Lola, the grandchild’s grandmother, is a hard, old woman. She does not display affection for any of her family and seems only to tolerate the grandchild because they listen to her stories. She rolls her own cigarettes, which she smokes heavily as she speaks. The grandchild recalls her death at the midpoint of the novel, though given the fluid nature of the narrative, it is unclear precisely when she dies. She is nostalgic and yearns for the family’s past in the Old Country, when magic and heroism still existed. She tells the grandchild the story of the Inverted Theater and the tale of the Moon goddess’s escape from the emperor. She is a flat character in that she herself does not change over the course of the novel, but she is also the source from which all the characters and developments in the story of the Inverted Theater arise. Lola contributes to the theme of storytelling, both in the role of storyteller and because she crafts her identity from these stories.

The dancer is the child of the Moon and the Water and has been tasked with managing and performing in the Inverted Theater. The dancer is an archetype symbolizing the continuity of storytelling across generations and continents. The dancer has no name or gender and is referred to primarily as “this moonlit body.” The dancer performs the story of Keema and Jun, nested within the framing story about the grandchild. Significantly, the dancer interacts with the characters, including the grandchild, Keema, and Jun. The dancer explains the significance of the grandchild’s spear, orchestrates Keema’s decision to save the Old Country at the cost of his own life, and urges the Water to have mercy on Keema and Jun, saving their lives. These incidents occur within the Inverted Theater, where the storyteller interacts with their characters outside the linear flow of time, highlighting the metafictional nature of the novel.

Keema, one of the two protagonists, is a boy orphaned from a young age. All he knows of his origins is that his parents said they were Daware as they died. However, neither he nor the people who cared for him know where or who the Daware are. Therefore, he fabricates lies about the Daware Tribe, concocting intricate backstories and customs in order to give himself a sense of identity and purpose. This contributes significantly to the theme of storytelling. He also carries the spear, one of the central symbols of the novel, which connects the timelines and characters of the nested narrative with the frame story.

Keema is missing his left arm, which stigmatizes him, as the loss of the left arm is culturally associated with dishonor and bad luck. Though he eventually tells Jun how he lost his arm, the narrative does not reveal this story, leaving it ambiguous. Despite his disability, Keema is a skilled and proud warrior, who worked as a bodyguard for a brothel before joining Commander Araya’s forces at the Tiger Gate. A dynamic character, he is desperate for purpose and chances to prove himself as a fighter and a man. He takes his oaths seriously, despite the lies he has built around them. He also yearns for emotional connection and physical touch. His developing romantic relationship with Jun is important to his character arc, highlighting the interconnected themes of love and redemption.

Jun, the second major protagonist, is a member of the Red Peacock Brigade and the First Terror’s favorite son. Under his father’s leadership, he killed for the first time at eight years old, thus earning his red peacock facial tattoo. The other peacocks call him “Jun the Beautiful Knife” and “Jun the Red Shadow” in honor of his murderous nature (16). However, the empress speaks to him through thoughts and dreams, breaking him down with shame and guilt. Thus, shamed by his past, Jun becomes desperate for redemption and vows never to kill again.

Jun is a skilled warrior and possesses a sense of honor despite his murderous past. He is a dynamic character whose arc turns on the search for redemption. He both loves and hates his father, the First Terror. He hears the voices of his victims in his head, which torture him and hinder his attempts to find peace. He believes himself beyond saving and expects to die, even offering to give his life to a woman whose family he murdered. Though he and Keema have developed romantic feelings for each other, he does not believe himself worthy of love and leaves Keema at the end to spare him a life of exile and pain. However, Keema insists on staying with him anyway, highlighting the role that love can play in a journey toward redemption and hope.

The First Terror is the eldest of the emperor’s triplet sons. He possesses the ability to control the elements and is the strongest of the brothers. Of the three triplets, he is closest to their father, the emperor, working as an advisor and enforcer of his rule, though he has ambitions to take the throne for himself. He is also the only one of the triplets with children, who were fathered with various women. His children are all sons, of which there are many, who form the military force of the Red Peacock Brigade. He is cruel, violent, short-tempered, and power hungry. His one redeeming quality is his love for his sons, of whom Jun is his favorite. He cannot comprehend why Jun betrays him but is willing to forgive him instantly if Jun asks for it. Initially a flat character defined by violence and power hunger, he achieves a partial redemption in the last moments of his life, willingly accepting death at his mother’s hands to prevent endless war.

