Below is a list of characters from the R.O.D series of novels, manga and anime created by Hideyuki Kurata.
The R.O.D series of anime and manga covers the scope of the original Read or Die series of manga and light novels, the Read or Dream comics and the subsequent R.O.D the TV anime series.
Table key:
| Character | Read or Die (novels) | Read or Die (manga) | Read or Die OVA | Read or Dream | R.O.D the TV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yomiko Readman (Papermaster) Codename: "The Paper" (in official English translations, sometimes rendered as "Agent Paper" or "Miss Paper") Yomiko is a substitute schoolteacher and secret agent working for the British Library's Special Operations Division. Her father is of British descent, but she lives and works in Japan (when not on missions). She has a large apartment building filled entirely with books. She is one of the most powerful Paper Masters, able to build entire buildings with paper and pilot working paper airplanes, among other things. | Main | Main | Main | Cameo | Supporting | |
| Joseph Carpenter Codename: "Joker" Carpenter is the commander of the Special Operations Division of the British Library, in charge of carrying out Mr. Gentleman's wishes. Not much was revealed in the OVA and manga, but in the novel, he is shown to be very ambitious and wanted to take over the British Empire. However, he found out in the TV series that without Gentleman as the mastermind, the British Empire is severely weakened. He became extremely loyal to the British Empire, willing to do anything to further its safety and success. | Supporting | Supporting | Supporting | N/A | Supporting | |
| Mr. Gentleman The head of the British Library's secret operations, Gentleman is the true source of Britain's secret power over global affairs. He is apparently an ancient being, having observed or controlled much of the world's history. In the novel, it is hinted that he was in control of the whole western world, until he started to save his power to slow down his eventual death. | Supporting | Supporting | Supporting | N/A | Mentioned | |
| Wendy Earhart Joker's personal assistant and some-time field agent. She is of English and Indian descent. She begins working for the British Library at age 19. In most R.O.D materials she is extremely energetic to the point of causing the occasional accident, providing some comic relief (although she is a very capable agent). She plays a much more serious role in the television series. | Supporting | Supporting | Supporting | N/A | Supporting | |
| Nancy Makuhari Codename: "Miss Deep" Nancy has a special ability to pass through objects. In the novels, she is a British Library operative working in China; in the anime, there are two identical Nancys, both of whom are cloned "I-Jin" incarnations of the famous spy Mata Hari. | Supporting | N/A | Main | N/A | Supporting | |
| Drake Anderson Drake is a mercenary hired by the British Library Special Operations Division. He formerly worked for the American special forces. He is an expert in most firearms and special weapons, and while having no superpowers, is extraordinarily tough. Despite a no-nonsense demeanor, he appears to be superstitious and obsessed with luck. He is also the father of a 16-year-old girl, whom he occasionally meets. He used Yomiko's paper master ability and missions as the backbone of the story about a female secret agent called Jane he made up to tell his daughter (despite it is a violation to the hiring terms. | Supporting | Supporting | Supporting | N/A | Supporting | |
| Donnie Nakajima (Papermaster) The 18th "Agent Paper," he was Yomiko's mentor and lover, before he was killed. His ultimate fate is uncertain. | Mentioned | Mentioned | N/A | N/A | Mentioned | |
| Ridley Wan (Papermaster) Donnie's friend; another Paper Master who worked for the British Library and worked in a private school for avenging Donnie's death in the manga. | N/A | Supporting | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Grandmother A female counterpart to Mr. Gentleman, Grandmother, also called "China", wife of Gentleman 500,000 years ago, is now the controller of Dokusensha. Dokusensha is ostensibly a Chinese bookstore chain selling rare books, but in reality, Dokusensha is an intelligence-gathering operation rivalling the British Library. It is the power behind China's authority (and to a certain extent, the whole Eastern world), much in the way the British Library is the power behind the United Kingdom (and to a certain extent, the whole Western world). Unlike Gentleman, who takes a helpless old man form on a wheel chair, Grandmother takes the form of a young girl to preserve her energy. | Supporting | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Michelle Cheung (Papermaster) A Paper Master from Hong Kong, the eldest member and leader of the Three Sisters Detective Agency, also known as the "Paper Sisters". She is responsible for acquiring jobs for the detective agency, which include translation work, lost book and person finding, and bodyguard duty. During combat, she provides ranged support with a paper bow and arrows. She has a flighty and somewhat selfish demeanor, which disappears during battle. | N/A | N/A | N/A | Main | Main | |
| Maggie Mui (Papermaster) A Paper Master from Hong Kong, the "middle" Paper Sister. Her paper powers allow her to create and control enormous paper "familiars", including a giant robot-like warrior, a wolf, and a giant bird capable of transport. She also has the strongest defensive powers of the Three Sisters, creating massive bullet-proof walls and spheres. Maggie is shy and verbally inexpressive, but deeply loyal to her sisters and friends. She is the tallest of the three and is shown to love dark and confined spaces such as a small closet or even underneath a table. | N/A | N/A | N/A | Main | Main | |
| Anita King (Papermaster) Being only of junior high school age, she is the youngest of the Paper Sisters. Her combat specialty is hand-to-hand support, both via excellent martial arts skills and use of sharp paper blades, yet weak in defensive skills. She is a fiery adolescent who keeps her more absent-minded sisters in line. | N/A | N/A | N/A | Main | Main | |
| Nenene Sumiregawa A bestselling Japanese author who wrote her first book at the age of 13. She is a close friend and admirer of Yomiko Readman; in the TV series she later befriends the Paper Sisters. A target of kidnapping and mistreatment by everyone from obsessed fans to machiavellian organizations which want to put her writing talents to work to support their schemes. | Supporting | Supporting | Mentioned | N/A | Main | |
| Junior A mysterious young agent of the British Library under Wendy's supervision. Like Nancy Makuhari, he is able to "phase" through solid objects and is a master marksman. | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Supporting | |
| Lee Linho Often referred to as "Mr. Lee," he is Nenene Sumiregawa's editor and a fan of her novels. He hires the Paper Sisters (being familiar with them as a Hong Kong expatriate) to be Nenene's bodyguards, with hopes that they can help her overcome her writer's block. | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Supporting | |
| Mr. Kim Called the Paper Sisters' "Handler" by Michelle Cheung, Kim is a Dokusensha operative who hires the Paper Sisters to retrieve rare books for him in the TV series. He is often seen with Sonny Wong. | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Supporting | |
| Sonny Wong (Papermaster) Code name: "The Recycler" An extremely powerful Paper Master who works for Dokusensha. Quoted to be the most powerful paper master seen by Nenene | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Supporting | |
| Hisami Hishishii Hisami, also called "Hisa," is close friends with Anita King and likens their relationship to that of Anne Shirley and Diana Barry's in Anne of Green Gables. She is a shy 13-year-old who becomes a novelist (in Read or Dream the Paper Sisters become her bodyguards, rather than Nenene Sumiregawa's). | N/A | N/A | N/A | Supporting | Supporting | |
| Tohru Okahara A boy from Anita's class, he often argues with her and appears to have some feelings for Hisami. In the TV series, he witnesses Anita's special abilities. | N/A | N/A | N/A | Supporting | Supporting | |
| Haruhi Nishizono The rookie author of the romantic hit "First Love, now it's begun". Although wide-eyed and girlish, she is the same age as Nenene and is a fan of Nenene's work. | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Supporting | |
| Natsume Nishizono Haruhi's melodramatic younger sister who is Anita's classmate. She often views Anita as her rival after she refuses an autographed copy of Haruhi's novel. | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Supporting |