Law Enforcement
Judy Hopps
"It's our differences that make us strong."
The first rabbit ZPD officer. She is Nick’s best friend, trusted partner, and wife. Judy’s commitment to both her partner and her job is repeatedly tested as she aims to combat against the city's biggest criminals.- Action Girl: Judy continues to kick a lot of bad guy butt and doesn't back down even from opponents way out of her league.
- Beware the Nice Ones: She may be polite and friendly, but she will not be pushed around.
- Character Development: Continuing from the movie, she gradually starts to shift away from her Black-and-White Morality and sympathizes with some of the criminals she would once arrest without a second thought as she comes to learn more about the city and its criminal underworld.
- Damsel out of Distress: Despite being held hostage multiple times, Judy always finds a way to prevail.
- Determinator: She goes through a lot of punishment, both physically and emotionally, but refuses to give in for what she believes is right, especially where Nick is concerned. Even at the potential risk of losing her job or her life.
- Intoxication Ensues: Becomes much more casual (and cuddly) when under the influence of alcohol, as Nick found out the hard way in chapter 56.
- Opposites Attract: She's married to Nick despite their wildly different personalities and demeanors.
- Kick Chick: Being a rabbit, she gets a lot of use out of her strong hind legs.
- Sympathy for the Devil: Downplayed. Her compassionate nature leads her to frequently sympathize with the villains of the story (or at least the ones deserved of it), though she never lets it interfere with her duty or competence.
Nick Wilde
"We're a team, here at the ZPD. It took me a while to realize that, myself, but it's true."
Judy's partner, husband, and before the events of the movie, her harshest critic. Now they couldn't be closer, which is great because Nick's street smarts and knowledge of the criminal underworld may prove to be just what the ZPD needs to stop the new wave of crime threatening the city.- The Atoner: Despite still being mischievous, Nick overall does his best to adhere to stronger morals around Judy.
- Dark Secret: Before he was a con-artist, Nick was a member of Mr. Big's Tundratown Mafia, and performed jobs to get on their good side that he's not very proud of.
- Street Smart: When it comes to know-how on the streets of the city, there's no one more savvy than Nick.
- Determinator: Much like Judy, he goes through a fair amount of punishment in this story.
Villains
Crime-Lords
Vladzotz Fangpyre III
- "I am Vladzotz Canomir Fangpyre, the third of that name. And I humbly welcome you to my home."
- Arc Villain: Of the third story arc (chapters 15-24).
- Bat Out of Hell: Vladzotz Fangpyre is a textbook example, with a vampire-like style of fashion, red eyes, and the literal bloodlust - to boot, he's the crime lord of the Nocturnal District.
- Berserk Button: A sure way to invoke his wrath is to mention anything related to the death of his old family.
- Big Bad: Easily the most prominent, frequented, and dangerous villain in When Instinct Falls.
- Breakout Villain: Appears in multiple other Fan Fics, including but not limited to Born to be Wilde, Born to be Drabbles, Bloodlines, and When Night Falls.
- Character Development: Despite wanting to kill Nick for most of the story, Vladzotz gradually lets go of his desire for vengeance when he realizes that it only ever put him in danger, and with his mate Lucy reminding him that grief only lasts for as long as you let it.
- Classical Movie Vampire: Dark, mysterious, and lives in an equally dark and mysterious mansion. Also very well-dressed.
- Crusading Widower: Spent nearly six years prior to the events of the story tracking down the mammal responsible for attempting to burn down his mansion and killing his old family in the process. Subverted, as he abandons his crusade and his widow status upon meeting and falling in love with Lucy Sang.
- Death by Irony: Subverted. Though he survives, he is nearly killed (and is actually presumed dead) by the ZPD after his mansion burns down from a fire he had started in his own rage.
- Diabolical Mastermind: Being one of the 5 crime-lords of Zootopia makes Vladzotz a criminal genius, in his own right. He even hatched an elaborate plan to lure Nick and Judy alone into the Nocturnal-District just so he could kidnap them, and it worked.
