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Characters that appear in the sports series Attacker You!.


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Main Characters

     You Hazuki 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/you_8.jpg
Voiced by: Yuko Kobayashi (1984 series), Kozue Komata (2008 "sequel")

The main protagonist. A feisty and ambitious Passionate Sports Girl who dreams of becoming part of the National Volleyball Team.


  • The Ace: Probably the most talented player in the series and she regularly shows it. And for some reason, she’s constantly underestimated by her opponents (at least, before being defeated by her) despite being the star of the team and winning many previous matches.
  • Action Girl: In the second episode she defeats a gang of delinquents.
  • Adaptation Personality Change: In the original series she is an impulsive, funny, Hot-Blooded girl. In the sequel she's always calm and serious for some reason.
  • Attention Whore: Especially in the beginning, she thinks everything in her volleyball team revolves around her, and is annoyed when they don't let her play.
  • Big Eater: One of her defining traits.
  • Big Sister Bully: She can be very mean to Sunny, especially in the beginning. In one episode, Sunny was crying because he was teased about his fear of swimming. Then You hangs him from the window of a very high building and threatens to drop him, until he agrees to learn to swim. That scene was so cruel that it was censored in some European adaptations.
  • Boyish Short Hair: Fitting her tomboyish Passionate Sports Girl nature. A lot of other players keep their hair short as well.
  • Bratty Teenage Daughter: In early episodes, she shows all the usual signs. Her father and brother caught her daydreaming about dating a boy and punching her romantic rival, and she lashes out at them ("You're both idiots!") And she's so rebellious that, after being slapped by her father (in another episode), she actually slaps him back.
  • Bunny-Ears Lawyer: In the early episodes she was immature, clumsy, gluttonous, and Hot-Blooded. Nevertheless, despite her frequently crazy antics, her talent and athletic abilities were evident from the start and she quickly manages to outshine all her teammates, including Nami. Her personality quirks were toned down over time, but she still keeps her The Ace status.
  • Calling Your Attacks: "ATTACK!"
  • Character Development: She starts out as a hyperactive brat and total Class Clown who doesn't take anything seriously. Over the time, she gradually mellows down into a mature Plucky Girl and volleyball player, with only a few goofy moments once in a while.
  • Clingy Jealous Girl: Towards Sho, sometimes verging on Stalker with a Crush.
  • Cool Big Sis: How Sunny sees her.
  • Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: She starts as this, but gradually evolves into The Ace.
  • Determinator: She will always fight to get what she wants. Especially seen when she wants to join the Seven Fighters.
  • Dub Name Change: Mila Hazuki in the Italian version, Jeanne in the French version, Juana in the Spanish version.
  • Dude Magnet: Saburo and his two sidekicks love her and follow her everywhere. Sho is also in love with her but, to You's chagrin, he doesn't want to involve her in a relationship because it would distract her from volleyball.
  • Fangirl: Of Kanako Tajima who is actually her mother
  • Fiery Redhead: Even more so in the anime than in the manga.
  • Genki Girl: Mostly in the beginning, when she was in Hikawa High School, You was extremely energetic and excitable. She’s still this, to a lesser extent, in her early "Seven Fighters" days but she gets better after a while.
  • Hollywood Genetics: Her father has brown hair and her mother is blonde...She is a Fiery Redhead.
  • Informed Deformity: The Diet Episode is about You and Mineko because, according to the coach, they need to lose weight. Unlike Mineko who is overweight, You looks as thin as all her other teammates (despite being a Big Eater) and her weight gain is interely an Informed Attribute.
  • Invincible Hero: Downplayed and not as bad as other examples. She's actually allowed to lose sometimes, like the first official championship where she's defeated in the final match. However, after that, she is only defeated in friendly matches or in filler episodes, but ends up winning all the championships and important games, even beating her big rival Eri at least three times.
  • Karmic Butt-Monkey: She's The Ace of the team and very popular. But whenever she's being too arrogant and overconfident, it's usually followed but her embarrassing herself or suffering some form of Amusing Injuries or humiliation. This never stops her friends and admirers from idolizing her, though.
  • The McCoy: To Nami's The Spock and Eri's The Kirk. She's by far the most emotional and impulsive.
  • Missing Mom: You's mother left the family a long time ago. She's actually Kanako Tajima, the volleyball commentator and ex-player that You fangirls over.
  • Modesty Towel: Usually after a shower. And in two occasions it fall down.
  • Ms. Fanservice: Early in the series she gets few panty shots and later has various Shower Scene where she is naked (displaying nipples occasionally).
  • Nice Girl: You has quite a temper and can be very immature, but she's also one of the kindest and friendliest characters. Notably, she's very forgiving and often ends up befriending her former antagonists. Although she was more a Jerk with a Heart of Gold in the early episodes (see Big Sister Bully and Bratty Teenage Daughter).
  • Out of Focus: In the sequel. She is not the main character anymore, just one of the team.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Even the hair color matches their personalities. The redheaded You is a Hot-Blooded Genki Girl, while the blue-haired Nami is much more calm and serious. This is also emphasized by their uniforms when they join different teams: You's uniform is red, while Nami's is blue.
  • Related in the Adaptation: In the Italian dub of the anime, it’s mentioned You is a cousin of Kozue, the protagonist of Attack No. 1 (an earlier volleyball anime that was successful in Italy), even if the two series are completely unrelated.
  • Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Energetic Girl to Sho’s Savvy Guy.
  • Smitten Teenage Girl: Early in the series, she’s absolutely crazy about Sho. She later starts getting over it, due to Sho being Demoted to Extra.
  • Technician Versus Performer: The performer to Nami's technician.
  • Tomboy with a Girly Streak: A tomboy in almost every way, except when she's head over heels for a handsome guy. She even calls Sho her own "prince charming".
  • Unskilled, but Strong: In the beginning, being a naturally talented volleyball player, but also very inexperienced and clumsy. She gets better.

