S: Big Ron
A: Uncle Dan
B: The Four Basic Characters
C: Count Longarms, The Ascetic

The first four characters are all the same, and have no special properties.

Big Ron, while slightly bigger than the other characters, has much more defense than the others. This defense is very important and gives you an advantage in combat and the ability to trade effectively.

Uncle Dan holds his sword above him, giving him access to a defensive stance by pointing the sword down. This is beneficial in combat, and especially helpful when combined with the Dash(jump->double jump into the ground).

Count Longarms holds his sword down below him. This can be used in conjunction with the Super Jump(both jump buttons simultaneously), but isn’t especially effective.

The Ascetic lose the sword’s special attack in exchange for a sword throw. This sounds good, but they are left without a sword for many seconds after throwing it.