The list of characters from the animated television series Jem and the live-action film Jem and the Holograms.
Several Jem characters were named after pioneers in the history of holography.
Jem and The Holograms
Jem and the Holograms are the protagonists of the series. Jerrica Benton/Jem (speaking voice by Samantha Newark, singing voice recorded by Britta Phillips and Joelle Dunn for the second intro theme song, and portrayed by Aubrey Peeples in the live-action film) is the leader of Jem and the Holograms and provides the lead vocals in the band. She is the alter-ego of Jerrica Benton, the owner of Starlight Music and operator of "Starlight House", a foster home for girls (later called "Starlight Mansion"). Jerrica inherited both Starlight Music and Starlight House from her late father, Emmett. Using the power of Synergy, a powerful computer with holographic capabilities, Jerrica can become Jem by touching her special star-shaped "Jemstar" earrings. Most episodes within the series feature the subplot of Jerrica hiding her identity from others, especially Rio Pacheco, her long-time boyfriend and road manager. Synergy's holograms are integral to maintaining the illusion that Jerrica and Jem are two different people. Jerrica tends to compartmentalize her life in some respects, and even occasionally shows jealousy toward her alter-ego, as Jem can indulge far more freely than Jerrica can as herself. Jerrica and Kimber's surname was derived from Stephen Benton, developer of the rainbow or Benton hologram. Kimber Benton (voiced by Cathianne Blore, voice recorded by Florence Warner, and portrayed by Stefanie Scott in the live-action film) is Jerrica's younger sister and Jem and the Holograms' primary songwriter. She also plays the keyboards, synthesizers, and provides backup vocals for the band. Episodes in which Kimber is the main focus often involve romance and rebellion, such as her jealousy towards the media attention that Jem gets. Kimber is very sensitive and has extreme emotions, which are often shown by her occasional outbursts, largely a result of her ongoing attempts to cope with her father's death – as seen in "Father's Day", this loss is something she is still grieving. She also has a close friendship with Mary "Stormer" Phillips, one of The Misfits. A hopeless romantic, Kimber has many boyfriends and love interests on the show, but is not very serious about any of them, except for the British teen idol Sean Harrison. In the "Hollywood Jem" two-part episode, Kimber nearly marries Jeff Wright, a stuntman who sporadically appears on the show as one of her many boyfriends; however, both of them agree to call off the ceremony. They even remain friends after Kimber realizes she is truly in love with Sean. She becomes an equal partner in Starlight Music after The Misfits lose the Battle of the Bands (to Jem) and Eric Raymond is forced to relinquish his half-ownership of the company to Jerrica; in turn, Jerrica gives Eric's share to her. Aja Leith (voiced by Cathianne Blore and portrayed by Hayley Kiyoko in the live-action film) is a foster girl who grew up with the other Holograms at Starlight House. She is the lead guitarist and provides backup vocals for Jem and the Holograms. Aja was the first foster child adopted by Jerrica and Kimber's parents, Jacqui and Emmett. She is romantically involved with Craig Phillips, the brother of the Misfit's keyboardist, Stormer. Aja is almost always the driver of the group's primary vehicle, the Rockin' Roadster. In the series, Aja is described as being a tomboy and the second-in-command of the group, and also has considerable knowledge of electronics. In "Out of the Past", it is revealed that she had a friendship with Rio when they were younger, mainly due to their shared interests in tinkering with mechanics and technology. This caused some mild, fleeting feelings of jealousy in Jerrica. Aja is the only member of Jem and the Holograms who has some experience with the inner workings of Synergy; using her knowledge, she helps retrieve her foster mother's song tracks in "Out of the Past". She is Asian-American. There has been debate on whether she is of Chinese descent or Japanese descent. In the episode "Adventures in China", she said she needed to "brush up on her Chinese" when passing a newspaper stand, but in the episode "Journey Through Time", the girls at one point wore outfits that represented their heritage, and Aja was seen wearing a Japanese kimono. Aja Leith's surname was derived from hologram pioneer Emmett Leith. Shana Elmsford (voiced by Cindy McGee and portrayed by Aurora Perrineau in the live-action film) is a foster girl who grew up with Kimber, Jerrica, and Aja at Starlight House and was the second child to be adopted by the Bentons. Shana provides the synth drums, bass guitar, and backup vocals for the group. Despite Shana's shy demeanor, she eventually became good friends with the other girls. Shana's boyfriend is music producer Anthony Julian; she also designs many of Jem and the Holograms' clothes. Shana briefly left the group to pursue a career in fashion as a designer for actress Liz Stratton, wrongly assuming she was not wanted. Shana later walked off the production when she decided she'd had enough of Stratton's ego. She returns to the band and switches instruments, playing the bass guitar while Raya takes over on drums. Shana sometimes expresses doubts in her talents as a designer, particularly in "In Stitches", when she is needled by Roxy and the other Misfits. She has great respect for