Follow TV Tropes

Following

Characters / Aflame Inferno

Go To

Character sheet for the Manhwa, Aflame Inferno. Beware late arrival spoilers.

    open/close all folders 

Main Characters

    Kang Shi-Chan 

Kang Shi-Chan

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kang_shi_chan.jpg

The protagonist. A teenage boy with emotional issues that often comes across as rather abrasive. Although he's handsome enough to be a famous professional model, and is the top scorer at school, in both academics and mock combat, there is nobody he can call a close friend.


  • Above the Influence: Played With. On the one hand, he would happily accept the advances of older women, particularly Ju Woodon, on the other, he literally had no reaction to Gehenna, in lingerie, when she surprised him coming out of the shower in just a towel, and he certainly does not take advantage of Chae-hee, or Ilda Yui.
  • The Ace: He is the top student in his very prestigious high-school, in academics, athletics, and combat strategies.
  • Ambiguously Bi: While it is well established that he's attracted to women, especially older ones, his reaction to meeting Thanatos in person is quite telling.
    Shi-Chan: That's Thanatos? Wow! He's handsome.
    Inferno: That's the first what gets your attention?
  • Audience Surrogate: As he learns stuff about demons and the world setting, so does the audience.
  • The Charmer: Deconstructed. He is quite skilled at chatting up the ladies, as long as it's a purely superficial act. When he has honest feelings for them, he winds up tripping over himself, and being quite abrasive.
  • The Chess Master: He's nowhere near as good as Pandemonium, due to lack of experience, but he does have the potential, and his plans are quite sound.
  • Chivalrous Pervert: He is a healthy, heterosexual teenage boy. Still, when Ju Woodon was drunk out of her mind (so much so that she didn't notice or care that his hand was on her breast) he suggested walking her home. After she refused, he did call her a taxi and made sure she got home safely.
  • The Corruption: Unique to only Shi-chan in that if he wishes to utilize more of Inferno's power, he must allow Inferno to corrode more of his soul. While Gehenna is in favor of this, Inferno is just as against it because once it crosses a certain threshold, Shi-chan will cease to exist.
  • Dark and Troubled Past: His mother died while he was young. What's worse is that she apparently died in a fire that destroyed his family's home, and he had to watch helplessly. He still has nightmares about it.
  • The Determinator: This is his greatest strength, and the reason Inferno chose him as a host. His will to live is so strong that demonic possesion won't kill him, even though it's supposedly fatal on every occasion for the human involved. To date, they are the first human/Tedlar hybrid in history.
  • Distracted by the Sexy: His brain had to reboot upon seeing Chae-Hee in a school uniform, and it almost got him killed when one of Pandemonium's spies went after him.
  • The Dulcinea Effect: Given a chance, he will come to a girl's rescue, even if he has little to no hope of success.
  • Empowered Badass Normal: At first, he was the top athlete, strategist, and scholar of his school, then he became Inferno's host.
  • Establishing Character Moment: In his fight with Gehenna, he pushed aside Chae-hee's younger brother, at terrible risk to his own life, despite being wanting to throttle the little boy just moments earlier.
  • A Friend in Need: To Shin Chae-Hee. He paid for her hospital bills, her grandmother's funeral, and gave both her and her little brother a place to live, and had his stepmother get her into his very prestigious high-school. The same high-school she worked as a janitor so she could sneak in a class or two. And even though the last part is to keep watch on Gehenna, Kang Shi-Chan had no other ulterior motives.
  • The Glasses Come Off: Every time he calls upon Inferno, he removes his glasses.
