Six of Crows characters

Also known as Dirtyhands

First appears in chapter 2

A ruthless, brilliant young criminal in the lawless Barrel district of Ketterdam, lieutenant of a gang called the Dregs. Known as Dirtyhands for the schemes he is willing to carry out, he walks with a cane and never removes his black gloves, and he plans crimes with cold, meticulous precision. Offered an enormous fortune to pull off an impossible heist, he assembles a crew of outcasts to break into the world's most secure fortress, driven by ambition and private motives he keeps hidden.

Also known as the Wraith

First appears in chapter 3

A Suli girl who moves like a shadow, Kaz's spy and knife-fighter, called the Wraith for her ability to climb anywhere and appear unseen. Taken from her family and forced into servitude before Kaz brought her into the Dregs, she gathers secrets across the city and fights with silent, deadly skill. Devout and watchful, she keeps her own counsel and longs for a freedom she is not sure she can ever buy back.

First appears in chapter 4

A quick-witted, restless sharpshooter from Novyi Zem and one of Kaz's crew, deadly with a pair of pistols and rarely without a joke. Charming and reckless, he is chronically drawn to gambling and can never resist a wager or a fight, a weakness that leaves him perpetually in debt. He signs on for the heist for the money and the thrill both.

First appears in chapter 5

A bold, warm-hearted Grisha Heartrender from Ravka, able to influence a body from within, quickening or slowing a heartbeat, weakening or steadying flesh. Confident, flirtatious, and fond of good food and fine things, she has been living in Ketterdam and joins Kaz's crew for the heist. Her role is crucial because the job targets a secret weapon that threatens every Grisha alive.

First appears in chapter 6

A grim young Fjerdan raised as a druskelle, one of the witch-hunters trained to capture and kill Grisha. Imprisoned in Ketterdam and hardened by a fraught, painful history with Nina, he is drawn into the crew because his knowledge of the target fortress is indispensable. Torn between his upbringing's hatreds and his own conscience, he agrees to help in exchange for a chance at his freedom.

First appears in chapter 6

A soft-spoken, well-bred runaway, gifted with chemistry and explosives despite his gentle manner. Estranged from his wealthy merchant father and living rough in the Barrel, he serves the crew as its demolitions expert and, useful to Kaz, as a form of leverage. He hides a private difficulty and is far from the pampered rich boy the others first take him for.

First appears in chapter 4

A powerful and immensely wealthy Kerch merchant who hires Kaz's crew for a staggering sum to carry out the heist. Polished, pious, and outwardly respectable, he presents the job as a matter of protecting the world from a terrible new weapon. His true character and intentions are less transparent than his fine manners suggest.

First appears in chapter 8

A Shu teenager and the son of the scientist who invented a dangerous drug that can vastly amplify and enslave Grisha power. Held prisoner in a distant fortress, he is the prize the crew is hired to extract, sought by rival nations because the knowledge he carries could reshape the balance of power in the world.

First appears in chapter 5

The most powerful crime boss in Ketterdam's Barrel, controlling gambling houses, gangs, and much of the city's underworld. Brash, brutal, and territorial, he is a longstanding rival and enemy of Kaz Brekker, and the animosity between them runs deeper and more personal than ordinary gang competition.

First appears in chapter 2

The aging leader of the Dregs, the gang Kaz effectively runs on his behalf. Content to let his sharp young lieutenant do the scheming and take the risks, he holds nominal command while Kaz does the real work of keeping and expanding the gang's territory.