Luubu is the middle child of the emperor’s triplet sons. He possesses the ability to control people’s thoughts and actions with speech. To gain more power, the Luubu consumes both the Defect’s Mother Tortoise and the fingers of his own mother, the Moon goddess. He delights in depravity and debauchery on his pleasure vessels. Like his brothers, he is cruel and violent. However, his violence manifests through manipulation, forcing others to do his dirty work for him with a word. He takes more sadistic pleasure in such violence than his brothers appear to. He is deeply wounded by his father’s neglect. While all three triplets long for contact with their mother, he appears to be the most desperate and driven to do something about it. He justifies his desire to consume the Moon goddess and steal her powers by claiming it is an act of love. He is a flat or static character—an antagonist who never changes significantly.

The Third Terror does not have a name but is an important secondary character, accompanying and helping the protagonists throughout the novel until his identity is revealed at the end and he becomes an antagonist. As the third born of the triplets, he was given the strange power to shapeshift into animals and monstrous forms. However, his base form is that of a man’s body with a wolf’s head. His father, the emperor, fears and hates him. As a child, he behaved like an animal, becoming increasingly violent. Eventually, the emperor sent him away to be imprisoned at Joyrock. When the Third Terror escaped his prison, he transformed into a purple bird, which eventually leads to his meeting with Keema. He has the mind of a child and does not seem to comprehend much of the world. Though he does not entirely understand his own feelings and impulses, he loves Keema with the single-minded focus of a loyal but half-wild dog. Keema’s rejection wounds him deeply, causing him to lash out violently, leading to the final confrontation just before the tidal wave strikes.

The empress, or Moon goddess, has the appearance of an old woman, mistakenly believed to be dead because of her stillness and closed eyes. Centuries ago, she feared death and asked a human man to cut her from the sky so that she could hide from death. In exchange, she promised him his greatest desire: to have sons whose line would rule the region forever. In human form, she gave birth to a son for him, and she became the mother for each new generation of emperors. She both loves and hates her cruel, violent children.

The Moon goddess is calculating, pragmatic, amoral, and unsympathetic to human suffering throughout much of the novel. To further her plans for escape, she breaks Jun, causing severe mental and emotional suffering, and then becomes frustrated with the mental weakness that she herself has caused. She manipulates those around her, including Keema and Jun. At the same time, however, she mourns the deaths of her children, feels that she owes debts to several tribes she has injured in the past, and yearns for redemption, just like Jun. At her moment of death, she finally accepts her own end, which she believes is a necessary step to her redemption.

Araya is an important secondary character and the commander of the Tiger Gate. She is often called the Drunk Maiden because of her reputation for drinking. Despite this, she is a competent leader and powerful warrior, and she is deeply respected by those under her command, including Keema and her second-in-command, Raami. She is the daughter of Lord Djove Induun, head of one of the five noble families and leader of the rebellion. She was disgraced when she married a lowly metalsmith in defiance of the emperor’s wishes. Her husband was sentenced to torture and death at Joyrock. Araya gave birth to a daughter, Shan, and then became commander of the Tiger Gate to show her penance. The treasured spear that she gives to Keema to deliver to Shan was her husband’s last creation. Araya’s entire existence centers on her mission to save her husband, despite knowing that he is likely already dead, thus exemplifying the theme of Love as a Source of Conflict and Healing.

Shan, daughter of Uhi Araya and granddaughter of Lord Djove Induun, is a 15-year-old girl whose skill as a warrior has earned her the title of First Protector to the Induun family. Though she has never met her mother, the two communicate through letters. She thus adopts her mother’s mission to save the father she has never known. She is single-minded in her focus and willing to risk everything, including her life and the rest of the rebellion, to fulfill this mission. At the end of the novel, she becomes one of the de facto leaders of the country as it tries to recover. She displays her sense of honor and gratitude by helping Jun and Keema after their ordeals. She is also the ancestor of the family line that leads to the grandchild of the frame narrative.