Netflix fans! Still on a high over Money Heist or you’re just starting to catch up? Bella Ciao~ Here we’ll walk you through all the main characters, and their backstory of the original La Casa De Papel. Stick around!
Money Heist
Let’s introduce you to Money Heist! It is a Spanish crime-drama-thriller television drama and was originally known as La Casa de Papel. It revolves around the story of The Professor planning the biggest heist in the history of Spain. He then recruits Tokyo, Berlin, Moscow, Rio, Nairobi, Denver, Helsinki, and Oslo to accomplish the heist he has been planning his whole life. Their goal is to infiltrate the Royal Mint of Spain and print €2.4 billion, but witness how the story unfolds!
After five seasons of this Netflix Series, it is now concluded, and a South Korean remake was just released. But if you’re one of the watchers catching up (or re-watching), we’ll lay down a character guide for you below!
Also, you may want to be cautious when reading this, there may be a few spoilers you might encounter along the way!
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The Professor (El Profesor)
Real name: Sergio Marquina
Age: Not specified, early 40s
Height: 183 cm, 6′ feet
The orchestrator of the heist, The Professor, planned this whole heist and other heists since the age of 19. He is highly intelligent and meticulous, just too perfect to commit the perfect heist, and no one would ever suspect him. Marquina spent almost his whole childhood in a hospital bed, his mother died of a degenerative disease called Helmer’s myopathy, while his father’s cause of a bank robbery.
Now, this is where it enters his motive of planning and doing this heist. Marquina, then, spent his life making his father’s plan flawless to perfect to successfully infiltrate the Royal Mint and print the money. This Money Heist character wants to pull off the perfect crime with no bloodshed, just as long as everyone ‘sticks to the plan’. His age wasn’t revealed in the series, though it was mentioned that he stopped taking biometrics for national identification to avoid being identified as the heist starts.
Tokyo (Tokio)
Real name: Silene Oliveira
Age: 35 years old
Height: 163 cm, 5’4 feet
Tokyo is around 12 years older than Rio, and she is an impulsive and reckless experienced robber. Silene was the first individual to be recruited by The Professor and addresses him as her ‘guardian angel’, due to their first encounter (we’ll try to avoid spoilers!). Just so you know, Tokyo’s the one narrating the story in Money Heist!
Additionally, she started doing robbery and heists with her ex-boyfriend when she was 14. During the heist, his ex-boyfriend died, and she swears not to let a heist and love co-exist. Yet, here she is in love with Rio, the young computer wizard in the Heist gang. She cares so much about the people she loves. Moreover, Tokyo is short-tempered and she can’t control her emotions and just let them tower over her.
Berlin
Real name: Andrés de Fonollosa
Age: 41 years old
Height: 181 cm, 5’11 feet
On to the next Money Heist character, Berlin is the one in charge of the heist and the gang in the Royal Mint of Spain, basically second-in-command. (Spoiler Alert!!!) He also contributed to planning the heist in the Bank of Spain, along with The Professor and Palermo. Berlin is 41 years old, and before joining the Heist gang he was a jewelry thief counting twenty-seven robberies, including auction houses and armored vehicles.
Berlin’s biggest thief yet before the Royal Mint of Spain heist was 434 diamonds in Champs-Élysées. In the earlier part of the series, you will see Berlin taking medication inside the Royal Mint, and later on, (Spoiler ahead!!!) he was diagnosed with Helmer’s myopathy. You can see him as arrogant and narcissistic, well he’s more extravagantly elegant, professional, and charming. Berlin’s too good at playing mind games with some hostages, yet loyal and brave to save the other members of the gang (you may want to see the finale of Season 2!).
Nairobi
Real name: Ágata Jiménez
Age: 33 years old
Height: 176 cm, 5’9 feet
Can we just say that we love Nairobi? Okay, let’s continue! Nairobi is a former drug dealer who has expertise in forgery. She had a boyfriend way back, and when her boyfriend discovered that she was pregnant, he left her. Ágata then gave birth to a boy and named him Axel. Unfortunately, her 3-year-old child was taken away from her by child services when the police found a drug stash in their home. Her first motive why she joined Professor was to get rich and get her child back. But in the latter part of the series, she realizes that Axel is comfortable in his new family and chooses not to interrupt anymore.
