Kiera is a 17-year-old honors student at a predominantly white high school who secretly developed the massive multiplayer virtual reality game SLAY. Operating under the alias Emerald, she manages the heavy responsibility of maintaining a digital sanctuary for Black gamers while handling the pressures of college applications and family expectations. She possesses deep creativity and remains fiercely protective of the community she built in secret.

Kiera's outspoken and fiercely loyal younger sister is a high school junior with a passion for history and debate. She plays SLAY under the avatar Hyacinth and serves as an unapologetic defender of Black culture. Steph frequently challenges ignorance in her peers and fiercely protects Kiera from outside pressures.

Claire is a hardworking computer science student in Paris who serves as SLAY's moderator under the alias Cicada. She balances her demanding university coursework with caring for her terminally ill mother in Florence. She views SLAY as her primary source of community and experiences frequent isolation in her day-to-day life in France.

Malcolm is Kiera's boyfriend, a high school student who was previously expelled from Belmont High for defending Kiera in a fight. He holds traditional, heteronormative views on Black excellence and intensely dislikes video games, viewing them as harmful distractions. He expects Kiera to follow a specific path toward their future at historically Black colleges.

Dred is an anonymous new player in SLAY who names himself after the infamous 1857 Dred Scott Supreme Court decision. He specifically infiltrates the game to terrorize Kiera's character, Emerald. He threatens to destroy the safe space she built through intimidation and promises of real-world legal action.

Harper is Kiera's wealthy white best friend and tutee at Jefferson Academy. Though she benefits from immense privilege and is occasionally oblivious to the racial dynamics around her, she remains well-intentioned. She actively tries to educate herself when corrected and deeply values her friendship with Kiera.

Harper's 16-year-old brother is the entitled and immature editor of the school newspaper. Upon learning about SLAY, he becomes infuriated by its exclusivity, viewing the game as an unfair form of reverse discrimination. He threatens legal action against the developer to force the game to open its doors to white players.

Jamal is a 16-year-old honors student and entrepreneurship club captain who plays SLAY under the avatar Anubis. His tragic death over an in-game currency dispute sparks the media frenzy that places SLAY under intense public scrutiny.

Maurice is a Black business owner who frequently travels internationally. In his downtime, he plays SLAY under the avatar Spade, serving as the champion of the Rain Forest region. He finds solace in the game's community while enduring the isolation of being one of the few Black men in his professional spheres.

Jaylen is a transgender teenager living in New Orleans who plays SLAY as the character Q.Diamond. Facing abuse and rejection from her mother in the real world, she uses the game as a vital safe haven where she can authentically express her identity.

Dr. Abbott is a 55-year-old professor of African American studies at MIT. He initially criticizes SLAY's exclusivity on national television, but his perspective shifts as he observes his young nephews encountering racism in mainstream games and experiences the educational nature of SLAY firsthand.

Annette is the only Black lawyer Kiera can find in Bellevue. Though she cannot officially represent Kiera in a civil rights case, she offers professional advice regarding the threat of a discrimination lawsuit and deeply appreciates the safe space SLAY provides for her own children.

Kiera and Steph's mother is a dentist who holds strict expectations for her daughters' behavior and speech. She disapproves of African American Vernacular English and prioritizes traditional markers of academic and professional success, unintentionally making Kiera feel she must hide parts of her identity.

Kiera and Steph's father works as an analyst at a paper company. His career promotion prompted the family's move to the upscale, predominantly white neighborhood of Bellevue three years prior to the story's events.