Vampire Academy characters

Also known as Rosemarie Hathaway

Appears from the start

A bold, reckless seventeen-year-old dhampir, part human and part vampire, training to become a guardian who will protect the mortal Moroi vampires from the undead Strigoi. She is fiercely devoted to her best friend Lissa, whom she is bound to protect, and the two share a strange one-way psychic connection that lets Rose slip into Lissa's mind and feelings. As the story opens they are captured after two years spent hiding in the human world, and Rose is dragged back to the vampire academy she fled, determined to keep Lissa safe whatever the cost.

Also known as Vasilisa Dragomir

Appears from the start

A gentle, royal Moroi vampire, the last surviving member of the Dragomir line after a car crash killed her family. Kind and beautiful, she is the center of Rose's world and the person Rose has sworn to guard. Lissa struggles with fragile emotions and a magical gift that does not fit the usual elements the Moroi command, and her difference makes her both special and quietly endangered once she returns to the academy.

Appears from the start

A tall, formidable Russian dhampir and one of the academy's most respected guardians. He leads the party that recaptures Rose and Lissa and returns them to school. Calm, disciplined, and highly skilled, he agrees to give Rose extra combat training so she can catch up and earn her place as Lissa's guardian, and a charged, forbidden attraction begins to build between mentor and student.

First appears in chapter 2

The stern headmistress of St. Vladimir's Academy, who is furious that Rose and Lissa ran away and nearly expels Rose on their return. She enforces the school's rules and rulings, keeping a suspicious eye on Rose while allowing her to resume training only under strict conditions.

First appears in chapter 3

A cheerful, red-haired dhampir novice and one of Rose's closest friends among the guardians-in-training. Loyal and good-humored, he is glad to have Rose back at school and openly fond of her, offering easy companionship as she readjusts to academy life.

First appears in chapter 4

A non-royal Moroi girl who has clawed her way into elite social circles and treats Rose and Lissa as rivals. Sharp and spiteful, she spreads rumors and works to humiliate them, becoming a persistent source of trouble in the academy's cruel social hierarchy.

First appears in chapter 4

Lissa's cousin, a talkative, plainly dressed Moroi girl who seems harmless and eager to please. Overlooked by the school's fashionable crowd, she befriends Lissa and Rose and chatters about her ailing father, presenting herself as a meek and unremarkable classmate.

First appears in chapter 5

A brooding, isolated Moroi boy shunned by the other students because his parents chose to become Strigoi. Sarcastic and defiant, he keeps to himself in the school's attic and chapel, but he is drawn to Lissa and she to him, an attachment Rose distrusts. Beneath the outcast reputation he is clever and, unusually, willing to use his fire magic offensively.

First appears in chapter 8

A respected Moroi prince and longtime friend of the Dragomir family, and Natalie's father. Gravely and visibly ill with a wasting disease, he is warm toward Lissa and treats her almost as his own daughter, and both girls regard him as a trusted ally and protector in a school where they have few.