust him from the company.
Laser-Guided Karma: After he made a big deal about how both the Boss and Starr are expendable back in "The Peter Principle", he is either ousted from his own company or shot dead by the very same employee(s) he thought to be expendable.
Non-Action Big Bad: Even though he carries a sidearm, he is never involved in combat, and ultimately the Boss beats him through corporate shenanigans rather than a straight fight, and either kills him or fires him in a cutscene.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Dane Vogel from the second game. Both characters are charismatic Corrupt Corporate Executives that also command the most powerful faction in each respective game. Both are also for the most part Non Action Big Bads that prefer to use guile and ambition over brute force.
We Have Reserves: Does not really care how many men or even buildings he loses to the Saints, he can rehire and rebuild thanks to being a global corporation.

Myra Starr (UNMARKED SPOILERS)

Voiced by: Anna Vocino

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20220903_165608_youtube.jpg

One of the Board Members of Marshall Defense Industries, and someone the Boss ends up protecting during "The Peter Principle".

Chekhov's Gunman: At first, she does not seem like much, just a corporate executive that the Boss protects as part of a job. Then comes Atticus trying to seize the Saints through legal means, owing to a clause in the Boss' contract during their employment with Marshall. Who else but to bail the Saints out of this situation than the very executive whose life the Boss saved in the beginning of the game.
The Dog Bites Back: And she bit Atticus back hard. She becomes instrumental in ousting Atticus from his own company or letting the Boss personally enact vengeance on him by shooting him dead in their boardroom.
Everyone Has Standards: She is not at all pleased to hear that she is replaceable by her own boss. This becomes a crucial part in her brief affiliation with the Saints, working with them to oust Atticus as CEO.
I Owe You My Life: Pragmatically speaking. She repays the Boss for saving her life during "The Peter Principle" by helping them out of Marshall's attempted seizure of their empire. At the same time, she makes it clear to the Boss that they are not friends and she is not going to give the Saints a free pass the next time they decide to kill a few dozen Marshalls for the lolz.
Klingon Promotion: Determinant. Whether Atticus lives or dies, she becomes the new CEO of Marshall Defense either way.
Reasonable Authority Figure: During the mission "Non Compete Clause", Myra recognizes that Atticus is an out-of-control Bad Boss and offers to use her board position at Marshall to help the Saints take him down, explaining that the problems he causes cannot be solved entirely through violence. She upholds her end of the bargain, getting Atticus fired before returning ownership of the Saints Church to the Boss.
Silver Vixen: She is visibly middle-aged, but is quite classy as far as corporate executives are concerned.
Walking Spoiler: Towards the tail-end of the game, she becomes a crucial part in getting rid of Atticus for good, be it firing him from his own company or getting him shot dead personally by the Boss.

Gwen Theriault

Voiced by: Toks Olagundoye

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20220903_165955_youtube.jpg

"Statistically, the odds were low that you would die before we hired you, but I allowed myself to be an optimist."

The Boss' Commanding Officer during their employment at Marshall Defense Industries.

Artificial Limbs: As revealed in "Unto The Breach", she has a prosthetic left leg.
Black Boss Lady: An African American woman who is also your commanding officer at Marshall.
Crazy-Prepared:
- Knowing full well something would happen or go wrong with the Boss during "Observe and Report", she has the Boss and JR surveyed via drone. That is... until Sergio destroys it and she is forced to give the Boss field command.
- This trait even extends to her hobbies. When the Boss is ordered to storm Gwen's castle as part of the Dust Rod event, Eli notes that Gwen has both overengineered her fort and made it almost impenetrable with the guards. She even has live cameras to monitor what is going on when she is away.
Don't You Dare Pity Me!: When the Boss defeats Gwen in Dust Rod after she breaks the rules several times, the Saints leader offers Gwen the crown out of pity before she angrily rejects it and says she will take it from the Boss fair and square next year.
Guest-Star Party Member: In the A Song of Ice and Dust DLC, she spends most of the DLC teamed up with the Boss and fighting alongside them as part of the LARP.
Handicapped Badass: As stated right above, her having a prosthetic left leg in no way slows her down in the little time she fights alongside the Boss or hampers her LARPing abilities.
Hidden Depths: Would you believe this strict, by-the-book mercenary is a hardcore Dust Rod LARPer in her spare time, and the leader of a major faction, at that?
Idiot Ball: On her way to defend her fort, she calls the Boss to admonish them. This ends with her getting pulled over by the police as she was not hands free, giving the Boss more time to attack the place.
Jerkass Has a Point: While it was pretty cruel to give the Boss false reassurance by giving an empty envelope posing as hazard pay, she is not entirely wrong to chew out this individual for cavalier behavior during the first mission.
Pet the Dog: Despite the events of the first two jobs, Gwen does give the Boss credit where it is due and actually compliments them for their efforts during "Observe and Report". She even gives the Boss field command after her only way of surveillance is blown up, showing that she did trust the Boss to some extent.
Rule of Three: During the LARP boss fight in "Unto the Breach", the Boss must defeat Gwen three times before she finally admits defeat.

Los Panteros

In General

Santo Illeso's original street gang. They are both dangerous brutes and connoisseurs of car culture, with a wide array of monster trucks and muscle cars at their disposal. Being the city's first major crime faction, they hold quite a bit of power over the streets, but that's about to change now that the Saints have arrived...