- The Dreaded: Terrifies just about everyone who encounters him, right down to his own men, even if he doesn’t want to. Even the other crime-lords are wary of him.
- Entendre Failure: His gentlemanly nature often causes such jokes and hints to go over his head, much to his mate's amusement.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Deeply cared for his deceased family, and now for his new one with Lucy Sang.
- Fantastic Racism: Has a strong distrust of most mammals not from the Nocturnal-District, who he scorns as "surface-dwelling miscreants."
- Faux Affably Evil: Despite appearing charming and polite on the surface, he harbors a deep cruelty that he expresses through his power as a mob boss.
- Hidden Depths: Is shown throughout the story to be much more than just a sociopathic crime-lord - He's descended from a long line of aristocrats, a master at playing the pipe organ, a lover of waltzing, a competent businessman, and a loving mate and father.
- Horror Hunger: Aside from draining the blood of his enemies as a method of execution, he also demands weekly payments of blood from his own henchmammals.
- In Love with Your Carnage: Implied to be one of the reasons why he fell in love with Lucy Sang in the first place - He simply delights in her cruelty, much like his own.
- Kiss of the Vampire: Engages in "Love-Bites" with his mate, Lucy Sang, of which are exactly what they sound like, and are considered the highest form of affection in vampire bat culture.
- Lack of Empathy: Views killing as just another part of the job. He even bottles and sells the blood of his victims.
- Love Epiphany: He realizes that he loves Lucy Sang as the two of them play the organ together.
- Meaningful Name: His first name is a mixture of the Slavic name Vladimir, and Camazotz, the Mayan god of bats, and his last name alludes to his vampiric nature (fang), and his association with fire (pyre).
- Revenge Before Reason: He is so determined to exact his revenge on Nick and the ZPD that his efforts to do so almost cost him more than he had originally lost.
- Sanity Slippage: Gradually becomes more unhinged as the final steps of his master plan to kidnap Nick are played out and subsequently foiled, though he quickly becomes stable after surviving the fire, reuniting with Lucy, and abandoning his desire for revenge.
- Sheltered Aristocrat: Descended from a long line of aristocrats, Vladzotz spent much of his life living in his family mansion, Castle Fangpyre (which he eventually converted into the seat of his criminal empire), rarely leaving the Nocturnal-District, and never consuming anything but blood. It wasn't until he met Lucy that he began to break out of his shell; exploring the surface world and trying new foods with her.
- Soft-Spoken Sadist: Is said to have a very smooth, velvety voice.
- Tragic Villain: He lost his family in an arson attempt and spent the next six years clouded in grief and rage as he hunted down the mammal responsible, only to have his mansion - the only home he'd ever known - fully burn down in a second fire after his master plan was foiled by the ZPD, leaving him with minor injuries and losing him his left eye.
- The Unfettered: When he sets his mind to a goal, that goal will be achieved no matter the cost.
- Unholy Matrimony: Has a happy, healthy relationship with Lucy Sang, a professional thief and assassin.
- Villainous Breakdown: Begins to seriously lose his cool once the ZPD surrounds him during the finale of the third story arc, to the point of setting his own mansion on fire just to distract them, and chasing Nick in a rage-induced fury through the burning hallways.
- What Is This Feeling?: Has trouble deciphering his feelings toward Lucy Sang, taking several chapters before realizing he's in love with her.
- Wicked Cultured: Enjoys music and art, can play the organ, and treats his guests and captives alike to fine food and wine. His sophistication does little to hide his cruelty though.
Other Villains
Lucy Sang
- "There is no greater good! Better to be a free-agent, and work for your own goals!"
A gleefully-sadistic professional thief with a literal thirst for blood, Lucy is a clever crook-for-hire that works with the crime-lords of Zootopia while furthering her own goals. As the mate of Vladzotz Fangpyre - the crime-lord of the Nocturnal-District - she also serves as the second-in-command of the Nocturnal-Mob, collaborating with her mate as partners-in-crime.
