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Hop Wei
A tong based in San Francisco's Chinatown lead by Father Jun. They made their fortune by dealing in opium distribution and money extortion. They are connected to a larger syndicate in mainland China. Ah Sahm
Played by: Andrew Koji
- Ambiguous Situation: Does he or does he not have designs on the leadership of the Hop Wei? On one hand, when Ah Toy brings it up he doesn't bother to deny it; on the other, his affection for Young Jun seems entirely genuine, and when, in the wake of Mai Ling revealing that they're siblings, he calls Young Jun his only brother he's practically on the verge of tears.
- Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: He's notably cocky in his mannerism, especially when his fighting skill is about to be put to use.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: Downplayed, actually; while he's most often shown fighting with his fists and nothing else, he uses knives and hatchets when the situation calls for something more damaging, and he becomes associated with nunchakus after using a pair against the rioters in Enter the Dragon.
- Blood Knight: He definitely enjoys fighting.
- Break the Haughty: He's notably cocky whenever he fights, but his loss to Li Yong in "Chinese Boxing" brings him down to Earth, getting him kicked out of the Hop Wei and into a very unglamorous job as a lowly coolie.
- Bruce Lee Clone: A pretty blatant one, and not without reason considering the show's development history as a personal creation of Bruce himself. Ah Sahm emulates Bruce's mannerisms whenever he fights, including the signature nose wipe and fighting stances. Interestingly, he forgoes the noises that usually comes with this.
- Bully Hunter: In general, Ah Sahm doesn't appear to like it when the strong abuse the weak.
- But Not Too Foreign: His grandfather was a white American.
- The Champion: Acts as this to the Hop Wei Tong. Eventually, he unofficially becomes this to all of Chinatown.
- Character Development: He starts out as a reckless brawler hell-bent on taking his sister home while also being a selfish man who doesn't take the initiative to make changes for the betterment of others. Later on, in his journey to take over the Hop Wei, he begins to fight for the rights of the Chinese immigrants.
- Charles Atlas Superpower: Demonstrated in episode 5 of season 1, in which he tears out the throat of an outlaw with his bare fingers. Curiously, he never does anything like that anymore after that particular episode.
- Might have been a case of Godzilla Threshold - the outlaw has shown himself to be a No-Nonsense Nemesis throughout the episode, so Ah Sahm wasn't taking any chances when the opportunity to take him out presented itself.
- The Dragon: Soon after joining the Hop Wei, he becomes Young Jun's friend and right-hand man. This bond carries on after Young Jun takes over the leadership.
- Deadpan Snarker: His default style of talking is this.
- Establishing Character Moment: Ah Sahm's shown in his first scene scolding a fellow Chinese man for willingly demeaning himself just so he can have food, then kicking the asses of the immigration officers who are bullying him.
- Fight Magnet: If people don't want to punch Ah Sahm in the face from the get-go, he's quite adept at talking them into it.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Our hero is... not an especially nice person. He's impulsive, quarrelsome, arrogant, and just cannot keep himself from snarking at people to save his life. Still, the people he cares about he really cares about.
- Lightning Bruiser: Not only is Ah Sahm quick and agile, but he can also deal heavy hits with his body.
- Made of Iron: He has taken a lot of punishment in the series, but none of the damages sticks for long.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: As further detailed in Leary's folder, it's entirely possible that the beating Ah Sahm gave him in season 2 finale will come back to bite Ah Sahm and the Chinese community in San Francisco in their collectives asses big time.
- Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: Among fellow Chinese, Ah Sahm's snarky attitude is either looked upon with disdain or neutral friendliness, and while his martial arts is something many behold he's ultimately not the greatest fighter in Chinatown. Among white people however, he's a walking Curb-Stomp Battle and his fluent English lends itself to words that indubitably sting more than any punch or kick he can dish out ever could.
- One-Man Army: Ah Sahm can take on hordes of goons alone and come out on top.
- Punch Catch: A signature move of his, serves as a prelude for a furious beatdown on his opponent.
- That Man Is Dead: Downplayed. When Mai Ling tries to make amends, Ah Sahm spitefully declares that her brother died when she gave Li Yong the order to kill him in their duel.
- Took a Level in Badass: While he was hardly a wimp in the first season, the second season sees Ah Sahm refining his fighting style, which serves him well when he fights Leary in the finale.
- Tranquil Fury: Before Ah Sahm's first fight in Rooker's tournament, Young Jun reminds him of his loss to Li Yong and expresses hope that, given the stakes are pretty comparable, Ah Sahm won't drop the ball again. Ah Sahm doesn't show any outward anger but proceeds to absolutely tear through everybody he faces in the tournament and is well on his way to winning the whole thing when Vega sets her revenge plan in motion. Clearly, Young Jun touched just the right nerve.
- Turncoat: In the Season 3 finale, he turns against the Hop Wei after Young Jun puts a hit out on Mai Lung.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: With Young Jun and, to a lesser extent, Hong (who can snark with the best of them but is too much of a Nice Guy to keep it up for long); they might give each other untold amounts of crap but it's clear they'd die for each other in an instant.
Young Jun
Played by: Jason Tobin
- Ambiguously Bi: Questions Hong on whether the latter finds him attractive in episode 2x06, and upon learning Hong thinks of him only as a brother he looks more disappointed than anything else; he also violently lashes out at a Hop Wei member who insults Hong for his orientation. For all that, he's shown frequently visiting female prostitutes, and seemed to be genuinely smitten with a Native American girl in episode 1x05.
- Ax-Crazy: Not exactly the frothing-at-the-mouth type but he's always quick to propose a violent solution, usually first to charge into a fight, and has way too much fun stabbing people.
- Blood Knight: He's always eager for physical confrontation and gleeful at the idea of starting carnage.
- Broken Pedestal: He sees Father Jun's compromises with the Long Zii as a sign of weakness, and resents his rigid adherence to the old way as too limiting to their business.
- The Chains of Commanding: Starting with having to choose between picking a fight with the entire city, if not country, and watching Chinatown get wrecked by an angry mob, and later on having to cope with the revelation that Ah Sahm, his best friend, is the brother of Mai Ling, his most hated enemy, Young Jun did NOT have an easy go of it as the newly-minted chairman of the Hop Wei. To his credit, he's managing far better than most characters, and probably quite a few viewers, would've suspected.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: For all his drinking and womanizing Young Jun is a deadly fighter with his knives - and, contrary to common opinion, quite dangerous without them - and eventually proves himself to be a capable leader of men.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: Oh, it's there alright, he just had to wait a bit to get it.
- Dual Wielding: To compensate for his lack of fighting skill, he uses a pair of daggers in battles.
- "Lack of fighting skill" being relative to other main characters.
- The Hedonist: Likes to spend his money on parties and visits to brothels.
- Hypocritical Humor: When seeing Hong start a fight with several Fung Hai, Young Jun concludes that "this onion is a little bit off;" the same Young Jun we've already seen grin ear to ear while covered literally head to toe in the blood of his opponents.
- Psycho Knife Nut: Contrasting Ah Sahm's propensity for barehanded combat, the far more violence-prone Young Jun eagerly wields a pair of blades in battle that he uses with deadly effect.
- Rebuilt Pedestal: For all the resentment, Young Jun clearly takes his father's admonishments after the successful but costly raid on Fung Hai HQ to heart and carefully weighs his options before leading the Hop Wei against the rioters in episode 2x09. In the aftermath of the riots father and son reconcile, and Father Jun finally concedes that it's Young Jun's time to lead the Hop Wei.
- Son of a Whore: Outright called that by Father Jun at the start of episode 2x07. Might explain why he's so considerate to the prostitutes he frequently visits.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: He's a classic example of this. He's an arrogant tryhard attempting to prove his worth to Father Jun, and even when he eventually flatout overthrows his dad, Young Jun can't help but to still seek his approval in how he's running the Hop Wei.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Doesn't take too kindly to the reveal that Ah Sahm is Mai Ling's brother. However, while still cross, he recognizes that not only has he seen Ah Sahm go through too much to prove his loyalty to the Hop Wei, Ah Sahm was stuck between two difficult choices; either admit his relationship and be diced for it, or keep it a secret — the latter of which Mai Ling attempted to weaponize against Young Jun by pointing that secret out and hopefully driving a wedge between them.