Amazonian Beauty: The gang's Panteras are just as tall and ripped as the guys - with a few presented as among the game's largest and beefiest minibosses - but still sport a distinctly more 'feminine' outline compared with their male counterparts, which is emphasised by the athletic bras and crop-tops they usually wear.
Big Badass Rig: As seen in the "Observe and Report" mission, they use large cargo truck convoys for trafficking goods, and are protected by turrets to ward off attackers.
Blue-and-Orange Morality: Los Panteros value cars far more than human life, even their own. Defacing a member's ride as part of an interrogation is enough to get them to talk, while destroying it is considered to be a Fate Worse than Death.
The Brute: Los Panteros are an entire gang of Brutes, being the types to use heavy firearms, or sledgehammers to beat their enemies into submission. Their specialists are exclusively hand-to-hand combatants capable of using grappling takedowns on their opponents.
Composite Character: Or composite gang, rather. They are essentially a mix of Los Carnales from the original game, the Brotherhood from SR2 with the motifs and fondness for big cars, and the Luchadores from The Third with their brutish nature. Their gang color is also orange, much like STAG and Ultor. Like the Carnales, they are the first gang that originated in their selected location.
Foe-Tossing Charge: All Panteros are capable of using a charging headbutt tackle that will send anyone flying if it hits.
Gangbangers: While Marshall is more of a PMC and the Idols are more of a political movement, Los Panteros are a Hispanic gang in the American Southwest obsessed with muscle cars and gang tattoos, who engage in more traditional gang activity such as trafficking and car theft.
Giant Mook: Mini-boss Panteros tower over their fellow gang members and sport an imposing physique. They wield massive sledgehammers that can send you flying across the room from the shockwave alone, and also take a lot of punishment before they go down, being able to soak over 200 rounds of assault rifle fire before dropping.
Serious Business: They are really protective of their cars and even has their main stronghold be an assembly line they can pimp their vehicles called the Forge.
Throw Down the Bomblet: They throw molotov bombs and a mini-boss Pantero can throw three of them at once.
Unskilled, but Strong: They drive some of the biggest and most tricked out vehicles in the city and specialize in direct combat with a strong focus on melee attacks and all out assaults. Their specialists are also some of the heaviest hitters in the game and can quickly wreck even an upper Boss with just a few of their high damage strikes. Even their basic Mooks have nearly twice as much health as normal enemies.

Sergio Velez

Voiced by: David DeSantos

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20220903_170131_youtube.jpg

"Panteros, kill your enemies!"

"I'm the friend you should be worried about."

The acting leader of Los Panteros, he was Neenah's former boss until the events of "Be Your Own Boss", where she betrays the Panteros' when Sergio refuses to relent his assault on the Idols' party while her friends were present.

Badass in a Nice Suit: He wears a silk shirt and tie and dress pants, which contrasts with his hulk-like physique as well as the tank tops and sport tops the rest of the Panteros wear.
Bald of Evil: He's the leader of a roid-raging street gang with a shaved head and a ZZ Top beard.
Cutscene Boss: It looks like you're going to fight him as a boss fight towards the end of the train robbery, but the Nahualli appears out of nowhere and kills him fairly effortlessly.
Evil Is Petty: He destroy's Neenah's car - her most prized possession and the only memory she had left of her mother - because she betrayed him when she left the Panteros to form the Saints. Even though he was the one who put her friends at risk in "Be Your Own Boss".
Sergio: An extra share to anyone who brings me the head of one of the Saints. TWO shares if it's Neenah's.
Heroic Build: Like the rest of the Panteros, he's got a massively muscular figure.
It's All About Me: As per Neenah's words, before Sergio was in charge, the Panteros at one point were her Family of Choice, with everyone treating each other as such. Now it has become more about Sergio himself since he is willing to take the Panteros to war with the Idols simply because they made a fool of him during "The Peter Principle".
Mean Boss: He is not outright killing his men like the other bosses and only moves against Neenah after she refused his offer. However, he is quite demanding and greedy, asking for eighty percent on heists that just happen to be in his territory and monopolizing their forge for his monster truck.

The Idols

In General

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saints_row_rival_gangs_idols.jpg

Rebellious, anarchic, and downright psychotic, this flashy, hard-partying cult longs to take down the system and wreak total havoc on the world. What they lack in strength, they make up for in numbers, and their manpower alone is enough to make them a serious threat.

Beware the Silly Ones: They tend to dress like ravers with bright pink and blue clothing and their leaders all wear robot helmets with light up faceplates and cat ears. Despite this they still manage to pose a credible threat not just to the Saints but to all of Santo Illeso itself with their terroristic tactics and anarchist disposition. They're also surprisingly ruthless when it comes to dealing with their enemies, being willing to blow up Kev and the Boss with planted explosives and engaging in petty acts of theft just to promote their ideals.
Big Fancy House: A part of their territory is in the rich districts of Santo Ileso where they took over a few mansions and tagged over it as Idol's property.
Bomb-Throwing Anarchists: They are anarchists who abhor society and the system and want to take them down through violent means. They're also not above acts of domestic terrorism, since they were willing to blow up the Santo Ileso sign because of Kevin's betrayal.
Cult of Personality: The "Welcome To Santo Ileso" trailer shows that the Idols' leadership (known simply as the Collective) runs on this, with their followers being nothing short of eager to hurl themselves upon The Idols' enemies in Zerg Rush tactics.
Evil Is Petty: One mission has the Boss and Kevin chase them down for... stealing an entire shipment of kids' toys from FB's. Why? Well...
FB's Employee: Those horrible people in pink stole the entire shipment! They said something about striking a blow against capitalistic materialism and soggy French fries.
The Goomba: All Idols can instantly summon reinforcements in the form of beachwear-clad Wannabes, but these reinforcements have much less health than even a basic enemy and are either unarmed or only have light melee weapons. They'll often hang back and throw random junk at you instead of actually fighting, and they'll even pull a Screw This, I'm Outta Here and run away if the fight goes poorly.
Hypocrite:
- They claim to fight for the little guy against the oppression of the rich and powerful. In practice, this means robbing everyone they can and justifying it by saying that anyone who isn't in their gang is a cog in the system. The Boss calls them out on it during an early mission, when they steal JR's shipment of car parts, stopping him from opening his own small business. Likewise, they have no problem stealing kids' toys from FB's to justify their goals, even though it wouldn't do much other than make a few unfortunate kids cry at best.
- The Idols repeatedly claim to be against corporate greed and materialism, yet their higher ups all dress in snazzy pink suits, expensive robotic helmets and own a massive party yacht that the Saints storm during a late gang mission. Making this even worse is that all of their lowly Cannon Fodder Mooks are implied to live in a large Idol community campground stocked with little more than portapotties and tiny tents. For a bunch of anti-capitalist anarchists, their leadership sure does not mind living up the high life while leaving their underlings to fend for themselves...
Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: They're something of a mash-up of rave culture, burning man, pop collectivists, and social media influencers.
Tautological Templar: Anyone that is not a member of the Idols is a cog in the system and fair game.
Weak, but Skilled: They are widely considered to be the weakest gang in the city in terms of raw power but make up for it with their sheer numbers and subversive and misdirecting tactics. Many of their specialists have powerful abilities to turn the tide of combat in their favor, such as mid range fighters that can deflect bullets. They also tend to drive smaller high speed vehicles like motorbikes and karts that can't take many hits but have much better maneuverability than most of the cars and trucks driven by the other gangs.
Zerg Rush: What the Idols lack in high-tech weapons (like Marshall Defense Industries), or in brute strength (like Los Panteros), they make up for in sheer NUMBERS, swarming The Boss in much bigger groups.

