Professor Layton/Characters

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The Professor Layton franchise has a huge and quirky cast. Surely it needs one of these pages, right? Currently under construction, but feel free to contribute.

Note: This series has Loads and Loads of Characters if you include every single villager, so let's just stick to the main cast.

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Main/recurring characters

Hershel Layton

"A true gentleman..."

The protagonist. A gentlemanly archaeologist famous for his puzzle-solving skills.

• Actual Pacifist: He eschews violence, considering it to be ungentlemanly, and will only get into a fight if it's absolutely necessary. And when he does fight, he fights to disarm, never to injure or kill.
• Adventurer Archaeologist: Although he repeatedly gets mistaken for a detective in Curious Village.
• Ambiguously Jewish: The name "Hershel" is pretty uncommon outside of Jewish communities. It would explain why he's always wearing a hat.
• Badass Bookworm
• Berserk Button/Beware the Nice Ones: He never goes exactly berserk, but there are some things that Layton simply will not tolerate. Threatening the innocent citizens of London, for example, will turn him into an Implacable Man who will not stop until he's stopped you. And don't even think about touching those kids.
• Black Bead Eyes: A rare example for a human Round Character who manages to show a lot of emotion with them. Their expression becomes quite unsettling when he finally gets angry (see Tranquil Fury, below).
• Bluff the Impostor: He prefers this method when accusing someone.
• Catch Phrase: This reminds me of a puzzle...
  • And of course, "Every puzzle has an answer".
• Cool Car: The Laytonmobile; in Curious Village he freely admits that "I adore the contraption." Its coolness gets cranked Up to Eleven thanks to Don Paolo's modifications in Unwound Future.
• Cool Professor: Even outside the world of his cases, he's well-respected by the Gressenheller faculty and students (some with even more than just respect). In Last Specter it's clarified that at the age of 27, he became the youngest professor ever to join the Gressenheller staff.
• Cry Cute: The fangirls had a field day with this one...
• Doting Parent: He has shades of this with Flora. Most noticeably, he has a particular voice inflection that seems to be reserved solely for when he's speaking to her; it's softer and gentler than his regular voice (which is already quite placid and easy on the ears).
• Face Palm: Covers his eyes with his hat whenever he gets a puzzle wrong.
• Fake Brit: Not an in-game example, but his voice actor, Christopher Robin Miller, uses this—so effectively that many people don't realize he's faking.
• Famed in Story: Even though he is no detective.
• Funny Afro: Used to have one. Check the trailer for Mask of Miracle if you doubt it.
• Gentleman Adventurer
• Gentleman and a Scholar
• Gentleman Detective
  • "Actually, I'm a Professor of Archaeology".
• Gentleman Snarker: Downplayed, but occasionally in Unwound Future.
• Geek Physiques: His coat and hat somewhat hide the fact that he's basically a pipe-cleaner man with a pumpkin for a head. Less severe in the official art, but some cutscenes give him really, really bony arms.
• Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: He loves doing this while accusing people or when he gets a puzzle correct.
• Leitmotif: His theme.
• Nice Hat: His top hat, oh God, his top hat. He never takes it off until the end of the third game. Unwound Future reveals that it's actually a Memento MacGuffin.
  • It's implied in Curious Village that he does take it off to sleep, though.
• Out-of-Character Moment: He breaks his gentleman code several times throughout the events of Unwound Future, including breaking a promise to Flora that he would take her with them on the investigation and hitting a young Klaus/Clive after the explosion that killed his parents. And then he cries at the end.
• Papa Wolf: Unwound Future in particular puts him in this light. Do not mess with Luke Triton or Flora Reinhold. He will defy the laws of physics if that's what it takes to make you pay for it.
• The Professor
• Quintessential British Gentleman: Don't get between Layton and his tea.
• Stiff Upper Lip: For all the weirdness and dangerous situations that get thrown his way, Layton never loses his composure. The ending of Unwound Future is one of the few times Layton's Stiff Upper Lip falters.
• Tranquil Fury: Seen only in Unwound Future, when circumstances put him in Papa Wolf mode; his expression darkens (look at his eyes) and his voice takes on a harsh edge, but he doesn't properly let loose with the anger he's obviously feeling.
• Unknown Rival: Has one in Don Paolo. It's revealed in Unwound Future how their feud began.

Luke: "Professor, what did you do to Don Paolo? Why does he want to get revenge on you?" Layton: "I haven't the slightest idea, Luke."

• • There are tiny hints dropped from game-to-game. Another hint is dropped in the second. From Don Paolo's point of view, Layton took a LOT from Don Paolo - his teacher, his praise, the girl he loved. And Layton is TOTALLY OBLIVIOUS.

Luke Triton

"Apprentice Number One!"

The professor's apprentice. Aspires to be a gentleman when he's older.

