This is a list of cartoon characters from the Nickelodeon animated television series Danny Phantom.
The series centers on young Danny Fenton and his coming-of-age story as a half-ghost superhero in the town of Amity Park. He gradually grows, bettering himself and his powers over the course of the story as he deals with ghosts, balancing his normal and heroic life, a community that does not initially trust him, and later, fame and praise from across the country.
His companions are his three best friends: Sam Manson, a goth girl who is entranced by the "weird and supernatural",T ucker Foley, a lighthearted "techno-geek", and Jaret Delaney, an awkward and disturbed college dropout. Danny often has to put up with his eccentric ghost-hunting parents, Jack and Maddie Fenton, and his smothering, doting, but compassionate older sister, Jazz Fenton. His primary nemesis is Vlad Masters, a billionaire celebrity who is also a half-ghost.
Danny Phantom (David Kaufman) is the main protagonist of the series. Originally, he was a shy, average, clumsy, and occasionally superficial 14-year-old boy who was desperate to fit in with his peers and be accepted. He is in 9th grade at Casper High. After a lab accident in his parents' ghost lab, he becomes a half-ghost, and obtains a variety of ghostly abilities. A battle with the Lunch Lady Ghost placed the unsure Danny on the path to becoming a hero. Despite his flaws, he is steadfast and loyal to his friends and family. He eventually grows, gaining great confidence in himself and maturity, and begins concentrating more on his heroic duties.
He is constantly under pressure from his rival and nemesis Vlad Masters, who wants nothing more than to have Danny as his son and apprentice, a desire which is proven in a few of the episodes. His attempts are futile, though, and he remains Danny's enemy.
Hartman originally envisioned Danny as a normal human who hunted ghosts. Accompanying him would be an owl named Spooky and his means of travel would be a motorcycle; Hartman paid tribute to the latter later in the series. He and Sam also were meant to share a psychic connection.