    Nami Hayase 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nami_hayase.jpg
Voiced by: Naoko Matsui (1984 series), Mai Aizawa (2008 "sequel")

One of the most prominent characters and players. Introduced as an antagonist, but she ends up becoming You’s best friend and their friendship is one of the focal points in the series.


  • The Ace: Not nearly as much as You and Eri, but she’s probably the best receiver in the series (ironically, You isn’t that good at receiving) and also a great server. Even after she joins a professional team, she’s still considered one of the best players.
  • Alpha Bitch: In the early episodes. She is introduced as the snobby captain and top player of the team who looks down on You, implied to be popular in the school (see Dude Magnet), and has two girls who follow her like a Girl Posse. She mellows down later, after her Heel–Face Turn.
  • Betty and Veronica: The Veronica to You’s Betty for Sho’s Archie, in early episodes.
  • Defrosting Ice Queen: Initially cold and arrogant, she later becomes sympathetic and a loyal friend.
  • Deuteragonist: The main foil to You, and the character who gets more development after You herself.
  • Dub Name Change: Peggy Hayase in the French and Spanish dub. Interestingly, her name remains Nami in the Italian version.
  • Dude Magnet: More an Informed Attribute only seen in the episode 7, when her locker is full of love letters from her admirers and she says "not again!" Standoffish as she is, she just throws all the letters in the bin without even reading them.
  • Fire-Forged Friends: She and You didn’t get along well in early episodes (being romantic rivals and all), before becoming best friends after Nami’s Character Development. They are still close friends even after they join different teams.
  • The Friend Nobody Likes: In the first 10 episodes, the more her Alpha Bitch tendencies increase, the more her teammates dislike her and side with You against her. In the 10th episode she ends up abandoned by all the teammates except her Girl Posse, despite her being the captain. She has a Jerkass Realization and gets better after that.
  • Heel–Face Turn: After she befriends You, she starts being nicer to her and the other teammates.
  • Lovable Alpha Bitch: Even before her Heel–Face Turn, she wasn't entirely bad. She was willing to stand up for a teammate against their abusive coach.
  • Out of Focus: In the sequel, and eventually also Put on a Bus.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Even the hair color matches their personalities. The redheaded You is a Hot-Blooded Genki Girl, while the blue-haired Nami is much more calm and serious. This is also emphasized by their uniforms when they join different teams: You's uniform is red, while Nami's is blue.
  • Romantic False Lead: Her initial attraction to Sho.
  • Teacher's Pet: Subverted. For most of the series, she is Daimon's favorite but he treats her as badly as he treats everyone else. And at the end, Daimon sidelines her in favor of his new favorite player, the horrible Hikaru.
  • The Spock: To Eri's The Kirk and You's The McCoy. She's the most cold and uptight.
  • Technician Versus Performer: The technician to You's performer.

