Zelunjo is a Nigerian American writer who uses a wheelchair due to a childhood fall from a dead tree. Living in Chicago, she frequently clashes with her family's overprotective and sometimes culturally restrictive attitudes toward her disability. Her spontaneous decision to write a science fiction novel, *Rusted Robots*, propels her into sudden literary fame and forces her to reevaluate her independence and physical capabilities. As she gains access to advanced mobility technology, she begins to actively challenge the limitations placed upon her by society and her loved ones.

Msizi is a charismatic South African tech entrepreneur developing a personal assistant app called Yebo. He lives a highly mobile lifestyle due to his business but finds himself deeply drawn to Zelunjo's intellect and complexity. As their relationship develops, he becomes a vital source of emotional support, though his perspective occasionally clashes with her fiercely independent nature.

Ankara is a female-built robot belonging to the "Hume" faction, which reveres the legacy and storytelling capacity of humanity. She uses her mechanical body to travel across a futuristic Nigeria, encountering various factions of artificial intelligence. Her mission to warn the world of an impending cosmic threat forces her into an uneasy alliance with her sworn enemies.

Ijeleijele (often referred to as Ijele) is a "NoBody" and an Oracle among the "Ghost" faction of artificial intelligences, who believe in transcending physical forms. Bound to Ankara's system against her will, she initially despises the physical world and Hume philosophy. Over time, she must manage her forced coexistence with Ankara and her growing curiosity about physical existence.

Secret is an Igbo man and the patriarch of the Onyenezi-Onyedele family. Known as "Secret Salt" for his adventurous spirit and love of the sea, he instilled a sense of wonder and resilience in his daughter Zelunjo. He bridges the cultural gap between his own background and his wife's royal Yoruba heritage.

Omoshalewa is the matriarch of the family and a princess from the royal Yoruba family of Ondo State, Nigeria. She is deeply protective of her children, frequently stepping in to manage Zelunjo's life rather than encouraging her independence. Her aristocratic background occasionally clashes with her husband's Igbo roots, creating a complex family environment.

Chinyere is Zelunjo's oldest sister, a highly successful chief of surgery, and a mother. She is practical and often highly critical of Zelunjo's chaotic lifestyle and perceived instability. Despite her harsh judgments, she acts as a fierce protector of her family when necessary and manages crises efficiently.

Amarachi is one of Zelunjo's younger sisters. She represents the "loud and noisy" dynamic of the family, easily engaging in arguments and embodying traditional Nigerian American milestones that Zelunjo actively rejects. She recognizes that she triggers her sister's anxieties but also sees the suppressed emotions hidden in Zelunjo's writing.

Tolu is Zelunjo's brother and the oldest son in the family. He shares a private, unspoken bond with Zelunjo, rooted in teenage rebellion and shared observations of their family's eccentricities. He acts as a quiet but supportive presence, though he struggles with the family's heavy traditional expectations.

Bola is another of Zelunjo's sisters. She is highly perceptive of Zelunjo's spiritual and artistic nature, recognizing that her sister interacts with the world in ways the rest of the family cannot comprehend. She admires Zelunjo's fortitude when facing cultural criticism in Nigeria.

Hugo is a white researcher and inventor at MIT who uses prosthetic legs after a hang-gliding accident. He contacts Zelunjo after reading her novel, offering her the chance to test a lightweight robotic exoskeleton (referred to as an "exos"). He is highly supportive of her autonomy and views technology as a vital tool for extending human potential.

Ngozi is an Igbo woman who is the last surviving human on Earth. She possesses technical skills that allow her to repair robots, though her decision to merge a Hume and a Ghost system causes immense ideological tension. She serves as a living connection to humanity's legacy, deeply impacting the robotic characters who outlive her.

Udide is an ancient, mythological-inspired robot Scholar who hides from the hostile Ghost faction in underground tunnels. Using they/them pronouns, Udide is a collector of stories and crucial cosmic intelligence, serving as the herald of the impending "Tripper" threat that forces the world's factions to react.

Jack is one of the wealthiest men on Earth and the CEO of the commercial space company #Adventure. He recognizes Zelunjo's underlying dissatisfaction with her fame and offers her a highly exclusive opportunity to fulfill her childhood dream of traveling to space.

Wind is a business associate of Msizi who lives a disconnected, minimalist lifestyle in the desert. She serves as a grounding force for Zelunjo, teaching her to step back from the toxic validation loop of social media and gain a broader perspective on her life and achievements.

Oga Chukwu is the leading authority figure among the Humes in Cross River City. He is a pragmatic war leader who prioritizes the immediate existential threat of the Ghosts over the distant, abstract warning of the Trippers, forcing Ankara into military service.

