John D. “Johnny” Rico
He is the protagonist of the film, an Argentinian by ethnicity who starts out as an infantryman in the Mobile Infantry Battalion. Over the course of his military career Johnny Rico changes from raw, clueless recruit to a paragon of the United Citizen Federation. He is a model citizen, war hero, peerless fighter, and an overall inspirational presence on and off the battlefield. Ironically, Johnny Rico enters military service in order to pursue a girl, his high school sweetheart Carmen Ibañez. He does poorly in math subjects and showed no psychic ability and ended up joining Mobile Infantry where he flourishes. Over time he grows in his combat ability and leadership skills and ends up leading the elite squadron Rasczak’s Roughnecks, which is promptly renamed as Rico’s Roughnecks in honor of their commanding officer.
General (Dr.) Carl Jenkins
Gen. Jenkins is a polymath--he is a shrewd general, brilliant scientist, a member of the Ministry of Paranormal Warfare branch of Military Intelligence, and an accomplished psionic. He is a close childhood friend of Johnny Rico, Carmen Ibañez, and Dizzy Flores. Like Carmen and Johnny, Carl also enlists in to become a citizen. He does exceedingly well in his qualifying exams and this earns him the opportunity to join Military Intelligence. It is Carl who discovers the existence of the “Brain Bug” or a leadership caste of the alien insects. The brain bug caste is largely responsible for leading and coordinating the attacks on humanity, and his discovery and capture of a live sample is integral to turning the tide of the war for the human race.
Isabel "Dizzy" Flores
Another of Johnny Rico's old classmates, Dizzy was a determined fighter, resilient, and self-assured, she was also skillful, reliable soldier who performed well under pressure. She had harbored a deep infatuation for him since their high schools day of playing fieldball together. Flores secretly joins Mobile Infantry in an attempt to pursue Rico and she is able to successfully get selected and was able to transfer to Rico's unit. Eventually Rico reciprocates Flores romantic advances but tragically she is killed in combat, being fatally during a Bug ambush on Whiskey Outpost after successfully blowing up a tanker bug that inflicts a fatal wound on Lt. Rasczak. She is awarded full military honors upon her death, her casket jettisoned into space as part of her burial ritual with her eulogy being delivered by Johnny Rico himself.
Carmen Ibañez
Yet another of Johnny Rico's old classmates, she is a Spacecraft Captain under the United Citizen Federation Fleet and a crew member of the Rodger Young, and Commanding Officer of the Starship Athena as well as the Starship John A. Warden. Carmen comes from a family of career military personnel. She enlists shortly after graduation certain of her career path as member of Fleet Academy. She breaks up with Johnny when she decides to pursue a career in the military. Eventually though their paths cross once more and they are able to reconnect, this time as comrades in arms against the bugs.
Shujumi
A recruit who enlists in Mobile Infantry along with Johnny Rico, he is a hand-to-hand combat specialist and is as skilled as Sergeant Zim. His proficiency allows him to move up quickly earning him the rank of Instructor-Corporal. He is also an accomplished knife fighter and competent in the use of ordnance.
Sgt. Charles Zim
Sgt. Zim is the tough-as-nails, no-nonsense drill instructor that handled Johnny Rico during his Basic Training for Mobile Infantry. Sgt. Zim took on a demotion in order for him to be allowed to fight on the field. This move paid off because during his tour of duty he was able to single-handedly capture a Brain Bug. His heroic capture of the Brain Bug allowed humanity to develop new combat strategies to turn the tide of combat and fast-tracked him to promotion. He was quickly moved up to the rank of Captain, minus the associated pay.
Sky Marshal Dienes
A lean, Caucasian man with a serious demeanor, Sky Marshal Dienes was the former Fleet Admiral and Sky Marshal of the Federation Forces. He was responsible for coordinating the ill-fated Battle of Klendathu, relying foolishly on huge numbers of heavily armed mobile infantrymen in the hopes of overwhelming the bugs with superior firepower. This Battle of Klendathu resulted instead in the massive loss of human lives and this prompts him to resign from his post in disgrace whereupon Sky Marshal Tehat Meru immediately replaces him.
Tehat Meru
A formidable, stern looking, middle aged, African-American woman who replaces Sky Marshal Dienes after the Battle of Klendathu fiasco, she, unlike her predecessor understands that might of arms alone will not win the fight against the bugs. She proposes that research must be done in order to understand the bugs so that they can fight them more effectively rather than needlessly sacrifice human lives.
Ace Levy
A mobile infantryman who was in the same training unit as Johnny Rico, he is cocky and has a bad habit of speaking without carefully considering his words, earning him the ire of Sgt. Zim during boot camp. He aspires to pursue a career in the military. Despite his bravado he proves to be a competent soldier but had poor potential for leadership. Levy and a few others are accepted into Rasczak’s Roughnecks after showing their combat mettle and it was Levy who first renames the unit into Rico’s Roughnecks after Rasczak is euthanized upon sustaining fatal injuries from a Tank Bug.
Jean Rasczak
A former soldier turned high school teacher. When the bugs attack the Earth he resumes active military duty and becomes the commander of the Roughnecks, a unit of commandos who are often sent in for missions considered suicidal because of the danger involved. Rico, Ibañez, Flores, and Jenkins were all his students enrolled in his History and Moral Philosophy class.