  • Good Parents: Even though his father is often away on business, and he has a step-mother, they both treasure him, and genuinely do everything they can to make him happy and see him succeed in life. In fact, the one who flipped the bill for Chae-Hee's medical fees and funeral fees was his step-mother.
  • Hearing Voices: Initially, he was the only one who could hear Inferno. This changed after Inferno briefly took the diver's seat of his body. And upon meeting a psychic who can sense demons.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He embodies the phrase "the porcupine's dilemma." The closer he is to someone, the more that person gets pricked with his quills. That being said, he does try to live a good and decent life and his parents have much to be proud of.
  • Lack of Empathy: A bit. His first thoughts after learning that Chae-Hee is a witness to him being possessed by Inferno was killing her to keep her quiet. He quickly changed his mind when he found out a serial killer did the deed, and Gehenna took her over.
  • Likes Older Women: When introduced, he was hitting on his older, but very attractive teacher.
  • Lonely Rich Kid: He seems this way to Chae-Hee at least. His family home has a guest room that's bigger than Chae-hee's entire home, and that's where Chae-hee happily lives with her little brother. Further, all his social interactions are purely superficial, until Chae-hee comes along and sees that he's actually very insecure about himself, and is too scared/proud to reach out to others.
  • Marriage of Convenience: He promises to marry Chae-Hee at graduation. He does this to maintain The Masquerade and keep an eye on Gehenna.
  • A Million Is a Statistic: As part of an interview with some ranking people of T.B.I., he compares humans to livestock in describing the mindset of the demons. One of the people of T.B.I. politely calls him out on it.
  • Morality Pet: To Gehenna. He's the first human, or even the first anyone that Gehenna wants to protect. According to Inferno, her opinion of humans used to be worse than Pandemonium, and that's saying a lot.
  • Mr. Fanservice: On both sides of the fourth wall. Justified as he is a professional model.
  • No Guy Wants to Be Chased: Gehenna makes him very uncomfortable because she's just too aggressive, in every sense of the word.
  • No Social Skills: Aside from chatting up girls, or professional settings, like a police interview, he's not good with people. It gets worse as Inferno starts being more of an "influence" upon him.
  • Purely Aesthetic Glasses: He has no problems with his vision. He only wears glasses because he thinks he looks better in them, and the women he's met all agree with that assessment.
  • Shower Scene: Surprisingly, he's the primary contender of the story for this, not any of the many female characters, especially Chae-Hee/Gehenna.
  • So Beautiful, It's a Curse: As early as chapter 1, he shows that being a professional model with women his own age constantly fawning over him, treating him as either Mr. Fanservice or a Meal Ticket has left him truly jaded regarding women. When Chae-Hee shows him genuine affection, for his personality, without trying to force herself on him, he's utterly baffled and clueless as to how he should respond. He winds up treasuring women who genuinely treat him as a person. Chae-Hee, Nancy Swallow, and Ilda Yui take the top of the list.
  • Stoic Spectacles: He's not very good at showing emotion, and he wears glasses.
  • The Strategist: Upon his introduction, he took down a high-level demon near single-handed, by formulating a strategy to exploit its weaknesses. Even though his performance from that point on has been less than stellar, he does still think things through, and his failures tend to be due to lack of information rather than incompetence. Further, his tactics are all quite sound, based on the resources and information he has at hand.
  • Teacher/Student Romance: He is very strongly attracted to his cram school teacher. (And it appears to be mutual.)
  • Umbrella of Togetherness: Lampshaded. When Gehenna runs and gets herself soaked in a heavy downpour to get him an umbrella, he calls out to her so they can share, much to her delight.