- Granted, if Young Jun starts to wonder what precisely happened on the night Bolo went to kill Mai Ling, which ended with his death courtesy of an impromptu Brother–Sister Team things might turn really ugly really fast.
Father Jun
Played by: Perry Yung
The aging leader of Hop Wei Tong and father of Young Jun.
- But Now I Must Go: In the aftermath of the Chinatown riots, he leaves on a trip across America telling Wang Chao he'll know where he's going when he gets there. Quite possibly a Shout-Out to Kung Fu (1972).
- Cool Old Guy: Shows himself to be a capable marksman.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: He's an immortal gangster who has a gnarly scar over one eye, which is discolored thanks to it.
- Hot-Blooded: He admits that despite his advanced years "inside [he's] still twenty-five and itchy as fuck," and this is why he was reluctant to relinquish the leadership of Hop Wei. He gets over it after getting one more chance to fight during the riot in episode 2x09
- Living Legend: The person to see him off on his trip across America is Wang Chao, who proceeds to take off his tophat and bow deeply to Father Jun before the latter leaves. This is highly unusual for Wang Chao, who steadfastly refused to kowtow before fellow tong leaders Mai Ling and Zhing, and speaks volumes about the respect Father Jun must've commanded in Chinatown.
- Reluctant Retiree: Young Jun describes his coup as "A celebration of [Father Jun's] retirement." Father Jun is kept locked in his home, where he can be used for his advice.
- Walk the Earth: What he does after Young Jun takes over the Hop Wei.
- Wicked Cultured: He is a skilled flute player.
Bolo
Played by: Rich Ting
The best enforcer of the Hop Wei, at least until Ah Sahm comes to town.
- The Big Guy: One of the best fighters in Chinatown and one of the largest of them.
- Everyone Has Standards: Bolo is an absolutely brutal fighter, but he is disturbed when Young Jun just keeps stabbing a Long Zii member long after it's obvious the poor bastard died.
- Killed Off for Real: Is killed by Mai Ling after the former tries to assassinate her and her husband. Also counts as Killed to Uphold the Masquerade since Bolo also discovered Ah Sahm's relationship with Mai Ling.
- Lightning Bruiser: Despite his great size and preference for brute strength, Bolo is very fast. His strength, speed, durability and stamina are excellent and among the best in the series. However, while a skilled warrior well above the common brawlers, his technique was inferior to both Ah Sahm and Li Yong.
- One-Man Army: Able to clear out an entire room of Fung Hai all by himself.
- Shout-Out: As mentioned in the main page, his name is a reference to Bolo Yueh.
- Stealth Expert: Displays some impressive stealth skills during his mission to kill Long Zi. During a pit fight he also disappears in the water only to reappear behind his opponent for a sneak attack.
- Strong, but Unskilled: Subverted . His fighting style is diverse if simplistic and rowdy , but his sheer brute strength and experience more than make up for it. Played straight during his time as a pit fighter “the yellow demon “, where he seems to mainly rely on brute strength and brawling techniques.( implied he was taught martial arts by Father Jun).
- Strong and Skilled: He's a powerfully built man, easily the largest Chinese man seen in the series currently and an expert fighter, enough that he gives Ah Sahm a good fight.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: takes an almost instant dislike to Ah Sahm, and the feeling's very much mutual (granted, Ah Sahm was his usual, charming self when they first met). Still, they make a pretty effective team on several occasions. trope.
- Worthy Opponent: Despite the mutual dislike, Ah Sahm respected Bolo as a skilled warrior. In episode 4 Ah Sahm showed a degree shock and respect to Bolo for his past as a pit fighter( before mocking him again in typical fashion.)episode 6 Ah Sahm is visibly impressed by Bolo killing a room full of Fung Hai, and in episode 7 after their fight, Young Jun remarks that Bolo was a tough motherfucker, and Ah Sahm agrees.
Hong
Played by: Chen Tang
A new recruit to the Hop Wei introduced in Season 2.
- Beware the Silly Ones: He's a jolly fellow always eager to make others laugh, but he's also quite a deadly fighter.
- Big Eater: Hong's often shown enjoying some food in his screentime. When Ah Sahm and Young Jung get into an argument, his suggestion is to discuss things over dumplings.
- Blood Knight: He's less Hot-Blooded than Ah Sahm and Young Jun, but there's no misinterpreting the shit-eating grin he has when going into combat - he loves fighting just as much as they do.
- Chain Pain: His preferred weapon in combat, contrasting Ah Sahm's bare hands and Young Jun's daggers.
- Cloud Cuckoolander: Everyone who spends some time in his company gets the distinct impression that not all the lamps are on upstairs; however Hong shows himself to be a philosophical and insightful individual, in addition to being an absolutely deadly fighter despite his offbeat behavior.
- Dark and Troubled Past: It's only alluded to briefly in season 3, but Hong mentions he's been involved with the tongs since he was fourteen after being kicked out by his father. That couldn't have been fun.
- Gayngster: Is openly gay and a skilled fighter too.
- Improbable Weapon User: He uses his chain necklace as a whip.
- Leitmotif: A particularly energetic rock music plays whenever he starts fighting.
- Nice Guy: A good-natured, friendly guy, who on occasion reels in the more hotheaded Ah Sahm and Young Jun.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Hong is the blue one in contrast to Young Jun's AND Ah Sahm's red. Poor guy.
Long Zii
Hop Wei's rival tong for control over San Francisco's Chinatown. Mai Ling
Played By: Dianne Doan
- Ambition Is Evil: Her quest to put herself on the top of the hierarchy has costed many innocent lives and hurt many more.
- Berserk Button: Men disrespecting her due to her gender. The previous leader of the Fung Hai got poisoned by her because of his sexism.
- Cain and Abel: Ah Sahm's brawling habit forced her to marry a cruel warlord to save him after a match going wrong. She hates Ah Sahm ever since, and when she meets him again in the opposing side of the tong war, she's willing to have him killed. Although it would appear that she came to regard giving Li Yong the order to kill Ah Sahm as her greatest failure in seasons 2 and 3; that, or she's trying to manipulate Ah Sahm by pretending to do so.
- The Fashionista: Her wardrobe is often very elaborate.
- Faux Action Girl: She’s ruthless, cunning and intelligent but, despite being seen holding various weapons, she doesn’t seem to be a particularly skilled combatant. When she finally gets in a fight with Bolo she seems unable to even mount a decent defence, requiring Ah Sahm to rescue her. Her only noticeable kills are backstabbing the critically injured Bolo, Long Zii who accepted his fate and a disrespectful tong member who she executed with a hidden pistol. She finally proves her credentials in the Season 3 finale, shooting her way through the Hop Wei goons sent to assassinate her.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: From a helplessly abused and abandoned girl to one of the most powerful personality in Chinatown.
- Ah Toy: From a warlord's wife, to a warlord herself.
- Gone Horribly Wrong: she concocts a plan to give Jacob up to the authorities in the hopes that it'll draw the attention away from Chinatown. The result is an angry mob of Irish workers descending on Chinatown and all but tearing the place to shreds before the combined forces of the Hop Wei and the Long Zii manage to drive them off.
- Happily Married: To Long Zii; yes, to the guy she stabbed to death. But Long Zii was clearly expecting something of the sort, and accepted his demise graciously, and Mai Ling looked on the verge of tears when she killed him.
- Hidden Depths:Enter the Dragon reveals that she has considerable medical skills.
- Mercy Kill: Old Long Zii was already dying when Mai Ling thrust a dagger into his chest.
- Mirror Character: Both she and Ah Toy acknowledge they have a lot in common; they also don't really like each other much.
