History Characters / TheSpectrumGame

* ManipulativeBitch: Has Grant's fear-sowing technique perfected to an art form. Through conversational threats, genuine punishments and her ruthless demeanour, she builds up an image of a terrifying kingpin with no remorse, spreading fear in the hearts of all of Erdeland and playing on this fear to get people to do as she wants.

* DumbMuscle: Is up there with Valerie and Kotoba as one of the book's best duellists, and is otherwise rather ditzy.
* EvilRedhead: Affable as he is, he's still a willing enforcer of Kotoba's will, and he has red hair.

* SmarterThanYouLook: While seeming like a simpleminded ditz, Creed is a lot sharper than most give him credit for. Not only does he quickly catch on to the fact that Grant is hiding something, but his role within Libera requires plenty of brains - he gives insights on Kotoba's plans, and his picking fights with Libera's targets is done in the name of gathering combat data, showing he is incredibly observant.

* FatalFlaw: Of all things, being a NeatFreak, though this mainly applies in battle. Grant values his image and cleanliness, and can be easily distracted if that is compromised. Inigo exploits this by shooting water at him and pelting him with debris, allowing him further opportunities to attack.

* TheSociopath: Grant is incredibly manipulative, both of his daughter and of the entirety of Ruben. He kills without remorse and has no reaction whatsoever to his vile deeds. He is very arrogant, too, viewing his victims like "rats" to be crushed at any opportunity, and his need for stimulation shows itself in his unmistakably ''bored'' demeanour when not actively doing something evil.

* TurbulentPriest: Devout follower of the Two Dei, and is one of the few citizens of Ruben actively doing anything about their town's situation.

* SoreLoser: ''Hates'' the fact that Inigo survived their first encounter and his subsequent attempts to get him killed, to the point that he continually expends resources just to get him to stop. Realising this is what allows Inigo to ultimately defeat him at the end of ''Ocean of Hues''.

* FauxAffablyEvil: Kotoba has a perennially calm demeanour and a polite way of speaking, which she barely sheds even as she's ordering evil deeds or dishing out punishments - even the cruel ones, making her moments of genuine anger even scarier. [[spoiler:As it turns out, though, on the inside she's more genuinely AffablyEvil, intentionally putting on a more intimidating front for her underlings to make them fear her. In truth, she is highly respectful of her enemies for having the courage to defy her.]]

!Spectrums

The central protagonists of the Spectrum Game, and the ones whose viewpoint we see the book through most often.

* ActionGirl: Azurine, Scarlett, Minori and especially Valerie fall into this, being just as capable as the men, with Valerie being considered one of the strongest characters in the story alongside Iago.
* AnimalMotifs: Inigo, Iago, Azurine, Silas and Scarlett have motifs of crows, goats, wolves, horses and peacocks, respectively, as is reflected in their associated constellations. Minori, despite having a compass as her constellation, is given a slight snake motif before her HeelFaceTurn.
* BalancePowerSkillGimmick: They are split rather evenly in this vein. Makoto and Valerie are Balance, with Valerie being a StrongAndSkilled MagicallyIneptFighter while Makoto is a MagicKnight who can [[TheRedMage do a bit of everything]]. Iago and Azurine are Power, as both of them tend to focus on dealing as much damage as possible, with Iago relying on heavy magical hits and Azurine making use of MoreDakka. Silas and Minori are Skill, mainly making use of supportive tactics through Silas' impenetrable defense and Minori's summons serving as an excellent diversion. Inigo and Scarlett are Gimmick, with an emphasis on debuffing enemies and buffing allies respectively, and their DanceBattler fighting styles making for rather unconventional combat.
* BeautyBrainsAndBrawn:
** Scarlett (Beauty), Minori (Brains) and Valerie (Brawn), respectively, with Azurine having a bit of all three, leaning mainly on Brains.
** For the men, it's Iago (Beauty), Inigo (Brains) and Silas (Brawn), respectively. Makoto falls into a secondary Brawn instead of fitting all three.
* ColorCodedCharacters: As colors are a motif in the story, each of the characters has a color associated with them. Also doubles as a RainbowMotif.
** Inigo: Shades of purple in general. Seems to have settled on Violet as of ''Book of Order'' Chapter 34.
** Iago: Black
** Azurine: Blue
** Silas: Yellow
** Makoto: Orange
** Minori: Indigo
** Scarlett: Red
** Valerie: Green
* CombatAndSupport: Iago, Azurine, Minori and Valerie specialise in combat, and their Partners, Inigo, Silas, Makoto and Scarlett, focus on supporting them.
* CombinationAttack: Partners can make use of these through Resonance, which allows them to unleash a powerful one equal in strength to a LimitBreak.
* DysfunctionJunction: The Spectrums are all tragic in one way or another, but some of them are implied to have genuine mental problems because of their pasts. It's most blatant in the cases of Inigo, Scarlett, Iago and Minori.
* ElementalMotifs:
** Inigo is associated with '''Water'''. His predicament is commonly referred to as him “drowning in a sea of [his] own identity”, and swimming and drowning are motifs generally used in association with him. His main colour besides purple is [[WaterIsBlue blue]], too, and he wields the element of Ice in battle. He is known for his adaptability and flexibility regarding tactics, and his personality is fairly easygoing, but also very moody.
** Iago is associated with '''Darkness'''. He entered the Spectrum Game under the God of Darkness and he wears black all over, complete with black hair. He wields the element directly in battle, and he bears an association with secrets, lies, demons (and fallen angels) and death. Personality-wise, he is a shifty schemer with a somewhat wonky moral compass.
** Scarlett is associated with '''Fire'''. She is played up as a contrast to the water-associated Inigo, has [[FireIsRed motifs involving the colour red]], such as her name and the colour of her clothing, and wields the element directly. Her narration sometimes references fire and heat, and she makes the odd fire pun outside of it, too. Personality-wise, she is fiery, passionate and one of the more sensual characters, but is also [[FireOfComfort very nurturing]].
** Azurine is associated with '''Light'''. She entered the Spectrum Game under the God of Light and her {{Tarot Motif|s}} is The Sun, in addition to [[spoiler:using the code name 'Solar' to anonymously contact Kotoba]]. She is put in direct opposition with the Darkness-associated Iago, and her personality is very bright, cheerful and optimistic.
** Silas is associated with '''Earth'''. He wields the element in battle, and [[MightyGlacier his stats]] reflect the element very well. He entered the Game looking to find a solid, stable ground for his mother to rest on. Personality-wise, he is stable and reliable, being very grounded in reality but occasionally rather slow.
* ElementalPowers: All of them, save for [[NonElemental Valerie]], can harness the powers of the elements to aid them in battle, having one primary element and one secondary one each, for the most part.
** Inigo uses [[AnIcePerson Ice]] primarily and [[CastingAShadow Shadow]] secondarily. Being an Adept, he also has [[MindOverMatter psychokinesis]].
** Iago uses [[CastingAShadow Shadow]] primarily and [[GreenThumb Plant]] secondarily.
** Azurine uses [[ShockAndAwe Lightning]] primarily and [[MakingASplash Water]] secondarily.
** Silas uses [[DishingOutDirt Earth]] primarily and [[PlayingWithFire Fire]] secondarily.
** Scarlett uses [[PlayingWithFire Fire]] primarily, though her second element has yet to be seen. As an Adept, she can also make use of [[MagicDance enchanted dances]].
** Makoto uses [[LightEmUp Light]] primarily and [[ShockAndAwe Lightning]] secondarily, with AuraVision as his Adept ability.
** Minori uses [[PowerOfTheVoid Void]] primarily and [[MakingASplash Water]] secondarily, with [[SummonMagic summoning]] as her Adept ability.
* EnlightenmentSuperpowers: How Fortunae work. At a moment of deep pondering or distress, they are taken to the realm of their chosen god, where they come to an understanding, and gain a power boost as a result. So far, this has happened with Inigo, Silas, Makoto, Minori and Scarlett.
* FighterMageThief: In combat, Silas and Valerie are pure Fighters, with Silas being a [[BarrierWarrior defensive]] MightyGlacier while Valerie is an [[LightningBruiser offensive bruiser]] with [[MagicallyIneptFighter no elemental magic]]. Makoto is a Fighter/Mage, being half WhiteMage, as his swordplay, though basic, is effective with emphasis on SpellBlade attacks, and he's the best healer of the bunch. Minori and Iago are pure Mages, with Minori being TheMinionMaster with puppets and elementals at her command, while Iago is a straightforward BlackMage with a powerful {{Familiar}} at his side. Inigo is a Mage/Thief, being half BlackMage, as he specialises in crippling foes through {{Status Infliction Attack}}s and swift, dance-like melee attacks. Azurine is a pure Thief, as she fights at a distance with her gun, which she uses to supplement her magic. Scarlett is a Thief/Fighter, as she is a close-ranged DanceBattler with a spear, who also uses her magic dances to buff herself and her allies.
* FirstPersonSmartass: Though Inigo is the main offender here, all of them can get delightfully snarky when it's their turn to narrate. Even otherwise non-snarky characters like Makoto get their chance.
* FourPhilosophyEnsemble:
** The Cynic: Inigo. In a cast of characters genuinely believing or hoping things will turn out well, Inigo stands out as being the only true pessimist. He is quick to assume the worst case scenario, and generally doesn't believe in blind faith. This does at least make him a highly practical and down-to-earth thinker, but can lead to him choosing inaction because he is too scared of things turning out poorly.
** The Optimist: Azurine and Makoto. These two are the single most idealistic Spectrums in the story, with Azurine being genuinely sure everything will turn out fine, while Makoto, despite not always believing, will never fail to at least have ''hope''. They have a lot of determination, but it can also lead to naivete on their part, as they often genuinely don't consider the downsides.
** The Realist: Silas and Scarlett. These two have their fair share of optimism, but they also tend to approach situations with more caution than Azurine or Makoto, and they give both the upsides and downsides of any given situation enough thought to give a nuanced take on said situation, which is why Inigo generally relies on the two of them (particularly Scarlett) for confiding in his plans.
** The Apathetic: Iago and Minori. While at first glance, they look like an Optimist and a Cynic respectively, they are mainly driven by their own, more self-centred goals - stopping Apex and Libera in Iago's case, and atoning for her past in Minori's. As such, their goal-oriented natures lead them to look at situations from a purely objective viewpoint.
** The Conflicted: Valerie. She stands out because unlike the other characters, she is mostly a highly ''in''decisive character, as she is constantly second-guessing herself and her thoughts. She looks at scenarios objectively, but usually casts doubt on herself and defers to others to reassure herself.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble:
** The four male Spectrums can be divided in this manner. Silas is Sanguine, being cheerful, clownish and thick-skinned, Iago is Choleric, being arrogant, ambitious and a massive chatterbox, Inigo is Melancholic, being analytical, rational and pessimistic, and Makoto is Phlegmatic, being timid, idealistic and highly ethical.
** The four females can be sorted accordingly, too. Scarlett is Sanguine, being perky, flirty and fun-loving, Azurine is Choleric, being confident, hardworking and quick to anger, Minori is Melancholic, being stoic, snarky and remorseful, and Valerie is Phlegmatic, being indifferent, lazy and internally-conflicted.
* NiceGuy: Fundamentally, most of them are this. Azurine is incredibly outgoing and friendly, Silas gives emotional support to most anyone who needs it, Makoto can be shy but generally tries to be nice, and Scarlett tends to be kind even to those who are meant to be enemies. Even the seemingly-jerkish Inigo and Valerie are [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold nice on the inside]]. Iago is an AffablyEvil schemer who is nice to his friends, and while Minori was a smug {{Jerkass}} initially, she becomes more polite following her HeelFaceTurn.
* SpannerInTheWorks: With Silas and Azurine being complete outsiders to the conflict, Iago having been passive until recently, and Inigo having lost his memories, nobody really ''expected'' any of them to get involved in the Apex-Libera feud. But they do, and they end up making a massive impact.
* ThreeFacesOfEve: The women fall into this mold. Minori, post CharacterDevelopment, is the calm, dutiful Wife, while Scarlett (of the “overtly sexual” variant) and Valerie (of the “tough but sexy” variant) are two different molds of the Seductress. Finally, Azurine, with her short stature and near-childish personality, falls into the Child.
* TrademarkFavouriteFood: Silas likes fruit, Azurine has a thing for black coffee, Scarlett likes cheesecake and Iago has a fondness for anything black. Inigo, Makoto and Minori all like pancakes (vegan ones in Makoto's case), particularly the ones served at Adrian's Hole.
* WhiteAndGreyMorality: Even the more villainous of the lot are sympathetic enough to fall into 'Grey' for the most part, though Minori did start off as Black before sliding into it. Consistently, Azurine and Silas are White, while Makoto, Iago and later Minori are Grey. Scarlett and Valerie's development involves them shifting from Grey to White, while Inigo's has him transitioning to [[PragmaticHero a space between the two]].