    Shin Chae-Hee 

Shin Chae-Hee

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shin_chaehee.jpg

A poor girl who winds up dragged into the conflict as well, by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, twice.


  • Alternate Identity Amnesia: She is completely unaware of Gehenna's actions. The reverse is not true for Gehenna who knows full well everything Chae-Hee sees, hears, and does.
  • Because You Were Nice to Me: Combined with Rescue Romance. Due to what she perceives as Shi-Chan's rescue from a Serial Killer, taking her in, and treating her kindly, as kind as he can be, at any rate, she's both unflinchingly loyal and quite smitten with him.
  • Born Unlucky: Both parents dead, being raised by her grandmother in abysmal poverty, having to live in a garbage dump, little to no formal education, and having to give up on going to school so her little brother can go to elementary school, and winding up in the wrong place, at the wrong time, twice leading to her death, her grandmother's death, her house being burned down, and being possessed by Gehenna... You really can't get more unlucky than that. What's worse, after Kang Shi-Chan's step-mother pulls some strings to get her into school, she winds up being horrifically bullied by the local Alpha Bitch because Kang Shi-chan comes to pick her up and keep her out of the hands of the local Jerk Jock. Who is a despicable low-level demon in disguise. Unfortunately for the Alpha Bitch, Gehenna decided she wasn't going to let the last one slide.
  • Buxom Beauty Standard: She is quite busty, and numerous characters comment on it, including Gehenna. Amusingly, the only characters who don't pick up on it are Inferno, who is rightly more concerned about Gehenna's behavior and motives, and Shi-Chan, the intended target of her affections who treasures her personality instead.
  • Cool Big Sis: To her little brother Shin Kihoon.
  • Dead Man Walking: She actually died when the serial killer stabber her in the chest. Her personality is just a mask for Gehenna.
  • Girlish Pigtails: She prefers to wear her hair this way as part of her school uniform. Kang Shi-Chan really admires the look.
  • Idiot Hair: She has one bang that points straight up into the air for about a foot before arcing downwards to her face.
  • Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: By a Serial Killer on her way home.
  • I Owe You My Life: She believes this about Kang Shi-Chan, and she's somewhat correct in this.
  • Meido: Although she lacks a maid uniform, she fits every other aspect of this trope. In fact, she jealously guards her job as cook and maid at the Kang household, and does a better job than a trained professional, much to the Kang family's delight, especially Kang Shi-Chan's stepmother who exploits it for all its worth.
  • Nice Girl: You couldn't ask for a sweeter, more polite, or gentle soul.
  • Out of Focus: As Gehenna's screen-time continues to increase, her screen-time continues to decrease since they're Sharing a Body.
  • Parental Abandonment: Both her parents are presumably dead.
  • Shrinking Violet: She is painfully shy, and when Kang Shi-Chan treated her to a meal, she was very uncomfortable ordering anything but the least expensive platter. Shi-Chan ordered what she actually wanted by watching her stare at the menu.
  • Supreme Chef: She cooks better than the Kang's professional chef and maid.
  • Through His Stomach: Her primary advantage over every other girl in the series for Shi-chan's affection. Despite what many other characters think.
  • Too Good for This Sinful Earth: A serial killer, with an apparent fetish for necrophilia, certainly thought so.
  • Undying Loyalty: To the Kang household, Shi-Chan in particular, and it's well deserved.
  • Unprovoked Pervert Payback: Briefly, and understandably when she awoke and found her clothes in disarray, with Shi-chan present, after she was attacked by a serial killer, and her memories were muddled thanks to Gehenna. She was properly apologetic after Shi-chan explained the situation.

