Raphael the Rat King saved Anita Blake from a fellow wererat in the master of the city's dungeon. He later agrees to help her try and kill Nikolaos. Nikolaos's animal to call is the rat, but she is not kind to them, so Raphael doesn't feel guilty when Anita wants to kill her.

Raphael is Latino. He has a crown branded into his forearm to mark him as the Rat King so he won't have to wear a crown. It would get in his way.