• The Apprentice: To Layton.
• Big Brother Instinct: He behaves like this toward Flora in the second and third games, despite being very obviously younger than she is. Justified in that he's known the Professor longer and has more investigative experience, while she's new at pretty much everything in the world.
• Big Eater: In Diabolical Box, it's noted that Luke orders twice as much food as Layton in the train's dining car. And in Unwound Future, Flora remarks that he always seems to order half the menu whenever they dine out.
• Bratty Half-Pint: Has shades of this, as he isn't quite a gentleman yet, and makes a few openly rude remarks toward some of the more obnoxious NPCs that often result in the professor scolding him.
• Cross-Dressing Voices
• Cute Shotaro Boy
• Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: Yep, him too, when he solves a puzzle correctly.
• Face Palm: When he gets a puzzle wrong, he does a classic example of this.
• He Is All Grown Up: See Future Luke in the Unwound Future section.
• Insistent Terminology: He is Layton's apprentice. Don't bother trying to put another word on their relationship; he even cuts off Layton himself whenever he tries to clarify the issue.
  • And in Eternal Diva, he cuts off Emmy when she suggests he could be Layton's second assistant. "Apprentice, NUMBER ONE!"
• Keet
• Leave Me Alone: In Last Specter, ten-year-old Luke has become introverted and withdrawn, spending most of his time in his room, as a result of the events in the game's Backstory. Layton helps him to open up more.
• Leitmotif: He finally gets one in "Eternal Diva".
  • Given the scene it accompanies, some fans joke it's his Invincibility Theme. Seriously.
• Nice Hat: It's stated in one of the Curious Village meta-puzzles that he never takes it off.
• The Other Darrin: In the UK and Australian versions, he has a different voice than in the US version due to his American actor's accent not being very convincing.
• Pink Girl, Blue Boy: While Flora wears a fair bit of pink, Luke's signature color is very much blue.
• Speaks Fluent Animal: The English version of Curious Village presents it as Friend to All Living Things, though, and an Informed Ability at that (when he tries to coax a cat to him, he ends up getting scratched). The other games, however, use the trope perfectly straight—Luke's ability to communicate with animals comes in handy in both Diabolical Box and Unwound Future, and Last Specter shows that he's been able to do it for years.
  • There actually may be a reason to why Luke couldn't communicate with Claudia. The cat is probably a robot, like the rest of the residents of St. Mystere
• The Watson: Having this role in the games makes him something of an Ascended Fanboy, since in Unwound Future he remarks that he's read the Sherlock Holmes books many times over.

Flora Reinhold

Don't be fooled, her cooking is terrible.

A mysterious girl from St. Mystere. After the events of Curious Village, Layton effectively adopts her.

• The Cat Came Back: Despite his best efforts to leave her at home and out of danger, Layton just can't convince her to stay there. Somewhat Justified by an apparent case of separation anxiety; she gets frightened if she doesn't know where he is.
• Cool Big Sis: Luke regards her as an honorary one of these. In Diabolical Box, they appear to have grown very fond of one another; they have a great time together at the fair in Dropstone, and Luke is very upset when he realizes she's been kidnapped. They squabble more in Unwound Future, but it's also very clear that they care about each other quite a bit.
• Daddy's Girl: To her own father before his death, and then later she essentially becomes this to Layton.
• Distinguishing Mark: She has a birthmark on her collarbone which is significant to the secrets of St. Mystere.
• Damsel in Distress: In Diabolical Box, and then again in Unwound Future.
• Dub Name Change: Aroma Rhineford in the Japanese version.
• Every Girl Is Cuter With Hair Decs: Her trademark pink ribbon.
• Fish Out of Water: In Diabolical Box, she admits to being this, and is enraptured by new experiences such as a simple country fair.
• Girl in the Tower: In Curious Village.
• Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: She doesn't get to solve any puzzles until Unwound Future, but sure enough, when she gets it right...
• Happily Adopted: She seems to like being Layton's foster daughter.
  • While it's never made clear if she was legally adopted, Baron Reinhold did entrust guardianship over Flora to whoever solved the mystery of the Golden Apple... and that was the professor. And considering that adorable laugh of hers when she hugged Hershel in Curious Village, it's safe to say she's pretty happy to be with the Layton crew.
    • Their brief but emotional reunion when she throws herself into his arms after her abduction in Unwound Future would also suggest this.
• Heartwarming Orphan
• The Ingenue
• Lethal Chef: The credits of Curious Village and Unwound Future make it pretty clear that Flora cannot cook.
• Living MacGuffin: She is the Golden Apple.
• Lonely Rich Kid
• MacGuffin Girl
• Mysterious Waif: In Curious Village.
• The Other Darrin: Has a different actress from the games in Eternal Diva.
• Paper-Thin Disguise/Memetic Outfit: Her... 'disguise' in Curious Village, which she later uses in Diabolical Box as well.
• Pink Means Feminine
• The Pollyanna
• Pretty in Mink: The half-cape she wears in Diabolical Box appears to have some sort of fur trim.
• Royal Blood: She's the daughter of a baron, and thus part of the nobility. This actually has relevance to the plot of Professor Layton's London Life.
• Spoiled Sweet: She doesn't seem to have a malicious bone in her body, and on those occasions when she actually does get mad, it's not hard to soothe her.
• The Unfavorite: It's understandable that Layton doesn't want to bring a young lady into danger (and even if you think that's a bit sexist, you have to admit that Flora is in no way equipped to handle such situations), and he'll go to her aid when she is in danger; but the fact is that when she's not physically present, she might as well not exist. It's even worse when you consider that Flora is quite sensitive to being left behind—a common fan theory is that because of her weird background, she has monophobia and/or separation anxiety. Compare this to the other kid that Layton looks after, who gets to tag along everywhere as his sidekick. A couple of really bad examples on this front:
  • In Diabolical Box Luke and Layton realize that the "Flora" they've been traveling with was really Don Paolo, with the real Flora unaccounted for. They guess that she was left behind at a previous stop and, content that she's safe, go on their merry way (they were right, but had no way of knowing this).
    • Well, Don Paolo himself was the one who said where she was, and he had little reason to lie about that at that point. But even if they disbelieved him, the only other place she could be (considering that two Floras on the train would've been too suspicious) would be safe at home. In any case, it's not like they could just go back for her: the train was stopped at the station, and all of the crew was exploring Folsense instead of preparing to start it up again. They were stuck in that town.
  • In Unwound Future she's upset at being left out again and makes Layton promise to bring her along. Rather than keeping the promise, or at least explaining to her why he's breaking it, Layton does a rather un-gentlemanly thing and ducks out the back while she's out of the room. Later on, she hears about Future Luke and Future Layton, and asks what her future self is up to. (Present) Luke and Layton have to admit that the thought of Future Flora never crossed their minds.
• Vague Age: It's not really made clear how old Flora is. She's older than Luke (whose age is confirmed to be ten in Last Specter, and thus twelve or thirteen by the time of Curious Village), but still young enough to require a guardian, and it is stated that the events of the first game don't happen until she's "out of childhood." Most players estimate her to be between fourteen and seventeen.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: She seems to have an intense fear of being left alone. It gets the Woobie treatment in Diabolical Box, but Unwound Future makes it seem more like a Berserk Button. (Maybe she thought they should have caught on by then that she's afraid to be alone.)
• Windows to the Soul: She has easily the largest eyes of anyone in the cast, ostensibly to further illustrate how sweet and innocent she is.