Nairobi is seen to be the most kind-hearted among all the Heist gang members. Watching Nairobi the whole series, you’ll love her and her enthusiastic and active personality. She is empathetic and looks after everyone—yes, just like a mother. Additionally, she heads the production of the money and is close with Torres (the head of the money printing in the Mint), as Torres said that she is the kindest boss he had. She may be a bit impulsive, but she surely has everyone else’s backs.
Rio
Real name: Aníbal Cortés
Age: 23 years old
Height: 167 cm, 5’5 feet
Rio counts as the youngest Heist gang member at 23 years old. Due to his interest in computers, he started programming at the young age of six. Rayo, as his mother calls him, locks himself in his room for hours, his parents not knowing that he is exploring the world of hacking. The Professor recruited Cortés to take care of anything computer-accessible. Before joining the Heist gang, he was involved in numerous cyber-attacks without leaving any trace so they can’t hunt him down. Rio even stole banking data and infiltrated North American servers.
However, he and Tokyo broke the rule of The Professor by having a secret relationship that later on was revealed and known by all the robbers. At the young age of 23, you can see him as the most playful, naive, and innocent among all the Heist gang members. He may be extra skilled with computers, but on other things, he may be of lacking. Rio cares so much about his family and loved ones. Additionally, he is knowledgeable about the deep web too and is an alarm expert in a security company for two years.
Denver
Real name: Daniel Ramos
Age: Not specified, mid-20s
Height: 173 cm, 5’8 feet
Denver is Moscow’s son, who formerly used drugs and engaged in fist fights on the streets. He spent his childhood picking fights with people who mess with him. Denver was in and out of prison due to drug and fighting charges. He is a very charming and handsome guy, especially with his dark-grey eyes and curly hair. His father raised him and made him believe that his mother left them, well there’s much of a story about that in Season 2 so watch it! Basically, his father is the reason why he now belongs to the Money Heist gang.
Moreover, you can see how hot-headed Denver can get, as even for the smallest reasons, he just goes annoyed. Despite the hot-headedness and the most annoying laugh in the Heist crew, there is that soft, sensitive spot in Denver’s heart, and you can see it in the series when he chose not to kill Mónica Gaztambide even if he was ordered by Berlin to do so. He, then, found himself catching feelings and gradually fell in love with Gaztambide.
Moscow (Moscú)
Real name: Agustin Ramos
Age: Not specified, around 50s
Height: 175 cm, 5’9 feet
Moscow brought his son along when he was recruited for this heist. His first job was a miner, and because of this, Moscow is in charge of digging the passageway that the Heist gang will use to go out. He got recruited by Professor with a promise to help Denver get off his debt. Ramosbeforeolved in robberies before the Royal Mint heist and was in and out of prison. Moreover, (Spoiler alert!!) he let Denver believe that his mother left him but it was revealed in Season 2 that Moscow left Denver’s mother. Check out Season 2 to know more!
Additionally, Moscow is not just a father to Denver, but also a father figure to Tokyo and Rio. He is such a gentle, loving father who only wants the best for his son, Denver. Moscow is seen to be the person in the crew that gets along with everyone individually. They see him as their father, a brother, or a friend because of his caring nature toward the people around him. (Quite a spoiler alert!!) Moscow will give you one of the biggest heartbreaks here in Money Heist!
Helsinki
Real name: Mirko Dragic
Age: Not specified, early 40s
Height: 187 cm, 6’1 feet
Helsinki is 1/2 of the Balkan war veterans recruited by the Professor. He is a Serbian soldier who fought along with his cousin, Oslo in the Yugoslav wars. Additionally, Dragic has a family that he supports and he sends money from time to time when he can. He and Oslo traveled and fought alongside each other until they stumbled upon the Professor who took them to be part of the Royal Mint heist.
Moreover, Helsinki is in charge of looking over the hostages. With his vast build and height, he towers among all the Heist gang members, and with just one look, he looks so intimidating and scary. (Spoiler alert!!) Oslo trusts him so much that he even let him suffocate him with a pillow when he (Oslo) went brain-dead. Also, he and Nairobi has a good relationship and actually could make a good pair, but unfortunate things happen… so catch up with the Money Heist series!