- Not So Stoic: She breaks into tears when trying to reconnect with Ah Sahm early on in season 2.
- Silk Hiding Steel: She presents herself as a graceful, level-headed, yet dangerous high-class lady.
- Smug Snake: Shows hints that she isn't as in control as she likes to believe.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Orders Li Yong to kill Ah Sahm, despite the latter having saved her from getting killed.
Li Yong
Played by: Joe Taslim
Long Zii's and later Mai Ling's right-hand man and bodyguard. It's soon revealed that he is also Mai Ling's lover. A fierce fighter with one clear purpose in life, which is to protect the woman he loves, even from herself.
- The Ace: The best fighter in his organization, if not the best in the whole Chinatown.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: The number of on-screen fights in which he uses a weapon is only slightly higher than the number of on-screen fights he loses - which is a big, fat zero. Zhing nearly kills him, however, when he manages to get his hands on a sword which was planted in his bedroom by Li Yong himself no less.
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: Joe Taslim sports an impressive pair, so naturally Li Yong does as well.
- Bruce Lee Clone: Not to the same extent as Ah Sahm, but he shares a few of the mannerisms with the characters Bruce Lee played in his films such as doing the same skipping motion for his combat stance and brushing his nose to show disdain for his opponent. If you watch his facial acting closely, Joe Taslim imitates Bruce's signature sneer.
- The Comically Serious: Li Yong is not one for levity; given that he shares the screen with the likes of Ah Sahm and Wang Chao, this occasionally leads to some hilarious interactions.
- The Conscience: As Mai Ling starts to act more ruthless, Li Yong tries to be a voice of reason.
- Deadpan Snarker: Emphasis on deadpan - he can communicate his disdain for people he dislikes extremely well while barely changing his expression and way of speaking.
- Hidden Depths:
- He cares for the well-being of his fellow Chinese and shows disapproval when Mai Ling's actions begin to disrupt their lives.
- He seems to care about Ah Sahm being Mai Ling's brother more than Mai Ling herself, and appears genuinely shocked when she gives him the go-ahead to kill him in "Chinese Boxing".
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Almost. He helps Wang Chao frame Zhing as the Chinatown swordsman in episode 2x05 by planting a sword in Zhing's quarters. When the two come to blows later in the episode, Zhing manages to get his hands on the sword and unwittingly helps the frame-up by nearly filleting Li Yong.
- Lightning Bruiser: He has better endurance and strength with lesser speed and agility compared to Ah Sahm, but he is definitely one.
- Made of Iron: He can keep fighting and defeat Ah Sahm in a duel even with heavy injury to his solar plexus.
- Noble Top Enforcer: As long as he's not on the job, and often when he is, he's very much a Nice Guy. He does his best to act as Mai Ling conscience, no that she listens to him much, and he's disgusted by the wanton violence of Fung Hai.
- Precision F-Strike: gives one to Zhing before the two throw down.
- Sleeping with the Boss's Wife: As upstanding and honorable as Li Yong is, he seems to have had no issues with cuckolding Long Zii, who seemed like a pretty decent guy for a mob bossnote ; nor did he have any issues with Mai Ling murdering Long Zii, though to be fair neither did Long Zii himself.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Li Yong's clearly less than thrilled about having to work with Zhing and the Fung Hai; Zhing's feelings on the matter are harder to ascertain but when a chance to fight Li Yong presents itself, he jumps in with both feet.
Kong Pak
Played by: Mark Dacascos
A former leader of his own Tong who swears allegiance to the Long Zii to avoid bloodshed.
- Dragon with an Agenda: He's sworn loyalty to Mai Ling and serves as one of her top agents, but he obviously chafes under her leadership and is working to inspire Li Yong to seek his own ambitions.
- Foil: It's a bit early to tell, but he's shaping up to be a decent one to Zing - a leader of an independent tong which becomes allied with the Long Zii (in this case, it's absorbed outright) and a formidable fighter, but even-keeled where Zing was unhinged, and a good friend to Li Yong where Zing had a wholly antagonistic relationship with him. Neither Zing nor Kong Pak, however, are really thrilled to be taking their marching orders from Mai Ling.
- Old Master: Kong Pak's actual age has not been given thus far but Mark Dacascos is just shy of sixty, though he doesn't exactly look it; and when Kong Pak goes into action he's a force to be reckoned with. It's another thing he and Zing (as well as their actors) have in common.
- Villainous Friendship: He considers Li Yong a brother in arms, and part of his decision to swear fealty to the Long Zii was influenced by Li Yong's presence.
Notable Characters in Chinatown
Wang Chao
Played by: Hoon Lee
- Action Survivor: He doesn't have mastery of any fighting style to his name, but he won't go down easily in dangerous situations, and regularly finds a way to pull off victories for himself even in the most desperate of times.
- Combat Pragmatist: Chao is nowhere near as physically powerful or well-trained as most of the Tongs, and he knows this, so he makes up for it by arming himself with hidden knives and guns that he's able to surprise even the deadliest of opponents with.
- Deadpan Snarker: A pattern seems to be emerging here...
- Even Evil Has Standards: Not exactly evil, more like lacking in morals, but he is shown to be distraught by his decision to give up Jacob to the authorities.
- Hidden Weapons: A pair of small guns under his sleeves. Put to great use when his bargain with the Fung Hai goes south.
- I Gave My Word: He prides himself on always keeping his promises, which is why why he's so broken up over giving Jacob up to the authorities.
- Morality Pet: His illegitimate daughter with a prostitute serves as an anchor to Chao's conscience.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: When dealing with people outside of Chinatown, Chao deliberately plays up his accent and downplays his intelligence to make himself appear less important than he truly is. note
- Pragmatic Villainy: Chao's bottom line is business, pure and simple. This is why the tongs trust him to mediate between them even though he's the resident Wild Card. What's good for the tongs is generally good for him, so he works to keep them happy. When Zhing starts threatening to take over Chao's shop, this prompts him to ally with Li Yong and the police to get rid of him.
- Wild Card: Chao will serve damn near anyone if it benefits himself, and his allegiances shift so much throughout the series that many characters acknowledge him as a third party agent with no direct ties to any one group.
Ah Toy
Played by: Olivia Cheng
- Action Girl: Absolutely deadly with a dao, and can handle herself quite well without it.
- Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Averted. Her injuries from fighting the butchers are horrifically visible two episodes after.
- Berserk Button: People betraying her. She had one of her prostitute's tongue cut off after learning she was a mole for the Long Zii Tong. She also kills businessman Richard Timmons when the man refuses to honor his promise that he won't expose her business partner Leonard Patterson is her middle man to legally buy land despite paying Timmons' blackmail money.
- Bruiser with a Soft Center: the sight of Nellie's vineyard brings her to tears as it reminds her of her grandmother's garden; she also visibly struggles not to cry as she leaves Lai to Nellie's care.
- Deadpan Snarker: when Wang Chao asks about her injuries, sustained in episode 2x08, she answers:
- Believe it or not, I actually won that fight.
- Equal-Opportunity Evil: While most of her prostitute are Chinese girls, she also employs white and black girls as seen during the party celebrating Ah Sahm's release from jail. Furthermore, since some of her clients are either gay or bisexuals, she also employs male prostitutes and some of her girls being gay or bi as well with Ah Toy being bi herself.
- Hooker with a Heart of Gold: She's very caring to the girls working in her brothel. When an opportunity for them to have better lives comes, she doesn't hesitate to let them free.
- Fatal Flaw: As mentioned in the Hypocrite entry, she tends to act recklessly without thinking about the consequences. She killed two Irishmen in the first episode for attacking her fellow Chinese but doesn't properly get rid of the bodies like how the Tongs do, leading the San Francisco Police to correctly deduce this case along with the murder of Richard Timmons are connected. Also, her desire to help her prostitutes and her love for Nellie Davenport leads her to rashly demand that her business partner Leonard Patterson transfer ownership of the lands they bought to Davenport, leading to a vengeful Patterson hiring assassins to kill her.
