Characters / Middle-earth Film: The Company

aka: The Hobbit Film Trilogy The Company

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A group of thirteen dwarves, one wizard, and one hobbit in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy that are on their way to the lost Dwarven kingdom of Erebor to slay the dragon Smaug and reclaim Thorin's birthright. Their journey ends up changing the fate of Middle-earth forever...

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In General

Bilbo: "I know you doubt me, I know you always have. And you're right... I often think of Bag End. I miss my books, and my armchair, and my garden. See, that's where I belong, that's home. That's why I came back... 'cause you don't have one, a home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can."

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• Adaptational Attractiveness: Goes back and forth as they tend to be on the broad side but are usually more wide than they are heavy (except Bombur), and have various facial prosthetic such as bulbous noses, oversized jowls, etc; then there's Fíli and Kíli who are agreed as being the most attractive Dwarves and they are the two aside from Thorin that die. There's no way that's a coincidence.
• Adaptational Badass: Whereas in the books the dwarves are bumbling and accident-prone, ill-equipped for a dangerous adventure, the films make the majority into capable fighters carrying actual weapons — they go from a kind of Dad's Army type bunch to (in Graham McTavish's words) "Middle-earth's Dirty Baker's Dozen". That being said, the entire group prove to be badass at the end of the story, so the film just makes them badass earlier.
• Adaptational Comic Relief: While the dwarves have funny moments in the book such as their "Blunt the Knives" song, the film also gives them individual quirks such as Ori being a Manchild and Bifur having an axe in his head. Averted with Thorin, who remains dignified (having not been present at the aforementioned song) and is made more upset at the loss of his home. Also averted with Balin, somewhat.
• Adaptational Heroism: The dwarves are much braver and kinder than their counterparts in the original book. Most notably, they're much more protective of Bilbo and the younger dwarves, and their quest is motivated more by the need for a homeland than getting their treasure.
• Badass Crew: More in the movie (where they are all armed, armored, and ready to fight) than in the book or animated movie (where they are repeatedly captured and have no weapons until they find them in the Trolls' hoard).
• Badass Family: The Dwarves of the company are all cousins/uncle/nephews of each other except Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur, who are cousins and brothers of each other.
  Thorin: We are sons of Durin. And Durin's folk do not flee from a fight.
• Badass in Distress: Happens to them about four times, in which they must rely on Bilbo and/or Gandalf to rescue them. Gandalf himself ends up captured in Dol Guldur at the end of the second film.
• Band of Relatives: About half of the dwarves ^*Thorin, Fíli, Kíli, Balin, Dwalin, Óin, and Glóin are fairly close kinsmen. All of them play instruments.
• Battle Cry: All of them tend to cry "Du Bekar!" - "To Arms!" - when excited or charging into battle.
• Beware the Silly Ones: With the exception of Thorin, who's simply an all-around badass, all of the dwarves in the Company range from mildly goofy to downright madcap, but they're all a force to be reckoned with in a fight (even Ori, who manages to land a few good hits with his slingshot).
• Big Eater: All of them to some extent, but Bombur and Dwalin especially.
• Bus Crash: Balin, Óin, and Ori die years after the events of The Hobbit trilogy, during an effort to reclaim another lost Dwarf-Realm: Moria.
• Color-Coded Characters: Averted away from the book's Dwarves' colored hoods in lieu of distinguishable beard- and hairstyles and weapons.
• Doomed by Canon: Thorin, Fíli, and Kíli will be killed in The Battle of the Five Armies.
• Fighting for a Homeland: All of them.
  Thorin: Why did you come back?
  Bilbo: I know you doubt me. I-I-I know you always have. And you're right, I often think of Bag End. I miss my books. And my armchair. And my garden. See, that's where I belong. That's home. And that's why I came back: because you don't have one. A home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can.
• Fire-Forged Friends: All the 15 members of the Company become loyal and faithful friends throughout the journey, willing to sacrifice their lives for each other.
• It's All About Me: More like "It's All About Me and My People" among the Dwarves of The Company, which is not an uncommon norm among the Dwarves of Middle-earth. When Thorin's Gold Fever sets in, Kíli (who was present at Laketown's destruction) is the only member of The Company who calls Thorin out on turning the survivors of Laketown away after they aided the dwarves.
• Jumped at the Call: All of the Dwarves. Thorin prefers having them over an entire army from the Iron Hills, as they answered when he called, proving their loyalty and honor.
• Midfight Weapon Exchange: Each Dwarf has his own set of weapons in the film but during the Goblin Town scene where their weapons get tossed around and mixed up. For instance, Ori ends up with Dwalin's hammer and does alright with it.
• Our Dwarves Are All the Same: Somehow played straight while simultaneously subverted. While the Dwarves are all short, hairy, and crusty, they have great variety in their faces, beards, clothing, body types, personalities, and weaponry. They also have accents that range throughout the British Isles — Yorkshire (Thorin, Fíli, Kíli, Dori), Estuary (Ori), SE London/Cockney (Nori), Scottish (Balin, Dwalin, Óin, Glóin), and Northern Irish (Bofur). The production team actually thought out how each set of Dwarves should appear progressively less rich and refined the more distantly they are related to the royal line, ranging from Balin and Dwalin (Thorin's third cousins and close companions), to Dori and his brother in the middle (related, but distant cousins), to Bofur, Bombur, and Bifur (working class slobs — with the exception of Bombur, according to his actor — not related to the royal line at all).
• Rag Tag Bunch Of Misfits: On its way to glory! This is even lampshaded by Balin. Thorin's response is also pretty sweet: he's a dignified warrior-prince and many of The Company are just merchants, toy-makers, miners, and goofballs — but he's glad to accept any one of them over an entire Dwarf army. Why? Because when he called the armies to follow him, they didn't come, but these few misfits did. One willing toy-maker who chose to be by his side on this dangerous journey is worth more than an entire army who stayed safe at home in their beds.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: Besides Thorin, Fíli, and Kíli, we have Balin, Dwalin, Óin, and Glóin, who are also members of the line of Durin.
• Sibling Team: Fíli and Kíli; Balin and Dwalin; Óin and Glóin; Nori, Dori, and Ori; and Bofur and Bombur (plus their cousin Bifur).
• Theme Naming: As noted under Sibling Team, all of the fraternal pairs have rhyming (or at least similar) names.
• True Companions: They're ready to go to extensive lengths for each other's sake. Eventually, this extends to Bilbo as well. Like the cast members playing the Fellowship in the previous trilogy, this also extends to the actors playing the Dwarves.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Ready to go to each other's aid when needed, but you couldn't always tell it from just watching them.

Bilbo

Bilbo Baggins

"I can't just go running off into the blue! I am a Baggins, of Bag End!"

^{Click here to see him when he's older}
"I think I'm quite ready for another adventure!"

Species: Hobbit

Portrayed by: Martin Freeman (younger), Ian Holm (older)

Voiced by: Jan Dolanský (Czech dub for Martin Freeman in The Hobbit), Vladimír Brabec (Czech dub for Ian Holm in LOTR and The Hobbit), V Óscar Flores (Latin American Spanish dub, for Martin Freeman in The Hobbit), Francisco Colmenero (Latin American Spanish dub, for Ian Holm in LOTR and The Hobbit), Toshiyuki Morikawa (Japanese dub, for Martin Freeman in The Hobbit), Fubito Yamano (Japanese dub, for Ian Holm in LOTR and The Hobbit), Julien Sibre (French dub), Marc Cassot (French dub, old)

Appears in: An Unexpected Journey | The Desolation of Smaug | The Battle of the Five Armies | The Fellowship of the Ring | The Return of the King

"One day I'll remember. Remember everything that happened: the good, the bad, those who survived... and those that did not."

A hobbit of The Shire chosen by the wizard Gandalf to accompany the 13 dwarves on their quest to reclaim The Lonely Mountain and its treasure from the dragon Smaug. Although he enjoys his peaceful life in The Shire, Bilbo still accepts to participate in the journey, knowing that it is a unique opportunity. Bilbo doesn't even imagine that his actions will forever change the fate of Middle-earth...

