One of the three central male protagonists, Mat begins the series as a mischievous, dice-rolling farmer from Emond's Field and ends it as one of the greatest military commanders in the history of the world - a fact he resents deeply and tries to avoid at every turn. Mat is a ta'veren, one of three people around whom the Pattern of the Wheel weaves especially tightly, and he is infused with the memories and skills of thousands of soldiers and generals from past ages, giving him an instinctive tactical genius he neither asked for nor wanted. He carries a spear called Ashandarei and wears a medallion that blocks the One Power. His relationship with Tuon, the Seanchan Daughter of the Nine Moons, is one of the series' most entertaining and complex dynamics. Mat provides most of the series' comic relief without ever being less than fully capable when it matters.

The third of the central male protagonists, Perrin is a blacksmith's apprentice from Emond's Field who discovers he is a Wolfbrother - able to communicate with wolves and access their senses, sharing a primal connection to the ancient bond between wolves and humans. He has enormous physical strength, enhanced further by his wolf nature, and golden eyes that mark him as something other than ordinary. Perrin is the most grounded and emotionally steady of the three boys - serious, methodical, and deeply uncomfortable with the violence his abilities push him toward. His arc across the series involves both his external struggle to protect the Two Rivers and his internal struggle to accept what he is, culminating in his mastery of the World of Dreams in the final books.

One of the series' most important female protagonists, Egwene begins as a village girl from Emond's Field who discovers she can channel the One Power and ends as the Amyrlin Seat - effectively the leader of all Aes Sedai. Her rise from novice to the most powerful position in the White Tower is one of the series' central narrative achievements, driven entirely by her intelligence, political acumen, and force of will rather than raw power. Egwene's arc is a sustained study in the nature of authority and legitimacy - how it is earned, how it is maintained, and what it costs. She is also a Dreamer, able to prophesy through her dreams and enter Tel'aran'rhiod, the World of Dreams, with unusual skill.

The Wisdom of Emond's Field - the village healer and advisor - and one of the most powerful channellers in the series. Nynaeve's defining characteristic for most of the series is her block: she can only channel when angry, a limitation that both limits and defines her for many books. When she finally breaks through it she becomes one of the strongest channellers alive. She is fiercely protective of the people she considers her responsibility, particularly the other Emond's Field characters, and her arc involves learning that protection sometimes means letting people face their own dangers. She eventually marries Lan Mandragoran, a match that says something about both of them. Her skill at Healing, the most demanding of the One Power's applications, is unmatched.