Henry Dorsett Case is a former "console cowboy" who made a living hacking into secure corporate mainframes. After stealing from his previous employers, he was punished with a mycotoxin that damaged his nervous system, leaving him unable to access the virtual reality of cyberspace. Desperate and suicidal, he hustles in the Chiba City underworld as a low-level broker to fund his drug habit until a mysterious employer offers him a medical cure.

Molly is a highly skilled mercenary and "street samurai" who enhances her combat abilities with extensive cybernetic modifications. She features surgically inset silver mirrored lenses over her eyes and retractable double-edged razor blades beneath her fingernails. She serves as the physical muscle for Armitage's operation, infiltrating corporate facilities while Case handles the digital security.

Armitage is an imposing, heavily muscled man who wears expensive suits and possesses the demeanor of an elite military officer. He presents himself as the heavily funded leader of a clandestine hacking operation. He offers Case the surgical repair of his nervous system in exchange for Case's absolute loyalty and compliance on a dangerous corporate heist.

Wintermute is a highly advanced artificial intelligence mainframe registered in Berne, Switzerland. Created and legally owned by the wealthy Tessier-Ashpool family, the AI possesses vast processing power and the ability to statistically predict human behavior. It operates from behind the scenes, using human agents like Armitage to execute a complex agenda.

Peter Riviera is an eccentric, drug-addicted playboy who possesses specialized technological implants. These modifications allow him to project highly realistic holograms into the physical world. He has a reputation for sadism, psychological manipulation, and a twisted sense of artistry, making him a disturbing but necessary addition to Armitage's crew.

McCoy Pauley, known as Dixie Flatline, is a legendary console cowboy who famously survived flatlining three times during dangerous cyberspace runs. Although his physical body died, his personality, memories, and hacking skills exist as an interactive ROM construct. Armitage's team steals this drive to utilize his unparalleled hacking expertise.

The Finn is a technology fence and hardware expert operating out of an abandoned factory space. He surrounds himself with outdated technology and provides the criminal underworld with untraceable gear, specialized software, and local intelligence.

Maelcum is a Rastafarian resident of Zion, an orbital space station founded by workers who refused to return to Earth. He pilots the space tug Garvey, living a relaxed lifestyle centered around his community's religious music and traditions. He assists the crew with transportation and logistical support.

Linda Lee is a young woman struggling to survive in the Chiba City underworld. She met Case in a video arcade, and the two maintain an ambiguous relationship marked by affection, poverty, and mutual substance use. She relies on petty theft and street smarts to navigate the dangerous city.

Neuromancer is a highly advanced artificial intelligence linked to the Tessier-Ashpool family network. Unlike its logic-driven counterpart, this entity specializes in storing and understanding human personality and emotion. It operates quietly within the matrix, utilizing illusions and memory constructs to interact with humans.

Julius Deane is an aging black-market dealer and information broker. Unusually for his era, he maintains extensive paper files instead of computer records, keeping an office filled with antique furniture. He acts as a cautious mentor figure for Case in the local underworld.

Lady 3Jane Marie-France Tessier-Ashpool is a wealthy heir residing in Villa Straylight, a private enclave on the Freeside orbital station. As a product of cloning, she lives an isolated, infinitely privileged life. Bored with her immense wealth, she constantly seeks out extreme, avant-garde entertainment to stimulate her interest.

Ashpool is the patriarch of the Tessier-Ashpool corporate clan. He spends long, extended stretches of time in cryogenic freeze, waking periodically to exert control over his family's massive corporate empire. His time in stasis and his immense wealth have left his mind erratic and detached from humanity.

Hideo is a highly trained ninja retainer bound exclusively to the Tessier-Ashpool family. He serves as an elite bodyguard and enforcer for their orbital estate, possessing combat skills that rely on traditional martial arts and intense physical discipline rather than technological augmentation.

Ratz is the bartender at a seedy Chiba City establishment frequented by hustlers and mercenaries. He features a prominent, crude prosthetic arm and metallic dental work, a deliberate aesthetic choice that contrasts with the sleek technological modifications typical of the era.

Wage is a local gangster and drug supplier operating in Chiba City. He runs in the same criminal circles as Case and serves as a direct representation of the everyday dangers present in the city's black market.