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• Adaptational Attractiveness: The trend that continues from the original film trilogy, though Bilbo probably wouldn't even count as overtly stocky in the books. He does keep the early-middle-aged look, though.
• Adaptational Badass: Bilbo gets far more action scenes and more impressive a body count compared to his book counterpart.
  • In the book, Bilbo misses almost the entire Battle of the Five Armies due to being knocked out by a stray rock almost as soon as the fighting starts. In the film, he's an active participant for much of the battle, only being knocked out for a short while towards the end, rendering him unable to help Thorin against Azog.
• Adaptational Heroism: Due in part thanks to losing his Classical Anti-Hero traits much earlier in the film series, Bilbo is considerably less greedy and selfish than his book counterpart. This is best shown in The Battle of the Five Armies in regards to his decision to keep the Arkenstone away from Thorin. In the book, Bilbo stole the Arkenstone deliberately knowing its meaning to Thorin and then justifying it as him taking his fair share of the treasure. In the movie, he keeps the stone away from Thorin because he is afraid that its presence will make Thorin's Gold Fever even worse.
• Audience Surrogate: Serves as the one that the audience views the adventures with and is typically the Only Sane Man to the group.
• Badass Family: His adventurous Took side, which is partly why Gandalf chose him.
• Badass Normal: The bravest little Hobbit of them all. However...
• Badass Unintentional: He never expected to be.
• Bait-and-Switch: In The Desolation of Smaug, it seems like Bilbo's about to tell Gandalf about the Ring, but instead says he found his courage.^note By the end of The Battle Of Five Armies, however, Gandalf reveals that he knew all along that Bilbo had a magic ring — although he wouldn't find out that this was actually the One Ring until many years later.
• Blatant Lies: After everything's said and done, he claims to have lost the Ring when called on possessing it by Gandalf, who clearly doesn't buy it.
• Blue Blood: Descended from the greatest family of Shire-Hobbits (his Took side) and the patriarch of another wealthy and aristocratic family (the Bagginses, which also intermarried extensively with the other great Hobbit house, the Brandybucks), though he had no direct descendants himself.
• Celibate Hero: Like the book, he never marries or has any romantic interest.
• Changed My Mind, Kid: Bilbo attempts to leave The Company while in the goblin cave, feeling he doesn't belong among them on this adventure. After his adventures in the mountain, he forgoes the chance to escape with the Ring and returns to the Company.
• Character Development: Which, as with Thorin, kicks in much earlier in the movie than in the book.
  Bilbo: Can you promise that I will come back?
  Gandalf: No. And if you do, you will not be the same.
  Bilbo: That's what I thought.
• The Chosen Zero: Initially treated this way by the Dwarves.
• Classical Anti-Hero: A cowardly man who reluctantly tags along with the 13 dwarves on their quest. Although he does evolve into a proper hero. Later on in the films, he openly admits to Thranduil, Bard, and Gandalf that he's grown very fond of the Dwarves and that everything he's doing is to help them.
• Cool Sword: Sting, an Elven long knife that glows when orcs are near, although Balin thinks it's "more like a letter-opener".
• Cool Uncle: He's raised his nephew ^note Technically they are second cousins-once removed but Frodo and others refer to him as his uncle for simplicities sake. from a young age and the two share a very close relationship. He leaves Bag End in Frodo's hands and later gifts him Sting for help on his quest.
• Cowardly Lion: Although he does get braver and more effective at fighting through the adventure, he still believes that he's not really a hero or a warrior or even a burglar, just a Hobbit who decided to stick by his friends and who generally prefers to avoid fights whenever possible.
• Deadpan Snarker: Being played by Martin Freeman helps.
• Extreme Mêlée Revenge: Bilbo brutally shanks some kind of Mirkwood arthropod that grazed the dropped Ring, showing that the Ring's corruption is getting to his head.
• Fire-Forged Friends: His relationship with the rest of The Company.
• Forced to Watch:
  • When Smaug declares he's going to pay Laketown a "visit", Bilbo tries to stop him, revealing that he cares about the people of Laketown. Smaug is pleased, as he can make Bilbo watch as he burns the village. Sure enough, Bilbo is horrified by the subsequent destruction.
  • The death of Fíli at Azog's hands. All Bilbo can do is stare and mutter, "No, no, no," as Thorin's eldest nephew is Impaled with Extreme Prejudice and then dropped at their feet.
• Gentleman Adventurer: Very polite, which clashes with the more bombastic dwarves, though Balin and Dori are closest to being civil.
• Gentleman Thief: Lampshaded. Bilbo even tells Thorin in BOFA that despite being a burglar, he likes to think that he's an honest one. Of course, this is right after Bilbo gave the Arkenstone to Bard and Thranduil, so Thorin's not as willing to laugh about or accept the thief part anymore.
• Giant's Knife; Human's Greatsword: Sting is an Elven dagger that is discovered in a troll hoard. It makes for a good shortsword at his size; for a troll, it would be only "a tiny pocket-knife.
• Good Is Not Soft: Bilbo is generally a friendly and polite fellow who prefers to use his wits to get out of a situation rather than use a sword, but when Thorin was about to be decapitated by an orc mook, Bilbo flung himself at said Orc and killed him.
• Go Through Me: Bilbo does this after tackling Azog's mook and standing between Azog and the semi-conscious Thorin.
• Guile Hero: Unlike his Dwarven companions, Bilbo prefers to use his words and brain to get him out of tight situations. His tiny size and his dislike of battle also make this trope necessary to his survival throughout the quest. This starts from distracting the trolls long enough to let Gandalf come in, to playing a "game of riddles" with Gollum, and eventually to try and flatter Smaug.
• Hard Head: Takes a spike to the head from the end of Bolg's mace and is merely knocked out. Bolg killed Kíli with a similar application of force.
• The Heart: He's a Hobbit so he's been set up to be one, anyway. Gandalf even lampshades this — Bilbo represents a better world to strive for. In the Battle of the Five Armies, it's Bilbo who comes closest to breaking Thorin out of his gold madness and without any threat of violence or war being involved. When Bilbo shows Thorin the acorn he'd taken from Beorn's place and states that he'll take it back to his home, plant it, care for it, let it grow, and remember his amazing journey with them whenever he looks at the tree, Thorin's sickness visibly begins to fade and Bilbo nearly gets through to him. And later, Bilbo's voice and words are the last hallucinations that Thorin sees and hears before he throws off the gold madness and finally returns to himself.
• Heartbroken Badass: When Gandalf said that Bilbo wouldn't be the same when he returned from the quest, he wasn't expecting to lose several of his closest friends. After the Battle of the Five Armies, Bilbo is so traumatized and broken by the deaths of Thorin, Fíli, and Kíli that he can scarcely talk about them. And then he returns home to find Bag End ransacked and auctioned off by his own neighbors and relatives. Not the same, indeed.
• The Hero: Not in part one, but just you wait...
• Heroic Spirit:
  Bilbo: I... found something, in the goblin tunnels.
  Gandalf: What did you find?
  [long pause]
  Bilbo: ...my courage.
  Gandalf: Good. You'll need it.
• Heroic Willpower: Managed to give up the One Ring after owning it for sixty years, though it was clearly wearing on him towards the end. To a lesser extent, while shaken, he was able to resist Smaug's Breaking Speech about the Dwarves only using him for their own gain.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Thorin. It's particularly apparent in the third film when Thorin delivers a speech while dying in his arms. Notably, Bilbo is one of the few primary characters in Lord of the Rings who doesn't have one of these, or at least a best friend and close confidante. The death of Thorin would explain that particular absence, which is quite rare in Tolkien's primary works about the One Ring and Middle-earth.
• Heroism Motive Speech: He gives one near the end of the first film when he explains why he wants to go on with Thorin and Company despite the danger:
  Bilbo: I know you doubt me, I know you always have, and you're right. I often think of Bag End. I miss my books, and my armchair, and my garden. See, that's where I belong; that's home, and that's why I came, 'cause you don't have one... a home. It was taken from you, but I will help you take it back if I can.
• I Did What I Had to Do: When it comes to preventing a costly and unnecessary war between the other factions of Middle-earth, he readily admits to secreting away the Arkenstone from Thorin's grasp. By this point, all the other Company members can see how bad their leader's greed is getting, and they're not as outwardly angry with him; some even agree with his necessary betrayal.
• Idle Rich: When Gandalf first finds him, in contrast to his younger self.
• I Just Want to Be Badass and I Just Want to Be Normal: Bilbo is torn between the conflicting sides of his family clans. It continues through much of his life and in Fellowship, Bilbo admits to Gandalf that he's been looking East for many years and wishes to experience adventure and see the Lonely Mountain again.
• I'm Not a Hero, I'm...: Despite risking his life to save Thorin, he still believes that he's just a Tag Along Hobbit.
  Bilbo: I'm not a hero or a warrior...not even a burglar.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: As in the books, Bilbo has a nasty aim with stones. He uses this to back Dwalin up when he tries to hold off Bolg's vanguard in the third film, where every rock he threw put an orc down.
• Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Zig-zagged. While the One Ring didn't corrupt him like Sméagol, it still had its effect on him. Bilbo went berserk on a spider in Mirkwood who merely touched the Ring, even if he was immediately remorseful afterwards. Although he did give up the Ring willingly (with a little prodding from Gandalf), it's made clear when he saw it again in Rivendell that he would've become another Gollum had he kept it — in fact, he did become Gollum if only for a second, and immediately broke down in tears over it.
• Inelegant Blubbering: He breaks down miserably after Thorin’s death and begins to cry-whine in grief.
• In the Blood: Adventure seems to run in the family, if Frodo and Old Took's great-grand-uncle Bullroarer are anything to go by in Bilbo's extended line.
• I Should Write a Book About This: He's not only the trope picture, he's also the original author of the book. Too bad he's also an Unreliable Narrator.
• Little "No": In the third film, Bilbo lets out a few of these, clearly rejecting Thorin's parting words because he still believes his friend will make it. Sadly, he doesn't.
• Lovable Nerd: Most hobbits seem to fall into this trope, but Bilbo's good manners, nerdy habits, and clumsiness are enhanced even more by the gruff Company of dwarves around him.
• My God, What Have I Done?:
  • Though he never outright says it, you can tell from his facial expressions that Bilbo immediately regrets it when he tells Bofur that the Dwarves should be used to living on the road and having "nowhere to belong", briefly forgetting that they lost their home to Smaug.
  • He does say it at the end of the second movie when he realizes they've pissed off Smaug to the point that the dragon decides to bring his wrath down on the nearby Laketown.
  • The look on his face after he brutally kills a young spider for accidentally touching the Ring screams this.
• Nice Guy: Benevolent, humble, and sincere, Bilbo doesn't have one bad bone in his body.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Probably the spiders would have found the Company in Mirkwood anyway, but Bilbo certainly didn't help by strumming the webs he found like a freaking guitar string, meaning the spiders could tell where they were. And he did it twice.
• Non-Idle Rich: Soon after, he became a central part of a quest that would secure the Free Peoples' northern and eastern flank against the forces of evil, slay the last great dragon, restore two great kingdoms of Men and Dwarves, bring about peace among Elves, Men, and Dwarves, and, tangentially, thwart Sauron's first attempt at a comeback.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • When he sees Sting is glowing blue and remembers what that means and when he realizes that Gollum figured out where his 'precious' is.
  • As Smaug stirs and he gets an idea of just how huge the Dragon is.
• Out of Focus: A complaint of The Desolation of Smaug is that Bilbo tends to fade into the background until the end. The focus also shifts away from him in Battle Of Five Armies, but since this happened in the book as well, it isn't quite as contended among fans.
• Parental Substitute: To Frodo in Lord of the Rings, whom he adopted and raised after the deaths of Drogo and Primula Baggins in the Brandywine River.
• The Patriarch: He may be young but he's still the head of the Baggins family. Ironically he never actually marries or leaves blood descendants of his own, but passes the position of family head to his adopted son, Frodo.
• Red Is Heroic: He wears a red coat until he loses it midway through the journey.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to Thorin's blue. However, the lines start to blur as the quest progresses, especially after Thorin starts to descend into gold madness. Bilbo's also the only Company member who keeps a clear head when Elves and Men are involved, scolding Thorin and the others for acting rudely to Bard and his kin.
• Sacred Hospitality: He extends this to the Dwarves toward the end:
  Bilbo: If you're ever passing through Bag End, tea's at four, there's plenty of it, you're always welcome... Don't bother knocking.
• Sanity Slippage: He seems to show signs of this, considering his behavior begins to slowly but surely change under the influence of the One Ring. One notable example is during The Desolation of Smaug: when Bilbo briefly lost the Ring and when a giant arthropod accidentally touched it, he went completely berserk and murdered it very violently. After his outburst of violence and when the realization of what he's done sinks in, he is utterly horrified and nearly throws up.
  Mine.
• Scheherezade Gambit: He keeps Gollum from eating him by proposing him a game of riddles, and he tries the same thing on Smaug, which doesn't go as well.
• The Smart Guy: Bilbo's a natural intellectual who absorbs new information like a sponge and uses his brain instead of his brawn to get out of tight situations.
• The Sneaky Guy: The reason why Bilbo was chosen as The Company's burglar in the first place. Since The Company is only composed of thirteen Dwarves of varying occupations, they were inevitably going to need a non-dwarf to sneak into Erebor's treasure chamber. So, even though Bilbo has never stolen anything in his life, he does turn out to be surprisingly good at sneaking and stealing and manages to sneak behind three mountain trolls without them noticing him. He only got caught because one of the Trolls happened to have an itchy nose and grabbed him by accident to use as tissue paper.
• Spanner in the Works: It was his presence and intervention in Gollum's cave that caused the Ring to shift towards him so that it could escape its confinement, which would begin the long, long path towards its destined fate into the hands of Frodo some sixty years later, and the wars that follow in Sauron's return. However, it's also his sparing of Gollum that ends up being the final key instrument in the Ring's destruction once and for all by way of Gollum's sad fate inspiring Frodo to try to resist the Ring and Gollum eventually pushing himself and the Ring by accident into the fires of Mount Doom. Without Gollum, among many other steps involved, there would likely have been no sacrifice to end Sauron's machinations once and for all.
• Staring Down Cthulhu: Bilbo does this with Smaug because running would earn him instant death, so he uses flattery to stay alive. He's also the only member of The Company who's willing to stand up to a deranged and very gold-obsessed Thorin, bluntly stating that he's not afraid of him and if no one else is willing to talk some sense into him, then Bilbo will try to do it himself.
• Supporting Protagonist: Though he is the protagonist, in the series it's Thorin who's The Hero of the story in terms of traditional character dynamics.
• The Magnificent: Never has "Barrel Rider" been a more badass nickname. Even Smaug seems impressed.
• Timeshifted Actor: Ian Holm plays the older Bilbo in the prologue of The Hobbit trilogy, as well as in Lord of the Rings trilogy, where he's a venerable 111-years-old. Martin Freeman plays the younger, 50-year-old Bilbo in the main story of The Hobbit trilogy.
• Took a Level in Badass: Bilbo goes from an ordinary Hobbit, who as a responsible adult shows disdain for adventures, to killing a huge Orc warrior and a Warg and fending off Azog to protect Thorin.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: According to most of the Shire, in which they aptly name him 'Mad Baggins', and having Frodo hang up the 'no visitors' sign probably didn't help one bit, nor is the fact that he has had the One Ring in his possession long enough to consider thinking about even holding it long after passing it to Frodo.
• Undying Loyalty: To Thorin and The Company. Bilbo makes it clear to the Elves and Men that everything he's doing is to help and protect his Dwarven friends, including giving away the Arkenstone, which he is afraid will drive Thorin even deeper into gold madness. He even sneaks up to Ravenhill and under the nose of Azog, something Gandalf thought was suicidal, in order to warn Thorin and his nephews about the White Orc's ambush.
• Unfazed Everyman: It takes a long time and even at the end there are many things he finds awkward and frightening, but he does get there. Fittingly as he's played by the same actor as Arthur Dent, the original trope namer.
• What the Hell, Hero?: In the third film, he calls Thorin out on not keeping his word to help out the Lakemen as well as not being himself after the former bargained the Arkenstone to Bard and Thranduil.
• What You Are in the Dark: When he doesn't kill Gollum, and when he's listening to the Dwarves talking about him deserting them after they all escape the Goblins in the mountains. He's wearing the Ring at the time, so he's free to let them believe he's gone for good and go back to Rivendell. Of course, he reveals himself and continues the journey. The latter's only a minor case, though.

