Cancelled and deleted

Several mobile games were made available in Japan,^[21] including a crossover with Kaitō Royale, but have since become unavailable after their distribution services were closed. Another game, initially planned for 3DS and mobile, dubbed Layton 7, was announced in 2013, featuring the Professor as a selectable avatar in a mafia-style social game. It was again presented at the 2015 Level-5 Vision, but failed to materialise within its release window and has since been removed from the company's website.

Main

Artwork from Professor Layton Royale, showing many characters from the series

• Professor Hershel Layton (エルシャール・レイトン, Erushāru Reiton) is the title character and original protagonist of the series. Having become a professor of archeology at London's Gressenheller University at age 27, he quickly became reputable for his highly diverse skill set, most particularly his formidable puzzle-solving prowess. He wears an iconic black top hat with a red band, along with an orange shirt under a black high-collared coat and matching pants, and behaves like a stereotypical English gentleman with a particular predilection for drinking tea. After sharing an adventure with Luke Triton, the son of his old friend, Clark, with whom he studied at university, he would take on the boy as his ward.^[28] After he and the young Luke parted ways, he would take on the role of father to two children, Alfendi and Katrielle.^[29]
• Luke Triton (ルーク・トライトン, Rūku Toraiton) is a keen follower and self proclaimed apprentice of the Professor who accompanies him on his investigations. Though he aspires to be a gentleman just like his mentor, his intelligence belies his age, and he can be hasty in his judgement and prone to let a cheeky remark slip out. He is fond of puzzles, teddy bears, and the color blue, and exhibits the ability to understand and converse with animals, as well as an appetite he can never seem to quench. His attire develops over time: while he consistently wears a sweater and unfastened suspenders throughout the first trilogy, in his chronologically earlier appearances he wears his uncovered suspenders fastened (in Last Specter and Eternal Diva), adds a buttoned vest (in Miracle Mask), then swaps it for an open cardigan (in Azran Legacy). Luke would begin travelling with Layton at the age of 10, an arrangement which would last for a little under four years until his move to the United States with his family. After studying abroad, a mature Luke and his wife, Marina Triton, whom he met during his college years, would return to England and ultimately reunite with the Professor.^[30]
• Alfendi Layton (アルフェンディ・レイトン, Arufendi Reiton) is a historied detective at New Scotland Yard and the son of Professor Layton. He struggles with a dissociative identity disorder featuring two distinct personalities, dubbed "Placid" and "Potty", but nonetheless demonstrates a highly refined faculty for investigative logic.
• Lucy Baker (ルーシー・クレイラ, Rūshī Kureira, Lucy Cleyera^[31] in Japanese version) is a greenhorn detective at New Scotland Yard assigned to Alfendi's "Mystery Room" department. Driven and occasionally a touch overenthusiastic, she complements the skills of her superior to a tee.
• Katrielle Layton (カトリーエイル・レイトン, Katorīeiru Reiton) is Professor Layton's adoptive daughter and puzzle-solving detective in her own right. With an eccentric investigation style and an insatiable craving for sweets, her unusual methods disguise an unparalleled ingenuity. After founding the Layton Detective Agency at 21 years of age and taking on her first respondent, a client-in-residence in the form of a "talking" dog she dubs Sherl, Katrielle makes solving mysteries of all shapes and sizes her mission, all the while searching for the Professor, who disappeared during her childhood.
• Ernest Greeves (ノア・モントール, Noa Montōru, Noah Montol in Japanese version) is the self-appointed assistant to Katrielle at the Layton Detective Agency. Having joined at the tender age of 19, he is a slightly awkward investigator, and nurses a mild crush on Katrielle, but remains diligent and dutiful to a fault.