- Hypocrite: She criticizes Ah Sahm for being reckless without thinking about the consequences yet she herself has done many reckless things without regards of the consequences as well.
- Ah Sahm, being Ah Sahm does not let it pass without a comment when given a chance:
Ah Sahm while tending to Ah Toy's wounds: I'm just kind of enjoying not being the one lying in bed bleeding. - Love Makes You Dumb: After falling in love with Nellie Davenport, she demands her business partner, Leonard Patterson, who was perfectly fine serving as her middle man in buying land legally, immediately give up ownership to the land they bought to Davenport. While she may have done it out off good intentions for her prostitutes, the fact that she demanded Patterson give up the land while he's currently in financial trouble makes her seem uncaring to Patterson, leading him to hire assassins on Ah Toy.
- Master Swordsman: Very skilled in using a dao. She has personally chopped off the heads of people who get in the way of her business.
- Miss Kitty: Runs the brothel, business savvy and can take care of herself and her property.
- Muscles Are Meaningless: Downplayed but she still manages to hold her own against two much bigger assassins long enough to turn the tables on them; however, she takes a hideous beating, even by the series' standards, and her entire goal in fighting them unarmed is to survive long enough to get to her dao which she uses to dispatch the two.
- Vigilante Man: She has also cut down scums and criminals whom the authority ignores.
Zing
Played by: Dustin Nguyen
The leader of Fung Hai, a large tong infamous for their brutality and barbaric customs.
- Ax-Crazy: Zhing's got zero compunctions about resorting to violence.
- Bad Boss: While not abusive per se, Zhing never seems to particularly care what happens to his men so long as he rakes in the profit.
- Charles Atlas Superpower: rips out a man's throat with his bare hands at one point, and his signature move is killing people by punching them in the trachea.
- Combat Pragmatist: Fighting Li Yong, he doesn't hesitate to fight dirty, using everything he could get his hands on to beat the younger man.
- Determinator: The stinger in season 2 finale shows him in his cell at San Quentin, patiently yanking at the crates in the cell's window. As the screen fades to black the begin to rattle loose. It's anyone's guess how long he's been doing that, but it clearly shows guy's got no quit in him.
- Didn't Think This Through: Somehow got it into his head that having a police officer and his family killed was a good idea.
- Faux Affably Evil: Zhing never outwardly loses his temper, and he's quite soft-spoken, but if he decides to kill you he'll kill you without needing trifling things like "reasons."
- Framing the Guilty Party: it's actually somewhat impressive that San Francisco police department managed to pin a crime on Zhing which he was definitely not guilty of.
- Made of Iron: When Richard Lee attempts to fend him off with his billy club in season 1 finale (after laying out two rank-and-file Fung Hai to boot), Zhing casually blocks one blow with his forearm and the club breaks. Zhing doesn't so much as flinch.
- Old Master: Possibly. While Zhing's age is never given on the show Dustin Nguyen, who plays him, is pushing sixty, not that you could tell at a glance; and Zhing kicks ass with the best of them.
- Smug Snake: While it's true Zhing is not to be crossed, in the second season he seems to get it in his head that he's the real power in Chinatown. This causes him to make several rather boneheaded decisions like sending his men after Bill O'Hara's family, which ultimately end with Zhing locked up in San Quentin and the Fung Hai all but wiped out by the Hop Wei.
- The Bus Came Back: Zing makes it back to San Francisco right on time for season 3 finale, where he proceeds to repeatedly stab Chao at the train station.
Lai
Played by: Jenny Umbhau
A young woman who works in Ah Toy's brothel that turns out to be a skilled swordswoman. Ah Toy trains her as an apprentice in her vigilante crusade against rapists and racists.
- Ax-Crazy: Ah Toy is freaked out by her bloodlust.
- The Call Knows Where You Live: In season 3 Nellie tells Ah Toy that since coming to the vineyard Lai started to smile, is making friends, and hasn't so much as touched a sword. No points for guessing if it lasts beyond the closing credits of episode 3note .
- Little Miss Badass: One of the youngest main characters and a skilled swordswoman.
- Shoo the Dog: Ah Toy gets worried about how violent she's getting so she leaves her at Nellie Davenport's winery, threatening to have her start working as a whore if she refuses.
- The Speechless: She's mute.
- Vigilante Man: Becomes Ah Toy's apprentice and helps her kill rapists and racists.
Tu
Played by: Steve Park
A bouncer working in Ah Toy's brothel.
- Bash Siblings: Briefly with Lai in episode 3x07 - a pimp comes into Ah Toy's place demanding his "girls" be returned to him after they moved in following Nellie's winery being burned down; when he gets violent, Tu holds him down while Lai kicks the crap out of him. Needless to say, it works like a charm.
- The Big Guy: Described by Mai Ling as a "ridiculously large man." He takes on several rioters who break into Ah Toy's brothel.
- Bodyguarding a Badass: Ah Toy might not need protection herself, though her employees do. Tu also protects Ah Toy during the riot while she is injured.
- The Quiet One: Doesn't talk but it's unclear if he's actually mute.
- Strong, but Unskilled: when fighting the rioters he mostly just slams them into walls and throws them around the place. It gets the job done just fine.
Yan Mi
Played by: Chelsea Muirhead
A printer that the Hop Wei force to print counterfeit money. Also Ah Sahm's girlfriend in Season 3.
- Counterfeit Cash: Her job.
- Heir Club for Men: Her father intends to leave their print shop to her brother even though she's more skilled than him.
- Work Off the Debt: He father missed protection payments to the Hop Wei, which motivates her to work for them.
San Francisco Government
Deputy Mayor Buckley
Played by: Langley Kirkwood
- Ambiguous Disorder: It's clear that he's got some serious issues (aside from his charming personality and enlightened political views, that is) but what exactly is up in the air; PTSD seems like the best bet given his past.
- An Arm and a Leg: He lost his leg in the Civil War, in a truly nightmarish situation of it being sawn off to save his life.
- Artificial Limbs: He has a prosthetic leg thanks to the aforementioned loss of his real one.
- Big Bad: His scheming is the cause of nearly all the conflicts in the show.
- The Bad Guy Wins: In the end, he basically got everything he wanted. He wins re-election securing his power over San Francisco, the tongs mostly wipe themselves out via infighting without his connections being exposed, and he even managed to find love. Also, the Chinese Exclusion Act was eventually passed in real life.
- The Chessmaster: Buckley has many plots running at once that involve the politicians, the Irish, Chinatown, and everyone in between serving as his pawns.
- Classy Cane: While, due to the time period, many men in San Francisco carry around canes, Buckley is almost never seen without his thanks to his limp.
- Conspicuous Gloves: More often than not, he seems to wear a pair of black gloves, especially out in public. As the show goes on, it's revealed to be part of his neurotic aversion to germs and physical contact with other humans.
- Creepy Blue Eyes: His eyes are a striking blue, and he's definitely one of the scariest characters in the show.
- Evil Cripple: He's missing a leg, forcing him to use a prosthetic and a cane to get around, and is arguably the most immoral character in San Francisco.
- Evil Virtues: Buckley's as evil as they come, but he's intelligent, resourceful and persistent in pursuing his goals; all this, admittedly, serves to only make him more terrifying.
- Faux Affably Evil: He has a very, very thin facade of professionalism and politeness in his conduct that barely masks his sneering contempt for everyone around him.
- Four Eyes, Zero Soul: Notably the only bespectacled character in the show, who happens to be completely ruthless in his endeavor as politician.
- Hidden Depths: His relationship with Catherine Archer shows that he does in fact have a softer side, even if he's still a raging dick to everyone else. She even muses in surprise that Buckley's something of a romantic who wants to marry her in the spring as a symbol of new beginnings. She reveals all to Stewart Gumm whom she's having an affair with, and who is clearly conspiring with her behind Buckley's back to some unspecified yet evidently nefarious ends; the two mock Buckley mercilessly throughout the entire scene. It's almost enough to make one pity Buckley.