Gandalf

Gandalf the Grey

"I am looking for someone to share in an adventure."

Species: Maia

Portrayed by: Ian McKellen

Voiced by: Petr Pelzer (Czech dub) José Lavat (Latin American Spanish dub), Hiroshi Arikawa (Japanese dub, 2002-2014), Michio Hazama (Japanese dub, The Battle of the Five Armies), Jean Piat

Appears in: An Unexpected Journey | The Desolation of Smaug | The Battle of the Five Armies | The Fellowship of the Ring | The Two Towers | The Return of the King

"Why Bilbo Baggins? Perhaps it is because I am afraid, and he gives me courage."

——See his character sheet in The Fellowship.

Thorin

Thorin II Oakenshield

"I would take each and every one of these dwarves over an army from the Iron Hills, for when I called upon them, they answered. Loyalty, honor, a willing heart — I can ask no more than that."

Species: Dwarf

Portrayed by: Richard Armitage

Voiced by: David Suchařípa (Czech dub), Sebastián Llapur (Latin American Spanish dub), Hiroki Tochi (Japanese dub), Xavier Fagnon (French dub)

Appears in: An Unexpected Journey | The Desolation of Smaug | The Battle of the Five Armies

"If this is to end in fire, then we will all burn together!"

The leader of The Company of Dwarves who have set out to reclaim The Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug. As King of Durin's Folk he is the rightful King Under the Mountain and the uncle of Fíli and Kíli, who are the sons of his sister Dís.

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• Adaptational Attractiveness: He is played by Richard Armitage, after all. He also looks far less like a traditional Dwarf, barely having a beard, and looks more like a short human man. Possibly a subversion according to Word of God.invoked
• Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Thorin is notably much more stoic and grim in the movie version, compared to his original characterization. Notably, movie Thorin is implied to hate revelry, which is why all the dwarves drop their tomfoolery as soon as they hear his knock at the door. In the novel, while he doesn't dance along with the rest of the dwarves, he doesn't mind them doing so and later brings out musical instruments to play a piece with everyone.
• Adaptational Jerkass: This Thorin is a lot more aggressive and rude than he is in the books. Him holding Bilbo at swordpoint when suspecting he was lying was added by the films.
• Adaptational Nice Guy: In the book, Thorin casually mentions that the younger dwarves, including his nephews, would probably not survive the quest. In the film, he's much more protective of the younger Dwarves as well as Bilbo, even putting his life at risk to protect them. He retakes this after snapping out of the dragon sickness as well.
  • In the book, Thorin is...just not nice to Bombur after he fell into the enchanted stream and before that threatened him because Bombur dared say he was tired of always being last...this cruel part of his personality was likely cut to make him more appealing to viewers.
• Age Lift: The oldest Dwarf in the original novel, but here he looks younger than several of the other ones.
• Agonizing Stomach Wound: He receives one from Azog just before stabbing the Orc in turn. It proves fatal.
• Anti-Hero: Of the Good is Not Nice's category. In Desolation Of Smaug, Thorin is firmly this trope as he becomes more and more obsessed with reaching Erebor and becomes even more willing to Kick the Dog when it suits his purposes.
• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: At Azanulbizar. In the words of Balin: "And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one I could call King."
• Authority Sounds Deep: To emphasize Thorin's authority and strength among the Company, he is played by Richard Armitage, an actor with a notably deep voice.
• Awesome Moment of Crowning: Inverted, as dressing the part of king only serves to demonstrate his madness. As Dwalin says, the kingly Thorin is even lower than the common man he started the quest as. It's only when Thorin casts off the crown and returns to The Company as the great leader and warrior they respected him and that he is truly a king worth following.
• Badass Boast: To Smaug: "I am taking back what you stole!"
• Badass Longcoat: Thorin's big leather coat only serves to make his bearing that bit more impressive.
• Battle Amongst the Flames: His confrontation with Azog at the end of the first film would be this except he gets blindsided and taken out before he gets close.
• Battle Cry: Thorin shouts the ancient dwarven battle cry when he rallies his troops at the Battle of Azanulbizar.
  "Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!" or "The axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are upon you!"
  • He's also often the one yelling "Du Bekar!" - "To Arms!" - when the Company jump into a conventional battle.
• Beard of Sorrow: According to Word Of God, the short beard is a sign of mourning, and Thorin will grow the beard again should he succeed in claiming back Erebor, (although this didn't happen due to the short amount of time he spent on the throne). Doesn't explain why he has the same short beard during the prologue when everything is going hunky-dory for him, though.
• Best Served Cold: He spends decades plotting against Smaug the dragon for destroying his people's kingdom.
• Bling of War: The armor he starts out wearing is noticeably more ornate and shiny than the others', and he charges into battle several times wearing it.
• Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: He manages to kill Azog at the end of the Battle of the Five Armies, but he is fatally wounded during the fight and dies shortly afterwards.
• Byronic Hero: Thorin's Adaptation Personality Change turns him into this. He's an exiled king who's intensely driven by the desire to reclaim his people's homeland of Erebor from the Dragon Smaug despite nearly everyone around him viewing his quest as a fool's errand, has suffered through watching his brother and many other brethren die, and is a charismatic and inspiring leader to his company but also a hard-headed dwarf whose pride makes things more difficult than they needed to be at several points. He succeeds in reclaiming Erebor but tragically succumbs to the dragon sickness of his family line in doing so and dies after finally defeating his hated nemesis Azog.
• Celibate Hero: Never married or had kids. Richard Armitage imagines that he might have lost a loved one or a betrothed during Erebor's fall.
• Character Development: It kicks in much earlier in the film than in the book. The Character Development in the first movie actually sets up more of Thorin's backstory than the book ever talks about (it's mostly in later Tolkien writings). We can still expect the same arc of development that Thorin undergoes at the end of the book to be portrayed in the third film, however.
• Cool Sword: Orcrist, an Elven sword of Gondolin, in addition to his Dwarven blade Deathless. He loses both when The Company is imprisoned by Thranduil and gets a new sword from the armory of Laketown. He gets it back in the end for his final fight with Azog.
• The Corruptible: Like his grandfather, large amounts of gold and Thorin are not a good mix, not helped by the fact Smaug has been sitting on it for years. Thráin appears very much aware of this, as in the extended version of The Desolation of Smaug, he angrily declares Thorin should never go back to Erebor.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: He was on the receiving end of one when attempting to defend Erebor against Smaug. And Azog inflicts him one in the climax of An Unexpected Journey, attacking when on top his warg.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Poor Thorin's had a pretty rough life. His kingdom was taken over by a dragon that either killed most of the Erebor dwarves in the initial attack or forced them to flee to distant lands; much of his life afterwards was spent working in menial, dead-end jobs that brought little respect from the humans around him; and then, when his people finally tried to retake Moria, Thorin not only witnessed the mass slaughter of his fellow Dwarves in battle but also the beheading of his grandfather at the hands of an orc, the death of his younger brother Frerin, and the disappearance of his father, whom he never sees again. Very little seems to ever go right or come easy to the poor guy.
• Deadpan Snarker: Around Elrond in Rivendell.
  Elrond: You have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thrór, when he ruled under the mountain.
  Thorin: Indeed? He made no mention of you.
• Determinator: Despite his many flaws, Thorin's unwavering determination to return his people to their homeland is nothing short of admirable.
• Deuteragonist: Although Bilbo is the viewpoint character, within the scope of the movie itself, Thorin is the most important member of the party, because he's the reason they were gathered in the first place.
• Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: Thorin does this constantly to Smaug while being chased by him. He uses it to his advantage to keep Smaug off guard and make use of his fire breath in an Indy Ploy.
• Died in Your Arms Tonight: Dies in Bilbo's.
• Dies Wide Open: After he asks for Bilbo's forgiveness and tells him to go home, Thorin doesn't even get to close his eyes before he dies.
• Disappeared Dad: His father Thráin disappeared during the Battle of Azanulbizar, leaving Thorin to care for and guide the exiled Dwarves of Erebor alone.
• Doomed Hometown: The Lonely Mountain.
• Establishing Character Moment: When Thorin first enters Bilbo's home, he doesn't introduce himself, bow, or offer his services to Bilbo unlike the other dwarves, showing how proud and dignified he is.
• The Exile: Of the Noble Fugitive variety, until he made his temporary home in the Blue Mountains.
• Fantastic Racism: Thorin really doesn't like Elves or anything made by Elvish hands.
• A Father to His Men: He actively protects The Company and feels great responsibility for them. When they were escaping underground from the wargs, Thorin made sure he was last to jump.
• Fire-Forged Friends: With Bilbo, after Bilbo rescues him from being beheaded by one of Azog's mooks. They become even closer as the films progress with Bilbo repeatedly saving Thorin and the Company as they near and finally reclaim The Lonely Mountain.
• Fighting for a Homeland:
  Gandalf: Destroy the Dragon. Take back your homeland.
• Frontline General: Just like his father and grandfather.
• Generation Xerox: Thorin is a little bit too much like his grandfather for his own good. Both have issues with Elves and become obsessed with gold to the point of madness. They also both try fighting Azog, which ultimately leads to their deaths. Thorin even appears slightly aware of this even if he refutes it in an argument with Balin.
  Thorin: I am not my grandfather.
  Balin: You're not yourself. The Thorin I know would not hesitate to go in [Erebor] and save his own.
• Gold Fever: Like his father and grandfather, Thorin develops this the closer he gets back to Erebor. Elrond even predicts this. Once Smaug dies, he contracts a serious case, spending hours (if not days) wandering around Erebor rambling about gold.
• Good is Not Nice: Thorin, while unmistakably one of the protagonists, can be incredibly stubborn, proud, and quick to criticize as well as discriminating against all things Elvish (this last the Elves probably earned, for not honoring their alliance with the Dwarves when Smaug attacked).
• Go Out with a Smile: He dies in Bilbo's arms, smiling over being forgiven for his past actions and with the knowledge that Bilbo will be able to return to the Shire and live a long, peaceful life there.
  Thorin: Farewell, Master Burglar. Go back to your books, your fireplace. Plant your trees, watch them grow. If more of us valued home above gold, the world would be a merrier place.
• He's Back!: When he throws away the crown and snaps from the Dragon-sickness back to his old honorable self. Not even his grandfather was able to do that.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners:
  • With Dwalin. They are said to have an especially close relationship, growing up together and sharing the bitter air of exile while fighting their way through numerous hordes of goblins and orcs. It's to the point that Thorin realizes the extent of his own Sanity Slippage when he finds himself willing to kill Dwalin.
  • Eventually becomes this with Bilbo throughout the trilogy, as Bilbo sees him more as an equal than a king. When Thorin lays down dying, it is Bilbo who he gives his last words to.
• He Who Fights Monsters: Fortunately, Thorin's got Balin looking out for him.
  Balin: I fear for you.
• Honor Before Reason: Balin points out that Thorin doesn't need to put his life on the line to reclaim Erebor, since he's done well by his people, building them a new life in The Blue Mountains. Thorin replies that he has no choice in the matter because it is the will of his forefathers. He looks rather sad when he says this, showing what a burden carrying the honour of his line has become.