Emmy Altava

"First Assistant!"

Layton's first assistant, who accompanies him on the adventures of the prequel trilogy and knew the Professor even before Luke. After being saved from the police by the professor, Emmy hoped to return the favor somehow. Her wish is fulfilled some years later when, in The Last Specter, she's assigned to be Layton's assistant by the dean of Gressenheller University. Layton doesn't really remember her, but apparently she doesn't mind.

• Action Girl: Boy howdy; she could chase after the Black Raven and jump from rooftop to rooftop.
  • Kick Chick: She's got powerful kicks too.
• The Apprentice: Though not to the same extent as Luke, Emmy does take lessons from the professor in observation and puzzle-solving.
• Ascended Fangirl/TheTeamWannabe: More Sidekick than Team, though. Emmy seems to have something of an obsession with Layton, and even uses the word 'Laytonesque'. This was before he was famous. It's implied that she's done a lot to get the job as Layton's assistant.
• Badass Adorable: She's a bright, curious young woman who's also probably the best fighter in the series.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: She decides to get a job as Layton's assistant some time after he clears her name on a pickpocket case.
• Black Eyes
• Bow Ties Are Cool
• Cool Big Sis: To Luke.
• Dub Name Change: From Remi Altava.
• Drives Like Crazy: And Luke has no trouble calling her out for it.
  • Which is hilariously fitting, since she's a woman of Asian descent, according to Word of God.
• Eaglelander: Invoked. One character in The Last Specter describes her as a British woman having an "American attitude".
• Groin Attack: Does this to one of Descole's mooks in Eternal Diva.
• Hypercompetent Sidekick
• Leeroy Jenkins: Of a sort; her first answer to most every hurdle is a good roundhouse kick.
• Supreme Chef: A scene in the credits of Last Specter shows her cooking a meal for Rosa and Layton, both enjoying the meal.
• Took a Level in Badass: An episode reveals her with her hair shorter and her trying to figure out how to prove she didn't steal a wallet. Flash forward a few years, and now we see her kicking ass, jumping onto rooftops and punching thugs in the gut.
• Tomboy

Inspector Chelmey

"What?! That's absurd! You'll need more than some daft charge to save your hide!"

An infamous (among criminals, that is), grumpy detective from Scotland Yard. He doesn't always live up to his reputation, though.

• The Cameo: In The Last Specter, he and Barton appear briefly, and only Emmy encounters them.
• Hidden Depths: An episode in Last Specter reveals that when he was a constable years ago, the current inspector and he were on a case that would promote Chelmey to an inspector. However, Chelmey rushed ahead to arrest the crook, leading his boss to take the bullet for him. This makes him dedicated to his job, but also taught him to take time for himself.
• Informed Ability: He's implied to be one of the greatest policemen Scotland Yard has to offer, but every single conclusion he ever draws at any point in-game is consistently wrong.
• Inspector Lestrade
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He loves his wife's homemade sweet potato fritters more than anything, and is supposedly a very devoted husband. He's also very fond of his bumbling sidekick and admits privately to Layton that he protects him from receiving formal reprimands that would otherwise cost him his job.
• The Real Remington Steele: The Chelmey in Curious Village is Don Paolo in disguise; the real Chelmey doesn't appear until game 2.
• Small Name, Big Ego: To be fair, he IS going up against Professor Hershel Layton. If he was going up against any other detective, he'd fare better.
• Sweet Tooth: His wife's homemade sweet potato fritters are what he eats after every arrest. This is very important in Curious Village.
• Wrong Genre Savvy: Acts like he's the hero of the mystery stories, not the Arrogant Cop Who Jumps To Wrong Conclusions.

Constable Barton

Chelmey's Sidekick from the second game onwards. Not much is learned about him until Unwound Future.

• Artistic Age: He looks like he's in his thirties or so, but he's really only 27.
• Big Eater
• The Cameo: In The Last Specter, he and Chelmey appear briefly, and only Emmy encounters them.
• Foil: To Chelmey.
• Police Are Useless: It's essentially stated that the only reason he still has a job is because Chelmey won't let him be fired for his many mistakes.
• Sidekick: To Chelmey.

