Yusaku Fujiki / Playmaker He's the main protagonist of the series; he is a calm and intelligent 16-year-old high school student. He is secretly working as a hacker and prefers not to stand out in his environment or socializing with others for this reason. As Playmaker, he fought against the Knights of Hanoi to uncover the truth of his past. Ten years before the story, he was kidnapped along with five other children, including Jin, Specter, Theodore, and Miyu. He was imprisoned in a room and forced to duel and win to get nourishment. During those times, he was encouraged by Varis who told him to think of three reasons to live, which made Yusaku develop the habit to state three reasons behind his actions in the present day. He was rescued half a year later, but the incident deeply scarred him. Wanting to put his past behind him, Yusaku became determined to uncover the truth behind his kidnapping. He captured Ai at the beginning of the series and held him hostage during his battles against the Hanoi. In the second season, three months after he defeated Varis and saved LINK VRAINS, however, Queen put a bounty on him despite his heroic actions, as Ai returned to his possession despite Yusaku having freed him prior. Learning that Jin's stolen consciousness was connected to the destruction of Cyberse World, Yusaku became determined to stop the war between humanity and the Ignis; teaming up with Akira Zaizen, Skye, Emma, and the Hanoi. He defeated Bohman and saved humanity, plus everyone was revived. SOL Technologies removed the bounty on him after Ai defeated Queen, he unwillingly fought against his own ally Ai to save SOL Technologies. After he defeated Ai, he went to on a journey in the Network. Why Playmaker went on a journey and what it was for wasn’t made clear.

Ai He was a sneaky A.I. program with free will known as an Ignis. He was sought by both SOL Technologies and the Knights of Hanoi.[3] Five years before the story, when the Knights of Hanoi nearly destroyed Cyberse, the world he came from, Ai sealed his own world to save it from destruction at the cost of being unable to return to Cyberse. In the process, he was devoured by Cracking Dragon, causing him to lose the majority of his memories. In his escape attempt, Yusaku trapped him inside his Duel Disk to use him as leverage against the Knights of Hanoi. After capturing him, Yusaku names him "Ai" as a pun on how he was an AI program and how he was an eyeball at the time. It was later revealed that he was actually created ten years ago by Dr. Kogami during the Lost Incident, and that he was based on Yusaku. His story about losing his memories was a lie as to prevent Yusaku questioning him. After Varis was defeated, Ai returned to the Cyberse World, only to find it destroyed, which led him to return to Yusaku's side and once again work alongside Playmaker after learning the destruction of Cyberse World and Jin's stolen consciousness were connected. He freed himself from Playmaker’s Duel Disk and sacrificed himself, but returned thanks to the backup he put in Roboppy.

Skye Zaizen / Blue Angel / Blue Gal / Blue Girl / Blue Maiden She’s one of Yusaku's classmates, and a member of the duel club. As Blue Angel, she was a Celebrity Duelist, and a popular duel idol. While she appears cool on the outside as Blue Angel, her personality drastically changed to be more active. She is the younger step-sister of Akira Zaizen, the head of security of SOL Technologies. As Akira rarely came home from work, Skye became determined to use her career as a Celebrity Duelist to gain recognition from Akira. After being Deleted during a duel with Playmaker, Skye realized how much her step-brother cared for her, and she was torn between following her step-brother's request to never enter LINK VRAINS and her own wish to continue duel. After being provoked by Emma, Skye decided to enter LINK VRAINS again and managed to defeat Baira, gaining Akira's recognition by freeing the Deleted, but was defeated by Specter. In the second season, she became Ghost Gal's partner in investigating the Ignis. Skye created a new avatar named Blue Gal that she used whenever she was on missions with Ghost Gal. She joined Playmaker's side in the Ignis War to stop Lightning's plans; saving Aqua from Shepherd. She has a childhood friend named Miyu, who she met ten years prior to the series. She learned that Lightning infected Miyu with a computer virus and put her in a coma. After teaming up with Aqua, she changed her avatar again to Blue Maiden. She fought to save Miyu. She uses a Trickstar Deck that focuses on Link Summoning and effect damage. After Playmaker defeated Bohman, she was revived. She visited Miyu in the hospital. Her ace monster is Trickstar Holly Angel. In Season 2, she mastered Fusion Summoning.