    Eri Takigawa 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kaori.jpg
Voiced by: Yumi Takada (1984 series), Chihiro Ishiguchi (2008 "sequel")

You’s other close friend and most formidable rival. They have a Friendly Rivalry relationship.


  • The Ace: Probably even more than You, at least in-universe. She’s considered a volleyball prodigy since the first episode and her name is respected by everyone. Talented enough to join the Olympic team when she was just 13.
  • Always Second Best: To You, later in the series. Averted in the first championship (Eri actually beats You), but played straight later on where Eri’s team is always defeated by You’s team in the final match.
  • Big Damn Heroes: With a powerful spike, she saves You's litte brother from getting hit by a car.
  • Boyish Short Hair: Similarly to You, she has a short haircut.
  • Dub Name Change: Kaori Takigawa in the Italian version, Marie Takigawa in the Spanish and French version.
  • Friendly Rivalry: Eri and You are rather cordial and loyal to each other, despite being rivals in the stadium.
  • The Kirk: To Nami's The Spock and You's The McCoy. She is not as impulsive as You but not as uptight as Nami.
  • Out of Focus: In the sequel she's almost always sidelined in favor of her other teammates. It makes no sense since in the original series she's basically considered a Living Legend.
  • The Rival: You's main rival until the very end, but not her Arch-Enemy. She and You are friendly to each other since the beginning. They are just the top players of rival teams that always compete in the final match.
  • Tritagonist: Another prominent foil to You besides Nami, and her main Worthy Opponent in the entire series.
  • Worthy Opponent: To You, big time. Both harbor a deep respect for each other despite being arch-rivals in the stadium.

Supporting Characters

     So/Sho Tachiki 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shiro_takiki.png
Voiced by: Kenyuu Horiuchi (1984 series), Mitsuaki Madono (2008 "sequel")

The handsome captain of the boys' volleyball team who attracts You’s attention.


  • Advertised Extra: The European adaptations makes it look like the anime is all about the romance between him and You, when this romance doesn’t even exist, despite the initial Ship Tease. Sho is actually a minor character who is very soon Demoted to Extra and we never see a Relationship Upgrade between him and You.
  • Ascended Extra: As seen above, in the original series, he only appears in a few episodes. In the 2008 sequel, however, he’s a regular.
  • The Bus Came Back: After being Put on a Bus, he makes a couple of appearances in later episodes.
  • Chick Magnet: Which makes You easily jealous.
  • Demoted to Satellite Love Interest: He has a prominent role initially but after the first few episodes, Sho rarely appears in the anime despite being You's Love Interest and is lucky if he's even mentioned.
  • Dub Name Change: Shiro Takiki in the Italian version, Serge in the French version, Sergio in the Spanish version.
  • Informed Ability: He’s apparently a champion from the beginning, but we rarely see him playing.
  • Nice Guy: Always nice and helpful towards You.
  • Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Savvy Guy to You’s Energetic Girl.
  • Sexy Mentor: To You, in the early episodes.
  • Tall, Dark, and Handsome: You certainly thinks so.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: He was initially You’s potential love interest but after a while, it’s easy to forget he still exists. He doesn't even appear in the last episode.