Inspector Clamp Grosky

An inspector from Scotland Yard who takes pride in his work and is very athletic.

• Anime Hair: A giant pompadour.
• Badass: He ran all the way from Scotland Yard to Misthallery (and back) which takes Emmy at least ten hours on her scooter, and when pushed into shark-infested waters, he decides to go for a swim, not minding the fact that he could be eaten alive.
• Carpet of Virility: Shaped like a heart no less.
• Friend on the Force: To both Layton and Emmy separately. Where Chelmey was cranky and resented civilians butting in, Grosky is quite friendly and quick to help out.
• Hot-Blooded: When he hears there's a criminal to track down, he's often off and running before he bothers to hear the details.
• Iron Butt Monkey
• Testosterone Poisoning
• Top-Heavy Guy

Don Paolo

"Laytooooon!! You'll pay for this someday!!"

A Mad Scientist and the Professor's self-declared arch rival. Most of his plans involve disguising himself as someone. Also likes playing music.

• Anime Hair
• Anti-Hero: He becomes this in Unwound Future.
• Big Bad: Definitely of Curious Village, and arguably of the entire first trilogy.
• The Cameo: In the beginning of Eternal Diva, along with several other characters from the first trilogy.
• Dastardly Whiplash
• Do Not Call Me "Paul": Literally.
• Dub Name Change: From Don Paul.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Remarks upon seeing a missile in Lost/Unwound Future, "Even I'd never use something like this."
• Evil Genius
• Evil Laugh
• Expository Hairstyle Change/Expressive Hair: In a flashback in Lost/Unwound Future, when he sees Claire, the object of his affections, giving a love letter to Layton and kissing him. It goes from relatively normal to the "horns" he has in the present day.
• Heel Face Turn: In Unwound Future, he helps the heroes near the end because he wanted to know the truth about Claire's death as much as anyone - plus, there was an even more dangerous villain that had to be stopped. Without him, our heroes would have met their demise.
  • Hidden Heart of Gold/I Was Just Passing Through: He claims that he only fixed Layton's car in Unwound Future so Layton could safely rescue the kidnapped Flora.
• Jerkass
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Helps Layton save Flora in Unwound Future.
• Large Ham
• Latex Perfection: Thus far we've seen him flawlessly impersonate Inspector Chelmey, Flora Reinhold, Dr. Andrew Schrader, Dean Delmona, and Professor Layton himself!
  • Also an old lady in the beginning of Eternal Diva.
• Leitmotif: The Great Don Paolo.
• Love Makes You Evil: He hates Layton because Layton got together with the girl he loved.
  • And Layton was oblivious to all of this.
• Mad Scientist
• Master of Disguise
• The Other Darrin: Voiced by Christopher Robin Miller in the games and then by Jonathan Keeble in The Eternal Diva
• Real Men Hate Sugar: Backfires on him; the real Chelmey loves his wife's sweet potato fritters.
• Prehensile Hair: As seen in a flashback, his hair literally took on a life of its own out of anger and heartbreak.
• Token Evil Teammate: For a bit in Lost/Unwound Future.
• Unknown Rival: To Layton.
• Villainous Crossdresser: In Diabolical Box, he disguises himself as Flora.
  • In Eternal Diva, he dressed briefly as an elderly woman half his size.

Jean Descole

"As expected from you, Layton."

The antagonist in the second trilogy, as well as in Eternal Diva. He's a masked man who creates machines for his evil purposes and likes to "play games" with his victims. No one (Except maybe Broneph) knows his real identity. It's hinted that he has a past with Layton.

• All-Encompassing Mantle
• Badass in a Nice Suit
• Battle Butler: His servant counts as one. In Mask of Miracles, when Descole's about to be arrested, his servant throws a smoke bomb allowing him to escape before Broneph takes off his mask.
• Big Bad
• Bishonen: A lot of fangirls will be disappointed if he doesn't turn out to be this.
• Catch Phrase: "Sasu ga dana, Reiton" could be translated as "As expected from you, Layton." It makes sense, since he sees Layton as his match for his games.
• Coat, Hat, Mask
• Cool Hat
• Cool Mask
• Dodge the Bullet: In Mask of Miracles, when Broneph and the police confronts him.
• Domino Mask
• Expressive Mask
• It Is Pronounced "Tro-PAY": "Dess-coal", according to the Japanese dub. "Descolé", according to the English dub.
• Jerkass
• Kick the Dog: In The Last Specter his machines beat the poor Lagushi while trying to destroy the town.
• Mad Scientist
• Malevolent Masked Men: He and his Mooks are this.
• Master of Disguise: In The Last Specter and Mask of Miracles.
• Noodle Incident: So far, we don't know the history between him and Layton, but Layton notes that he has heard his name before.
• Ominous Pipe Organ: His leitmotif.
• Pretty in Mink
• Villainous Crossdresser: Towards the end of Mask of Miracles, it is revealed that he was disguised as Sharon Leidle.
• Wicked Cultured

Stachenscarfen

This strange character appears in the first three games, but has no relevance to the plot. He tells you about hint coins in the first two games, and gets angry when he finds out someone beat him to the punch in the third.

