The Poppy War Character Analysis

Rin (Fang Runin)

The protagonist of the novel, Rin grows from a naive but driven 14-year-old to the 19-year-old commander of the Cike. A war orphan, Rin only discovers much later that she’s one of the last surviving… read analysis of Rin (Fang Runin)

Master Jiang (the Gatekeeper)

Master Jiang, the Lore master, appears to be an eccentric and questionably sane old man who uses drugs and neglects his duties to teach his students. However, the novel ultimately reveals that Jiang is the… read analysis of Master Jiang (the Gatekeeper)

Altan Trengsin

Altan is one of the last surviving Speerlies. At Sinegard, he’s a star student whom teachers and students adore. He later becomes the Cike’s commander. Despite these outward signs of success, Altan’s life has been… read analysis of Altan Trengsin

Kitay

Kitay is Rin’s best friend at Sinegard Academy. His father is the Empress’s defense minister, and he grew up extremely wealthy in Sinegard, tutored privately alongside Venka and Nezha. However, while Kitay… read analysis of Kitay

Nezha

Nezha is the wealthiest, most powerful, and most attractive boy in Rin’s class at Sinegard Academy. The two become enemies after Rin punches him in retaliation for insulting Tutor Feyrik on their first day… read analysis of Nezha

Venka

Venka is one of Rin’s classmates and one of her two roommates. She’s a Sinegard native who was brought up and educated alongside Nezha and Kitay, and she’s gorgeous and comes from wealthy… read analysis of Venka

Mai’rinnen Tearza (The Woman)

Mai’rinnen Tearza was the warrior queen of Speer who—supposedly—sold out Speer to the Red Emperor, allowing Nikan to annex Speer and subjugate the Speerlies. She died in the process, and it’s unclear whether she… read analysis of Mai’rinnen Tearza (The Woman)

Empress Su Daji (The Vipress)

Empress Su Daji is the empress of Nikan. She’s also the Vipress, the last known surviving member of the Trifecta, the group of three (implied) shamans who united the Warlords at the end of the… read analysis of Empress Su Daji (The Vipress)

Master Irjah

Master Irjah is the Strategy master at Sinegard Academy. He’s exacting and has extremely high standards—so Rin comes quickly to crave his praise above that of all her other masters. Irjah takes a liking to… read analysis of Master Irjah

Master Jun

Master Jun is the Combat master at Sinegard Academy. He’s cruel and exacting, and unfortunately for Rin, he’s extremely classist. Jun doesn’t believe that any child who doesn’t come from a wealthy and/or noble… read analysis of Master Jun

Master Yim

Master Yim is the elderly History master at Sinegard Academy. In addition to lecturing about history, he regularly encourages his students to ask questions about why historical events played out the way they did, acknowledges… read analysis of Master Yim

Chaghan

Chaghan is Altan’s deputy and the Cike’s seer. He and his sister, Qara, are “anchor twins,” meaning that if one of them gets hurt or is killed, the other feels it and will… read analysis of Chaghan

Qara

Qara is a member of the Cike and Chaghan’s “anchor twin.” This means that if someone hurts or kills one twin, the other feels it—and dies along with the other. While Chaghan is more… read analysis of Qara

Tutor Feyrik

Tutor Feyrik is Rin’s teacher in Tikany. He offers free classes to teach poor children basic literacy, but Rin bribes him with stolen opium to help her study for the Keju. He agrees also… read analysis of Tutor Feyrik

Auntie Fang

Auntie Fang is Rin’s adoptive mother; Kesegi is her biological son with her husband, Uncle Fang. She’s a cold and shrewd woman, which serves her well in her secret business as an opium… read analysis of Auntie Fang

Kesegi

Kesegi is Auntie Fang and Uncle Fang’s eight-year-old son; his parents have essentially made Rin raise him, and so the two are extremely close. Auntie Fang desperately wants to keep Kesegi from discovering her… read analysis of Kesegi

Master Jima

Master Jima is a tiny woman, but she’s extremely powerful: she’s the head of Sinegard Academy and is a former military commander. She resumes her role in the military when Nikan and the Federation of… read analysis of Master Jima

Dr. Shiro

Dr. Shiro is a Mugenese man who leads the research facility that conducts torturous and sometimes lethal experiments on humans, historically on Speerlies but also on Nikara. While on some level he understands he’s experimenting… read analysis of Dr. Shiro

The Phoenix

The Phoenix is the bloodthirsty god of fire and vengeance. It thrives on blood and destruction and was the god the Speerlies channeled. Both Rin and Altan channel the Phoenix, though the Phoenix conceives of… read analysis of The Phoenix