Recurring

• Flora Reinhold (アロマ・ラインフォード, Aroma Rainfōdo, Aroma Reinford in Japanese version) is the orphaned daughter of the wealthy Augustus Reinhold and his wife, Violet. After the events of Curious Village, Layton and Luke help her resettle in London. She aspires to live a lifestyle akin to that of the duo, occasionally joining them on their investigations, and is a budding protégée ("bride candidate" in the Japanese original) of the Professor. She also loves to cook, but, unfortunately, lacks the requisite skill to do so well.^[32] Flora is voiced by Mamiko Noto in Japanese and Lani Minella in English.^[33]
• Emmeline "Emmy" Altava (レミ・アルタワ, Remi Arutawa, Remi Altava in Japanese version) is Professor Layton's assistant as appointed by the President of Gressenheller University, and one of the main characters of the prequel sequence. She loves photography, taking her camera everywhere she goes, and demonstrates impressive martial arts skills. However, she keeps the circumstances of her past closely guarded, the truth of which would be revealed in Azran Legacy, leading to her departure from the Professor's side. After setting out on her own, she would successfully forge a new path as a roving photographer for the World Times, travelling the world and living "proudly" as a "normal girl". She is 24 years old in Last Specter, and would leave the Professor's company at around 26. The Japanese website for Last Specter also describes her with the phrase "アジア系の美女" (lit. "an Asian beauty" or "an Asian descent beauty"), implying her to be of half-Asian descent.
• Don Paolo (ドン・ポール, Don Pōru), Layton's self-declared nemesis and a recurring antagonist in the original trilogy, is a brilliant scientist, inventor, and master of disguise banished from the scientific community (and the "society of scholars", as noted in The World of Professor Layton) for performing unethical experiments. Originally named Paul, he used to be a fellow student of Layton's at Gressenheller University, and his unrequited love for Layton's then-girlfriend Claire Foley caused his hatred for the professor. When he is not plotting evil, Don Paolo enjoys making and listening to music. Paolo is voiced by Minoru Inaba in Japanese and Christopher Robin Miller in English.^[34]
• Jean Descole (ジャン・デスコール, Jan Desukōru), a masked scientist and archaeologist, is a recurring antagonist in the prequel sequence. In each of his appearances, he competes against Layton, and later with a crooked archaeology organization called Targent, in search of historic sites connected to the ancient civilization of the Azran. Like Don Paolo, he is also a master of disguise and even spends most of Azran Legacy hiding as peaceable archaeologist Desmond Sycamore to deceive Layton. He is secretly Layton's long-lost older brother, who dubbed Layton "Hershel" after his own name when the brothers were adopted by separate families following their father's abduction by Targent. As a result, Descole's ultimate goal is to revenge himself on Targent for destroying his family. Descole is voiced by Atsuro Watabe in Japanese and Walter Rego in English. Jonathan Keeble voices him in Eternal Diva.
• Leon Bronev (ブロネフ・レイナー, Buronefu Reinā, Bronev Rainer in the Japanese version) is one of the main antagonists of the prequel sequence, who leads the evil archeology organization Targent. He seeks to uncover the mysteries of the ancient Azran civilization to harness their untold powers and conquer the world. He is secretly the birth father of Layton and Descole, who were adopted by separate families when he was first captured by Targent, after which he rose through the rankings to become its head. Bronev is voiced by Masachika Ichimura in Japanese and Timothy Watson in English.
• Inspector Chelmey (チェルミー警部, Cherumī Keibu) is a grizzled detective with London's Scotland Yard, reputable for striking fear into the hearts of London criminals, something which belies the reality of his person somewhat. In their various encounters, Layton and Luke have tended to stay one step ahead of the tireless but one-track inspector. When not working, he enjoys his wife's cooking (in the European releases of the games, his favourite food is cakes, while elsewhere it is sweet potato fritters).^[32] Chelmey's assistant, a young constable by the name of Barton, is a timid man prone to distraction and making mistakes, but tends to complement Chelmey's investigative style and has covered for some of Chelmey's oversights in the past.^[32] His father was once Chelmey's mentor, and by the time of Mystery Room, he had been promoted to Commissioner. Chelmey is voiced by Shirō Saitō in Japanese and Christopher Robin Miller in English.^[35]
• Inspector Clamp Grosky (クランプ・グロスキー, Kuranpu Gurosukī) is a police inspector from Scotland Yard who plays a role in the prequels similar to Chelmey's. Emmy and he are well acquainted, having collaborated several times in the past. The energetic Grosky has a fiery passion for mysteries that require his expertise and is also very athletic, apparently able to run faster than cars and swim faster than sharks. His most distinguishing features are his chest hair and his pompadour hairstyle.^[36] He also has a younger sister named Amelie who goes on to marry Chelmey, making Chelmey brother-in-law to Grosky. Grosky is voiced by Hōchū Ōtsuka. Stuart Organ voices him in Eternal Diva.^[37]
• Inspector Ercule Hastings (ダージリン・アスポイロ, Dājirin Asupowaro, Darjeeling Aspoirot in Japanese version) is a hardworking, down-to-earth detective at Scotland Yard who frequently enlists the assistance of Katrielle and her Agency in his more puzzling investigations. His colleague Emiliana Perfetti, a police profiler, is a perennial critic and avowed rival of Kat, and is highly competitive with her when the two cross paths.
• Granny Riddleton (ナゾーバ, Nazōba), self-described clairvoyant, is a recurring character throughout the entire series, first appearing chronologically in a cameo in Last Specter. Many characters view her as a witch, presumably due to her pointed hat and distinctive laugh. She gathers all the puzzles missed by the Professor and co. as they progress through their investigations, storing them in a small hut so they may be solved later.^[38] In the prequel games where she does not perform her regular function, Riddleton's pet cat, Keats, appears in her place while she holidays.^[39] In Miracle Mask, however, she appears wearing thick eyeglasses and calls herself "Nana Grams" (a portmanteau of "nana" and "anagrams")/"Elizabeth".^[40] In Unwound Future, she retires, and is soon succeeded, after a brief intermediary period where she is supplemented by a talking bee named Beasley, by her granddaughter, Puzzlette. Riddleton is seen enjoying her retired life in Millionaires' Conspiracy.
• Stachenscarfen (ヒゲマフラー Hige mafurā), so named in reference to his distinctive facial hair and scarf, is a recurring "fourth wall" comic relief character throughout the entire series. His first appearance is in Curious Village where he is an apparent resident of St. Mystere. His purpose is to explain tutorials to the player; however he is presented as a mysterious, enigmatic character who "appears out of nowhere" and "vanishes without a trace", and has motivations that are shrouded in mystery, playing the role of a humorous metatextual jab at characters who exist for no reason other than to hand out tutorials. In the prequel sequence, he is replaced most of the time by a similarly-mustached character named Aldus. In Azran Legacy, his only appearance in the prequel games, he is directly described as an ominous character who has knowledge beyond the other characters, a reference to his role in the original trilogy, while an elderly Stachenscarfen appears in Millionaires' Conspiracy.