• Berserk Button: When Layton finds out about game mechanics from someone else.
• Have We Met?
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall
• Meaningful Name: His two distinguishing features are his 'stache and his scarf.
• Medium Awareness: Fans have theorised he may be the one person who knows that they're in a game.
• Recurring Extra

Pavel

An explorer that also shows up in every game of the original trilogy, but also has no relevance to the plot.

• Gratuitous Foreign Language: With multiple languages.
• No Sense of Direction
• Recurring Extra

Granny Riddleton

An old lady who picks up puzzles people forget about. In Last Specter, her cat Keats fills in for her.

• Cool Old Lady: Arguably.
• Doomed by Canon: She cannot be around in the prequel games, due to the fact that Layton and Luke canonically first meet her in Curious Village. Last Specter gets around this by having her meet Emmy and set up Keats as her stand-in, then leave before the boys enter the scene.
• Have We Met?: Each time she meets Layton and Luke, she acts as though she's never seen them before, even though they recognize her right away.
• I Was Quite a Looker: Subverted; she thinks she still is.

Characters in Curious Village

Lady Dahlia

A rich woman in St. Mystere. She asks Layton to help her solve the mystery of the Golden Apple.

• Artificial Human
• Ice Queen: She's very much the aloof blue-blood in her dealings with very nearly everybody, including (occasionally) Layton.
• Identical Stranger: She's actually a robot double of the baron's late beloved wife Violet.

Claudia the cat

Lady Dahlia's beloved pet.

• Cats Are Mean: When Luke first attempts to capture the runaway Claudia, he gets some pretty nasty scratches for his efforts.
• Mister Muffykins
• Your Tomcat Is Pregnant: According to the in-game profiles, Claudia is actually male. Interestingly enough, the cat that looks exactly like Claudia in the third picture book of Lost/Unwound Future is female.

Augustus Reinhold

The late Baron, father of Flora.

• Dead to Begin With: His death is the start of the entire plot.
• Doting Parent
• Fiction 500

Matthew

The butler of the Reinhold mansion.

• The Butler Did It: Aversion. Matthew is probably the single most helpful resident of the entire village as far as Layton's investigation goes.

Simon

A somewhat snide individual, he identifies himself as Baron Reinhold's nephew. His murder is what prompts the arrival of Inspector Chelmey in St. Mystere.

• Adjusting Your Glasses
• Artificial Human
• Disney Death

Ramon

Known for his creepy purple lips, Ramon can almost always be found outside the mansion.

Gordon

An old friend of the baron who is desperate to find a girl.

• Sweat Drop: Taken to extremes; he's constantly perspiring and mopping his face.

Violet

The Baron's dead wife and the mother of Flora.

• Dead to Begin With

Bruno

A mysterious old man who kidnaps the villagers and lives in the tower. But since the villagers are robots, he's just there to give them repairs.

• Gadgeteer Genius: Except for Flora and Granny Riddleton, he BUILT all the residents of St. Mystere.
• Old Retainer: More or less; the pages from his journal which are found here and there throughout the village, indicate that he sees himself as this. Being the only adult human in all of St. Mystere, he has to maintain the robotic residents and look after Flora until someone solves the puzzles and becomes her new guardian. Presumably, he continues maintaining the village after the events of the game.

Characters in Diabolical Box

Dr. Andrew Schrader

The Professor's good friend and mentor.

• Bunny Ears Lawyer: Brilliant, but somewhat eccentric to judge by the contents of his apartment.
• Disney Death: The gas in the Elysian Box didn't kill him, it just sent him into a deep coma.
• Dying Clue: The letter he sends to Layton to kickstart the plot.
• The Obi-Wan
• Spell My Name with an "S": Schrader or Schröder?

Babette

A passenger on the Molentary Express. Layton and Luke encounter her repeatedly, to their inconvenience.

• Mister Muffykins: Her "little boy," Tom. He's a poodle.
• Rich Bitch
• Screw the Rules, I Have Money: She usurps Layton and Luke's table in the dining car by flaunting her wealth and refusing to bow to common sense or decency.
• Upper Class Twit

Mr. Beluga (real name: Friedrich Herzen)

The owner of the Molentary Express, and Anton's brother.

• Big Brother Worship: He idolized his big brother Anton.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Seems overjoyed in seeing Anton after 50 years.
• The Napoleon: To some extent.

Sammy Thunder

The conductor on the Molentary Express, nephew to Mr. Beluga, and wannabe rock star.

• Dreadful Musician: Layton and Mr. Beluga think so. Luke seems to enjoy it, on the other hand.
• Dub Name Change: From Sam to Sammy.
• Nephewism: He's Mr. Beluga's (and by extension, Anton Herzen's) nephew.
• The Power of Rock: Dreams of becoming a rock star.

Anton Herzen

"Sophia belongs to me! YOU CAN'T HAVE HER!"

Arguably the antagonist in the second game. He lives in a castle near Folsense with his butler and has ties to the Elysian Box. He calls himself a vampire and kidnaps whoever dares to go to the Folsense Mines.