[[folder:Inigo Lenahan]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/inigo_lenahan_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''Despair: Drowning in a sea of his own confusion and misery.'']]

--> ''"What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word 'confusion'?"''

--> ''He searches. The Magician, who seeks the truth.''
--> ''Drowning in the sea of his dubious identity.''
--> ''True or false? He knows not. The magician seeks the answer.''
--> ''Beneath a mask of pride lies confusion and despair.''
--> ''An absolution is all he asks for, but he cannot find it.''

The central protagonist of the story, and the one whose perspective we open the book in. He is an amnesiac, who is currently on a quest to recover his lost memories. On the way, he is essentially [[KidnappedByTheCall forced to join the Spectrum Game]], with Iago as his partner.

* AgentPeacock: Though not as blatantly flamboyant as Iago, Inigo has effeminate looks and a refined dress sense. He is also a skilled fighter, knowing a real-world martial art.
* ArcWords: "Freedom", "Water" and "Make the impossible possible" are all words associated with him and his arc.
* AmbiguouslyBi: When Makoto teasingly accuses him of having a girlfriend, his response is a stoic, somewhat amused denial. When he then asks if he has a boyfriend instead, Inigo responds…in largely the same way, suggesting that there is no preference either way.
* AmnesiacHero: He's TheHero, and he has no memories. Do the math.
* AmnesiacDissonance: Most of the memories he regains are related to his time as a member of Apex, where he did some straight-up nasty things. [[IHatePastMe He's not proud of it]].
* AmnesiacResonance: He only really lost memories pertaining to himself and his past experiences. Any facts and processes he learned beforehand, he remembered.
* AntiHero: At worst. Inigo consistently has good intentions behind everything he does, but sometimes this includes shifty actions like lying and manipulating those around him, and at one point, he intentionally breaks Minori's mind to build her character. Generally, he falls into the Disney variant, but isn't afraid to go Pragmatic if it helps him achieve his goal.
* BarrierWarrior: One of his first and most iconic spells is Giving Shield, a barrier that steals buffs from those who attack him while it's up.
* BatmanGambit: Can pull one off when needed, with the best example to date being Minori's redemption. Through study of Makoto and Minori's characters, he knew exactly what to say to dismantle the latter's worldview, causing her grip on reality to slip, and then drew out the ensuing fight (mocking her all the while) until Makoto arrived to see him dead to rights. Makoto, with a bit of goading from Inigo, [[RageBreakingPoint absolutely flipped out]], attacking her and ripping into her about everything he hates about her until the depths of her screwups sunk in and she felt an intense remorse from it. This was, naturally, all according to plan.
* ByronicHero: Was definitely this at the beginning, being an intellectual and cunning yet self-centered and introspective man, whose cynical outlooks stemmed from the identity crisis he has from his amnesia, and his desire to uncover the truth. He still fits most of the checkmarks, but quickly grew out of the selfishness characteristic of this trope, while instead developing a strong freedom-based philosophy that drives him to oppose the villains of the story.
* CaneFu: Wields a cane in battle. It doesn't seem to have any special powers, which stops it from being a MagicStaff.
* CharacterDevelopment:
** Started out hating/being irritated by Apex and Libera when he initially met Makoto and Scarlett, but actually getting to know them leads to him becoming more sympathetic to their groups as a whole.
** Goes from a glum pessimist to being much more assertive in his actions and opinions. While the gloominess is still there, the pessimism has festered long enough to turn him into a DeterminedDefeatist.
* CelibateHero: Has flat-out stated that he isn't presently interested in a romantic relationship. Given his ShipTease with both Iago ''and'' Scarlett, and his reacting to Makoto's accusations of him having a girlfriend and boyfriend the exact same way, it is implied his orientation is 'bisexual, but uninterested'.
* TheChessmaster: Inigo is quite a skilled planner, masterminding several events such as Minori's redemption and the attack on Libera's fortress, all of which end up in success.

* CosmicPlaything: He believes that the gods hate him. Considering that they keep bringing back the [[ArchEnemy King Slime]], he may be onto something.
* CreativeSterility: Subverted. He's shown numerous times to be quite an inside-the-box thinker, but as numerous moments have proven, this is more out of habit than uncreativity.
* CreepyCrows: Downplayed. Crows are his {{animal motif|s}}, and he's a CreepyGood AntiHero.

* DarkIsNotEvil: Inigo has powers over darkness and is associated somewhat with death. While a bit of an AntiHero at worst, he always means well and is generally a good person. His second outfit makes it even clearer, as he wears darker shades of purple than before, incorporates the colour black, and makes use of [[AnimalMotifs crow imagery]], while still being a better person than he was at the start of the story.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: While occupying Scarlett meant he stopped her from helping Valerie and Makoto defeat Iago, it ''also'' meant he couldn't help ''him'' defeat ''them''. Naturally, Iago lost, and ended up kidnapped as a result.
* DissonantSerenity: Sometimes, his BlackComedy moves into downright ''disturbing'' territory, during which he ''still'' refuses to change his facial expression. Makoto even lampshades it when the two are discussing what's taking Silas and Azurine so long in getting ready.
--> '''Inigo:''' They're probably sacrificing babies on an altar, knowing them. Maybe they're praying to a fertility god.
--> '''Makoto:''' ...silently?
--> '''Inigo:''' Yeah. Slow cuts, closed mouths, steady breathing, mouthing your prayers and chloroform. All put together, you can do this without making so much as a sound.
--> '''Makoto (narrating):''' It was almost impressive, the stuff he could say with a completely neutral expression.
* DrinkBasedCharacterization: He has the personality of a typical coffee drinker, but he prefers very sweet tea. In fact, he ''hates'' coffee, which suggests that beneath his cold exterior lies a genuinely kind person.
* ExtremityExtremist: Kicks are a staple of his fighting style, but you will ''never'' see him punch. Even when Violet Umbra isn't occupying his hands.
* FatalFlaw: '''[[TheCynic Pessimism]]'''. Inigo's most persistent character flaw is his lack of hope. If something isn't bound to go right, he'd rather not try at all. This trait of his is what caused him to dither on saving Iago for an entire month, and it also played a part in his allowing Iago to shoot Kotoba's eye out. He's working on it, but going by the latter, it's clearly not entirely gone yet.
* {{Foil}}: To Minori. They seem similar at first glance, being outwardly stoic and intelligent individuals, but looking at them more deeply, they couldn’t be more different if they tried. Minori champions logic to an almost fanatical extent, but is incredibly arrogant and lacks self-awareness, making her come across as being highly ''un''intelligent, and while she claims to love Makoto, she doesn’t account for his feelings at all, [[ItsAllAboutMe making it all about herself]] and her own view on their relationship. Inigo doesn’t talk about logic or intelligence much, but unlike her, he actually ‘’is’’ logical, and is acutely and painfully aware of his shortcomings, making him deeply insecure as a result, and though he doesn’t show it explicitly, he truly does see Makoto as a friend, and treats him like one to the best of his ability.
* FragileSpeedster: Low Defense, below-average Strength and just barely average Intelligence. This is balanced out by his high Speed and incredible Luck.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Literary example, but Inigo's Intelligence stat is fairly low while his Luck is very high, even though [[TheChessmaster everything]] [[CosmicPlaything else]] we've seen thus far seems to suggest the opposite.
* TheGoodTheBadAndTheEvil: Throughout ''Book of Order'', he is the Good to Iago's Bad and Kotoba's Evil, being the hero of the story and the one resorting to the least extremes to get the job done.
* HamAndDeadpanDuo: The Deadpan to Iago and Scarlett's Hams. Downplayed, but still present with Makoto as well.
* HiddenDepths: On more than one occasion, he has exhibited a strangely intimate knowledge of the Ten Amendments, despite his otherwise anti-authoritarian streak.
* HollywoodAutism: Averted. He is a very realistic, non-stereotypical portrayal of an autistic individual, even if his autism is mild.
* InsaneTrollLogic: Inigo is usually a genuinely logical person, which makes his (granted, likely ironic) 'justification' for stealing from the Libera soldiers he defeats stand out;
--> '''Inigo:''' [...]I'd decided that leaving that many Libera soldiers lying around could be dangerous. They could end up robbed by some scoundrel. So I decided that I’d prevent that by robbing them first.
* InsufferableGenius: Subverted. He's very intelligent, and also a bit of an asshole, but he never looks down on others for being less intelligent than him.
* IronicNickname: His 'Red Joker' title is this [[GeniusBonus when taken at face value]], as not only is he TheStoic, but his {{Color Motif|s}} is purple.
* {{Irony}}:
** As the story shows, Inigo has an [[PhotographicMemory impeccable memory]], able to remember minute details of past conversations and moments. This is perfectly consistent if we are to assume his frequent bungling of Basil's name is a case of MaliciousMisnaming. He is also suffering from LaserGuidedAmnesia.
** Despite not being entirely aware of his past self, Inigo was the first out of himself, Iago and Valerie to distance himself enough from it for his Remnant to change form (from knives to hands in his case).
** [[spoiler:Throughout Book of Order, he is fighting Libera to save Iago. At the end, though, he's fighting Iago to save Libera]].
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He can be a bit of an asshole at times, even to his friends, but he truly cares about them and about doing the right thing. From ''Book of Order'' onwards, this is somewhat downplayed, as he begins to veer closer into WellIntentionedExtremist territory while simultaneously becoming more polite, often seeming more like an AffablyEvil villain, but he can still be a bit of a smartass while still having good intentions in all he does, so he still qualifies.
* KungFuWizard: He's more of a martial artist when it comes to fighting in melee, but he's a mage first and foremost.
* TheLeader: Leads the Spectrums in saving Iago from Kotoba's fortress. Definitely falls under the Mastermind type, with elements of Levelheaded.
* LightHairedSwimmer: Played with. He has white hair, but the 'swimming' is purely metaphorical.
* LightIsGood: Wears pale clothing and has white hair, but is one of the good guys, being an AntiHero at worst. It's worth noting he only fits this trope design-wise. Thematically, he's more of a fit for DarkIsNotEvil.
* LightningWindJuxtaposition: The Wind to Makoto's Lightning. His wind is actually [[AnIcePerson Ice magic]], but he manifests it as a cold zephyr.
* LongRangeFighter: Despite appearances, Inigo is no melee fighter - he just has melee fighting ''ability''. If given a choice, he will always prefer to keep his distance.
* ManipulativeBastard: For someone so unassuming, he is very skilled at controlling people. He successfully manipulates Scarlett, Minori and even Iago, all for the greater good.
* MeaningfulName: "Inigo" means "unknowing", fittingly for an AmnesiacHero. "Lenahan" is a pun on "lend a hand", and one of his favourite things is helping others.
* MyGreatestFailure: Considers failing to prevent the damages done to Parvum and letting Iago get kidnapped to be his greatest failures.
* NayTheist: Is well aware that the gods exist, but he hates them, and is fully convinced that the opposite also applies.
* TheNicknamer: Has nicknames for almost everyone he's ever met. For example, Iago is 'Sebastian', Azurine is 'Smurfette', Silas is 'Red', and Scarlett is 'Towhead'. Unlike Iago, who is clearly just having fun, there's a good deal of irreverence behind Inigo's nicknames.
* NobleMaleRoguishMale: The surly, snarky Roguish Male to Iago's eloquent, polite Noble Male. [[spoiler:Overlaps with PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes]].
* OnlySaneMan: Is the next most normal after Silas, filling in his role during the latter's NotSoAboveItAll moments.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: Not unlike Minori, he has a sadistic side, but ''very much'' unlike her, he has clearly-defined standards, and said sadistic side only rears its ugly head when it comes to dealing with those on the side of evil.
* PungeonMaster: Makes a lot of water-related metaphors and puns, typically when he is stressed out.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Is subjected to one courtesy of Deus Turbatio in ''Book of Order'' Chapter 19. In a rare twist, however, he isn't demoralised or enraged by it at all; in fact, it turns out to be ''exactly'' what he needed to hear at the time.
--> “Correct. You are weak. Not only in a physical sense, but in a mental sense, too. You are a defeatist, child of chaos. You saw a challenge, and immediately, you gave up. You told yourself that it was impossible, and you didn't even try to make it possible, simply because you lacked strength. Because you lacked the determination to force a better outcome, you told yourself that it was okay. You grew complacent, but still the guilt festers!”
* SevenDeadlySins: Embodies Despair, being a gloomy, melancholic man with a poor self-esteem brought about by his identity issues and amnesia. It only gets worse after Inigo loses Iago to Libera, as he spends the entire time period between ''Prelude'' and ''Book of Order'' in a depressed funk brought about by his own feelings of inadequacy. When he feels despair, he feels it ''hard''.
* SignatureMove: Frozen Zephyr, first seen in ''Prelude'' Chapter 9, is the move much of his fighting style and many of his other moves are derived from.
* StealthPun: When about to face off with Creed, he mentions in his narration that he’s "out of [his] element". Right on cue, he begins speaking in fire metaphors, even though his usual {{Elemental Motif|s}} is water.
* TheStoic: Downplayed. Anger seems to be the only emotion he freely expresses, but while his other feelings are pretty muted, it's still easy to tell how he's feeling. He loosens up into more of a MellowFellow over time.
* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: Completely independently of one another, Inigo and Amino both come up with the nickname "Stiff Upper Lip", shortened to "Stiffie", for Minori.
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: By default, Liberty greatly outclasses him in all parameters but speed and range, which he uses to his advantage by keeping a safe distance and sniping her with magic. The ''second'' she's able to overcome that limitation, he is positively ''[[CurbStompBattle fucked]]''.