The Collective

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/srcollective.png

"We will bring the gift of anarchy to Santo Ileso."

"Your so-called 'society' is a failed experiment. It's time to put it to an end. Time to wash it away. Time to make some noise!"

The six leaders of the Idols. They wear digital screen helmets that project an assortment of images.

Collective: Get ready for a whole new world. A world with no Pharoahs, no gods, no idols... but us.

Bad Boss: They are cavalier with the Idols, to say the least. One of them gives Kevin a Sadistic Choice of either killing Neenah and the Boss or dying alongside them.
Bourgeois Bohemian: Despite their anarchist rhetoric, they still very much run their gang like a classical hierarchy with obvious social stratification and themselves placed firmly at the top. Where the rank and file of the gang is made to live in tents without much in the way of creature comfort and wear cheap and worn-out clothing, the Collective lives in mansions, wear expensive suits, and spend much of their time throwing lavish parties.
The Dividual: Other than having slightly different outfits, none of them receive much individual characterization.
Dual Boss: At the end of the mission to steal the Hummingbird Codex back from the Idols, you end up fighting 2 Collective members at once. Fortunately, one of them has only 1/2th the durability they usually do.
The Faceless: They all wear full helmets and are never unmasked. What they look like underneath is left to your imagination.
Generic Doomsday Villain: Of the three factions, they get the least amount of focus, development, and especially screentime, being little more than cannon fodder for the Saints.
A God Am I: Their reasons for getting rid of capitalism, government and any other form of institution that isn't them is to become the only subject of worship.
Malevolent Masked Men: A bunch of sadistic hedonists who always keep their faces hidden behind masks.
Optional Boss: Two of them are not in a main quest but still killable. One will be an Idol threat on the map (actually hanging out in a construction yard just across the street from your Church HQ) and the other on Wanted for littering.
Rank Scales with Asskicking: They have a lot more health in combat than regular enemies, able to withstand over 200 rounds of assault rifle fire each, apparently entirely because they're the leaders of the gang.
TV Head Robot: They have this appearance due to wearing Daft Punk like helmets with television screens for visors.

Nahualli's Gang

Note that the Nahualli and his gang are Walking Spoilers, so all spoilers are unmarked in these folders.

The Nahualli

Voiced by: Christian Lanz

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20220903_180816_youtube.jpg

"What does it take for a man to be able to enjoy a quiet drink these days?"

"You do not have what it takes. When the real bad guys show up to play, you come up snake eyes."

An infamous international smuggler and assassin who is the Boss' target during their first job at Marshall. He is later recruited into the Saints in order to help them pull off the train heist.