• Batman Gambit: The entire vampire story is made up by him, in order to keep the Herzen fortune safe. Anyone who comes too close to the mines or castle is kidnapped and tied up, and then let free once properly scared.
• Bishonen
• Blond Guys Are Evil: It looks this way, but in reality he was paranoid due to the fact that he's been stuck in a completely empty city for the past 50 years, believing that his fiancee left him for another lover, and much much more.
• Dub Name Change: Anton in the North American version, Vladimir in the European version, and Anthony in the Japanese version.
  • Dub-Induced Plot Hole: His bonus puzzle cameo in the NA version of Unwound Future uses his Japanese name of Anthony, not Anton.
• Interesting Situation Duel
• Love Makes You Crazy: When he believed his fiancee left him for another--she was really talking about their daughter--he went mad.
• Mushroom Samba/Older Than They Look
• The Reveal: Is he really a vampire? Turns out he wasn't one in the end. Due to him believing he never aged due to the hallucinogenic gas escaping from the tunnels under his castle, and the fact everyone who enters the town takes it in, it spread rumors about him being as such.
• Star-Crossed Lovers: With Sophia.
• White-Haired Pretty Boy: Well, very pale blond, anyway.
• Yandere

Katia Anderson

Daughter of the mayor of Dropstone. She's on a secret mission in Folsense.

• Identical Granddaughter: She looks just like her grandmother Sophia, except that she has her grandfather Anton's eyes.
• Long-Lost Relative
• Raised by Grandparents: After Katia's mother died, her grandmother helped bring her up.
• You Gotta Have Purple Hair

Sophia

"The thought of seeing you warms my heart"

Anton's missing betrothed and the mother of his child. She met Anton in one of the Duke Herzen's parties, she fell in love with him and they became engaged. After discovering she was pregnant with Anton's child, she ran away from Folsene for her baby's sake, fearing that the deathly disease that was running across the town would kill it. She left with the words "[...] But someone I love needs me more than you, Anton." This made Anton think that she had left him for another man, resulting in his growing rage. At the end, we learn that she died a year before the game's events and that she never forgot about Anton.

• Cool Old Lady
• Dance of Romance: As seen in a painting and a Dream Sequence.
• Dead to Begin With
• Poor Communication Kills: You couldn't have been more specific about that "someone you love"?
• Princess Curls: Well, she wasn't a princess but her family's status was high.
• Purple Eyes
• You Gotta Have Purple Hair

Characters in Unwound Future

Future Luke (real name: Clive Dove)

Voiced by: Yuri Lowenthal (EN)

"IT WON'T END THIS WAY!"

Luke 10 years in the future. He sends a letter to his past self and needs help. There's more to him than meets the eye. A lot more.

• Big Bad
• Bishonen
• The Chessmaster
• Cute and Psycho: Boy howdy.
• Disproportionate Retribution: His parents died in an accident, therefore he wants to level the city of London. Wait, what?
  • He wanted to make a statement about how all politicians were corrupt, stating 'if you want them to take notice, take action
• Dub Name Change: Klaus instead of Clive in the Japanese version.
• Estrogen Brigade Bait
• Evil Laugh: His is even better than Don Paolo's!
• Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: Yep, yet another one.
• Fan Nickname: Legal!Luke, mostly among fangirls.
• Happily Adopted: During the Summation Gathering, Layton outlines Clive's biography, noting that after the deaths of his parents he was adopted by a wealthy old woman, Constance Dove, who doted on him and was much loved by him in return until her death five years later. The fortune she bequeathed to him is how he financed the whole operation.
• I Cannot Self-Terminate: Clive tells Layton that deep down, he was hoping that the professor might be able to talk him out of his insane plan, as he was too consumed with hate to stop himself.
• Inexplicably Identical Individuals: He is able to convincingly pull off being Luke's future self, even though the two have no real explained relation.
• My Future Self and Me: With Luke. But then again, he isn't Luke.
• Nice Hat: He also has one, similar to Luke's, which he removes when revealing his identity.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Did he ever.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Clive denies what he's doing is for revenge, insisting that it's really for justice against single-minded scientists and corrupt politicians. However, after seeing how the incident that killed his parents was swept under the rug despite the severity of it, Clive believes that only a massive act of destruction could possibly change anything; cue enough military hardware to turn London into a crater.

Claire Folly

Layton's college sweetheart who died in an accident with a Time Machine. She did travel through time, but her body couldn't manage the time travel and was fighting to go back to the time when the machine exploded, resulting in her death. She's the one who taught Layton about being a true gentleman.

• Brainy Brunette
• But Now I Must Go: At the end fo the game, goes back to her own time and her own death, in order to avoid disrupting the flow of time.
• Dude Magnet: Caught the attention of three men - Layton, Don Paolo, and Dimitri. The plot partially revolves around this fact!
• I Want My Beloved to be a Fashionable Gentleman: When Layton got the job of professor, Claire bought him a top hat as a present, saying that as a member of the academic community, he needed to look the part.
• Meganekko
• Oblivious to Love: Possibly in the case of Don Paolo. She was in a relationship with Layton, and it's stated she was aware of Dimitri's feelings for her even though she didn't return them; however, it's never made clear if she even knew who Don Paolo was, let alone that he was in love with her.
• Undeath Always Ends: Zig-zagged. First everyone thought she was dead. The truth is that she was sent into the future, 10 years after her death, but that doesn't last, as she has to go back to the time when she died.

Celeste Folly

Claire's sister who aids the heroes in Unwound Future.