* TookALevelInCynic: Happened at the very start. He's implied to have been something of an idealist until after he was free from the hospital - when he then asked himself 'AndThenWhat'. It happens again at the end of Book of Order, where he loses his ability to trust strangers as a result of Iago turning against him.
* TookALevelInKindness: From ''Prelude'' Chapter 21 onwards. Originally selfish in his desire to regain his memories, meeting [[MoralityPet Silas and Azurine]] allowed him to discover and embrace his inner goodness, giving him more of a predisposition towards helping others.
* TragicIceCharacter: His primary element is ice, and he is perpetually tortured by his amnesia, which gives him an identity crisis that makes him feel like he's piloting someone else's body, not to mention his SelfDeprecation and guilt at [[AmnesiacDissonance what he knows about his past]].
* VitriolicBestBuds: Thanks to his sardonic personality, most of his friendships are like this, with him being his usual sarcastic self and whoever his friend is snarking back in kind, but it's clear they do care about one another.
* WeakButSkilled: Inigo is by far the weakest of the Spectrums, with his stats reflecting this, as he has 8/20 Strength and 10/20 Intelligence. However, [[FragileSpeedster he is fast]], with his Speed lying at 16/20, and incredibly skilled at adapting to his opponent, while carrying DamageOverTime-type of {{Status Infliction Attack}}s and annoy whoever he’s facing off against, all of which make up for his lacking strength.
* WhatBeautifulEyes: Inverted. Whenever someone else describes his eyes, they always mention how {{dull|EyesOfUnhappiness}} and dead they seem, and it's never shown in a positive light.

[[folder:Iago Amino]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/iago_amino.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''Pride: Plots, schemes and hides, when he knows he's the best.'']]

--> ''"Good sir, I know I said I would tell you anything. That is why it is so disappointing that I cannot answer you affirmatively. For you see, I cannot say I do, when in fact, I do not."''

--> ''He schemes. The Hermit, with a grand plan for the future.''
--> ''Elaborate calculations going into every move he makes.''
--> ''He takes great pride in his baneful brain,''
--> ''Forgoes morals in favour of logic.''
--> ''To eliminate a greater evil than himself, there is no such thing as restraint.''

Inigo's Partner for the first Game. An enigmatic boy clad in black butler-esque clothes, Iago makes his debut by antagonising and eventually attacking Inigo for seemingly no reason. He ends up as Inigo's partner in the Spectrum Game, and aids him in his quest for his memories.

* AffablyEvil: He acts equally polite both pre and post villain reveal, implying that that aspect of his character is genuine.
* AgentPeacock: Iago has a flamboyant, vain and emotional personality, and is the biggest PrettyBoy in the book, but he's also easily the strongest of the Spectrums when it comes to raw attack power, having the most destructive spells, and isn't too bad with the sword, either.
* AntiHero: Make no mistake, Apex and Libera ''both'' need to be stopped, but the story contrasting Inigo's more merciful approach with Iago's {{Omnicidal Neutral}}ity pushes him into this category. Falls into AntiVillain territory by the end of Book of Order, as he has now moved into unambiguous evil, but still remains sympathetic enough that you can't completely hate him.
* BadassInDistress: [[spoiler:Spends most of the first book imprisoned by Libera, despite being one of the strongest characters.]]
* BerserkButton: The conflict between Apex and Libera. Seeing it in action forces him to become involved as [[OmnicidalNeutral an enemy to both sides]], knocking out Makoto and Scarlett instantly.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: Iago's first impression is that of a silly, melodramatic asshole. Push him far enough, however, and he'll make sure you regret it.
* BigEgoHiddenDepths: It is apparent that his arrogance is not all there is to his character. His usage of AntiquatedLinguistics belies a genuine understanding and appreciation of poetry, to the point that he is able to communicate its good points to Scarlett with a fully functional rhyme scheme and iambic pentameter. He also genuinely wishes to do the right thing, which is his motive for targeting Libera and Apex, though he later develops a [[{{Revenge}} thirst for vengeance]] in the former case.
* CampGay: He is incredibly flamboyant and somewhat effeminate both in appearance and mannerisms. Additionally, while he has never expressed any interest in the opposite sex, his dynamics with Inigo are awfully suspect.

* ContinueYourMissionDammit: Acts in this way to Inigo when the latter is getting sidetracked with helping passerby.
* DepravedHomosexual: He is strongly implied to have feelings for Inigo, and is depraved enough to massacre all of Libera’s men in the name of revenge, even knowing they’re suffering under Kotoba. That said, whether it's friendship or love, his feelings for Inigo are definitely one of his most humanising qualities, meaning this trope is downplayed.
* DisproportionateRetribution: In ''Book of Order'' Chapter 48, Scarlett tries to convince him to abandon his plan to kill all of Libera, and in the process, directly compares him to Kotoba. Both of these are understandably annoying from his perspective, but neither one warrants the murder attempt that comes as a result.
* EvilIsPetty: Attempts to murder Scarlett for a) trying to stop him, and b) comparing him to Kotoba. Additionally, one of the things he takes umbrage with when Inigo turns on him is the fact that he feels ''humiliated'' that the latter outsmarted him.
* FatalFlaw:
** '''[[SmugSnake Arrogance]]'''. Despite being genuinely intelligent, Iago is prone to being OutGambitted because he is so sure that his scheming is infallible that he rarely makes contingency plans. He also doesn't take defeat well because of this, as just having Kotoba catch on to his trail leads him to feel humiliated, and being completely outwitted by Inigo later on leads to a full-on VillainousBreakdown.
** His [[LeeroyJenkins impulsiveness]] is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it renders him utterly unpredictable, which in turn means he is more or less immune to the {{Batman Gambit}}s that Inigo specialises in. On the other hand, however, it makes it hard when he has to come up with a contingency plan since he lives and dies by the IndyPloy, and can lead to him making some rather foolish decisions, such as blowing a hole in a public inn to make his exit and wasting time trying to murder Scarlett instead of restraining her.
* GlassCannon: From a strictly magical perspective. He has a maxed Intelligence stat, but while his Defense is fine, preventing him from being a SquishyWizard, his Speed is only average, and his Resistance is rather low.
* TheGoodTheBadAndTheEvil: Throughout ''Book of Order'', he is the Bad to Inigo's Good and Kotoba's Evil, as while he is ultimately not a good guy, he still comes off as more sympathetic and less extreme than Kotoba does. He and Kotoba swap places after the latter's defeat.
* HamAndDeadpanDuo: The Ham to both Inigo and Valerie's Deadpan.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: As he watches Libera perform their crimes, he concludes that they are BeyondRedemption, and decides they are all worthy of death. Naturally, this is the same course of action that Kotoba, leader of Libera, took in regards to Apex, meaning he is on the same path that his nemesis took.
* {{Hypocrite}}: He has a point with Amino, but he is the absolute last person who should be calling out Kotoba for going down the HeWhoFightsMonsters route, given he's ''the only other character in the book'' who does.
--> '''Iago:''' I am a captive of Libera, a church of hypocrites driven to commit atrocities to prevent the atrocities committed by a greater evil. Though I was vulnerable now, one day, with my dearest friend by my side, I would ascend as the angel of death and put them all to the sword.
* IncomingHam: Often, his theme songs will appear before he does, making his presence clear.
* JerkassToOne: He's usually decently friendly to Silas and Azurine, but he takes a lot of glee in pissing Inigo off for the hell of it.
* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: Becomes more obsessed with taking down Apex and Libera as the story goes on.

* ManipulativeBastard: Between his deception of Inigo and his more cerebral personality, especially pre-torture, Iago is clearly much better at long-term manipulation and planning than he is at improvising. Unfortunately for him, however, he fancies himself an OpportunisticBastard, which leads him to make some rather reckless and poorly thought-out calls.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Well, ''Iago'' doesn't sound like the most inviting of names, and while not technically evil, he's not above crossing a few lines to get what he wants.
* TheNicknamer: Insistently calls Azurine 'the Munchkin of Levin', and calls Jude 'Judie' in private. And then there's his slew of nicknames for Inigo.
* NightmareFuelStationAttendant: Much of the genuinely worrying stuff in the story comes from him, especially with how unhinged he can get after his imprisonment at Libera. Even before that, he still killed a bunch of Libera soldiers in cold blood.
* NobleMaleRoguishMale: The polite, eloquent Noble Male to Inigo's surly, snarky Roguish Male. [[spoiler:Overlaps with PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes.]]
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Not necessarily ''stupidity'' as much as ''incompetence'', but Iago is pretending to be weaker than he actually is.
* ObviouslyEvil: Discussed by Basil in ''Prelude'' Chapter 11, but ultimately averted. His appearance is quite sinister, with RavenHairIvorySkin and {{red eyes|TakeWarning}}, but while he's a WellIntentionedExtremist, he ''definitely'' isn't evil.
* OmnicidalNeutral: Libera wants to 'evolve the human race', and Apex wants to stop Libera because their methods are apparently inhumane. Iago? He wants to destroy both groups because he finds their absence preferable to their presence.
* OutGambitted:
** Of the “SmugSnake vs. MagnificentBastard” variant. ''Book of Order'' Chapter 36 is basically all about him learning just how many steps Kotoba is ahead of him, and he doesn’t like it.
** Happens ''again'' after he's freed, where Inigo, now having wised up to his scheming, starts manipulating him back, with Iago not realising it until Inigo outright tells him as he's backstabbing him.
* PluckyComicRelief: Outside of battle, he's the primary source of levity in the book.
* PsychologicalProjection: During his VillainousBreakdown, one of the things he calls Inigo is a "duplicitous, deluded devil trying to play the anti-hero" which, while partially correct from a certain point of view, is a much better description of Iago himself.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Has red eyes, and as ''Prelude'' Chapter 11 reveals, is ''really'' powerful.
* {{Sadist}}: Iago ''is'' a WellIntentionedExtremist, yes, but his behaviour when killing the Libera soldiers in Prelude shows that he's clearly having the time of his life, as well.
* SanitySlippage: Much as he tries to act like his usual hammy and irreverent self, it is quite apparent that a month of imprisonment, berating, torture and general mistreatment at the hands of Libera has done quite a number on his mental health. He is more prone to EvilLaughter or {{giggling|Villain}}, talks about being the "angel of death" with increasing frequency, his vocabulary somehow becomes even more sesquipedalian, and even his inner monologues are more violent and disturbing than before the act.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: As the quote above shows, Iago is a ''very'' talkative individual, using big words and a ''lot'' of them when smaller ones would suffice.
* SevenDeadlySins: Embodies Pride. Iago typically presents himself as an arrogant blowhard, and beneath this he hides another side to him - a sneering SmugSnake who is overconfident in his strength compared to everyone else.
* SmugSnake: Make no mistake about it - Iago is a ''very'' intelligent man, and his plan is actually rather solid. But, befitting the Deadly Sin of Pride, he is also very arrogant, and is so sure that everything will go as planned - and in his improvisational skills - that he doesn't bother making contingency plans in advance. Even ''without'' [[SpannerInTheWorks Azurine]] actively working against him, the success of his plan to destroy Libera hinges entirely on Inigo agreeing with his assessment that they are BeyondRedemption and choosing to help him. When Inigo goes off-script and refuses to let him kill them, demonstrating that he would rather fight him to stop him due to [[CharacterDevelopment developing empathy for the people working there]], Iago has yet to plan for that possibility, and is utterly dumbfounded when he turns on him.
* StoneWall: From a strictly physical perspective. His Defense is among the highest in the book, but his Strength is actually slightly ''lower'' than Inigo's.
* TooCleverByHalf: Iago is genuinely clever and skilled at manipulating, but it's the fact that he ''knows'' this that ends up being his downfall. Because of his awareness in this regard, he fails to consider that Inigo might have caught on to his machinations and is manipulating ''him'' in return, and it has led him to become arrogant enough to believe that he truly ''can'' defeat all of Libera and Kotoba on his own.
* UnskilledButStrong: He has the highest Intelligence of the Spectrums and by far the lowest Dexterity, and this is reflected in the story as he is a powerful mage who nonetheless employs rather simple attack moves and appears to be a graduate of the ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy. He seems to be more skilled with the sword, though.
* VainSorcerer: Iago is a BlackMage, but he's also a bit of a dandy off-duty.