Original sequence

• Professor Layton and the Curious Village: Professor Hershel Layton and his young apprentice Luke Triton are invited to the remote village of St. Mystere by the family of late Baron Augustus Reinhold to figure out the secret behind his last will and testament, in which he stated that anyone who found the Golden Apple hidden within the town would be entitled to his entire fortune. Upon entering the town, the duo soon discover that the curious village holds many more secrets than they could ever have expected. They encounter 138 puzzles in their pursuit of the truth behind St. Mystere.
• Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box: The Professor and Luke receive a letter from Layton's old mentor, Dr. Schrader, detailing his procuring of the Elysian Box, a chest rumored to kill anyone who tries to open it. Fearing for his safety, the pair visit Schrader's apartment, where they find him lying on the floor, dead, with the box nowhere to be found. Their only clue to the box's whereabouts is a train ticket for the high-class Molentary Express with no discernible destination, setting the duo on a journey in search of the truth behind the fate of Dr. Schrader and the whereabouts of his diabolical box. During their search, they are faced with 153 additional puzzles.
• Professor Layton and the Unwound Future: Considering the provenance of a letter purportedly sent to the Professor by Luke himself, from ten years into the future, only a week after an accident in which Dr. Stahngun's failed demonstration of a time machine caused both the scientist and Britain's Prime Minister to vanish, Luke and Layton travel to a desolate part of town as directed to investigate a clock shop. Upon walking out, they find themselves thrust forward into a Future London, ten years from their present. The pair are challenged to solve 168 new puzzles in their efforts to find the truth of their lost future, and to remember a forgotten past.

