Vlad Plasmius

The series ''Danny Phantom'' centers on young Danny Fenton and his coming-of-age story as a half-ghost superhero in the town of Amity Park. Over the course of the series, he betters both himself and his powers as he deals with ghosts, balancing his normal and heroic life in a community that does not initially trust him.

His companions are his best friends: Sam Manson, a vegetarian goth girl who is entranced by the "weird and supernatural" and Tucker Foley, a lighthearted "techno-geek". Danny often has to put up with the eccentricity of his ghost-hunting parents, Jack and Maddie Fenton, and his smothering, doting, but compassionate older sister, Jazz Fenton. His primary nemesis is Vlad Masters, a billionaire celebrity who is also a half-ghost.

Main

Danny Phantom

Daniel William "Danny" Fenton, also known as Danny Phantom, is the main protagonist of the series. He is initially shown as an average, self-conscious, introverted, kind-hearted, and sensitive 14-year-old boy who is desperate to fit in with his peers and be accepted, despite his parents' eccentrics. Danny thinks highly of his older sister Jazz, despite finding it annoying when she gets involved in his social life, and is in many ways as over-protective of her as she is of him. After an accident in his parents' ghost lab, Danny becomes a human/ghost hybrid, also called a half-ghost or halfa, and obtains a variety of ghostly abilities. A battle with the Lunch Lady Ghost places the unsure Danny on the path to becoming a superhero. Despite his flaws, he is good-hearted and loyal to his friends and family. He eventually grows, gaining great confidence in himself and maturity, and begins concentrating more on his heroic duties.

Danny possesses the powers of flight, intangibility, invisibility, sensing other spirits, and overshadowing, as well as ghost rays. The ghost rays consist of laser-like " ectoplasm" which are emitted from his body; primarily his hands and fingertips. Over the course of the show, he gains various other powers such as duplication, forcefield creation, telekinesis, power absorption, and cryokinesis. At the beginning of the series, his ghost sense is a facet of his power set that he must uncover. In the two-part special "The Ultimate Enemy," Danny gains a power known as the "ghostly wail." To use this power, Danny yells and creates waves of ecto-energy -illustrated much like sound waves- that destroy almost everything in his path, making it his most destructive and damaging power overall. However, since he obtained it 10 years too early, it drains him of all his strength and reverts him to human form.

Samantha "Sam" Manson

Voice by Grey DeLisle

Sam Manson is one of Danny's best friends and love interest/eventual girlfriend. She is a gothic, environmentally-concerned "ultra-recyclo-vegetarian". Her parents are well-to-do social conservatives who inherited money from their famous inventor ancestor, who invented "the machine that twirls the cellophane around the toothpicks", though she briefly kept this a secret from her friends to avoid "fake friendships". In the Christmas special, it was revealed that she and her family are Jewish, which was hinted at the fact that her grandmother calls her "bubeleh".

Sam is often the most pragmatic of the group, but she can be bossy at times and is determined to stand up for what she believes in, particularly when environmental causes are involved. Like Danny, however, she is good-hearted, as she is always there for him no matter what. She was the one who urged Danny to explore the then-under-construction Fenton Portal, resulting in the accident that gave Danny his ghost powers. She has a crush on Danny that lasts throughout the majority of the series, and she eventually becomes his girlfriend.

Sam has also been unintentionally responsible in the development of ghosts and was transformed twice. In "Parental Bonding," when attempting to retrieve the Amulet of Aragon from Paulina to stop her from turning into a dragon, Paulina puts it on Sam as she tells him she only faked affection for Danny to get back at Sam for taunting her earlier, which infuriates Sam and transforms her into the ghost dragon, who Danny is able to defeat and change back. In the episode "Urban Jungle", Undergrowth brainwashes Sam into becoming his queen and "personal care taker of everything green". In the episode "Memory Blank", Sam accidentally causes Danny to lose his powers out of anger because of the wish-granting ghost Desiree and also brings to life three ghosts from a horror movie, Femalien, Terminatra, and Nightmerica.