[[folder:Azurine Lovell]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/azurine_lovell_3.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''Greed: Wants the best for all, no matter what it takes.'']]

--> ''"What I want most of all is to create a world where we can all smile, and I'm more than willing to be the light that guides us to such a world!"''

--> ''She smiles. The Sun, who smiles in the face of despair.''
--> ''Her position warrants a loud cry for help.''
--> ''And yet, she stays silent, as though she hasn't a care in the world.''
--> ''Eternally positive, she hopes to find a cure for her strife.''
--> ''And she will find it, no matter how much greed she has to dabble in.''

A kindhearted and optimistic young girl who accompanies Inigo and Iago. She initially begins her journey by heading to Luster Street with her friend Silas, where they plan to donate to the church that their friend works at. In the process, they meet Inigo and Iago, and end up roped into the Game with each other as partners.

* AllLovingHeroine: Even knowing that Makoto and Scarlett are likely up to no good, she still opts to help them.
* BadassBookworm: She enjoys reading, and is just as capable a fighter as the rest.
* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Her official colour is blue, mainly shades like cerulean. In her outfits, she incorporates blues and greens.
* EmbarrassingNickname: Inigo's 'Smurfette', and Iago's 'Munchkin of Levin'. Mostly because both are [[HeightAngst stealthy jabs at her short stature]].
* TheFakeCutie: [[spoiler:Zigzagged. Azurine's cutesy, ditzy personality is mostly faked as a cover for how much she knows about what's going on behind the scenes. As she's actually a BlitheSpirit aiming to improve the lives of the Game's Players, her true personality is somewhat more serene and mature, though the spunkiness from before is still present.]]
* GenkiGirl: Azurine is, to put it simply, a bundle of chaotic energy and enthusiasm, which pairs well with Silas' MellowFellow characterisation.
* HeightAngst: Is insecure about her short height, which doesn't pair well with Inigo and Iago's nicknaming tendencies.
* HiddenDepths: Money-wise, she's actually a ''lot'' more responsible than Silas. For some reason, she also knows how to convert binary into ASCII. For reference, neither Inigo nor Silas know how, and they're typically smarter than her.
* TheHyena: Whenever she finds something funny, she'll laugh. If she finds it funny enough, like with Silas' HurricaneOfPuns, she bursts out in a complete laughing fit that leaves her short of breath afterwards.
* {{Irony}}: Despite aiming to make the world a much more positive place, her actions are what drives the events of ''Book of Order'' into action, making her the closest thing to a KnightOfCerebus.
* NiceGirl: Easily the nicest character in the book, always having something nice to say to anybody.
* PluckyGirl: She may be shy, but she's no coward, and her optimism helps her qualify for this trope.
* ThePollyanna: Her defining trait is her everlasting happiness, though she does manage to play it to an extent that she comes off as a normal, but happy person.
* SevenDeadlySins: Embodies Greed, though to be more specific, she embodies the ''positive'' aspects of Greed - in that she wants the best for herself and those she cares for, no matter what it takes to get there.
* ShorterMeansSmarter: Azurine is the shortest of the Spectrums, but is one of the best schemers and is unrivalled in book smarts.
* SignificantGreenEyedRedhead: Is one of the main characters in the book, and has both red hair and green eyes.
* SquishyWizard: Her Intelligence, Speed and ''especially'' Dexterity are high, but her Defense and Strength are really poor.
* TrueBlueFemininity: Downplayed. She's associated with the colour Blue, but while she isn't quite a {{Tomboy}}, her femininity isn't really anything to write home about, either.
* VillainCred: 'Villain' is a ''very'' strong word for both sides of the equation here, but Azurine is shown to harbor a deep respect for Inigo, due to his willingness to resort to unscrupulous means and his strong fighting prowess.
* {{Womanchild}}: At age 18, she is a legal adult, and is actually older than Silas by a couple of months, but she's got an optimistic outlook, a quick temper, a complex over her height, and is prone to overreacting. She also has some rather childish insults and comebacks. It may be an act, however.

[[folder:Silas Landkeep]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/silas_landkeep.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''Gluttony: Indulges in his desires and ignores his needs.'']]

--> ''""And my axe!" I grinned, summoning Solaris and holding it over my shoulder. The opportunity was there, and I'd have been a fool to not take it."''

--> ''He carries. The Strength, who carries a great burden.''
--> ''Hidden under a layer of sunshine, his burden is greater than his body itself.''
--> ''Acting under the influence of gluttony and desire he seeks to better his own life.''
--> ''But he himself knows not what risks he is willing to take for the sake of self-salvation.''
--> ''He struggles on and on to help himself, and the one who birthed him.''

A childhood friend of Azurine's, who can always be seen at her side. Acts as her voice of reason, and a 'bodyguard' of sorts. He, alongside Azurine, ends up entering the Game after meeting Inigo and Iago, with each other as their partners.

* CloudcuckoolandersMinder: To Azurine, being the StraightMan in her ditzier moments.
* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: His official colour is yellow. His outfits tend to make use of yellows alongside reds.
* ElementalHairColors: He’s got brown hair to go with his Earth magic.
* TheGenericGuy: His main quirk is how normal and functional he is compared to everyone else, with his auxiliary quirk of telling dad jokes being rather subdued in comparison.
* GeniusBruiser: Silas is the only melee combatant of the main four, and he's got a tactical mindset to battle, not unlike the [[Franchise/BlazBlue Iron Tager]].
* GentleGiant: Downplayed. He's not a ''giant'', per se, but he's the tallest and most muscular of the heroes. This doesn't stop him from being a calm NiceGuy.
* LeadYouCanRelateTo: The Spectrums are, to put it simply, a major DysfunctionJunction at best, with [[CastFullOfCrazy problems]], eccentricities and [[MoralityKitchenSink moralities]] that vary wildly and abnormally. Silas, who while not the main protagonist, was intentionally designed after one, comes off as the most relatable, with a conventional mindset, personality and moral compass, and his quirks are more subdued in comparison to the rest of the Spectrums. Ironically, he sees himself as a "side character" because of this.
* MellowFellow: He's calm and relaxed, being rather hard to annoy, and always seems to take things with a sense of calm resignation.
* MechanicallyUnusualFighter: With certain moves, he is allowed to use his Defense stat to attack, whereas everyone else uses Strength or Intelligence.
* MightyGlacier: Silas may be StrongAndSkilled, and able to take more hits than anyone else, but he is incredibly slow. His [[SuperMode Guardian Stance]] exaggerates this, as his Defense, Resistance and Dexterity all increase to the point that he's good enough at defending now to [[AttackReflector reflect projectiles]], but it also [[DiscardAndDraw renders him completely immoble]].
* MusclesAreMeaningful: Not only is he the third physically strongest of the initial Spectrums, but he's the only one who doesn't have a low defensive stat (at worst, his Resistance is kinda mediocre). Naturally, he's the most muscular. Ultimately downplayed, however, as Valerie and Makoto still manage to have higher Strength stats than him.
* OnlySaneMan: Just like his pre-rewrite self, though he's not above cracking jokes to lighten up the mood.
* OpposeWhatYouSuffered: As someone whose father straight-up abandoned him, Silas speaks up against - and in general, directly opposes - the actions taken by [[ParentalNeglect Grant Monarich]].
* PluckyComicRelief: Despite largely being the StraightMan, Silas is also the one you can count on to crack a joke.
* PungeonMaster: While he also does [[ShoutOut references]] and LampshadeHanging, Silas’ expertise is by far his puns and dad jokes.
* RealMenEatMeat: Inverted. Despite being perhaps the most 'manly' character in the book so far, Silas' order at Adrian's Hole suggests that he has something of an affinity for fruit.
* SecretlySelfish: Though he claims his greatest wish is to help his mother, it's actually kind of competing with his desire to meet his father and make him put things right.
* SevenDeadlySins: Embodies Gluttony. Like Azurine, he embodies the positive aspects in his ability to appreciate and enjoy life, but he also has the more negative aspects in his love for food and wasteful spending of money.
* UsedToBeASweetKid: Inverted. If ''Prelude'' Chapter 15 is anything to go by, Silas used to be kind of an asshole when he was little, constantly trying to steal Azurine's stick-horse. He's since grown into a mature and kind individual.
* VerbalTic: Tends to end his sentences with “you know?” even when doing so isn't strictly needed.
* TheWatson: The most likely to ask questions surrounding the latest plot developments. He also serves as someone Azurine can explain her plans to.

[[folder:Makoto Kozuki]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/makoto_kozuki_0.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''Wrath: Driven by naught but honour and a righteous fury.'']]

--> ''"How many people did you kill before my father? How many fell by your hands afterwards? I don't know, and neither do you."''

--> ''He opposes. The Star, who opposes those who do wrong.''
--> ''His wrath is aimed at the being of despair, who wronged him greatly.''
--> ''But is this rage misplaced? Nobody knows.''
--> ''Acting with the right heart, and the wrong mind.''
--> ''He will not rest until the darkness is destroyed.''

The first member of Apex introduced to the story. A brash, yet optimistic young man, he sets out to try and detain Inigo, potentially with murderous intentions, for the death of his father in the past.

