Finn is a teenage boy with a childlike personality, boyish enthusiasm, and a love of adventure. He is 12 years old at the beginning of the series but ages throughout the show and is 17 by the series finale. He is talented at beatboxing and sword fighting. Finn is prone to outbursts of phrases like "Mathematical!" and "Algebraic!". He is shown to have thalassophobia in the season one episode "Ocean of Fear" but overcomes his fear of the sea in "Billy's Bucket List". In the fifth-season episode "Red Starved", it is implied that Finn is color blind.
Finn is shown to be enthusiastic and reckless, although he becomes more reserved over the course of the series. He is motivated by a desire to live by a heroic code and a thirst for adventure. Having once been lost in the woods as a helpless infant, he "vowed to help anyone in need, no matter how small their problem". Many of Finn and Jake's early adventures revolve around them exploring the land of Ooo and battling monsters. Finn's life with Jake is modelled after the archetypal knight-errant, as they frequently explore dungeons, fight evil creatures, rescue various princesses, and save the world.