Tris Prior
The main protagonist of the Divergent series, Tris is a headstrong 16-year-old who longs to move away from Abnegation and lose her label as "the stiff". During the classification, she discovers that she is Divergent, meaning that she harbors the traits of all the factions. Having no help from the test, she goes on to choose Dauntless at the ceremony, assuming it to be the most exciting and suitable for her abilities, but goes on to face many challenges in the process, as well as realizing that the factions are not what they seem.
Tobias "Four" Eaton
An instructor at the Dauntless camp. He is one of Tris' earliest antagonists, as he finds her incapable of meeting the requirements for being a member. However, he goes on to develop feelings for Tris after recognizing her strength throughout the rigorous training process. It is later revealed that he too is Divergent.
Caleb Prior
Tris' older brother, and new member of Erudite. He is a compatible member of Erudite and easily fits in due to his intelligence and curiosity. However, he becomes morally conflicted when he realizes how harsh Erudite are to his former faction, and ultimately, decides to leave once he discovers that Jeanine is manipulating the Dauntless through a biologic serum.
Jeanine Matthews
A true member of Erudite, having been born into it. She is the main antagonist of the series, as she believes that Erudite is the elite of all the factions and should run the government. She treats the other factions brutally, especially Abnegation as they are currently in power. She was the one who introduced the idea of a serum to use on Dauntless members so she could manipulate them for her own means in destroying Abnegation.
Natalie Prior
Natalie is the mother of Tris and Caleb and is a faithful member of Abnegation. She supports her children in their choices, despite both of them opting to leave Abnegation and join different factions. Whilst she is secretly visiting Tris in Dauntless to warn her about society's view towards the Divergent, it is revealed that she was once a Dauntless herself.
Christina
Christina was originally a member of Candor before choosing to switch to Dauntless during the choosing ceremony. She is Tris's best friend and also develops a relationship with another of their friends, Will. She is loud, feisty, and her truth-telling Candor traits shine through on several occasions.
Eric Coulter
Eric is another of the leaders in Dauntless and, like Tobias, he is an antagonist to Tris. However, unlike Tobias, he continues to be harsh and ruthless towards all of the initiates throughout the film. Whilst all the other Dauntless are under the serum, he is one of the people controlling them because he worked with Jeanine to organize the plan.