A seven-year-old boy who does not yet understand the difference between bad and good. He accidentally wanders into the terrifying bush of ghosts while fleeing from slave traders. As an earthly person trapped in a magical environment, he must constantly adapt to survive bizarre and dangerous encounters with supernatural beings. He undergoes numerous unwanted physical transformations, such as taking the shape of a cow and enduring imprisonment inside a pitcher, yet he continuously clings to the memory of his human family.

The eldest son in the family, expected to eventually lead his father's household and manage his properties. When slave traders attack their village, he attempts to guide his younger brother to safety. He leaves the narrator with two pieces of fruit from a tree before they are separated in the chaos of the raid.

A powerful ghost who lives in the Nameless-town, an area inhabited entirely by women. She possesses the ability to transform into any physical form she chooses, changing from an antelope to a roaring lion or a boa constrictor. Despite her ghostly origins and her father's status as a powerful wizard, she provides the narrator with a comfortable home that closely mirrors earthly living.

A mysterious ghostess who suffers from painful sores and maggots covering her body. She possesses a magical palm that acts as a television screen, displaying clear images of the earthly world. She seeks out the narrator because sorcerers have told her that he is the cause of her constant pain and the only one who can heal her.

The king of the 7th town of ghosts, covered entirely in insects, human waste, and live snakes. He exudes a foul odor that keeps other creatures away. He captures the narrator with the intention of using him as a personal servant, magically transforming the boy into various animals for daily labor.

A hardworking trader at the local market and the last of the narrator's father's three wives. She is the only wife to give birth to sons, which causes friction with the other wives in the household. Her memory grounds the narrator during his terrifying experiences, as he constantly thinks of her cooking and care.

A traditional patriarch who maintains a large household with three wives. He serves as the head of the family before the slave wars disrupt their community. His initial two wives harbor resentment toward his third wife because she is the only one to produce male heirs.

A massive ruler of the 13th town of ghosts who shoots fire from her eyes. Her body is covered in millions of noisy baby heads that constantly demand attention. She forces the short ghosts in her town, along with the narrator, to hunt and provide massive quantities of meat to satisfy her constant hunger.

The magical child of the flash-eyed mother. He possesses immense physical power and plays a critical combat role in the battles between ghost towns, assisting his mother's forces in violent conflicts against neighboring ghost communities.

A deceptive ghost who takes the form of a sick human baby to infiltrate earthly families. He pretends to need severe medical care and religious sacrifices, tricking human mothers into spending all their wealth on him before he fakes his death and steals the resources to bring back to his ghost town.

The narrator's deceased cousin who has established a highly organized new life in the ghost world. Drawing on his background in the earthly world, he builds a Methodist church, a school, and a hospital in the bush of ghosts. He helps teach the narrator the language and legal customs of ghosts.

The son of the narrator and the Super-Lady. Because he is half-human and half-ghost, he exhibits behaviors from both worlds and ages exceptionally quickly. His mixed nature causes intense friction between his parents, who constantly disagree on how he should be raised and behave.

The primary monarch who rules from the 20th town of ghosts. Though rarely seen directly by the narrator, his authority is absolute across the various ghostly communities. He commands respect and fear, dictating laws and punishing those who disobey his sweeping decrees.

A magical being who resides in the white-tree. She remains faithful and helpful to all creatures, not just ghosts. When the narrator receives the wrong head on his body following a massive battle, she rectifies the mistake by giving him his true head back.