by is one of the most influential young adult book series in recent memory. The trilogy, published between 2008 and 2010, has become deeply ingrained in American pop culture. Starting in 2012, it was adapted for film, and the movies have since become just about as popular as the books.
The three Hunger Games books are set in a brutal dystopian world, a large country on the continent of North America called Panem, ruled by a harsh authoritarian government. Panem consists of the wealthy Capitol and 12 outlying districts, all of which exist in various states of poverty and decay. Each year, two children from each district are selected by lottery and forced to participate in a vicious competition for survival, which is broadcast live all over the country. The series follows 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who volunteers to be the tribute from District 12 in place of her younger sister. is about her experience in the Hunger Games arena; is set during the Quarter Quell, a special Hunger Games event in which past winners compete against each other; and , the final installment, chronicles the revolution that has been brewing in Panem ever since Katniss defied the Capitol authorities during her first competition.
Though it deals with shocking violence and cruelty, the Hunger Games is ultimately a story about redemption, revolution, and the power of love and community. It's an action-packed epic about the courage it takes to change the world. And though there are only three books, there are dozens of characters, all of whom are crucially important to the plot. The following character guide will help you make sense of all the major and minor players in the Hunger Games universe: who they are, where they come from, their major arcs, and their overall significance to the story.
Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Hunger Games trilogy.
Main Characters
Katniss Everdeen
Series Protagonist, Competitor in the 74th & 75th Hunger Games, District 12
Katniss is the smart, independent, and fiery protagonist of the Hunger Games series. She is 16 when the series begins and lives in the poor coal mining region of District 12 with her mother and younger sister, Prim. After her father dies in a mining accident, her mother falls into a depression, leaving Katniss to care for the family and look out for her younger sister. When Prim's name is drawn at the Reaping for the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers to go in her place. She's joined by Peeta Mellark, who she knows only as the boy who once gave bread when she was a starving child.
During the Hunger Games, Katniss proves strong, resourceful, and determined. She does what it takes to survive, but she never loses her humanity. She befriends the youngest tribute, Rue, and later takes care of Peeta, even though she's not sure if she can trust him. In the final climatic events of The Hunger Games, when the Gamemakers abruptly take back their promise to allow two tributes from the same district to be co-winners if both survive, Katniss openly defies them by threatening a double suicide rather than kill Peeta. This forces the Capitol to intervene, afraid of a public outcry. It marks Katniss an enemy of Panem's President Snow, and it also sparks a rebellion that eventually becomes a full-fledged revolution.
Peeta declares his love for Katniss in The Hunger Games—but she believes it's only an act. It's not until the second book in the series, when they're forced to compete in the Quarter Quell, that Katniss realizes Peeta's feelings have been genuine all along, and she returns them. They begin Catching Fire as tentative allies. By the end of the book, they've formed an unbreakable bond.
Mockingjay focuses on the rebellion and war against the Capitol that Katniss's actions helped spark. She discovers the mysterious District 13, the center of the rebellion, and becomes an inspirational symbol for the movement to overthrow the Capitol. But Katniss is often frustrated with the rebellion. She doesn't want to be an empty symbol; she's determined to use her skills to kill President Snow. She also becomes more and more suspicious of the District 13 leader Alma Coin, eventually realizing that she is just as brutal as Snow. Katniss never loses her spark or her determination, and she never stops thinking for herself. When the Capitol tortures Peeta and brainwashes him into wanting to kill her, she doesn't give up on him. His slow and painful recovery only makes her more determined to destroy Snow and everything he stands for.
In the final assault on the Capitol, Katniss's sister Prim is killed in a bombing. Katniss later learns that this bombing was orchestrated as a stunt by Alma Coin. After the rebels take over the Capitol and arrest Snow, Katniss kills Coin. She then tries to kill herself, but Peeta stops her. Heartbroken and grieving, she returns to District 12, where she slowly recovers from the intense traumas she suffered during the two Hunger Games and subsequent war. Eventually, she and Peeta get married, and they help each other heal from their lingering emotional wounds.
