This is a list of characters for the Spider Riders novels and anime series.
Spider Riders A group of elite warriors who mount spiders and wield both armour and weapon.
Hunter Steele
Hunter Steel is a boy who becomes a Spider Rider with his newfound battle spider "partner", Shadow, after falling into the subterranean Inner World. They often argue, mainly because of Hunter's cluelessness and ignorance and Shadow's pride and desire to work alone, believing that he does not need help from others. Hunter's grandfather, Digger, was also a Spider Rider and an earthling. When Hunter gains the power of an Oracle Key, his left shoulder pad grows larger and he can shoot webs. When he uses two Keys, his right shoulder pad transforms and he gains non-functional wings. When he uses three or four Keys, Hunter's wings retract and he gains metallic spider legs.
Corona
Discovering Hunter and Shadow, she escorts the new team to Arachna so they may be officially inducted into the ranks of the Spider Riders. She seems to care a lot for Hunter, who she has romantic feelings for, as does her spider Venus for Shadow. Corona has no family and was adopted by twins. It is later revealed that she is Aqune's long-lost sister and that they are both "Oracle Handmaids". Her weapons are a bow and arrows.
Igneous
A leading Spider Rider and captain of the Arachna military, serving the royalty of the Aracha Kingdom. Igneous takes Hunter's training seriously and almost acts as a mentor to him, to his annoyance. He challenged Hunter and Shadow to a duel when they joined the Riders, to see if Hunter could cooperate with Shadow. Igneous was part of the Arachna Knights, where he teamed up with his long-time friend Slate. They were known as "Claw" and "Fang" and proved to be powerful, especially since Igneous did not call upon his spider Flame to assist. His weapon is a cavalry lance which shoots flame.
Prince Lumen
Leader of the Spider Riders and the Prince of Arachna. He is rather lazy for a ruler, preferring diplomatic solutions over fights, even against the Invectids, and preferring to negotiate with the enemy and only fight when absolutely necessary. Some say this is because his spider Ebony is so powerful that he is afraid to let it loose. Lumen is bright, talkative, and loves cute girls. His weapon is a chain sword.
Princess Sparkle
Lumen's younger sister, who points out that Hunter might save, not destroy, the Inner World. She visits Hunter in the night and advises him to bond with Shadow. Sparkle's spider is Hotarla, and her weapon of choice is a yo-yo-like device, which she attacked Grasshop with when he was trying to get away with one of the Keys.
Magma
A "lone rider" unaffiliated with the Arachna military along with his partner Brutus, who admires the hero Quake. He made a promise to find the purple spider Portia, who is Brutus's younger sister, and rescue her from the Invectids, a promise that keeps him from joining the ranks of Arachna. He later joins Hunter and the others to prevent the Invectids from stealing the Oracle Keys. His weapon is a mace that can switch to a flail.
Aqune
Aqune (pronounced "A-coo-nay") is a Spider Rider in the service of the Invectid Buguese, who uses her to find the Oracle Keys. Aqune wears a mask that covers her face, which contains a mind control device. She has a deep sense of honor: while fighting Hunter and being unmasked, she cares for Hunter after they fall from a cliff, refusing to fight him because he was injured and weakened. Without her mask, Aqune cares for Hunter, who she returns the Oracle Key to. It is later revealed that Aqune is Corona's sister. She uses a glaive when unarmored, but her weapon of choice when transformed is a longsword. In "Welcome Back," Buguese frees her from the mask's control.
King Arachna I The first Spider Rider, known for defeating the Invectid army and stopping Mantid from taking the Oracle Keys in ancient times, which brought about the Spider Riders' creation.
Brade/Quake
The legendary Spider Rider, made famous by a play that praises his ability to destroy the evil within enemies without killing them, who is rumored to have brought an Oracle Key to Nuuma. After fighting and losing to Mantid, he gave up on fighting and now resides in a forest, taking on the form of a small old man while awaiting the opportunity to fight Mantid again. He helps Hunter and Aqune escape Buguese's attack and uses his power to fulfill the Spider Riders' deepest desires in hopes of convincing Hunter to never fight again. However, Hunter's bravery and stubbornness made Quake drop his spell. Later, Quake decides to join the Human-Invectid war and rejoins the Spider Riders, regaining his youthful appearance. After the final battle, Quake joins the Lost Mariner and fades away as a ghost.
Trigger Steele/Digger Steele Hunter's late grandfather, who taught Hunter not to give up. He also fought alongside Quake in the old years as a Spider Rider.
Battle Spiders Shadow
Hunter's spider, a prideful and stubborn warrior who thinks that he does not need a rider, especially one who may be destined to bring disaster to Arachna like Hunter, and refuses to admit when he is wrong. Despite this, he is like a big brother, and he and Hunter make a great team. When he uses an Oracle Key, Shadow gains armor on his abdomen. When he uses two Keys, his two front legs grow abnormally longer and straight. When he uses three or four Jeys, Shadow gains two additional arms and two additional legs. He is said to have legendary strength, and is a direct descendant of the Ancestral Lord of Spiders.
Venus
Corona's spider. She is soft-spoken and gentle, but fearless in battle. She also cares for Shadow as a best friend.
Flame Igneous' silent spider, who possesses the ability to shoot webs made out of fire.