Niang

Niang is one of Rin’s female classmates and one of her two roommates. Unlike Venka, Niang is open and friendly—though in public, she goes along with ignoring Rin. Chatty and insecure, Niang desperately… read analysis of Niang

The Widow Maung

The Widow Maung is Jiang’s drug dealer. She also works as a butcher in Sinegard’s meatpacking district, and she allows Rin to carry a pig up a mountain to drink from a stream every… read analysis of The Widow Maung

The Red Emperor

The Red Emperor was the first emperor of Nikan. He brought the empire together for the first time, making it strong by uniting various warring factions. He’s also responsible for annexing Speer by getting the… read analysis of The Red Emperor

Feylen

Feylen was a member of the Cike who, not long before Rin joined, was immured in the Chuluu Korikh. He channeled a god of wind, and the god began to take over Feylen’s mind and… read analysis of Feylen

Tyr

Tyr is the commander of the Cike who precedes Altan in the role. He serves a goddess of darkness, which allows him to hide in the shadows and feel at home in the dark. Tyr… read analysis of Tyr

Aratsha

Aratsha is a member of the Cike. He serves a water god, and so he lives in a barrel of water, and when he appears at all, he looks like a watery being. He’s able… read analysis of Aratsha

Suni

Suni is a member of the Cike; he channels the Monkey God, who allows him to fight with inhuman strength and ferocity. Of all the Cike, he’s perhaps the least stable: he regularly hears voices… read analysis of Suni

Sanshengmu

Sanshengmu is a goddess and Erlang Shen’s twin. She was the first of the gods to come to earth, and she taught humans to worship and ask gods for help. After she married a… read analysis of Sanshengmu

Minor Characters

Raban

Raban is an older apprentice who kindly takes Rin’s first-year class under his wing, introducing them to the pit fights and explaining their various tasks to them. He’s ultimately killed when the Federation storms Sinegard.

Ramsa

Ramsa is the Cike’s munitions expert. He’s not a shaman. His age is unknown, but most believe he’s a young teenager. Ramsa has no shame and single-mindedly focuses on explosives and stirring up trouble, sometimes in ways that cause the Cike problems with the other Warlords or commanders.

Enki

Enki is a member of the Cike, though he isn’t a shaman. He keeps and dispenses the Cike’s drugs, doing his best to ensure that the Cike who use drugs don’t become addicted.

Baji

Baji is a big, friendly member of the Cike. His god is “a very angry boar.” When Baji channels his god, he fights with a nine-pronged rake.

Unegen

Unegen is a member of the Cike. His god allows him to turn into a fox, and he has a nervous demeanor.

The Talwu

The Talwu is a being with a woman’s head and a body made up of different animals’ body parts. It exists in the spirit world and can answer questions about the future using Hexagrams.

Erlang Shen

Erlang Shen is a god and Sanshengmu’s twin. Angry that his sister traveled to Earth and taught humans to worship the gods—in addition to letting humans worship her—he killed her human family and imprisoned her in the Chuluu Korikh.

Uncle Fang

Uncle Fang is Rin’s adoptive father. Little is said about him except that, like his wife Auntie Fang, he never wanted Rin and is thrilled to see her go when she leaves for Sinegard.

Matchmaker Liew

Matchmaker Liew is the matchmaker who arranges Rin’s marriage to a merchant and imports inspector.

Han

Han is one of Rin’s classmates. He’s a kind, honest boy who leaves school to help his family at home when the Federation begins causing conflicts in his home province.

Tobi

Tobi is an older Sinegard apprentice who shows Rin around campus when she arrives. He’s rude and entitled.

Kureel

Kureel is one of the apprentices who leads the first-year students in nightly combat sessions.

Jeeha

Jeeha is one of the apprentices who leads the first-year students in nightly combat sessions.

Master Sonnen

Master Sonnen is the Weapons master. The youngest master, he’s also tasked with refereeing fights between students.

Arda

Arda is the Medicine apprentice who tells Rin about the procedure to destroy her womb.

Prince Ryohai

Prince Ryohai is the crown prince of the Federation of Mugen. He comes to power when his father dies and is in charge when the Federation and Nikan declare war on each other.

Ox Warlord

The Ox Warlord is one of the Twelve Warlords. Along with the Ram Warlord, he oversees military activities in Khurdalain.

Ram Warlord

The Ram Warlord is one of the Warlords overseeing Nikan’s military strategy in Khurdalain.

Enro

Enro is the Medicine master.

The Poppy War

R. F. Kuang

The Poppy War Characters