Affably Evil: The Nahualli has a composed and confident demeanor and is unfailingly polite, even in combat.
Apologetic Attacker: He genuinely apologizes to Eli after punching him to the floor during the events of Showdown.
Ax-Crazy: Turns out he is quite homicidally insane even if he hides it behind a confident and cool demeanor. There's a reason why Marshall wanted him in containment, and breaking him out of jail as a Fifth Ranger was a terrible idea.
Blade Enthusiast: Has over a dozen knives and throwing knives worn on various harnesses, holsters, and belts on him. When they team up, the Boss gives him a knife. He first demures that "I have a couple on me already", but later accepts it as a gift of friendship and admires it while twirling it expertly. He later uses the same knife to kill Sergio and much later to betray the Boss.
Boom, Headshot!: How he goes out. Then the Boss peppers his corpse with an entire pistol magazine after dealing the killing blow.
Consummate Professional: Tries to be this, at least. The Saints break that barrier down with a 'corporate retreat' and by insisting he be their friend rather than just a coworker.
Control Freak: Forces the Boss' roommates to follow his skit of them being friends and even makes Kev wear a shirt as his idealized version.
Curb-Stomp Battle: Once the Boss opens his prison gate, he slaughters the small army of Marshall forces before the smoke clears and he carves Sergio's heart out with no effort.
Devious Daggers: The Nahualli is a Blade Enthusiast with at least a dozen knives on his person at all times. He uses one of them to betray the Boss, suddenly stabbing the Saints leader in the gut.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Well, more like evil cannot comprehend slightly less evil, but he still provides a good example. He fails to understand why the Boss bothers doing anything that does not involve crime or murder, outright stating when asked that he has never wanted a "day off from murder". Even when he does come around to the idea of being friends with the Saints, he decides to do so by burying the Boss alive and kidnapping the Boss' friends to literally take the Boss' place, failing to understand that they follow the Boss out of loyalty and camaraderie rather than fear.
Evil Counterpart: A pretty heavy stand in as one for the Boss. Both are killing machines with dark past and no legal name who are completely disconnected from how horrifying their violence is. However, while the Boss is mostly doing it because of being good at violence and wanting to make a career out of it, the Nahualli only knows violence and hardened himself to other things like friendship because he sees them as weaknesses. This leads to the Nahualli kidnapping Kevin, Neenah and Eli and (unsuccessfully) attempting to kill the Boss when he feels like he has been missing out on not having friends, since he only knows how to get his way via murder.
The Farmer and the Viper: The Boss not only breaks him out of prison (though the Saints leader was the one to put him there while working for Marshall), but also goes out of the way to befriend him, despite him making it clear he is not willing to be friends. He stabs the Boss in the gut and tries to bury the Saints' capo alive in the ending missions.
The Nahualli: You should have known better than to play with snakes.
Final Boss: The final threat of the main story. The Nahualli starts off as a "Get Back Here!" Boss with you chasing him up the tower, then he hops into a helicopter that must be shot down with an RPG. Then, the final phase has you and him locked in a Western-style showdown on the roof (which plays out as a Quick Time Event).
Finishing Move: He's the only one of your summonable allies who can use finishing moves in combat. In the final fight he'll use the same finishing moves against you. If called in as your ally with the Contacts app, he can even use finishing moves on enemies that are normally immune to them, such as Collective members.
Hero of Another Story: He is implied to have a Dark and Troubled Past and is also an Inexplicably Awesome One-Man Army gang leader like the Boss is. He could be the protagonist of his own game. When backstabbing the Boss he even claims that he's a better version of them.
The Nahualli: I know what it feels like to be judged for following orders.
Boss: Sounds like a hell of a story.
The Nahualli: It is.
I Just Want to Be You: He wants be the Boss, only 'better', and this includes taking over the Saints and replacing the Saints leader's place in the friend group.
I Just Want to Have Friends: He betrays the Boss not just because he wants to take over the Saints empire but because he wants the one thing the Boss has that he does not: a group of True Companions. He even kidnaps all three and makes them act out a skit where he replaces the Boss as their friend.
Killed Mid-Sentence: He starts to say “You ruined every—“ before getting a bullet to the head, then a dozen more bullets to the rest of his body.
Meaningful Name: "Nahualli" roughly translates to "sorcerer" in the Aztec language.^notespecifically "Shadow Soul" in Nahuatl. He uses a lot of "smoke and mirror" tactics to escape pursuers and sneak up on targets. It can also refer to somebody who is the darker side of another person. In that context, he is the less friendly, more effective Boss, as noted above. Unlike the Boss, though, he lacks close allies and friends which are the key things that let the Boss win in the end. Even if the Nahualli is stronger, he only ever has himself. The Boss, however, is able to build an empire and inspire true loyalty, making the Saints leader a far better criminal even if the Nahualli is a worse murderer.
Not So Stoic: He carries himself with authority and calm and acts as a straight man in his interaction with the much whackier Saints, but becomes noticeably more unhinged in the final mission when the Boss spoils his plans and chases him down after his betrayal.
One-Man Army: He is described in-game as a one-man murder machine. He easily defeats the Boss in hand-to-hand during their first meeting, and during the jailbreak when the Boss switches off his containment chamber, he singlehandedly kills a room full of several dozen Marshall soldiers that were guarding him. He also kills Sergio fairly effortlessly during the train robbery.
Only One Name: Or alias, for that matter. He only ever goes by The Nahualli, with little else about his true name being hinted at or revealed.
Psychopathic Manchild: He is jealous of the Boss' True Companions, so he stabs the Boss, kills most of the Saints, and abducts the Saints leader's three best friends. The Nahualli then forces them to act out a skit where they pretend to be his friends, and does not understand why they or the Boss would not be happy about this.
Red and Black and Evil All Over: The color scheme of him and his minions are red and black, and he ends up being the game's Final Boss.
Sixth Ranger: He becomes functionally a full member of the team after being recruited, right down to having his own loyalty upgrades, being able to be called in via the Contacts app, and even hanging out at the Saints HQ in his own aloof way. Despite only using a pistol, his DPS seems to be a lot higher than the other Saints lieutenants, and if called in via the Contacts app he can clear out enemy groups quite effectively.
Sixth Ranger Traitor: The Boss breaks him out of prison and recruits him as an "ace in the hole" for the great train robbery, even going so far as to invite him to a "trust exercise" session where the Saints befriend him. He later turns out to have been the one who betrayed the Boss in the prologue, due to his twisted wish to have the Boss' group of True Companions as his own while still being in charge.
Starter Villain: The game's first mission shows the Boss' first day on the job, in which this individual was part of a Marshall task force sent to capture the Nahualli. The Nahualli ends up outplaying the Boss at every turn, and ultimately only ends up captured due to the Boss managing a random and unpredictable Hail Mary play. He also becomes the game's Final Boss after the Boss tries to recruit him about halfway through the game, only for him to turn into a Fifth Ranger Traitor.
Stone Wall: He's the most durable human enemy in the base game, having slightly higher durability compared to a Collective member or Panteros Gigante. Even his helicopter gunship can take over a dozen RPG-7 shots, compared to a regular one which goes down after only 2 shots. However, he's only armed with a pistol and doesn't do much damage (with his only unique attribute being the fact he can use finishing moves on you, which you can avoid just by staying out of his range and dodging if he tries to rush you), so beating him is just a matter of shooting him and chasing whenever he retreats.
Walking Spoiler: After the first mission, he mostly disappears from the story, and only returns much later when he joins as a Fifth Ranger, making most of his involvement in the plot a spoiler, even before he's revealed to be a Fifth Ranger Traitor.

George

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20220904_182415_reddit.jpg

A Nahualli henchman who was at Silver Gulch as part of the ambush against the Boss.

Affably Evil: As far as hardened gangsters go, he is quite pleasant.
The Faceless: His face is covered with what appears to be a ballistic mask.
Know When to Fold Them: He opts to surrender and provide the Boss with the coordinates to The Nahualli's hideout instead of going down fighting like the dozens of mooks before him.
Villain Respect: He was impressed with the Boss' combat prowess and says his adversary is "a fucking maniac".

Dustmoot LARP

In General

A yearly city-wide LARP event that pits various player houses against one another to claim the coveted Dust Throne. Anyone able to join up with (or create) a player house can take part in the event and all lethal weapons are forbidden, meaning no one is allowed to actually kill another player. Once all the dust settles the last team standing takes over the role of Dustmoot champion and becomes Dust King... at least until the next game starts.

