User blog comment:Zathronas/Analysis by an author: Volume 2 episode 12: Breach/@comment-5217560-20141031031903/@comment-24218038-20141031075830

Actually you have 3 types of characters in a story.

1- The throwaways.

You rarely name them and they only appear to service the plot in a convinient way then disappears.

2- The peripheral characters.

Important to the plot, can be recurring characters but are nonetheless less important than the central characters. You can ignore them for stretch period until you need them again.

3- The central characters.

Those are your main storylive character, usually your main protagonist, you main antagonist and your main foil. You always follow those characters.

Each categories can be killed but it usually falls down into the 2nd type of characters.

The throaways have no emotional impact.

The central characters are needed to further the plot.