Netflix’s Money Heist or more locally known in Spain as La Casa de Papel is no doubt one of the most chaotic and unpredictable action shows out there. That’s all thanks to the different motivations and moral values of the characters. They are as diverse as ever and that fuels all the successes and failures of their daring heists.
With that in mind, it’s hard to paint a line between good and evil for all the characters. We need something more intricate, such as Dungeons & Dragons’ moral alignment system in order to categorize and define each of the main characters. Here’s how they fit into that fantasy universe.
THE PROFESSOR – LAWFUL GOOD
Do bear in mind that “lawful” in D&D’s morality system doesn’t mean the literal law of a country. It just means a disposition to adhere to order or a personal set of values. In Money Heist, no one represents that better than the Professor, who’s known for his meticulous heist plans. As for the “good” part, the Professor firmly believes in keeping innocents safe and is also genuinely concerned for everyone’s well-being — even his enemies’.
TOKYO – CHAOTIC NEUTRAL
In stark contrast to the Professor’s emotional restraint, Tokyo is quite the wildcard in Money Heist. Out of all the characters on the show, she’s still the most impulsive one despite a bit of growth and facing the consequences of her actions in the past seasons.
As such, Tokyo is undoubtedly a chaotic neutral character. In a nutshell, chaotic neutrals are free spirits who follow their own whim and are usually only concerned about themselves or a few select people they care about. That’s Tokyo, alright.
LISBON – NEUTRAL GOOD
This is a hard one. Lisbon has certainly crossed the line between lawful and chaotic many times. Hence, it makes sense to put her on a neutral scale due to her tendency to shift moods or motivations based on what’s at stake.
She’s certainly a morally good character as she truly cares for her family and her teammates. Lisbon is also someone who is devoted to helping others and has a good moral grasp of who’s innocent or not. This makes her a good pairing for the Professor.
BERLIN – LAWFUL EVIL
Even though he’s long dead in Season 4, Berlin is still one of the most fascinating characters in the show thanks in part to his grandiosity and narcissism.
As for Berlin’s alignment, there’s no second-guessing that he’s lawful evil; he’s someone with principles but still seeks to play by the rules with little mercy or compassion. This also makes him a natural leader. For him, the ends justify the means.
RIO – NEUTRAL GOOD
Poor Rio never got his well-deserved rest after getting kidnapped and tortured by the authorities. The guy literally went from prison to a bank heist with little to no downtime in between. This messed him up good, and he even gave valuable information to the police out of fear.
Rio, in that regard, is best classified as neutral good. He’s truly innocent and kind and even appears to lack the capacity to hurt anyone. In fact, he wasn’t even supposed to be a ground trooper for the heist as his role was for hacking.
PALERMO – NEUTRAL EVIL
Palermo. He’s the kind of person Berlin likes to keep around and manipulate (not mutually exclusive). For that matter, Palermo’s also narcissistic and a bit unhinged, especially when it comes to allegiances. As soon as he gets replaced by Tokyo, his allegiance becomes questionable.
Palermo even set Gandia loose and indirectly caused Nairobi’s death out of self-preservation and ego. He’s only one mad spree away from being a chaotic evil, but he did prove that he’s loyal to the plan, making him a neutral evil, someone who’s out for himself.
DENVER – CHAOTIC GOOD
Denver is similar to Tokyo in that both of them are firebrands who are usually out of control and brash. The difference is, Denver’s father rubbed off a bit of wisdom and responsibility onto him, making him a kind and caring person despite his lack of emotional restraint.
This makes Denver a chaotic good character, someone who can be summed up as the “rebel.” He still is as impulsive and reckless as ever but cares about his teammates and Stockholm dearly.
STOCKHOLM – CHAOTIC GOOD
Speaking of Stockholm, she demonstrates her own brand of chaotic good. No one expected a bank heist hostage to actually join the heist perpetrators, and that’s what makes Stockholm quite a chaotic character.
Despite this impulsiveness, she is still good at heart and cares about innocents much like the Professor or Lisbon. Stockholm is very much a rebellious character, especially after defying much of Denver’s whims and concerns about her joining the second heist.
NAIROBI – LAWFUL NEUTRAL
Nairobi is someone who can easily take up the mantle of leadership from either Berlin or Palermo without many disastrous repercussions. In fact, she has proven that she can even do it better. Her natural leadership skills and reliability have made her irreplaceable.
This also makes her a lawful neutral — someone who can be dependable and trusted without being too much of a zealot. She still has her vulnerable moments such as seen when she thinks of reuniting with her daughter or when she wants out after fearing death.
HELSINKI – LAWFUL NEUTRAL
Much like Nairobi, Helsinki is also dependable and can reliably follow the rules that the Professor values so much. Helsinki is, however, not beholden to such ideas, and some of his decisions can be based on emotions, like when he chose to look after Nairobi instead of shooting a rocket launcher.
He might not be leadership material, but when push comes to shove, Helsinki is someone the team can depend on, making him a lawful neutral character.
