Following the King of Liones' vision, the titular Seven Deadly Sins joined forces to protect all of Britannia from the revival of the Ten Commandments. However, they disbanded after being framed for the murder of the Great Holy Knight, Zaratras, and they went into hiding. Also known as 7DS or SDS in the fandom, The Seven Deadly Sins chronicles their reappearance after things get difficult in the land of Britannia.

Each member of the Seven Deadly Sins is named after one sin that represents the moral failing of their crimes. These characters bear the symbolic mark of a beast on their skin and their sin is central to their backstory and personality. Anyone who wants to enjoy this series must understand the Seven Deadly Sins characters and their sins.

Updated by Mayra García & Ajay Aravind on December 26, 2023: The Seven Deadly Sins, by Nakaba Suzuki, has established itself as one of the most popular shonen of the last decade. Fans love its complex storylines, its powerful characters, and its lore. This list has been updated with more information about the Seven Deadly Sins' main characters.

Elizabeth Liones Is The Most Important Ally Of The Seven Deadly Sins

Reincarnation of the Goddess Elizabeth

Elizabeth Liones isn't an official part of the Seven Deadly Sins, but she's their most important ally in the anime. Originally from the Kingdom of Danafor, she was adopted by Bartra Liones and became the princess. Following the Great Holy Knights coop, she became a waitress at the Boar Hat, where she works with Hawk.

At the beginning of Seven Deadly Sins, Elizabeth is just a frail 16-year-old teenager. However, Seven Deadly Sins revealed she is the 107th reincarnation of the Goddess Elizabeth, also known as Ella or Bloody Ellie. This gave her magical powers, such as Ark, Tranquilize, Healing, and Flight. Elizabeth and Meliodas share a love story in the series. They eventually have a son, Tristan Liones, who shares his mother's abilities.

Meliodas Cuts Ties With The Demon Race To Pursue His Love

Dragon's Sin Of Wrath

Meliodas is the eldest son of the Demon King, the older brother of Zeldris, and the former head of the Ten Commandments. Betraying the Ten Commandments, Meliodas cuts ties with the Demon race to pursue his love for Elizabeth, a member of the Goddess race. Even though he was always kind-hearted, Meliodas received the Sin of Wrath when he destroyed Danafor after failing to protect Elizabeth.

Armed with his Sacred Treasure (the Demon Sword Lostvayne) and his special ability Full Counter (which allows him to reflect incoming magic attacks), Meliodas is a nearly unstoppable force. Since the Demon King cursed Meliodas with immortality to return from death, he's a formidable opponent.

Diane Is One Of The Strongest Giant Warriors In Existence

Serpent's Sin Of Envy

Trained against her will to be one of the strongest Giant warriors ever, Diane helped the Knights of Liones against savages until she and her mentor Matrona were attacked. Diane received the Sin of Envy after she was framed for this attack, since they believed she did it out of jealousy. That said, Diane is also the future Giant Queen.

Diane's Sacred Treasure is War Hammer Gideon, a massive weapon designed for the size of a giant. Shaking the ground on which her enemies stand, Diane can summon great power from the Giant fighting style of dance. Her special ability is Creation, which allows her to shape the earth as she pleases. As such, she's one of the most powerful characters in Seven Deadly Sins.

Ban Is A Former Bandit Bestowed With The Gift Of Immortality

Fox's Sin Of Greed

Ban is a former bandit bestowed with the gift of immortality. When he was younger, Ban sought the Fountain of Youth in the Fairy King's Forest. However, he fell in love with the fountain's guardian saint, Elaine. After this, he fought to protect the forest when a demon attacked. Gaining immortality to defeat the demon, Ban was the sole survivor of the destruction of the Fairy King's Forest.

Ban was wrongly convicted and labeled the Sin of Greed for destroying the forest in his pursuit of immortality. Ban's Sacred Treasure is the Holy Rod Courechouse, a four-sectioned staff joined by chains. Besides Ban's impressive physical fighting prowess, his special ability, Snatch, allows him to rob physical objects of their motion. It also lets him steal others' physical abilities to increase his own power level.

Harlequin Abandoned His Duty To Protect The Fairy King's Forest

Grizzly's Sin Of Sloth

Fairy King Harlequin, also known as King, abandoned his duty to protect the Fairy King's forest. King went to the human realm to save his best friend Helbram from humans who were selling fairy wings. He was attacked and subsequently lost his memory. Over the next 500 years, Helbram traveled Britannia slaughtering humans to exact revenge, nearly inciting a war between fairies and humans.

Once King regained his memories, he put an end to Helbram's reign of terror but was ultimately imprisoned for the Sin of Sloth for his years of inaction. King's sacred treasure, the Spirit Spear Chastiefol, is a spear made from the Sacred Tree in the Fairy King's Forest. In combination with his incredible special ability, Disaster, King can control the natural state of Chastiefol, drawing out the Spirit Spear's power to transform it into various configurations.

Gowther Can Easily Manipulate Other People's Minds

Goat's Sin Of Lust

A doll that served as the proxy of a great mage trapped in the Demon Prison, Gowther is the bearer of the Sin of Lust in Seven Deadly Sins. After falling in love with Princess Nadja, he tried to give her his heart to save her. However, he was caught in the act, which was then misunderstood as sexual misconduct.

Gowther's Sacred Treasure is the Twin Bow Herritt, a purple light energy bow that he can summon at will. The Twin Bow Herrit combines perfectly with Gowther's special ability, Invasion, and allows him to extend its range. Since this power lets Gowther manipulate other's minds, it comes in very handy in battle.

Merlin Is Unquestionably The Greatest Mage In Britannia

Boar's Sin Of Gluttony

Merlin is the greatest mage in Britannia. She was born in Belialuin, the Capitol of Wizards, and her infinite magic level gained her the attention of the goddesses and demons. Given this, both the Demon King and the Supreme Deity offered her blessings in exchange for her loyalty. Merlin accepted both blessings and pledged fake allegiance, deceiving the gods.

Angered by her actions, the gods cursed Merlin's hometown, killing all the Capitol's inhabitants but Merlin, who received the Sin of Gluttony for her unstoppable need for knowledge. Merlin's Sacred Treasure is the Morning Star Aldan, a crystal orb that acts as a conduit for her powerful magic. Summoning Aldan and using her special ability, Infinity, makes Merlin's spells everlasting. With infinite magic and endless spells, Merlin is among the strongest characters in Seven Deadly Sins.

Escanor's Sunshine Makes Him The Most Powerful Human Alive

Lion's Sin Of Pride

Escanor is the strongest Holy Knight in the Kingdom of Liones. Seen as a monster for his gift of inhuman strength, he was cast out of his family. Traveling from town to town, Escanor provided help wherever he went but was always feared for his unnaturally muscular appearance. After he was accused of destroying the towns he had helped, the ever-arrogant Escanor disrespected the King of Liones and was given the Sin of Pride.

Escanor is the most powerful human alive thanks to the combination of his Sacred Treasure, the Divine Axe Rhitta, and his special ability, Sunshine. This ability was bestowed upon the Archangel Mael by the Supreme Deity and passed on to Escanor. It also relates Escanor's power to the sun. It grows stronger in the day, peaking at noon, and then it weakens as night falls. Despite his strength, Escanor ultimately dies after using all his life force to stop the Demon King.