- Broken Tears: Breaks down in a fit of rage-induced tears upon her defeat by Judy in chapter 114, "Judy at the Bat", at the thought of going to prison again and being unable to be with Vladzotz. Subverted, given that she escapes soon after.
- Character Development: Begins her role in the story as a lone thief only looking out for herself, but upon meeting and falling in love with Vladzotz, learns to open up with, care for, and share her emotions with others rather than bottling them up behind a confident facade. She even seeks to take a break from crime after her beatdown from Judy in chapter 114.
- Cute and Psycho: Not infrequent to moments of genuine sweetness, alongside violence.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Implied to have one. Elaborated upon in her backstory fanfic, Bloodlines, in which it turns out she was framed by a family friend for the murder of her brother over a scholarship and sent to prison, where she stayed before making her escape.
- Dragon with an Agenda: Aids Al Catpone in his plan for the sole purpose of money and creating chaos in Zootopia to further her freelance thieving business. Inverted, given that her status as the second-in-command of the Nocturnal-Mob, beneath Vladzotz, is a position that she's genuinely happy with, and because she not only loves Vladzotz, but believes in his cause as well, rather than just being in it for the money.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Despite being a sadistic thief, Lucy's compassion for her mate is indisputable.
- The Gadfly: She is prone to saying or doing whatever comes to mind, either because she knows it will get under someone's skin, or because she just doesn't care if it does.
- Hemo Erotic: Has way too much fun drinking mammals dry, sometimes even moaning sensually.
- Hidden Depths: Not only is she an artist in her downtime, but she also enjoys music and poetry, and is a loving mate to Vladzotz Fangpyre.
- I Just Want to Be Loved: Revealed in chapter 114 to be a small, subconscious motivation of hers, having lived a harsh life filled with prison time, trust issues, and emotional pain.
- Informed Attractiveness: Is described in fairly attractive ways.
- Kiss of the Vampire: Engages in "Love-Bites" with her mate, of which are exactly what they sound like, and are considered the highest form of affection in vampire bat culture.
- Living Emotional Crutch: Becomes a noticeably sweeter, better mammal around her mate, Vladzotz, and vice versa.
- Love Epiphany: Realizes that she loves Vladzotz as they play his pipe organ together.
- Psycho for Hire: A vampire bat thief-for-hire with sadistic tendencies.
- Spy Catsuit: Sports a black one like any good female thief.
- Ready for Lovemaking: After a year of growing closer to Vladzotz, the two bats do the deed in chapter 67, "Bad Romance - Part Two", with much passion.Lucy: "I'm all yours."
- The Tease: Loves to tease her mate Vladzotz, mostly because she knows her jokes and hints will more often than not go over his head, with him being too much of a gentlemammal to recognize them.
- Villainous Breakdown: After being defeated by Judy in chapter 114, "Judy at the Bat", Lucy breaks down in rage-induced tears at the thought of going to prison again and being unable to be with Vladzotz. Subverted, given that she escapes soon after.
- Violently Protective Girlfriend: Literally lunges at Al Catpone when he insults both her and Vladzotz in front of them, before Vladzotz holds her back.
Other characters
Ivar Obdenberg
- '"Ivar does not remember any bar fight. He only remembers victory over trash-talking polar bear! Haha!"
A muscular walrus from Tundratown that Nick and Judy meet on their paid vacation.
- Big Fun: Has a very loud and joyful personality, on top of being a huge mammal in general.
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: Is described as having very bushy eyebrows and an equally bushy mustache, too.
- Boisterous Bruiser: He is very boastful, constantly bragging and taunting his boxing opponents.
- Breakout Character: He's had cameos in at least two Zootopia fanfics: Born To Be Drabbles and The Sound Designer.
- Large Ham: He yells half his words and seems to treat everything like some sort of honor duel.
- Meaningful Name: His last name is a reference to the walrus genus, Odobenus.
- Third-Person Person: Consistently refers to himself as "Ivar" when speaking.
- Warm-Hearted Walrus: As a member of the species who is primarily shown as a jolly, affable guy, he definitely qualifies.
