The Promised Neverland manga series features an extensive cast of characters created by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu.
Conception and creation The author, Kaiu Shirai wanted to create "upbeat and hopeful" characters to echo those heroes from Weekly Shōnen Jumps series. He stated that Emma is the epitome of the positive attitude, Norman is the mainstay of the group and Ray has an opposite and darker personality. Originally, Emma was a less decisive and active character, Norman had a "lighter" mood, and Ray was "more extreme", but Shirai and the series' editor, Suguru Sugita, decided to tweak the characters' traits and personalities, something that, according to Sugita, continued as the series progressed. Sugita thought that a female main character would not be popular enough to be serialized in a shōnen magazine and suggested Shirai to change the character setting, making a version where Emma was a boy, but it did not work out. Sugita later considered that since Studio Ghibli films, which feature female protagonists supported by male characters, are widely popular across the world, they thought that having a female main character would not be a problem. According to Shirai, the choice of having Emma as the main character in the manga series, was mainly due that he was more interested in exploring a mother-daughter opposition rather than a mother-son opposition. He added that, as a girl, Emma has the choice to become a "Mom" or to try to run away, and to Shirai that was more interesting in terms of the storyline.
Shirai created a base of drawings with images and expressions of each character and the artist of the manga, Posuka Demizu, fine-tuned their features and attitudes. Demizu alternated two styles of drawing for children and demons. She enjoyed drawing both, as children reminded her of the period when she was doing illustrations and the demons came out of personal taste for "all that is fantastic and scary". Demizu has also designed monsters for video games. According to Shirai, they were about it very early to imagine the design of the demons and the new characters, to have time to think about it well and to not be rushed by the rhythm of weekly publication. Demizu, nevertheless, had the characters ready in one or two days, as Shirai mentioned as example that the design of Sonju's horse was conceived, produced and validated in one day. Shirai emphasized that he rarely had seen someone as fast and confident as Demizu.
Main characters
Emma is an 11-year-old girl. She is 1.45m, like Norman, at the beginning of the manga and anime (as said in the first manga). Emma is N° 63194. She is one of the oldest orphans living in Grace Field House. She has a much more optimistic and positive personality than Norman and Ray. Furthermore, she is frequently getting full scores of 300 points in her daily tests and her athleticism is high, but she wants to keep up with her performances. Her hair is a short orange hair, with two strands of hair flying from the top of her head. She tends to be idealistic, and she strives to make the practically impossible possible. She also loves her family more than anything. Emma is especially well-liked in the house, where she plays and cares for the younger children. After learning the truth, she teamed up with her brothers and sisters to escape from the house with fourteen other children.
Ray is an 11-year-old boy living in Grace Field House. He is 1.50m at the beginning of the manga and anime (as said in the first manga). Ray is N° 81194. He is a pragmatic person, he often gets full scores on the daily tests of the orphanage, and is a knowledgeable reader. He was later told by Emma and Norman about the escape plan from the house, but in fact, he knew about the truth and the identity of the house from a young age. Likewise, he was secretly working as a spy for his mother, Isabella. Not only that, but he had a deal with her as a collaborator, bringing to her the latest informations about the whole family. But he demanded a reward for each task he did, to prepare a strategy in the shadow. In fact, he does not like studying or reading that much, but he persevered in studying and reading in order to maximize his own worth, to be the special merchandise of the house. At first, he gives up on infants and insists that only the elders escape, but since Emma does not want to leave anyone behind, he was convinced and he cooperated. However, when they succeed in escaping from the house, he vows to protect his family in the future. He is Isabella's biological son. She learned that Ray is her own son when he always sang Leslie's song that he heard while he was in her womb. Since at the age of six, when he first hummed Leslie's song, he is shown to have a beautiful voice.
Norman is one of the oldest orphans living in Grace Field House. He is 1.45m, like Emma, at the beginning of the manga and anime (as said in the first manga). Norman is N° 22194. He is an 11-year-old boy. His tests are always full scores. He aimed to escape from the house in cooperation with Emma and Ray. He had a kind personality, agreeing with Emma's plan to escape with everyone, even though he thought it was close to impossible. Furthermore, he is the most rational among children and is also excellent at psychological bargaining. Suddenly, it was decided that he would be shipped from the orphanage before his 12th birthday. Emma and the others thought he had died, but when Norman was shipped, Peter Ratri appeared as his foster parent, and was sent to a new plantation called Lambda Λ7214 to be eaten by the queen. He also lived with other edible children in a huge tree that was once said to have been inhabited by demons, and used the name of Minerva to guide Emma and the others to him.
