Grim Fandango/Characters

Manuel "Manny" Calavera
The hero of the game, a salesman in the Department of Death. He'd point out that he's technically a travel agent, selling travel packages to the dead depending on how good they were in life, but the job is functionally identical to being The Grim Reaper. Manny has to work off his moral debt to advance further into the afterlife, but he can only do that by selling good packages to good souls, and for some reason all his latest customers don't qualify. Suspecting that he'll be stuck in his crappy job forever, Manny grows increasingly miserable and desperate, finally stealing one of Domino Hurley's files...and stumbling upon a conspiracy.

"Manny: This deck of cards is a little frayed around the edges. Then again, so am I, and I've got fewer suits."
 * Alternate Character Interpretation:
 * Fridge Brilliance: Manny did something so bad in his former life he either had to slug it out on foot like Celso, be stuffed in a casket like Bruno, or work at the DoD. Manny chose "community service". Only chasing Mercedes did he bother leaving the city. Also, some souls choose to remain in the Land of the Dead because they either don't believe in the Ninth Underworld (like Membrio) or simply have it good.
 * The DOD has been corrupt since before Manny worked there, as Salvador mentioned. Manny was probably a victim of the crooked plot: not a perfect soul, but a competitive one, and a good businessman. One that the big boss would like to get his hands on. Just a little messing with the files, and you've got an top salesman for eternity...
 * The Atoner: Besides the deal with the DoD, explained in detail above. Part of Manny's motivation for finding Meche comes from the fact that he unintentionally got her condemned to a fate she did not deserve.
 * Character Development: At the start of the game, Manny's main motivation is getting himself out of this part of afterlife and into the next by working off the moral debt he racked up when alive, and he doesn't give much of a damn whether he or anyone else deserves it. By the fourth year, he can literally stand on the brink of getting that wish - but he'll refuse to move on, unwilling to leave the people he loves and those he promised to save behind.
 * Chick Magnet: Three separate ladies express current or past romantic feelings for him in Chapter 2, but he only has eyes for Meche. Uh, because she'll get him his job back. Suuuuure.
 * Deadpan Snarker

"Manny: My scythe. I like to keep it close to where my heart used to be."
 * Determinator: Manny's ultra-competitive, and even Lampshades it in Year One, and he's chasing after a woman he only met once and can't forget. (Olivia calls him a "chump" for it.)
 * Don't Fear the Reaper: It's just his job. Manny doesn't fit traditional expectations of The Grim Reaper much - them being along the lines of forbidding, laconic, and tall. Instead, Manny's charming, sarcastic, happy to talk his way into or out of trouble, and...short. Really really short. He wears lifts on his shoes under the cloak. The Reveal of this in the intro is probably one of the funnier sight gags in adventure gaming history.
 * Gratuitous Spanish: Apparently thrown in by his voice actor and kept just because it sounded neat.
 * Iconic Item: His Sinister Scythe. It comes in handy for solving a lot of puzzles. Not really a Weapon of Choice, however, since he's not very good at fighting with it.


 * Guile Hero: While he can deliver an excellent right hook (just ask Nick Virago), he's often equalled or outmatched in fights, requiring unorthodox solutions.
 * Lovable Rogue: Manny's one smooth-talking, deadpan-snarking, morally-flexible dead guy - particularly during Chapter 1 and 2. Like any good LucasArts adventure protagonist, he cons, steals from and screws over various people in various ways, and it's worth noting that we never do find out what exactly landed him in the Department of Death, which is for people who don't even deserve walking sticks on their way to the true afterlife.
 * Self-Made Man: In less then a year he elevates from a janitor in a run-down club to the owner of said club, which he turns into the second most successful joint in the town, and then from a galley worker on a shaggy old tub to a captain of a sterling liner.
 * She Is Not My Girlfriend: He spends the two first chapters of the game in this mindset.

Mercedes "Meche" Colomar
Manny's Love Interest and the catalyst of the game's events; her file was the one Manny stole. Meche is obviously a good, gentle person deserving a first-class travel package...which is why Manny is baffled when she seemingly qualifies for nothing better than a long walk.

"Meche: Would you like to see my birthmark? Manny: Sure. Where is it? Meche: It's wherever you guys put my skin!"
 * Beware the Nice Ones: Chapter 3 and 4.
 * Break the Cutie: She starts out as a kind, sweet soul who gracefully accepts what she assumes to be a just punishment...except that it's not, and things get worse for her from there. By Chapter 3, she's suffered horribly and become profoundly bitter, especially towards Manny.
 * Deadpan Snarker: She has her moments.


 * Friend to All Children: Read stories to sick children in life, and forms an instant rapport with two angelitos in Chapter 3 - child souls with angel wings. This is in contrast with Manny, whom the angelitos hate on sight.
 * Friend to All Living Things: In life, she once accidentally 'shoplifted' when a puppy followed her out of the pet store. Awww.
 * The Messiah
 * Nice Gal: It's a plot point.

