The characters of the manga/anime series CITY. Names are in western order.
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Mont Blanc Trio
Three young women who attend Mont Blanc University and serve as the fulcrum for the manga's expansive cast.
In General
- Comic Trio: With Nikura as the Straight Man, Nagumo as the schemer and Wako as the idiot.
Midori Nagumo
A headstrong and irresponsible young woman who recently moved to The City.
- The Ace: Was this back in high school. Her amazing prowess at sports was what initial drew Niikura to her. Now, without extracurricular activities to motivate her she's fallen into a major rut.
- Forgot to Pay the Bill: Her falling behind on her rent payments is what starts the series.
- Future Loser: Promising sports starlet in virtually every possible category as a teenager, gambling addict with no goals or ambitions besides the next thrill as a college student.
- Limited Wardrobe: One chapter reveals that her closet is filled with nothing but short-sleeved hoodies.
- The Gambling Addict: Wastes all of her money at the track.
- Perpetual Poverty: Has a habit of blowing all her money at the track and being perpetually behind on rent. This is the reason she takes a job at Makabe's and, as a result, kickstarts the plot of the series.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: After all of her hairbrained schemes fall flat on her face, she gets one legitimate victory in Volume 12—her picture of Mr. Makabe won first prize in a photo contest and was featured on the cover of a photography magazine.
- Tomboyish Ponytail: Nagumo presents herself as a brash, sporty, and overall boyish girl, and she rarely has her hair down.
- Trapped by Gambling Debts
- Wag the Director: She does this when she signs onto Nobuteru's then-upcoming seventh play Throat, and does it for his eighth too. She only comes to him to borrow money, but she requests that she doesn't speak, be shown, or even move throughout the duration of the play. This is, mind you, days before the play is supposed to open. She does her job properly in later plays.
- Work Off the Debt: Her job as a delivery girl for Makabe's is motivated by paying off her debt to Obaba. The bad news is, when she does have the money and doesn't spend it on something frivolous, Obaba refuses to accept it unless Nagumo begs on her hands and knees.
Ayumu Niikura
Nagumo's more responsible, though short tempered best friend.
- Camera Fiend: Over the course of the series, it becomes clear that Niikura is quite fond of the camera, whether it be taking photos or recording videos. None of her efforts bear fruit, but that doesn't stop her from trying anyway.
- Never Lend to a Friend: Nagumo is perpetually asking her to loan her money, to the point that when Nagumo comes to her looking for a loan in the first chapter her first instinct is to run away before Nagumo can say anything.
- Precious Photo: Niikura keeps a small picture of Nagumo in her prime in a locket. It's her most cherished possession, which naturally leads to her losing it for a stretch of volumes.
Wako Izumi
An upbeat but air-headed young woman who unceremoniously works her way into Nagumo and Niikura's social circle.
- The Chessmaster: The whole of the CITY Race, she knew that Nagumo wanted the million dollars (and could very well get it considering her athletics), but she wanted to have Matsuri and Ecchan win instead and concocted a plan to block her from the finish line. She planned everything, up to and including the participants of the race, just to grant the two a day to remember before Matsuri ships off to England.
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: She's not really all there in the head. She's frequently distracted by odd trains of thought, prone to odd flights of fancy and worships a god she made up herself.
- The Fool: Seems to unwittingly stumble into good fortune at every turn.
- It Amused Me: Seemingly her sole motivation throughout the series.
- Plucky Girl: A perpetually cheerful young woman with little to no grasp on reality.
- The Pollyanna: Perpetually sunny and upbeat.
- Rule of Three: Takes the idea that good things come in threes so seriously that one chapter sees her repeatedly attempting to undo the third good thing to happen to her one day in the hopes of getting something even better instead.
Makabe Family
A family that owns the apartment building the Mont Blanc Trio and several other character live in, as well as Makabe's Western Bistro.
Tsurubishi Makabe
The family patriarch and head chef of Makabe's Western Bistro.
Mrs. Makabe
Tsurubishi's eccentric, unseen wife.
- Adventurer Archaeologist: Mrs. Makabe is a lot of things, but nothing moreso than a spirited traveler. She routinely brings home quirky yet valuable digs from her expeditions, and in the final chapter reveals that she's discovered a whole continent.