Grace Field House
Known to the orphanage's children as their "Mom", Isabella is a 31-year-old woman who takes care of everyone there. She has fair-skin, purple eyes, and long dark brown hair tied into a low bun. Isabella was born and raised at Grace Field House where she lived a happy life until her crush, Leslie, was shipped out, which brought her intense grief. Shortly after Leslie's departure, Isabella discovered that something was wrong with the orphanage when she tried to run away, and found that her 'orphanage' was bordered by a cliff that surrounded it as far as she could see . Her 'mom', Sarah, convinced her that escaping was impossible and that the best life she could strive for was becoming a 'mom' to other children at the orphanage. When Isabella was shipped out at the age of 12, she was presumably told the entire truth and began her training to become a 'mom' at Grace Field Headquarters and was eventually put in charge of Plant 3. While appearing extremely loving and affectionate to the children, she is actually very manipulative, cunning, and seems, at first glance, totally detached to their tragic fate. Later it is revealed that she is Ray's biological mother, and, because of thinking that escape is impossible, she tries to give all the children the happiest life possible before they are shipped out. She is kept alive after the children's escape due to her massive skills and brainpower and offered the position of Grandma, with the former having been blamed for the escape instead. She takes the position, but only in order to help the children when they inevitably come back to rescue their younger siblings.
Known to the children as "Sister Krone", Krone is a 26-year-old woman who was introduced suddenly to help Isabella run the orphanage and aim to become a mom. She is a tall, muscular, and intimidating woman. She has short poofy black hair with brown eyes, plump lips, and dark skin. While Krone's current position provides her a good life, she yearns to usurp her position and become the next 'Mom' of Grace Field House. Like Isabella, she was born and raised at Grace Field House, and is extremely cunning, manipulative on the inside, while harboring an affectionate and warm exterior. Krone's sole difference from Isabella is her intense aggression, which matches her large and intimidating physique. Originally intending to cause a scandal by helping the children escape and framing Isabella, she leaks information to Norman and Emma on several occasions, but is ultimately killed by Isabella and 'Grandma', who were in cahoots the whole time. Before she died, she left Norman a Promised Pen from an ally named William Minerva as a show of her last struggle against death.
Don is a 10-year-old boy living at Grace Field House. He has dark skin, black eyes, short messy black hair, and a rather tall stature. Don is rowdy, talkative, and fun-loving. He is also shown to be somewhat competitive and he cares deeply for his family. He and Gilda are the first two kids Emma, Ray, and Norman recruit for planning out the escape. He escaped the house along with the rest of his siblings who were over the age of 5.
Gilda is a 10-year-old girl living at Grace Field House. She has brown eyes, short, straight olive hair styled into a bob, and wears round glasses. Gilda is known to be calm, quiet, and shy, but also highly observant. She has great insight and makes level-headed decisions. Together with Emma, Gilda helps take care of the younger children and babies at the house. She escaped the house along with the rest of her siblings who were over the age of 5.
Nat is a 9-year-old boy living at Grace Field House. He has short auburn hair, brown eyes, and a tall nose line. Nat is a jovial and slightly narcissistic boy who enjoys playing songs for his siblings on the piano. He is also shown to be somewhat cowardly at times. He escaped the house along with the rest of his siblings who were over the age of 5.
Anna is a 9-year-old girl living at Grace Field House. She has blue eyes and long, straight blonde hair tied into twin braids. Anna is a bright and gentle girl who loves her family dearly. Despite her quiet nature, she is strong-willed and is kind to everyone. She escaped the house along with the rest of her siblings who were over the age of 5.
Lannion is a 7-year-old boy living at Grace Field House. He is missing a tooth and has blue eyes, freckles, and short blonde hair styled into a single spike that resembles an onion. Lannion is best friends with Thoma and together the two enjoy pulling pranks and getting into mischief. He escaped the house along with the rest of his siblings who were over the age of 5.
Thoma is a 7-year-old boy with living at Grace Field House. He is missing a tooth and has grey monolid eyes and short black hair which sticks up in three oval sections at the top right side and the bottom left side of his head. Thoma is best friends with Lannion and together the two enjoy pulling pranks and getting into mischief. He escaped the house along with the rest of his siblings who were over the age of 5.
Conny was a 6-year-old girl who formerly resided at Grace Field House. She had blue eyes and blonde hair styled into pigtails. She was especially close with Don and was notable for always carrying her favorite stuffed toy, Little Bunny, around with her. She was shipped in October 2045. Upon her death, Conny's body was discovered by Norman and Emma, letting them realize the truth behind the orphanage.
Dominic is a 6-year-old boy living at Grace Field House. He has tan skin, short white hair, and big brown eyes. Dominic is an active boy who escaped the house along with the rest of his siblings who were over the age of 5.
Yvette is a 5-year-old girl living at Grace Field House. She has long, shaggy black hair and brown eyes. Yvette is an artist who escaped the house along with the rest of her siblings who were over the age of 5.
/