     Matsugoro Daimon 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daimon_7.png
A Jerkass coach with a predilection for Corporal Punishment.
  • Adaptational Heroism: To an extent, in the sequel. He's still verbally abusive and aggressive but at least there aren't scenes with him beating up girls, like in the original anime.
  • Adaptational Villainy: In the manga he wasn’t violent and brutal like in the anime.
  • Drill Sergeant Nasty: In the anime, but averted in the manga.
  • Fat Bastard: His appearance makes him even more menacing.
  • Heel–Face Revolving Door:
    • In early Hikawa episodes, he's violent and brutal, but also an Anti-Villain with a sympathetic side, to the point that his players are sad when he goes away.
    • Later on, after You refuses to join his team, he becomes more outright malicious towards her, trying to destroy her dream to be part of the national team. He's still abusive to Nami, but also shows some care for her, working hard to make her join the national team, which is also partially the reason why he wants You out.
    • As a coach of the national team, he's an openly corrupt villain, forming a Big Bad Ensemble with his new favorite player, the equally cruel Hikaru Kaido, and he's also determined to ruin both You and Nami's roles in the national team.
    • And despite all of this, in the very last episode, he's seen crying when Nami has an accident that leaves her paralyzed.
  • Hypocrite: His words and his later actions often contradict each other when it suits him.
  • Jerkass: Pet the Dog moments aside, he's ruthless, violent, and often dishonest.
  • Jerkass Has a Point: While his excessively violent reaction was not justified, he was right about You being irresponsible, in one of the early episodes.
  • Karma Houdini: He's never really reprimanded for his actions (only You tried to stand up to him with little success). He keeps his job and even manages to become an important member of the national championship later on. In real life, he would have been fired and arrested big time.
  • Pet the Dog: In the last episode, he's genuinely saddened when he learns about Nami's accident.
  • Sadist Teacher: He comes off as this due to Values Dissonance, even though in-universe he’s supposed to be just an overly tough Stern Teacher. While he doesn’t act For the Evulz, his teaching methods are cruel and he's very fond of Disproportionate Retribution.
  • Tough Love: Some episodes make it clear that he really cares about his job as a volleyball instructor, and his harsh treatment of his players is to push them to do their best. He goes overboard, though.
  • Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: The early episodes were mostly a romantic comedy, made even more goofy by You's funny and slapstick antics. Except for his scenes, which are much darker and never Played for Laughs: we see his ruthless violence and all the girls being genuinely scared of him.
  • Would Hit a Girl: He's very violent and physically abusive to the girls of his team. Specially seen when he slaps each girl across the face merely for letting a rival team score a single point.

     Shingo Mitamura 
Voiced by: Kazuyuki Sogabe

Ex-player and coach of the Seven Fighters.


  • Beauty Equals Goodness: Compare the handsome Bishōnen Mitamura (the nice coach) to the brutish-looking Fat Bastard Daimon (the abusive coach).
  • Good Counterpart: To Daimon. As a coach, he’s his polar opposite and has a much nicer approach towards his players. Even their physical appearance are contrasting.
  • Odd Friendship: In the sequel he appears on good terms with Daimon, with them even teaching in the same team. In the original series they never get along at all.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: In contrast to Daimon, obviously.
  • Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Similar to Sho, and the reason why You has a crush on him as well.
  • Team Dad: To the Seven Fighters.

     Toshihiko Hazuki 
Voiced by: Michihiro Ikemizu

You’s father.


  • Demoted to Extra: In the sequel, he only makes a cameo appearance in one episode.
  • Parental Substitute: To Sunny, as his adoptive father.
  • Parents as People: He cares for his daughter but can be irreasonable when it comes to her choice to play volleyball, for his personal reasons. He later becomes more supportive.

     Sunny 

You’s adoptive younger brother.


     Kanako Tajima 
Voiced by: Kumiko Takizawa

Ex-player, volleyball commentator, soon revealed to be You’s Missing Mom.


  • Canon Foreigner: She only appears in the anime.
  • Missing Mom: She left You’s family a long time ago. When ex-player Miss Tajima is introduced, the audience learns very soon she’s actually You’s mother, but the truth is revealed to You only in one of the later episodes.
  • Parental Abandonment: You was raised only by her father.
  • Spared by the Adaptation: You's mom in the manga is dead. In the anime she is alive and she's actually Kanako Tajima, the volleyball commentator.

     Saburo Tazaki 

The leader of You’s fanboys.


Other Players

     Meiko Nanao aka Chibi 
Voiced by: Satoko Kito

You’s closest friend in Hikawa High School.