  Thorin: If this is to end in fire, then we shall all burn together.

  • Bard, in particular, is very unhappy with this attitude, for fear of the life he's built with his family in Laketown:
    Bard: You awaken that beast, and you'll destroy us all... You have no right. No right to enter that mountain.
    Thorin: I have the only right.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: By Azog's sword hand at the end of the Battle of the Five Armies. Even though he returns the favor, the injury still kills him.
• Improvised Armour: How he got his name — by grabbing an oak branch as a replacement when his shield was lost.
• I Was Quite a Looker: He doesn't look radically different from his days as Prince of Erebor, but tragedy and hardship have certainly taken their toll. The gorgeous, youthful, and smiling Thorin who appears in the prologue leaves no doubt where his nephews get their good looks from.
• Jerkass Has a Point:
  • It wasn't exactly smart of Thorin to turn down Thranduil's deal without a second thought, considering said deal was pretty much their only way out of the Wood Elf Kingdom, but he has a very valid reason not to trust the king. He rightly points out that Thranduil didn't aid them against Smaug when he attacked them — which is understandable if cold — but he also turned his back on the refugees and refused to help them. Thranduil betrayed their trust; why should Thorin trust him now?
  • He refuses to honor his deal with the people of Laketown while Thranduil's army is present while Bilbo tries to get him to help out of compassion. Thorin points out that it wasn't compassion that motivated the people of Laketown to help the Dwarves, it was a selfish desire for wealth. When Bard points out that Thorin gave his word, Thorin reminds Bard that they had no choice but to bargain with promises of wealth or remain locked up against their will.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Is initially resentful of Bilbo, until he thanks the Hobbit for saving his life. However, once he gets to the Mountain, the Heart of Gold part starts diminishing further and further until he snaps out of it.
• Kubrick Stare: Kind of inevitable when one is a Dwarf.
• The Leader: Of the Dwarves; a Type IV, according to Balin, though with some shades of a Type I.
• Lightning Bruiser: He's a lot faster, agile, and more durable than you'd expect a Dwarf to be, and he doesn't seem to have sacrificed any strength for it.
• Man Hug: Gives one to Bilbo, after the latter rescues him from one of Azog's mooks.
• Master Swordsman: He was shown using a heavy, two-handed Dwarven sword before he found the slimmer and more elegant Orcrist.
• Meaningful Name: Oakenshield, which is both a direct reference to the oak branch that Thorin used to defeat Azog at Azanulbizar and an indirect one to the acorn that Bilbo takes home and plants after Thorin's death in BOTFA.
• Mr. Fanservice: He was designed with a "heroic" figure in mind, which amongst other things means broad shoulders and lots of muscles. The prosthetics department also admittedly wanted him to be "sexy". In early drafts of An Unexpected Journey, he even got a Shirtless Scene.
• Mutual Kill: He takes out Azog but receives a fatal wound doing so and passes away shortly after.
• My God, What Have I Done?: He starts to realize this when the battle is ongoing and starts to recognize that he's going down the same exact path his grandfather did that ultimately drove him mad.
• Never My Fault: As Thorin sinks deeper and deeper into dragon sickness, he refuses to accept responsibility for the destruction of Laketown and the displacement of its people.
• Nice to the Waiter: At the beginning of The Desolation of Smaug, when the waitress at the Prancing Pony brings him his meal, he thanks her very politely, and with a kind smile. He probably made the girl's day...
• No Badass to His Valet: While Thorin is idolized and king to his dwarven Company, Bilbo couldn't care less about his royal status and regularly scolds him for acting rashly or being rude to others. When he descends into gold madness, it's Bilbo who continues to stand at Thorin's side and speaks sense when he can, even telling Gandalf that he doesn't fear Thorin and will do everything in his power to save him.
• No Sense of Direction: He loses his way when trying to find Bilbo's house.
• Not Himself: Under the effects of Gold Fever, Thorin would rather hide in his throne which contrasts with his usual bravery and willingness to fight and defend his people until his last breath - which he does once he throws off the sickness.
• Not So Stoic: Thorin loses his cool a few times when people he cares about are in danger.
• Older Than He Looks: In terms of the timeline of events presented in the film, Thorin is a youthful 24 years old when Smaug attacks Erebor, 53 at the Battle of Azanulbizar, and an impressive 195 during the events of The Hobbit, but appears not to have aged much over the course of these events. Perhaps justified by the fact that Tolkien's Dwarves live up to an average age of 250-years-old, so he's late middle-age.
• Papa Wolf: Thorin is highly protective of his nephews, Fíli and Kíli, and he loves them as if they are his own.
• Parental Substitute: Tries to be a father to his nephews, Fíli and Kíli, with varying degrees of success.
• The Patriarch: The Dwarves are fiercely patriarchal since they are all descended from the original Seven Fathers of the Dwarves. Thorin, as king of the eldest clan (the Longbeards, or Durin's Folk,) is the symbolic father of the entire race. In The Hobbit, he displays all the qualities of a more literal patriarch among his Company, including the tragically late expression of his respect for the black sheep Bilbo.
• Perpetual Frowner: Considering Thorin's life and the immense burdens he bears on a daily basis, it shouldn't be too surprising that his default expression is a frown. But it's worth it in the times he loses the frown.
• Pretty in Mink: Befitting his status, his robe has a big fur collar. When he becomes King under the Mountain, his new robe has an even thicker one, symbolizing him falling further into Greed and Gold Fever.
• Pride: Thorin's fatal flaw. Gandalf even warns him about it at several points in the film.
• Properly Paranoid:
  • Played straight and subverted. While Thorin is correct that people will be coming to Erebor for the sake of the treasure, he is incorrect that the others wish to rob him. Bard the Bowman only wishes for enough gold to rebuild Dale, which has been burned down twice by Smaug as a direct response to the Dwarves' greed and treasure hoard. And Thranduil the Elvenking only wishes to reclaim his late wife's necklace, the White Gems of Lasgalen, which Thorin's grandfather Thrór had and withheld from Thranduil. His "enemies" actually have very reasonable requests.
  • Also, he was correct that someone among The Company (namely, Bilbo) had taken the Arkenstone, but he was incorrect when he thought it was done with sinister intentions. Bilbo was trying to save Thorin from himself when he withheld it.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: He hears out his kinsmen and will listen to reason from others when he can see past his Pride and his old grudges, which is mercifully quite often (until his Sanity Slippage sets in, although in that instance it's ultimately a massive build-up of criticism and What the Hell, Hero? from others and from those closest to him that eventually makes Thorin snap back to his senses).
• Redemption Equals Death: The dragon sickness turns him into a Jerkass after retaking Erebor. It gets so bad that he attempts to kill Bilbo after finding out he took the Arkenstone, and refuses to assist in battle, (even leaving his cousin Dáin to die, trying to justify it by saying that all life is cheap). Thorin eventually shakes off the dragon sickness and leads his Company of Dwarves into battle, but he dies shortly after killing Azog. Before he died, he and Bilbo make peace with each other.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to Bilbo's red. However, the lines start to blur as the quest progresses, especially after Thorin starts to descend into gold madness. He also has a bad habit of flying into a rage whenever Elves are mentioned, which Bilbo (and, at one point, Balin) scolds him for.
• Riches to Rags: Smaug's attack came without warning, so they didn't have the chance to evacuate and salvage any of the gold.
• Rousing Speech: He gives a pretty good one in Laketown, exciting the crowd and convincing the Master and the town's citizens to support the Dwarves over Bard's protests.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something:
  • After being defeated by Smaug, Thorin humbled himself and took whatever work he could while resettling the survivors in The Blue Mountains. Balin says that their new home isn't as grand as Erebor but that Thorin made sure that his people could live in comfort and start working to regain their prosperity.
  • Taking back Erebor is no easy task, but Thorin firmly believes that it is his responsibility as the Dwarven king to reclaim his people's homeland. And despite his sometimes-arrogant behavior, Thorin is also willing to do the same work and menial jobs as his fellow Dwarves in exile.
• Sanity Slippage: He becomes more callous, more obsessed with claiming Erebor, and more ruthless the closer they advance to their goal. Once Smaug dies, he goes right off the deep end, becoming obsessed and paranoid about the Arkenstone, even beginning to suspect his fellow dwarves (and Bilbo) of theft. Thankfully, he comes to realize how far he's fallen and pulls himself back together before taking the fight to Azog and the orcs.
• Secretly Selfish: He gets called out and accused of this by multiple characters as his Sanity Slippage worsens. Though Thorin is more of an Anti-Hero than a true hero, he argues that part of the reason he's trying to retake Erebor is to reclaim his and his people's honor, homeland, and dignity. However, he's also motivated on some level by Pride and Greed, which becomes more apparent as the story progresses due to Gold Fever exacerbating his flaws. Bard and Smaug accuse Thorin of being just another greedy, self-serving madman who can't see beyond his own ambition like his grandfather turned into, and when Thorin's almost at his worst even Bilbo and Dwalin have to straight-up call Thorin out to his face. All these criticisms are what lead to Thorin coming to his senses in the third film.
• Spanner in the Works: In the third film Thorin gifts Bilbo a mithril shirt. The same mithril shirt that Biblo gifts to Frodo decades later that would go on to save his life multiple times on the quest to destroy the One Ring. In other words, Thorin gifting Bilbo the mithril shirt was just as instrumental in the long run in stopping Sauron as Bilbo choosing to spare Gollum's life.
• Sssssnaketalk: After his Took a Level in Jerkass, when speaking with Bilbo, this is what the hobbit hears as the latter clearly remembers his encounter with the dragon whose treasure is influencing Thorin's Gold Fever:
  Thorin: By my life... I will not part... with a sssssingle coin.
• The Straight and Arrow Path: He is seen using a bow a couple of times; when shoots at a stag in Mirkwood and when he gives Thranduil a warning shot while on parley.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute:
  • Of Aragorn in terms of appearance, leadership ability, fighting prowess, and determination to take his place as the rightful King. But the burden of his quest is closer to Frodo's, both of them sharing bouts of Sanity Slippage (including turning their swords on a friend) as well as being carried by the eagle's talons after the rescue from the fire, and they both leave Middle-earth — though in Thorin's case, he dies. It also helps that they both have piercing blue eyes and dark hair.
  • He also shares many similar traits with Boromir. Aside from the aforementioned Sanity Slippage and desire to defend their respective homelands, both are jerkasses who end up dying as themselves in the end. Bonus points for dying in a friend's arms.
• Tall, Dark, and Snarky: Tall for a Dwarf, that is. The Dark and Snarky parts are well in evidence throughout the films.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: The closer he gets to Erebor, the more he becomes obsessed with it. It gets to the point where Balin has to call him out on it when he refers to Bilbo as simply a burglar, and his initial refusal to help him when they realize Smaug woke up.
• Trauma Conga Line: Let's see, the guy saw his grandfather descending into dragon sickness, powerless to do anything over Thrór's impaired judgement. Was forced to flee by a marauding Dragon taking over his kingdom and riches. His call for help went unanswered by the Elven army; heck, it's even implied said Elves refused aid to the displaced Erebor refugees. Thorin had to toil away laboring in villages of men, reduced from a prince to a pauper. He then lost both his father and grandfather in the Battle of Azanulbizar. Later, when he called for the other dwarf kingdoms to aid his quest to reclaim Erebor, none answered save for the company of his 13 Dwarves. His brief stint as King of Erebor was marred with dragon sickness. In the following battle, he watched his oldest nephew and Crown Prince of Erebor get Impaled with Extreme Prejudice and then he likely died thinking his line survived through Kíli. It didn't.
• Unflinching Walk: Thorin does one as he confronts Azog for the second time, while surrounded by flaming trees and attacking wargs.
• Warrior Prince: He's easily one of the most skilled warriors in The Company and charges into battle alongside his fellows without a second thought.
• What the Hell, Hero?:
  • Thorin is known to be on the receiving end of this; first by Balin for planning to abandoning Bilbo to Smaug, by Bard for the fact that his actions caused the destruction of Laketown and the deaths of hundreds — or even thousands — of innocent people, by Bilbo for not keeping his word or being himself after the latter learns the former bargained the Arkenstone, by Dwalin for becoming ever more obsessed with reclaiming Erebor to the exclusion of everything else, including the well-being of everyone, and by Kíli for letting others fight their battles for them while they hide inside the safety of Erebor. Yikes.
  • Thorin himself gives a wordless one to his grandfather, when the latter refuses to give the White Gems of Lasgalen to Thranduil. From Thorin's reaction and expression, it's clear that he was not expecting such a thing to happen. Whatever sympathy he had for the Elven-king was wiped out when Thranduil not only refused to aid Erebor against Smaug when he attacked them but also turned his back on the now-homeless refugees and refused to help them.
• When She Smiles: It's not often but the rare times he does, he looks years younger. The best example would be during his and Bilbo's exchange with the acorn.
• You Are in Command Now: Whereas in the books, Thorin succeeded Thráin after a long rule; in the movie, Thorin is thrust into the kingship at the Battle of Azanulbizar when Thrór is killed and Thráin disappears. Fortunately, in the eyes of Balin and the others, he was not found wanting.
• You Killed My Father: He has a burning hatred for orcs after what they did to his grandfather and father.

