Blade Runner - Characters

Eldon Tyrell

Dr. Eldon Tyrell/Rosen is a genius who has built up the large Tyrell Corporation that makes humanoid slaves called Replicants. Some of them are given away "free" to people accepting the offer to emigrate to the Off-world colonies. Others are used in combat to protect those settlers, (from what, we don't know), his most recent line being the Nexus-6. He first appears in a meeting with Rick Deckard, where claiming that he wishes to see a negative result before he gives Deckard a replicant to test, he demands that Deckard use the Voight Kampff test on his assistant Rachael , only for Deckard to discover that Rachael is in fact a replicant, specifically one with memory implants taken from his niece's memory thus making her harder to detect as a replicant.

Gaff

Gaff, a mysterious character in the film, presents his compulsory invitation to Deckard in a street lingo called Cityspeak, a mixture of Spanish, French, German, Hungarian, Chinese, and Japanese. He was played by Mexican-American actor/director Edward James Olmos. As a fellow cop, he is quickly identified as being very different from Deckard through the ways he dresses and behaves. In the commentaries the cast and crew note that he wears fancy clothing and seems to be part of the precinct's vice squad. He likes to make little Origami-figures. The last words heard in the film are spoken by him: "It's too bad she won't live. But then again, who does?" Gaff walks with a cane and a noticeable limp.

J.F. Sebastian

J. F. Sebastian is a genetic designer working for Tyrell. He is not allowed to emigrate off-world because he has Methuselah Syndrome. Because of this, he ages faster and has a shorter lifespan, something he has in common with the replicants. He is only 25 years old, but his physical appearance is of a middle-aged man. With the Bradbury Building all to himself, he makes the most of his considerable talents creating automata companions. He is loosely based on the character J. R. Isidore from the novel. He is approached by Pris, whom Sebastian takes in because he thinks she is homeless, and Roy comes to stay with him soon after. Roy and Pris point out that because of his condition, Sebastian has much in common with them, and argue that if they don't get Tyrell's help to extend their lives, Pris shall die soon.

Leon Kowalski

Leon Kowalski is a replicant who came to Earth with five others looking to extend their lives. He has an A physical level, which means he has superhuman strength and endurance. He was used as a nuclear-head loader in the outer space colonies as well as a front-line soldier. Leon is classified mental level C. He doesn't have the speed of thought that Roy does when it comes to solving problems. He was activated on April 10, 2017, making him 2 years and 7 months old by the time of the film.

Pris

Priscilla "Pris" Stratton is the "basic pleasure model" (incepted on Valentine's Day), created for entertainment and thus even more of a slave-object than the others. However, she shows that she can be quite adept at manipulation of the human male as she uses her wiles to "make friends" with J.F. Sebastian/John R. Isidore, a man who until then, literally made his friends. Pris is also the girlfriend of fellow replicant Roy Batty.

Rachael

Rachael is the latest experiment of Eldon Tyrell. Rachael has the implanted memories of Tyrell's niece, and is then led to believe that she is human. It is not revealed in the film how long she has been living, but Tyrell admits that he thinks she is beginning to suspect the truth of her nature.

Rick Deckard

Rick Deckard is a "Blade Runner", a special agent in the Los Angeles police department employed to hunt down and "retire" replicants. He is the protagonist of the film. Agent Deckard was played by Harrison Ford.

Roy Batty

Roy Batty is the leader of the renegade Nexus-6 replicants and the main antagonist of the film. He was activated on January 8, 2016, which makes him 3 years and 10 months old by the time of the events of the film. He is highly intelligent, fast, and skilled at combat, and yet still learning how to deal with developing emotions. With an A Physical Level (superhuman strength & endurance) and an A Mental Level (genius-level intellect), he is probably the most dangerous of all the fugitive replicants. He is a combat model, used off-world for military service. He and five other replicants come to Earth hoping to find a way to lengthen their lifespan. Tyrell refers to him as his "prodigal son", and tells him his life cannot be extended, but that he should revel in the life that he has, as he has done and seen things others could only dream of.

Zhora

Zhora is a Nexus-6 replicant who has returned to Earth with Roy Batty in search of a way to extend her lifespan. Zhora is a tall woman with brown hair reaching down to her neck. She, like Pris is flexible and athletic in form and appearance. She has combat experience and is able to defend herself if needed.