Prequel sequence

• Professor Layton and the Last Specter: Receiving a letter in the name of Clark Triton, an old friend, Layton is called to the mysterious, foggy town of Misthallery, where legends exist of a great, shadowy giant who protects the region whenever a special flute is played to summon it. Recently, however, the "specter" has seemingly turned against the village, becoming violent and destructive, and it is up to the Professor, a young boy of the village named Luke who can predict its appearance, and Layton's new assistant, Emmy Altava, to figure out why. Together, they investigate the incidents and unearth the town's history, confronted throughout by a body of 170 puzzles.
• Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva: Layton is contacted by an old pupil who believes her late friend has been reincarnated in the form of a young girl. With Luke and Emmy in tow, the trio find themselves drawn into a conspiracy concerning a race to uncover the secret to eternal life.
• Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask: Layton, Luke, and Emmy travel to the city of Monte d'Or in search of clues to the meaning behind the sudden appearance of the Masked Gentleman, a mysterious figure who has wrought chaos upon the city with so-called "miracles", attributed to the seemingly magical powers of a mask. The Professor is forced to recall his past in order to uncover the secret of the mask in the present, as their task is tested by 150 puzzles.
• Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy: Contacted by a fellow archaeologist who claims to have found a "living mummy", the Professor, Luke and Emmy find themselves drawn into a face-off against an organisation known as Targent, who are in search of the relics of an ancient civilisation possessed of powers far beyond anything seen in the present. In their travels, they are offered a clutch of 165 puzzles.

New Layton series

• Layton Brothers: Mystery Room: Alfendi Layton, son of Professor Layton, and his newly assigned assistant, Lucy Baker, form a crime-solving duo based at Scotland Yard, solving cases other detectives are unable to crack.
• Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy: A new protagonist, Katrielle Layton, opens the Layton Detective Agency with the help of her assistant, Ernest, and takes on client-in-residence Sherl as her first step into the mystery-solving profession, assisting her fellow Londoners in solving puzzles while becoming embroiled in the affairs of a ring of seven London moguls.
• Layton Mystery Tanteisha: Katori no Nazotoki File: Pursuing her mission of solving any mystery, no matter how strange, Katrielle and her two companions uncover clues as to the truth behind the Professor's decade-long disappearance.

Upcoming

• Professor Layton and the New World of Steam: One year after they first parted ways, Layton reunites with Luke in the American city of Steam Bison to investigate a new mystery.

Crossover

• Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: The Professor, Luke, Phoenix Wright, and Maya Fey find themselves in a medieval world separate from their own, known as Labyrinthia. This world is controlled by a man known as the Storyteller, who can make anything he writes down a reality, and tales abound of witches who hide in the shadows. Whilst there their exploits expose them to a set of 70 puzzles.

Feature film

As part of the "second series" of the franchise, a feature-length anime film directed by Masakazu Hashimoto, titled Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva, was released in Japanese theaters on December 19, 2009. Produced by P.A. Works, the company responsible for the animated cutscenes in the original six games, it contains an original story which takes place between the events of Last Specter and Miracle Mask chronologically.^[7] The film was a general success in both Japan and Singapore, where it also received a cinema run. Manga Entertainment released a full English dub of the film on home video in the United Kingdom on October 18, 2010, which Viz Media republished in North America on November 8, 2011.^[41] A second film was initially planned for release between the fifth and sixth instalments, but failed to materialise.

TV series

An anime television series, titled Layton Mystery Tanteisha: Katori no Nazotoki File, starring the characters of Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy and featuring the original two series protagonists, began airing in Japan on April 8, 2018.^[42] The series was directed by Susumu Mitsunaka at Liden Films, with creative direction and series composition by Akihiro Hino and character design by Yoko Takada, and consists of 50 episodes.^[43]