
One Tree Hill core five characters. From left to right: Peyton, Lucas, Brooke, Nathan and Haley.
Created in high school, the "Core Five" consists of the five main characters of the series. The five high schools friends include...
Lucas Scott[]

Chad Michael Murray portrays Lucas Scott
Lucas Scott is the son of Karen Roe and Dan Scott. After finding out his girlfriend, Karen, was pregnant, Dan Scott abandoned her and their child, leaving Karen to raise their child on her own. Since Dan abandoned Lucas, his father figure became Keith Scott, Dan's older brother, who was the only one who helped Karen raise Lucas: because of these reasons, he developed a rivalry with his half-brother and other son of Dan, Nathan, but, after getting to know each other better, their bond grew increasingly stronger and the two eventually started to consider each other true brothers. Haley is his best friend since forever. He has also loved Peyton since childhood and the two had an everlasting and tumultuous love story, even getting involved during high school in a complicated love triangle with her best friend Brooke, but in the end Peyton always turned out to be the one for Lucas: the two eventually got married and had a daughter, Sawyer. After having to quit his dream of becoming a professional basketball player because of a heart disease, Lucas has become a famous author, which was his second dream, developed through his passion for literature, and published two novels, An Unkindness of Ravens and The Comet, both of which focused on his everlasting love for Peyton.
Nathan Scott[]

James Lafferty portrays Nathan Scott
Nathan Scott is the son of Deb and Dan Scott, Shortly after leaving Karen, Dan got Deb pregnant, but this time decided to help raise his son. Dan has always been on Nathan's back about being the best in basketball while Deb was never around because her work causes her to travel a lot. Nathan became sick of the way his parents treated him and got emancipated. He developed a rivalry with his half-brother and other son of Dan, Lucas, but, after getting to know each other better, their bond grew increasingly stronger and the two eventually started to consider each other true brothers. At the beginning of their series he also fell in love with Haley and their relationship grew so strong that they ended up getting married and even having a son, Jamie, while still in high school. Years later, they had another child, a daughter whom they named Lydia. Meanwhile, in his young adulthood, after a lot of obstacles to overcome, Nathan finally saw his everlasting dream of becoming a NBA basketball player come true, but because of a past injury at his back, he had to retire after only one season. He then decided to become a sports agent, entering a partnership with his best friend and former own agent Clay Evans.
Peyton Sawyer Scott[]

Hilarie Burton portrays Peyton Sawyer Scott
Peyton Sawyer Scott (née Sawyer) is the daughter of Anna and Larry Sawyer. She found out she was adopted during high school when her biological mother, Ellie, came to meet her after she found out she had cancer, while her biological father is Mick Wolf, a music player and writer. Peyton was a "loner" cheerleader and a great artist. When Peyton's car broke down, she called Keith's auto shop and Lucas finally had his shot to talk to her for the first time after having loved her for years from afar. Then, she got to know him and started reciprocating his feelings due to his kindness, his always being there for her and their common passion for literature, music and art: the two had a tumultuous love story, also getting involved in a complicated love triangle with her best friend Brooke, but in the end their everlasting love always prevailed and they eventually got married and had a baby girl, whom they called Sawyer. Peyton's strong passion and talent for music and art also made her realize she wanted to become a music producer and, in her young adulthood, she saw her dream come true when she got to start her own record label, which she named Red Bedroom Records.
Haley James Scott[]
Bethany Joy Lenz portrays Haley James Scott
Haley James Scott (née James) is the daughter of Jimmy and Lydia James and Lucas' best friend since childhood. When Nathan asked Haley to tutor him at the beginning of their junior year, she was hesitant at first, but then agreed on the condition that Lucas wouldn't find out and Nathan would stop bullying him because of their rivalry. As they started becoming closer, Nathan and Haley found themselves falling in love, so they got together and their relationship grew so strong that they even got married and Haley got pregnant with their first child, a boy whom they called James, while still in high school. Then, the two managed to stay together also through their adulthood and they had another baby, a daughter whom was named Lydia. Because of having a family while still so young, Haley struggled to balance her responsibilities towards her family and her will not to be just a wife and a mother, prompting her not to give up on pursuing her own personal dreams. At first, she became a teacher at Tree Hill High School, which was her dream job since childhood, but then she understood that her love and passion for music, which she had discovered when she was still in high school, was stronger, so, when she got fired from her teaching job, she entered a partnership with Peyton in running Red Bedroom Records (which she then started running by herself after Peyton’s departure from Tree Hill) while also becoming a famous singer.
Brooke Davis Baker[]

Sophia Bush portrays Brooke Davis Baker
Brooke Davis Baker (née Davis) is the daughter of Ted and Victoria Davis. Originally portrayed as outgoing and promiscuous, her characterization drastically changed over the course of the series (especially in late seasons) by going through a lot of character development, which allowed her to outgrow her initial behavior and increasingly mature. Peyton and Brooke were best friends since forever, but in high school they had some issues due to getting involved in a complicated love triangle with Lucas, who however chose Peyton because he had loved her since childhood and she was the one for him, but in the end the girls were able to overcome this difficult situation, make amends and reenforce their friendship. Brooke also slowly developed a strong friendship with Haley. Realizing she had a strong passion for clothes design, after high school Brooke focused on her personal growth and became a famous stylist, coming to start a multimillionaire fashion company, Clothes Over Bros. Then, in her young adulthood, she finally met the love of her life, the film producer Julian Baker: their relationship faced numerous obstacles, like Brooke's unwillingness to open herself to Julian or their attempt at maintaining a long-distance relationship. They eventually got married amid the heartbreaking news of her inability to have children, but, much to their surprise, Brooke managed to get pregnant and then gave birth to twin sons, Davis and Jude.