• Big Damn Heroes: She pulls the Layton team out from a tight spot while in Dimitri's research facility.
• Doomed Protagonist: It isn't until the very end that she reveals her time is short because of The Reveal.
• Never Got to Say Goodbye: She explains that she and Claire had been estranged when the accident occurred, and that her biggest regret is how she didn't try to make amends with her sister before it was too late. This is presumably so that Layton won't question why Claire never mentioned her.
• Save the Villain: Saves Clive, largely out of feeling responsible for the tragedy that cost him his parents.
• Time Traveler: Celeste is really a time displaced Claire, but the effect is temporary, and she knows she will be sent back to the experiment where she was/will be killed.
• Uncanny Family Resemblance: Everyone who knew Claire is taken aback by how much her sister looks like her. Of course, that's because they're really the same person.

Dr. Stahngun (real name: Dimitri Allen)

Voiced by: Liam O'Brien (EN)

A mysterious scientist who invents the time machine and appears to be responsible for the disappearance of Bill Hawks.

• All Love Is Unrequited: He loved Claire, but she didn't return his feelings.
• Love Makes You Evil: He doesn't take Claire's death well, and everything he does in the game - kidnapping and tricking other scientists, impersonating Layton - is done out of love for her.
• Mad Scientist: He's not insane, but he's pretty amoral and knows it.
• Nice Hat: It's a feather away from being a pimp hat.
• Peek-a-Bangs
• Thou Shalt Not Kill: Layton realizes that he's bluffing when he claims that the room they're in is rigged with explosives, noting that while he has used many immoral tactics in the pursuit of the plan, he would never actually kill anyone.
• Unfinished, Untested, Used Anyway: Tried to stop Bill from going through with the time machine test for his corporate sponsors, but doesn't get there in time.
• Unwitting Pawn Is played like a fiddle by Clive.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: All he wants is to save Claire, but later he does admit some of his actions may have been done out of pride as well.

Bill Hawks

The Prime Minister of Great Britain.

• Bow Ties Are Cool: Wears one with his suit.
• Jerkass, with a Rich Bitch wife to boot
• Karma Houdini: Causes the incident that kills Claire, Clive's parents, and several others out of greed; uses the money to climb the political ladder and become Prime Minister; uses his influence to cover up the details of the initial incident which indirectly leads to Layton getting assaulted while investigating; and in the end all he gets is an indirect remark from Chelmey. No doubt there are many players that wish they could have stuffed him back in that reactor.
  • If it's any consolation, his future isn't bright. Clive will likely refer to the corruption during his confession, along with Dimitri, who might even have proof. Also, Chemley, the most respected police officer in London (who is also keen on justice) knows about the secret, and doesn't seem afraid to bring it up, and Layton, a.k.a the man who saved London, hates him. At minimum, Bill won't be re-elected.

Characters in The Last Specter

Rosa Grims

Layton's maid.

• Cool Old Lady

Clark Triton

Voiced by: Liam O'Brien (EN)

Luke's father and Misthallery's Mayor. He was a fellow archaeologist along with Layton in the past, also having been mentioned as a previous assistant to Dr. Schrader.

• Disappeared Dad: We don't even learn that Luke still has one until Unwound Future.
• I Have Your Wife: Through most of Last Specter.

Brenda Triton

Luke's mother.

• Missing Mom: Clark states that she's left the city for quite some time. Except she hasn't; she's been trapped under the wine cellar.

Arianna Barde

Luke's Love Interest.

• Cute Witch: She believes she's a witch, but that's because her brother's been spreading rumors about her being one without her consent.
• Dub Name Change: From Yula Alanbard.
• Every Girl Is Cuter With Hair Decs: Wears a white hair ribbon.
• Heartwarming Orphan
• Icy Blue Eyes/Innocent Blue Eyes
• Ill Girl: She gets better, thanks to Loosha.
• Jerkass Facade
• Sugar and Ice Personality
• Tareme Eyes/Tsurime Eyes: Switches between types depending on her mood.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid
• Wise Beyond Their Years

Tony Barde

Arianna's little brother.

• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: His profile on the official website for this game states that he's very disrespectful of others when Arianna isn't around.
• Heartwarming Orphan
• Little Brother Instinct: He won't stand for anyone talking smack about his sister and even takes it upon himself to feed them after their servants were let go following their father's death.
• Master of Disguise: Perhaps not on the same scale as Don Paolo or Descole, he's good enough to fool most people. He dresses up as Seamus, an elderly gardener.

Levin Jakes

Chief of Police of Misthallery.

• Blond Guys Are Evil
• The Dragon: To Descole.
• Fat Bastard: Apparently he uses his immense girth to threaten people.
• In-Series Nickname: Third Eye Jakes.
• Laughing Mad: Shortly after Layton meets him.
• Obviously Evil
• You Have Twenty Four Hours: He makes this declaration to Layton when he becomes suspicious, saying he has this long to get out of Misthallery. He ends up not waiting that long.

Black Raven

The mysterious leader of the Black Market.

• Collective Identity: Black Raven is actually children playing dress-up.
• Sweet Tooth: How Layton was able to deduce the identity of Black Raven; it's proof that the members who comprise him are children, since only they can buy the candy he saw.

Characters in Mask of Miracles

Lando Ascad/The Masked Gentleman

"Every puzzle has an answer."

An optimistic, adventurer rich kid who befriended Layton during his teen years and is the one who got Layton into Archeology. He's also the childhood friend of Sharon and Henry. In Mask of Miracles, it is shown that he fell into a hole when teen!Layton went with him into a temple to investigate about the Mask of Miracles.