Color-Coded Armies: Each of the various houses has their own distinct style and color to identify themselves with:
- House Sandy Kraken is purple with a kraken theme.
- House Dust Storm is blue with a wastelander theme.
- House Phoenix is red with a bandit/barbarian theme.
- House Tapeworm is yellow with a tapeworm theme.
Serious Business: Everyone involved takes the game and its rules very seriously. During the entirety of the event the player is forced to use various toy "Dustlander" weapons in place of their normal arsenal. Additionally, players who are "killed" in battle must fall to the ground and play dead for the remainder of the the battle. Players will do this even if it puts their actual lives at risk!

House Sandy Kraken

In General

The newest house of the Dustmoot first created by Bossonius and Elijah after they decide to abandon their attempt to join House Dust Storm. Their stronghold is the mighty Castle Kraken and they are the current owners of the coveted Dust Crown... at least until next years event.

Purple Is Powerful: As befitting a player house run by the leaders of the Saints. House Sandy Kraken is the newest and currently the strongest faction in the Dustmoot.

Bossonius the Bloody

The Boss' Dustmoot character. Despite initially starting out as a low level friend of Elijah the Wise they quickly mange to rise up as a powerful hero with their own player house and a legitimate shot at claiming the Dust Crown. With the help of friends in House Sandy Kraken, Bossonius ultimately manages to defeat the current reigning king and claim the Dust Throne for themselves to begin ruling over the Dustmoot until next year's event.

From Nobody to Nightmare: Starts out as just another Dustlander recruited by Elijah the Wise but goes on to be one of the most powerful players the Dustmoot LARP has even seen.
The Kingslayer: During the final Dustmoot mission they lead a siege on House Dust Storm and assassinate the Dust King to become the new ruler of the Dustlands.
One-Man Army: May only use toy weapons that were cobbled together from plastic, cardboard and foam but remains a force to be reckoned with. In fact, several Dustmoot missions send Bossonius off alone to complete objectives alone while friends accomplish other tasks.
Sole Survivor: He is the only member of House Sandy Kraken to survive "The Blue Wedding" and must team up with his former rival and enemy Gwendolyn to avenge his fallen friends and defeat the invading army of Frostlanders.

Elijah the Wise

A wise and faithful member of House Sandy Kraken. After recruiting the Dustlander Bossonius, the duo go on to found one of the most powerful and legendary factions the Dustmoot has ever seen. Alongside his comrades, he assisted in the climactic battle against House Dust Storm and the defeat of the current reigning Dust King.

Heroic Sacrifice: When he and Bossonius finally have the means to revive the Bowelrod he tells them to go on ahead while he stays behind to fend off the attackers from House Phoenix. Luckily, he manages to flee from the battle and is saved by his friends once they successfully reforge the Bowelrod and use it to slay all of their remaining foes.
Hero of Another Story: He was already a Dustlander long before Bossonius and Sandy Kraken came along and has likely gone on many adventures before taking part in the raid against House Dust Storm.
Killed Off for Real: Despite being the oldest member of House Sandy Kraken and a veteran of many great battles he shockingly meets his end at the hands of the treacherous Frostlanders during the events of "The Blue Wedding" in the A Song of Ice and Dust DLC..
Small Role, Big Impact: He was just another low XP Dustlander in a city-wide LARP before recruiting Bossonius to his cause. Of course, this one action would have serious consequences for all of the other houses when he and his friends go on to defeat House Dust Storm and become the new holders of the Dust Crown.

Neenifer Leadfoot

A new member of House Sandy Kraken introduced in "The Rod Warrior" that assists Bossonius and Elijah the Wise in summoning the legendary Bowelrod.

Killed Off for Real: Similar to Elijah the Wise she meets her end during "The Blue Wedding" at the hands of the invading Frostlander army.

DJ Keviticus

The newest member of House Sandy Kraken introduced in "Unto the Breach" who assists his allies in defeating the Dust King and taking the Dust Crown.

Killed Off for Real: Meets his end at "The Blue Wedding" alongside his kinsmen at the hands of the Frostlander army.

House Dust Storm

In General

The former strongest player house in the Dustmoot until Sandy Kraken came along and dethroned their king, taking the crown for themselves... at least until next year. Notably, they were also the house that Elijah and Bossonius wanted to join before starting up their own house.

Odd Name Out: All of the other player houses use creature names (Sandy Kraken, Phoenix and Tapeworm) while Dust Storm just uses a more generic but thematically appropriate house name that more directly references the name of the LARP.
- Their fort (Fort Thunderpump) is also unique in that it's the only one that isn't just named after the faction. Eli explains that they have a sponsorship deal with the Thunderpump gas station chain. Presumably as part of the deal, the Dust King's throne room is actually inside a Thunderpump gas station.

Carl the Dust King

The former Dust King and leader of House Dust Storm. He was killed by Bossonius during the final battle of the Dustmoot and had his crown claimed by the new Dust King.

Big Bad: He is the final threat that House Sandy Kraken has to defeat to claim the coveted Dust Crown until next year's event.
The Dragon: Becomes this to the Chill Queen in the A Song of Ice and Dust DLC to get revenge on House Sandy Kraken for his defeat in the base game's Dustmoot questline.
Orcus on His Throne: Despite being the Dust King, he does not really get to do much but sit on his throne until Bossonius comes along to blow him away and take his crown. He sends some Dust Storm soldiers after Bossonius when that player torches his house beacon, but is otherwise content to let the other houses come after him at their leisure. (Though to be fair, the rules may prevent him from retaliating against anything but direct assaults and it is mentioned that someone has to belong to a player house to become Dust King, meaning there are special requirements for dealing with a reigning Dust King.)
Rank Scales with Asskicking: He's a Non-Action Big Bad in the main game, but when fought in the A Song of Ice and Dust DLC he's got comparable health and armor to an Elite Mook.
Rasputinian Death: He is blasted several times at near point blank range by Bossonius. This is because his death scene is actually a reference to this movie scene.
Tom the Dark Lord: Carl the Dust King. He is the final boss of the Dustmoot LARP and the one character everyone else is gunning for.

