The 12 Best John Wick Characters That Appeared In Only 1 Film

For a franchise named after just one character, the "John Wick" film series features a surprising number of memorable characters who serve to both help and hinder John Wick's journey. Many of these characters become franchise regulars and appear in multiple films throughout the series. Often, these are some of the series' most iconic characters, such as Ian McShane's Winston, the owner of the New York Continental Hotel; Laurence Fishburne's Bowery King, an underworld spy; and Charon, the concierge of the New York Continental, who was portrayed by the late, great Lance Reddick.

However, not all of the franchise's best characters make appearances in multiple films. In fact, the majority of "John Wick's" supporting cast only appears in a single film in the series. This is typically due to their character's untimely death, often at the hands of John himself. But for others, it was decided for some reason or another that their story wouldn't continue in future films. This may have been due to an actor's inability to return, or perhaps the story just didn't call for them to come back. Either way, here is a look at some of the "John Wick" franchise's best characters who have only appeared in one of the series' chapters.

Akira is a new character introduced in "John Wick: Chapter 4" and is played by Japanese-British singer and actress Rina Sawayama, whom director Chad Stahelski reached out to after seeing her fight choreography in the music video for her song "Bad Friend." Akira is the concierge of the Osaka Continental Hotel and is later revealed to be the daughter of Shimazu Koji (Hiroyuki Sanada), the manager of the Osaka Continental Hotel. Her relationship with her father provides an important contrast to that of Caine (Donnie Yen) and his daughter (Aimée Kwan). While Caine has no contact with his daughter, Akira and her father are close, and she serves as his most trusted advisor.

Akira is shown to be a pragmatic thinker and is often the voice of reason to her more idealistic father. She wisely warns her father to stay away from John Wick and to respect his excommunicado status by denying him services to the hotel. While Akira's wise judgment indicates she might make a better manager than her father, she is also a deadly fighter when the need arises. Skilled with blades and a bow, along with impressive martial skills, Akira helps John Wick to escape Osaka alive. In proving her skills, she makes the shortlist of characters who can easily lead a spin-off franchise in the future.

The "John Wick" franchise has featured appearances from many famous actors throughout its four films and nearly 10-year history, but many viewers may have still been surprised to see legendary actress Anjelica Huston make an appearance as a character known only as the Director. She runs the Ruska Roma, one of the criminal organizations that hold a seat at the High Table. After being declared excommunicado, John Wick runs to the Director for help, revealing that she used to be a mother figure to him back when he trained under Ruska Roma before becoming an assassin.

The Director is intimidating, with her tight control over her organization shown in the vigorous training she puts her ballerinas through. However, it is clear that even with her tough exterior and strict management style, she still cares very much for those under her, seeing them as family. Despite John's label of excommunicado, and knowing that helping John Wick may lead to retribution from the high table, she still honors her duty to her family and helps John Wick escape New York. Later, when the Adjudicator arrives to punish her, she takes it with a show of strength that even the Adjudicator seems to admire.

John Wick has many friends from his time as a world-class assassin, but few are closer than Marcus (Willem Dafoe). The two have such a good relationship that Marcus even attends the funeral of John's wife, Helen (Bridget Moynahan), though Wick had been retired for some years. He's the only former associate of John's to check up on him after his wife died. So it seems surprising that when Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist) approaches Marcus about killing John for $2 million, Marcus readily accepts.

However, Marcus' acceptance turns out to be a ruse to keep tabs on the attempts to take John out. After John is captured by Viggo's men, Marcus takes them out with a sniper rifle, giving John the chance to escape and finish off Viggo's men. Unfortunately, Viggo becomes aware of Marcus' betrayal and murders him in his own home. This enrages Wick so much that he walks back on his promise to allow Viggo to live following the death of Iosef. He tracks him down and wipes him out, along with all of his men.

Actress Ruby Rose turns in one of the most memorable performances in "John Wick: Chapter 2" as the deaf assassin and bodyguard Ares, who works for the film's main antagonist, Santino D'Antonio. In many ways, Ares mirrors the character of Cassian. Both serve as the bodyguard and top advisor of one of the D'Antonio siblings, and both have a strong sense of duty and honor that compels them to support their charge, even when logic would dictate that it may not be the right choice. In Ares' case, she backs Santino as he takes out his sister to ascend to the High Table and supports his betrayal of John Wick, though she respects Wick.

There is one very important moment in "John Wick: Chapter 2" that defines Ares as a character and shows the depth of her loyalty. Toward the end of the film, John Wick corners Santino in his art exhibit, taking out all of his men. Ares offers to stay back to buy Santino time to escape, though she makes it very clear that she does not expect to survive the encounter. Her fight with John Wick is short but decisive, and despite her expert skills with a blade, she is taken down as John Wick stabs her in the chest with her own blade, the same way he took down her counterpart, Cassian.

Mr. Nobody, also known as the Tracker, is one of the many players in "John Wick: Chapter 4" looking to take down the iconic assassin to cash in on the bounty. But from his introduction, it is clear that the mysterious man is not just another goon standing in John Wick's way. Mr. Nobody is one of the series' most clever and tactical assassins, with expert tracking skills that allow him to hunt down Wick even when everyone else has lost his trail. He also utilizes each of Wick's successes to further negotiate the bounty with Marquis Vincent de Gramont, ensuring the highest payday possible.

But for all his ruthlessness, Mr. Nobody is a surprisingly likable antihero. His relationship with his dog shows a softer side to the character, and their adventures together are hard not to get invested in. When Mr. Nobody's dog is nearly killed, John Wick exposes himself by choosing to save Mr. Nobody's dog instead of himself. This changes the Tracker's mind, and he chooses not to kill Wick as thanks for saving his dog, instead watching his duel with Caine with the dog by his side. Shamier Anderson's magnetic performance and the character's mysterious background and relatable love for his dog make him an excellent candidate for a spin-off film.

When it was announced that the legendary Hong Kong actor and martial artist Donnie Yen would appear in "John Wick: Chapter 4," it was clear that he would play an important and memorable role in the film. His character, Caine, is arguably one of the most nuanced characters in the "John Wick" universe, and despite being one of the main antagonists through most of "John Wick: Chapter 4," Caine is more of a hero in a bad situation that a true villain. An old friend of both John Wick's and Shimazu Koji's, Caine is forced to turn against them and do the High Table's bidding to keep his daughter safe.

Caine is one of John Wick's most dangerous foes. Even after losing his eyesight, Caine is a deadly fighter and martial artist with a keen sense of hearing. He is able to defeat both Shimazu Koji and John Wick in one-on-one duels. Although Caine is forced to fight against John Wick, he always shows respect and reverence to his old friend. This honorable side is on full display when he fights alongside Wick near the end of the film to allow him to arrive safely to their duel, even though it makes the odds of Caine losing the duel much higher.