PLL Characters

• Aria Montgomery, as we know is portrayed by Lucy Hale. In the beginning of the series she has just moved back to Rosewood with her parents and her younger bother Mike. She struggles with keeping her father's secret affair from her mother. She then falls for her new English teacher Ezra Fitz, whom she first meets at a pub. In season 2, Ezria (as fans call them) finally went public. In the season 3 finale, the fate of Ezria is left hanging in the balance. Marlene King, one of the directors and producers of the show has said that it doesn't look good for Ezria in season 4. Ever since Ezra found out about his son Malcolm and especially since Ezra will now be teaching at Rosewood High again, Ezria will face obstacles but we all know they still love each other and just don't want either one of them to get hurt. We shall always ship Ezria!!!
• Hanna Marin is a character portrayed by Ashley Benson. After Alison's disappearance, Hanna has become the popular girl at Rosewood along with her best friend Mona. Before becoming the popular girl, Hanna was a little on the heavy side and Alison never let her forget that. Ali even showed Hanna how to throw up as dieting never worked for Hanna but Aria really helped her to overcome this when A tried to use this secret against her. As the series goes on, Hanna becomes less interested in popularity and reunites with her old friends. Hanna has had a few boyfriends. When the show began she was dating Sean Akard, the ministers son who was determined not to lose his virginity as he was very religious but they eventually broke up. She is currently in a relationship with Caleb Rivers.
• Spencer Hastings is a character portrayed by Troian Bellisario. Spencer is extremely intelligent but in the beginning of the series she keeps wanting everything her older sister Melissa has including boyfriends Ian and Wren. She wants to be as smart as her sister which resorts to her stealing a paper, for which then wins her an award. Season 3 was definitely the most heartbreaking season for Spencer as this was the season where we learned her boyfriend Toby was on the A team (though he was only in it to protect her) and they broke up. Mona was who revealed as A in the season 2 finale did everything in her power to break Spencer this season since Spencer didn't join the A team. Spencer really went through a rough spot which included her spending time in Radley after Mona tricked her into thinking Toby was dead. Spencer eventually joins the -A team, but we later find out she only joined to protect the girls and find Toby, and this is when we learn that Toby was only on the team to protect Spencer and the girls. We discover Spencer is the reason Aria and Ezra broke up, as she did it to gain Mona's trust. She is currently in a relationship with Toby Cavanaugh and in the season 3 finale we see Spoby stronger than ever. 
• Emily Fields is a character portrayed by Shay Mitchell. Emily is a competitive swimmer who in the beginning of the series befriends a girl named Maya St. Germain. Emily comes to realize that she is in love with Maya and eventually comes out to her parents.Emily is in a constant battle with her parents as they struggle to come to grips with the fact that she is gay and that she keeps getting into trouble.  In the season 2 finale Maya dies and Emily is devastated. Eventually we learned that Nate killed Maya and currently Emily is in a relationship with Paige. Emily is thought to be the weakest link and the one who is hurt the easiest but we later find out that isn't the case as she is in fact one of the strongest of the girls. 
• Alison DiLaurentis is a character portrayed by Sasha Pieterse. She is kind yet extremely manipulative and always manages to learn the girls secrets which she uses to her advantage. Alison ruled Rosewood and always told the girls that she was the one that created them. In the beginning of the series we learn that Ali went missing at a slumber party and one year later her disappearance is still unsolved. Throughout the show, a lot of secrets are revealed from Ali's past through flashbacks which leads the girls to question if they really knew Alison at all. In the season 3 finale we are left wondering if Ali is really red coat and if she is red coat, how did she fake her death?
• Ezra Fitz is a character portrayed by Ian Harding. Ezra comes from a very wealthy family but he has rejected his inheritance and has changed his last name from Fitzgerald to Fitz. In the first season Ezra begins a relationship with Aria whom he met before he realized she would be his student. He has maintained a serious relationship with Aria throughout the entire show. Their relationship started out as secret but in season 2 they finally went public. Ezra is not on good terms with Aria's father Byron who has never liked him. In season 3, we learn that Ezra got a girl named Maggie pregnant after his high-school graduation but his mother paid Maggie to leave town and have an abortion but instead Maggie had the baby. Ezra's son's name is Malcolm. This has put a serious obstacle in the fate of Ezria and neither Aria or Ezra want the other to get hurt. 
