Will Graham

Animal: Black deer
Dogs:
Winston: The most prominent and emblematic. He is the light-skinned mestizo.
Buster: A small terrier-type dog
Applesauce: One with spots
Max: large shepherd-type mongrel
Zoe (the small white dog with an overbite).
Jack (a large white dog).
Ellie and Harley

Hobbies: Reading, fishing
Drink: Whiskey
Disease: Encephalitis

Will is a profoundly complex man. He describes himself as being on the autism spectrum, due to his social difficulties and lack of eye contact; however, this contrasts sharply with his sociopathic tendencies and his pleasure in killing, which calls this assertion into question. Will struggles to make friends and can be perceived as awkward or even cold by others. He is courageous and highly intelligent, and develops an innate talent for manipulation, even managing to deceive Hannibal on several occasions. Will possesses an incredible gift for empathy, described by Hannibal as "pure empathy," being able to easily perceive and interpret the feelings and motives of other people, especially killers. However, this has a downside: while it makes him a brilliant profiler and an invaluable asset to the FBI, it also fuels his darkness, which begins to resurface with increasing frequency with Hannibal's help. Will regularly adopts and cares for stray dogs. He is protective of his friends, particularly Abigail Hobbs, whom he comes to regard as an adopted daughter.

Will constantly struggles to contain his dark side. He derived pleasure from killing Garrett Jacob Hobbs and often dreams or fantasizes about committing murders, though he tries not to carry them out. Will is tempted to run away with Hannibal, as he feels that Hannibal is the only person who has truly understood and accepted him. Ultimately, Will's darkness reaches its peak: he indirectly participates in the mutilation of Dr. Chilton and orchestrates the deaths of numerous FBI agents to facilitate Hannibal's escape from prison. Will seems to feel no remorse for the deaths of those who died because of him.

Will is a former homicide detective who lost his job because he couldn't use his gun when necessary. As a result, he teaches at the FBI academy. He doesn't remember his mother, who abandoned him when he was very young.

Will possesses the ability to experience pure empathy for others, along with a hyperactive imagination that allows him to mentally recreate the murders he investigates. This has a negative effect, causing him to have intense hallucinations or even lose consciousness. Will begins sessions with Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a prestigious psychiatrist recommended by the FBI, with whom he eventually forms a close alliance and develops intense feelings for each other. Will possesses a unique psychological ability he calls "interpreting the evidence." In reality, after visiting a crime scene, he is able to put himself in the shoes of a killer and recreate their thoughts (as well as their actions), assuming the role of the murderer himself to better understand them. Hannibal describes this ability as "pure empathy."

Will is a criminal profiler and serial killer hunter with a unique ability to identify and understand the criminals he pursues. He lives on a farm in Wolf Trap, Virginia, with his family of dogs (all adopted from strays). He originally taught forensic science for the FBI, but Jack Crawford brought him back into the field, and he worked alongside Hannibal Lecter to track down serial killers.