Characters

Alison DiLaurentisAlison was the 'It Girl' and Queen Bee of Rosewood's teenage social circle, who had been best friends with Hanna, Aria, Spencer, and Emily prior to her disappearance the night of September 1, 2009. She is considered pretty, manipulative, secretive, devilish and vindictive. Despite her sometimes malicious behaviour toward others, she can make them feel very special, and is known by her close friends to have a sweet and caring side. The daughter Alison's parents knew, though fiercely independent and recklessly obstinate when challenged, was never the girl hated and feared by many. She never had a close relationship with her brother, Jason DiLaurentis. Although Alison seemed to have the perfect life, she was being harassed by a mysterious text-messenger named "A", shortly before her death.

Emily FieldsEmily Fields is the 'jock' of the group with a strong talent of swimming, allowing her to be the star of Rosewood's swim team. Out of the girls, Emily would be described as caring, sweet and loyal. Emily cares so much about her friends that she does anything she can to keep them safe. She is an only child, therefore the centre to her parents life. Although Emily has been through many difficulties (such as the death of her ex-girlfriend Maya St. Germain), she always seems to stay strong and comes out on top. Emily is considered the weakest link by "A."

Aria MontgomeryAria Montgomery was the artsy and alternative girl in Alison's clique prior to her disappearance, sporting pink streaks in her hair. Alison and Aria discovered Aria's father's affair with a college student, Meredith Sorenson, and found him kissing Meredith in his car. Ever since, Alison used the affair to keep Aria in line, knowing Aria was asked to keep it a secret. Her constant teasing about the indiscretion led Aria to resent Alison. Shortly after Ali's disappearance, Aria moved to Iceland for a year, and came back, sans pink highlights, becoming more mature. She meets her future English teacher Ezra Fitz in a bar, hooking up with him, leading to an on-again off-again relationship throughout the series due to A's threats. Due to the loose connection she and Ali shared, she is not a frequent target of A, but is still forced to deal with the misfortunes A brings upon her. She can be described as a kind and caring friend, always willing to protect them from any threats A has. She was kidnapped by 'A' while being escorted to prison in Welcome to the Dollhouse

Spencer HastingsShe is confident, calculating, and would stand up to Alison when no one else could, showing her determination and courage. Spencer's family can prove to be difficult. Her parents are very demanding, while her aggravating sister, Melissa, is constantly outshining her and winning their parents' scarce approval. With her fiercely competitive nature, Spencer doesn't demand anything less than perfection. Despite being very sure of herself, Spencer does begin to show a bit of strain when she and her friends start receiving strange texts from the mysterious "A." She is very protective of her friends, and can come off as being bossy at times, but only because she wants to protect them. After losing her boyfriend Toby to the A-Team, Spencer suffered from a mental and emotional breakdown and was admitted to Radley Sanitarium after being found lost in the woods with no ID. To avoid any more suffering and pain, Spencer soon agreed to become a member of the A Team, but it was only to find out information about Red Coat and to see Toby. As of “A DAngerous GAme," Spencer has been kicked out of the A-Team, as she was a double agent.

Hanna MarinHanna used to be overweight prior to Alison's disappearance. She was constantly made fun of by Alison for being overweight, calling her Hefty Hanna. After Alison went missing, Hanna befriended Mona and lost weight, becoming thin and popular over the summer. The newly minted queen bee, Hanna, wins Homecoming Queen but is constantly reminded by A of her dorky days as "Hefty Hanna".Hanna is witty and sassy but also innocent, caring and thoughtful. She does everything to keep her loved ones safe from A. She is protective of her friends and shows her fierce side when defending them. Hanna's sarcasm and sense of humour often makes her come across as 'ditsy' however, she is actually quite smart and bright. Her strong instinct has often led her to find many a clues about A and she also scored well on the SAT's. Hanna tends to get in trouble owing to her impulsive and rebellious nature. After Spencer, Hanna is the one who has shown most effort, strength and dedication to find out who A is.