* AffablyEvil: With how nice and kind he tends to be, it's pretty difficult to remember that he's an Apex loyalist, even if he takes umbrage with their methods.
* AntiVillain: Mixes types III (Well-Intentioned) and IV (In-Name Only), with a dash of I (Noble).
* AsianAndNerdy: Makoto is from Han'ei, the FantasyCounterpartCulture to Japan, and is a bit of a nerd, having niche interests like cloud-watching, and is apparently familiar with ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact''.
* BadassInANiceSuit: Wears a formal suit and a tie, similarly to Iago, though he keeps his blazer open while Iago's waistcoat is closed at all times.
* BerserkButton: Minori's continued existence. She is, among other things, the ''only'' thing in the story that has gotten him to [[PrecisionFStrike swear]], and he otherwise ''never'' says anything stronger than "hell" or "damn".
* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: His official colour is orange, and he usually wears it alongside white, though sometimes he uses black.
* CombatMedic: Has the best healing out of the Spectrums thanks to his incredible Resistance stat, and is also highly effective in melee combat.
* EveryoneHasStandards: Though he has absolutely no issue with taking lethal action in the name of revenge, he considers putting innocents in the crossfire to be a step too far. It's why he denounces the King Slime and Kotoba.
* {{Foil}}: To Scarlett. Both are the first introduced members of Apex and Libera, respectively, and both of them are AffablyEvil {{Anti Villain}}s whose experiences with Inigo cause him to hate the leadership of said organisations rather than the organisations themselves. Scarlett is more social, playful and informal, while Makoto is more awkward, serious and professional. Scarlett tried to befriend Inigo initially, but was avoided by him simply because he thought she was irritating, while Makoto only spoke to him long enough to confirm his suspicions, and was later avoided by him out of the latter’s guilt. Scarlett eventually makes up her mind to defect from Libera, and is merely biding her time, while Makoto instead wants to change the way Apex does things, with no immediate plans to leave.
* GlassCannon: Has the second highest Strength of the Spectrums, but his Defense is actually slightly ''lower'' than [[SquishyWizard Azurine's]].
* HairTriggerTemper: He ''is'' the Deadly Sin of Wrath, after all. It initially referred to his righteous fury aimed at Inigo, but as time goes on, it becomes pretty clear that getting him pissed off is just disproportionately easy. Even when he's merely annoyed, his mannerisms are much more violent than everyone else's.
* HeelFaceTurn: Not that he was ever evil, but his conversation with Azurine and Silas convinces him to give up on capturing Inigo, at least for now.
* HeroAntagonist: Across the first half of Book of Order. Makoto is shown to be a decent person, and may actually be better than Inigo in that regard, since he's actually striving towards a selfless goal.
* HonorBeforeReason: Makoto is a highly honorable individual, frequently swearing on his honor and working with Libera briefly to repay a small debt.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: Wields an orange one in battle.
* LightningWindJuxtaposition: The Lightning to Inigo's Wind.
* MusclesAreMeaningless: Has the second-highest Strength out of all the initial Spectrums, beating out [[HeroicBuild Silas]]. The other one, Valerie, can be excused, as she is a [[MagicallyIneptFighter Prime]], and is pretty muscular herself, being a BareFistedMonk and all. Makoto, meanwhile, is a rather averagely-built swordsman of less-than-ideal height.
* NiceGuy: Despite his unfortunate allegiance, he's actually one of the nicer characters in the book, and it's no act, either. He's only ''really'' unpleasant to Minori, a {{Yandere}} and borderline sociopath, and previously Inigo, who [[YouKilledMyFather killed his father]].
* OutsideManInsideMan: The Inside to Iago's Outside, being an InternalReformist who seeks to change Apex from the inside, while Iago would prefer to destroy the organisation outright.
* PracticallyDifferentGenerations: Is a whole 13 years younger than Kotoba.
* TheRedMage: Can wield a sword and harness magic of both offensive and supportive variants; though he generally prefers to stab first and cast later, with many of his spells bolstering his melee abilities, his stats actually favour healing.
* SevenDeadlySins: Embodies Wrath, being motivated initially by revenge and later by righteous fury, and he is generally rather easy to piss off.
* TokenGoodTeammate: Is Apex's, openly disapproving of their methods and seeking to change them from the inside.
* {{Ubermensch}}: Downplayed, as he has a fairly conventional sense of what is right and wrong, but either way, he will help just about anyone depending on whether or not he deems it honourable to do so.
* WildCard: Goes from working with Apex to [[EnemyMine cooperating with Libera]] to teaming up with ''Inigo'' of all people (though to be fair, he ''has'' decided to spare Inigo for now)]] all in the space of the first book. Inigo even lampshades it, asking just where his allegiance lies, and Makoto tells him that he just follows his whims, [[ForGreatJustice acting on what he thinks is just.]]

[[folder:Minori Asakura]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/minori_asakura.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''Envy: Possessive of what is dear to her, and jealous of all who would take it.'']]

--> ''“Consider your position, dear Partner. No logical scenario foresees you refusing to answer ending well for you.”''

--> ''She reacts. The Temperance, who watches and reacts accordingly.''
--> ''She lives to learn, providing guidance to all she meets.''
--> ''Calculating the best move, eschewing emotions and logic.''
--> ''A cold-blooded demon born from pure envy''
--> ''May gnaw at her mind, reducing her to insanity.''

The second member of Apex, and Makoto's former Partner. Unlike him, she represents Apex's worst, being cruel, sadistic, and willing to do anything to get what she wants - [[{{Yandere}} Makoto]].

* AbhorrentAdmirer: She isn't described as being unattractive by any means, but her failure to account for Makoto's feelings, as well as her general sadism and cruelty, push him away entirely.
* TheBattleDidntCount: Thinks this about Inigo's battle with Liberty. Considering he got out of it by making friends with her, she ''does'' have a point.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Comes across as a stoic, calm and kind woman at first glance, but beneath it all, she is a bitter, selfish {{misanthrope|Supreme}}.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: Fitting in with the “Amino is Apex's dad” interpretation, this is how he views her.
* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Her official colour is indigo, which she tends to wear alongside grey.
* ConceptsAreCheap: It becomes clear pretty quickly that she is using 'logic' to mean 'anything I like and want to happen', rather than its actual meaning.
--> '''Makoto:''' Shut up about logic already! With you around, I don't even know what that word means anymore!
* DeadpanSnarker: She is quite the snarker, often in a more mean-spirited way than Inigo.
* DramaticIrony: Tells Amino that Makoto is denouncing Apex to try and get him to help her bring him back. Her narration while saying this suggests that she doesn't know that he's ''actually'' doing this.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Despite being a truly awful human being, her love for Makoto does seem to be genuine. This, unfortunately, seems to fuel most of her villainy.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Acknowledges that she could kidnap Makoto anytime she wants to, but doesn't intend on doing that at all. In fact, she generally seems reluctant to hurt him at all - any time he is hurt because of her, it's because ''he'' put himself into the crossfire or directly challenged her.
* FalseDichotomy: Her whole schtick is that she believes logic in an individual cannot coexist with things like emotions and hope. Of course, she is wrong, and the story proves that through not only her own actions, but also with other characters, most obviously Iago - a primarily emotion-driven man who is also quite an effective ManipulativeBastard.
* FourEyesZeroSoul: Was the most evil character besides Grant Monarich and ''[[AmbiguouslyEvil maybe]]'' Benjamin Amino, and wears a pair of glasses.
* FreakOut: After being attacked by Makoto, who is spewing pure, unbridled hate for her, she undergoes a crying, screaming VillainousBreakdown and comes out the other end a much more calm, rational person, who despite her stoicism, is much more open with her emotions than before.
* GreenEyedMonster: Envies Inigo for being able to be liked and befriended by Makoto despite having killed his father, when she, his ChildhoodFriend, gets nothing but hate from him.
* HeelFaceTurn: Eventually realises how far she has fallen, and from there, her primary motivation is making amends with Makoto for all she has done to him.
* InsaneEqualsViolent: She is at her most insane when she is practically frothing at the mouth for the chance to kill Inigo.
* {{Irony}}: Inigo, the one character she hates more than all others, is probably the single best example of her philosophy at work, being mainly logic-driven and outwardly rather unemotional, while also having very little room for hope in his life. She even comments that she hoped he would be more like her.
* {{Jerkass}}: Is, naturally, not a very nice or kind person, constantly mocking the heroes whenever they defy her.
* JerkassToOne: While Inigo is the primary object of her hate, she also seems to arbitrarily hate Silas for some reason, calling him a meat golem and consistently treating him with more hostility than she does the average person.
* LoveMakesYouDumb: Her feelings for Makoto have a negative effect on her IQ, as when they aren't in play (e.g. when focusing more on her hate for Inigo), she appears to be an intelligent, conniving woman worthy of EvilGenius status. When they ''are'', however, she becomes a raving, hypocritical woman spouting nonsense about logic and emotions. Also a case of LoveMakesYouCrazy.
* MaskOfSanity: Pretends to be composed and calm, but her final confrontation with Inigo reveals just how crazy she really is, and the mask cracks completely.
* MoreDespicableMinion: Compared to Amino, who generally presents himself as being rather {{affabl|yEvil}}e, Minori is insane, {{sadist}}ic, and generally kind of a {{Jerkass}}.
* NeverMyFault: ''Almost'' comes to the conclusion that her dilemma with Makoto was all her fault, and that she was wrong all along...but then she decides that no, it's actually ''Inigo's'' fault, and sets out to kill him for it.
* NotSoStoic: She presents herself as a stoic, calm, and purely logic-driven figure, [[SmugSnake but the moment something goes wrong in one of her plans, she is quick to flip out]].
* ObliviousToHatred: Minori reveals in ''Book of Order'' Chapters 23 and 24 that she still believes Makoto is her friend. The latter chapter has this illusion completely shattered.
* PersonalHateBeforeCommonGoals: Inigo asks her for directions to Libera's base, and she knows he's asking so he can get Iago back. In doing so, he points out that if she helps him, Makoto will be free for her to take as her Partner, and the two of them will never have to cross paths again. Minori, unfortunately, decides that [[EvilIsPetty since doing so would entail her helping Inigo in any way]], she decides against it, [[BatmanGambit something he was banking on]].
* PetTheDog: [[spoiler:Ultimately does more for Liberty's freedom than anyone else, as she talks directly to Amino about it and seems to advocate for it quite a lot. This is notable for being the sole action she takes that neither benefits her nor detriments anyone else.]]
* PsychoKnifeNut: Her weapon is a knife, and she is the most unhinged character in the story, right up to her VillainousBreakdown.
* SevenDeadlySins: Embodies Envy, being defined by her jealousy towards Inigo for having so many of the things she lacks - a group of loyal friends willing to follow him through thick and thin, the companionship of Makoto, and the ability to go through life [[StepfordSnarker seeming]] like everything is just fine.
* SmartPeoplePlayChess: Manages to stalemate Inigo (himself an example of this trope) four times in a row, and is generally shown to be smart.
* TheSociopath: Seems to be one, and Makoto calls her as such. She ticks off many of the boxes such as a LackOfEmpathy or remorse, a [[NeverMyFault failure to accept responsibility]], a {{manipulative|Bastard}} streak, and a [[ItsAllAboutMe grandiose sense of self]]. It's ultimately subverted, however, for three reasons. Firstly, her feelings for Makoto are frequently shown to be genuine, suggesting that she ''does'' have the capacity to care about others. Secondly, she is shown to be able to consider the consequences of her actions enough to actually affect said actions, and behaves rather responsibly - while also lacking the [[TheHedonist pathological need for stimulation]] famous in sociopaths (in fact, exhibiting such a trait would be a ''flagrant'' breaching of her personal philosophy that even she would know better to avoid). Finally, her [[SuperMode Green Eyed Angel]] transformation is fuelled by her negative emotions - of envy, sadness and wrath - and a ''true'' sociopath wouldn't be able to feel deeply enough to activate it in the first place.
* StrawmanEmotional: ''Wants'' to be a StrawVulcan, claiming that emotions and hope are pointless, and she actually looks like one most of the time. But, when push comes to shove, she is ultimately too emotional to actually qualify. In the chapters in her point of view, her own narration says it all [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial (while simultaneously denying it)]], but her mask also completely shatters in ''Book of Order'' Chapter 23.
* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness: A variant. Inigo’s BreakingSpeech to her is done in one of ''her'' viewpoint chapters, so we get to fully see her nonsensical justifications for her behaviour as narrated by the madwoman herself.
* TinMan: She claims to lack emotions, and probably thinks that deep down, but she's really just as emotional as everyone else.
* TooMuchAlike: Even though she hates Inigo, she is shown to be ''very'' similar to him in many things, and she even unknowingly echoes some of his lines when narrating. Of course, their personality similarities are ''exactly'' what is stopping the two of them from getting along once Makoto isn't in the picture.
* {{Tsundere}}: Surprisingly, to Amino. While she makes scathing remarks about him in her narration and treats him dismissively at best, if you look past that, it's plain to see that she does think rather highly of him.
* UnknownRival: Downplayed. She views Inigo as her ArchEnemy for 'stealing' Makoto from her and becoming his new Partner. Inigo ''does'' dislike her to an extent, but ultimately doesn't really care for her.
* VillainHasAPoint: While she's just trying to get Makoto to stay by her side no matter what, she's not ''wrong'' when she points out that by coming back to her, he regains his chance to win the Game and pursue his heart's desire. [[spoiler:At least, before he becomes Inigo's Partner instead.]]
* VillainousBreakdown: Spends the entirety of ''Book of Order'' Chapter 23 going through one, reaching critical mass when she is attacked by Makoto and finally realises the error of her ways, resulting in a full-on mental breakdown.

[[folder:Scarlett Monarich]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/scarlett_monarich_7.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''Lust: Desires the love of others, and acts to keep it at all costs.'']]

--> ''"To begin with, I'm sorry for trying to kidnap you earlier. That was wrong of me."''

--> ''She dances. The Empress, who dances away from her duty.''
--> ''Accumulating, creating a heavier weight for the future.''
--> ''Still, she does nothing, in spite of her own lust for approval.''
--> ''Marching to the beat of her own drum,''
--> ''Will she do the deed, or disappoint those who need her?''

A flirty, friendly, yet secretly insecure young woman who DesperatelyCravesAffection, and a decreasingly-loyal member of Libera.

