Rodrigo Borgia/Pope Alexander VI

• Amicable Exes: Rodrigo and Vannozza.
• Bittersweet Ending: He dies without much ceremony and leaves behind one of the most corrupt papal tenures in history, however his actions helped kickstart the Italian Renaissance and bring Europe to a new age of art, science, and enlightenment.
• The Chessmaster: Becomes pope through lying, bribery, and other manipulation.
• Cool Crown: Whenever he busts out the papal tiara.
• Dirty Old Man: If he's not pining over Giulia, he's out carousing with another loose woman.
• The Don: Rules the church more as a crime boss than an actual holy figure.
• Fat Bastard: Large and in charge. When he dies, it takes three people to lift his body into his tomb.
• Freudian Slip: Loudly exclaims with joy at his new role as pope once the votes have been tallied. He quickly apologizes to the rest of the cardinals for "his want", but none of them are fooled for a second.
• Manipulative Bastard: Schemes his way into one of the most powerful positions in Christianity.
• May–December Romance: Rodrigo and Giulia—though her age is never explicitly stated she does not appear to be much older than Lucrezia.
• Pragmatic Villainy: Knows when to show clemency as much as he knows when to present a gruesome public execution.
• Pervert Dad: Rodrigo toward Lucrezia. He feels super guilty about it.
• Royal "We": Rodrigo after becoming pope.
• Sinister Minister: One of the most notorious popes in history.
• Smoking Is Cool: Sometimes seen smoking tobacco out of a pipe, showboating the spoils Spain has obtained after granting them access to the New World.
• Spirit Advisor: Appears to Cesare in the very last episode as this. Whether he's an actual spirit or a figment of his son's imagination is unconfirmed.

Isabella Matuzzi

• I Let Gwen Stacy Die: Well, actually she let Jeronima die.
• I Have No Daughter: Rodrigo disowned her for letting Jeronima die.

Pedro Luis

First Duke of Gandia

• Plot-Triggering Death
• Cain and Abel: Juan hired assassins to kill him.

Giovanni "Juan" Borgia

Second Duke of Gandia^note After Pedro Luis

• The Alcoholic: Slowly grows into this as he makes blunder after blunder.
• Asshole Victim: Rodrigo is the only one who's sad when he dies. Even his own mother said he kinda deserved it.
• Big Brother Bully: To Cesare, Lucrezia, and Goffredo.
• General Failure: Ignores the advice of veteran commanders and loses in battle miserably.
• Helpful Hallucination: Appears in a non-speaking role as this to Cesare as the Vatican fights for control of Florence from Savonarola.
• Hot-Blooded
• Jacob and Esau: He's his father's favorite, but not his mother's. Juan laments that she let him be sent away to Spain when he was 12.
  Vannozza: Thank God I have another son. Thank God I have Cesare.
• Jerkass: The most notable of the main Borgia family.
• Spoiled Brat: He owes his rise in power entirely to Rodrigo.
• Would Hit a Girl: Notably to Franchescetto's wife and Maria Enriquez.

Cesare Borgia

Duke of Valentinois

• The Ace: Very talented at many things, mainly diplomacy, manipulation, and warfare.
• Ambition Is Evil: One of the most power-hungry men in the show and also one of the most ruthless.
• Badass Longcoat: Wears a black fur-trimmed one late in the series.
• Bling of War: Has a sword with detailed engravings and a golden breastplate.
• The Casanova: Seduces multiple women and typically throws them aside when he has no more use for them.
• Cultured Badass: Well-read and more than happy to lead his men into battle.
• Dark Is Evil: Wears mostly black when not acting as cardinal. Historically true as the real Cesare wore black to better intimidate others.
• Even Evil Has Standards: He's impressed by Savanorola's piety and is hesitant to bring the man to torture. A discussion with Machiavelli convinces him otherwise.
• Fatal Flaw: Pride.
  Rodrigo: You're Narcissus. In love with your own reflection.
• Large Ham
• Happily Married: Enjoys Charlotte d'Albret's company and respects her, however he pretty much never sees her after their marriage as he's either back in Rome or on his campaigns in Italy.
• Hidden Depths: He's prone to moments of introspection and has a humanist mindset compared to the more fundamentalist cardinals.
• Hot-Blooded
• Emotional Bruiser: Cesare is as brutal and as emotional as they come.
• Mr. Fanservice: Cesare has no problem walking around shirtless or naked.
• Morality Pet: His sister, his children, his wife when he remembers her, his mother sometimes…
• Not Quite Dead: The very final scene of the series features Cesare landing on the shores of the New World quoting the first three words of the Bible.
• In-Series Nickname: "il Valentino"
• Jacob and Esau: While Rodrigo does love Cesare, Juan is his favorite—though Cesare is Vannozza's favorite.
  Vannozza: Thank God I have another son. Thank God I have Cesare.
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy
• Looks Like Jesus: Slowly grows into this.
• Riches to Rags: Once della Rovere becomes pope, Cesare loses all of his power and is imprisoned by the Holy See. He eventually escapes but his comfortable position under Rodrigo is forever lost.
• Sexy Priest: The red hat doesn't stop him from fooling around when he chooses.
• Sinister Minister: Serves as a cardinal for half of the show and commits nearly every crime under the book.
• Spoiled Brat: Though he matures, he still relies on Rodrigo for all of his financial backing.
• STD Immunity: Averted. Catches syphilis multiple times and his pustules are prominent on his face.
• Visionary Villain: Wants to unify all of Italy under his command and has no qualms on how to go about it.
• Warrior Prince: Effectively this as Papal Gonfolanier.
• We Used to Be Friends: Him and Alessandro were friends when they were classmates in Pisa.
• Wicked Cultured: He had a formal church education in Perugia and Pisa and has a learned knowledge of military generals, using both to justify his cruelest deeds.
• Would Hurt a Child: Even his own if it meant staying to closer to Rodrigo and God.
• Would Hit a Girl: He'd go much farther than that.

Lucrezia Borgia

• Arranged Marriage: To all of her husbands. Since she was the only daughter of the pope, she didn't have much of a choice in any of them.
• Beware the Nice Ones: "Am I not a Borgia?"
• Bittersweet Ending: She ends up married to a decent Italian noble but their relationship becomes rocky and she loses her brothers, father, and family reputation.
• Corrupt the Cutie
• Spoiled Brat: Starts the series as this but grows to become a more mature and respected woman.

Goffredo Borgia

• Bratty Half-Pint: He's kind of a little shit
• Tagalong Kid
• The Runt at the End: He's much younger and less badass than his elder siblings
• Those Two Guys: Him and his slightly-younger half-brother Ottaviano in the beginning