Jim
Jim, a British schoolboy, is the adolescent protagonist of Empire of the Sun. He is extremely fond of airplanes, and eventually becomes particularly fascinated with the ones he works with in the army. Jim is intelligent, witty, and independent, and these skills serve him as he survives harrowing situations in both war-torn Shanghai and the army throughout the story.
Basie
Basie is an American merchant navyman. He is extremely exploitative, always attempting to manipulate and control others to fit his needs. He oversees Jim during his stay in the prison camp, and although he exploits him and often makes him run errands, he also teaches him valuable information about how the camp and the outside world works.
Dr. Ransome
Dr. Ransome is a British doctor/physician in the prison camp who plays a mentor role to Jim. Like Basie, he often gets Jim to run errands for him. However, he also takes his role as an overseer more seriously, attempting to continue Jim's education while he is in the camp by assigning him math problems to do.