- If It's You, It's Okay: Buckley can barely stand being touched and seems to have no sex drive whatsoever... until Catherine Archer comes onto the scene. She actually manages to get him to loosen up, and the two end up sleeping together. If Buckley wasn't such a jackass, and if Ms. Archer wasn't almost as bad as him, it'd qualify as a Heartwarming Moment.
- Jerkass: He's not only a treacherous racist whose plots lead to plenty of death and suffering, but he's also just an all-around dick who can barely keep up even a veneer of amicability without letting his true, smug colors shine through.
- The Man Behind the Man: It's painfully obvious that Buckley is the true brains behind Blake's mayoral power structure. It's to such a point that even when Blake dies, Buckley has to change very little about how he operates and how subordinates treat him, because plenty of people knew that he was the real power to begin with.
- Manipulative Bastard: A lot of the characters have been used by Buckley as puppets, either directly or indirectly.
- Mayor Pain: Once Blake is killed, Buckley becomes the Mayor, and continues to be the same monstrous individual as always.
- Non-Action Big Bad: On account of losing a leg in the war Buckley presents negligible physical threat; doesn't make him any less dangerous, due to his political savvy and complete lack of scruples.
- Out-Gambitted: Mai Ling actually gets one over Buckley by procuring a photo of him in Confederate uniform. Fortunately for Buckley, their goals actually align rather well.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Like many characters, he's a nasty xenophobe. Unlike many others, he has the power, intelligence and plotting to see his racist views implemented on a broad scale to hurt those he's prejudiced against.
- The Reveal: The part where he lost his leg in the Civil War? He was a Confederate soldier; if anyone ever learned of that he'd be lucky to only lose his office, given the distinctly anti-South attitudes in San Francisco.
- Shut Up, Kirk!: After his opponent drops out of the election, he visits Buckley in his office and gives a speech to the effect that Buckley might have won but he's still a sad, pathetic man who hasn't even got someone to celebrate the victory with. Buckley just brushes it off saying he's perfectly happy celebrating by himself and, as it turns out, he has Catherine Archer waiting in the next room for some post-victory smooching.
- Start of Darkness: Losing his leg in the civil war seems to have severed his compassion as well.
- Terrified of Germs: He's a germaphobe of some sort, heavily implied to be because of his experiences in the Civil War. He's highly averse to touching people without gloves, has a near-panic attack when he tries to physically socialize with a crowd of dirty people, and when he hires what seems to be a prostitute for the night, the only thing he's shown doing is giving her a bath.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Stabs himself in the arm to frame Penny and have her arrested in season 2 finale, using the event to get her locked away in an asylum so he can rule unimpeded.
- You Have Failed Me: Gives Atwood the boot after becoming mayor seemingly chiefly because the latter got his ass kicked by Bill O'Hara, whom Buckley duly appoints the new chief of police; though granted, Atwood's vocal disdain for the Irish, whose votes Buckley needed to potentially win the election might have had something to do with it.
Mayor Samuel Blake
Played by: Christian McKay
The mayor of San Francisco at the start of the series.
- Asshole Victim: Nobody who actually knew him is sad to see him go, though some put up appearances for publicity's sake.
- Big Bad Wannabe: He's the most politically powerful character in the show as the mayor of San Francisco, but he's proven to be kind of an idiot who more often than not falls back on Buckley to do the thinking. When Blake is killed near the end of Season 2, Buckley effortlessly steps into his role.
- Domestic Abuse: He goes from "just" verbally and emotionally abusing Penny to flat-out beating her when she defies him one too many times.
- Establishing Character Moment: He's introduced relaxing in his luxurious home, receiving a shave from his Chinese servant, then subjecting his obviously unhappy wife to a multitude of sexist, demeaning remarks. When informed about the murders of two Chinese men, Blake's only concern is the negative press rather than the loss of life.
- Hate Sink: The writers didn't make any effort to give his character likeable quality.
- Hypocrite: Despite supporting the anti-Chinese views of his Irish voters, the Mayor himself has a Chinese servant and doesn't act on his promise to the Irish out of fear of alienating the rich business men who support him since the latter prefer Chinese workers as they're cheaper. And for all of his talks about how he wants to take down the Tongs, the Mayor himself is a regular client of Ah Toy's brothel.
- Mayor Pain: He's the Mayor of San Francisco, yet is a bumbling, smug, arrogant asshole that changes his mind every other episode about how to handle situations.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Penny is drop-dead gorgeous while Samuel, in Sophie's words, looks like a potato.
Stewart Gumm
Played by: Sean-Marco Vorster
A conniving politician who becomes Buckley's assistant once the latter ascends to Mayor.
- The Dragon: Serves as this to Buckley, handling some of his less-important affairs and dirty work.
- Satellite Character: His entire role thus far is being Buckley's toady and little else.
- Sleeping with the Boss's Wife: He's having an affair with Catherine Archer, who gets engaged with Buckley at the end of Season 3. It's implied he urged her to start a relationship with Buckley because he thought having a wife would make Buckley a more appealing candidate.
San Francisco Law Enforcement
Big Bill
Played by: Kieran Bew
- Being Evil Sucks: He doesn't hide his utter contempt and self-loathing for being a Dirty Cop, though most of the time he just complains about it rather than actually do anything to try to rise above it.
- Bigotry Exception: Though Bill makes no effort to hide his prejudice towards the Chinese, he seems to genuinely regard Wang Chao as a friend and look out for his safety.
- Dirty Cop: A rather sympathetic one, all things considered, but he has no qualms about taking bribes, mostly to cover his gambling debts.
- Fighting Irish: like Leary, he's a Civil War veteran; in the present, while clearly past his prime, he can at least handle his own in a fight should the need arise.
- Good Feels Good: Is positively giddy whenever he and Lee gets a chance to do actual police work. Bill's stated multiple times that the reason why he's still a cop is in case there were any opportunities to do good for once.
- Happily Married: Though as of season 2 the marriage is going through one hell of a rough patch.
- Karmic Jackpot: Bill's decision to assist Leary in busting out two Irish delinquents out of jail results in him getting into a fight with Chief Atwood which he wins but fully expects to get arrested for; instead, he gets apointed the new Chief, with Buckley personally delivering the good news to him.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: As Atwood found out the hard way, Bill might look - and to an extent even be - a pushover most of the time but even he has limits to how far he can be pushed; and when he pushes back, well...
- Officer Ohara: An Irish police officer who happens to be named "O'Hara", funnily enough.
- Papa Wolf: In the aftermath of the Fung Hai attacking his home, he leads a squad to raid their headquarters and completely tear down their operations at the head. While he's certainly looking for vengeance, this ends up a subversion as it allows Bill to rid himself of his ties to the Tong.
- Troubled Sympathetic Bigot: Underneath his disdain for the Chinese, his compulsive gambling, and a rather shoddy approach to police work there is a genuinely kind man who really wants to do the right thing, but after years of being ground down by the violence and misery around him he's not sure if he still can - or even what the right thing is.
Richard Lee
Played by: Tom Weston-Jones
- Badass Bookworm: Very well-read and well-spoken, but can throw a mean punch when he has to, is a crack shot with either his revolver or a rifle, and doesn't carry his billy club for show either. In season 2 after recovering from the coma the beating at Zhing's hands put him into he also gets into the habit of going for his service revolver the instant somebody starts getting the better of him in a fistfight.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Other cops view him as eccentric due to his use of proto-forensic investigation techniques but he crosses into full-on Bunny Ears Lawyer when he brings a dead cow into the officer's bullpen, puts it on his desk, and starts hacking at it with various tong weapons in front of everyone else.
- By-the-Book Cop: he would be this if the book he follows wasn't way ahead of the racist, corrupt, and brutal SFPD.
- Combat Pragmatist: See Badass Bookworm above. Tully, the leader of the riot in 2x09 manages to rough him up quite a bit when the two square off, but the instant Lee manages to get some space it's bang-bang time.