House Phoenix

In General

A powerful and ruthless faction led by the mighty Gwendolyn Firebird. They are in the running for becoming the new champions of the Dustmoot this year and are fierce rivals to House Sandy Kraken, which their leader has a strong dislike of. Ultimately, they failed and fell to Sandy Kraken at the climactic battle for the Dust Crown, with Gwendolyn swearing that she will be the one to claim it next time.

The Rival: While House Dust Storm is the final player house to beat to claim the Dust Crown its House Phoenix that causes the most trouble for House Sandy Kraken due to the intense rivalry between their two leaders. They even lead a surprise attack on Castle Kraken on the eve of their final push against the Dusk King and attempt to destroy it before they claim the crown.
Walking Shirtless Scene: Many of their male members charge into battle shirtless.

Gwendolyn Firebird

The leader of the powerful House Phoenix and Bossonius' main rival and archenemy in the base game. During the events of the A Song of Ice and Dust DLC she is resurrected by the Phoenix Egg, her House's legendary treasure to form a reluctant pact with House Sandy Kraken after their previous battles had left the forces of both sides depleted. Unfortunately, her revival was interrupted by the Chill Queen and her invading army of Frostlanders, leading to both Sandy Kraken and her own House being completely devastated and forced to enter into an uneasy alliance for survival and revenge.

Back from the Dead: She's killed and revived multiple times over the course of the story.
Damage-Sponge Boss: With her combined health and armor, plus her ability to restore her health twice by cheating, in total she's got about twice the durability of the game's Final Boss.
Final Boss: She's the final opponent of the Dustlander sidequest chain.
Heroic Sacrifice: During the climatic battle against the Chill Queen she takes a final barrage of attacks meant for Bossonius and provides them enough time to finish off the Chill Queen for good. Luckily, her Phoenix Egg had one last resurrection left and Bossonius uses it to revive her again.
Meaningful Name: Fitting for someone named Firebird she manages to come back to life several times just like the namesake mythological creature of her House.

House Tapeworm

In General

One of the lesser player houses that are defeated early in the war for the Dust Crown by Bossonius and Elijah. However, after Bossonius and House Sandy Kraken managed to restore the Bowelrod to its former glory, their leader is so impressed that she decides to lend her house's aid to Sandy Kraken at the climax of the final battle for the Dust Crown and help them secure victory.

Defeat Means Friendship: After Bossonius and Elijah storm their base and raid their duct tape stash, they simply offer a trade of their most powerful weapon to get it back. But once Sandy Kraken actually manages to restore the Bowelrod they become impressed enough to assist them in the final siege on House Dust Storm.
Fluffy Tamer: Their base has a giant worm (and a mimic) to defend it and they also command a great beast (modified vehicle) called the Bowelrod with a piercing scream.
Meaningful Name: To qualify as a Great House, a player house needs an established fort. The Dustmoot has rules in place for how a fort can be built, but one of the apparent requirements is that everything must be held together with duct tape. So House Tapeworm bought up all the duct tape in town, thus preventing more Great Houses from springing up. Elijah and Bossonius storming their fort and taking this supply for themselves is what allows them to form House Sandy Kraken.

House Frostlander

In General

A new House introduced in the A Song of Ice and Dust DLC that has invaded the Dustmoot with a shocking event known as "The Blue Wedding" where they ambushed and killed a majority of the remaining members of both House Sandy Kraken and House Phoenix during a uniting ceremony. As could probably be guessed by their name they have an ice theme and utilize deadly new weapons and abilities in battle, seeking to conquer the entire realm and rule it with a frigid iron fist.

An Ice Person: This is their main specialty. All of their weapons, vehicles and abilities have this as a part of the aesthetic.

Chill Queen

The leader of the Frostlanders who first announced her presence with the infamous "Blue Wedding" incident where she and her forces ambushed a uniting ceremony between House Sandy Kraken and House Phoenix, wiping out the vast majority of the members of both Houses and nearly sealing their doom. Now she seeks to acquire all of the legendary House treasures so that she can fully take over the entire Dustmoot and rule it with an iron fist.

All Your Powers Combined: As she's stolen the Artifacts of Power from each of the Houses, she can use them all during her boss fight, namely the Bowelrod's roar, Mass Resurrect from the Phoenix Egg, and invulnerability from the Giant Bones.
Big Bad: She serves as the main antagonist of the A Song of Ice and Dust DLC and manages to get on the bad side of nearly ever other character almost immediately due to her leading her forces in a surprise attack against the heavily weakened members of the Houses Sandy Kraken and Phoenix, resulting in a massacre. Even though it technically wasn't against any rules it's still considered to have been a "major dick move" by the other players. The Dustfaire NPCs and officials all team up with Bossonius to help them defeat her despite being neutral in the competition between the Houses.
Final Boss: Of the A Song of Ice and Dust DLC. Her durability is comparable to the Final Boss of the main game, plus she can only be damaged when her invulnerability from the Giant Bones is down.
Flunky Boss: She's fought alongside an entourage of Frostlanders, including a Yeti Mini-Boss. She can also repeatedly revive them all during the fight.
Winter Royal Lady: She's an evil queen who leads a villainous group themed around ice based powers and attire. Naturally, she's also pretty cutthroat and ruthless herself.

Residents of Santo Ileso

Jim Rob

Voiced by: Chris Fries

One of the Boss' former co-workers in Marshall, he eventually quits after the events of "Observe and Report", putting together his pay and life savings to open his own garage. He is the first of many Ventures introduced to the Boss and, eventually, the 3rd Street Saints.

