Hiro is a talented computer hacker and former programmer who struggles to hold down a job in the hyper-capitalist reality of post-collapse America. Of mixed African American, Japanese, and Korean descent, he carries a set of samurai swords in real life to intimidate others. In the Metaverse, a virtual reality space he helped build, he is a highly respected swordsman and freelance data-gatherer for the CIC.

YT is a 15-year-old freelance courier who travels the franchised neighborhoods of Los Angeles on her high-tech skateboard. She is highly skilled, fiercely independent, and protective of her true identity, hiding behind her pseudonym. She views the world with sarcastic pragmatism while surviving dangerous corporate and criminal environments.

Raven is a massive, intimidating Aleut man who travels with a nuclear torpedo wired to his vital signs, ensuring it will detonate if he is killed. He works as a freelance mercenary and harpooner, harboring a deep-seated hatred for America due to the historical mistreatment of his people. He functions as a force of pure, destructive nihilism.

Rife is a powerful monopolistic media mogul and former sports reporter who has amassed immense wealth and influence. He funds archaeological research into ancient Sumerian culture and bankrolls evangelical religious organizations. He operates from a massive repurposed aircraft carrier known as the Raft, where he indoctrinates refugees using a linguistic virus.

Juanita is a brilliant programmer who helped create the Metaverse and made a fortune selling her stock. She has a deep fascination with religion and uses her wealth to explore the intersection of linguistics, faith, and computing. She acts as a guiding force for Hiro, pushing him to investigate the true nature of Snow Crash.

Enzo is the charismatic leader of the Nova Sicilia Mafia franchise. A Vietnam War veteran, he operates his criminal syndicate like a modern corporation with a focus on family values and public relations. He takes a surprising, protective interest in YT, providing her with a unique level of access and security.

Da5id is a talented hacker and the owner of The Black Sun, an elite club within the Metaverse. He is overly confident in his ability to handle any digital threat, leading him to ignore warnings about viewing unknown files, which results in devastating physical consequences.

Dr. Lagos is a researcher who continuously records and collects data from his surroundings. He pioneers the research into the connections between ancient Sumerian linguistics, the biblical Tower of Babel, and the modern neurolinguistic virus known as Snow Crash, before his work is violently interrupted.

The Librarian is an artificial intelligence program coded by Dr. Lagos to sort and explain extensive historical and linguistic research. Despite appearing as a learned human in the Metaverse, the Librarian is fundamentally a tool limited to literal interpretations of data and incapable of grasping metaphors.

Mr. Ng is a security contractor who suffered severe injuries in the Vietnam War, resulting in his reliance on a cybernetically enhanced mobility vehicle that functions as an extension of his body. He runs Ng Security Industries and develops advanced robotic guard dogs known as Rat Things.

Fisheye is a high-ranking Mafia enforcer and tactician who wields an experimental hypervelocity rail gun named Reason. He orchestrates field operations and battles rival factions on the water, operating with a ruthless, nihilistic practicality.

YT's Mother is an employee of Fedland, the highly bureaucratic remains of the United States government. She works in a heavily monitored environment where employees are subjected to polygraph tests and endless, inefficient regulations, entirely unaware of her daughter's dangerous double life.

Fido is a former pet dog who was stolen and converted into a cybernetic security unit powered by radiothermal isotopes. Despite its terrifying modifications and strict programming as a Ng Security Industries Guard Unit, it retains fragmented, affectionate memories of its past life.

Vitaly is Hiro's roommate who works as a musician. He provides a brief glimpse into the cramped, impoverished living conditions of those struggling in the hyper-capitalist society.

Jason is a college-educated recruit in the Nova Sicilia Mafia franchise who studies gang warfare. He bungles an important delivery assignment that was secretly designed to test YT's capabilities.

Reverend Thorpe is a religious leader at Reverend Wayne's Pearly Gates Church who administers physical doses of the Snow Crash virus to himself and his congregation, believing it to be a spiritual experience.

Transubstanciacion, also known as Tranny, is a young boy living aboard the massive refugee flotilla known as the Raft. His mind has been infected by the linguistic virus, equipping him with a cranial antenna that connects him to the collective broadcast.