Glottis
Manny's friend and main ally. A demon (or as he says, "spirit of the land") with one purpose, desire and reason for living: driving, preferably really really fast. Also maintaining vehicles (when no driving jobs are available). He lives and works alone in the DoD's basement, unable to fully exercise his gifts, leaving him open to persuasion in matters of technically-prohibited upgrades...


 * The Alcoholic
 * Bear Hug: Inevitable when he's twice as tall and twice as wide as anyone else - particularly Manny. But he'll hug 'em all the same.
 * The Big Guy: Huge.
 * Butt Monkey: The poor guy is often the victim of Manny's Comedic Sociopathy, although it helps that he's damn near indestructible.
 * Crazy Awesome: A gigantic bright orange demon with tiny wiggly ears obsessed with engines and SPEEEEEED. Point him at anything that goes with the right tools, and he'll make magic (and vrooming noises). He's also an excellent pianist! Looks very sharp in a tux, as well. Just don't let him near the VIP area in the casino. Or coffin shooters.
 * Gentle Giant: Capable of lifting a struggling person off the ground with one hand effortlessly, yet easily scared and automatically kind.
 * Hidden Depths: A good piano-player. He's also a big fan of the kitty races, which can cause problems.
 * Nigh Invulnerable: He survives removing his heart, being deprived of oxygen for hours, being flung dozens of feet, and . The only thing that even comes close to killing him is.
 * Ugly Cute: Sure he's a demon with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and a gravely voice, but he's also very endearing with his nervousness, childlike enthusiasm about all things mechanical, and his attachment to Manny.

Salvador Limones
Leader of a rebel movement against the villains, one of Manny's main allies. Salvador was once a Reaper and a salesman like Manny, and like Manny, discovered that even his most deserving clients rarely qualified for anything. Unlike Manny, Salvador quit his job in order to create an underground movement and overthrow the Department of Death's corrupt leadership.


 * La Résistance: Oh, yeah. Viva la Revolucion!
 * Major Injury Underreaction: "Hola, Manuel."
 * Nice Hat: A sweet dark green beret.
 * Rebel Leader: Salvador is intensely charismatic, inspiring downright suicidal loyalty once he gets his revolution up and running.
 * Nice Hat: A sweet dark green beret.
 * Rebel Leader: Salvador is intensely charismatic, inspiring downright suicidal loyalty once he gets his revolution up and running.

Domino Hurley
One of the two villains. Manny's rival in the DoD, the boss's pet on the fast-track to promotion, the hottest salesman with the best clients and all-round smug shade-wearing jackass. He uses Manny's old, much larger and more luxurious office, and seems to find all the good souls that Manny doesn't - in the first chapter landing a nun with a golden ticket when Manny gets an angry old man to send 'freight' (i.e. stuff into a coffin full of packing foam). This is because he's in on the DoD conspiracy.


 * The Dragon
 * Evil Counterpart: To Manny. He's a salesman in the DoD, even working in Manny's old office, and one can only speculate what would have happened had their situations been reversed.
 * It's All About Me
 * Jerkass: Manny's not alone in wanting to punch him in the mouth.
 * Kick the Dog:
 * Post-Mortem Comeback: Domino has been dead for over a year, but the good guys still have to contend with a deadly booby-trap he's laid for them when they finally get back to Rubacava to find the hiding place of their car. Dom's laid out an elaborate set of.... well, dominos all around the car that will trigger a bomb if they disturb it.
 * The Rival: To Manny.
 * Smug Snake: Emphasis on the "smug".
 * The Rival: To Manny.
 * Smug Snake: Emphasis on the "smug".

Hector LeMans
The other villain, the head of the DoD. He has been stealing tickets from the deserving and selling them to richer, less saintly souls.


 * Big Bad
 * Complete Monster: Apparently while alive, and he didn't get any nicer when he died,
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive
 * Evil Laugh: A spine-chilling, chuckling snort that seems to punctuate just about everything he says.
 * Fat Bastard: Yes, with bones, somehow.
 * Nice Hat: A fez. It's hardly visible most of the time, but he has one.
 * Wicked Cultured: He loves flowers, and can be seen tending to them with a dinky watering can and hedge-clippers during the end-run. Subverted, however: In the Eighth Underworld, flowers are a symbol of death. It's less genuine love on his part and more polishing trophies taken from his victims.
 * Wicked Cultured: He loves flowers, and can be seen tending to them with a dinky watering can and hedge-clippers during the end-run. Subverted, however: In the Eighth Underworld, flowers are a symbol of death. It's less genuine love on his part and more polishing trophies taken from his victims.