  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: A very blatant example in the anime. As You’s best friend and sidekick, she was a quite prominent character early on and they were also teammates in Hikawa High School (despite Chibi being very short and not much of a good player). However, after You joins a professional team, Chibi abruptly disappears: never seen or mentioned again for the rest of the series.
  • Sidekick: In the early episodes, she was always this to You.
  • Straight Man: Often acting as the straight girl to You’s antics.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: More like, what happened to You’s best friend. As seen above, she never reappears after the high school episodes and it’s unknown if she and You are still friends.

     Mineko Namiki 

You’s overweight teammate and on and off friend.


  • Alliterative Name: Her name in the dub.
  • Big Eater: Even more than You and the results are evident.
  • Butt-Monkey: A deconstruction, since her weight problems make her very insecure and even depressed in one episode. In the last episode, she’s still fat and treated as a punching bag (and Played for Laughs).
  • Canon Foreigner: She wasn’t a character from the manga.
  • Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Being the resident fat girl of the team, she’s often not taken seriously and overshadowed by You. However she actually has a powerful spike and is a genuinely competent player when she wants to be.
  • Dub Name Change: She’s better known as Yugina Yokono in foreign dubs.
  • Fire-Forged Friends: She was initially antagonistic towards You. They become good friends in the Diet Episode, but they remain Vitriolic Best Buds in the rest of the series.
  • Formerly Fit: Was this before a boy broke her heart.
  • The Millstone: Downplayed throughout the series (she has been useful to the team a few times), but played straight in the final episode where she tags along behind the girls in a mountain trip: she's nothing but a liability to the group, being a fat girl who can't do anything by herself and even ends up causing Nami's accident.
  • The Resenter: To You, being jealous of her role as the star of the team. She gets over it after a while.
  • Stout Strength: While she lacks agility due to her weight, she’s strong and has a powerful spike.
  • Weight Woe: Even though she's supposedly skilled enough to join a professional team, her inability to lose weight gets her consistently sidelined.

    Reiko Takami 

One of You's rivals who is very tall and strong.


  • The Ace: Of her team. She's considered a brilliant spiker and her heigth also helps her, in contrast to the relatively short You.
  • Defrosting Ice Queen: Initially very arrogant and dismissive of You. After getting defeated, she learns to respect her and they become friends.
  • Dub Name Change: Called Monia in the European dubs.
  • Huge Schoolgirl: 6'1"...which makes her a dangerous rival for volleyball.
  • Large and in Charge: The leader of her team and of course the tallest.

     Michiko Shinoda 

A talented player who later joins the Seven Fighters.


  • The Ace: Besides You, she was the best player of the Seven Fighters.
  • Always Someone Better: Initially seen this way by You, because she thinks Michiko can replace her as the star of the team, the Seven Fighters.
  • Dub Name Change: Sori in the Italian dub, Noa in the French dub.

     Hikaru Kaido 

You’s arrogant teammate in the national team.


  • Dub Name Change: In the Italian and French dub, she is called Tullia.
  • The Friend Nobody Likes: Justified, due to her extremely obnoxious attitude.
  • Heel–Face Turn: Near the end, eventually realizing her mistakes and befriending You.
  • Jerkass: She acts like a stuck up bitch to all her teammates of the national team, especially You. She only gets better in the last few episodes, becoming a Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
  • Small Name, Big Ego: Believes herself to be the best of the team, when she is actually just an excellent attacker but terrible in every other role. She doesn’t care about improving, either.
  • Teacher's Pet: Initially treated this way by Daimon. Daimon is in fact the only reason why she joins the national team.
  • Token Evil Teammate: An antagonistic character who plays in You's team.
  • Tomboyish Ponytail: She wears her hair this way.

Characters Specific to the Manga

2008 sequel

     Glin Wong 

A Chinese girl who is skilled in martial arts and joins the Dragon Ladies volleyball team.


  • Action Girl: Other than volleyball, she practices kung fu.
  • Big Eater: A trait she borrowed from You.
  • Expy: She’s basically a toned down version of You from the original series. It doesn’t help that she quickly becomes one of the best players of the team.
  • Spotlight-Stealing Squad: It can be said she’s the real protagonist of “New Attacker You”, much more so than You herself. However everyone in the team gets A Day in the Limelight so the trope is downplayed.
  • Tomboyish Ponytail: A very big ponytail.

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