    Gehenna 

Gehenna

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gehenna.jpg
The Emperor class demon of the West.
  • Ax-Crazy: She is extremely violent and unpredictable.
  • Becoming the Mask: Played with. She credits Chae-hee having a well-justified crush on Shi-chan as part of the reason she has feelings for him herself. Although Chae-hee does have feelings for Shi-chan, whether this is actually influencing Gehenna, or it's some other aspect of her personality that has her "mellowing out" a bit is quite unclear to everyone, including Gehenna.
  • Blue-and-Orange Morality: Even she doesn't fully comprehend how her moral compass operates. One thing is certain, you don't want to piss her off.
  • Body Guard Crush: Played with. On the one hand, she freely admits that she's got a crush on Shi-chan, on the other, she's not exactly a bodyguard.
  • Clingy Jealous Girl: Rationally, she has no objection to Shi-chan being attracted to other women, but she is quick to threaten violence if she believes he's planning to act on it. Further, whenever a new girl enters his sphere of influence, she's quick to assert her dominance.
  • Declaration of Protection: To Kang Shi-chan, and Inferno by proxy.
  • Did Not Think This Through: Lampshaded multiple times. She seldom considers the long-term consequences of her actions.
  • Heel–Face Turn: Deconstrutcted. She started out trying to kill Inferno. After learning that Shi-chan and Inferno are a "hybrid," she's come to want to protect them instead, being very curious about the entire arrangement. The speed at which she does this makes Shi-chan very suspicious, and she states that she's insulted by that.
  • I Lied: She promised a demon that she would be spared if she won a one on one fight against Inferno in Shi-chan's body. She killed said demon the moment the demon gained the upper hand. Granted, said demon began to get flirty with Shi-chan once she immobilized him...
  • I'll Kill You!: This is her default position to anyone that annoys her.
  • Leeroy Jenkins: She charges into battle with little thought, preparation, or backup. Normally, she's strong enough to simply bulldoze through any opposition, but against another Emperor-class demon, she's at a disadvantage.
  • Lethal Chef: Suprisingly, Chae-hee's exceptional cooking skill has not rubbed off on her. Her attempt to make spaghetti was a toxic concoction that even she could not stomach.
  • Let's Get Dangerous!: If she takes her hair out of Chae-Hee's Girlish Pigtails, you know she's serious.
  • Mystical White Hair: Her hair (or rather Shin Chae-Hee) becomes white when she activates her powers.
  • Neck Lift: When an Alpha Bitch with a crush on Kang Shi-chan decided to bully Chae-Hee, up to and including, threats of sexual assault, Gehenna grabbed said bitch by the throat and slammed her against the wall, feet dangling in the air, combined with a nice I'll Kill You!. The fear was soon forgotten.
  • Pay Evil unto Evil: The Serial Killer that got Chae-hee? Gehenna kills him in return, carving up his body into ludicrous jibs in front of Shi-chan.
  • Prehensile Hair: Not only can she manipulate it to turn any way she wants, she can shape it into blades sharp enough to cut through concrete.
  • Rebellious Spirit: Expecting her to do as she's told is a suicidal miscalculation. Even though she's Ax-Crazy, if she's outright ordered to fight, she'll emphatically refuse. Even when it's a fight she can win, easily.
  • Sharing a Body: With Chae-hee.
  • Shameless Fanservice Girl: Played With in that it's actually Shin Chae-Hee's body and not hers, but she has little modesty and has no problem showing off her body in states of undress, especially to Kang Shi-Chan, who is deeply disturbed by it since he knows Shin Chae-Hee is very modest.
  • Sink or Swim Mentor: Her idea of "training" Shi-Chan is just throwing a tedlar at him and then promising said templar its freedom if it can win a fight to the death.
  • Slut-Shaming: On the receiving end of this from a pair of Pandemonium's demons. Doesn't bother her a bit.
  • Worthy Opponent: Considers Inferno this, being the only demon to stand above her. Even before the events of the manhwa, she mimics Inferno's 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' rule for herself and her followers to only possess human bodies that had recently died.
  • Yandere: Actually justified. Not only does she not want Kang Shi-chan "distracted" while she's busy fighting to protect him from the Demon Emperors of the North and South, but she's well aware that Kang Shi-chan has made a vow to marry Chae-Hee, and it would put both of them in a very bad position if Chae-Hee found out he was being less than honest about it.

    Inferno 

Inferno

The Former Demon Emperor of the East.