Fíli

Fíli

"I belong with my brother!"

Species: Dwarf

Portrayed by: Dean O'Gorman

Voiced by: Vojtěch Hájek (Czech dub), Carlo Vázquez (Latin American Spanish dub), Koji Ochiai (Japanese dub), Alexandre Cross (French dub)

Appears in: An Unexpected Journey | The Desolation of Smaug | The Battle of the Five Armies

"We may be few in number, but we're fighters! All of us! To the last dwarf!"

The elder of Thorin's nephews who sets out on the Quest of Erebor.

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• Big Brother Instinct: Towards Kíli. To the extent that he willingly abandons the quest in order to take care of an injured Kíli.
• Blade Enthusiast: He's covered in them. Look closely when he first arrives at Bilbo's house, right after he shoves his sword in Bilbo's arms: he continues to produce three knives hidden in his coat and shoes and dumps them on him. This also leads to a humorous Extended Disarming sequence when he's captured by the Mirkwood elves. And the funniest part? They still missed some knives, as shown in the barrel chase.
• Boisterous Bruiser: It's good to be a merry young Dwarf heading off on his first grand adventure.
• Cool Sword: He wields a two-handed sword in the third film.
• Dies Wide Open: Poor Fíli.
• Dual Wielding: He even has a cool back sheath where one sword is drawn from the top and the other from the bottom.
• The Dutiful Son: Plays this role compared to his reckless little brother, since he mostly does what he's told/what needs to be done without Thorin having to yell at him during fights. However, he openly defies Thorin in The Desolation of Smaug by choosing to remain in Laketown with Kíli.
• Establishing Character Moment: He and his brother, as the youngest and least secure, noticeably panic when Bilbo denies the existence of a meeting when they first show up on his doorstep.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: With Kíli; he is the responsible and somewhat more levelheaded one since he's the elder brother and heir to the throne.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: And then dropped off a cliff.
• Jumped at the Call: He and his brother are very happy to get to be part of the Company.
• Modest Royalty: His official profile describes that "his nobility is portrayed in bearing rather than any proud raiment".
• Mr. Fanservice: Albeit to a lesser degree than his brother (depending on your preference for facial hair).
• Nephewism: His uncle Thorin has no children of his own, but took both nephews under his wing and named Fíli his heir.
• Nice Guy: Compared to his surly and headstrong dwarven companions, Fíli comes across as pretty mellow and selfless. He's quick to befriend Bilbo, insists on staying with his injured brother in Laketown, and doesn't hesitate to protect Bard's children when their home is attacked by orcs.
• Not So Above It All: When trolls have stolen ponies that Fíli and Kíli were supposed to be guarding, Fíli seems content to go along with his brother's plan to have Bilbo steal them back, rather than report his failure to Thorin.
• Pretty in Mink: Similar to Thorin, his outfit in the film has a fur collar and cuffs.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blue to Kíli's Red. Aside from being the older brother, he is groomed to become next in line to the Throne of Erebor.
• Sacrificial Lion: He is captured during the assault on Azog's strategic encampment above the battlefield, and mercilessly stabbed and hurled from a ledge to land dead in front of both his uncle and brother. This inevitably spurs them on to one final charge.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Of Legolas in this adaptation. The latter also appears.
• Walking Armory: Dean O'Gorman describes him as being "like a hedgehog". He carries a pair of swords, a war hammer, and a rather large collection of knives.
• Warrior Prince: As the eldest son of Thorin's sister, Fíli is his childless uncle's heir-apparent, and has obviously been trained in combat for the position.
• Young Gun: He and Kíli are still youngsters who haven't travelled far from home before.

Kíli

Kíli

"Mountain trolls are slow and stupid, and you're so small. They'll never see you! It's perfectly safe! We'll be right behind you."

Species: Dwarf

Portrayed by: Aidan Turner

Voiced by: Michal Holán (Czech dub), Gabriel Ortiz (Latin American Spanish dub), Hiroshi Tsuchida (Japanese dub), Damien Boisseau (French dub)

Appears in: An Unexpected Journey | The Desolation of Smaug | The Battle of the Five Armies

"I will not hide behind a wall of stone while others fight our battles for us!"

The younger of Thorin's nephews who sets out on the Quest of Erebor.

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• Adaptational Attractiveness: He's conspicuous amongst the rest of the Dwarves for his lack of facial prosthetics, which from a creative point of view enhances his comparative youthfulness. The film explanation is that this allows him to be more effective at archery. Aidan Turner even jokingly suggests he may be a product of an Interspecies Romance between his mom and possibly an Elf.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: Blond in the book, dark in the movie.
• Amazon Chaser: He falls helplessly in love with Tauriel, who is captain of the Elf Guard and a bonafide Action Girl.
• Ascended Extra: His most notable role in the book is dying in the Battle of the Five Armies, and is more of a Tagalong Kid with his brother. Even in the first film, he does little to stand out from the rest of the Dwarves but takes a central role in the second film.
• Bow and Sword in Accord: The bow is his primary weapon but he also carries a sword for melees.
• Determinator: The guy gets shot with an arrow tipped by poison. He keeps going for days afterwards and literally had to be ordered to stay in Laketown to recover; otherwise, he would have followed them to Erebor.
• Distressed Dude: In The Desolation of Smaug, Tauriel shows up to save his ass. Thrice.
• Dying Declaration of Love: After he gets stabbed by Bolg, he tries to mouth "I love you" to a weeping Tauriel before he dies.
• Establishing Character Moment: He shares one with his brother. See Fíli's folder for details.
• Fatal Flaw: His recklessness leads directly to his death.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: With Fíli; he's the young and foolish one. In An Unexpected Journey, Thorin even rebukes him, stating "you know nothing of the world".
• Headbutt of Love: Shares one with his uncle when Thorin finally snaps out of his gold sickness.
• Heroic Resolve: Despite being half-unconscious from pain during the raid on Laketown, he forces himself to his feet to fight and saves Tauriel from getting stabbed In the Back.
• Heroic Sacrifice: When Tauriel is about to get killed by Bolg, he jumps on the Orc's back and gets a spear through the gut.
• Hot-Blooded: One of the more fight-happy members of Thorin's Company.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: By Bolg. Right in front of Tauriel, as a matter of fact.
• Keet: Constantly cheerful and energetic.
• Leeroy Jenkins: He's usually the first to run into battle; at one point in the third movie Fíli even holds him back from doing so. It's also his Fatal Flaw, as rushing to avenge his brother is ultimately what gets him killed.
• Love at First Sight: He's clearly attracted to Tauriel from the moment he meets her.
• Mr. Fanservice: So much so that even the other actors nickname him "sexy dwarf" and "the hot one".
• Nephewism: Same as his bro, above. Richard Armitage claims Thorin has a soft spot for Kíli in particular.
• Nice Guy: He's one of the first Dwarves to befriend Bilbo besides Balin and one of the loudest protesters about Thorin's treatment of the Men and abandonment of his cousin in the Battle of the Five Armies.
• No, You: He shows the emotional range of a 7-year-old when Bilbo claims the dwarves all have parasites (fittingly enough, he's the youngest of the dwarves):
  Kíli: We don't have parasites! You have parasites!
• One-Man Army: Becomes one during his rampage against Bolg's forces in the third movie.
• Perma-Stubble: He can't have a big, elaborately braided beard because he's an archer, so he has this instead.
• Race Fetish: The extended edition shows that even though he's in denial of it, Kíli is intrigued by Elvish maidens.
  Kíli: Can't say I fancy elf maids myself. Too thin. They're all high cheekbones and creamy skin. Not enough facial hair for me. Although... that one there's not bad.
  Dwalin: [whispering] That's not an elf maid...
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red to Fíli's Blue. Since he's not the eldest, Kíli has more free reign over his destiny and he can be a bit foolish at times.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Goes on one after Azog kills his brother.
• Star-Crossed Lovers: With Tauriel, being a Dwarf and an Elf whose nations have hated each other for over a century, and whose races have been on bad terms since the First Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years ago. Also, Kíli dies in the Battle of the Five Armies. Tragically, their species do not even share the same afterlives according to Tolkien lore.
  Kíli: She is far away. Sh...She is far away from me. She walks in starlight in another world. Do you think she could have loved me?
• Talking in Your Sleep: After Kíli is cured of the poison arrow and falls into an exhausted slumber, this is how Tauriel (and the audience) learns that he's crushing hard for her.
• Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Tauriel because of his death.
• Warrior Prince: Like his brother, Kíli has obviously been trained in combat and eagerly fights alongside the Company.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: He's keen to impress his rather aloof uncle and gets embarrassed when Thorin scolds him.
• Young Gun: The second youngest and most energetic of the group, he's basically the dwarf equivalent of an 18-year-old human.

Balin

Balin

"And I thought to myself; there is one I could follow. There is one I could call King."

Species: Dwarf

Portrayed by: Ken Stott

Voiced by: Oldřich Vlach (Czech dub), Jaime Vega (Latin American Spanish dub), Takashi Inagaki (Japanese dub), Jean Claude Donda (French dub)

Appears in: An Unexpected Journey | The Desolation of Smaug | The Battle of the Five Armies | The Fellowship of the Ring^note tomb

"Bilbo, if there is indeed a live dragon down there... don't waken it."

One of the twelve companions of Thorin and Bilbo on the Quest of Erebor, and second-in-command. He is the older brother of Dwalin and cousin of Oín and Glóin.