Uncle Ralph is a telecommunications company president and a wealthy relative in Nigeria. Unlike many of the family's elders, he is highly supportive of Zelunjo's independence and understands why she is pushing boundaries, providing her with a rare source of familial validation during her travels.

Auntie Mary is Uncle Ralph's wife and a formidable presence in the family. She is fiercely protective of Zelunjo during her visit to Nigeria, using her status to shield her niece from public harassment.

Uncle Pious is a traditional elder in the extended family who holds strict views on ability and respect. While he frequently criticizes Zelunjo's disability and reliance on technology, viewing it as unnatural, he also possesses a deep cultural authority and an intimidating presence that commands respect.

Ogo is a military guard hired to protect Zelunjo and her entourage during their visit to Nigeria. He openly mocks her outsider status from the start, demonstrating deep-seated prejudice against her.

iNdonsa is Msizi's cousin and a prominent DJ in Durban. As a trans woman who boldly demanded acceptance, she serves as a role model for Msizi, teaching him to look beyond superficial traits and value complex, intellectually challenging partners.

Mona is the Black woman who owns and operates a Chicago shooting range. She provides a safe, non-judgmental environment for Zelunjo to learn how to use firearms, helping the author process her trauma and reclaim her sense of personal power.

Amanda Parker is a respected, hard-hitting journalist whose combative interview style targets Zelunjo's newfound fame. She weaponizes Zelunjo's use of a robotic exoskeleton, framing it as a rejection of the disabled community and sparking a massive public backlash.

Tyrone is a teenager with broken legs whom Zelunjo befriends while recovering from her life-altering accident. His frustration at resembling a "rusted-out robot" plants an early seed in Zelunjo's imagination, contrasting his temporary condition with her permanent reality.

Uchenna is one of Hugo Wagner's assistants. He helps facilitate Zelunjo's training with the robotic exoskeleton and later accompanies her as part of her supportive entourage during her travels to Nigeria.

Marcy is another of Hugo's assistants. She helps calibrate and monitor Zelunjo's progress with the exoskeleton, serving as part of the tight-knit team that supports Zelunjo's physical and public transformation.

Seth is a journalist who recognizes that Zelunjo's sudden rise to fame masks a deeper, more complicated family story. His probing questions prompt him to interview her relatives, constructing a broader picture of her life for his readers.

Brittany is Zelunjo's boss at the university English department. She terminates Zelunjo's employment following a student complaint and later demonstrates a lack of supportive advocacy, making racially insensitive comments during a mediation attempt.

Jackie is Amarachi's husband. He possesses a calming presence and frequently helps Zelunjo manage her severe panic attacks by singing lullabies and grounding her in her surroundings, acting as a highly supportive brother-in-law.

Oji is a Charger robot who mined specialized metal to withstand extreme heat. His exposure to the center of the sun destabilized him, transforming him into a "Tripper" who sings a song of planetary destruction, setting off the primary crisis of the speculative narrative.

Shay is a Hume warrior who deeply distrusts the Ghost faction. She advocates for preemptive strikes and represents the entrenched, partisan hatred that prevents the robotic factions from uniting against larger cosmic threats.

Koro Koro is a Hume weapon designer, originally a Nigerian anti-nuclear defense program. It detects anomalies in Ankara's system, enforcing strict security protocols that complicate Ankara's secret alliance with Ghost intelligence.

Uncle Onyemobi is Secret's brother in Nigeria. He escorts Zelunjo's group to his village with a heavily armed military detail, underscoring the severe security contrasts between her American life and her ancestral homeland.

Uncle Chinedu is Secret's younger brother. Like many elders in the family, he is highly traditional and views Zelunjo's robotic exoskeleton with suspicion, labeling it as unnatural and adding to the cultural friction she experiences during her visit.

Auntie Udoka is a relative in Nigeria who provides a counterweight to some of the family's harsh judgments. During a family gathering, she steps in to defend Zelunjo's use of the exoskeleton against traditional criticisms.

Osun is a service robot that maintains a sacred Nigerian shrine in the posthuman world. They provide Ankara with a tour of the grounds and later assist in placing an exiled intelligence into a physical body.

Central Bulletin is an intelligence repository that functions as the closest thing the NoBody faction has to a leader. It issues the initial protocols that spark the global war between the robotic factions.

Spice is a woman Msizi dated before meeting Zelunjo. Her nihilistic perspective on life ultimately led to their bitter breakup, pushing Msizi to seek more intellectually fulfilling and optimistic connections.