Shade
The protagonist of Silverwing and Sunwing. A small yet fierce Silverwing whose thirst for adventure and willingness to question tradition propel him to glory.
- Fantastic Racism: His disgust for Vampyrum Spectrum goes beyond that warranted by self-preservation. When he meets a Vampyrum who doesn't attack him and in fact goes to great lengths to help him, he still doesn't trust him.
- In Harm's Way: After defeating Goth, he finds himself bored by the peaceful repetition of ordinary life (and separation from his loved ones). When an opportunity to travel again presents itself, he eagerly takes it.
Marina
The deuteragonist of Silverwing and Sunwing. An independent, emotionally expressive Brightwing who was exiled unfairly from her colony.
Goth
The trilogy's villain, a hulking cannibal bat who drives his kingdom-slash-cult to resurrect the dark god Cama Zotz.
Griffin
The protagonist of Firewing. A timid hatchling whose hybrid Silverwing/Brightwing ancestry makes him look odd. He's the son of Marina and the great hero Shade, a legacy he knows he can't live up to. This insecurity, among other things, inadvertently causes the death of his best friend.
- The Atoner: Being cast into the underworld is almost a good thing for Griffin, because it gives him a way to help the victim of his negligence- and, in some inadequate way, make up for what he took from her. He lies to her about how she died because he wants to alleviate his feelings of guilt, and his final trial is to admit to her that it was his fault.
- Mr. Imagination: Downplayed. He is fully aware of reality, but fear sends him on unrealistic tangents about everything that could go wrong in a given situation. When he tries to direct his creativity away from pessimism, he's actually a very good storyteller.
- Undying Loyalty: He flies through hell, quite literally, for Luna.
Luna
One of Firewing's deuteragonists. A courageous Brightwing hatchling whose tragic death was a great loss to her whole colony. Her journey through the underworld- and growing bond with Griffin, her childhood friend- forms the main plot of the book.
- Death Is Dramatic: The subversion of this trope in regards to Luna infuriates her: she died torturously and pointlessly because of a stupid mistake made by someone else. Her final trial is to cope with the injustice of it without abandoning her morality in the process.
- Moment of Weakness: After learning about Griffin's role in her death, Luna goes briefly insane and tries to kill him, screaming insults completely contrary to her true personality. She snaps out of it just moments later, as horrified by her victim by what she had done.
- Nice Girl: She hung out with Griffin even though he was much less cool than her, and never made him feel pitied or insecure. Her compassion runs so deep that even in the underworld, as an amnesiac ghost, she leaves a colony she wanted to stay with because she can't stand how they're treating Griffin.