Because You Were Nice to Me: After helping the Boss with his Idol problem and dealing with the Panteros, he decides to open his garage's operations to the Saints and provide them with a reliable source of income in the process.
Everyone Has Standards: At first, he tries to buddy with the Boss by saying he is a little maverick himself. But that means chop shop on the side, not hopping from cars to cars to attack a train like the Boss.
Fire-Forged Friends: After "Observe and Report", he and the Boss become steadfast allies, with him being generous enough to offer a very nice share of his profits in exchange for taking care of the Idols and Panteros, which his former co-worker gleefully fulfills with haste.
Given Name Reveal: His name (and therefore the accompanying sex joke) is only revealed after the mission he's introduced; before that point he goes exclusively by JR.
Punny Name: Just switch the first letter of each of his names around. Doubles as a Mythology Gag as "Rim Jobs" was the primary mechanic service in all the previous Saints Row games.

John Blande

A famous real estate tycoon that owns the property that the old church is located at. After a quick ride around town with the Boss and Kev he graciously hands over the deed to the church and about a dozen other empty lots around the city just waiting to be filled...

Bad Boss: When the Saints call him up to make an offer on the old church property, he seems more angry at them for trashing the construction site than he is that they also killed several of his workers and security guards in the process.
Know When to Fold 'Em: At first, he is reluctant to deal with the Saints and even threatens them. But when the Boss and Kev take him for a joyride and engage in some reckless driving and dangerous stunts, he wisely decides to just give them what they want and bail.
Small Role, Big Impact: He is just a random real estate agent, but his panicked decision to hand over his briefcase along with the deed to the church is what opens up the criminal ventures around town and enables the Saints to bring in enough money to directly challenge the other gangs for control of the city... since the briefcase also contains the deeds to empty lots the Saints can use for businesses.

Doc Ketchum

Voiced by: Fred Tatasciore

A mysterious man who runs an underground "murder circus" competition on Boot Hill where contestants kill each other with scavenged weapons to reach the top of the leaderboard.

Blood Knight: He decided to set up a secret underground murder competition on a remote island and seems to love nothing more than seeing other bloodthirsty individuals meet their ends on his little gameshow.
Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: The radio segment that plays after the mission mentions Boot Hill island is owned by the heir of a rich and powerful family.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: He seems to be a more Western-themed replacement for Professor Genki and his gameshow, which is a bit odd as Genki still actually appears in the game in several small cameos.
The Voice: He is heard giving commentary on the Boss' rampage through Boot Hill, but he is never actually seen in person at any point during the mission.

Hidden History Narrator

The narrator for the various Hidden History info boards scattered about Santo Ileso.

Catchphrase: "Did you know?" He says it every time the player visits a new Hidden History location. If you plan on finding them all better get used to hearing it... because there are a lot of them.
Mr. Exposition: His main role is to provide background commentary and give the player information on Santo Ileso's strange history, including the legendary unscathed saint that gave the city its name, tidbits on the local geography and environment and... records of supposed werewolf attacks.
Stepford Smiler: One set of info boards out in the desert is just his venting about his job and knowing the parks service will try to lay him off after he finishes the series. He delivers this in the exact same tone as the info boards about light historical trivia.

Sunshine Springs Residents

Chris Hardy

A famous movie star known for his role in the popular "The Heist and The Hazardous" movies series, of which the Boss and the Saints are big fans. His relationship with the Boss, unfortunately, goes sour soon after their first meeting, where Hardy attempts to stiff the Saints leader on a $1 million hit contract and then has his goons toss said leader into a river in response to a protest. He serves as the main antagonist of The Heist and The Hazardous DLC.

Jerkass: Right from the start, players can tell that this guy is a gigantic douchebag. Not only does Hardy screw the Boss over on a $1 million job with a paltry offer of a credit in his new movie and seats at the premiere, he has the Saints leader thrown out like trash for refusing his offer. He is not any nicer to the people he works with ether.
Riches to Rags: Heavily implied by the end of The Heist and The Hazardous DLC. He was already forced to pawn off several props from his old movies to raise funds for his new dream project, but with the Saints ruining his auction and incurring massive debts via his Marshal security fees, it is safe to say that he will not be living the high life any time soon, especially after he is forced to sell off his luxury house to the Saints to serve as their new crib.
Small Name, Big Ego: He thinks that a signed copy of his headshot and seats at the first showing of his new movie is adequate compensation for a $1 million hit contract.

Murder Circus Contestants

Chief Justice

A former Judge turned Vigilante Man who has spent the past few decades hunting down the criminals who killed his family. Armed with a KA-1 Kobra Pistol, his special ability Transfusion allows him to regain health by damaging enemies, and his special perk prevents him from losing Flow in combat.

Acrofatic: Despite being quite heavyset as well as elderly, he's as agile as any other of the playable contestants.
Cool Old Guy: He's in his 60's or 70's but is still a highly lethal combatant.
Expy: He wears an armored uniform clearly inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of Captain America, while having a backstory similar to the Punisher.
Life Drain: His special ability lets him restore health by damaging enemies when it's active. The downside is that this makes him the only playable contestant without an offensive area-of-effect special attack.
Hurricane of Puns: Much of his dialogue consists of court-related puns.

Consuela Reyes

A mixed martial artist and the grand-daughter of the former leader of Los Panteros, Consuela has returned to Santa Ileso planning to retake control of the gang and the city. Armed with a Sawed-Off Shotgun, her special ability is to throw Molotov cocktails, while her special perk makes her immune to all fire damage.

Close-Range Combatant: Her sawed-off shotgun means she's limited to close range combat, but she has more health than other playable contestants to compensate (starting with 4 health bars instead of 3). Her immunity to fire also means she doesn't take damage from being on fire and can even set enemies on fire by running or rolling into them.
The Exile: Is implied to have been exiled from Los Panteros after Sergio took over.
Kill It with Fire: She can throw Molotov cocktails and is also immune to fire damage, similar to the Los Panteros Giant Mook Gigantes. This is quite beneficial, as many of the Chaos Conditions of the Murder Circus involve fire damage in some way.
Shotguns Are Just Better: She uses a sawed-off shotgun, similar to many other Lost Panteros members.
Villain Protagonist: Comes across very much as a ruthless gang leader, who just happens to be currently out of power and hoping to reclaim it.
Wolfpack Boss: Instead of fighting a unique Final Boss like the other playable contestants, she instead fights a joint team-up between Los Panteros, the Idols, and Marshall, including a Los Panteros mini-boss and Idols mini-boss.

