Simoun is a wealthy jeweler of diverse ancestry who dresses like an Englishman and wears blue-tinted glasses. Secretly, he is Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra, the protagonist of the previous novel who fled false charges and amassed a fortune abroad. He returns to the Philippines with close ties to the Captain-General, using his influence and vast wealth to silently stoke resentment and instigate a revolt against the corrupt colonial system.

Basilio is a dedicated medical student who has overcome a tragic past, including the loss of his mother and brother to an abusive clerical system. Now under the patronage of Captain Tiago, he focuses entirely on his education and bright future as a doctor. He strongly opposes politics and violent revolution, preferring to heal people through medicine rather than fight.

Isagani is a passionate, intelligent student and poet who seeks educational reform in the Philippines through peaceful petition. He acts as a primary political voice for the youth, believing that progress and greater autonomy can be achieved through civilized discourse. He is deeply devoted to his country and his romantic ideals.

Father Salví is a thin, morose friar who serves as a prominent figure of clerical authority. He currently directs the convent where María Clara resides. Superstitious and guilty over his past actions, he represents the abusive power of the clergy, maintaining a tight grip on his authority while harboring fears of retribution for his sins.

Telesforo Juan de Dios, known as Cabesang Tales, is a hardworking farmer who achieves success through heavy personal sacrifice. When a local friary unjustly claims his prosperous land and demands exorbitant fees, he attempts to fight back legally. Driven to desperation by a system that ignores his rights, he eventually abandons his farm to become a fierce bandit known as Matangláwin.

Juliana, known as Julí, is the devoted daughter of Cabesang Tales. To help pay her father's debts and secure his release after a kidnapping, she selflessly sells herself into servitude. She remains deeply loyal to her family and to her betrothed, Basilio, while managing severe societal and religious pressures.

The Captain-General is the highest-ranking Spanish official and governor of the Philippines. Opportunistic and self-serving, he uses his powerful position to amass personal wealth before retiring to Spain. He frequently enacts harsh laws and ignores the plight of the Filipino people, swayed easily by the influence of his close associate, Simoun.

Father Florentino is a pious, compassionate Filipino friar who stands in sharp contrast to the corrupt Spanish clergy. He provides a moral center to the narrative, offering sanctuary and wise counsel at his seaside retreat. He believes strongly in justice and reform but firmly opposes violence and unethical methods.

Plácido is a capable but disillusioned university student whose name reflects his generally calm demeanor. Frustrated by an educational system built on humiliation and rote memorization rather than actual teaching, he reaches a breaking point that drives him to denounce his professor and contemplate abandoning his education entirely.

Makaraig is a wealthy, privileged Filipino student who leads the movement to establish a Castilian Academy. Unlike many of his peers, his affluence affords him a degree of safety and comfort, allowing him to spearhead political petitions with the backing of his considerable financial resources.

Don Custodio is a high-ranking government official tasked with deciding the fate of the students' proposed Castilian Academy. Despite his cultivated reputation in Manila as an indefatigable and brilliant mind, he is actually remarkably mediocre, having realized his own lack of talent during a humbling stint in Spain.

Paulita is a beautiful, wealthy debutante and the niece of Doña Victorina. Though she is admired by many, including the poet Isagani, she is deeply pragmatic about her future and social standing, making her wary of his idealistic dreams of revolution and reform.

Doña Victorina is an affluent Filipina woman who desperately tries to assimilate into Spanish culture, acting and speaking as if she were a native Spaniard. She is highly conscious of social status, domineering, and constantly seeking her runaway husband.

Juanito is the son of a wealthy merchant. He is an opportunistic, somewhat lazy student who uses his family's wealth and status to easily navigate school and society. He feigns cultural sophistication to impress Doña Victorina and win the affections of Paulita.

Señor Pasta is one of the most privileged and intelligent lawyers in Manila. Having successfully managed the corrupt system to build a comfortable life, he preaches strict obedience and self-preservation, refusing to leverage his influence to help the youth out of fear of upsetting the authorities.

Tandang Selo is an old, patient woodcutter and the patriarch of his family. He advises compliance with the oppressive demands of the clergy, hoping to avoid conflict. As his family suffers severe injustices, he is pushed to the brink of despair, eventually losing his ability to speak from grief.

Tano, also known as Carolino, is the son of Cabesang Tales. Like many poor Filipinos, he is conscripted into the Civil Guard, forcing him to serve the very colonial government that oppresses his family and places him in direct conflict with his own people.

Captain Tiago is a wealthy landowner and Basilio's patron. Suffering from opium addiction and declining health, he represents a segment of the Filipino elite that tries to simultaneously placate both the oppressive colonial authorities and the impoverished local community.

Quiroga is a wealthy Chinese merchant in Manila. Seeking political advancement and higher social standing among the Spanish rulers, he throws lavish events. His financial debts eventually force him into a dangerous smuggling arrangement with Simoun.

María Clara is the former betrothed of Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra. Believing her love to be dead, she sought refuge in a convent, only to suffer continuous abuse at the hands of its corrupt director. Her confinement serves as a primary motivator for Simoun's actions.

Father Sibyla is a high-ranking friar who vehemently opposes the establishment of the Castilian Academy. He argues that educating the Filipino youth in the Spanish language will diminish clerical prestige and inevitably lead to rebellion against the colonial government.

Nicknamed "the Stallion," Father Camorra is a lustful and corrupt friar who openly abuses his clerical authority. He exploits the desperate situations of his parishioners, using his influence over the penal systems to demand horrific favors from vulnerable women.

Father Irene is a friar who maintains close ties with the wealthy Filipino elite, notably serving as the manager and advisor for Captain Tiago's estate. He navigates high society to ensure the Church continues to profit from affluent citizens.

Father Fernández is a rare exception among the Spanish clergy in Manila. Open-minded and pragmatic, he is willing to listen to the students' demands and believes that offering educational reforms could restructure society peacefully and stave off revolutionary sentiments.

Ben Zayb is a Spanish journalist in Manila who considers himself a great intellectual. He uses his writing to flatter figures like Don Custodio and propagate the views of the ruling class, often prioritizing sensationalism over objective truth.

Timoteo Peláez is a prosperous merchant who uses his wealth to secure a comfortable, advantageous life for his son. He borrows money from Simoun to extravagantly redecorate the former house of Captain Tiago for a major social event.

Sister Penchang is a highly religious and strictly pious woman. She employs Julí to pay off her father's ransom, viewing the family's misfortune as divine punishment and taking it upon herself to mold the desperate girl into a "proper" Christian through harsh labor.

Mr. Leeds is an American illusionist fluent in Spanish. He runs a popular attraction featuring a disembodied head that tells a thinly veiled story of clerical abuse and betrayal, deeply unnerving the guilty friars in attendance.

The Chief of Staff is an honorable Spanish military official who sympathizes with the Filipino people. He strongly opposes the Captain-General's draconian measures and advocates for human rights, finding himself at severe odds with colonial oppression.

Don Tiburcio is a timid Spanish man who has fled from his overbearing, domineering wife, Doña Victorina. He seeks refuge and peace in the quiet coastal home of Father Florentino to escape her relentless pursuit.