Peeta Mellark
Competitor in the 74th & 75th Hunger Games, District 12
Peeta is Katniss's co-tribute in the 74th and 75th Hunger Games. Their tumultuous relationship is at the center of the series. Peeta is the son of a baker, and thus slightly more well-off than Katniss's family. They don't know each other before the start of the Games, but they have interacted. When he was 11, Peeta deliberately burned two loaves of bread so that he could give them to Katniss, whose family was starving. He was punished by his mother for it, and Katniss, though she never thanked him directly, started calling him "the boy with the bread." In his public interview before the 74th Hunger Games, Peeta admits to having a longstanding crush on Katniss. She assumes this is just a way to gain popularity among rich sponsors. Over the course of the games, however, he proves himself again and again. Peeta is kind, thoughtful, and careful, often acting as a foil to Katniss's fiery impulsiveness.
During The Hunger Games, Peeta enacts an elaborate strategy to keep Katniss safe. He purposely aligns himself with the Careers to trick them into thinking that he'll give up Katniss. When he's severely wounded after killing one of the Careers, it is Katniss who takes care of him. When the Gamemakers declare that the rules have changed, allowing two winners if they come from the same district, Peeta and Katniss become allies. Declaring their love for each other is part of their strategy to win—but Katniss doesn't realize that Peeta's love for her is genuine until the end of the book.
In Catching Fire, Peeta and Katniss have become symbols of a brewing rebellion, thanks to their actions during the Hunger Games, which defied the Capitol in their refusal to play by its rules. When they're both forced to compete again in the Quarter Quell, they grow even closer, and Katniss realizes that she's actually in love with Peeta. At the end of Catching Fire, she and several fellow tributes escape the arena, but Peeta is captured by the Capitol.
In Mockingjay, Peeta undergoes intense physical and emotional torture in the Capitol. He's brainwashed into thinking that Katniss is an evil monster, a subhuman creation determined to kill him and his family. Therefore, when he's finally rescued and reunited with Katniss in District 13, he tries to kill her. His recovery is slow and painful, and he doesn't fully recover until after the war. Though he does finally return to himself, he continues to have occasional nightmares. As we learn in the epilogue, he and Katniss eventually marry and have two children together.
Gale Hawthorne
Katniss's Childhood Friend and Sometimes-Love Interest, District 12
Gale is a boy from District 12 and Katniss's childhood friend. He is a skilled hunter, and it is through hunting together as children that they become best friends. Gale's father was killed in the same mining accident that claimed Katniss's father. They've always been close, but everything changes between them when Katniss volunteers as a tribute. Her fellow tribute Peeta reveals that he's in love with her during the first Hunger Games book, and over the course of the series, she eventually realizes she is in love with him as well. But the will-they-won't-they tension between Katniss and Peeta strains her relationship with Gale, who confesses he loves her in Catching Fire. They're on the brink of running away together when the Quarter Quell is announced, and they're once again forced to separate.
In Mockingjay, Gale becomes a hero, fighting for the rebellion. When the Capitol destroys District 12, he leads the survivors to safety. The District 13 rebels reward him for his heroism. But despite fighting alongside Katniss during the war, the two of them never regain their earlier closeness. Gale feels partially responsible for Prim's death, having built the bomb that killed her without realizing its true purpose. Katniss becomes closer to Peeta as the series progresses, eventually letting go of her childhood feelings for Gale. After the war, Gale decides not to return to District 12. Katniss and Gale's story is bittersweet; though the series has a happy ending, it doesn't shy away from everything that is lost along the way.
Haymitch Abernathy
Winner of the 50th Hunger Games and Tribute Mentor, District 12
Haymitch won the 50th Hunger Games, thanks to his discovery of a force field at the edge of the arena that causes objects to ricochet off it. After his victory, President Snow has Haymitch's family murdered in retaliation for his manipulating the force field. Haymitch becomes an alcoholic, spending the next few decades drinking himself to numb the pain. He hates the Hunger Games, the Capitol, and everything they stand for. However, as the only surviving District 12 winner, he's forced to mentor all District 12 tributes, including Katniss and Peeta. During The Hunger Games, he initially treats Katniss and Peeta like all previous tributes—with contempt and detachment. But after Katniss confronts him, he gains respect for her and pulls himself together enough to help her and Peeta survive.
Haymitch remains an important character throughout the rest of the series, acting as both a mentor and friend to Katniss. They also have their disagreements, as his short temper and the pain he's experienced in his life culminate in a somewhat gruff disposition. He goes through alcohol withdrawal during Catching Fire. In Mockingjay, he contributes to the rebellion, though in his own particular way. After the war, he resumes drinking, and despite everything that he, Katniss, and Peeta went through together, they don't remain close. Haymitch plays a crucial role in Katniss's life, and contributes to the success of the rebellion against the Capitol, but he never really gets to enjoy it. His story is a heartbreaking one.
