How the series begins:
Hitomi is a regular school girl on the planet earth. She enjoys track. I guess you could say Hitomi is the best female on the team. She has one, very good friend Yukari, and is in love with Amano, who is the best male track guy. Little does Hitomi know that Yukari loves him too. She finds out eventually. Hitomi has these terrible visions of giant monsters fighting, but she thinks nothing of it. One night, she asks Amano if he could give her a kiss if she can beat 13 seconds in the 100 metre run. He agrees. In the middle of her run, a strange boy lands from the sky and Hitomi runs into him. This strange boy (who is Van) tries to fight a dragon which appeared out of nowhere. He is about to get hit from above, but Hitomi warns him and he jumps out of the way! Van takes out the energist inside the dragon and then a blue pillar of light wraps around Hitomi and Van and they are transported to Gaea. Hitomi's adventure begins with fights against Ziabach and her emotions.
Hitomi Kanzaki:
This 15 yr old heroine of the story is from Japan. She is an athletic girl (member of her high school track team) and has a hobby of reading fortunes using tarot cards and a pendant (which was given to her by her grandmother). Hitomi is whisked away to a mysterious world when she quite literally runs into Van Fanel (Future King of Fanelia) who has mysteriously traveled to earth in order to slay a dragon. While on Gaea, Hitomi is faced with war, love, and loss. Her powers of fortune telling and dowsing (which she uses the pendant for) increase while in Gaea, but she gradually moves away from using such things and learns to depend on her heart.
Van Fanel:
15 year old King of Fanelia, a small rural kingdom on Gaea. He is often brash, impulsive, moody, and arrogant, but he has a good heart. His father died 12 years ago and his mother disappeared 10 years ago when his brother disappeared during a dragon hunt which was to be his last task before becoming king. It is during a similar dragon hunt that Van meets Hitomi and their adventures are set in motion. Van is the pilot of Fanelia's Protector God Escaflowne, an Ispano Guymelef bound to him by a blood contract executed near the beginning of the series using the Dragu-Energist he obtained in his dragon hunt. He is the main focus and main male character in the series.
Allen Schezar:
One of the twelve "Heavenly Knights" of Asturia and an incredible swordsman. He is a dashing ladies man who often steals the hearts of all females in his general presence. He looks an incredible amount like Susumu Amano (Hitomi's crush) which leads Hitomi to also fall for him. Under his smooth exterior lies a broken interior involving his family as well as a forbidden love in his past. Allen is the pilot of the Guymelef Scheherazade and is feared by most who happen to cross his path. He joins Hitomi and Van on their journeys after his fort is attacked by the Zaibach army who are in search of Escaflowne and its pilot.
Merle:
Van's companion and playmate. She was found by Balgus (Royal Samurai and grand swordsman) at infancy and brought into the royal entourage. This 13 year old cat girl is very possessive of Vn; especially when Hitomi is around. Merle is from Irini, a small town in the kingdom of Fanelia.
Amano:
Amano is not in the show that much, but he is remembered throughout the whole thing. He is 17years old, has brown hair and, looks like brown eyes as well. At first it is said that he was going out of the country for a while, but he never does. Hitomi's prediction of separation is for her leaving, not Amano.
Millerna:
The youngest daughter of King Aston, seemingly the tomboy of the his daughters. She wants to become a doctor and is in love with Allen.
Folken Strategos:
Is Van's big brother Folken Lacour de Fanel. He is 10 years Van's senior; he too underwent the ordeal of trying to kill a dragon to claim the throne but lost his arm in the process and failed to kill the dragon.
Dilandau:
Is Allen's sister; she was kidnapped by men from Ziabach and they conducted experiments on her, thus changing her from female to a male. Celena is the normal form of Dilandau.
Dryden:
Is the son of Meiden;like his father, he is a rich merchant. Dryden directs the Crusade to the Mystic Vally. He is also arranged to be married to Millerna.