The Rabe family lives in Ambalavato, a working-class neighbourhood of Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. Every character carries a wish and a flaw at the same time, which is what makes them so easy to recognise in everyday Malagasy life: Datoa thinks he is the smartest and invents solutions worse than the problems, R-Biz looks rich and is truly ambitious, Bebe Dety is a real healer with a witch's reputation, and Tsiky aims high without ever cheating.
Each character has a page of their own, listed below. How they are all related is told on How are the characters of Ny Rabe related?
The Rabe family
- Tsiky, 25, the eldest sister and the heroine: honest, dreamy and ambitious, a young single mother. Readers often know her by her green top and red necklace.
- Lita, two and a half, Tsiky's son: a yellow jumpsuit worthy of Bruce Lee, and an expert in kung fu.
- Fara, 44, the mother: she runs a tiny grocery in Mahamasina and hides her love behind tough words.
- Datoa, born Tefy Rabe, 46, the father: a taxi driver, a street philosopher, and the one who always thinks he is the smartest.
- Tata Malala, 68, the grandmother: a former schoolteacher with a sharp mind, and a Malagasy chicken nesting on her head.
- Miora, 16, the second sister: a straight-talking high-school student, a fan of the boys band KB3 and a defender of abandoned dogs.
- Njaka, 12, the youngest: a sarcastic little scientist whose inventions sometimes save the family.
- R-Biz, born Rado, 27, the cousin: rich on the outside, truly ambitious, and a main character since July 2026.
The animals
- Maki, the dog: a black and white Malagasy dog with three legs, who senses every tension in the house.
- Zézé, the zebu: a little bit divine, he lives in the house and sometimes speaks straight to the reader.
The neighbourhood
- Jean-Michel, 34: a French investor whose plans never quite work out, and who is in love with Tsiky.
- Bebe Dety, 72: the neighbour, a real healer with a witch's reputation, and Tata Malala's rival.
- Paoly, 43: Datoa's younger brother, a grumpy tyre seller who keeps an eye on R-Biz.
- KB3: the boys band Miora adores.
Where to see them
The family appears in the videos, gags, artwork and wallpapers of nyrabe.com, in Malagasy, and most characters have their own page there, such as Tsiky's. The places where their stories happen are on Where does Ny Rabe take place?, and the universe as a whole on the home page of Ny Rabe.