- Curb Stomp Cushion: Receives a hideous beating from Zhing, the Fung Hai leader in season 1 finale, which leaves him in a coma for a couple of episodes and with a brain injury that's probably not yet healed by season 2's end, but manages to beat down two of his underlings, and keeps taking swings at Zhing himself, even after the latter breaks his billy club simply blocking a blow with his forearm. He might have lost but he went down fighting.
- Dual Wielding: During the raid on the Fung Hai HQ he at one point takes down three of them while holding his revolver in one hand and his club in the other.
- Good Is Not Soft: His introductory scene has him handily taking out two Irish toughs, although the scene is so dark it's easy to not realize that's actually him. His second scene has him lay down an epic verbal smackdown on another, much bigger cop, who gives him crap for his southern heritage. After that, Lee consistently shows himself to be a kind, honorable man and an honest cop but if you get on his bad side you're in for a world of hurt.
- The Gunslinger: Best shown in the police raid on the Fung Hai HQ in episode 2x05, where he wields both his revolver and a lever-action rifle to deadly effect.
- Has a Type: And a hilariously specific one at that, considering both Abigail note and Nora note are played by the same actress.
- Hollywood Atheist: Averted. Lee makes several off-hand remarks which show he doesn't believe in God, but he remains a happy, well-adjusted person (until the events of the series anyway), and is pretty much the most moral character on the show.
- I Regret Nothing: Balks at the idea that becoming a cop was his way of atoning for killing his cousins for raping his fiancé. As far as he's concerned, they got what they deserved. There's nothing to atone for.note
- Nice Guy: In season 1, although even then he was no pushover. Becomes jerkier in season 2, as the pressure, compounded by the beating he took at the end of season 1, starts getting to him but remains a fundamentally decent person.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: Killed two of his cousins for raping and murdering Nora.
- Southern Gentleman: Born in The Deep South into a wealthy family and is generally respectful and dignified.
- Stereotype Flip: He's a white Southerner in the late 19th century but he's one of the least racist white characters. He disapproved of slavery and was once in love with a black woman. He's also an atheist while the South is stereotypically very religious.
- Sympathetic Murderer: Killed two of his cousins back in Georgia, after they raped and murdered a freed slavewoman he was in love with. Suffice to say, one can hardly blame him.
- Token Good Teammate: Most of the cops with speaking parts are shown to be bigoted, corrupt, violent, or all three at once; Lee stands out in the best way possible.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Downplayed - he's more short-tempered and argumentative in season 2, after waking up from the coma Zhing put him in at the end of season 1 but his moral compass remains as well-adjusted as it used to be.
Russell Flannagan
Played by: David Butler
The Chief of the San Francisco police department.
- Da Chief: He's a gruff, controlling police captain who often butts heads with Bill and Lee.
- Dropped a Bridge on Him: Due to his actor's death in 2021, Flannagan is noted to have died in between Seasons 2 and 3, with little detail about his death.
Benjamin Atwood
Played by: Neels Clasen
The new Chief of the San Francisco Police following Flannagan's death.
- Hate Sink: He comes off as worse than Buckley in that, since he's physically capable of administering his own violence, we get to see how much he actually enjoys doing so.; he also lacks Buckley's foresight and pragmatism in that he manages to actually alienate Leary with his prejudice against the Irish, which could've potentially cost his boss the votes Leary was bringing in.
- Rabid Cop: Exactly why Buckley chose him for Chief over Bill; Buckley needed a brutal, racist tyrant who would oppress Chinatown worse than ever, and Atwood fills the role happily.
- As the latest episode of season 3 shows, Atwood might accomplish the thus far unthinkable and get the Irish and the Chinese to join forces because, while he absolutely despises the latter, he also shows some good old-fashioned prejudice towards the former when Leary goes to bail out two guys who tried to rob a Chinese grocer.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Goes through this with Bill, who was passed over for the Chief promotion in favor of Atwood. Neither man likes one another at all, but both see benefits to each other's presence in the police force.
The Irish Mob
Dylan Leary
Played by: Dean Jagger
Dylan Leary is the leader of Irish workers union and a powerful street fighter. He hates the Chinese immigrants, thinking of them as leeching off job opportunities from the Irishmen.
- Action Politician: In season 3 he spends a lot of time in political meetings, and he's none too pleased about it; however he can, and does, still apply fist to face should he be forced to do so, as two disgruntled Irish workers find out when they challenge him in episode 3.
- A Father to His Men: And women, and children. Leary genuinely cares about San Francisco Irish community and does everything in his power to improve their lives. Everyone else, however, can go die in a fire for all he cares. Especially the Chinese.
- Anti-Villain: Despite his ruthlessness, he genuinely wants what's best for his fellow Irish immigrants.
- Arch-Enemy: While Ah Sahm has many foes, Leary is the most recurring and vitriolic enemy he faces, embodying much of the racist hatred towards Chinatown that Ah Sahm faces while simultaneously being one of his most dangerous physical threats.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Leary is a skilled bare knuckle boxer, and everyone knows it, which is likely why he's the leader of the Irish union.
- Berserk Button: The best Ah Sahm manages to get out of him is Tranquil Fury but the one person who managed to get Leary worked up into a proper berserker rage was Jack Damon, by throwing insults at his - likely long dead - mother. It ended about as well as you'd expect.
- Bringing up his loss to Ah Sahm is a great way to piss him off as well.
- The Chains of Commanding: He's the leader of an Irish labor union. He has to deal with competition with cheaper Chinese workers, dissent from his fellow Irishmen when he fails to get them jobs or forces them to work alongside Chinese, and arguments with politicians once he gets on the city council.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Leary's apparent age would mean he grew up around the time of the Great Famine
and it sure left a mark on him. At one point he gives a positively harrowing speech to Sophie about how he and his brothers cried themselves to sleep from hunger and come morning his brothers didn't wake up - and the only thing Leary felt was relief that he was still alive. He also lost his wife and children some time before the series started. All this in addition to being the veteran of AmericanCivilWarnote He might not be the nicest person around, but the guy's had it rough. - Deadpan Snarker: He gets in a good zinger every now and again.
- Even Evil Has Standards: He is quite visibly taken aback when Sophie offers him her aid in blowing up the Mercer factory, which belonged to her father and is currently run by her sister. He doesn't mind the "blowing up" part but he's absolutely shocked that Sophie would go against her family like that.
- Leary might not actually like the blacks, but he at least has the good grace to acknowledge their plight and that they weren't exactly falling over themselves to get to America. Not that he would object to seeing them all gone, mind.
- Evil Virtues: Evil being somewhat relative in this series, although Leary's blatant racism pushes him towards the "black" end of the spectrum; nonetheless he's a brave man, appears completely honest in his labor dealings, and is committed to improving the lot of his fellow Irish immigrants.
- Extremity Extremist: Actually somewhat played with. He's a bare-knuckle boxer so punches account for most of his arsenal; however he uses headbutts both defensively (several times he dips his head just in time for his opponent to bust his knuckles on his forehead) and offensively, knows at least some wrestling (which would be par for the course for a 19th-century bare-knuckle boxer), and the one kick he's shown using on a couple of occasion (a front push kick he mostly uses to give himself some space) he throws reasonably well.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: He's hardly the most cool-headed guy around but can at least control his temper even while visibly struggling to do so; when Jack Damon starts insulting his mother during their fight however, Leary completely loses his shit.
- Fight Clubbing: Anyone who comes to Banshee is more than welcome to challenge him to a couple of rounds. It's just not a particularly good idea.
- Fighting Irish: In addition to his boxing prowess he's also a veteran of the American Civil War.
- Forgot About His Powers: A relatively minor example, but several of his fights (notably the match in episode 2x07) have him showcase a wide variety of defensive techniques (slipping, ducking, parrying, and some slick counterpunching); when he fights Ah Sahm all this stuff is practically nowhere to be seen, with Leary seemingly content to block punches with his face. Granted, it could be that he was underestimating him, as Ah Sahm is relatively smaller. He must have thought he didn't need to do more. That, or Ah Sahm's Armor-Piercing Questionnote got to him more than it seemed.
