*Shantae is the titular main protagonist of the Shantae series. The half-genie guardian of Scuttle Town, Shantae works tirelessly to thwart the plans of the nefarious lady-pirate, Risky Boots. She was created by Matt Bozon and Erin Bozon.

Shantae is a young woman with a very slender build. As a professional belly dancer, her outfit usually consists of sheer harem pants, a bra, and gold jewelry. This look is also known as the red bedlah attire and is the default look in every game, though it does change slightly as well. She has a relatively thin yet curvy figure and is rather short compared to some other characters in the game. Shantae has olive/tan-skin with blue eyes, and long growing purple hair tied up in a ponytail stem stalk. Her parentage is uncertain, but it is known that her mother was a genie and there is speculation about who her father was.

Slightly shy, Shantae is initially afraid of the citizens of Scuttle Town discovering her status as a half-genie. In addition, she often puts herself down; believing that only being half-genie is not good enough. After being tricked by Risky near the end of the game and subsequently thwarting her plans, she overcomes her insecurity and shyness and comes to terms with these anxieties, and is happy that the townsfolk still accept her.

Shantae has a deep care for her adoptive uncle, Mimic, as well as her friends Sky and Bolo, and at the end of the first game gives up on the chance to enjoy eternal peace in the Genie Realm in order to be with them. She also considers the zombie Rottytops as her friend, although Rotty's own attitude towards her, while friendly for the most part, is more ambivalent, as she does not hesitate in claiming she would like to eat Shantae's brains (which Shantae seems to take as a joke).

In Half-Genie Hero, Shantae has gotten her magic back and is tasked with protecting Scuttle Town from various threats like the Barons of Sequin Land, that person no one can remember, etc. Despite Shantae getting along with Risky Boots during the events of the last game and becoming sort of friends by the end, Shantae still considers Risky her enemy as the first thing she says to the pirate is, "Risky Boots! Back to your old tricks, I see,". In Half Genie Hero, Shantae's self esteem has increased again, since she has her magic back. Shantae is also shown to have a short fuse at times during the events of the game, such as when dealing with time wasters, such as Hypno Baron and Squid Baron's merchandising plot.

In Seven Sirens, Shantae and her friends go to a tropical island resort where they encounter other Half-Genie allies. At the beginning of the game, Shantae is invited along with the other Half-genies to participate in the Half-Genie Festival. During the performance, however, the Seven Sirens cut the lights and use the cover of darkness to kidnap the other Half-Genies, leaving Shantae alone onstage once the lights come back, much to the confusion of the audience. The next day Shantae begins to feel suspicious, so she decides to venture into the islands underground terrain to uncover its secrets and come face-to-face with the Seven Sirens, freeing the other Half-Genies along the way, despite her allies (specifically Mimic and Sky, though the dialogue implies that Bolo doesn't want her to disappear either) forbidding her to go in an attempt to protect her. This is a good show of Shantae's determination - unlike others, Shantae is not willing to sit around and wait for problems to be solved on their own. She is determined to help those in need, even if it means putting herself in harm's way.*