Antagonists

    Pandemonium 

Pandemonium

The Demon Emperor of the South.
  • Bad Boss: He not only treats his bodyguards like disposable tools, and clearly calls them such, he is, on-screen, shown snapping the neck of a member of his Paid Harem because he was in a bad mood.
  • Big Bad: He is the closest to one in the series so far.
  • The Chess Master: He's expert at predicting how people and demons tend to act in certain situations, and exploiting it.
  • Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: He will betray any ally the moment it becomes convenient.
  • Circular Reasoning: He's entirely convinced that humans are nothing more than rutting beasts, and deserve extermination. So he surrounds himself, whenever possible, with humans that are nothing more than rutting beasts, even having an on-screen Paid Harem, act like it, and then as said harem of prostitutes is servicing him, kills the closest one in disgust to have the rest stare back at him in terror.
  • Enfante Terrible: His host is a small child.
  • Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: He thinks any demon who shows genuine kindness towards humans is mentally ill, to the point that said demon needs to die.
  • Feeling Oppressed by Their Existence: Sees humanity, as a whole, as nothing more than a debase corruption to the "purity" of Tedlar/demons, and wishes to utterly annihilate humans, leaving no survivors. Unfortuntely, tedlar need human shells for their very existence which makes his goal completely and practically impossible. Thus, he seeks to become "the perfect being" so he won't need humans anymore and can just wipe them out at his leisure.
  • Godhood Seeker: His ultimate goal is to find the Tedlar's predecessors, and "become a complete being above life and death."
  • Humans Are Insects: He is absolutely disgusted by the mere existence of humans, and wants to wipe them all out, but can't because demons need human shells. He's seeking a way to "fix" that.
  • Humanity Is Infectious: He is well aware of this trope and both hates and fears it.
  • It's All About Me: All he cares about is his own advancement and empowerment, regardless of the risk or cost, and he is possessed by an unstoppable homicidal rage when he encounters any teldar/demon who doesn't share this view..
  • I Lied: He promised to let Elize go if Thanatos surrendered. He tried to stab Thanatos in the back for actually agreeing to the terms, and was completely shocked at her Heroic Sacrifice.
  • Laughing Mad: After he finds the Teldar Vortex ruins for which he was searching his whole life, he discovers, much to his horror, that the "Teldar Vortex" are the very humans he considers as livestock, at best, and the Teldar "demons" he hails as their natural predators are in-fact actually human souls.
  • Manipulative Bastard: He's expert at manipulating people and demons into doing what he wants, when he wants, and he's not above using every dirty trick in the book to do it.
  • People Puppets: He takes human corpses, uses an eldritch ritual to turn them into empty living shells, and then treats them as disposable tools.
  • Social Darwinist: Even by demon standards, he's too much about "survival of the fittest."
  • This Is Unforgivable!: Demons showing genuine concern for humans is this for him. As well as any demon, including a fellow Emperor, actually daring to defy him.
  • Undying Loyalty: He's got this from his demon/teldar followers, even though he neither wants nor deserves it.
  • Virtue Is Weakness: Even among demons, he's extreme in complying with this trope.

    Thanatos 

Thanatos

The Demon Emperor of the North.
  • The Atoner:Subverted. He's come to regret wiping out Inferno's human family, but realizes the act is unforgivable. Doubly so after Pandemonium kills his wife. Still, he's dead set on killing Inferno due to her previous Roaring Rampage of Revenge.
  • Dishing Out Dirt: He can manipulate earth and stone into stalagmites that can pierce just about anything.
  • Happily Married: To Elize. Until Pandemonium came along and "corrected" that.
  • One-Winged Angel: While this is true of all teldar who "release," he takes it almost literally.
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge: After Pandemonium killed his wife.
  • Villainous Rescue: Rescues Gehenna from Pandemonium. He wound up paying dearly for this.
  • Villainous Valor: He is opposed to killing Gehenna even though she is a hindrance to his plans.

Supporting Characters

    Ju Wudon 

Ju Wudon

Shi-Chan's cram school teacher.

    Chae-Hee's Grandmother 

Chae-Hee's Grandmother

The grandmother of Chae-hee and Shin Kihoon.
  • Be Careful What You Wish For: Knowing she doesn't have many years left, she wishes she could lay eyes on the man who would marry Chae-Hee and make her happy. She lays eyes on Shi-Chan just before her home's natural gas reservoir blows up, killing her.
  • Death by Irony: She wanted to see the man who would make her granddaughter happy. She does, right before she's killed.
  • No Name Given: Her name is never mentioned.
  • Parental Substitute: Served as one to Chae-Hee and Shin Kihoon.
  • We Hardly Knew Ye: Introduced and killed off in the same chapter.

    Shin Kihoon 

Shin Kihoon

Shin Chae-Hee's younger brother.
  • Annoying Younger Sibling: At first. He initially took a great dislike to Shi-chan's interest in his big sister. This changed immensely after Shi-chan saved his life, gave both siblings a great place to live, by bringing them to the Kang household, promised to marry his big sister, and genuinely continues to make her happy, from his perspective at any rate.
  • Bratty Half-Pint: Shi-chan's first impression of him.
  • Big Brother Instinct: Despite being the younger sibling, he was initially quite suspicious of an attractive, and rich, boy suddenly becoming interested in his big sister.
  • Cheerful Child: He is a very content little boy, and it's gotten better after becoming a part of the Kang household.
  • Does Not Like Spam: He's terrfied of spaghetti. Considering he was Gehenna's test subject for the attempt, it's no wonder.
  • Locked Out of the Loop: Aside from the initial fight with Gehenna, he has no knowledge of his big sister's or Shi-chan's extra-curricular activities, and it's probably for the best.