- Good Old Fisticuffs: He uses boxing moves, and uses them well.
- Hot-Blooded: Leary's got quite the temper on him, and he's never one to shy away from a fight. Rather like Ah Sahm, really.
- Hypocrite: Claims that the Chinese immigrants have no right to be in America, when he himself was explicitly born in Ireland. Ah Sahm points this out during their drink, stating that both the Irish and Chinese in the city ended up migrating to the States for the desire to start a better life, and that as a fellow immigrant, he wasn't exactly in a position to state who deserved to be in America or not.
- Just a Gangster: His entire arc in season three seems to be intended to show the Leary's rough-and-tumble attitude is unsuited to politics; Then subverted in season 3 finale as Leary engages in some clever maneuvering to gain himself another wealthy backer and ensure a steady supply of jobs for the Irish labourers
- Kingpin in His Gym: He's frequently shown in back-alley boxing matches.
- Nay-Theist: While he never denies the existence of God, season 3 shows he has a bone to pick with the Almighty after all the crap he's been through.
- No Historical Figures Were Harmed: Leary appears to be loosely based on Denis Kearney who was also an immigrant from Ireland, one of the leaders of Workingmen's Party of California (which Leary signs up with after getting beaten by Ah Sahm in season 2 finale), and a driving force behind the Chinese Expulsion Act of 1882; unlike Leary he was not a veteran of American Civil War (he only came to the States in 1868), and there's no mention of him being a bare-knuckle boxer.
- Not Me This Time: Although his inflammatory anti-Chinese rhetoric makes him at least indirectly responsible for the riot at the end of season 2, Leary was not directly involved in it in any way, shape, or form; if anything, if he expected something like that to go down he'd likely try to stop it if; if only out of Pragmatic Villainy.
- Strong and Skilled: He's a powerfully built man and an expert fighter, enough that he gives Ah Sahm the fight of his life when they come to blows in the second season finale.
- Tranquil Fury: An interesting take on this trope - Leary's genuine outbursts of rage are actually relatively scarce but you can always tell when he's close to boiling over because has to visibly strain to control himself when something manages to anger hiim sufficiently; still, control himself he does. Usually.
- Villain Forgot to Level Grind: The first time Leary came to blows with Ah Sahm, it ended before a clear winner could be determined. The second time around, Ah Sahm has been training himself in new ways of combat, while Leary remains at the same level he was when they fought. As a result, Leary loses.
- Villain Respect: He comes to grudgingly respect Ah Sahm after fighting him in the factory. Mind you, he still hates him and thinks he has no right to be in America. Nevertheless, Leary respects the man enough to sit down and drink with him, and accepts his challenge to fight.
- Villainous Valor: Demonstrated in a non-action way in season 3 - Leary walks into Chinatown all by himself, seemingly unfazed by everyone staring daggers at him, to have a chat with Ah Sahm when three punks assault a man outside an Irish bar and almost spark another riot.Whatever else he might be, the man's no coward.
- Wrestler in All of Us: Uses a fireman's carry throw in his showdown with Ah Sahm in season 2 finale. A bit of Shown Their Work, as bare knuckle boxers employed throws fairly liberally.
Tully
Played by: Patrick Buchanan
A particularly violent Irishman who leads the charge during the invading riot of Chinatown in Season 2.
- Eviler than Thou: Tully is surprisingly worse than Leary himself, even with only one episode in the spotlight. He quickly usurps control of the Irish mob from Leary and leads them on a worse rampage than Leary has ever hoped to achieve.
- Remember the New Guy?: Multiple characters act like he's been a mainstay of the Irish mob for awhile, but his actor only appears in one episode late into Season 2.
- Small Role, Big Impact: One-shot character he may be, it's Tully's violent rousing of the mob that leads to one of the most devastating events in the entire series when the Irish mob invaded Chinatown.
Citizens of San Francisco
Penny Blake
Played by: Joanna Vanderham
- Action Girl: Downplayed but her instinctive reaction to mayor Blake drunkenly slapping her is to punch him square in the face, sending him reeling back.
- Awful Wedded Life: She never really hides how much she hates her marriage with Samuel.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Penny is blonde and one of the kindest and most progressive characters in the show.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Her attempts to clear Jacob's name in season 2 finale result in her ending up institutionalized at an insane asylum.
- Put on a Bus: Due to real life scheduling conflicts preventing her actress from appearing in Season 3, Penny is last seen in the Season 2 finale locked away, terrified, in an insane asylum against her will, and going by Buckley's comments, she's going to be there a long, long time.
- Silk Hiding Steel: Penny's very much a Proper Lady but she's not afraid to stand up to anyone if she thinks she's in the right.
- Sympathetic Adulterer: She has with Ah Sahm while married to Mayor Blake and honestly, who can blame her? The affair doesn’t stop her from being one of the noblest characters in the show.
Sophie Mercer
Played by: Celine Buckens
Penny's younger sister, a free-spirited young woman seeking for Leary's attention.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: Smitten with the rough and violent Leary.
- Blithe Spirit: In her initial couple episodes, before the Warrior-verse cuts her down to size.
- My God, What Have I Done?: She has this reaction after helping Leary's group blowing up her sister's factory.
- Yet again after witnessing Jacob being lynched by an angry mob after she told the cops that it was him who killed Mayor Blake.
Jacob
Played by: Kenneth Fok
Penny's Chinese man servant.
- Dead Guy on Display: After he is hanged, his body is left suspended off the ground for many hours until Ah Sahm personally takes his body down.
- Just in Time: He arrives mere seconds before Penny is murdered by Blake, managing to kill the latter to save her.
- Nice Guy: Jacob is always civil to Ah Sahm, utterly devoted to Penny (which, granted, is reciprocated in kind), and it eventually turns out that the bulk of his earnings goes towards supporting his ailing mother.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: And how. His reward for saving Penny from her drunken husband, the mayor, strangling her to death is being forced to flee the scene and getting sold out to the police by Mai Ling and Wang Chao. Then an angry mob of Irish workers captures the wagon transporting him, beats the poor guy bloody, and hangs him.
Jack Damon
Ex-cop, ex-Pinkerton detective, old acquaintance of Bill O'Hara, debt collector for the Fung Hai, and all-around nasty piece of work.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: After Damon is beaten by Leary, Leary orders Bill to finish him off. Damon begs for his life, promising that he and the Fung Hai won't come after Bill any more. It doesn't work.
- Asshole Victim: While being forced to smash Damon's head in haunts Bill for a good while it's doubtful anyone actually mourned him
- Cane Fu: His trademark weapon is a walking stick.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Though as is quite common on this show, couldn't have happened to a more deserving fellow.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Possibly. When Leary tries to guilt-trip about his job as a debt collector for the Fung Hai asking what Damon's father would think, Damon replies that his father was a drunk who died without a cent to his name, in Banshee no less, so he's not too concerned with his opinion.
- Defiant to the End: Even after getting beaten bloody by Leary, and barely standing upright, Damon still insults his opponent's mother one last time. It's actually kind of impressive, for all the good it does him.
- Evil Cripple: Blink and you'll miss it but while getting into the ring with Leary he has to actually lift his right leg with his hands in order to get over the ropes, so his walking stick isn't just for show. He still gives Leary a tough fight in spite of that.
- Fighting Irish: While he still loses, Damon actually acquits himself pretty well against Leary.
- Let's You and Him Fight: Bill manipulates events in a way that leads to a fight between Damon and Dylan Leary. Leary wins, to nobody's surprise, but he's not too happy about being manipulated like that and makes Bill kill Damon himself.
- Proud Warrior Race Guy: When Leary challenges Damon at Bill's behest he asks if Damon is willing to "regain [his] honor as an Irishman."
- Psycho for Hire: His main way of persuading the debtors to pay up is a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown with a walking stick; he's also more than happy to accept sex as recompense.