For unknown reasons (but most likely because of the Mask and Descole) he has gone on a Face Heel Turn and now is known as The Masked Gentleman. The mask gave him the power to control gravity, grow angel-like wings, and turn people into stone; he is the one terrorizing the town. At the end of the game, he regrets his actions and turns good again with The Power of Friendship. In the credits, he's shown with Layton showing him the Specter's Flute, possibly discussing it.

• Adventurer Archaeologist: Well, he was aspiring to be one. However, In Mask of Miracles credits, it seems like he's into archaeology again.
• Anime Hair: After the time skip.
• Big Brother Mentor
• Black Eyes
• Dark-Skinned Redhead: Somehow he got a tan after he fell into that hole.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: Big glasses, thigh pants, purple all over, a scarf... Well, he did go underground.
• Evil Laugh: A really deep one
• Evil Redhead
• Fiery Redhead: He's outgoing, enthusiastic and talkative in comparison with the more quiet and calm Layton.
• Funny Afro: It seems like he didn't have the time to cut his hair in all these years...
  • At the end of the credits is seen that Henry cut his hair and now is like before.
• Gravity Master: Of course, the mask allows him to this.
• Heel Face Turn: The Power of Friendship got him better.
• Man in White: As Masked Gentleman
• Nerd Glasses
• No Sense of Personal Space: Maybe not in-game, but for the viewers...
• Plucky Boy
• Power Gives You Wings
• Rich People
• Slasher Smile: He gives one when he puts off his mask to reveal his identity as The Masked Gentleman.
• Taken for Granite: It's one of the mask's powers.

Sharon Leidle

Lando and Layton's old friend (though her relationship with the last one is not clear). She is described as a beautiful young girl, enthusiastic and sophisticated. In the present, she is Henry's wife.

• Black Eyes
• Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: She being the blonde, Lando being the redhead and Layton being the brunette.
• Break the Cutie: Lando's disappearance really got her depressed.
• Dub Name Change: Sharoa into Sharon.

Henry Leidle

"Lando-sama!"

One of Lando's servants and childhood friend. After Lando's disappearance he got rich and now Sharon is his wife. Towards the end of the story he helps Lando in his Heel Face Turn reminding him of The Power of Friendship. He apparently becomes Lando's servant again.

• Ambiguously Gay: He has a particularly feminine design for a Layton character. And then there's the reveal that Henry remembers his friend very fondly and only married Sharon so that they could both wait for Lando's return.
• Blond Guys Are Evil: Subverted. He looks like a rich and evil blonde, but he's really a nice person.
• Blue Eyes
• Kuudere
• Rich People

Broneph Reinel

A mysterious man who knows both Layton and Descole; little is known about him. He's trying to stop Descole but hasn't succeeded.

• Right-Hand-Cat
• Sinister Shades

Characters in Eternal Diva

Janice Quatlane

A former student of Professor Layton's who now works as an opera singer. She sends the Professor a letter and some tickets, asking him to come see her perform in The Eternal Kingdom so he can help her solve a perplexing mystery.

• Heroes Want Redheads: Luke has a Precocious Crush on her.
• Idol Singer
• Non-Singing Voice: Averted in the Japanese version; played straight in the English track, since they left in Nana Mizuki's Japanese vocals for the songs.
• Redheaded Hero
• Spell My Name with an "S": "Jenis" in the Japanese version.
  • Her last name is often speculated by fans to be a misromanization of "quatrain".
• Undying Loyalty: She willingly lets her best friend Melina use her body to go on living after Melina dies.

Oswald Whistler

The composer of the opera The Eternal Kingdom.

• Doting Parent: To the point where he's a...
• Knight Templar Parent
• Papa Wolf
• Well-Intentioned Extremist

Melina Whistler

Oswald's daughter, and Janice's best friend.

• Daddy's Girl
• Dead to Begin With: Oswald's opera is dedicated in her memory.
  • But then there's her being able to possess Janice for the whole movie.
• Ill Girl: With an Incurable Cough of Death, possibly Soap Opera Disease.

Curtis O'Donnell

One of the contestants in the game for eternal life.

Marco Brock

One of the contestants in the game for eternal life. He's a historian who has spent a long time assembling a scrapbook about the kingdom of Ambrosia.

Amelia Ruth

One of the contestants in the game for eternal life. An excellent chess player, though only in her teens; she is chosen by Whistler to receive a free ticket to the opera.

• Kuudere: She doesn't show much emotion, but she's in the game to win the Elixir of Life for her dying grandfather and thus is among the few game contestants who came for unselfish reasons.
• Smart People Play Chess: See below.
• Teen Genius: She's a British chess champion and is shown to be almost as intelligent as Layton.

Frederick Bargland

One of the contestants in the game for eternal life.

Annie Dretche

One of the contestants in the game for eternal life. She's a well-known mystery novelist.

Celia Raidley

One of the contestants in the game for eternal life.

• Smug Snake: Decides to follow Layton's alternate solution to Puzzle 004 thinking she can get ahead by stealing answers and winds up at the bottom of a pit.
• Vain Sorceress: She only wants eternal life for the sake of being beautiful forever.

Pierre Starbuck

One of the contestants in the game for eternal life. He injured his knee and is thus no longer able to pursue his career as a famous footballer.

• Jerkass: Shoves Layton out of the way of an alternate door the latter decides to take to answer Puzzle 004 and falls down a trapdoor for his trouble.
  • Jerk Jock
• Smug Snake: In the same vein as Celia, above.

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A gentleman would always make sure to return to the main Professor Layton page before perusing the rest of the wiki.