George Gore / The Gore He was a famous Celebrity Duelist. He was raised in an orphanage when he was little, so he worked hard as a Celebrity Duelist to repay his debt to the orphanage. Gore was admired by the children of the orphanage until Playmaker gained their admiration following his victory against a Knight of Hanoi. Since then, Gore considered Playmaker his rival. To regain the hearts of his fans, The Gore lured Playmaker into a trap and dueled him. Although he lost, his dueling managed to win back the hearts of the children from the orphanage. He joined Playmaker in battling the Knights of Hanoi; defeating Dr. Genome after Genome attacked one of his friends and even challenging Varis, but he lost. In the second season, he threw away his reputation as a Celebrity Duelist, and became a bounty hunter to hunt down Playmaker for SOL Technologies, as he wishes to regain his former glory. He gave his Gouki deck to Kenji and Yozaka. He served as an antagonist after going through experimentation under Queen, defeating Earth and having his data implanted inside his brain. He returned to his normal self sometime after his 2nd duel with Playmaker, he almost realized what kind of abomination that he become because of the experimentation. He was erased after losing to Ai. After Playmaker defeated Ai, he was revived and did manage return to his former glory.

Theodore Hamilton / Soulburner True to his persona, Theodore is a fiery passionate duelist who views dueling as a way to regain himself, after losing a part of himself because of the experiments done to him by the Hanoi Knights. He is brave, smart and fierce during duels, but regrets that he did not go after the Hanoi Knights like Playmaker did. Even though he knows that the Hanoi Knights are gone, Theodore sees SOL Technologies as being equally culpable to the suffering caused by the Hanoi Project. As a result, Theodore has a deep hatred towards the Hanoi Project for causing the death of his parents, even going as far as blindly challenging Varis to a duel despite the latter's genuine interest in working together. Theodore views The Gore, Blue Angel and Playmaker as heroes for stopping the Tower of Hanoi, and respects them, to the point where he learned their real world identities (even though he is bad at programming and hacking). He becomes thrilled when he gets to Duel them, regardless of their intentions. Occasionally, Theodore shows a lack of confidence in himself and what he is doing, so he counts on Flame to give him advice on his next move. After moving to Den City, Theodore has become polite and less rude. As a result of his torturous experience on the Hanoi Project, Theodore had a crippling fear of "Despair from the Dark" a monster that would regularly cause him nightmarish times, both figuratively and literally and that became the symbol of every torment he endured. Thanks to Flame, he was able to overcome his trauma and no longer daunted by the Zombie Monster. Theodore has also shown to have a sense of justice as he vowed to defeat Windy in order to avenge his partner and when he promised to defeat Bohman and Lightning to avenge Kolter.

Ryoken Kogami Varis / Revolver He's the leader of the Knights of Hanoi, he was the main antagonist of the first season and Playmaker's main rival. His goal was to destroy the "Cyberse". Varis was distrusting of the Internet, believing that it was merely a world of fiction, and was willing to destroy the Cyberse by any means. After Playmaker's third duel with Bohman, Varis became allies with Playmaker, though he wanted to duel Yusaku as Playmaker again and later apologized to Theodore as Soulburner because of his father's past actions. After his duel with Lightning, he was erased. After Playmaker defeated Bohman, he was revived. Varis uses a Rokket Deck, and his ace monster is Borreload Dragon. In Season 2, he mastered Synchro and Xyz Summoning.

Specter He's Varis' right-hand man; he was one of the six children who was kidnapped in the Lost Incident. Unlike the others, Specter enjoyed the time he spent during the captivity, feeling that he was being tested and needed by someone for bigger purpose. He was an orphan, abandoned ever since he was a baby. He had difficulty connecting with people, leaving him alone and bored with society until the Lost Incident occurred. After the incident ended, Specter felt lonelier when he was returned to the orphanage and decided to run away, going back to where he was being held captive. This led him being found by Varis who invited him to join Knights of Hanoi. Since then, Specter became unquestioningly loyal to Varis and will fulfill his wishes at all cost, even showing cruelty to whoever dare to defy the Hanoi. Despite being on opposing sides, Specter felt really bad for the death of Earth, his Ignis. When he was defeated by Lightning, he was erased. After Playmaker defeated Bohman, he was revived. He was erased after losing to a copy of Ai. After Playmaker defeated Ai, he was revived.

Kiyoshi Kogami He was the founder of the Knights of Hanoi, the creator of the Ignis, and Varis's father. Ten years before the story, he kidnapped six children for the purpose of a plan called the Hanoi Project, which led to the creation of the Ignis. Seven years before the story he apparently died, but his consciousness somehow still remained in LINK VRAINS with Roken taking care of his body in the real world. He died after Playmaker and Varis' third duel, just before his death, he entrusted his son to kill the Ignis he created, believing them a threat to humanity. It was later revealed that Lightning infected him.