- Your Mom: Keeps insulting Leary's mother as the two fight, likely in the hopes that it will get Leary mad and reckless.It gets Leary mad alright, but he just beats Damon worse.
- We Used to Be Friends: "Friends" might be pushing it but he and Bill O'Hara worked together in the SFPD at one point; in the present day, however, Damon has no compunctions about collecting the money Bill owes the Fung Hai by any means necessary.
Nellie Davenport
Played by: Miranda Raison
A San Francisco widow dedicated to fighting prostitution in Chinatown.
- Ambiguously Bi: She was once married to a man but shows no interest in marriage after being widowed. She later has a relationship with Ah Toy.
- Dry Crusader: She's clearly based on these activists, though she focuses more on prostitution than alcohol and even owns a winery.
- Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: In season 3 Douglas Strickland, an acquaintance of Nellie, offers to buy her winery so that he can build a railroad through it; Nellie of course refuses, and later assures Ah Toy that her lawyers can keep Strickland tied up on the issue until it becomes too costly for him to keep up. She clearly did not expect Strickland to go so far as to send his thugs to burn down the winery and attempt to kill everyone in it.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: her concern for the Chinese girls forced into prostitution, and her affection for Ah Toy, are both completely genuine.
- Morality Chain: Attempts to be one to Ah Toy, persuading her that vengeance would be harmful and unnecessary after the attack on her winery. That changes when Lai is killed.
- No Historical Figures Were Harmed: Based off Donaldina Cameron. However, Nellie is a widow while Donaldina never married. Also, as far as we know, Donaldina was not a lesbian or bisexual.
- Odd Friendship: With Ah Toy, a brothel owner. Though it becomes more than a friendship later.
Douglas Strickland III
Played by: Adam Rayner
A railroad tycoon introduced in Season 3 as a major foe to Ah Toy and Nellie.
- Arc Villain: He's shaping up to be one for Ah Toy in Season 3. Unless Lai gets him first.
- Faux Affably Evil: He puts up a show of friendliness, but he's a ruthless man who keeps the same tone of geniality even as he's threatening Nellie.Nellie: I don't think Douglas Strickland has friends.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He's an absolutely terrible human being, but he's got obvious trauma from the loss of his wife in childbirth, then his son in the Civil War.
- Kingpin in His Gym: In episode 4 of season 3 he's shown practicing with a saber on a dummy, befitting his status as a former cavalry officer and establishing that, unlike other victims of Ah Toy, he won't go down without a fight.
- No-Nonsense Nemesis: Odious though he may be, it's becoming clear that Strickland is both resourceful and persistent in accomplishing any goal he puts his mind to.
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Strickland wants Nellie's land, and when refuses to sell it, she assumes Strickland will come after her in the courts or law. Instead, Strickland proceeds to order her entire land be put to the torch and her harbor house for abused Chinese women shot up.
- Underestimating Badassery: Strickland severely underestimates the lengths a ticked-off Leary is willing to go to get payback for the wrongs done to him. The only reason Leary doesn't kill him outright is because Ah Toy gets him first.
- It's clear that this is Strickland's Fatal Flaw, as just before his death at Ah Toy's hands he threatens Nellie despite her having a shotgun pointed right at him, not to mention he's clearly surprised when Lai gets in a few good slashes at him.
- Villainous Friendship: Seems to be forming one with Leary, mentoring the latter in playing the political game to his advantage. It doesn't last.
Shaw
Played by: Jandre le Roux
A brutish man serving as Strickland's muscle.
- The Brute: He towers over Leary, who's physically imposing in his own right, and has no qualms about doing Strickland's dirty work
- The Dragon: He's the right-hand man to Strickland, and the one dispatched to handle dirty work.
- Whip of Dominance: He uses a whip with brutal effect in a fight against Ah Toy, and his mannerisms during the fight imply he's using it specifically for the connotations of cruelty and superiority.
- Would Hit a Girl: Pulls absolutely no punches in his fight with Lai and Ah Toynote
Abigail
Played by: Gaosi Raditholo
A black bartender, Richard Lee's girlfriend, and Happy Jack's sister-in-law.
- The Bartender: Her job.
- Cop Hater: Her husband (Happy Jack's brother) fought against some white men in self-defense and was killed by cops.
Happy Jack
Played by: Nathaniel Ramabulana
A black gang leader and brother-in-law to Abigailnote . Introduced in season 2, as a local provider of opium for the Hop Wei(vis-a-vis obtaining it from China), and gets a larger role in season 3, mostly as an antagonist to Richard Lee.
- The Dreaded: Young Jun and Ah Sahm are both freaked out by the prospect of Happy Jack retaliating should he learn they were paying him with fake money. And when those two are wary of pissing someone off, well... that says a lot.
- Non-Indicative Name: Happy Jack doesn't appear to be especially cheerful. Unless his plans pay off, then he grins from ear to ear.
Catherine Archer
Played by: Dominique Maher
One of Buckley's campaign advisers who becomes his fiancée.
- Lady Macbeth: Buckley was already an awful person before they met but she definitely fuels his ambition and helps him gain the office of mayor.
- Sex for Services: It's revealed that she's in a relationship with Stewart Gumm, Buckley's campaign manager, who thought that being a bachelor would hurt his electoral chances.
- Unholy Matrimony: Buckley asks her to marry him at the end of Season 3. She accepts.
Other notable characters
Rosalita Vega
Played by: Maria Elena Laas
A Mexican woman who runs an illegal fighting pit.
- Action Girl: she's so-so at hand-to-hand combat (although she can hold her own) but she's a crack shot with a revolver.
- Best Served Cold: it's unclear how long she's been planning to get revenge on Elijah Rooker for killing her parents and taking over her family's lands but it couldn't have happened overnight.
- Go Out with a Smile: after Smits shoots her, and is in turn killed by Young Jun, she dies content in the knowledge that she got her revenge.
Harlan French
Played by: Christiaan Schoombie
A leader of a Wild West outlaw gang who crosses paths with Young Jun and Ah Sahm in episode 1x05, proving to be a cunning and dangerous foe.
- Boom, Headshot!: how he makes his entrance, blowing out the brains of a stagecoach passenger who's been waving his own gun arond, with no warning whatsoever, then apologizing for the mess.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Ah Sahm rips his throat out with his bare hands the moment French gets close enough to him. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
- Establishing Character Moment: as described under Boom, Headshot!, his introduction shows him to be a remorseless killer, albeit one who can lay on the folksy affability when it suits him.
- Faux Affably Evil: don't let his boyish good looks, friendly grin, and polite way of speaking fool you - Harlan French is a greedy monster, perfectly willing to kill anyone between himself and whatever he desires.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Zhing shares quite a few of his personality traits, but has a much larger role in the story.
- Underestimating Badassery: though granted, when you've got six buddies with guns behind you, and the guy offering to let you walk away with your life is alone and unarmed it's an easy mistake to make. Unfortunately for French, the guy's Ah Sahm, and that one mistake literally costs him his life.
Edmund Mosely
Played by: Nick Cordileone
A Secret Service agent whose attempts to track down the dollar plates takes him to San Francisco and the middle of the whole conflict in the series.
- Benevolent Boss: Takes an obvious shine to Richard Lee, whom he officially induces into Secret Service, and who in fairness more than pulls his weight in the early parts of the investigation.
- Deadpan Snarker: His default respons to people telling him they've never heard of the Secret Service is that it's, well, secret.
- Hero Antagonist: Mosley's antagonistic to the Hop Wei but they are printing counterfeit dollars, so he's only doing his job in pursuing them. He seems to harbor no racism towards either the Blacks or the Chinese, and treats Richard Lee with respect though he's not above blackmailing the latter by bringing up his murder charge when Lee tries to quit.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: One of the first thing he does is pull rank on Atwood, commandeering part of the SFPD building for his own headquarters, as well as demanding (and receiving) any and all assistance necessary in his investigation. Atwood is none too pleased about it, though the audience most likely is