Tucker Foley

Voiced by Rickey D'Shon Collins

Tucker Foley is an African-American boy who is Danny's other best friend "since forever".He also is slightly jealous of Danny and his supernatural powers. He is the most lighthearted of the trio and often cracks jokes, serving as the comic relief during very tense scenes. He often believes he is a ladies' man, but often fails at attracting any popular girls. Gifted with technological knowledge and a self-proclaimed "techno-geek", Tucker often helps by using his PDA to hack into computers and machinery. He is also a lover of meat, as opposed to Sam.

Despite all this (or, perhaps, because of it), Tucker has a shockingly dark side; he tends to get easily corrupted by his vice, and while he enjoys getting attention, he openly expresses envy when he is not receiving any.

Jasmine "Jazz" Fenton

Voiced by Colleen O'Shaughnessey

Jazz Fenton is Danny's intelligent and highly sociable sixteen-year-old sister. Viewing herself as the most rational and normal member of the family, Jazz often plays a surrogate parental role to Danny, thinking he's a naive child in need of guidance, unaware that she is often smothering him. Jazz is an overachiever, whose accomplishments unknowingly make Danny feel insignificant, under-appreciated, and stupid in comparison, making him feel like he has something to prove. Looking after her brother all her life has initially caused Jazz to think more like an adult then a teenager, unaware that Danny actually needs a big sister more than he needs a parent now that he's old enough to look after himself.

Due to her cherished goal of being a psychologist, Jazz has a bad habit of getting into people's personal space, which greatly annoys her brother, despite his knowing that she does it because she loves him and wants nothing more than to help him. When she secretly discovers her brother's secret identity, Jazz has made excuses for him while he went out to fight ghosts, and slowly starts to realize that her brother is growing up fine on his own. Along the way, she learns to appreciate her family's ghost hunting and actively takes part at times. She has also learned to embrace her sixteen-year-old self instead of acting like an "adult in a teen body", thanks to an "on-the-job" lesson on how to be a kid from Danny.

Jack and Madeline "Maddie" Fenton

Voiced by Rob Paulsen and Kath Soucie

Jack and Maddie are Danny and Jazz's parents. They are professional yet bumbling jumpsuit-wearing ghost hunters who make it their hobby and goal to study and eradicate "all things ectoplasmic." While they serve as much embarrassment to their children, they are just as well respected and loved by them. Despite their obsession with ghost hunting, Jack and Maddie are loving parents who dote on their kids constantly.

Jack is the most obsessed with ghost-hunting. He jumps into action before thinking and can make a bad situation even worse. While he can often act clumsy and incompetent, he holds a great deal of courage and is an adequate fighter, at one point clashing toe-and-toe against Vlad Plasmius and defeating him, much to the latter's surprise and embarrassment. He is a self-proclaimed scientist who has a good amount of technical knowledge, and is able to conjure up ghost gadgets and defense systems built all around the Fenton household. He also has a maturity and seriousness that few people recognize and can get serious and show great skill when danger threatens his loved ones. In Pt. 2 of the "''Danny Phantom'' Ten Years Later" video on YouTube, Butch Hartman admits he partially based Jack off Fred Flintstone.Archived a
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Maddie (short for Madeline) is an accomplished ninth-degree martial artist who serves as Jack's partner and equal inventor of Fenton anti-ghost gadgets. She dons a jumpsuit hood with goggles that makes her resemble Catwoman from DC comics and is more down-to-earth than her husband and often supports or keep her husband from getting into trouble or harm. She is often the more sensible of the two, but can be aggressive and snappy at times.

Jack and Maddie attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison at the same time as Vlad Plasmius; it was there that the rivalry between Jack and Vlad over Maddie began.

Villains

Ghost villains

Amorpho

Voiced by Danny Mann

Constituting a parody of the comics-character Chameleon, Amorpho is a ghost able to change his appearance into that of any (human or animal) being, at will. More mischievous than malevolent, he desires attention and pursues it by morphing into someone else's appearance, to play pranks that leave the corresponding person to take the consequences, for what he actually had done.

Bertrand

Voiced by Jim Ward

Bertrand, is a small yet powerful shape-shifting, amorphous blob-like ghost who can transform into various monstrous creatures to defend Spectra and help enact her plans, and is just as sadistic and cruel as Spectra herself.

