The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth All Characters Guide

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth ships with 34 playable characters when Repentance and Repentance+ are installed — 13 base characters, 2 Afterbirth additions, 2 Afterbirth+ additions, 4 Repentance additions, and 13 Tainted variants unlocked through the Home ascent path. Each character changes your starting health, speed, damage, tears, range, and luck while granting unique starting items or passive abilities. Choosing the right character for a run goal — whether chasing Dead God, learning a new floor, or practicing a specific boss — is one of the most important decisions before pressing start.

Base Game Characters (Rebirth)

Afterbirth and Afterbirth+ Characters

Afterbirth added Apollyon, who starts with Void and can absorb active items for stat bonuses — ideal for players who enjoy active-item-heavy builds. Afterbirth+ split Lazarus into two forms: Lazarus Risen gains a permanent Anemic tear effect after his first death, while Lazarus Normal plays like a standard three-heart character until he dies once per floor. The Forgotten and The Soul share a single unlock slot but function as two bodies — The Forgotten swings a bone club for melee damage while The Soul flies and shoots spectral tears, switching with the swap key. Bethany starts with Book of Virtues and uses soul charges instead of red hearts to power actives, rewarding angel room strategies.

Repentance Characters

Repentance introduced Jacob and Esau, the most mechanically demanding character in the roster. You control both brothers simultaneously — Jacob is faster with standard tears while Esau is slower but hits harder. They share items but have separate health bars, and if either dies, the run ends. Jacob & Esau unlock by beating the game with every other character except The Lost and Tainted Lost. Tainted characters are alternate versions unlocked through the Home path; see our Tainted characters guide for the full roster and unlock walkthrough.

Character Stats and Hidden Values

• Damage multiplier — Each character has a hidden damage multiplier. Azazel and The Lost deal reduced damage to compensate for their powerful starting kits.
• Tear delay — Lower tear delay means faster firing. Cain and Azazel fire faster than Isaac by default.
• Shot speed — Affects how quickly tears travel. Eve and Samson have below-average shot speed.
• Range — Determines tear travel distance before they dissolve. Judas has short range; Azazel's Brimstone beam ignores range.
• Luck — Influences proc rates for drops, Devil/Angel room chance, and tear effects. Most characters start at 0 luck.

Choosing a Character for Your Goal

For beginners, Isaac and Magdalene offer forgiving starts with The D6 rerolls and Yum Heart healing. Cain excels at fast clears with high speed and Lucky Foot for better drops. Judas is the glass cannon — one heart but a powerful Book of Belial multiplier. For unlock hunting, Azazel trivializes many early challenges while The Lost demands mastery of dodge patterns. Tainted Isaac is the community favorite for Dead God because his item-swapping passive enables broken synergies. Check our character unlock guide for step-by-step unlock paths and our completion marks guide for post-unlock progression on every character.

Every character can receive a Birthright effect in Repentance by finding the Birthright item in a special item room after defeating Mother. Birthright effects are character-specific power spikes — Isaac's Birthright lets him carry two active items, while Tainted Lost gains extra lives. Planning Birthright access requires understanding the alternate path floors introduced in Repentance.