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• Age Lift: The film presents him as being the eldest, grandfatherly veteran to the company, in contrast to the book in which he's almost thirty years younger than Thorin.
• Big Brother Mentor: To Bilbo. Of all the Dwarves in the Company, according to the books, Balin is the only one known to have visited Bilbo at Bag End after their quest for the Lonely Mountain.
• Blatant Lies: When asked about the Dwarves' purpose, Balin responds "We are simple dwarven merchants," while they're standing ten feet away from barrels splintered by a fight with elves and orcs and hauling around absolutely nothing in the way of merchandise. Bard doesn't buy it for a second.
• Brave Scot: Is portrayed with a Scottish accent.
• Carry a Big Stick: He does wield a straight-up mace in the third film.
• Commander Contrarian: While his loyalty to Thorin has been unquestioned since Azanulbizar, during the Unexpected Party, Balin makes it clear he doesn't put much faith in the quest's success and tries to talk Thorin out of leading the Company to Erebor. When it's clear Thorin won't back down, he declares he's with him and doesn't raise another question. This tendency can also occasionally veer into What the Hell, Hero?, as explained below.
• The Confidant: Bilbo heavily hints to him about the Arkenstone's whereabouts while asking for his advice as to whether finding it would cure Thorin's gold-sickness. Balin clearly catches onto the double-meaning but doesn't press nor appear to mention it to anybody else.
• The Consigliere: Ken Stott even called him Thorin's consigliere outright in an interview.
• Cool Old Guy: The oldest and most good-natured dwarf of the party, still a capable fighter, and the voice of reason for Thorin.
• Doomed Home Town: The Lonely Mountain.
• Establishing Character Moment: When he arrives at Bilbo's home, he's rather more friendly than his brother Dwalin who arrived before him. He has a very brotherly reunion with his brother showing how dearly he cares for his kin, and later he guides the dwarves in organizing the table. As he enters, he also gives Bilbo a much more straightforward response to "Good evening" than Gandalf did to his "Good morning", fitting since he later prooves to be much more personable and encouraging to Bilbo in contrast to Gandalf's more stern and tricky form of empowerment.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: He has a diagonal scar on his forehead which he earned at some point after the Battle of Azanulbizar.
• Headbutt of Love: He and his brother Dwalin affectionately smash heads when they meet up at Bag End. They share a more tragic version of the trope after the Battle of Azanulbizar, relieved that the other one is alive after everything they've been through and/or mournful for all their dead kinsmen around them.
• The Heart: By The Desolation Of Smaug, he's moved on to being this. He's the one who openly shows concern and care for the group and tries his hardest to keep everyone going.
• He Had a Name: To Thorin:
  Thorin: I will not risk this quest for the life of one burglar.
  Balin: Bilbo. His name is Bilbo.
• The Lancer: He's Thorin's second-in-command. While Thorin is a rough, but well-meaning leader, Balin is soft-spoken, friendly and supportive of the entire party, Bilbo included.
• Literal-Minded: A bit. When Bilbo greeted him with "Good evening," Balin agreed, though he predicted it would rain later. Later, when Bilbo interrupts Balin and Dwalin going through his larder with an irritable "I'm sorry," Balin mildly accepts his apology.
• Man Hug: He and Dwalin share a couple.
• Manly Tears: Sheds some after the Battle of Azanulbizar. He also gets quite misty when the dwarves finally step into the old halls of Erebor.
• Meaningful Look: When Bilbo asks him whether finding the Arkenstone would cure Thorin's gold-madness, Balin says that he believes not and that it may be better if it remains lost...all while giving Bilbo a loaded stare.
• Miniature Senior Citizens: Balin is the shortest Dwarf in The Company and definitely the oldest. Hobbits are, on average, about a foot shorter than most Dwarves but Balin and Bilbo are nearly the same height.
• Mix-and-Match Weapon: He appears to wield a weapon that has a blade like a sword but a heavy tri-pointed head like a mace. It has simply been described as a mace in promotional material.
• Nice Guy: Compared to Thorin, Balin is much more soft-spoken and reasonable. He's also quick to befriend Bilbo.
• Oh, Crap!: When Smaug awakens:
  Dori: Was that an earthquake?
  Balin: That, my lad, was a dragon.
• Old Soldier: He was already fairly old at the Battle of Azanulbizar, and is elderly by the time of The Hobbit.
• Parental Substitute: To Thorin in the films since Thráin's disappearance.
• Posthumous Character: In The Fellowship of the Ring. Gimli insists on traveling through the Mines of Moria, anticipating a warm welcome from Balin; it’s only when they arrive that they realize the dwarves have all been killed, and Gimli is despondent when he finds Balin’s tomb.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to Dwalin's red, due to being more reserved and bookish of the two. It may owe to the fact that he's the older brother.
• Saved by Canon: He can't die during the quest to the Misty Mountain ... because he gets slain by orcs when he attempts to retake Khazad-dûm in between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. It was in his tomb that the Fellowship fought the troll.
• Team Mom: A male example in order to contrast Thorin's Team Dad; he's very kindly and supportive. As the eldest and wisest dwarf, he's also the de facto leader when Thorin isn't around.
• Title Drop: As the Company overlooks the destroyed city of Dale:
  Bilbo: What is this place?
  Balin: This was once the city of Dale. Now it is but a ruin. The Desolation of Smaug.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Balin calls out Thorin's decision to leave Bilbo at the mercy of the awakened Smaug (meaning almost certain death for him) on the grounds that he cannot risk his life and the quest for the sake of a burglar.
• Wizard Beard: A subversion. Has a fluffy white beard, only without a moustache, and even if he is not a wizard, it is still fitting for the oldest and wisest Dwarf in the company.

Dwalin

Dwalin

"I don't care what he calls himself, I don't like him."

Species: Dwarf

Portrayed by: Graham McTavish

Voiced by: Tomáš Karger (Czech dub), Enrique Cervantes (Latin American Spanish dub), Tesshō Genda (Japanese dub), Philippe Catoire (French dub)

Appears in: An Unexpected Journey | The Desolation of Smaug | The Battle of the Five Armies

"Bilbo was right. You cannot see what you have become. The Dwarf I knew would never come to suspect his own kin of betrayal."

One of the twelve companions of Thorin and Bilbo on the Quest of Erebor. He is the younger brother of Balin and cousin of Oín and Glóin.

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• Amusing Injuries: Dwalin's right ear looks like someone or something took a large bite out of it◊.
• Bare-Fisted Monk: Along with a pair of knuckle dusters.
• The Big Guy: Big for a dwarf, at least, and is the most battle-ready.
• Big Little Brother: To Balin, who is at least a head shorter than him.
• Carry a Big Stick: After being stripped of his entire arsenal by the Wood Elves, Dwalin later receives a two-handed mace from the armory of Laketown.
• Character Tics: Folding his arms over his war-hammer, which he does literally every time he's resting.
• Covered with Scars: Not explicitly shown but implied. See Good Scars, Evil Scars.
• Establishing Character Moment: When he arrives at Bilbo's house, he's surly and rudely takes Bilbo's food without much of a word — a few minutes later when his brother arrives, his reaction is nothing short of brotherly. This shows that he's the most distrusting, rude, and unempathetic towards outsiders of the Dwarves but also that he's truly loyal to and truly loves those close to him.
• Every One Has Standards: He's the most loyal member of the company, but even he found Thorin's greed too much after they reclaimed Erebor.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: He has a gash along his right temple. It appears he gained it in the Battle of Azanulbizar based on the blood on it in Balin's flashback, although it's hard to tell if the blood is from Dwalin's scar or if it's just a hint of Blood-Splattered Warrior. He also has many more scars on his visible forearms.
• Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: He's bald by the time of the films, but flashbacks show that he used to have an impressive mohawk.
• Hates Being Touched: Shows shades of this in The Desolation of Smaug. On two separate occasions, he threatens someone about to touch him. However, since the two potential offenders were Bard and Bard's son, one might surmise that Dwalin only objects to being touched by humans. Of course, in both situations, he was in a rather embarrassing position (being in a fish barrel at one point, and a toilet the next), and was possibly trying to save face. Another similarly less racist possibility is that he simply doesn't like people he doesn't know very well, and doesn't trust, touching him.
• Headbutt of Love: He and his brother Balin affectionately smash heads when they meet up at Bag End.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Thorin. They are said to have an especially close relationship, growing up together and sharing the bitter air of exile while fighting their way through numerous hordes of Goblins and Orcs. He even remains "Thorin's staunchest supporter" with a fierce and unbending loyalty and has been more like a brother than distant kin.
• Hot-Blooded: He's more than happy to shank some orc ass with a variety of his weapons in his person, and even takes the helm on the chariot shooting during the final battle.
• I Call It "Vera": According to Graham McTavish, Dwalin's the kind of guy who'd name his weapons.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's arguably the most unpleasant member of the Company when it comes to interacting with outsiders, but he truly cares deeply for his kin in his heart.
• Knuckle Tattoos: Written in Khuzdul. He also has head tattoos.
• Man Hug: He and Balin share a couple.
• Manly Tears: Sheds some after the Battle of Azanulbizar, and also when witnessing Thorin's descent to gold madness.
• Multi-Melee Master: He is seen wielding twin axes, a warhammer, a pair of knuckle dusters, and a knife.
• Not So Above It All: Despite his stern and no-nonsense demeanor, he still partakes in the dwarves' song in Bilbo's home and seems rather amused by it.
• Old Soldier: One of the oldest in the Company, and also one of the most aggressive fighters.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When even he is calling Thorin out, you know things are bad.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to Balin's blue, due to being the more fight-happy of the two. He's also a bit sterner due to his scary looks and intimidating behavior.
• Saved by Canon: Like his brother. In the books, Dwalin's noted to have lived to 340, making him the longest-lived member of The Company.
• Tattoo as Character Type: He has tattoos on his knuckles (fitting given his status as The Big Guy) and on the top of his head; his actor has stated that the head tattoos are a pictorial history of the dwarves.
• Undying Loyalty: Out of all the dwarves, Dwalin is the most loyal to Thorin; he saves his life twice in An Unexpected Journey (once during the first Warg attack, once during the thunder battle), gets highly offended when the Master of Laketown fails to show Thorin the proper respect, and they are seen fighting or planning together multiple times throughout the first two movies as well as near the end of the third.
• Violent Glaswegian: Has a Scottish accent, and is always up for a fight.
• Walking Armory: Carries lots of weapons with him.
• What the Hell, Hero?: In The Battle of the Five Armies, he calls Thorin out on his greed and refusing to help those outside. He even appears to start crying as he tried to tell Thorin what he's doing.

Óin

Óin

"My place is with the wounded."

Species: Dwarf

Portrayed by: John Callen

Voiced by: Bohuslav Kalva (Czech dub), Gabriel Pingarrón (Latin American Spanish dub), Toshihiko Kojima (Japanese dub), Patrick Béthune (French dub)

Appears in: An Unexpected Journey | The Desolation of Smaug | The Battle of the Five Armies

"You're going to have to speak up. Your boy's flattened my trumpet."

One of the twelve companions of Thorin and Bilbo on the Quest of Erebor. He is the older brother of Glóin, the cousin of Balin and Dwalin, and the uncle of Gimli.

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• Astrologer: Glóin makes reference to Óin "reading portents" pertaining to their quest.
• Badass Bookworm: See Astrology and Combat Medic entrees for more info.
• Combat Medic: Óin is shown to take this role very seriously, as he states that his place is always with his patient when he willingly stays behind with an injured Kíli while the rest of the Company marches on the Lonely Mountain. He's a chemist, a DIY surgeon, and Word of God claims that he serves as a midwife during dwarven births. He even oversaw the birth of his own nephew, Gimli.
• Cool Sword: He later wields a sword in The Battle of the Five Armies.
• Ear Trumpet: Which ends up getting smashed by some goblins in the first film. He's fixed it by the end of the second film, though.
• Handicapped Badass: He may be deaf, but that doesn't make him any less badass.
• Incredibly Lame Pun: The filmmakers have theorised (either as a result of their casting him as a medic or as inspiration for giving him that role) that he coined the word 'ointment.'
• Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: He later wields a shield in The Battle of the Five Armies.
• Martial Arts Staff: A steel staff with a strap attached so that he can swing it around his head.
• Old Soldier: He's one of the older members of the company but is still capable of holding his own in a fight.
• Only in It for the Money: At least according to John Callen. Although like Glóin he shakes this off when they reach Erebor.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Blue to Glóin's Red, being more of the healer than a fighter.
• Saved by Canon: He can't die in this trilogy... because he is killed by the Watcher in the Water during Balin's attempt to retake Khazad-dûm.

