Rafael Lagarto

Rafael Benito Lagarto Perez is a main character in Friends of a Friend.

An heir to the Lagarto Hotel dynasty, Rafael fled his life on his family's home on prime Floridian swampland and escaped into the sewers after a mental breakdown. He lived alongside a colony of alligators for at least three years before encountering and reluctantly befriending Eden and Sid. His familial lineage, like Eden's, is filled with ostension.

Pre-Series
Rafael's paternal grandfather, Carlos Lagarto, was a young, penniless Cuban immigrant (with ambiguous ties to the Batista regime) who purchased a square mile of Central Floridian swampland from a grifter at the Port of Miami. Through equally vague means, he turned his purchase into a tourism empire, constructing luxury hotels, themed resorts, casinos, and even amusement parks in the Lagarto name.

Rafael grew up in the original resort location in the outskirts of the Greater Orlando area. Despite growing up in luxury, Rafael enjoyed exploring the swamplands that remained on the outskirts of the resort with his sisters, gaining an interest in the wildlife. He was able to keep their explorations secret until a snake bite on his foot led to the amputation of two of his toes. His father forbid him from exploring the swamp, and decided to send him off to live with his relatives until the .....

Rafael apparently snapped in the middle of a gala held in ...., upon which he tore off his suit, screamed, and jumped out the window. A prolonged search occurred, and he was declared missing, with rumors circling of his death. In reality, Rafael had begun navigating through the sewer system which drained into the marshes, making his way all the way to New York. Through trial and error (along with several lost fingers), Rafael was able to assimilate into sewer alligator society.

Rafael survived largely off of trash and rodents for a number of years before he was discovered by Eden and Sid, who were in the sewers in search of Eden's missing large intestine. While initially hostile, learning of their shared circumstances proved to be sufficient for Rafael to once again return to society in some form, though he continues to lay low (and freeload) in order to avoid recognition.

Personality
Having been raised to follow a strict code of appearance and manners, Rafael developed a taste for the thrill of transgression.... With no rules to disobey, Rafael found himself with both a newfound sense of freedom and a profound boredom. While he acts somewhat abrasive toward Sid and Eden, he secretly delights in their ability to effortlessly encounter strange situations, however, he finds himself bored by these as well.

Trivia

 * Rafael's grandparents are Cuban, and he speaks some Spanish, but is not entirely fluent.
 * Rafael's family is inspired by several business dynasties, most notably those of Disney, Hilton, Trump and Hearst.
 * His birthday is March 3, a date he shares with con artist Charles Ponzi.
 * He is voiced by Horatio Sanz in the animated series.