* AffablyEvil: Is upbeat, personable and friendly, even flirty at times, most of which isn't an act, but she's still a member of Libera in the end. Though, she does keep her kindness after her HeelFaceTurn, making her simply a NiceGirl after the fact.
* AllWomenAreLustful: Is perhaps the most perverted character in the story, frequently making passes at the people around her, particularly Inigo and Valerie.
* AmbiguouslyBi: She seems to have no problem flirting with either Inigo or Valerie, who are respectively a PrettyBoy and a {{Bifauxnen}}, which makes the waters incredibly muddy, to say the least. While she is more ready to flirt with Inigo, she also displays an incredibly close bond with Valerie.
* BareMidriffsAreFeminine: Her penchant for navel-baring outfits highlights her nature as the most feminine of the Spectrums, being more outwardly girly than Azurine, Minori and especially [[{{Tomboy}} Valerie]].
* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Her official colour, [[MeaningfulName naturally]], is red, and in her outfits, she wears it with splashes of black or pink.
* DanceBattler: Her fighting style is described as graceful, involving plenty of flips and twirls, and many of her moves are named after dance moves. Her non-offensive moves take the cake, being actual dance moves that provide {{Status Buff}}s.
* DeadpanSnarker: Not quite as heavy on the 'deadpan' as the likes of Inigo, Valerie or Minori, but Scarlett is pretty good at piling on the snark.
* DesperatelyCravesAffection: Due to having been starved of it in her youth, her biggest desire is the affection and approval of others. It's even why she joined Libera in the first place, since she saw it (sadly, correctly) as the only way for her father to acknowledge her.
* DreadfulMusician: Despite her dancing skills, Scarlett is noted to be a rather poor singer.
* FierySensuality: Wields the element of Fire in battle, and not only is she associated with the sin of Lust, but she also displays a flirtatious personality and a suggestive taste in clothing.
* FragileSpeedster: A fairly classic example, having the highest Speed out of the Spectrums and pretty good Dexterity, but both her defenses, especially her Resistance, are fairly low.
* FriendlyEnemy:
** She and Makoto are on warring factions, but the two of them seem to get along quite swimmingly. [[spoiler:In fact, Scarlett seems to like him enough to try to warn him that Valerie has come to take Inigo away, which reveals first and foremost that they’re close enough to have exchanged phone numbers to begin with.]]
** Also, with Inigo, who she is good friends with despite her being part of Libera, who have been relentlessly hounding him for a whole month. She even gets to console him over this fact.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Her long, blonde hair showcases her warm heart. She starts off as an AntiVillain, and ends up as a genuinely heroic figure.
* GenkiGirl: Not quite to the extent of Azurine, but Scarlett is definitely quite a perky and energetic girl.
* GirlyGirlWithATomboyStreak: While she seems like a typically perky, flirty and feminine woman with a SweetTooth and a penchant for cheesy pop jingles, but she is also rather perverted, expresses herself rather openly, and is skilled in all sorts of dances, even ones that aren't stereotypically dainty or feminine, such as tribal war dances and breakdancing.
* HatesTheirParent: Her feelings towards Grant are…complicated, to say the least. She finds herself unable to fully let go of her familial love for him and desires to win his approval, but also acknowledges that he is a bad person and does not like the things he does. She becomes more certain of this trope once he attacks Luster Street, outright claiming casualties in his assault mainly out of petty rage at being stood up to. If her narration in said chapter is anything to go by, she's all but disowned him as her father at this point.
* HeelFaceTurn: Had been on the reins of one since the end of ''Prelude'' Chapter 26, but it takes until ''Book of Order'' Chapter 30 to officially pull it off, taking an entire platoon of Libera soldiers with her.
* LegFocus: Her outfits tend to emphasise her legs, with her first one leaving them bare with short shorts and her second one putting them in leggings.
* NiceGirl: Beneath the shallow exterior, Scarlett is secretly a highly compassionate individual with a heart of gold.
* PerkyFemaleMinion: Kotoba’s female, too, but Scarlett is much bouncier and more extroverted than her.
* RunningGag: Her affinity for cheesy, EarWorm pop jingles, and the fact that she prefers to take her water bottled rather than canned, are both reoccurring jokes with her at the butt.
* SevenDeadlySins: Embodies Lust, being driven largely by her thirst for affection, and overall tending to follow her desires. Funnily enough, despite arguably being the story's most sexualised character, this has very little to do with her sin classification.
* ShipTease: With Inigo. While she's pretty flirty in general, it's cranked up when dealing with him, and she clearly holds him in very high regard.
* {{Stripperiffic}}: Her preferred attire is of the revealing sort. In Book of Order, for instance, she wears an off-shoulder crop top with short shorts.
* TheTease: Likes to make suggestive remarks to people she likes, though of the people she's done it to so far, Inigo is too oblivious and Valerie is too apathetic, so it flies over their heads.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The Moderate Girly Girl to Valerie's Effeminate Tomboy, as Scarlett wears more fashionable clothing, has longer hair, is more stereotypically feminine, and is a DanceBattler with a [[NaginatasAreFeminine spear]].

[[folder:Valerie Stanlion]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/valerie_stanlion_1.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''Sloth: A coward, unable to commit to either good or evil out of fear and self-preservation.'']]

--> ''"Heh, slacking off work to play games is definitely an idea I can get behind."''

--> ''She fights. The Hanged Man, who fights her demons,''
--> ''But can she face herself?''
--> ''With a disadvantage over the others, she strives to compensate.''
--> ''Her ultimate goal; to stop the project of doom, and the people behind it.''
--> ''And she will act against her personal sloth to end it once and for all.''

A former member of Apex who defected to Libera, only to have her faith in the group repeatedly weathered at [[spoiler:to the point of making up her mind to leave]]. Lazy and unmotivated, but with a will of steel when she puts her mind to something.

* ArtisticLicenseMartialArts: Her fighting style, while similar to an extent, isn't exactly the boxing that it's referred to in the story, relying greatly on lunges and haymakers.
* BareFistedMonk: She fights with her bare fists, but there’s too much technique to her fighting style to put her under GoodOldFisticuffs.
* BoxingBattler: Her fighting style is loosely inspired by professional out-boxing.
* BoyishShortHair: She has short hair - possibly the shortest in the book save for Makoto - and she presents herself in a rather masculine way.
* BrilliantButLazy: Valerie typically presents herself as a LazyBum with no motivation to do her job. She is also the only person capable of equalling [[TheDreaded Iago]] in single combat.
* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Her official colour is green, and in her outfits she leans towards green and brown.
* DeadpanSnarker: Stands out as one of the snarkier characters in the story, and is noticeably more 'deadpan' than most, saying sarcastic remarks with a straight face.
* TheDitherer: Her FatalFlaw for most of her arc, and mostly of the Empathetic Fence-Sitter and Too Many Trees variants.
* DumbMuscle: Downplayed on the 'dumb' part. Out of the Spectrums, she is the strongest physically, but she is self-admittedly not much of a strategist and can be rather impulsive. That said, she is more simple than stupid, as her fighting style is surprisingly dexterous, and she can be fairly impressive when it comes to assisting in the plans of others.
* EnergeticAndSoftSpokenDuo: The Soft-Spoken to Scarlett and Iago's Energetic.
* EvilIsEasy: Ultimately why she joined Libera instead of removing herself from the conflict or becoming an OmnicidalNeutral like Iago.
* ExtremityExtremist: In contrast to the primarily kick-focused Inigo, Valerie will almost always punch because [[BoxingBattler she's a boxer before anything else]].
* KungFuWizard: It's worth noting that being a Prime only prevents her from using ElementalPowers rather than magic in general. Magically-enhanced strikes and {{Status Buff}}s are still fully accessible to her, making her this.
* LadyLooksLikeADude: Downplayed, but she is shown to be mistaken in-universe for a male.
* LazyAlias: Considering the more meaningful and GeniusBonus-y codenames given to the rest of the Libera commanders, Kotoba’s codename for ''her'' is just "Hitman".
* LovableCoward: She is, at the core of her character, a coward, which is why she sides with Libera, but it also makes her a {{woobie}}, and she learns to grow out of this.
* MsExposition: As one of the few people who knows what Inigo was like in the past (with the other, Iago, deliberately keeping mum on the issue), she is the source of most of what we know about him.
* NiceGirl: She's actually a decent person, especially shown during Iago's imprisonment, where she does everything she can to make things pleasant for him.
* PowerFist: Her weapon, once she gets it, is a large green one.
* RedOniBlueOni:
** The Blue Oni compared to Scarlett and Iago, her two biggest foils. Scarlett is cheerful and outgoing, and Iago is arrogantly bombastic and loud, while Valerie is much more calm and collected, being a bit of a coward and constantly maintaining a cool exterior.
** The Red Oni compared to Inigo, however, being the MellowFellow to his {{Stoic}}. Valerie is a bit more emotional than he is, and is much more martially-inclined, while he keeps a deadpan at all times and fights using a mix of magic and trickery.
* SevenDeadlySins: Embodies Sloth, being defined mainly by her indecision and cowardice, as she is unable to make the choice to leave Libera until ''Book of Order'' Chapter 27.
* SitcomArchnemesis: The nameless son of the cousin of the owner of Magnum Hotel (named “Fez Guy” by Inigo), who seems to have it out for her. Both of their meetings end in Valerie physically assaulting him in some way, and in the first, he seems to go out of his way to insult her for seemingly no reason.
* StrongAndSkilled: She has the highest Strength stat out of the Spectrums, but there’s also much more skill involved in her fighting style than you’d expect, and her Dexterity is very good, too.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The Effeminate Tomboy to Scarlett's Moderate Girly Girl. Valerie is more mannish, lazy, blunt, has short hair, and is more of a martial artist - all of which are the opposite of Scarlett.

!Apex

The main antagonistic force of the story. An AntiVillain organisation that seeks to evolve the human race.

[[folder:Benjamin Amino]]

The leader and founder of Apex. A man who has committed many sins all in the name of his grandiose goal to evolve the human race.

* AFatherToHisMen: Definitely acts rather paternal, and Minori even refers to him as “Apex's dad” on occasion.
* AffablyEvil: All evidence points towards this, at least in the present day. Valerie describes him as a nice person who had no problem with her leaving, even offering her some advice as a parting gift. With that said, he's still responsible for performing scientific methods that are monstrous enough to have an entire ''organisation'' formed for the express purpose of taking him down.
* AllLovingHero: This dude is the polar opposite of a MisanthropeSupreme. He ''loves'' humanity, and wishes to see them all ascend. Though he may qualify for an inversion of the trope: an All-Loving Villain, instead.
* AntiVillain: A textbook Type III (Well-Intentioned), but has heavy shades of Type I (Noble), too.
* BeleagueredBoss: Is shown to be downright ''tired'' with Minori and her obsession with Makoto. He also acts a bit like this with Makoto, too, but is at least more polite about it.
* BenevolentBoss: Despite the above, he is shown to treat those under his employ quite well, even acting as a father-figure in the case of Liberty.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: He's kooky, energetic, and [[TheNicknamer gives his men silly nicknames]], but don't be fooled. He's by and large the single most dangerous character in the story, if not necessarily the most actively malicious.
* CardCarryingVillain: More like Card-Carrying Lunatic, as while he is not proud of most of his villainy, he introduces himself as a MadScientist with glee, wearing it like a badge.
* ColdHam: He isn't as prone to raising his voice as Kotoba or Iago, but his speeches always have a certain gravitas to them, which he has mastered the art of making the most of with his imposing presence. As a result, he comes off as just as much of a ham as all three of them.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: For the rest of the cast, he ''is'' the standard. Amino isn't the most villainous individual, but being the head of Apex means he is by proxy responsible for anything Makoto, Minori, Viola, Acedia and anyone else working under him does. As such, anyone opposing them often takes umbrage with the things he does as a result.
* EvilutionaryBiologist: Made all the more ominous by the fact that his preferred test subject is humanity.
* EvilVirtues: A surprisingly high number of them, but his most notable is '''[[AffablyEvil Kindness]]''', shown to both enemies and allies.
* FatherlyScientist: Despite being the lead scientist of Apex, he doesn't bear anyone any ill will, and treats everybody, test subject or otherwise, as well as he can.
* TheGadfly: Enjoys poking fun at those he works with, but it's all in good fun, and nobody gets truly offended because they know he's a joker.
* GenerationXerox: Amino is considered in-universe to be an OlderAndWiser version of Iago.
* GoodParents: Noticeably, [[AntagonisticOffspring Iago]] takes time to note that no, Amino did ''not'' abuse him like he did the rest of his organisation, and he is shown to love Iago with all his heart. He also treats [[HappilyAdopted Liberty]] as best as he can, despite keeping her locked up.
* HumansAreFlawed: Ultimately believes that [[HumansAreBastards humanity is a cruel species, filled with hate just waiting to be unleashed]], but that [[HumansAreSpecial they also have limitless potential that he aims to help them realise, both to become more powerful and more loving]].
* IControlMyMinionsThrough: '''Loyalty''', specifically '''Kindness''' and '''Respect'''. Amino's kindness and dedication to his goal is just about the only thing stopping everyone under his control from jumping ship out of sheer guilt.
* LaughablyEvil: Whether you see him as a hero or a villain, there's one thing you can agree on, and it's that he's absolutely hilarious.
* MightAsWellNotBeInPrisonAtAll: It is revealed that he spent the entirety of Book of Order incarcerated, but still had the means to commune with the outside world and his workers.
* MoralityPet: Served as Minori's before her redemption. Her interactions with him helped show that there was still a person behind the psycho she presented herself as.
* PapaWolf: The only time he comes close to looking like a BadBoss is his getting strict with Makoto after learning he helped in the kidnapping of Iago, his son. He immediately tasks Makoto with getting him back.
* PetTheDog: He has many, befitting his nature as an AntiVillain. His first onscreen one takes place at the very end of ''Prelude'', where he, thinking Makoto blames himself for failing to prevent Iago's kidnapping, does his best to reassure him that it's not his fault. He does change his tune when he learns that Makoto actually is directly responsible, but he never becomes outright mean about it.
* RepetitiveName: Likely unintentional, but his name is still Benj'''amin Amin'''o.
* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: Completely independently of one another, Amino and Inigo both come up with the nickname “Stiff Upper Lip”, shortened to "Stiffie", for Minori.
* TomTheDarkLord: With all these fantastical names in the book, the BigBad being named ''Benjamin'' seems rather underwhelming.
* VillainousFriendship: Harbors a Type I with Makoto, as the two are willing to openly banter with each other, and provided Makoto hasn't screwed up, he is shown to be at ease around him. Also with Minori, though she'd sooner claim it's more of a Type II.

