Emma Swan is a tough, cynical bail bonds collector who arrives in Storybrooke, Maine, at the behest of her biological son, Henry. Initially a guarded pragmatist skeptical of Henry’s claims that she is the long-lost daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming destined to break a dark curse, Emma gradually transitions from an outsider into the town's sheriff and protector, ultimately unlocking her belief in magic and familial love. Secretly Mary + David (Prince Charming’s) daughter

Henry Mills is a lonely, imaginative ten-year-old who tracks down his biological mother, Emma Swan, to bring her to Storybrooke. Armed with a mysterious storybook, he fiercely believes the townspeople are cursed fairy tale characters. His unwavering faith ultimately breaks the curse. Emma Swan’s biological son, Regina’s adoptive son

Regina Mills is the chilling, manipulative mayor of Storybrooke and the secret Evil Queen. Consumed by her bitter thirst for revenge against Snow White, she fiercely guards her fabricated reality and control over the town. At the same time, she wages a cold, desperate war against Emma Swan to keep her adopted son, Henry, entirely to herself. The Evil Queen

Graham Humbert is the handsome and duty-bound lawman of Storybrooke who secretly serves as Mayor Regina Mills' lover and enforcer. Beneath his standard-issue uniform, Graham is a deeply tragic figure struggling with an emotional numbness he cannot explain—a side effect of his true identity as the Huntsman from the Enchanted Forest, whose heart was literally ripped out and stolen by the Evil Queen.

Killian Jones, known as Captain Hook on Once Upon a Time, is a charming, witty, and fiercely loyal rogue who evolves from a vengeful pirate into a devoted hero. Beneath his swagger and sarcastic exterior lies a deeply wounded man driven by love, redemption, and an underlying core of deep-seated honor. (Killian x Emma) Captain Hook

Mary Margaret Blanchard (the Storybrooke counterpart of Snow White) is defined by her profound optimism, resilience, and unwavering belief in hope and true love. In her Storybrooke persona, she initially appears as a gentle, soft-spoken, and somewhat passive schoolteacher who harbors deep loneliness and insecurity. However, beneath this mild-mannered exterior lies her true Snow White spirit: a fierce, compassionate leader and a skilled archer who is deeply protective of her family and willing to fight for what is right. While her intense desire to always do the honorable thing can sometimes lead to naivety or paralyzing guilt when she makes mistakes, her capacity for forgiveness, empathy, and emotional strength ultimately serves as the moral compass for those around her. Snow White

Jefferson, also known as the Mad Hatter, is a complex, tragic character in Once Upon a Time whose background and personality are defined by intense devotion to his daughter, Grace, and the crushing weight of cosmic isolation. Originally a portal-jumping smuggler who retired to raise his daughter in poverty, his desperation to give her a better life leads him to accept a ill-fated job from Regina, which ultimately leaves him trapped in Wonderland. This abandonment fractures his psyche, but his true "madness" stems from a cruel supernatural punishment: he is the only resident of Storybrooke who retains his full memories of the Enchanted Forest during the dark curse, forced to watch his daughter live with another family while he remains isolated in his mansion. Consequently, Jefferson’s personality is a volatile mix of cynicism, desperate determination, and profound grief, making him a sympathetic antagonist who is willing to manipulate others—like Emma Swan—not out of malice, but out of a fierce, singular obsession with reuniting with his daughter. The Mad Hatter