Glóin

Glóin

"What is he saying? Does he offer us insults?!"

Species: Dwarf

Portrayed by: Peter Hambleton, John Rhys-Davies

Voiced by: Tomáš Borůvka (Czech dub), Rubén Trujillo (Latin American Spanish dub), Minoru Inaba (Japanese dub), Jean-Claude Sachot (French dub)

Appears in: An Unexpected Journey | The Desolation of Smaug | The Battle of the Five Armies | The Fellowship of the Ring

One of the twelve companions of Thorin and Bilbo on the Quest of Erebor. He is the brother of Óin, the cousin of Balin and Dwalin, and the father of Gimli.

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• Ancestral Weapon: He wields the same axes as Gimli, apparently passing them down to his son. It's revealed that Glóin's father, Gróin, had these in his possession as well.
• Call-Forward: Besides his axes (see Ancestral Weapon); during the Battle of The Five Armies, he starts wearing an identical helmet to the one his son will wear.
• The Cameo: He is the gray-bearded dwarf who accompanies Gimli to the Council of Elrond in Fellowship of the Ring. Notably, this makes him the only Dwarf of the Company to appear alive during the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
• Fatal Family Photo: One of the rare aversions, actually.
• Fiery Redhead: In The Hobbit films, much like his son, Gimli. However, Glóin's later portrayed as having gone completely white/grey at the Council of Elrond in The Fellowship of the Ring.
• A Friend in Need: It's Glóin who represents the Erebor Dwarves at the Council of Elrond, which revolves around the One Ring and the Baggins who have carried it. While Glóin himself was a companion and friend to Bilbo, Gimli also becomes the same to Bilbo's nephew, Frodo.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: He has a criss-crossing of gashes by his left brow.
• Miser Advisor: Not willing to part with his money unless there's a very good reason. Glóin initially did not want to contribute his share to paying Bard for supplies and safe passage, but then he saw the Lonely Mountain...
  Glóin: I have been bled DRY!
• Morally Bankrupt Banker: Not quite so morally bankrupt as not willing to part with his money unless there's a very good reason. Glóin initially did not want to contribute his share to paying Bard for supplies and safe passage, but then he saw the Lonely Mountain...
  Glóin: I have been bled DRY!
• My Girl Back Home: He's one of the few married dwarves, and carries a miniature portrait of his wife with him at all times.
• Only in It for the Money: Ultimately subverted in the second movie. He grumbles at the thought of parting with more of his money to pay Bard for safe passage, complaining that the adventure has bled him dry already, but when he finally sees the mountain he does a complete 180 and all but throws all his remaining gold away to get there faster.
• Our Dwarves Are All the Same: He's the most prototypical Dwarf in the Company: a stout, truculent, gold-loving guy with an axe and an impressive beard. Fitting, since he's the Trope Codifier's father.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red to Óin's Blue, being more of the warrior who's as gruff and proud as his own son would eventually be.
• Strong Family Resemblance: To his son, Gimli.
• Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: According to Dwarven standards, his wife is a renowned beauty, with a particularly impressive and fine beard. We actually see a picture of her in the second film. However, you could also hardly tell her apart from their son, Gimli.

Dori

Dori

"Excuse me, Mister Gandalf, may I tempt you with a cup of camomile?"

Species: Dwarf

Portrayed by: Mark Hadlow

Voiced by: Jiří Hromada (Czech dub), Daniel Abundis (Latin American Spanish dub), Creator/Chafurin (Japanese dub), Jean-Loup Horwitz (French dub)

Appears in: An Unexpected Journey | The Desolation of Smaug | The Battle of the Five Armies

"Come away from there! It's not natural, none of it. It's obvious, he's under some dark spell."

One of the twelve companions of Thorin and Bilbo on the Quest of Erebor. He is the older brother of Ori and Nori.

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• Adaptational Nice Guy: Dori in the book was one of the few dwarves to have a distinct personality; being a Jerk with a Heart of Gold who grouched and complained a lot but was helpful and reliable in a pinch. In the movie, he's much more positive, a bit of a dandy, and a tremendous mother hen, especially towards Ori.
• Big Brother Instinct: Dori has shades of this, particularly towards Ori.
• Camp Straight: He and Ori have rather "effeminate" mannerisms. Of course, this is by Dwarven standards, so it can be taken with a grain of salt. Also, he's trying hard to come off as a Cultured Warrior (see below).
• Carry a Big Stick: He later comes to carry a mace.
• Cool Sword: Seems to be a standard weapon among the Company.
• Cultured Warrior: He enjoys a pot of camomile tea, and is apparently something of a wine connoisseur, advising Gandalf of a "fruity bouquet" before passing him a glass of red. According to the costume team, he was deliberately given the most elaborately braided hair to reflect his rather more dainty, cultured nature. The root cause of this is his Nouveau Riche status (see below).
• Epic Flail: He carries a bolas.
• Establishing Character Moment: His talk of chamomile tea and his wine enthusiast's description of the wine that he brings to Gandalf, shows that he regards himself as something of a cultural sophisticate.
• Genius Bruiser: Word of God states that despite being a persnickety dandy by dwarven standards, Dori is actually the strongest in terms of strength in the Company.
• Lethal Chef: The other dwarves apparently dread his cooking.
• Literal-Minded: When Gandalf requests "a little red wine" Dori gives him a tiny shot-glass's worth (by Dwarf and even Hobbit standards).
• Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: He later obtains one.
• Manly Tears: Sheds a few of these when Bilbo bids them farewell.
• Nouveau Riche: The production team settled on this as one of the major characteristics of Dori and his brothers. The higher-ranking Dwarves are close relatives of Thorin and the royal line of Durin (Balin, Dwalin, Glóin, and Óin are his third cousins). Dori and his brothers are of the line of Durin, but from a minor branch only distantly related to Thorin (so distant that they do not appear on the short family tree that Tolkien provided). They are the proverbial poor country cousins compared to Thorin's close relatives who were princes, lords, and captains — though they are still prosperous merchants, so they are still soundly wealthy despite their unnoble blood. So, as they explain in the behind-the-scenes videos, the idea they came up with is that Dori is overcompensating, trying to show off how cultured he is (displaying knowledge of wine and camomile tea) in an attempt to appear more equal to their more highly ranking relatives like Thorin and Balin.
• Real Men Wear Pink: As described under Camp Straight.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Blue to Nori's Red, being more law-abiding and quite motherly towards Ori.
• Sibling Yin-Yang: He's much more responsible and law-abiding than his middle brother.
• Team Mom: A male example, at least as far as Ori is concerned.

Nori

Nori

"They were just a couple of keepsakes!"

Species: Dwarf

Portrayed by: Jed Brophy

Voiced by: Ladislav Cigánek (Czech dub), Erick Salinas (Latin American Spanish dub), Setsuji Sato (Japanese dub), Vincent Violette (French dub)

Appears in: An Unexpected Journey | The Desolation of Smaug | The Battle of the Five Armies

One of the twelve companions of Thorin and Bilbo on the Quest of Erebor. He is the middle brother of Dori and Ori.

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• Artful Dodger: Many of the Erebor dwarves who were young at the time of Smaug's attack probably fell into this category, but Nori still lives up to it during the first film. Peter Jackson even says that the reason he's on the quest is that he's wanted by the local dwarf cops and is looking to skip town for a few months.
• Big Brother Instinct: He shares one with Dori when it concerns their younger half-brother.
• Carry a Big Stick: His main weapon appears to be a two-handed mace similar to a Japanese kanabo.
• The Casanova: While he may not look like much to humans, by dwarf standards he's considered very attractive, in a bad boy sort of way.
• Casting Gag: Brophy and Jackson go way back, and he has played several orcs, an elf, and a man in The Lord of the Rings. His young son, Sadwyn Brophy, also played Eldarion, the yet-unborn son of Aragorn and Arwen.
• Dual Wielding: A pair of knives.
• Improbable Hairstyle: In the film, Nori sports a striking tri-lobed bouffant with his long eyebrows braided into it.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red to Dori's Blue, being the more rebellious and adventurous of the two. This is in fact one of the reasons for their conflict, according to their actors.
• Redemption Quest: In a smaller scale, the Quest has helped him not only to redeem himself in the eyes of his companions but also reconnect with his brothers.
• Sibling Yin-Yang: He's noted as being the polar opposite of Dori and Ori and rarely sees eye-to-eye with them.
• Sticky Fingers: In keeping with his shady persona, Nori can be seen stealing silverware, candles, and various other fancy things while in Rivendell. He's later busted when the goblins rip apart their packs, both Dori and Dwalin giving him withering glares of disbelief.
• Wild Card: He's the most elusive member of the Company, but he genuinely cares for his brothers and can generally be trusted to do the right thing in the end. What Nori does leading up to that, though, can be quite dodgy or outright illegal at times.

Ori

Ori

"I'm not afraid! I'm up for it! I'll give him the taste of the Dwarvish iron right up his jacksie!"

Species: Dwarf

Portrayed by: Adam Brown

Voiced by: Petr Nezkusil (Czech dub), Moisés Iván Mora (Latin American Spanish dub), Kōki Miyata (Japanese dub), Adrien Larmande (French dub)

Appears in: An Unexpected Journey | The Desolation of Smaug | The Battle of the Five Armies | The Fellowship of the Ring^note skeleton

One of the twelve companions of Thorin and Bilbo on the Quest of Erebor. He is the younger brother of Dori and Nori.

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• Apocalyptic Log: The Fellowship finds it years later.
  They have taken the bridge and the Second Hall. We have barred the gates but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes... drums, drums in the deep. We cannot get out. The shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out. They are coming.
• The Baby of the Bunch: Ori is the youngest of the Dwarves (besides Fíli and Kíli, obviously) and the least combat-experienced, though he doesn't let those facts stop him from trying.
• Badass Bookworm: Becomes one later, during Balin's expedition to Khazad-dûm, where he serves as the expedition's chief chronicler and one of Balin's captains.
• Bookworm: Like Bilbo, he's well-mannered, nerdy, and prefers books over adventure in his daily life.
• Brats with Slingshots: He uses is a slingshot.
• Camp Straight: He and Dori have rather "effeminate" mannerisms.
• Establishing Character Moment: when he asks Bilbo what to do with his plate, he asks in a tone of voice that shows him to be somewhat timid and possibly not too bright.
• Geek Physique: He's quite skinny for a dwarf.
• Early-Bird Cameo: As a skeleton in Moria in Fellowship. Adam Brown joked that he has a cameo in Fellowship that he had to lose a lot of weight for.
• Future Badass: Is one of the last surviving dwarves of Balin's expedition to Khazad-dûm, which automatically makes him a badass. In one of the flashback missions in The Lord of the Rings Online, you play as Ori, who wields a massive two-handed axe, is nearly unkillable, and can destroy hordes of Orcs single-handed (literally, because he wields the two-hander in one hand).
• Manchild: Dori even treats him as such.
• Oh, Crap!: His expression when the Great Goblin orders his cronies to kill the dwarves "starting with the youngest". And when a warg shrugs off a hit from his slingshot.
• One-Handed Zweihänder: In Lord of the Rings Online, Ori uses a giant two-headed battleaxe in one hand.
• Picky Eater: He doesn't like green food.
• Saved by Canon: He can't die in this trilogy... because he's killed by orcs during the attempt to retake Khazad-dûm in between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring. He and some of the other colonists live long enough to bury Balin properly, and his corpse is the one in Balin's tomb that Gandalf takes the book from.
• Sibling Yin-Yang: With his two brothers.
• The Smart Guy: Ori is a talented artist, and can often be found drawing and writing in his journal. It is Ori who chronicles much of the journey through The Wild to the shores of the Long Lake and the slopes of The Lonely Mountain.