Daniel Li

A mail room clerk and office worker who was kidnapped by the Idols and dumped on Boot Hill Island in the middle of the Murder Circus For the Evulz. Unbeknownst to them, he's a Murder Circus superfan and knows the game and the map by heart. Armed with dual D4th Blossom SM Gs, his special ability D4th Blossom lets him acrobatically spray bullets in all directions, while his special perk lets him dual-wield all single-handed weapons.

Ascended Fanboy: A Murder Circus superfan who finds himself press-ganged into the Murder Circus.
Dual Wielding: He can dual-wield all pistols and submachine guns.
Gun Fu: His D4th Blossom special attack has him leaping around acrobatically while spraying bullets in a 360 degree circle all around him.
More Dakka: His default weapons are a pair of dual-wielded submachine guns with very high magazine capacity but poor accuracy. He can spray out a lot of bullets, but can't manage very accurate fire at range.
Right Man in the Wrong Place: The Idols kidnapped a random civilian and dumped him in the Murder Circus just to watch him be brutally killed. However, Daniel turned out to be a superfan of the show who's more than capable of fighting his way to the championship.
Underdogs Never Lose: If he manages to survive and win the Murder Circus championship. He's presented as the contest's ultimate underdog, right down to having a bulls-eye painted on his helmet and back by the Idols, and Doc Ketchum doesn't even know who he is or how he even ended up on the island.

Artemis Vandekogel

The black sheep of an old money family, Artemis is an Egomaniac Hunter participating in the Murder Circus in order to Hunt the Most Dangerous Game. Armed with a single-shot Buffalo Rifle, their special ability is to throw frag grenades, while their special perk gives them additional Takedown cooldown from headshots.

Ambiguous Gender Identity: While they're clearly masculine-presenting, a radio news broadcast about Artemis makes a big deal about using non-gender specific pronouns when describing them. They have this in common with the Boss, who's always referred to with Gender-Inclusive Writing.
Glass Cannon: Artemis' default weapon is the powerful long-range Buffalo Rifle, but they've got the least health of any of the playable contestants, starting with a measly 2 health bars at level 1.

Big Bubba

The current reigning champion of the Murder Circus. Fought by the Boss at the end of Mission 18: Aggressive Recruiting.

Dual Wielding: Like the Idols Mini-Bosses, he dual-wields a pair of Idols-modified Kriss Vector submachine guns.
Pallette Swap: He's essentially an Idols Mini-Boss, except lacking their area-of-effect blinding attack and using the fat cop character model. He even has identical health and armor stats to the Idols Mini-Boss.

The Twinssassins

A pair of twin assassins who appear randomly as a mini-boss fight in the Murder Circus DLC. One wields a sniper rifle while the other attacks with a submachine gun.

Always Identical Twins: Averted; not only are they a brother and sister, the brother is white and the sister is black.
Contractual Boss Immunity: Averted; despite having Mini-Boss level durability they can be still be taken out with finishing moves, unlike faction Mini-Bosses.
Dual Boss: They have Mini-Boss level durability and are randomly fought together during one of the 4 Chaos Caskets events of a Murder Circus round.
Expy: They have clear Splinter Cell influence from their green night-vision goggles and Spy Catsuits. Their suits' purple coloration also calls to mind Jill Valentine's battlesuit from Resident Evil 5.
Mini-Boss: They occasionally appear during a Chaos Casket event instead of a faction Mini-Boss.

Skeleton Crew

A trio of criminals in glowing skeleton outfits who killed Chief Justice's family. They serve as the Final Boss of Chief Justice's Murder Circus run.

Contractual Boss Immunity: Averted, they're not immune to finishing moves. In fact with the Shield Breaker perk you can insta-kill them with a finisher without even needing to whittle down their armor first. This is helpful as they otherwise have endgame-boss level durability.
Wolfpack Boss: There are 3 of them, each with a different fighting style (the green one has a DLC-exclusive sniper rifle, the purple one has a riot shield, and the red one has a sawed-off shotgun and constantly throws Molotov cocktails). Individually they're weaker than Shotdog or the Mystery Rival, but together they're as much of a challenge.

Shotdog

A man in a hotdog costume dual-wielding a pair of shotgun revolver pistols. He serves as the Final Boss of Daniel Li's Murder Circus run, seemingly because Doc Ketchum founding the idea of the contest's Underdog fighting its Shotdog to be amusing.

Damage-Sponge Boss: He's got 5 times the durability of endgame-level bosses like the Chill Queen or the Nahualli, making him insanely durable (it takes about 1000 rounds of automatic weapons fire to put him down). He and the Mystery Rival both tie for toughest enemy NPC in the game.
Revolvers Are Just Better: He wields a pair of .410 Bulldogs, which are revolver shotguns cut down to pistol size.
Hurricane of Puns: He has quite a lot of Boss Banter, all of which are puns related to hot dogs.

Mystery Rival (Spoiler Character)

Professor Genki

Professor Genki, the murderous Japanese cat mascot from the previous Saint's Row games, makes a return as the Final Boss of Artemis Vandekogel's Murder Circus run, which appropriately enough makes him in a way the final boss of the Murder Circus DLC.

The Cameo: While Doc Ketchum has taken his role as the host of the game's battle royale equivalent, Genki still appears as the Final Boss of the Murder Circus.
Damage-Sponge Boss: He's got 5 times the durability of endgame-level bosses like the Chill Queen or the Nahualli, making him insanely durable (it takes about 1000 rounds of automatic weapons fire to put him down, though headshots and grenades will help whittle him down quicker). He and Shotdog both tie for toughest enemy NPC in the game.
Leitmotif: He has his own Japanese-themed boss music.
More Dakka: He's armed with an AG-303 Harlech, which is based on the WW1-era Lewis Gun light machine gun.

Characters / Saints Row (2022)

3rd Street Saints