Halo is known for its phenomenal combat and breathtaking worlds. What many players might not appreciate, however, is the masterfully crafted stories that each game takes players through.
The fall of Reach, the Covenant invasion on New Mombasa, or the discovery of Halo itself, each game offers an exhilarating story for all to enjoy. You can't have a good story without interesting characters, however. Bungie and 343 Industries understood this, and they decided to create intricate backstories for every character. Here are those backstories for all of the main characters in each Halo game. All of the information in this list was gratefully provided by Halo Waypoint, and this list will not include characters from the Halo: Spartan Assault games.
Updated May 2, 2022 by Amanda Hurych: The release of Halo Infinite properly introduced us to some new characters whose first appearance is in this game. They continue the tradition of the Halo universe being people by varied and engaging characters. Read on to learn more about the new faces we get to meet in the Master Chief's latest adventure.
14 Halo Infinite: The Weapon (Age 1, AI Chip, Activated December 11)
- Age: 1
- Height: N/A (AI Chip)
- Activated: December 11, 2559
The Weapon is one of the "youngest" characters in the Halo universe we've yet encountered. This is largely because she was first activated around a year before the events of Halo Infinite. She was created as a copy of Cortana in an attempt to trap and delete her. After this function was fulfilled, she was supposed to be auto-deleted.
However, thanks to intervention from a reformed Cortana, the Weapon's deletion routines were halted, and she survived. She is able to team up with the Master Chief and assist in removing the Banished presence from Installation 00 throughout the remainder of the events in Halo Infinite.
13 Halo Infinite: Fernando "The Pilot" Esparza (Age 42, Height 5'11", Born May 7)
- Age: 42
- Height: 5'11"
- Born: May 7, 2518
Along with the Master Chief and the Weapon, the "Pilot" figures as one of Halo Infinite's three central characters. Although he is keen on leaving Installation 00 as soon as possible, circumstances (and the Chief's intention to "finish the fight") force Esparza to stick around and shuttle vehicles and supplies to the surface of the ring to help in the war against the Banished.
Though plagued with fear and an understandable desire to go home, Esparza redeems himself by sticking with the Chief and overcoming many of his doubts in order to help the human forces marooned on the Halo installation. He even displays eagerness to sweep away all traces of the Banished at the very end of the game.
12 Halo Wars: James Cutter (Age 53, Height 6'1'', Born June 12)
- Age: 53
- Height: 6'1''
- Born: June 12, 2479
Captain of the UNSC's Spirit of Fire, James Gregory Cutter serves as one of Halo Wars' playable UNSC heroes. Born and raised on Reach, Cutter served most of his life in the UNSC's Navy division. His training would serve him well once the Covenant invaded.
Cutter was hand-picked by Admiral Preston Cole to take the UNSC's Spirit of Fire to Harvest—an agricultural planet that was invaded by the Covenant during Halo Wars. It was largely thanks to Cutter's leadership skills and excellent crew that the UNSC was able to fend off the Covenant invasion. His crew would be declared MIA by the UNSC after soiling the Covenant's plan on an ancient Forerunner world. In actuality, they were placed in cryosleep, only to awaken 28 years later to disrupt the Banished presence on Installation 00.
11 Halo: Master Chief (Age 41, Height 7'2'', Born March 7)
- Age: 41
- Height: 7'2''
- Born: March 7, 2511
John-117, or otherwise known as Master Chief, is the most well-known Spartan-II to ever live. Saving the human race not once but twice, John is a decorated war veteran for his consistent courage and immense skill. Players can also learn more about him through Terminals hidden in each game.
John is a Spartan-II, meaning he was abducted when he was just six years old to undergo extensive physical and mental training. Past that, physical augmentation was also done to make sure he could use Mjolnir armor to fight the enemies of humanity. Having experience fighting both the Covenant and Flood, it is safe to say Master Chief is one of the biggest badasses in all of gaming.
10 Halo 2: Arbiter (Age 66, Height 7'10'', Born December 10)
- Age: 66
- Height: 7'10''
- Born: December 10, 2485
Thel Vedam was a Supreme Commander of a Covenant fleet during the fall of Reach, following the human ship—The Pillar of Autumn— that eventually discovered Halo. He failed in his mission to stop humanity from destroying Halo, resulting in Thel getting exiled and deemed a heretic.
The Prophets allowed Thel to continue serving them as an Arbiter, completing suicide missions for them that would kill most. He agreed, but he quickly realized that what the Covenant believed in was a complete lie. He eventually would work with the Sangheili and humanity to stop the Covenant and the Flood. He is arguably one of the most iconic characters in the Halo franchise, second only to Master Chief.
9 Halo 3: Rtas 'Vadum (Age 65, Height 7'11'', Born September 21)
- Age: 65
- Height: 7'11'
- Born: September 21, 2487
While not a main character story-wise, Rtas 'Vadum is one of the most prevalent supporting characters in both Halo 2 and Halo 3. He is a playable character in Halo 3 in co-op.
Rtas played a pivotal role in both Arbiter's quest for truth and successfully destroying the Covenant after the Great Schism. Rtas is a caring, highly intelligent commander who uses his experience from being a Special Operations Commander to overcome any obstacle. He may not be as iconic as Master Chief or the Arbiter, but he is just as skilled. Plus, he says some of the best quotes in the Halo franchise.