Box Ghost

Voiced by Rob Paulsen

The Box Ghost is a running gag ghoul with a Canadian accent who constantly fights with cardboard and anything square (and the occasional bubble wrap). He is incompetent in his attempts to scare people and is barely taken seriously by either the heroes or the other ghosts. He was almost successful in taking over Amity Park by using Pandora's Box, but failed (in that episode, he was summed-up as 'a ghost with an inferiority complex, who just wants attention'). Despite it, Box Ghost remains determined regardless, shouting quotes such as "Beware, for I am the Box Ghost!" when approaching foes. In an alternate future portrayed in "The Ultimate Enemy", he is married to the Lunch Lady Ghost and has a daughter with her (Box Lunch).

Bullet

Voiced by Daran Norris

Bullet is Walker's second-in-command. He is only seen in minor roles in two episodes.

Dark Danny/Dan Phantom

Voiced by Eric Roberts

Dark Danny Phantom, also known as Dan Phantom, is a villain created by the fusion of the ghost-halves of Danny and Vlad in an alternative timeline. He was created with the intent that Danny's worst enemy would be an evil version of himself. Dark Danny is a cruel, malicious ghost who cares little for anything other than himself, causing as much destruction as he sees fit.

Dark Danny, or Dan Phantom, came to be after a fatal and accidental explosion of the Nasty Burger Fast Food Restaurant's boiler that caused the explicit death of Danny Fenton's family, friends, and teacher. Grief-stricken and guilty, Danny moved in with Vlad Masters, feeling that only he could understand his pain. Danny asked Vlad to remove his emotions. Honoring the boy's wishes, Vlad separated Danny's human half from his ghost self; later, the latter retaliated doing the same to Vlad. The ghost-half of Danny then attempted to overshadow Plasmius, eventually fusing their bodies together. Plasmius's ghost-half overwhelmed that of Danny, creating an even more evil and more powerful version of the two halves. He then destroyed Vlad's entire castle, and his own human half.

He spent the next ten years destroying the world. Through time travel, the present-day Danny managed to defeat his evil self and subsequently sealed him in a Fenton Thermos.

Desiree

Voiced by Peri Gilpin

Desiree is a genie-like ghost who travels the world granting anyone's deepest desires. Unfortunately, while compelled to grant any wish she hears, she is free to interpret and twist it any way she sees fit. "So you have wished it, so shall it be!" is her sly response to a casual wish, with disastrous consequences that often serve to increase her powers. Her vindictive nature stems from her life as a human were many years back, she was a harem girl who won the affections of a sultan. He showered her with whatever gifts she wanted but was banished by the Sultan's jealous wife. She died of a broken heart (and old age), and returned as a genie/wishing ghost.

Ember McLain

Voiced by Tara Strong, singing voice by Robbyn Kirmssé

Ember McLain is a power-hungry musician who hates authority. She thirsts for attention and has a cutting, sarcastic personality. She gains power when people say her name, as is shown in her first appearance when she attempted to gain power by performing her song "Remember" live and broadcasting worldwide in the hope that everyone would chant her name at the same time and empower her. She is somewhat similar to a siren, as she can also hypnotize her victims, using her guitar as her main mode of hypnotism as well as a weapon.

Ember is known for teaming up with other ghosts to show off her divine ghost powers. In the series, she has teamed up with Kitty, Penelope Spectra and Youngblood on several occasions, usually attacking authority in society. In the episode "Girls' Night Out" she is shown to be dating Skulker.

Femalien

Voiced by Grey DeLisle

Femalien is one of the fictional characters from the movie ''Trinity of Doom'' (a parody of ''Freddy vs. Jason''). Femalien is a spoof of the villains from the film ''Predator''. Femalien is brought to life by Desiree after Sam "wished" that something bad might happen to Paulina before her party. Femalien spends most of her time in the episode hunting down Paulina but attacks Danny when he is in the way. When asked who sent her (to kill Paulina) she says "Sam" before dissipating.

Fright Knight

Voiced by Michael Dorn

The Fright Knight is the representative of Halloween. He is a powerful, gruff knight who spreads terror from his winged horse, Nightmare. When touched by a victim, his sword, the Soul Shredder, is able to send that victim into the victim's worst nightmare imaginable.