Danielle DuVoison, who has taken a personal interest in Shana's work and often gives her helpful advice. She is African-American, specifically Jamaican American, as she is seen in a Jamaican traditional dress with a flag in a music video. Carmen "Raya" Alonso (voiced by Linda Dangcil) is the Mexican American drummer of Jem and the Holograms and one of the backup singers. Quiet, kind, and unassuming, Raya won the position of drummer for Jem and the Holograms during a nationwide talent search, beating close competitor Craig Phillips (Stormer's brother) in a drum duel. Raya inadvertently learned Jem's identity and was pursued by Eric Raymond and The Misfits in hopes of revealing the secret; however, Raya never gave in. After Shana returns to the group, Raya continues as Jem and The Holograms' drummer while Shana takes up the bass guitar. Raya is the only member of Jem and the Holograms who comes from a family, and whose parents are still alive; she also has three brothers. She is also the only Hologram who doesn't have a romantic interest. Synergy (voiced by Marlene Aragon) is an extraordinarily sophisticated holographic computer that possesses a highly advanced artificial intelligence and is designed to be the ultimate audio/visual entertainment synthesizer. Synergy was created by Emmett Benton and is in many ways considered to be his life's work. Synergy can generate holographic images that are extremely lifelike and synced to accompanying sound effects, rendering them flawlessly convincing, even though they aren't solid. As such, they often serve as Jem's secret weapon in times of distress. Synergy's images can be generated over vast distances, with Jem having utilized them even when in other countries or on other continents. Synergy's artificial intelligence, appearance, and voice are all based on the likeness of Emmett's late wife, Jacqui. Synergy was intended to be a surrogate mentor, friend, and maternal figure to Jerrica and Kimber. She manifests herself physically as a hologram in the form of a light purple-skinned woman, with dark purple hair and eyes, when she chooses to physically interact; she communicates with Jem remotely via a pair of Jemstar earrings. While she normally follows Jerrica's instructions, Synergy is fully capable of independent thought and action.
The Misfits
The Misfits are a rival band of Jem and the Holograms. Phyllis "Pizzazz" Gabor (speaking voice by Patricia Alice Albrecht, singing voice recorded by Ellen Bernfeld and portrayed by Kesha in the live-action film) is an archetypal spoiled rich girl, Pizzazz is the lead vocalist and guitarist of The Misfits. Pizzazz was raised by her tycoon father, Harvey. She is the primary antagonist of the show. Constantly trying to upstage Jem and The Holograms, she is attracted to Rio (Jem/Jerrica's boyfriend), Sean Harrison (British teen idol and Kimber's on-and-off boyfriend), and Riot (of The Stingers). Pizzazz despises her real name, "Phyllis", and is prone to fits of rage if things don't go her way. Although she was raised among wealth and privilege her entire life and does enjoy the comforts it affords, Pizzazz doesn't truly crave them as one would expect. Instead, she desires to be famous and the object of adoration. Pizzazz's anger issues and obsession with fame and attention could be linked to her relationship with her parents. In "Father's Day", Harvey Gabor explains that Pizzazz was never the same emotionally after her mother left them when Pizzazz was young. In addition, in the same episode, Pizzazz tries to plan an outing with her father on Father's Day, which he declines, saying that she can "buy him something for Father's Day if she wants", but not to spend too much on a gift, because the money being spent is "his" money; this shows Harvey's pattern of parental neglect and emotional detachment and his failure to acknowledge Pizzazz's own earned success. The episode ends with Harvey borrowing a friend's jet to fly Jem and The Holograms, whom he knows that his daughter does not get along with, to play at an event The Misfits are attending, going as far as to exit the jet with Kimber Benton on his arm. In "The Day the Music Died", Pizzazz and Eric Raymond succeeded in wresting control of Starlight Music away from Jerrica and Kimber, but it proved to be a short-lived and hollow victory, as she found herself struggling heavily with the company's debts and business demands. This, coupled with the Starlight Girls' deliberate harassment, forced them to relinquish control back to Jerrica. In the final episode of the series, she and Jem declared a truce when Ba Nee, one of the most troubled foster girls in Starlight House, is claimed by her long-lost father. During the song "This Is Farewell", she got kissed by Ba Nee on the cheek, much to her surprise and Roxy's amusement. She is Hungarian-American, and revealed to be Jewish in the comics. Pizzazz's surname was derived from Hungarian-British physicist Dennis Gabor. Roxanne "Roxy" Pelligrini (speaking voice by Samantha Paris (credited as Bobbie Block), singing voice recorded by Ellen Bernfeld and portrayed by Hana Mae Lee in the live-action film) is The Misfits' tough-as-nails bassist and provides backup vocals. A high school dropout from Philadelphia, she was almost completely illiterate until Ba Nee, one of the Starlight girls, gave her a children's book to learn to read. She takes an instant dislike to the new Misfit, Jetta, and the two are often at odds with each other. She is Italian-American (Italian-Korean in the film).