8 Halo 3: ODST: Rookie (Age 27, Height 6'1'', Born February 9)
- Age: 27
- Height: 6'1''
- Born: Februrary 9, 2525
Rookie is the protagonist of Halo 3: ODST. Compared to previous entries, Rookie is just that: a recruit. Lacking initial combat experience, he was accepted as an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper to fight the Covenant invasion.
Rookie plays very differently than other characters, having reduced speed compared to the likes of Master Chief. Despite this, Rookie can hold his own against the Covenant forces invading New Mombasa. He spends most of the game looking for his squadmates, allowing the player to relive other member's lives briefly. ODST is an underrated gem that every Halo fan should play.
7 Halo 3: ODST: Buck (Age 42, Height 6'2'', Born August 22)
- Age: 42
- Height: 6'2''
- Born: August 22, 2510
The leader of the ODST squad in Halo 3: ODST, Buck rose to the occasion on any operation he was assigned to. When sent to New Mombasa, he was able to locate his teammates and finish his squad's task.
Great leadership has followed Buck for most of his life. He has been in the Marine Corps since he was 18 and eventually was recruited into the ODST division. He was offered a chance to join the Spartan-IV program, but Buck declined the offer, insisting his team mattered more.
6 Halo: Reach: Noble Six (Age Unknown, Height 6'9'', Unlisted Birth Date)
- Age: Unknown
- Height: 6'9''
- Born: Unlisted
Players begin Halo: Reach seeing Noble Six's helmet broken and laying on the ground. Without any dialogue or any cutscenes, players know they will not make it off of this planet alive.
Despite this, Noble Six gives it his best shot to minimize casualties on Reach. He escorted civilians off-planet, helped destroy a Covenant capital ship, and escorted Cortana to the Pillar of Autumn. If it was not for Six, Halo would have likely never been discovered and humanity would have died with him. Six gave one hell of a fight before going down, lasting hours and potentially days against a horde of Covenant forces.
5 Halo: Reach: Carter (Age 32, Height 6'10'', Born August 27)
- Age: 32
- Height: 6'10''
- Born: August 27, 2520
Carter-A259 was the commander of Noble Six, a group of Spartan-III who would go on to escort Cortana to the Pillar of Autumn. Carter's sacrifice was one of the key reasons their mission was successful.
Having his parents killed in a Covenant assault, Carter is no stranger to violence. Being an exceptional candidate for the Spartan-III program, he would later go on to lead Noble Team on Reach. His death in Halo: Reach is one of the saddest yet most memorable in the game.
4 Halo 4: Cortana (Age 8, AI Chip, Activated November 7)
- Age: 8
- Height: N/A (AI Chip)
- Activated: November 7, 2549
Master Chief might have been the one to fight the Covenant and Flood, but it was thanks to Cortana that each mission was successful. Her unmatched functions and intelligence allowed humanity to stop the Covenant from activating Halo.
After Bungie's games, Cortana starts to suffer from AI Rampancy, resulting in some tension between her and Chief. She sacrifices herself in Halo 4 to save Chief but comes back as one of the antagonists for Halo 5: Guardians. There is speculation that she is being controlled by something else and isn't herself, but she is regardless fondly remembered as Master Chief's partner in crime.
3 Halo 5: Locke (Age 29, Height 6'10'', Born March 15)
- Age: 29
- Height: 6'10''
- Born: March 15, 2529
Locke was an orphan at the age of six, which seems to be a constant in this universe. Anyway, Locke quickly realized during his younger years that the UNSC is incompetent at defending humanity, vouching to freelance instead.
He spends a good part of Halo 5 hunting Team Osiris, notably including Master Chief. Locke shows immense leadership skills throughout the game, helping Blue Team overcome many obstacles. Eventually, Blue Team and Team Osiris work together to stop Cortana and the imminent Guardian threat.
2 Halo 5: Buck (Age 48, Height 6'2'', Born August 22)
- Age: 48
- Height: 6'2''
- Born: August 22, 2510
Yes, Buck is on this list twice, but with good reason. Shortly after the events of Halo 3: ODST, Buck was offered to join the Spartan-IV program once again. This time, Buck accepted.
Buck worked with ONI for a short time, tasked to retrieve two high-value assets. After that was over, Buck requested to be placed in a new squad. His request was accepted, and he is now a member of Blue Team in Halo 5: Guardians. This just goes to show how resilient and skillful Buck is, going from a civilian to an ODST soldier to a Spartan. Very few in the Halo universe can say they accomplished so much.
1 Halo Wars 2: Atriox (Age 49, Height 8' 6.5'', Born May 28)
- Age: 49
- Height: 8'6.5''
- Born: May 28, 2510
Halo Wars 2 brought The Banished to the forefront. This splinter group of the Covenant serves as the main antagonist of that game, led by Jiralhanae Warlord Atriox. His backstory showcases a brute who's equally strong and cunning.
Atriox served as a typical brute shock trooper during the Human-Covenant war. While he was respected for his skill in battle, it wasn't until the Great Schism that Atriox would truly build a reputation for himself. His disdain for the Covenant and Prophets would label him as a heretic among most of his peers. But when the truth of the Halo rings was revealed, many joined Atriox under the banner of The Banished, hoping to fight with a true purpose. The Banished don't have the clearest motives, but what is apparent is Atriox is nothing short of a skilled, ruthless leader that'll stop at nothing to get what he desires.