Primrose Everdeen
Katniss's Younger Sister, District 12
Primrose is Katniss's younger sister and just 12 during the events of The Hunger Games. She is described as being sweet, gentle, and kind. She's also a skilled healer, having been trained in basic first aid and herbal remedies by her mother. When Prim's name is drawn during the Reaping for the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers to go as tribute in her place. This sacrifice makes Katniss popular in the Capitol, and also makes it impossible for President Snow to threaten to harm Prim to scare Katniss into submission. During the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss thinks of Prim often, and a desire to keep her safe drives many of her decisions. In the later books, during the rebellion and war, Prim matures beyond her years, working as a nurse during the final battle against the Capitol. She's killed in a bombing, which is later revealed to have been executed as a stunt by District 13 president Alma Coin. Prim's death causes Katniss to fall into a dark depression, and she later murders President Coin.
Secondary Characters
Rue
Competitor in the 74th Hunger Games, District 11
Rue is the youngest tribute of the 74th Hunger Games, at only 12 years old. She is small and very smart, and survives the first few days in the arena by hiding in trees. She and Katniss become allies after Rue points out a Tracker Jacker nest, which Katniss avoids and then uses to take out several Career tributes. Working together, they plan to destroy the Careers' supply cache, but Rue gets caught in a trap set by the Careers and is killed by one of them. Katniss tries to defend her but is too late. Rue dies in front of Katniss, telling Katniss that now it's up to her to win. Though she only appears in The Hunger Games, Katniss often thinks of Rue in the later books, never quite recovering from her loss.
Johanna Mason
Competitor in the 75th Hunger Games, District 7
Johanna Mason is a competitor in the Quarter Quell, having won the 71st Hunger Games by pretending to be weak and only revealing herself as ruthless when a few tributes were left. She is hard, bitter, exhausted, and rebellious, unafraid to openly defy the Capitol. During the Quarter Quell, she bands together with Katniss, Peeta, and Finnick, protecting Katniss throughout the competition. At the end of Catching Fire, she's captured by the Capitol, but is rescued by the rebels in Mockingjay. She joins the District 13 rebellion, but continues to be haunted by the traumas of her past, particularly the torture she endured while a prisoner in the Capitol.
Finnick Odair
Competitor in the 75th Hunger Games, District 4
Finnick is a tribute from District 4 who competes in the Quarter Quell in Catching Fire. He won the 65th Hunger Games at age 14, and he's very popular in the Capitol. During the Quarter Quell, Katniss is at first reluctant to trust him. He eventually wins her over—by rescuing Peeta from drowning and giving him CPR, and then later by sharing invaluable survival skills. He's a major character in the final book, Mockingjay. His lover is being held prisoner in the Capitol, and he and Katniss become good friends, bonding over their mutual pain. He supports her throughout the revolution. Finnick dies during the last assault on the Capitol.
Plutarch Heavensbee
Head Gamemaker, the Capitol
In the beginning of Catching Fire, President Snow has Head Gamemaker Seneca Crane executed for letting both Katniss and Peeta live. Plutarch Heavensbee becomes Head Gamemaker in his place. Secretly, Plutarch is deeply involved in the rebellions taking place in the districts, and he's the mastermind behind the plan to help the tributes escape the arena during the Quarter Quell. In Mockingjay, he assists District 13 in their war against the Capitol by making propaganda that features Katniss in her Mockingjay costume.
Coriolanus Snow
President of Panem, Series Antagonist
President Snow is the president of Panem, ruling over the entire country from the Capitol. He often appears cheerful and friendly, but it soon becomes clear that he is not only a power hungry dictator—he has committed many horrific crimes, including poisoning people, to gain his position. Katniss notes that Snow always smells of blood and roses. This is due to sores in his mouth, which he developed after drinking the poisons he used to kill others, attempting to prove himself innocent. To mask the smell of blood, he always wears a rose.
After Katniss and Peeta refuse to kill each other in the 74th Hunger Games, President Snow threatens Katniss, angry because her actions have spurred rebellion in some of the districts. Throughout Catching Fire and Mockingjay, he continues to play the part of brutal dictator. It is revealed that he has forced past Hunger Games winners to sleep with wealthy patrons, and worse: to keep past winners under his control, he has killed their loved ones. At the end of Mockingjay, President Snow is arrested and sentenced to death at a public execution.
