Shay is a Brooklyn teenager whose family faces eviction due to gentrification. She prepares to move to North Carolina, holding onto dreams of becoming a marine biologist. She wants to care for ocean life because she feels underwater creatures are largely misunderstood by society, drawing a parallel to her own experiences.

Dante is a young man from Brooklyn who has loved Shay since they were in the ninth grade. He harbors deep resentment toward the new tenants moving into Shay's building. He focuses heavily on the emotional pain of being separated from his first love.

Nic is an Asian teenager attending a convention in full costume. She cosplays as a gender-flipped Sulu from the Star Trek franchise, bringing her own identity into the fandom. She expresses frustration at the lack of queer representation in popular media and bonds with a fellow attendee over their shared interests.

Tamia is a Black teenager cosplaying as a racially flipped FBI Agent Dana Scully. She confidently defends Nic from boys making fun of her costume in the queue. She wants to work in creative fields to produce films that offer representation for minority groups.

Doobie is an Indigenous American student from the local reservation. Unlike some of his peers, his physical features prevent him from passing as white, leaving him isolated at his mostly white school. He observes how his former friends alter their identities to fit in while he quietly takes the brunt of the bullying.

Shirin is an introverted Muslim high school student who prefers to act as a scientific observer rather than an active participant in social events. She uses heavy research to convince her immigrant parents to let her attend concerts. She battles deep insecurities regarding her crush on a popular athlete.

Jeffrey is a popular high school baseball player. He surprises Shirin by appearing at the concert and choosing to spend time with her, proving that he pays close attention to her despite their different social circles.

Willie is a deceased African American teen existing in the afterlife. He paints stylized graffiti to keep his memory alive among the living. He lost his life after being racially profiled by a store owner, resulting in a fatal accident with his own weapon.

Big Eddie is a deceased teen who understands the mechanics of the afterlife. He informs the others that they will continue to exist as long as someone living remembers them. He died during a police setup in Marcus Garvey Park.

D'Mario is a deceased teen who lost his life in a drive-by shooting while sitting on his stoop. He carries the weight of a violent past involving drug deals in the very building they are tagging.

J-Boy is the final deceased teen to join the group. He remembers rushing into an apartment building to use the restroom before his life abruptly ended. He rejects claims that he was ever involved in gang activity.

Yasi is a bisexual Iranian American teenager who deeply appreciates order and planning. She maintains a close bond with her grandmother, visiting her for dinner every Friday. She worries intensely about bridging the gap between her traditional family and her romantic life.

Yasi's Grandmother is an Iranian immigrant who connects deeply with her heritage by preparing traditional dishes. She frequently visits ethnic food markets to find specific ingredients and feel a sense of home. She holds strong opinions about standing proud as a woman.

Ramses is a musician of Yoruban descent who possesses a winged jet pack that he uses to fly through Manhattan. He heavily respects his cultural history and actively draws upon his ancestors' spirits for strength when confronting supernatural threats.

Rosie is a brilliant inventor who rides a motorized single-wheel vehicle called a unimotor. When a mysterious figure steals her notebook of designs, she bravely chases him through the city streets using flash cannons and weapons.

Zakary is a sixteen-year-old unhoused boy living during World War II. He left his father's farm four years earlier to pursue his passion for astronomy and books. He paints a beautiful mural of the solar system on the side of a local café while dreaming of becoming a Navy quartermaster to help map the stars.

Jasmine is a Filipino American college student attending Stanford University. Her family worked tirelessly to secure her legal citizenship so she could pursue higher education. She feels a profound sense of isolation and vulnerability when hate crimes occur on her campus, making her fear for her place in the country.

Royce is Jasmine's half-Mexican boyfriend. He repeatedly dismisses her anxieties regarding campus racism, insisting she is overreacting because they attend a prestigious university. He struggles deeply to understand her specific perspective as an immigrant.

Owen is a high school student of Japanese descent who loves playing tabletop fantasy games. He experiences intense frustration when his friends rigidly refuse to let his character be a samurai, feeling that his cultural heritage is being entirely excluded from their fictional world.

Tommy is a high school swimmer who recently announced his transition from female to male. He finds immense relief and freedom while swimming in the pool. On land, he faces severe anxiety about entering the men's locker room and dealing with the hostile reactions of his peers.

Roman is a high school swimmer who relentlessly bullies Tommy. He uses severe anti-gay slurs and entirely refuses to respect Tommy's transition, creating a toxic environment for everyone on the team.

Syrita is a seventeen-year-old girl from a wealthy Los Angeles family who volunteers at a soup kitchen. Because she was the first person the superhero X ever saved, the president tasks her with acting as an ambassador to change his mind about abandoning humanity.

X is the world's only superhuman, possessing flight, super strength, and invincibility. After years of saving the world, he unexpectedly retires, citing a complete loss of faith in people. He lives in a regular apartment and harbors deep, justified anger regarding police violence against people of color.

Hayley is an Indigenous American student from the reservation and Doobie's elementary school friend. She changes her appearance drastically to pass as white and ignores Doobie in public to maintain her new social standing. She practices her skills on a Barbie head in hopes of joining a cosmetology program.

Mr. Corker is a middle school health and sex education teacher. He enforces strict adherence to standardized instructions for his classroom assignments. He casually makes culturally insensitive remarks regarding the skin color of anatomical models.

Francesca is Shirin's extroverted and adventurous friend. She possesses wild hair and easily talks to anyone, serving as a direct contrast to Shirin's highly cautious personality.

Hannah is Yasi's girlfriend. She genuinely cares for Yasi and pushes gently to meet her family, largely unaware of the specific cultural anxieties Yasi holds about bringing them together.

Ezekiel is Zakary's friend from the city who leads a life of continuous petty crime. He previously involved Zakary in illegal activities and applies heavy pressure on him to return to a life on the streets instead of pursuing honest work.

Mr. Jackson is the owner of the café where Zakary spends his time. He frequently complains about Zakary sleeping on the premises but reliably feeds him and accepts his help, demonstrating a gruff but genuine concern for the boy.

Wujae is Owen's friend and the strict leader of their gaming group. He stubbornly insists on following the official game rules, initially refusing to accommodate Owen's request to represent his Japanese heritage by playing as a samurai.

Dusty is a neighborhood bully who frequently uses racial slurs. He creates immediate conflict when he targets Owen's friends with bigoted remarks outside the party.

Parker is Tommy's swim teammate. He provides crucial early support by respecting Tommy's identity and showing active solidarity in the highly hostile locker room environment.

Tommy's mother is a deeply supportive and loving parent. She openly reassures her son that there is no such thing as normal and actively encourages him to be strong in his true identity.