    Ilda Yui 

Ilda Yui

A psychic introduced in chapter 42. The first human that can hear Inferno speak when she's not in charge of Shi-chan's body.
  • Abusive Parents: She lives with her uncle, who does not worry about her at times that she does not come home, and the uncle would be happier if she "goes away" and does not return. At least that's her impression.
  • Girlish Pigtails: She wears her hair like this.
  • Parental Abandonment: She was outright abandoned by her parents, to the point that she believes she doesn't have any, and lives with her uncle, who would be happy to be rid of her, or so she believes.
  • Super-Senses: She can detect teldar hiding as humans, even when they're under a stealth spell that Emperors like Gehenna can't pierce. She can even hear Inferno when she's talking to Shi-chan, unless Inferno "whispers."

    An Shi Chang 

An Shi Chang

The police detective originally assigned to the serial killer case regarding Shin Chae-Hee.
  • By-the-Book Cop: To date, nothing he's done regarding the investigation has been out of line... until he was pulled off by TBI.
  • Locked Out of the Loop: And he's not happy about it.
  • Put on a Bus: After TBI took over his investigation, he hasn't been seen, although he's still adamant about keeping Shi-chan under surveillance.
  • Spotting the Thread: He's quick to notice that Kang Shi-Chan's testimony regarding the events of that night don't add up.

    Kang Shi-Chan's stepmother 

Kang Shi-Chan's stepmother

The only other member of the Kang household yet introduced.
  • The Gadfly: She loves to tease Chae-Hee about her crush on Shi-Chan, yet does everything in her power to help her succeed in nabbing him.
  • No Name Given: Her name has yet to be mentioned.
  • Playful Cat Smile: Has a mischievous smile on her face all the time around Shin Chae-Hee.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: She paid for Shin Chae-Hee's hospital bill, the funeral services for her grandmother and took the Shin siblings in, at Shi-Chan's request, on the grounds that he would pay her back later on the monetary side, and although reluctant to make the cohabitation long-term, for good reason, was more than eager to accept Chae-Hee as a potential daughter-in-law. Especially after getting a taste of Chae-Hee's cooking.
  • Shipper on Deck: Strongly ships Shi-Chan and Chae-Hee.

    Ganessa O'Reily 

Ganessa O'Reily

One of the highest-ranking TBI agents introduced.
  • Barrier Warrior: She can put up a field to momentarily paralyze and block Tedlars. It only works on low to medium-level tedlars. When Thanatos ordered an attack en masse on TBI headquarters, it was a completely ineffective.
  • By-the-Book Cop: Surprisingly. Fantastic Racism aside, she knows who her friends are, and takes the creed "To protect and serve" seriously.
  • Fantastic Racism: Towards Tedlar. Upon her introduction, she was part of an operation that slaughtered a priest who was nothing but beneficial to his community, purely because he's a tedlar. She outgrows this, to a point, after being rescued by Shi-chan and Inferno.
  • Girlish Pigtails: As part of her uniform.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: She called off TBI's and Korea's PD from investigating Shi-Chan after he risked his life to save them. She would have done more for him, but that was the limit of her ability.

    Nancy Swallow 

Nancy Swallow

The TBI secretary who met Shi-Chan at TBI headquarters.
  • Ascended Fangirl: Of Shi-Chan, amazingly enough. She recognized him from a model catalog, and asked for his autograph, which he was only too happy to give.
  • Barrier Warrior: Like Ganessa, she can project a field to briefly paralyze teldar. It's much, much smaller and weaker than Ganessa's however.
  • Dark and Troubled Past: As a child, she saw tedlar brutally slaughter and consume her family, helpless to do anything about it.
  • Ms. Exposition: She freely gave Shi-Chan a great deal of information on how TBI works.
  • Take Me Instead: Uses herself as a decoy to allow Shi-Chan to escape.
  • Teeth Flying: Part of the brutality delivered by Thanatos' minions is that they slammed her face into a wall so hard, most of her teeth went flying out, or got swallowed.

Top