President Coin
President of District 13
Alma Coin is the president of District 13, the mysterious district that most Panem residents believed was destroyed, but had actually seceded after striking a deal with the Capitol. President Coin is an important character in Mockingjay, in which Katniss travels to District 13. Though they join forces during the final assault on the Capitol, President Coin doesn't like Katniss, and Katniss never truly trusts her. After they overtake the Capitol, Coin is named as the interim president, and proposes a final Hunger Games with children from the Capitol as tributes. Katniss also learns that Coin was responsible for a bombing that killed her sister, Primrose. At President Snow's execution, Katniss shoots the equally dangerous President Coin with a single arrow and kills her.
Cinna
Katniss's Stylist, the Capitol
Cinna is Katniss's stylist for the 74th and 75th Hunger Games, responsible for designing all of her clothes for public appearances. He is incredibly talented, and his brilliant designs play a big role in Katniss's popularity. He designs her dress for the Opening Ceremony to ignite via synthetic flame and nicknames her "The Girl on Fire." In Catching Fire, he's forced by the president to dress Katniss in her wedding gown for her public interview, but he cleverly designs it to transform into a mockingjay dress when she spins. For this act of rebellion, he's beaten in front of Katniss, and he eventually dies. Throughout the books, Cinna is a friend and comfort to Katniss. He sees through the Hunger Games for what they are, unlike most of the Capitol residents.
Caesar Flickerman
Master of Ceremonies of the Hunger Games, the Capitol
Caesar Flickerman serves as the Master of Ceremonies for the Hunger Games. He provides live commentary during the competition and conducts a live interview with each tribute before they enter the arena. He's known for his easygoing manner and his ability to put competitors at ease during their interviews. He's been serving as the Master of Ceremonies since the 50th Hunger Games.
Effie Trinket
Hunger Games Chaperone, the Capitol
Effie Trinket is a woman from the Capitol who's assigned to chaperone the District 12 tributes in the 74th and 75th Hunger Games. It's her job to draw names at the Reaping, bring the tributes to the Games, and support them throughout the process. She's initially annoyed at being assigned to District 12, which is notoriously poor, but she eventually warms up to Katniss and Peeta. She has no problem with the Games, treating the whole thing like an inevitability—just another day on the job—rather than the bloodbath it is. She appears briefly in Mockingjay, where it's revealed that she was arrested during the revolution. She's not executed, like other Capitol citizens associated with Katniss, but it's clear that she's not the same person she was, appearing empty and confused to Katniss.
Glimmer
Competitor in the 74th Hunger Games, District 1
Glimmer is a Career tribute, a teenager who grew up in District 1 training for the Hunger Games. In the initial bloodbath where tributes pick their weapons and supplies, she selects a bow, though it is later revealed that she is not a skilled shooter. Glimmer is killed indirectly when Katniss drops a nest of Tracker Jackers on a group of Careers. After her death, Katniss takes her bow and arrows, which requires her to break several of Glimmer's fingers. Glimmer finishes 12th overall in the 74th Hunger Games and doesn't have a larger role in the series. However, like many of the tributes who die in The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, her death contributes to the overall atmosphere of brutality and horror in the arena.
Cato
Competitor in the 74th Hunger Games, District 2
Cato is a Career tribute from District 2, and one of the strongest and most skilled of all the competitors in the 74th Hunger Games. He is adept with a range of weapons, which earns him a lot of sponsors before the competition starts. In the arena, he kills many tributes in the initial bloodbath and emerges as leader of the pack of Careers. Along with most of the remaining tributes, he hunts down Katniss, but escapes the Tracker Jacker attack that kills many others. He makes it to the final three, along with Katniss and Peeta. After the Gamemakers force the three of them to the cornucopia, Cato captures Peeta. Katniss shoots him in the hand, which forces him to release Peeta and fall. In the end, Katniss kills him out of mercy, as he's being attacked by mutations made to appear like dead tributes.
Now that you've gotten to know all the characters, be sure to check out The Hunger Games audiobooks on Audible. Emmy Award-winning Orphan Black actress Tatiana Maslany narrates the trilogy, capturing Katniss's voice and spirit.