[[folder:Liberty]]

A {{Cyborg}} taken in and modified by Apex to act as their guardian. She starts off being restricted by the bounds put on her by Amino, but yearns for freedom and soon earns it.

* BerserkButton: Restraining her in any way, shape or form will, without fail, cause her to flip out.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: When Inigo confides in her about his identity issues, she initially interprets it as him coming out as transgender, which he is quick to correct her on.
* TheDreaded: When Makoto sees her, he absolutely ''freaks out'', and even Amino is worried about what she's capable of, keeping her {{sealed|BadassInACan}}.
* DualWielding: Wields a pair of twin longswords.
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Very much so. Not only was she born a Prime, but her becoming a {{Cyborg}} empowered her even ''further'', to the point that she's considered practically unstoppable.
* HopelessBossFight: The moment she activated her Level, it was clear that Inigo never stood a chance against her. She needed to be talked down so that Inigo didn't die.
* MagicallyIneptFighter: She is a Prime, so she can't use elemental Natura, but she makes up for it with her ''impeccable'' swordsmanship.
* SuperMode: Level 283: Unfettered, which grants her a sizable boost to her Strength and Speed.
* SwordBeam: Her primary form of ranged combat, though occasionally, she may just [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks throw her swords at the enemy]].
* TokenMinority: Like Jude and Lugalbanda, she is from Freesia, making her the equivalent of an African.
* WideEyedIdealist: Is very optimistic, considering her circumstances, and it's to the point of naivete.

!Libera

A more secondary antagonistic force in the grand scheme of things, but overall the more active. These people are willing to do whatever it takes to bring down Apex for good.

[[folder:Kotoba Kozuki]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kotoba_kozuki.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''Wrath: Willing to do absolutely anything in the name of justice and vengeance.'']]

The stern, stoic leader of Libera, and the BigBad of ''Book of Order''. Kotoba bears a vicious grudge against Amino, and will stop at absolutely nothing to bring him down, but deep down, she does have a good heart and truly acts in the name of what she believes to be correct.

* AffablyEvil:
** Consistently keeps a calm demeanour to her opponents when she's battling them, and doesn't hesitate to compliment them mid-fight. She even develops a grudging respect for ''[[ArchEnemy Inigo]]''. Despite scaring them shitless, she is implied to have some degree of care for her henchmen as well, worrying about their safety when Iago is freed.
** Kotoba as a whole [[DoubleSubversion double-subverts]] this trope. Being affable to her enemies while showing harsh cruelty to her allies makes it easy to mistake her for being FauxAffablyEvil, but during her alliance with Inigo and Makoto, she is nothing but polite, if a little brusque and sarcastic, and even makes pleasant conversation with the latter. It becomes clear that she acts this way around her allies because she feels she needs to keep them in line by making them fear her, but around those she has nothing to prove to, she's more genuinely kind.
* AntiVillain: Falls into the Well-Intentioned, Noble and Tragic variants, roughly in order. Kotoba is a harsh tyrant to her men, but she does it as a way of keeping them in line thanks to her insecurities stopping her from trusting their loyalty. Her methods are horrible, but she does them all in the name of stopping Amino, and to her non-Amino enemies, she shows herself to be genuinely AffablyEvil and honorable.
* ArchEnemy:
** '''Benjamin Amino'''. Without a doubt. Thanks to her BrokenPedestal, she now despises him, and wants nothing more than to kill him once and for all. She hates him so much that, soon after joining Libera, she ''usurps its leadership'' and forces it into a more dedicated, templarish path to find the most efficient way to end his life.
** Inigo is a reasonably close second. Not only did [[YouKilledMyFather he kill her father]], but he's proven to be a thorn in her side due to convincing Scarlett to leave Libera and regularly beating down on her troops.
* BadassBookworm: Iago's description of the books in her office seem to suggest that she is an avid reader, and she is an intelligent planner and tactician. The 'Badass' part comes from her being incredibly powerful in combat, to the point of putting up a great fight even when she is outnumbered 3-to-1.
* BigBad: Is the primary antagonistic force in Book of Order, as despite being the LesserOfTwoEvils compared to Amino, she's much more active as a threat to Inigo.
* TheBaroness: Definitely a Rosa Klebb, being thirty without ever getting married, an IceQueen, and a genuine BigBad as opposed to a minion. It helps that she is generally considered more masculinely attractive, so one is unlikely to mistake her for a Sexpot type.
* BatmanGambit: Though she had different reasons for kidnapping Iago, mainly relating to Libera's self-preservation, she also knew that doing so was likely to get Inigo to try and get him back, soon exploiting this by sending her men after him to hasten the process. This works to her advantage because she specifically wants to kill Inigo in a consensual, honorable fight to the death, avenging her father while staying true to her values.
* {{Bifauxnen}}: If Inigo's description is anything to go by, she looks like an "older, scarier and more handsome version of Makoto".
* BrainsEvilBrawnGood: Inverted, as the MasterSwordswoman Kotoba is juxtaposed with the ManipulativeBastard Inigo.
* CardCarryingVillain: Subverted. While she shows an astonishing amount of self-awareness, willingly referring to herself as a "NecessaryEvil", she is never shown to be proud of being so, and the context and tone even suggest that she might be ''ashamed'' of being evil.
* ClassicVillain: Definitely fits the bill of a Wrath villain, as she is motivated by a mixture of vengeance and righteous fury regarding the murder of her father and Benjamin Amino's general misdeeds. Her appearance is distinct for featuring a dark, dull colour palette where everyone else's colour schemes are more striking, and she dresses very formally in comparison to most of the rest of the cast. Her plans involve manipulating Inigo into entering her base so she can kill him in an honorable battle, and his arc in ''Book of Order'' involves undoing or preventing several injustices performed by her. She also contrasts both Inigo and Makoto in several ways; she is [[{{Foil}} Inigo's opposite]] as she is the [[NobleDemon honorable tyrant]] to his [[PragmaticHero pragmatic freedom-fighter]] and emphasises brawn over brains while not lacking in the latter department, while he emphasises brains to make up for his lack of brawn. At the same time, she is [[EvilCounterpart Makoto's twisted mirror]], as she shares many traits with him, such as her sense of honour and her aforementioned policy of brawn over brains, in addition to Makoto being a Wrath-themed hero. Ultimately, however, while she fits the role of a ClimaxBoss, she is not the FinalBoss of the book, as [[spoiler:Iago takes over as the new antagonist after her]].
* ControlFreak: Downplayed. As Valerie puts it, it's her way or the highway, and may the gods help you if you pick the highway. Kotoba values being able to control her minions effectively and doesn't take kindly to being challenged. With that said, however, when Scarlett and Valerie leave and openly oppose her, [[VillainRespect she has nothing but respect for them]], since she knows that took a lot of guts.
* EvenEvilHasStandards:
** In addition to hating Amino for how evil he is, Kotoba also disapproves of the actions taken by Grant Monarich even without knowing his reasons. This is partially due to him having disobeyed orders, but she is also shown to find the damage done to Luster Street to be senseless and horrible.
** As much of a BadBoss as she is, Scarlett points out that she at least had the goodwill to fairly compensate her soldiers for their efforts.
-->'''Scarlett:''' Hey, Kotoba was many things, but she wasn’t a wage thief. Libera sucked, but at least it paid decently.
* EvilVirtues: Fittingly for such an AntiVillain, Kotoba has a number of these. Most notably, [[NobleDemon honor]], having a sense of fairness and respect for her enemies. She also shows flexibility and patience in her plans, realising the best thing to do was get Inigo to come over to her base instead of forcing him, and being willing to wait an entire month for him to do so.
* EyeScream: At the end of Book of Order, [[spoiler:she loses her eye courtesy of [[TheDogBitesBack Iago]].]]
* FatalFlaw: '''[[NeverBeHurtAgain Distrust]]'''. Thanks to being betrayed by Amino in the past, Kotoba is left with crippling trust issues that leave her unable to truly put her faith in anyone. This extends even to her underlings, so rather than try and win them over with charisma and loyalty, she makes them too scared of her to defect, which in the process has created a pervasive loathing among the members of Libera.
* FauxAffablyEvil:
** While she is often genuinely affable to her foes, showing them ample VillainRespect, to her own allies, she tends to come off as polite, but incredibly cold and unempathetic. It only serves to make her look scarier in her moments of anger, and doesn't stop her from doling out cruel punishments to them.
** Any VillainRespect she sends in Inigo's direction is this by default, since she genuinely hates him and has the end goal of killing him. With that said, she does end up subverting this trope and developing genuine respect for him.
* TheGoodTheBadAndTheEvil: ''In Book of Order'', she is the Evil to Inigo's Good and Iago's Bad, being the BigBad of the story and the biggest extremist of the three. She and Iago swap places after her defeat, though.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: One major thing with her is the fact that, in her quest to vanquish Amino, she became as bad as he did.
* HonorBeforeReason: Despite sharing the Han'eian Concept of Honor with Makoto, she generally [[AvertedTrope averts]] this. She doesn't take honor lightly, true, but she also doesn't go as far as Makoto in upholding it, and is willing to exploit [[LoopholeAbuse loopholes]] in it to meet her objectives.
* HopelessBossFight: She is, to put it lightly, much, ''much'' stronger than Makoto, to the point that he only starts landing hits on her thanks to advice that she gave him mid-battle. Even then, he still loses until his backup arrives.
* IControlMyMinionsThrough: '''Fear''', particularly '''Point of No Return''', sometimes '''Coercion''' and ''especially'' '''Being the Lesser Evil'''. Kotoba is less kind than Amino, ruling with an iron fist, but she unites her minions through their shared hatred of him.
* {{Irony}}: Is the leader of Libera, the name of which means 'freedom', but she rules with an iron fist and only gives her underlings a little more freedom than is strictly necessary. It makes sense once it is revealed that she is not the original leader, but took over the organisation by force.
* KillTheOnesYouLove: Makes unruly underlings like Valerie do this to keep them in line.
* MachiavelliWasWrong: Kotoba rules by fear, while Amino rules with love. While Amino's men are (rightfully) shown to have greater misgivings regarding their actual duties, they are more loyal to Amino himself, this being the main reason they stay for the most part, while Libera is a DeckOfWildCards held under Kotoba's control only by the fact that they are ''scared shitless'' of what would happen if they were to leave.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: The Masculine Girl to Amino's Feminine Boy, notable because she was specifically designed to act 'masculine' as a ruler, while Amino instead acts 'feminine'.
* MoralMyopia: It's downplayed since compared to Amino, she genuinely ''is'' the LesserOfTwoEvils, but Kotoba seems to think her actions are justified since she does it in the name of stopping Amino, who has done many of the same things, but simply on a larger scale.
* NeverBeHurtAgain: Her use of fear as a means of subjugation is a direct result of her crippling trust issues stemming from [[EtTuBrute Amino's betrayal]] - she used to worship the ground he walked on, and he ended up betraying her by ordering her father's assassination. Her reliance on fear means she doesn't have to rely on trust, which she knows to be unreliable.
* OpportunisticBastard: She initially wanted to have her men kidnap Inigo, hence the attacks on him. When he proved to be more than capable of defending himself, however, she adapted to this, using it as an opportunity to provoke him into coming over instead by targeting not just him, but the people and civilisations around him.
* PowerHair: Downplayed, but she is a powerful IronLady whose hairstyle is a short other than a tail.
* PracticallyDifferentGenerations: She is thirty years old while her younger brother, Makoto, is seventeen.
* SharedFamilyQuirks: Just like Makoto, she has a predisposition towards holding grudges, a mostly serious personality, an [[HonorBeforeReason obsession with honor]] (though somewhat toned down in her case) and a general [[NoSocialSkills lack of social skills]].
* SingleIssueWonk: While she's by default rather cold, she's at least decently reasonable and actually somewhat kind. This becomes less true the more linked [[ArchEnemy Amino]] is to the current topic at hand.
* SkewedPriorities: Throughout ''Book of Order'', Kotoba wastes an entire month trying to get rid of Inigo, who was not an active threat to her and her goals until 36 days in, all the while Makoto and Minori, actual members of Apex, remain at large the whole time. Inigo interprets this as her being a NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist, as prioritising him is more conducive to her own personal desires than Libera's overall goal. As it turns out, he's right, to an extent. She ''is'' focused on eliminating threats to Libera, considering she kidnapped Iago, but Inigo also entered her crosshairs.
* SmarterThanYouLook: Despite outwardly presenting as a fearmongering brute, Kotoba is much smarter than she seems, being able to look at surveillance and observed patterns to catch on to plot events that she wasn't there to witness, [[OutGambitted out-gambit]] Iago, and lure Inigo to her base with a pretty clever BatmanGambit.
* TsurimeEyes: Her eyes are frequently compared with those of an eagle.
* VillainHasAPoint: Makes several good points during the heroes' confrontation with her:
** The first and most obvious is that no matter what, Amino ''needs to be stopped''. While the specifics of most of his crimes are unknown, it is shown that people are suffering for it, and considering he had Ryuto Kozuki killed for knowing too much, he can't be considered a good person, either.
** When Makoto tells Kotoba about his wish for the Spectrum Game - to turn Apex more ethical in its methods, Kotoba's response is "A noble goal, but I can't stand and wait for you to win.". Ignoring the fact that Makoto might not even win, if he does, there is a chance his wish will turn out to be impossible. And winning the Game can take any amount of time; time that Kotoba isn't willing to waste.
** Her explanation as to why she keeps Grant Monarich around is that no matter how much she dislikes him, he ''is'' useful for his power and ruthlessness, which are good traits in their line of work. It is clear she's mindful of the damage he can cause, too, as when she sees him directly disobey an order just to cause more, she makes it clear she is going to punish him for it.
** She also brings up how for all their opposition to her, the heroes don't actually have an alternative plan for stopping Amino. Kotoba's methods are cruel, but her modus operandi of kidnapping those she suspects are tied to Apex and torturing them for information is solid in theory, only failing due to a mix of the Apex members being tight-lipped and her not always being right. Even then, it's not like she's learned ''nothing''.
*** It is rather telling that the heroes don't refute her points themselves, but rather her execution of them, with the fact that she's gone all HeWhoFightsMonsters and given up on her ideals being their main point of contention. The only point itself that gets countered is her reliance on fear, as [[MachiavelliWasWrong both Inigo and Scarlett criticise her for it]], and even then, that one's more rooted in her deep-seated trust issues than actual logic.
--> '''Inigo:''' Ignoring the damage done to both Canis Town and Luster Street, you're even making your own soldiers suffer. A good leader is kind. Your men are fucking terrified of you.
--> '''Scarlett:''' Kotoba, you're fighting for a noble cause! You could've inspired genuine trust! Instead, you're brute-forcing us into all sorts of crimes! We've hurt so many innocent people!
* VillainousBreakdown: A very minor example, and one that she quickly recovers from, but once Scarlett comes in and piles pressure on her arguments with Makoto and Inigo, Kotoba noticeably loses her composure a bit.
* VillainsNeverLie: Thanks to her code of honour, the heroes can at least always count on her to keep her word.
* YouKilledMyFather: Her being Makoto's sister means Inigo killed ''her'' father, too, and unlike him, she's fully set on killing him so that her family's honour can be restored.

