Character Relationship Map: Luca

Characters

• Luca Paguro (played by Jacob Tremblay) — protagonist

  A sea-dwelling boy who secretly explores the human world. Fascinated by human objects and freedom, he befriends Alberto and joins Giulia in a local race while hiding his sea-monster identity. He conti...

• Alberto Scorfano (played by Jack Dylan Grazer) — protagonist

  A sea-dwelling boy who lives alone in an improvised shelter. He encourages Luca to explore the human world and shares his dream of owning a Vespa and traveling together. His jealousy leads him to expo...

• Giulia Marcovaldo (played by Emma Berman) — supporting

  A determined girl preparing for a local race involving swimming, eating, and cycling. She forms a team with Luca and Alberto after learning about their dreams, trains with them, and grows closer to Lu...

• Daniela Paguro (played by Maya Rudolph) — supporting

  Luca's mother, who warns him that humans are violent land monsters and would kill him if they discovered him. After learning that Luca has been visiting the surface, she decides to send him to live in...

• Massimo Marcovaldo (played by Marco Barricelli) — supporting

  Giulia's father, a fisherman who openly hunts sea monsters. His presence forces Luca and Alberto to remain cautious while they stay in Portorosso and conceal their identities.

• Lorenzo Paguro (played by Jim Gaffigan) — supporting

  Luca's father, who repeatedly warns him against exploring the human world. He supports the decision to send Luca to live in the deep after discovering Luca's visits to the surface.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Massimo Marcovaldo → Giulia Marcovaldo (Family Parent And Child) — Massimo is connected to Giulia through the Marcovaldo family context shown in the plot.

  Giulia introduces Luca and Alberto to Massimo Marcovaldo, who is presented as part of her household context.

• Daniela Paguro → Lorenzo Paguro (Family Parents) — They function as a united parental authority over Luca.

  Daniela Paguro and Lorenzo Paguro act together when they warn Luca about humans and plan to send him away.

• Luca Paguro → Lorenzo Paguro (Family Father) — Lorenzo is Luca's concerned father and supports the family's protective rules.

  Lorenzo Paguro joins Daniela Paguro in warning Luca about the surface and in deciding to send him to live in the deep.

• Luca Paguro → Daniela Paguro (Family Mother) — Daniela is Luca's protective mother who tries to control his contact with the human world.

  Daniela Paguro repeatedly warns Luca Paguro that humans are dangerous and later helps decide that he should live in the deep with Uncle Ugo.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Massimo Marcovaldo → Alberto Scorfano (Conflict Sea Monster Hunter) — Massimo's behavior threatens Alberto as directly as it threatens Luca.

  Massimo openly hunts sea monsters while Alberto and Luca are hiding that they are sea monsters.

• Massimo Marcovaldo → Luca Paguro (Conflict Sea Monster Hunter) — Massimo represents the human danger Luca fears on the surface.

  Massimo is a fisherman who openly hunts sea monsters, forcing Luca to remain cautious about his identity.

• Alberto Scorfano → Giulia Marcovaldo (Alliance Race Teammates) — Alberto works with Giulia toward the shared race objective.

  Giulia forms a race team with Alberto and Luca after hearing that they need the prize money.

• Luca Paguro → Giulia Marcovaldo (Alliance Race Teammates) — Giulia becomes Luca's teammate and helps him pursue the race goal.

  Giulia agrees to form a race team with Luca and Alberto after learning that they need the prize money.

• Luca Paguro → Alberto Scorfano (Social Best Friends) — Their friendship drives Luca's exploration, dreams, conflict, and determination.

  Alberto Scorfano teaches Luca about the surface, and the two boys become close friends while imagining world travel together.

Story Analysis

A sheltered sea boy pursues freedom, friendship, and acceptance while confronting fear of the human world.

Plot Progression

1. Secrets Beneath the Sea — Luca secretly explores the human surface despite Daniela and Lorenzo's warnings. He meets Alberto, discovers a new friendship, and begins imagining a life of freedom.
2. Escape to Portorosso — Luca's parents discover his surface visits and plan to send him into the deep. Luca runs away with Alberto and reaches Portorosso in pursuit of their Vespa dream.
3. The Race Team — Giulia recruits Luca and Alberto for a race whose prize money could support their dreams. The team trains while hiding the boys' sea-monster identities from the town.
4. Secrets Come Ashore — Luca and Giulia grow closer, but the team's secrecy becomes unstable. Giulia discovers the boys' identities, and Alberto exposes Luca after becoming jealous.
5. A Race Without Closure — Alberto reveals that his father abandoned him, while Luca refuses to accept his friend's self-condemnation. Luca chooses to continue the race, but the supplied ending does not show its final result.