• Toby Cavanaugh is a character portrayed by Keegan Allen. Toby is Jenna's Marshall's older step-brother and in the beginning of the series we learn that Jenna had forced/blackmailed Toby into having a sexual relationship with her because she was in love with him. When Ali convinced the girls that Toby had been spying on them, she decided to get revenge by throwing a stink-bomb into his garage which ended up blinding Jenna. Ali then blackmailed Toby into taking the blame for this "accident". Toby also has a tattoo that says "901 Free at Last" because that was the day he became free from Jenna. This also happened to coincidentally be the day Ali went missing. After a year in reform form school, Toby returns to Rosewood and is suspected of being A by the girls. He eventually convinces the girls that he never hurt Ali and he befriends Emily first. Toby has been in a long-term relationship with Spencer Hastings. At the end of "The Lady Killer", it is revealed that Toby is part of the "A-Team" and Spencer finds this out on their one year anniversary. Mona eventually fakes Toby's death and in the season 3 spring finale, we learn that Toby is alive and that he only joined the "A-Team" to protect Spencer. Season 3 ended with Spoby reuniting. 
• Caleb Rivers is a character portrayed by Tyler Blackburn. Caleb is very "street-smart". He starts out as the new kid at Rosewood High. What we know about his past is that he was given up by his biological mother when he was a kid and he has lived in different foster homes. He has been the former housemate of Lucas Gottesman and at one point he even lived in Hanna's home (without her mother knowing of course). Living in foster care and his relationship with Hanna Marin has greatly changed his outlook on the future. In the beginning of his relationship with Hanna, he just used her because he was being a spy for Jenna Marshall. Caleb eventually developed true feelings for Hanna and realized that spying on her was wrong so he backed away from Jenna and told Hanna the truth about everything. At first they broke up but she eventually forgives him. In season 3, Haleb has been a very strong couple and Hanna helped him a lot this season with his birth father.
• Mona Vanderwaal is a character portrayed by Janel Parrish. Mona is probably one of the most complex characters on the show. Mona used to be a former nerd who idolized Alison DiLaurentis. After Alison's disappearance, Mona transformed herself into Rosewood's popular girl along with her best friend Hanna Marin. Hanna is the only girl that cared for Mona as the other girls didn't. Ironically, when Mona became popular, she behaved and acted the way Alison would and she targeted Lucas the most. Once Hanna reunited with her old friends Aria, Spencer, and Emily we learn that Mona was jealous because she was losing her only friend and this is the ultimate reason why she became "A". Mona is the first "A" to be revealed (in the season 2 finale) and she was sent to Radley for psychological treatment. While Mona is at Radley we learn we learn that she is being controlled by someone in a red coat. Mona eventually becomes released from Radley and pretends to be better when she is in fact still taunting the girls. In the season 3 finale, it is revealed to us that Mona doesn't know as much as we thought she did and there is a moment where we see her good side when she thinks she will die and never know who Red Coat was. At the end of the season 3 finale, the liars get a text from "A" and we see that Mona does as well meaning that she has become a new victim and target of "A". 
• Melissa Hastings is a character portrayed by Torrey DeVitto. Melissa is Spencer's older and seemingly perfect sister. Melissa always seems to have what Spencer wants. Melissa always has the perfect boyfriends (Ian and Wren) that Spencer wants and these boys are always attracted to Spencer as well. Melissa also has the praise from both of their parents which makes Spencer jealous at times. Melissa was also pregnant the summer Ali went missing and she went with Ian to Hilton Head to get an abortion but she ended up losing the baby before they even got there. Also Melissa was in Cape May with Cece, Ali, and Wilden although we still don't exactly know what happened there. In the season 3 finale, it appears as though Melissa is in some kind of team with Jenna and Shana. Melissa Hastings is definitely a character with a lot of secrets that we don't know about yet.
• Lucas Gottesman is a character portrayed by Brendan Robinson. Lucas was targeted by Alison before her disappearance. After Ali's disappearance he is targeted by Mona in the same way. He has always been a good friend to Hanna Marin and over time he developed feelings for her. They are still friends but not as close. 
• Jenna Marshall is a character portrayed by Tammin Sursok. Jenna is the younger stepsister of Toby Cavanaugh. She became blind after Alison threw a stink bomb in Toby's garage. In mid season 2 Jenna had eye surgery and she regains her sight at the end of season 2 although she tries keeping it a secret for awhile. At the end of season 3 she told Shana that her eye sight is getting worse. She also met Shana and Melissa in secret and we realize that they are in some kind of "team", maybe even another "A team".
• Paige McCullers is a character portrayed by Lindsey Shaw.