Lain Iwakura

Lain is the protagonist of our story.  She's 13 years old, and

there are actually two versions of her: Lain of the real world

and Lain of the Wired. The Lain we know is the shy, anti-

social girl who has feelings and concerns towards others, though

she doesn't normally show it.  Lain of the Wired is the

complete opposite of real Lain, and she has power almost over

everything, as well as having a big attitude problem.  Real

Lain also tends to wear a bear outfit occasionally, due to her

insecurities of the world. Real Lain also has three friends.

They are: Alice (Arisu) Mizuki, Reika Yamamoto, and Juri Kato.

Oddly enough, Lain is basically surrounded by three people, each

with their own personalities. Look under their character

profiles to see the difference.

Spoiler (highlight to read): In the later episodes, Eiri Masami tells Lain that she is software. How can Lain be software? In conclusion to the series, Lain is actually the God of the Wired after all. Also, before all of that happens, you can't help but wonder why Lain is able to be in both worlds at once. Perhaps it is because Lain is the missing piece to the puzzle --- the bridge that crosses from one world to the other. This could be the reason as why the Real world and Wired world began to blur in the series.
Mika Iwakura

Mika is Lain's "older sister." She attends the same school as

Lain and her friends, but Mika could care less about what

happens to any of them. Mika is basically living in a world of

her own. As long as she's not the one involved in something,

she wouldn't care about anything else.

Spoiler (highlight to read): Mika eventually switches personalities later on with Lain. Instead of Lain sitting at home all day, it's Mika in front of the TV while Lain is staying out late (keep reading to see how this change took place). Mika loses herself. She becomes a person who can't handle reality, and this happens when the Knights pursue her. Everywhere she goes, she finds a message that says "Fulfill the prophecy." So in the end, there are two Mikas: one who has lost her soul and sits at home staring into space blankly, and the other who is trapped on another side --- the real Mika.
Alice Mizuki

Lain's classmate and best friend.  When Lain usually gets teased

by everyone else, Alice is there to defend her.  Out of Lain's

three friends, Alice is the only one who cares about Lain the

most. Alice's personality is somewhat strong, yet very loving.

Her only goal in life is to be happy, or so that's what the

show seems to imply. Alice represents a normal person (or

rather, teen) who just wants to live happy and to see her

friends happy.

Back to Top
Reika Yamamoto

Long-haired snobbish girl.  One of Lain's friends who

continuously bothers her about everything.  Her attitude

towards Lain shows that she is pretty much a complaining-type

person who really can't settle for anything. Reika tends to be

agressive... persistent until the bitter end. Reika questions,

and often times accuses Lain of something. Even if Lain didn't

do a thing, Reika will continuously interrogate her, until

someone steps in and stops her (usually it'd be Alice).

Back to Top
Juri Kato

Girl with this pig-tailed hairstyle.  She's the one that usually

speaks very little when her other three friends (Lain, Alice,

and Reika) are chatting, though she'll say a few words or so

every now and then. Juri is very emotional. A slight

action/event/sight could very well aggitate her. She is most

definitely not as shy as Lain (proven by her actions of

following Reika around, as well as crowding around Alice's desk

everyday), but Juri has many weaknesses. When Juri gets

emotional, she will break down in tears and start freaking out.

Back to Top

Chisa Yomoda

Classmate of Lain's who commits suicide in the first ep. and

sends out that haunting e-mail to all the Junior High students

of Lain's school.  She is the first character who gets the

story started on its main route. Her death is also the cause of

Lain getting highly interested in the Wired, due to the e-mail

sent by this presumably dead student.

Back to Top
Eiri Masami

Former member of the Tachibana Laboratories, Eiri devised

Protocol 7, which allowed humans to connect to the Wired

without the use of "devices." When this was exploited, Eiri was

fired.  He had also committed suicide, and was found dead a

week later.   Eiri went on to become the "God" of the Wired. In

truth, Eiri is just a false God who had people believe he was

God, therefore, he became God, but isn't the real one. Eiri

appears in the later episodes, making unsuccessful attempts at

trying to get Lain to believe in him. Though Lain is partially

convinced at first, she can see right through him. What is the

purpose of Eiri's actions? If he's already a "God," then what

is the importance of Lain to him?

Back to Top