•
Arthur: A knight in the service of princess Prin-Prin. Arthur is the main
protagonist of the ''Ghosts 'n Goblins'' series. He is named for
King Arthur of
Arthurian Legend. •
Prin-Prin: Princess Prin-Prin is the ruler of the human realm (''Ghouls 'n Ghosts
specifies the Kingdom of Hus) and the last human with royal blood. She serves as the primary damsel-in-distress of the Ghosts 'n Goblins'' series. Astaroth kidnaps her in order to use her royal blood to invade the human realm. Although always referred to as Prin-Prin in Japan, she has been called both Prin-Prin and
Guinevere in the various American releases. The latter is an allusion
Guinevere of Arthurian Legend. •
Satan: A red beast who appears in both ''Ghosts 'n Goblins
and Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts
to kidnap Princess Prin-Prin for the current demon lord, but is only fought in Ghosts 'n Goblins
. He is extremely cunning and sets up traps for Arthur in the first game. A similar character appears in the Gargoyle's Quest II
called Malgor in the English translation, but he is known as Skull Satan in Japan, implying they are the same character. In the game, he is almost perfectly impersonating King Darkoan for Breager, showing his cunning nature. However, Firebrand sees through his disguise and defeats him. He returns as the boss of the Cave of the Occult in Ghosts 'n Goblins: Resurrection''. He is named for
Satan in the
Abrahamic religions. •
Astaroth: A demon king and the main
antagonist of the ''Ghosts 'n Goblins'' series. When near death he transforms into the undead demon king
Nebiroth, a separate entity and personality from Astaroth. He is named for
Astaroth, a demon found in medieval
demonology. Some English translations refer to him as
The Devil or
Great Satan, the latter to distinguish him from Satan. •
Lucifer: Also known as
Rushifell in ''Gargoyle's Quest
and Gargoyle's Quest II
, and alternatively referred to as Loki in the Sega Genesis version of Ghouls 'n Ghosts
. Lucifer is an extremely powerful noble in the demon realm and serves as the final boss of Ghouls 'n Ghosts
and Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection
. In the Gargoyle's Quest'' series he functions as both a rival and assisting character, testing and then aiding Firebrand in reaching his full potential. He is named for
Lucifer, an entity found in
Greek mythology and later
Christianity. His alternate name Loki is a reference to
Loki of
Norse mythology. •
Sardius: Known as
Samael in Japan, he is the main antagonist and final boss of ''Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts''. He is named for
Samael of
Talmudic lore. •
Hades: The Lord of Darkness who governs the Demon World in ''Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins''. He seeks two goals in his invasion of the Human Realm: to destroy Arthur, and to use the Prin Prin's blood to create a mixed-blood union between humans and demons, giving the demons dominance over the humans. He resides in a stronghold dubbed the Black Palace, with Astaroth serving as his lieutenant. He returns as the true final boss of the shadow levels in ''Ghosts 'n Goblins: Resurrection''. The usage of Hades is an allusion to
Hades in Greek mythology. •
Lancelot: One of Arthur's knights with a unique jump attack, appearing as an alternative playable character in ''Ghosts 'n Goblins: Gold Knights
. In Ghosts 'n Goblins: Gold Knights II'', he is kidnapped and brainwashed to fight Arthur. The usage of the name Lancelot is an allusion to
Lancelot of Arthurian Legend. •
Perceval: One of Arthur's knights and a powerful short-range fighter with a unique dash attack, who teams up with Arthur to rescue Lancelot in ''Ghosts 'n Goblins: Gold Knights II''. The usage of the name Perceval is an allusion to
Perceval of Arthurian Legend. •
Firebrand: Known as
The Red Arremer in Japan, Firebrand is the main protagonist of the ''Gargoyle's Quest
series. He belongs to a race of gargoyled demons known as the Red Arremer Tribe, considered the elite warriors of the demon king Astaroth. He is considered a hero among his peers, and as such he has been nicknamed Red Blaze (a title shared with his ancestor in Gargoyle's Quest II
, also named Firebrand) due to his bright red skin and prowess with fiery magic. The Red Arremer tribe appears as standard enemies in the main Ghosts 'n Goblins'' series, while a fiery blue silhouette of a Red Arremer serves as the series' logo. •
Breager: An evil conqueror from another dimension that serves as the main antagonist of ''Gargoyle's Quest
. Firebrand is sent to destroy Breager and save the Demon Realm. In the prequel game Gargoyle's Quest II'', Breager also attempted to conquer the Demon Realm but was defeated by Firebrand's ancestor. •
Phalanx: A rival demon to Firebrand and the main antagonist of ''Demon's Crest''. Using the power of magical Crests that he stole from Firebrand, he rules and oppresses the Demon Realm. His chief general is
Arma, who confronts Firebrand multiple times during his quest to destroy Phalanx. •
Maximo: The main protagonist of the
Maximo series. Maximo is a king who is slain by his adviser Achille. He strikes a deal with Grimm, the grim reaper, in order to rescue his betrothed, Sophia. •
Grimm: The
grim reaper who frees Maximo from
limbo and aids him on his journey in exchange for killing Achille. •
Sophia: The primary
damsel in distress of the
Maximo series. Sophia is Maximo's betrothed, kidnapped at the beginning of
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory. ==Development==