SEGA published new character information and artwork for Puyo Puyo Chronicle earlier this week.
As their statement reveals, new characters become available in the second half of the main scenario for Puyo Puyo Chronicle. You have to wonder what sort of major plot change, if any, happens at the halfway point in the game! Anyway, the new character artwork pieces can be found below, along with some skill descriptions:
Schezo: A Dark Wizard with a cool attitude and a big mouth. His Auto Skill increases the attack power of his allies, while the Special Skill changes the color of Puyo to purple.
Ecolo: 
Ecolo: A mysterious entity who can travel through space and time. Its Auto Skill enhances the effects of skills, while the its Special Skill can change the color of Puyo.
Accord: A teacher from Primp Magic School. Very kind, she also carries around a black cat named Popoi. Her Auto Skill increases the attack power of allies, while her Special Skill increases the defensive capability of her allies.
There are also other characters that appear in the main scenario, but can only be used in the Skill Battle mode. These are:
Seriri: A bit of a crybaby. Has a fear that everyone approaching her is going to tease her. Her Auto Skill reduces damage received, while her Special Skill recovers HP.
Harpy: A girl who likes to sing, despite having a harsh voice (and thereby living up to her name.) Her Auto Skill boosts recoveries, while her Special Skill lowers the opponents’ defenses.
Lagnas: A hero from another world, who somehow has the likeness of a much younger person than his real age. Only with more experience can he temporarily revert to his more adult form. His Auto Skill increases his own attack power, while his Special Skill increases attack power for his allies.
Donguri Gageru: A frog that loves to sing. He is also fast, and difficult to capture. His Auto Skill boosts his HP, while his Special Skill boosts the attack power of allies.
Onion: A young child of a demon, with an onion for a head. To express its love for “Oniko”, it fights in Puyo battles. Its Auto Skill reduces damage, while its Special Skill removes one turn of Puyo.
Puyo Puyo Chronicle has just released in Japan. There’s still no word on localization as of yet, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted should the circumstances change.
Source: PerfectlyNintendo, by way of Gamer. Images for the characters are also credited to Gamer.