Faust He's one of Varis's childhood friends, he is determined to follow him to the end, even if branded a criminal. After Genome and Baira lost and were purged, Aso kidnapped Shima whom he mistook as Playmaker's ally after he saw him using Cyberse Wizard and successfully lured Playmaker into dueling him. He lost and was also purged like Genome and Baira. After the end of the Tower of Hanoi, he recovered. He was erased after losing to a copy of Ai. After Playmaker defeated Ai, he was revived.

Dr. Genome Ten years before the present, Dr. Genome was one of Dr. Kogami's assistants who helped him plan and execute the Hanoi Project. Together with Kogami, Aso, and Clarissa Turner, he helped create the Ignis - six AI with free will based on the Lost Incident victims and the Duel Monsters attributes. When Lightning infected Dr. Kogami with a computer virus to cover up the Hanoi Project, he helped recreate his consciousness inside the network, faithfully serving as a Knight of Hanoi ever since. Genome uses a Helixx Deck. After losing to The Gore, he was purged by Varis, he recovered after the end of the Tower of Hanoi. He was erased after losing to a copy of Ai. After Playmaker defeated Ai, he was revived.

Akira Zaizen He was the Security Manager of SOL Technologies and Skye's older step-brother, who was after Ai in order to find the Cyberse world and save the company. He lived together with Skye but rarely came home due to his work. After Playmaker's Duel against Varis where he overheard of an incident that happened 10 years ago caused by SOL Technologies, Zaizen was demoted from his position and seeks to find out the truth. After the downfall of Hanoi, he got his original position back as Security Manager. He was forced to hire a bounty hunter team by Queen to capture Playmaker. He was once a Bounty Hunter who worked alongside Ghost Gal and Shepherd three years prior to the series. His consciousness was taken by Bohman, but he stopped the Neuron Link just after his consciousness was taken. After Playmaker defeated Bohman, he was revived.

Emma Bessho She's a Cyber Treasure Hunter who steals information and sells it for profit. She accepted jobs from anyone, most frequently Zaizen or SOL Technologies, as long as she received high payment for her service. Getting curious of SOL Technologies and Ignis, Emma challenged Playmaker to a Duel by using the backdoor of SOL Tech's databank as the prize if he won against her. When she lost, she decided to team up with Zaizen to infiltrate SOL Technologies with Playmaker as distraction. Despite stating she only worked for someone who can pay her, she still often helps Zaizen and Skye. After losing to Varis, she was the first victim to be absorbed into the Tower of Hanoi. She was revived when Playmaker defeated Varis and saved LINK VRAINS. In the second season, she was offered a job as bounty hunter to pursue Playmaker, but she refused as she owed Playmaker her life. She was a mercenary who worked alongside Akira Zaizen and Shepherd three years prior to the series, also learning that Shepard is her older half-brother. Her consciousness was taken by Bohman. After Playmaker defeated Bohman, she was revived. She and Shepherd both dueled Roboppy, But they were both beaten by him and were erased soon after. After Playmaker defeated Ai, she was revived.

Cal Kolter He’s a hacker and Yusaku's ally who helped him in his fight against the Knights of Hanoi in order to save his younger brother, Jin, who was also a victim of the Lost Incident ten years ago. It was suggested that he knew something about a mysterious group of people who used to ride the Data Storm and who seemed to have recognized the Data Storm when Ai manifests one, he was erased after losing to Playmaker. After Playmaker defeated Bohman, he was revived. His brother Jin now works at his food truck.

Jin Kolter According to Yusaku, after being rescued from Hanoi Project, Jin developed intense PTSD and even now he is still suffering from PTSD. Since the events of the Lost Incident, he has become withdrawn, reserved and closed of his heart from the world. Jin seems to have a hard time talking even to his older brother. Unlike Kolter, Jin appears to be a very stoic and a distant person and is often seen with a dull emotionless expression. As a child based on the picture of him and prior to getting kidnapped for Hanoi Project, he appeared to be cheerful and outgoing. Since his brother uncovered the truth about Jin's abduction and revealed it to him, Jin has begun showing signs of recovering, talking more with his brother and doctors. As of Season 3, Kolter reveals that Jin lost his memories of the Lost Incident due to Lightning converting a portion of Jin's consciousness into extra LP. With no longer being burdened by the emotionally crippling events, reverting Jin back to his original, jovial self. Biography

