The following is a list of characters from the Japanese manga series Gunslinger Girl.

Set in modern-day Italy, the series revolves around the Social Welfare Agency, a government-funded organisation which is supposed to provide advanced medical care to those in need. This, however, is a cover for a far different agenda: the patients, adolescent girls who have survived traumatic events, are brainwashed into forgetting their past, turned into cyborgs, trained in the use of weapons and used as assassins to battle enemies of the State. Each girl is assigned to an adult whose job is to provide the girl with training and act as a mentor and authority figure. The relationship between the cyborg-girls and their "handlers" forms the basis of much of the plot and varies from the affectionate to the indifferent with varying degrees of results.

Child cyborg assassins First Generation

Left for dead after the brutal murder of her family, during which she herself was assaulted, Henrietta suffered severe psychological trauma, making her suicidal. Like the other cyborg-girls, she was brainwashed into forgetting these events by a technique known as conditioning. Henrietta has short brown hair and brown eyes. Henrietta is devoted to her handler, Jose Croce, towards whom she has strong feelings. She even shows signs of jealousy when she feels Jose is paying attention to other women. He encourages her to share his interest in astronomy which she passes on to the other girls. Jose even gives her a diary, but this causes her distress when, as a result of the long-term effects of the conditioning, she begins to forget the events she noted in the book. Henrietta's preferred weapons are the SIG Sauer P239 Two-Tone, the Fabrique Nationale P90 PDW, and the FN FAL. She and her handler have also used the Walther WA 2000 sniper rifle and Ingram MAC-10.

Confined to a hospital by severe birth defects,Aida, Yu:"Gunslinger Girl", ADV Manga, Vol. 1 – p.41 Rico was signed over by her parents to the SWA on her eleventh birthday. Rico loves her new body and life at the SWA, viewing each day as a blessing and maintaining a happy disposition. Rico appears to be the only cyborg with a clear memory of her life before coming to the SWA.Aida, Yu: "Gunslinger Girl", ADV Manga, Vol. 1 – p.56 Rico's interrelationship with Jean is often marked by his seeming apathy towards her, and his harsh treatment of her when she makes mistakes, while Rico accepts his treatment of her as without question, only occasionally showing subtle signs of discontent. At his own request she shoots through and very nearly kills Jean, who was being used as a shield by Dante, in order to kill Dante (although he also survives). In the epilogue of the penultimate chapter, it is revealed through Claes's narration that Rico passed away one year after the end of the main story."Gunslinger Girl" Vol. 15 Ch.99 "The End of Winter" In the final chapter, after an undetermined amount of time has passed, Jean still keeps a picture of Rico on his desk."Gunslinger Girl" Vol. 15 Ch.100 "The Hope" Rico's preferred weapons are the CZ-75 pistol and the Dragunov SVD. In chapter 79 she wields a FN SCAR with a CQC barrel and chambered in 7.62 NATO. She has also been shown wielding a Beretta SCP-70/90 and is additionally shown training with a Galil MAR carbine and a Benelli M4 Super 90 shotgun. Her preferred support weapon is the MG 3 general purpose machine gun.

Originally from Tunisia, Triela was kidnapped and smuggled to Amsterdam by the Mafia, where she was assaulted during a taping of a snuff film.Aida, Yu: "Gunslinger Girl", ADV Manga, Vol 1 – p.102Aida, Yu: "Gunslinger Girl", ADV Manga, Vol 4 – ch.22 She was rescued by Victor Hilshire and Rachelle Belleut, after he took her to the SWA for treatment to her injuries. But she was also converted to a cyborg without his knowledge. Extremely pragmatic with just a hint of rebellion, Triela has a sarcastic wit and prefers to wear masculine clothing,Aida, Yu: "Gunslinger Girl", ADV Manga, Vol 1 – p.105 though she does wear more feminine clothing in later chapters. She serves as a sort of mentor to the other girls of the SWA and retains a realistic outlook on her situation within the Agency. As the second oldest cyborg, Triela is beginning to experience the memory lossAida, Yu: "Gunslinger Girl", Asuka Comics, Vol 9 and medicinal withdrawals that plagued Angelica's final months, and has stated that she will probably die soon.Aida, Yu: "Gunslinger Girl", Asuka Comics, Vol 10 She and Victor were killed during the New Turin Nuclear Plant incident and their bodies were later found together by the agency's cleanup crew. It is revealed in Victor's will that he had secretly had some of Triela's eggs preserved in a hospital. One of these is implanted to Roberta Guellfi, who bears and raises Triela's child, a girl she names "Speranza" (hope). Triela's preferred weapons are the SIG-Sauer P230 SL pistol (after losing her P230 to Pinocchio, she is given a P232 as a replacement) and the M1897 Trench Shotgun with bayonet attachment. She has also been shown using a selection of Heckler & Koch weaponry, including the H&K G3A3 battle rifle, the H&K P7M8 pistol, H&K UMP submachine gun and H&K MP7 PDW.