Fright Knight remained a loyal servant to Pariah Dark, but showed reluctance to continue his servitude towards him. He later switches sides to Vlad Plasmius for reasons unknown.

Ghost Writer

Voiced by Will Arnett

The Ghost Writer is an author who resides in the Ghost Zone. He can create anything by simply typing on his keyboard with the added effect of forcing everyone to speak in rhymes, a situation that can continue even upon its destruction. An unassuming, but creative ghoul, he gained quick vindictiveness towards Danny Phantom when Danny accidentally destroyed his Christmas poem, but refused to apologize (as Danny did not enjoy Christmas). Breaking the Ghost Zone's Christmas Truce, Ghost Writer tormented Danny until he learned his lesson. He was later jailed for breaking the law.

Hotep-Ra

Voiced by S. Scott Bullock

Hotep-Ra is the mummy-like spirit of an ancient minion of King Duulamun, an Egyptian pharaoh who shares a remarkably similar appearance to Tucker Foley. He was released from his eternal sleep when Tucker looked into the mirror at the front of Ra's sarcophagus. He served Tucker and helped him regain his kingdom as pharaoh, but secretly planned to take over the kingdom once it was restored. Deceitful and sneaky, Hotep-Ra was eventually defeated by Tucker when he realized he had been used by Hotep-Ra.

Johnny 13

Voiced by William Baldwin

Johnny 13 is a rebellious biker. His living shadow brings bad luck to whoever it gains contact with. Always on the road, his constant companion is girlfriend Kitty. Despite their differences and Johnny's keen womanizing habits, they are in love with one another. Johnny spent the first time searching for a human host when Kitty was stuck between Ghost Portals and became jealous whenever Kitty would date someone else.

Never outrightly malicious, Johnny tends to leave Danny or anyone alone unless prompted otherwise.

Kitty

Voiced by Chynna Phillips

Kitty is Johnny 13's girlfriend. She is demanding and shrewish. She is constantly under dire stress over her loose boyfriend, wishing he'd focus his full attention on her. She has attempted to make him jealous and at several points, banished him to an alternate dimension via her ghostly ability to send any man to another dimension with a kiss. Despite it, the two remain in love with one another.

Lunch Lady Ghost

Voiced by Patricia Heaton, later Kath Soucie

The Lunch Lady Ghost is the first major foe Danny encounters. She is very overweight and appears vowing revenge on Sam for making the school lunch menu vegetarian. She suffers from uncontrollable mood swings, turning suddenly from sweet and kind to violent and deadly. She consistently uses food (particularly meat) as her main form of weaponry. In an alternate future portrayed in "The Ultimate Enemy", she is married to the Box Ghost and has a daughter with him (Box Lunch).

Lydia

Voiced by Tara Strong

Lydia is Freakshow's loyal ghost assistant. She is heavily covered with tattoos, which she can bring to life and control, and is most often seen shrouded in a cloak. She is seen apart from Freakshow in "Phantom Planet" as part of the crowd of ghosts which helps Danny in the end. Lydia is probably a reference to the song Lydia the Tattooed Lady, a signature tune of comedian Groucho Marx.

Medusa

Voiced by Grey DeLisle

Medusa is based on the character of Greek mythology of the same name. In "Boxed Up Fury", she is one of the obstacles Danny must get past to reach Pandora.

Nightmerica

Voiced by Grey DeLisle

Nightmerica is one of the fictional characters from the movie ''Trinity of Doom'' (a parody of ''Freddy vs. Jason''). Nightmerica is a spoof of Freddy Krueger. Nightmerica is brought to life by Desiree after Sam "wished" that something bad might happen to Paulina before her party. Nightmerica spends most of her time in the episode hunting down Paulina. She is defeated by Sam after Danny lost his powers in the episode.

Nocturn

Voiced by James Garrett

Nocturn is the ghost of sleep and dreams. He carries a calm but mysterious air around him. Along with his army of Sleep Walkers, he travels the world, putting people to sleep and absorbing their dream energies to charge him up for world conquest. When he moves to conquer Amity Park, Danny, Tucker, Sam, and Jazz work together to defeat him after Danny manages to destroy the helmets he was using to keep people asleep.