Bifur

Bifur

Species: Dwarf

Portrayed by: William Kircher

Voiced by: Vladimír Kudla (Czech dub), Mauricio Pérez (Latin American Spanish dub), Olivier Bouana (French dub)

Appears in: An Unexpected Journey | The Desolation of Smaug | The Battle of the Five Armies

One of the twelve companions of Thorin and Bilbo on the Quest of Erebor. He is the older cousin of Bofur and Bombur.

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• Amusing Injuries: He has a chunk of axe sticking out of his head. Until this was removed when it got stuck to an Orc's head and removed it along with the Orc during the Battle of the Five Armies in the Extended Edition.
• The Berserker: According to Kircher, he fights very much like this until one of the other Dwarves calm him down because of an axe that's stuck in his head. This reflects real-life research about damage on the frontal lobe, just where the axe's wound is placed. The axe is finally removed by the end of the third film, but it doesn't seem to improve his personality.
• Best Served Cold: While not explicit in the films, Kircher's personal theory is that he's searching for the Orc who put the ax in his head so he can get revenge.
• Big, Thin, Short Trio: He's the short one.
• Body Horror: Downplayed but as clear as day. For starters, he has a chunk of metal permanently stuck into his frontal lobe, presumably left there in order not to worsen the already serious brain damage. Even worse, as the axe is forcibly removed in the Extended Edition of the third film, Bifur will sport an open wound that leaves part of his brain exposed for a long time... if the tissue is not too scarred, of course, which would mean he would be left with the wound open until his death.
• Carry a Big Stick: He wields a hammer in The Battle of the Five Armies.
• Does Not Speak Common: Due to his brain injury, he can only communicate in Khuzdul (archaic Dwarvish) and Iglishmek (Dwarf sign language). Fortunately, he's an Intelligible Unintelligible, as other Dwarves learn those languages from a young age and Gandalf can understand him as well. He regains his ability to speak the Common Tongue in a deleted scene in Five Armies, when the axe blade is removed.
• Handicapped Badass: In spite of his brain damage, he is still an equally capable fighter, and is mentioned to face down charging boars.
  Óin: He's got an injury.
  Bilbo: You mean the axe in his head?
  [Óin picks up ear-trumpet, mishearing Bilbo's last word]
  Óin: Dead? No, only between his ears. His legs work fine.
• Hidden Depths: Kircher said that one of the things he's most interested in with playing Bifur is that his head injury has made him a bit erratic and at times he can have bursts of angry behavior, but he is also a toymaker, and hand-makes beautiful, delicate creations. Bifur is seen in one video with an intricate hand-carved bird whose wings actually flap when you pull on strings.
• The Unintelligible: Due to his head injury, Bifur only speaks in Ancient Dwarvish (Khuzdul). He also appears to communicate through Iglishmêk, which is the dwarven version of sign language that all dwarves learn simultaneously with Khuzdul in early childhood. He gets one line of intelligible Common in The Battle of the Five Armies after the axe in his head is removed and Bombur offers it back to him.
• Wild Hair: He has the untidiest hair in the whole Company. Just look at his picture!
• Working-Class Hero: Like his cousins, he's not descended from Durin or any other noble line. His actual occupation is a toy-maker.

Bofur

Bofur

"I wish you all the luck in the world."

Species: Dwarf

Portrayed by: James Nesbitt

Voiced by:Libor Bouček (Czech dub), Andrés Gutiérrez Coto (Latin American Spanish dub), Hiroaki Hirata (Japanese dub), Marc Saez (French dub)

Appears in: An Unexpected Journey | The Desolation of Smaug | The Battle of the Five Armies

One of the twelve companions of Thorin and Bilbo on the Quest of Erebor. He is the brother of Bombur and the younger cousin of Bifur.

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• Adaptational Attractiveness: He is noticeably thin and has well-groomed facial hair for a dwarf, probably due to his larger role requiring more human facial expressions.
• Ascended Extra: In the novel, most of the Dwarves were pretty generic and Bofur was no exception. In the first movie, his actor is billed ahead of Ken Stott's Balin (the best-characterized dwarf in the novel after Thorin).
• Big Brother Instinct: He's very upset when Bilbo tries to leave the Company and can be seen pushing Bilbo towards the center of the group during dangerous situations. When he catches Bilbo apparently trying to abandon the Company before the elves can attack Erebor he not only pretends to have not noticed, he obliquely states that no one would blame Bilbo for running away.
• Big Damn Heroes: Gets one when riding a troll to the rescue of a carriage containing Balin, Dwalin, Fíli, and Kíli who are on the run from another war troll.
• Big, Thin, Short Trio: He's the thin one.
• Deadpan Snarker: At times, he matches Bilbo's Deadpan Snarker with rather witty comments.
• Double Entendre: Bofur's comment about croquet being a fun game "if you've got the balls for it."
• Expy: Visually, at least, he and Bombur owe a lot to Asterix and Obelix.
• Fighting Irish: Northern Irish, to be more precise, but he speaks with such an accent, and he's as good a fighter as anyone in the Company.
• Fun Personified: As the movies' Plucky Comic Relief, he not only gets a huge number of funny lines but is also quite the party animal.
• Gallows Humor: Bofur's stock in trade (though whether he means it to be humorous, or is simply incredibly blunt, is still unclear).
• Improvised Weapon: He worked previously as a miner and carries a weapon that looks like a barely modified mining tool, which implies he retained it from his job.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: A bit of a Troll but overall one of the kinder and more understanding Dwarves. When Bilbo is ready to leave, he sympathizes with Bilbo on his desire to return home, and when Thorin is ready to kill Bilbo, it's Bofur who helps him escape.
• Missed the Call: He drinks himself into a coma at Laketown, and oversleeps past the other Dwarves leaving for Erebor.
• Mix-and-Match Weapon: He wields a mattock that has a hammer on one side and an adze on the other.
• Open Mouth, Insert Foot: Suffers from this from time to time; he's pretty good at saying the exact wrong thing at the exact wrong time.
• Tempting Fate: After the harrowing descent in Goblin-town:
  Bofur: Well, that could have been worse.
  [The Great Goblin's corpse falls on the Dwarves]
  Dwalin: You've got to be joking!
• Troll: If someone's going to screw with the other members of the Company, it's probably going to be Bofur.
  Bofur: Think furnace... with wings. Flash of light, searing pain, then poof, you're nothing more than a pile of ash.
• Working-Class Hero: Like his brother and cousin, he's not descended from Durin or any other noble line. Although originally a miner in Erebor, Bofur now works as a toy-maker alongside his older cousin.

Bombur

Bombur

"I'm always last and I don't like it. It's somebody else's turn today."

Species: Dwarf

Portrayed by: Stephen Hunter

Voiced by: Milan Slepička (Czech dub), Shiro Saito (Japanese dub, The Battle of the Five Armies extended edition), Thierry Murzeau (French dub)

Appears in: An Unexpected Journey | The Desolation of Smaug | The Battle of the Five Armies

One of the twelve companions of Thorin and Bilbo on the Quest of Erebor. He is the brother of Bofur and the younger cousin of Bifur.

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• Acrofatic: Downplayed. He mostly cannot do acrobatic feats by himself (though he occasionally does, as he jumps high and is quite fast over his feet), but he is shown to be perfectly able to dish battle after a series of barrel-armored, increasingly crazy aerial stunts after which a regular individual of any race would have been extremely dizzy (if not very injured — we can guess Bombur's lard protected him from breaking some bones).
• Adaptational Badass: A special example compared to the rest of the company. The Bombur from the book isn't exactly incompetent, with some decent fighting skills hinted at in his contribution to the book's rendition of the troll incident. And keeps up well with the others (when he's not realistically very fatigued wasting away in his sleep for a week). But he does suffer considerably more misfortune. However, the film gives him focus as a prodigious fighter that not only uses his fatness to his advantage but also might perfectly be the best athlete of the entire company.
• Big Eater: When Bilbo sees him taking three cheeses from his pantry, we get this line from Bofur.
  Bofur: Cheese knife? He eats it by the block!
• Big, Thin, Short Trio: He's the big one out of his relatives.
• Braids of Action: He wears his beard in one long braid that loops over his stomach.
• Butt-Monkey: Tends to be the butt of the other dwarves' jokes, though he is by no means the Chew Toy that his book counterpart is.
• The Casanova: All There in the Manual. He's surprisingly successful with the ladies and has fourteen children.
• Chain Pain: It's been revealed that he can use his beard as a garrote to draw enemies in against his stomach to dispatch them. Sadly, this is never shown on-screen.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Despite his role as the comic relief, Bombur is seen to be an incredibly good improvising fighter and frequently hurls himself into the fray with reckless abandon, using his weight to his advantage. See the Acrofatic and Stout Strength entries for more info.
• Demoted to Extra: Unlike in the book, where he was one of the few dwarves to have a unique personality, he has relatively little screentime and almost no lines in the theatrical cut.
• Epic Flail: Is seen wielding a massive one during the Battle of the Five Armies EE.
• Expy: He looks and acts a lot like Obelix, which fits since his brother Bofur bears more than a passing resemblance to Asterix.
• Fat Comic Relief: His main role in the films.
• Fork Fencing: He also has a large skewer.
• Frying Pan of Doom: A soup ladle. It looks about as heavy as a frying pan, too.
• Genius Bruiser: Though it's never shown in the film, Hunter says Bombur's both an architect and engineer by trade. This, combined with his stunts and feats of strength, makes him the most impressive of the dwarves in both the physical and the intellectual fields.
• Kavorka Man: All There in the Manual, but apparently, this unbelievably fat dwarf has fourteen children, as mentioned above.
• Lightning Bruiser: Bombur may be grossly overweight, but he uses it to good effect when fighting and can keep up with the other dwarves when it's time to run. In fact, when chased by Beorn, he's shown to outrun most of the Dwarves, despite also starting at the rear.
• Meaningful Name: His name means "fat" in Old Norse.
• The Quiet One: Not counting singing along the dwarves in Bag End or making noises while exerting himself (and some muffled screams when about to be eaten by spiders), Bombur speaks only one word in the entire theatrical edition of the trilogy. Even in the extended cut of The Battle of the Five Armies, he only gets one more line, and a short one to boot. It might be also because he has constantly food on his mouth and/or is focused on eating over all else, but he does seem to be one of the least talkative dwarves, as he keeps silent even in moments where you would expect some verbal expression.
• Redhead In Green: He has red hair, and the first outfit we see him wearing in the film is green.
• Stout Strength:
  • During the escape from the goblins, Bombur can be seen barely slowing down as several goblins climb on him. He then powerbombs them all by using his weight to smash down to a lower gantry. He may not be very mobile (and is still surprisingly so for his size), but clearly it takes a lot to stop him once he gets moving.
  • In the second film, while escaping from the Wood Elves, Bombur's barrel gets knocked out of the river and bounces all the way down the bank before coming to a stop in the middle of an orc group. Bombur's response? Burst his arms and legs out of the barrel's sides, grab an orc weapon in each hand, and fight his way out like a tornado, all the while wearing the barrel as a makeshift suit of armor.
• Team Chef: The studio released the following statement about him: "Brother to Bofur and cousin to Bifur, Bombur is the chief cook amongst The Company".
• The Voiceless: He speaks only one word in the entire theatrical edition of the trilogy. (He gets at least one more line in the extended cut of The Battle of the Five Armies). The closest he gets otherwise is noises made while exerting himself (and some muffled screams when about to be eaten by spiders). This is apparently due to shyness and constantly having food in his mouth.
• Working-Class Hero: Like his brother and cousin, he's not descended from Durin or any other noble line. Somewhat subverted because, going by his actor's info that Bombur is an architect and an engineer, he's not exactly working class either.
• Wrestler in All of Us: He lands a dropkick/senton combo in two Orcs in the third film's extended edition.

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