Born Fleda Claes Johansson and the daughter of a professor who instilled in her a love for books at an early age,Gunslinger Girl, Madhouse Ltd., season 1 – episode 5 it is unknown how she arrived at the Social Welfare Agency. Claes is usually confined to the Agency, unable to participate in missions with the other girls since the death of her handler Raballo. She is used as a test subject by the cyborg engineers, who utilize controlled situations and equipment to monitor the usefulness of her implants.Aida, Yu: Gunslinger Girl, ADV Manga, Vol 2 – p.31 Since she and Raballo had bonded closely before his death it was decided that she could not be assigned to another handler, so she was re-conditioned to remove all memory of him. However, her life since then subconsciously reflects his influence through things like her painting of fishing, accessing the books in Raballo's former dorm room and her enjoyment of gardening. Claes wears glasses from her life before her cybernetic operation as a visual reminder of a promise she once made to Raballo to "be good",Aida, Yu: Gunslinger Girl, ADV Manga, Vol 1 – p.29 but over time she's come to believe that she should not engage in violence at all — which causes complications when she and Petra are sent to capture some suspected weapons smugglers. After the New Turin incident, when the government sends soldiers to terminate the Social Welfare Agency (who have served their purpose and are now just 'dirty laundry'), Claes confronts them, but breaks down when she hears mention of Raballo – although it is left uncertain whether she is finally able to remember him, or not. Her final fate is unknown, but it can be presumed that she continues to live with the Social Welfare Agency or its successor until her death. While part of a fratello with Raballo, Claes employed the H&K VP70M and the MP5K PDW.

Angelica was almost killed in a hit-and-run accident staged by her father to collect the life insurance he had on her. She thus became the first girl converted to a cyborg.Aida, Yu: "Gunslinger Girl", ADV Manga, Vol 2 – p.140 Originally she remembered her family, but later she was conditioned to forget them. This conditioning significantly dampened her gregarious and outgoing nature, which alienated her from her handler, Marco. As the first cyborg to undergo the conditioning process, she became the first cyborg to suffer the deleterious effects. She suffered serious injuries while protecting on a mission at the end of season 1, but manages to slowly recover and eventually rejoin the other girls, despite the doubts of some Section 2 members. In the manga, Angelica's memory and function continue to deteriorate in a manner similar to those suffering Alzheimer's Disease. She passes away after reconciling with Marco and trying to comfort him with the Prince of Pasta story, despite no longer being able to recognize him. The Angelica/Marco fratello exclusively used Steyr-Mannlicher weapons including the AUG A2, TMP compact submachine gun, M-A1 pistol and the AUG H-BAR LMG.

Elsa de Sica's world revolved around her handler, Lauro, even though he showed general disinterest towards her. Triela claimed that Elsa was in love with Lauro and generally ignored the other cyborgs. In both the manga and the anime, Henrietta believes that Elsa, knowing Lauro would never return her feelings of love and affection, took him to the park where Lauro named her and murdered him, taking her own life thereafter. Elsa's preferred weapons were the SIG 550, SIG 551, and SIG P229, and is also shown to use as a secondary sniping weapon a PGM Hecate II. In the manga, Elsa never appeared alive (exceptions being a very brief flashback), and was only introduced after her death. The anime, however, devoted an entire episode to her relationship with her handler as a prelude to her killing him and then herself. In the anime, Elsa is said to be the newest addition to the Agency.FUNimation summary of episode 9.

Beatrice is able to smell explosives either on a person or structure, an ability used by her handler to help identify potential suspects. In both the anime and manga she is portrayed as both apathetic and unemotional. She forms a friendship with Claes, who teaches her botany and gardening. Beatrice's preferred weapon is the IMI Micro Uzi machine pistol. She is killed during the Venice Operation against Giacomo Dante in Volume 11 by a shot to the chest from a Denel NTW-20 anti-materiel rifle, while throwing a 500kg missile warhead out of the Belltower of St. Marks. Her last thoughts were about her unique duty to do what normal people cannot do because she does not fear death, and the many people who wish for Triela to live.

Introduced in Chapter 60, Silvia has long wavy hair and carries a Benelli M4 Super 90 shotgun. She and her handler have been with the SWA for just under three years and they spent time together in Bologna. She is killed during the Venice Operation against Giacomo Dante in Volume 11.

Introduced in Chapter 60, Chiara has short dark hair and appears to carry an FR Ordnance MC51. Chiara became a cyborg shortly before Silvia did. She is wounded during the Venice Operation against Giacomo Dante in Volume 11. She does not appear again in the manga, so her fate is unknown.

Seen only in the PS2 video game, her handler was a sleeper Padania agent who escaped with her. Dialogue in the game states she was created at the same time as Henrietta and Rico. Unidentified Cyborgs In Chapter 18, two unidentified girls are shown in the dining room. The one entering is likely Beatrice based on her hair style and clothing. It is possible the girl at the table with dark hair is Chiara. In Chapter 33, also in the dining room, an unidentified girl with long dark hair is seen with a tray of food.

Second Generation