Oslo
Real name: Radko Dragić
Age: 41 years old
Height: 177 cm, 5’10 feet
Meanwhile, Oslo fills 2/2 of the Balkan war veterans and took part in The Professor’s Heist gang. He is a Serbian who fought with his cousin, Helsinki in wars. Both of them, Helsinki and Oslo, look scary because of their build although Oslo is shorter than the other. With how they hold their guns and control the crowd, you do know that they are war experts.
Furthermore, they are mostly given commands other than acting independently. Usually, Berlin tells them what to do, or if not, Nairobi does. Oslo can be considered the quietest member of the crew, and often stay introverted as he is. However, this can be explained because of the language barrier between the Serbians and the Spanish. Oslo has a hard time talking out his thoughts in Spanish, as they are Serbians at birth.
If you’re just starting the Money Heist series, you may want to go back now as the following main characters may spoil you. However, these may be a few characters you would expect that will be part of the Heist gang!
Lisbon (Lisboa)
Real name: Raquel Murillo
Age: Not specified, early 40s
Height: 164 cm, 5’4 feet
Who would’ve thought? Well, robber or inspector, Murillo is part of the main cast in Money Heist. (Spoiler alert!!) Does it just ever drive you crazy that from enemies, she, then turned to be one of the Heist gang? Anyways, Lisbon is a former Spanish police inspector who first held the case of the heist in the Royal Mint. She was tricked by The Professor, getting to know each other and such, leading to both of them falling in love. This kind of relationship they had complicated the setup, and when Murillo knew he was the one working outside of the Mint, everything went into a mess between them.
How did she turn out to be one of the robbers? Well, you may want to watch the latter part of Season 2 and Season 3 for that. Moreover, Murillo has a daughter from his ex-husband, Alberto Vicuña, who is also a police authority. Moreover, Lisbon is an intelligent and quick-witted inspector that can probably stand to fight in front of the Professor. She loves her family dearly, and later on, found herself stuck in love with Marquina. Love makes the world go round, yep!
Stockholm (Estocolmo)
Real name: Mónica Gaztambide
Age: Not specified, late 30s
Height: 173 cm, 5’8 feet
Here we are with Denver’s soft spot, the secretary in the Royal Mint, then a hostage to be exact, Mónica Gaztambide. We might have predicted that this hostage turns into a love interest of one of the robbers who would join the crew in the latter part of the Money Heist series. At the time of the heist, Gaztambide confirms having been pregnant with Arturo Román’s child as it was revealed that the two has an affair. Moreover, she might’ve done acts that are a little too impulsive which leads to her begging for her life in front of Denver. But, thanks to Denver, she is still alive, and yes, now part of the crew.
Stockholm is a smart individual about work, but quite unfavorable when it comes to decisions in love. Arturo Román is such an irresponsible man, so we may have chosen her to be with Denver as the better option, plus he treats her better (or maybe not… watch it!). She is quite shy, and easily manipulated or dragged to whatever, but watching her join the Heist gang, she definitely changed a lot. Additionally, she tends to look out for the people around her and wants them to feel safe and cared for as much as she can.
Alicia Sierra
Real name: Alicia Sierra
Age: Not specified, early 40s
Height: 167 cm, 5’5 feet
This ‘Queen Bitch’ is that kind of person. She was brought onto the case to stop the robbery of the Bank of Spain. Alicia is wed to Germán who died of pancreatic cancer two months before the heist in the Bank of Spain. She might be a handful as soon as you see her in the series but you’ll still commend her on how smart she is, just like The Professor. Alicia used Axel to lure Nairobi, she (Alicia), later on, caught The Professor and tortured him.
Well, she had done all of that with a baby in her womb. (Spoiler ahead!!!) Alicia and The Professor worked together, as she only cares for her daughter so she escaped with Marquina, along with Marseille and Benjamin Martínez. You can consider her merciless, unsympathetic, and inhumane with the things you’ll see her do (or have done) in the series.
Bogotá
Real name: Santiago López
Age: Not specified, around 40s
Height: 191 cm, 6’3 feet
Another new character? Yes! If you are just watching Season 1 or 2, surely you haven’t seen or heard of him yet. Bogotá was added to the crew during the Bank of Spain heist. Prior to this heist, he is also involved in the Frederiksborg castle heist, alongside Berlin, Marseille, Tatiana, and Rafael. There is not much information about Bogotá but he has seven children around the world (literally around the world). We can only give you the first names of his kids and where they live: Emilio (Venezuela), Erik (Iceland), Drazen (Montenegro), Hanna (Finland), Ivanna (Ukraine), Julián (Mexico), and Yaris (Greece).
