Naoborot ("Contrary") the First (as opposed to his rude brother Naoborot the Second) is either Affably Evil or Faux Affably Evil – there is too little written on the brothers to determine it. He is the only courtier to treat Katya and Glazastik with kindness, but then it might also be that he only differs from his brother in speaking softly.
When Kargor says out loud how to turn the bewitched people, including Astrel, back to human form, it’s either a classical Villain Ball combined with Easily-Overheard Conversation, or he was saying it deliberately in the hopes someone would overhear. The latter also likely because earlier, while he turned Astrel into a tree, he did it very reluctantly and clearly struggling with himself.
Can't Un-Hear It: After watching The Island of Captains it’s pretty likely you’ll imagine every phrase of Gina’s spoken in Yekaterina Vasilieva’s voice, even though she only had several lines in the adaptation.
Complete Monster: Tragimor, from Princess Wennie, is a wizard who has discovered that stealing others' souls gives him unlimited power. Adopting a kind, courteous façade, Tragimor manipulates several other characters—a little mouse, a poor apprentice, and a little orphan girl—into trading their souls away, and then coaxes them to perform a truly monstrous deed—to send someone to their death or to corrupt another victim for him—which seals the deal completely. The captive souls are kept in the Kingdom of Dreams, held by living snake-chains, and the owners only have a weak, hateful, and miserable Personality Remnant left in their bodies. When Tragimor learns that the wizard Alyosha has come to fight him, he tries to get him killed, culminating in him sending two demonic armies after Alyosha. As the latter is able to escape, Tragimor attacks him in person, attempting to kill him with his Evil Weapon and, when that fails, to chain him up forever next to the souls.
Fridge Brilliance: Alyosha is a Celibate Hero due to his shyness. Since he’s uncomfortable even around his school friends, he probably won’t in his life muster the courage to express his interest in a woman. He doesn't even get an opportunity for Rescue Romance, since all the damsels in distress he saves are either little girls or already in a relationship.
Tragic Villain: Kargor can be seen as the most sympathetic villain of the series. His secret guilt for Dozhdirena's death, combined with his Shapeshifter Identity Crisis, is slowly driving him insane; and he still harbors love for Dozhdirena which leads to his conflicted feelings towards Astrel who's her daughter. Rengist must have realized all this (plus Kargor's his brother after all), as he lets him go with a relatively easy punishment: turned into a raven, which was Kargor's preferred form anyway, and unable to kill birds.
Nitochka comes from a terribly poor family and has to work day and night to provide for herself, her aunt and little sister. Her smile is taken from her by the wizards employed by the tyrannical monarch. Her fiancé disappeared without a trace several years ago. Then she’s taken to the palace and the king tries to force her to marry him.
Astrel’s parents vanished without a trace when she was little. Then she was found and taken prisoner by the princes Igni and Tragni. Each of them wants to marry her and both are repulsive to her. The only people who feel sorry for her are a demented old man and his simple-minded servant bewitched to look like a tortoise. Astrel falls in love with Gven, only for him not to arrive at their agreed meeting place. Then she’s turned into a tree and very nearly stays one forever.