[[folder:Creed Lugalbanda]]

One of Kotoba’s enforcers. A surprisingly kind man who stands out for his loyalty to Kotoba, he loves nothing more than a good fight, and really wants to fight Inigo, much to the latter’s chagrin.

* AffablyEvil: Is genuinely friendly with Inigo despite being his enemy, and seems to have a decent friendship with Valerie going on.
* AmbiguouslyBrown: His skin is described as being lighter than your average Freesian, but still dark, with the implication that he’s mixed-race.
* AnimalMotifs: Dogs and canines in general. He is prone to snarling and growling when mad, his code name is "Coyote", he is characterised by his extreme loyalty to Kotoba, and the chapter where he is properly introduced is titled "Kotoba’s Hound".
* {{Animorphism}}: Can use a partial example as his Adept ability, swapping his body parts with animal body parts to aid him in battle. It’s likely that this is where his codename of "Coyote" comes from.
* BloodKnight: As his interactions with Inigo show, he ''really'' likes a good fight.
* DumbMuscle: Is up there with Valerie and Kotoba as one of the book's best duellists, and is otherwise known for being very ditzy.
* EvilRedhead: Affable as he is, he's still a willing enforcer of Kotoba's will, and he has red hair.
* FieryRedhead: Again, he has red hair, and he's not only a {{Keet}} with a fight-happy streak, but he's also capable of flying into UnstoppableRage at his worst.
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Apparently, to him, Grant Monarich is a trustworthy individual.
* MyMasterRightOrWrong: He doesn’t disagree with Valerie’s assessment that Kotoba’s methods are wrong, but simply tells her that it’s not their place to ask questions.
* PlayingWithFire: While he usually fights using his Adept powers, the few elemental attacks he uses are fire-based.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Kotoba, uniquely for a member of Libera.
* UnknownRival: Really wants to fight Inigo, but the latter couldn't care less about him one way or another.

[[/folder]]
[[folder:Grant Monarich]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grant_monarich.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Libera at its absolute worst.]]

One of Kotoba's enforcers, and the father of Scarlett. A cruel and petty man, he is driven by the loss of his wife to destroy Apex, and is even willing to go through his own daughter to do it.

----

* AbusiveParents: Is definitely neglectful of Scarlett, and is implied to have been emotionally abusive considering he has no problem turning on her when they meet in ''Book of Order'' Chapter 32.
* BadassInANiceSuit: Has only been seen in one outfit, a red business suit (albeit partially unbuttoned and without a tie), and he isn't half bad in combat, being able to put up a damn good fight against the combined forces of Inigo, Scarlett and Azurine.
* ChandlersLaw: ''Book of Order'' Chapter 34 seems like filler at first, what with the heroes getting a new outfit change and bantering among themselves for the most part. This changes, however, when Grant causes an explosion in the town, and is revealed to have dealt much more damage.
* CodeName: "Galileo".
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Perhaps his sole redeeming quality is his love for his wife, who he still grieves for to this day.
* EvilIsPetty:
** In ''Book of Order'' Chapter 32, he goes out of his way to insult Azurine's height when she stands up to him, for no reason other than to be a dick. For reference, he's only now just ''met'' her, and doesn't even know her name.
** While there ''was'' a genuinely pragmatic motivation behind his assault on Luster Street, it is strongly implied that he only went that far because he was ''that'' pissed off about Scarlett standing up to him.
** Reaches its peak in Chapter 49, where he convinces Creed to kill Inigo by painting him as a threat to Libera despite likely knowing this is not the case, compromising the safety of all of Libera for a shot at revenge.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Speaks in a calm, polite tone, even seeming to be playful and snarky at times, but his words are laced with contempt and condescension.
* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: While he did genuinely love his wife, he still uses her death as an excuse to make others suffer, and he clearly enjoys what he does too much to be sympathetic.
* HateSink: With even the likes of Kotoba and Amino receiving numerous redeeming qualities, Grant stands out as the sole wholly unlikeable character.
* MoreDespicableMinion: He's essentially Kotoba's answer to Minori, being a sadistic, abusive snob in a group of {{Anti Villain}}s. And he doesn't even redeem himself like she does.
* NoRespectGuy: Nobody in Libera seems to have much respect for him. Kotoba is completely dismissive of his handcuffing while Valerie constantly snarks at him both in and out of her narration. And that's not getting into Minori, who states that she wants to watch him struggle to get out of his chains and laugh at him in her head. Even outside of Libera, Inigo is constantly snarking at him in his head even when he's not currently present.
* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: Libera as a faction has the goal of putting a stop to the horrendous actions of Benjamin Amino, so they as a whole are not this trope. Grant Monarich, however, is in it for two things; to avenge his wife and to hurt people, and he's willing to use the faction he's in as a shield to defend himself from criticism.
* RedOniBlueOni:
** He is the Blue Oni compared to his daughter, Scarlett. She is perky, upbeat and rather cheerful, while he is considerably more dour and calm, as well as just generally being very mean. This is shown in their confrontation, where he calmly tries to excuse his inexcusable actions while she screams at him about what a horrible person he is.
** However, compared to his boss, Kotoba, he is the Red Oni instead. Though the two don't interact onscreen, they are both high-ranking members of Libera. Kotoba is TheStoic and is AffablyEvil to an extent, being much easier to reason with, and is considerably more self-aware than him, recognising her actions as a NecessaryEvil and not being proud of what she does. Grant, on the other hand, has a bad temper, is immensely prideful, petty and sadistic, and only uses Libera's NecessaryEvil credentials as an excuse to indulge in it.
* SacredFlames: Can create these by combining his Fire and Light elements, an ability exclusive to skilled Naturals. They are, naturally, [[TechnicolorFire white]].
* SquishyWizard: As powerful as he is as a caster, he doesn't use a weapon, and thus has no way of reliably defending himself once his enemy gets up close. With that said, his [[LongRangeFighter specialty for area-filling, long-ranged combat]] makes getting and ''staying'' up close to him a bit of a chore.
* TokenEvilTeammate: Libera is ultimately a WellIntentionedExtremist organisation, and its members are of the likeable sort, as shown with [[NobleDemon Kotoba]], [[AffablyEvil Coyote]], [[TheDitherer Valerie]] and [[WellDoneSonGuy Scarlett]]. And then we have Grant, an unrepentant sadist and [[AbusiveParents abuser]] willing to destroy an entire town just to get his way.

* ObviouslyEvil: Discussed by Basil in ''Prelude'' Chapter 11, but ultimately averted. His appearance is quite sinister, with RavenHairIvorySkin, PeekABangs and {{red eyes|TakeWarning}}, but while he's a WellIntentionedExtremist, he ''definitely'' isn't evil.

* PeekABangs: Of the scheming variety.

* ContraltoOfDanger: Inigo even describes her voice as a contralto when he meets her.

* ByronicHero: Initially. He still fits most of the checkmarks, but quickly grew out of the selfishness characteristic of this trope.

* VitriolicBestBuds: With Silas. Inigo and Silas constantly snark at one another, but he seems to get along with him more than he does everyone else.

* PowerHair: Downplayed, but she is a powerful IronLady whose hairstyle is a ShortHairWithTail.

* ShortHairWithTail: How she wears her hair.

* OutGambitted: Of the “SmugSnake vs. MagnificentBastard” variant. ''Book of Order'' Chapter 36 is basically all about him learning just how many steps Kotoba is ahead of him, and he doesn’t like it.