Ebony
Lumen's spider. Said to be very powerful and destructive, this causes Lumen to refrain from calling him out out of fear of accidentally hurting others. He does not talk after his first appearance, but finally talks to persuade Lumen to take his sister through the Labyrinth to get to Mantid's Castle.
Hotarla
Sparkle's spider. Unlike the other spiders, she is not a spider ready for battle and prefers to not take huge risks. She has distinctive large eyes.
Brutus
Magma's spider. He has tremendous strength, and is looking for his sister, Portia.
Portia
Aqune's spider and Brutus's missing sister. Like Aqune, Portia wears a mask over her face that controls her.
Dagger Quake's spider. He is said to be a legendary battle spider and the strongest of all.
Invectid (Insector) The primary antagonists of the series, the Invectids are a race of humanoid insects that reside in the Invectid State and plot to conquer Arachna. Members of the Invectid race include:
Lord Mantid
Mantid is a mantis-type Invectid who rules the loose-knit nation of Invectids. Unbeknownst to his followers, who believe him to be the ultimate in Invectid evolution, Mantid is actually a human posing as an Invectid and kills anyone who finds out. He needs the Oracle Keys to sustain himself or else his body turns white. After Hunter is captured in the Labyrinth, he is brought to Mantid's Castle and finally comes face-to-face with Mantid. He attempts to trick Hunter into getting the Oracle Keys for him until Quake tells Hunter of Maintid's true intentions. Mantid reveals that he was a human and a chosen warrior of the Oracle, pulled against his will into the Inner World. His reason for taking the Oracle's power is taking revenge upon the Inner World and the Oracle herself after suffering many losses, including his beloved. Mantid succeeds in absorbing the power of the Oracle Keys, but is spared by Hunter, after which he reverts to his original form and reunites with his lover Loraine.
The Big Four Four of Mantid's mightiest warriors. They are:
Buguese
Mantid's right-hand man, a masked humanoid Invectid and the leader of the Big Four. He despises the Oracle for taking the sun away from the Invectids, and is eager to hurt her for what he thinks are her wrongs. Buguese claims to care little for his comrades, but has shown respect for Stags and concern for both Aqune, whom he is mentor to, and Beerain. Personally, he hates Hunter Steele for suffering many defeats at his hands. He wields a long crimson bladed sword. Initially a loyal and faithful servant of Mantid, over time he loses faith and trust in him, planning to destroy the Spider Riders and take control over the Invectid Nation from Mantid.
Larva P. Grasshop
A member of the Big Four. He is a grasshopper-type Invectid who uses technological devices to defeat enemies. Grasshop has seen little success against the Spider Riders and is seen with disdain and disappointment by the other members of the Invectids, as well as his wife Weeval and his children. After helping the Spider Riders escape captivity, Grasshop is seen as a traitor to the Invectids. Later on, after Grasshop takes the Spider Riders through the sewers, he is finally reunited with his family.
Beerain
A bee-type Invectid who wields a whip. When fighting, Beerain has no regard for honor and thinks winning is everything. In "Spies and Lies," she states that she is losing faith for Lord Mantid, but still has faith for Buguese and, in a flashback to when he was giving her an assignment, it is implied that she may have feelings for him. In the episode "Lumen's Love," Beerain dresses up as Lumen's childhood friend; even after Lumen finds out the truth, he willingly gives her the Oracle Key. After Beerain is blown away and his real friend arrives, he keeps searching for her calling Beerain his "true love". She is kicked out of the Big Four after learning Mantid's intentions for using Oracle's power. Upon returning to Invectid Fortress, Beerain overheard Mantid planning to use the Oracle's power solely for himself. She barely manages to escape, sustaining injuries to her wings. She attempts to warn Buguese of Mantid's true intentions, but he refuses to believe her due to her being a traitor.
Stags
Stags is an armored stag beetle-type Invectid who is powerful and loyal to the Invectid cause, being considered the most powerful of the Big Four. He wields a short Zanbato for a weapon and has a strong sense of honor, as he cannot stand when it is disrespected. Corona and Igneous once faced him, but barely managed to escape with their lives. Stags is able to defeat Hunter even with the aid of two Oracle Keys, but is defeated when Hunter uses a third Oracle Key. With his warrior spirit broken, Stags plunges from the castle to the ground below, but survives, discarding his broken sword and cape before leaving.
Other Invectid Warriors Other Invectid warriors and characters throughout the series.
Buzzbit
A small bug who is used by Dungobeet to spy on the Spider Riders and relay information.
Unnamed Invectid Captains A group of Invectid Captains who worked for Mantid. One Invectid led his troops to attack Tanda Village in search of something, but could not remember what they were searching for. Prince Lumen promised him their own village, with him as the self-appointed mayor, in exchange that they stop attacking Tanda Village. They stopped attacking and moved into their new village, where they were happy for some time. However, they soon decided to attack again, believing that conquest was something they needed, but were defeated by Lumen.
Dungobeet
A dung beetle-type Invectid who works as their spy. Dungobeet sometimes rats on Grasshop to Grasshop's family. During a mission in the Labyrinth, he and Aqune used a Special Whistle to anger the creatures of the Maze. After Hunter is captured, Dungobeet attempts to destroy the Spider Riders with the beasts, but is captured by Quake.
Weeval