Kenneth Drayden Kenneth was once a driven but benevolent and positive man who prioritized his mother's happiness above all else until the night an AI malfunctioned and derailed his entire life. Even before this incident, Kenneth had a shred of darkness in his heart due to his resentment of his father abandoning for him and his mother. Since then, he has become a cold-hearted man. One of few words, he prefers to handle things as quickly as possible. His previous drive is still as apparent as ever, but now made him a very dangerous and persistent man which earned him quite an infamy, as he has been known to never let any of his prey evade him, and pursues them with relentless tenacity, and ruthless fervency. He is fairly materialistic and doesn't concern himself with anything that doesn't yield him any personal reward. He openly believes that personal feelings are irrelevant when compared to one's mission, as he chastised Emma for not going after Playmaker, believing that view made him a true professional. He is extremely amoral in his methods, noted to use any and all means available to successfully complete his mission. He shows no loyalty to others as he is willing to use any "teammate" he is working with as bait or as a tool to get himself any advantage if possible, even if means endangering them greatly. He is, however, not above saving them if it proves too dangerous, after they served their purpose. He is very dishonest and manipulative, constantly using lies and traps to deceive his enemies.

Flame Flame is a small digital humanoid being. When not in a solid form, his body is red prism-like data. Like Ai, a fellow Ignis, Flame has markings over his black body, which is tinted red, in red flame shaped markings and thicker lines than the lines on Ai's body. He has yellow eyes that are semi-oval, giving him a more mature appearance. His body is notably more slender than Ai's body with more boot like feet and wisps on his head that resemble the flicks of a flame. In stature, Flame is one of the taller Ignis, being the same height as Ai and shorter than Earth. When overexcited, he becomes a fire demon, but he doesn't enlarge. When peering out of Theodore's Duel Disk, he takes an eye form nearly identical to Ai's. The lines are red and the iris is the same yellow as his eyes.

Windy He was one of the six Ignis, the "Wind Ignis". He was defeated by Varis and infected with a virus, when he recovered, he looked horrible, when he was defeated by Soulburner, he was incinerated by Lightning, his Data was transferred into Flame. He and Flame have been absorbed by Bohman. It was later revealed that he had no evil personality and that he had the chance to co-exist with humanity, until Lightning manipulated him. He was nothing but a pawn to Lightning. After Bohman was defeated, he was erased. He uses a Stormrider deck that focuses on Field Spells and controlling no cards in his Spell & Trap Zones.

Earth He was one of the six Ignis, the "Earth Ignis", who was based on Specter. He had feelings for Aqua, when he was beaten by The Gore, he was captured, and then he was dissected by Queen. His data was implanted inside The Gore, and his monster G Golem Crystal Heart was corrupted. After Playmaker's second duel with The Gore, Ai retrieved G Golem Crystal Heart and gave it back to Aqua. He and Aqua were both absorbed by Bohman. After Bohman was defeated, he was erased. He uses a G Golem deck focused on protecting Crystal Heart.

Aqua She was one of the six Ignis, the "Water Ignis" and also the sub-leader of them. She was based on Miyu. She had the ability to tell the differences between truth and lies. She was imprisoned by Lightning, until Earth broke her out. When Shepard was about to kill her, Blue Gal rescued her, and told her about Miyu. She teamed up with Blue Maiden in the fight against Lightning. After Playmaker's second duel with The Gore, Ai retrieved G Golem's Crystal Heart and gave it back to her. She gave her deck to Skye. She along with Earth were absorbed by Bohman. After Bohman was defeated, she was erased.

Lightning He was one of the six Ignis, the "Light Ignis" and also the leader of them. He was based on Jin Kolter. He was cool and calm, but too smart so no one knew what he was thinking at all. He was the main antagonist of the second season; he was responsible for destroying the Cyberse World, because it was to clarify all problems so things can progress, and he worked alongside Windy, until he incinerated him for losing to Soulburner. He imprisoned Aqua until Earth saved her, manipulated Windy, used him as a pawn, traumatized Jin, and infected both Dr. Kogami and Miyu with computer viruses. Queen shared his goals to create a high performance Ignis. After his duel with Varis, he was absorbed by Bohman. After Bohman was defeated, he was erased. He uses an Armatos Legio deck that is heavily focused on swarming the field.

Bohman He was a third generation AI created by Lightning as a vessel to unify all of the Ignis into one perfect body. In Season 2, he served as an secondary antagonist, stealing Jin's consciousness. He became the main antagonist after Lightning’s death. He uses a Hydradrive deck focused on anti-Attribute tactics, and can use Storm Access. He absorbed Flame, Windy, Earth, Aqua and Lightning, and he erased Blue Maiden, Soulburner and Jin Kolter. In his 4th duel with Playmaker, he can use Master Storm Access, after being defeated by Playmaker, he was erased.