Adela is a twelve-year-old girl living in Thorne, New Mexico. She possesses a deep curiosity about history, genetics, and mythology. When her stepfather proposes officially adopting her, she insists on learning about her biological father before making a decision. Resourceful and persistent, she enlists her best friend to search through old yearbooks and hidden photographs to uncover her family's past.

Lourdes is Addie's mother, currently pregnant and working as a fossil preparator. Raised by her grandmother in the neighboring town of Esperanza, she harbors painful memories of her youth and refuses to discuss her past. She is fiercely protective of Addie and prefers to keep her completely separated from the Bravo family's wrestling environment.

Emmanuel is Addie's biological father and a professional luchador. Coming from a dynastic wrestling family in Esperanza, he has spent most of his adult life traveling for matches. He idolizes his own father and prioritizes his athletic career over personal relationships, which originally caused his separation from Lourdes.

Alex is Addie's stepfather and the proprietor of the Four Sisters Diner. A lifelong wrestling fan, he decorates his restaurant with lucha libre memorabilia. He offers to legally adopt Addie on her twelfth birthday. He is a steady, objective voice in the household and believes Addie has a right to know her origins.

Francisco is the elderly patriarch of the Bravo family. Under the ring name "El Terremoto," he was a world champion luchador who set impossibly high standards for his sons. He suffers from severe memory issues and headaches resulting from a lifetime of wrestling injuries. He maintains patriarchal views regarding gender roles and athletic achievement.

Rosie is the matriarch of the Bravo family and Addie's grandmother. In her youth, she wrestled under the name "La Rosa Salvaje" and won a Mexican championship belt before retiring to raise her sons. She channels her artistic energy into welding and building large tumbleweed sculptures. She acts as the emotional anchor for the entire Bravo household.

Mateo is Manny's brother who deliberately walked away from the family's wrestling expectations. He operates out of a trailer where he designs and sews intricate masks and costumes for professional luchadores. Also known to perform in drag story times at local bookstores, he embraces his creative passions and rejects patriarchal norms.

Eva is one of Speedy's identical twin daughters. She lives with her mother but spends weekends at the Bravo household, where she practices tag-team wrestling maneuvers in the backyard ring. She adopts the mythological tzitzimeme alter-ego with her sister but treats wrestling purely as a hobby, preferring softball and envisioning a different career path.

Maggie is Eva's identical twin and Addie's cousin. Deeply invested in lucha libre, she plans to turn professional when she turns eighteen. She becomes the first girl to make her middle school wrestling team, actively challenging her grandfather's assertion that women cannot be champions. She uses the sport to maintain an emotional connection to her late father.

Cy is Addie's loyal and dramatic best friend. She actively assists Addie in snooping through Lourdes's trunk and investigating archives at the historical society. She possesses a flair for the theatrical and successfully campaigns to become the student director of the seventh-grade school play.

Speedy is the oldest brother in the Bravo family. He pursued a wrestling career in line with his father's wishes but died in a plane crash while returning home for Thanksgiving. His grave serves as an annual gathering place for the family.

Gus is a sullen new seventh-grader in Thorne. Constantly forced to relocate due to his father's government job, he actively avoids making friends to spare himself future goodbyes. He channels his frustration into activism and steals lab earthworms to protest classroom dissection.

Marlene is the oldest-serving employee at the Four Sisters Diner. Having worked there since the diner originally opened, she functions as an extended member of Addie's chosen family. She provides Addie with a safe space to vent about her frustrations regarding her biological father.

Mrs. González is the middle school drama teacher overseeing the annual production of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Preparing for her retirement, she makes a deliberate choice to subvert social norms by casting Addie in a lead role traditionally given to white students.

Brandon is a seventh-grade student who participates in the drama production with Addie and her friends. He attends wrestling lessons at the Bravo house to prepare for the play before suffering a badly sprained ankle.

Rudy is an older archivist managing the collections at the local historical society. He helps Addie locate high school yearbooks and provides access to a specialized collection of Cactus Wrestling League memorabilia.

Carter is a professional wrestler who auditions to join the "Pounding Fathers," a historically themed wrestling faction. He uses his platform to educate his peers about Black historical figures, successfully breaking racial barriers within his wrestling league.