Pariah Dark

Voiced by Brian Cox

Pariah Dark was the ruthless king of the Ghost Zone, until he was eventually captured by rebellious ghosts and sealed in the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep, where he lay until Vlad accidentally awakened him. He immediately laid waste to both Amity Park and the Ghost Zone until Danny ultimately defeated him, using a power-enhancing suit to enhance his natural ghost powers beyond their usual limits.

Prince Aragon

Voiced by Dee Bradley Baker

Prince Aragon is the ruthless older brother of Princess Dorathea, the Dragon Ghost. Their family treasured two magical "Amulets of Aragon" that allow the wearer to transform into a dragon, especially when angry or distressed. Under his rule, his kingdom was lifeless and unhappy. He constantly treated his sister cruelly. Seeking a human bride to obtain what others do not have, Aragon set Dora to find him a bride. She eventually finds Sam Manson whom he almost marries if not for Danny's interference. Aragon is defeated by his sister when she gets the courage to dethrone and banish him she can disguise herself to resemble her old adult Young Princess Form called "Dora Mattingly" by using fake skin and shapeshifting abilities and powers.

Sidney Poindexter

Voiced by Peter MacNicol

Sidney Poindexter is a nerdy teenager from the 1950s. He was known as the most bullied student of Casper High and thus, holds a soft spot and great concern for those who suffered as much as he did. Stuffed into his locker many times, Sidney haunted it for around fifty years, leaving only a mirror behind, a gateway to the dimension that he's trapped in. Able to free himself after meeting Danny, Sidney antagonized Danny, believing him to be a bully when he catches Danny pulling a prank on Dash.

Poindexter took over Danny's body and used it to gain popularity while Danny became stuck in Sidney's body and world and was tormented daily. He managed to get Sam and Tucker to the mirror gateway where he proved he was the real Danny. Using trickery, the trio lured Sidney into his own mirror. He and Danny fought, regaining their own bodies in the process. He eventually gains freedom from his ghostly prison and a bit of popularity in the Ghost School inside the Ghost Zone.

Skulker

Voiced by Mathew St. Patrick, later Kevin Michael Richardson

Skulker introduces himself to Danny as the "Ghost Zone's greatest hunter". Skulker hunts down rare and unusual ghosts and has vowed to hunt down Danny for his rare half ghost status. He uses raw power and weaponry, but understands the way of the hunt, so he is able to utilize his brain to take advantage of his situation as predator to one-up his prey.
Having a sense of loyalty, he often works for Vlad Plasimus and occasionally serves as a "leader" and spokesperson for the ghosts. Skulker is actually a tiny green ghost inside a robotic suit. His girlfriend is Ember McLain. One running gag in the show is that since he has Tucker's PDA in his armor, while he has more power, he gets interrupted a few times into doing research on the purple back gorilla, much to his frustration. In an alternate timeline in "The Ultimate Enemy" he had combined with Technus to become "Skulktech 9.9", with Technus serving as Skulker's operating system.

Penelope Spectra

Voiced by Tara Strong

Penelope Spectra is a sadistic shadowy ghost who strives to retain a youthful and beautiful appearance. To do so, she often targets teenagers and through elaborate plans, slowly sucks them dry of their positive emotions like a kind of psychic vampire, using their worst fears and anxieties to humiliate and drain them, leaving them depressed and apathetic while she absorbs their energy to continuously strengthen and beautify her form. She retains a perky personality and chipper demeanor while hiding a dark, seductive and psychotic nature deep inside.

Terminatra

Voiced by Grey DeLisle

Terminatra is one of the fictional characters from the movie ''Trinity of Doom'' (a parody of ''Freddy vs. Jason''). Terminatra is a spoof of the Terminator. Terminatra is brought to life by Desiree after Sam wished unknowingly that something bad should happen to Paulina before her party. Terminatra spends most of her time in the episode hunting down Paulina but attacks Danny when in the way. Before dissipating she says "Sam," implying that Sam sent her to hunt Paulina.

Nicolai Technus

Voiced by Rob Paulsen impersonating Gilbert Gottfried

Nicolai Technus, a spoof on the name of electrical inventor Nikola Tesla