A Newbie’s Guide To Every Major Character In Shadow & Bone

Mild spoilers are ahead. Netflix's Shadow and Bone one of those fantasy shows that has so many characters, it may take you multiple episodes to fully memorize their names and faces. But because not everyone is ready to absorb a legion of new names and personalities instantly, we've organized a guide to the winsome heroines, dangerous rogues, and dashing adventurers of Shadow and Bone.

But Shadow and Bone is also one of those fantasy shows that require a glossary. So before we get into the who's who of it all, you're going to need to know the basics — without them, good luck remembering these characters. Many of them are Grisha, which means they have magical abilities, and there are three categories of Grisha, each with their own subcategories. The Grisha identify their powers with embroidered robes called keftas. The robes make it pretty easy to spot who can do what as you begin to immerse yourself in the world of Shadow and Bone, even if you have to take notes for the first few episodes.

Etherealki wear blue and manipulate elements as Squallors (air, in keftas with silver accents), Inferni (fire, in keftas with red accents), or Tidemakers (water, in keftas with light blue accents).

Corporalki wear red and manipulate bodies as Heartrenders (control over body and mind, in keftas with black accents) or Healers (healing, in keftas with grey embroidery).

Finally, the Materialki wear purple and can fabricate and manipulate materials as Durasts (solids like metal or glass, in keftas with grey embroidery) or Alkemi (poison and explosives, in keftas with red embroidery).

But for the characters that aren't Grisha, you'll be especially glad to have this guide. There are soldiers, hunters, and a merry band of thieves also a foot on Shadow and Bone, too.

Here's who you'll meet and what you need to know about them.