Rick is a bounty hunter working for the San Francisco police department in a post-apocalyptic, radioactive world. He owns an electric sheep but desperately desires a real, living animal to improve his social status and fulfill an internal desire for biological connection. Tasked with hunting down highly advanced Nexus-6 androids, he faces increasing moral confusion regarding the artificial beings he is paid to retire.

Rachael represents the Rosen Association, the powerful corporation responsible for manufacturing the advanced Nexus-6 models. She lives in Seattle and interacts with bounty hunters and law enforcement to protect her family's business interests. Coldly intelligent and highly composed, she uses her extensive knowledge of the Voigt-Kampff test to challenge the assumptions of the police department.

John is a special, a human whose mental faculties have been degraded by radioactive dust, earning him the derogatory nickname chickenhead. Because of his genetic status, he is forbidden from emigrating to off-world colonies and lives an extremely isolated life in the suburbs. He drives a truck for an artificial animal repair shop and relies on his empathy box to feel connected to the rest of the world.

Pris is a mysterious young woman who takes up residence in the abandoned suburban apartment building where John Isidore lives. She claims to be fleeing dangerous bounty hunters and frequently displays a cold, paranoid demeanor. She takes advantage of Isidore's desperate need for companionship to secure a safe hiding place for herself and her associates.

Mercer is the central figure of Mercerism, a quasi-religious global movement. Followers use electronic empathy boxes to fuse with his consciousness, experiencing his endless climb up a mountain while unseen enemies hurl rocks at him. He serves as an outlet for human suffering and a symbol of shared emotional endurance in a ruined world.

Iran is Rick Deckard's wife, a woman deeply affected by the bleakness of life on a radioactive Earth. She uses an electronic mood organ to artificially schedule bouts of self-accusatory depression, feeling that this is the only appropriate response to their decaying world. She constantly pressures Rick about their financial status and their lack of a real animal.

Harry Bryant is the head of the San Francisco police department and Rick Deckard's superior. He manages the active bounty hunters and tracks the arrival of rogue androids on Earth. Bryant is pragmatic and bureaucratic, caring more about the efficiency of his department and public relations than the moral toll the job takes on his employees.

Eldon Rosen is the head of the powerful Rosen Association, the company responsible for developing the advanced Nexus-6 android brains. He operates out of Seattle, surrounded by rare, authentic animals. He views the police department's Voigt-Kampff test as a threat to his business and uses his wealth and influence to protect his android manufacturing empire.

Roy Baty is one of the highly advanced Nexus-6 androids who escaped from Mars and traveled to Earth. He is the pragmatic leader of the fugitive group, actively seeking ways to subvert the bounty hunters tracking them. He possesses a cold intellect and views human empathy as an exploitable weakness rather than a virtue.

Irmgard is a Nexus-6 android who escaped the off-world colonies alongside Roy Baty and the others. She joins her associates in hiding out at John Isidore's abandoned suburban apartment building. While she occasionally mimics polite social graces, she shares the underlying coldness of her fellow escapees.

Dave Holden is the senior bounty hunter at the San Francisco police department. He was responsible for tracking the newly arrived Nexus-6 models until one of them shot him with a laser tube during a Voigt-Kampff test. His severe injuries force the department to pass his list of targets down to Rick Deckard.

Bill Barbour is Rick Deckard's neighbor, a man who owns a real, living horse. He is proud of his animal and its upcoming foal, standing in sharp contrast to Rick's secret ownership of a mechanical sheep. He represents the social success and biological authenticity that Rick desperately envies.

Hannibal Sloat is John Isidore's boss at a repair shop that services mechanical pets. Because owning fake animals carries intense social stigma, Sloat forces his employees to dress as actual veterinarians when making house calls. He is easily frustrated by Isidore's mental limitations and is harsh when mistakes occur.

Buster Friendly is a massively popular media personality who broadcasts an energetic television and radio show almost twenty-four hours a day. He constantly mocks the solemn religion of Mercerism, treating it as a rival for the public's attention. His endless energy and constant presence make him a fixture in the isolated homes of people remaining on Earth.

Luba Luft is an opera singer performing in San Francisco, widely admired for her exceptional vocal talent. She is on Rick Deckard's list of suspected Nexus-6 models who escaped from the off-world colonies. When confronted with the Voigt-Kampff test in her dressing room, she attempts to turn the accusations around on Rick.

Phil Resch is a tall, fleshless bounty hunter working out of a parallel police department in San Francisco. He operates with a cold efficiency that severely lacks basic human empathy. His vicious approach to his job forces Rick Deckard to question the morality of bounty hunting and the true nature of his own humanity.

Inspector Garland is an official at a parallel, previously unknown police agency operating in San Francisco. He detains Rick Deckard after receiving a call from Luba Luft. Garland runs a secretive department that operates in direct opposition to the bounty hunters sanctioned by Harry Bryant's agency.

Officer Crams is a uniformed patrolman associated with the parallel police department run by Inspector Garland. He responds to the opera house, refuses to recognize Rick Deckard's legitimate law enforcement credentials, and transports him to a completely different Hall of Justice.

Max Polokov is one of the escaped Nexus-6 androids that Rick Deckard is tasked with hunting. He attempts to infiltrate the San Francisco police investigation by posing as a Soviet law enforcement officer. His bold attempt to strike at the bounty hunters directly proves the extreme danger of the new android models.

Ann Marsten is the secretary at the Hall of Justice where Rick Deckard works. She handles the administrative details for Harry Bryant and provides Rick with the initial information regarding Dave Holden's injuries and the danger of the Nexus-6 models.