Bogotá is essential for the Bank of Spain heist and the Heist gang in general as he is in charge of welding (well, consider him the best welder in the world!). (Too long spoiler alert!!) Along with Nairobi, they lead in melting the gold bricks into grains of gold at the bank. Let us thank Bogotá for his welding expertise that the crew was able to successfully complete the Bank of Spain heist. Well, with a budding connection with Nairobi, he actually is a nice guy and when called out by Nairobi, he admits mistakes and tries to be better.
Manila
Real name: Julia Martínez
Age: Not specified, around late 30s to early 40s
Height: 177 cm, 5’10 feet
Popularly known by her codename Manila, Julia Martínez is the daughter of Benjamin Martínez, a friend of Moscow and Denver. She wasn’t present during Seasons 1 and 2 (the Royal Mint of Spain heist), but she appears during the Bank of Spain heist. Julia was born as Juan and Denver call him Juanito as they were like siblings since childhood, she is revealed as a transgender individual later on. Manila was added to the crew upon the request of the father-son tandem, Moscow and Denver, as Benjamin Martínez wanted them to take care of her beloved daughter.
During the Bank of Spain heist, she is disguised as one of the hostages and is a form of crowd control too. Manila quite formed an enemy relationship with Arturo Román (who wouldn’t? And yes, Román is still here at Part 3!). Manila often goes to the bathroom to inform the other robbers about what is happening among the hostages. You can see a lot more of Martínez’s action during the 4th season of Money Heist, so watch out! There are a lot more surprises (if you’re just starting!) along the way!
Marseille (Marsella)
Real name: Jakov
Age: Not specified, early 40s
Height: 191 cm, 6’3 feet
Marseille also belongs on our list despite the appearance on the third up to the last season of Money Heist. Jakov is an old friend of Berlin and The Professor. Not much is revealed about Marseille, but it was mentioned that he was a hitman. Jakov’s only family mentioned in the series was his late pet dog, Pamuk, however, he has his new pet ferret, Sofía. You can say that Sofía is part of the Heist crew too, as she runs through underground tunnels in the Bank of Spain as surveillance. What makes Sofía cute? It’s her adorable little red jumpsuit! Peek the cute photo below!
Going back to Jakov, he works for the Heist gang from the outside. He works alongside The Professor on the outside, he can be considered a silent mediator between the police and The Professor. Marseille is always in a calm demeanor and is a vegetarian. Additionally, Denver addresses him at times as the mute guy because he does not talk much. He can speak numerous languages such as Croatian, English, French, German, Italian, Serbian, and Spanish.
Palermo
Real name: Martín Berrote
Age: Not specified, early 40s
Height: 173 cm, 5’8 feet
Palermo is an old friend of Berlin, at least ten years of friendship. He is a trained engineer who lives in Palermo, Italy before joining the Heist crew. Moreover, he appeared in the second heist (Bank of Spain heist) in the third installment of Money Heist. Palermo had a fling with Berlin while they were planning the second heist (yes, he and Berlin planned the second heist before presenting it to The Professor and they finalized it). He is a queer individual and is in love with his friend, Berlin. However, he was not able to tell his feelings about his best friend, although the two had shared a kiss back then.
(Quite a long spoiler ahead!!!) Berrote was contacted by The Professor prior to the start of the Bank of Spain heist while aching on the loss of Berlin (The Professor planned to continue the second heist to find a way to capture Rio from captivity). He then develops a relationship with Helsinki during the preparation of the second heist. Palermo became in charge in the back during the Bank of Spain heist, but quite made tension among the crew members. There was a point where he was near to being an enemy, yet later on, got accepted again. Palermo wore an eye patch for the rest of the Bank of Spain heist as shards of glasses got into his eyes after being shot by Gandía, and he needed surgery to remove all the shards.
That’s about it, Money Heist fans. Share your favorite episodes or scenes below!
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Who’s your favorite character among all of them? If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask or let us know your thoughts about this Netflix Series, Money Heist in the comments below. Until then, stay with us here at Spiel Times for more content.
