Carl is a Coast Guard veteran who fights as a crawler in a deadly galactic reality show. He wears a magical back patch called The Scavenger's Daughter that absorbs energy from his kills, making him physically stronger but causing him psychological stress. As a reluctant leader, he relies on his engineering knowledge to create bespoke weapons and exploit the game's strict rules to protect his fellow survivors. He deeply resents the alien showrunners and continuously searches for ways to break their system.

Princess Donut is a sentient show cat who acts as the primary field commander for Carl's party. She assumes the role of Squad Leader during card battles, managing their roster of summoned monsters with growing tactical expertise. She remains highly focused on her public image and social media rankings, using her understanding of broadcast entertainment to their advantage. Despite her vanity, she is fiercely protective of her friends and terrified of losing them to the game's cruel rules.

Katia is a Norwegian crawler struggling under the immense psychological weight of the dungeon. Burdened by the Crown of the Sepsis Whore, she searches for a way to break a curse that mandates a death match with Donut. She relies heavily on mind-altering substances to cope with her trauma and the pressure of her situation. She operates as a stealth fighter who must sometimes undertake morally ambiguous tasks to secure her survival.

Sister Ines is a Catholic nun and cat-girl crawler who carries the title Poet Laureate. She possesses a subtle but powerful mind-control ability that she uses to manipulate both monsters and people. She holds a rigid religious worldview and suffers severe mental distress when forced to interact with the dungeon's simulated deities. Her past as a mass murderer informs her unpredictable and fanatical approach to the game.

Samantha is a disembodied sex-doll head containing the spirit of Psamathe, a minor deity of unrequited love. She travels with Carl's group and constantly searches for a magic user who can attach her to a flesh golem body. Her magical abilities grow rapidly and unpredictably, allowing her to fly and enhance the spells of those around her. Her childlike, chaotic behavior often leads the group into unexpected danger.

Shi Maria, also known as the Bedlam Bride, is a massive demigod spider and a powerful city boss. She uses trickery and mental manipulation to disorient her opponents, employing attacks that cause permanent insanity. She feigns weakness to secure passage out of her territory, acting as a highly dangerous but useful combat totem for Carl and Donut.

Amayon is a powerful demon prince from the underworld dimension of Sheol. He arrives on the eighth floor to harvest souls and open a massive portal back to his home realm. His immense magical power makes him a target for both the ruling goddesses and the desperate crawlers who wish to use his portal for their own escape.

Ysalte is a destructive goddess known as the Vinegar Bitch, sponsored by a faction that wishes to obliterate the dungeon. She appears as a formidable dwarf wielding a pickaxe and possesses the power to turn helpful items like potions into useless vinegar. She demands absolute obedience from her followers and violently punishes anyone who crosses them.

Mordecai is a former crawler turned non-player character who serves as the manager for Carl and Donut. He shapeshifts into different forms depending on the game's rules, currently appearing as a one-eyed Hills Cyclops. He provides essential intelligence regarding the dungeon's lore and mechanics while secretly working to protect vulnerable beings from the showrunners' cruelty.

Louis is a crawler who fights within Carl's extended network of allies. He prioritizes the emotional well-being of the group, recognizing that isolation and despair are as dangerous as the physical monsters. He takes it upon himself to organize moments of normalcy, such as a makeshift Christmas party, to remind the survivors of their humanity.

Imani is a dedicated allied crawler who leads her own squad on the eighth floor. She faces a devastating setback when a game mechanic causes her summoned creatures to turn against her team. She relies on the broader alliance network to stay alive when separated from a safe exit point.

Elle is an older crawler and former resident of a retirement home who fights alongside the allied forces. She specializes in powerful area-of-effect spells that deal massive damage to large groups of enemies. She acts as a grounding presence, offering steady support and trusting Carl's command during chaotic fights.

Damascus Steel is an ifrit exotic dancer who belongs to a secret society inside the dungeon. As a non-player character, he exists at the mercy of the game's managers and wealthy sponsors. He assists Carl in moving through the club's hidden passages, eventually seeking employment to escape his indentured life.

Astrid is a fairy who serves as the assistant manager and security chief of the Desperado Club. She commands celestial guards and possesses dangerous blood-boiling spells. She uses her administrative position to create a safe haven for her family members who are trapped as indentured servants in the dungeon.

Tserendolgor is a dog-woman crawler who leads a heavily armed squad. She utilizes a massive Mongolian Death Worm in combat and fights desperately to secure an exit key for her team. She prefers to dictate the terms of her own survival rather than succumb to the system's forced betrayals.

Odette is a former crawler who now works as a television host and game guide for the reality show. She curates interviews and broadcasts about the crawlers, using her media influence to orchestrate events behind the scenes. She carries deep guilt over her past actions in the dungeon and works on a long-term plan to disrupt the system.

Paz Lo is a human Santero and an armored cleric who serves as the frontline tank for his team. He worships the god Ogun and relies on divine buffs to survive massive physical attacks from enemy monsters. He carries the burden of a criminal past and remains loyal to his squadmates despite their dangerous tendencies.

Anton is a heavily tattooed human fugitive and crawler with a history of killing other players. He approaches alliances with deep suspicion and holds grudges against those who have harmed his friends. He operates as a combatant under Sister Ines's command.

Asher is a young boy from Carl's life before the apocalypse. He exists in the dungeon strictly as a memory construct designed to manipulate Carl's emotions. His presence reveals hidden family secrets that Carl's loved ones actively kept from him.

Tami-Lynn is Carl's stepmother, shown to him through a detailed memory construct on the eighth floor. She takes extreme and fatal measures to protect her child from an abusive situation, a choice that permanently alters Carl's understanding of his family's past.

Bea is Carl's ex-girlfriend from before the global collapse. Although she is not physically present on the floor, the system utilizes memories of her actions and her secret communications to psychologically attack Carl and Donut during boss battles.

Ogun is a powerful warrior orisha associated with iron, labor, and war. The game mechanics have repurposed him into a formidable deity who grants boons to those who repair his shrines and delivers brutal, instantaneous punishments to those who fail his quests.

Mongo is a fierce velociraptor who serves as Princess Donut's devoted pet. He possesses high combat stats and actively participates in battles alongside the crawlers, often indiscriminately attacking weak monsters and opponents before strategies can be fully formed.