- The Ghost: She never shows up in person throughout all of the manga. Her appearance is never shown either, up until the last chapter, where the audience is treated to her head on a phone icon.
Tatewaku Makabe
Son of the Makabe household. A bit of a pushover with terrible luck.
- Butt-Monkey: Tends to be on the receiving end of an endless stream of humiliations and mishaps.
- First Love: Subverted. Ecchan once tells Matsuri that she thought she had a crush on Tatewaku, and that she likes him because his actions and reactions are entertaining. Matsuri walks her though her friend's feelings and makes her realize that those are more amusement than love, but both like him enough anyway.
- Hopeless Suitor: Like the rest of the male population, for Riko Izumi. Tatewaku stands out in that he's actively trying to get with her (contrast to other boys who've made a fanclub for her instead), but all the same he gets instantly shot down.
- Super Gullible: Poor boy can believe just about anything with a little push. From wearing ragged clothes because shops say they're fashionable, to wearing a skirt because a horoscope supposedly said to do so, to all the pranks Mr. Makabe pulls, Tatewaku was it rough.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: He once gets picked up by a gang of pirates, made to swab the deck and do all the crew's chores. His time on that ship is practically the one and only time people respect Tatewaku, since he does his chores so well and charms the crew members so thoroughly that they decide to make him captain.
Matsuri Makabe
The Makabe Family's middle-school-aged daughter. A generally cheerful and well adjusted young lady with an active imagination.
Obaba/Granny
The matriarch of the Makabe Family and Nagumo's landlady. You don't want to cross her.
- Brains and Brawn: With Hotaka back in high school. Where Obaba commanded authority over the school by beating up any threat, Hotaka did the paperwork and heavy lifting that allowed the school to stay peaceful.
- Cranky Landlord: She is the owner of Sweet Olive Manor. While she's decent to people who don't get in her way, she's livid when someone doesn't pay their dues. She and Nagumo become fierce rivals over the course of the manga.
- Evil Old Folks: She's a cankerous old biddy, we'll tell you that. Anybody in her way gets reduced to dust, save for the ever-resilient Nagumo. In the final major arc, she runs for mayor to make a paradise for the elderly at the expense of everyone else.
- Never Mess with Granny: Obaba, over her long life, picked up some impressive martial arts skills, and never misses an opportunity to demonstrate them to anyone who crosses her.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Downplayed. Flashbacks to her highschool days showed her to be a fight-happy jerk, but her fighting did take down rowdy delinquents and made her high school a better place to study. And while she grumbles about it, she does legitimately give up her independence so that she can help run her family business.
- We Can Rule Together: In a rare act of sincerity, Obaba offers Hotaka to make him the vice mayor of her CITY mayoral cabinet. He refuses, due to his Undying Loyalty to the Tanabe family.
Adatara Family
The family that owns and operates the liquor store next to Makabe's Western Bistro.
Dr. Adatara
Grandfather of the Adatara Family and a retired scientist. He has an extensive network of spy cameras set up throughout The City that he mostly uses to play pranks on the Makabes
Mr. Adatara
Liquor store owner and father. Tends to maintain an unassuming demeanor regardless of how stressed out he is.
Mrs. Adatara
The Adatara Family's perpetually worn-out mother. She's also a wrestling fan!
Mrs. Adatara
The Adatara Family's perpetually worn-out mother. She's also a wrestling fan!
Tatsuta Adatara
The family's oldest brother who works in the family store. In addition to managing deliveries for the store he also drives his younger siblings to and from school.
- Career-Ending Injury: The story makes multiple mentions of his previous soccer career, but a nasty knee injury kept him away from sports. It's since healed, and he's capable of decent physical exertion, but he's not what he used to be.
- Chick Magnet: Confirmed suitors are Tanabe (who rigged a whole race just to ask him out) and Shia (who he dismisses as Just a Kid).
Kamome Adatara
The eldest daughter. She works as Shia's agent.
Ryouta Adatara
The family's very confident younger son. Rarely seen without a cup of coffee in hand, his classmates describe him as "A Modern Day William Tell".
- The Ace: He's good at pretty much everything. His grades are great, his skills are diverse, and everyone in class loves him. That doesn't stop him from getting punished with the rest of his class when they all screw up.
Umi & Sora Adatara
The two youngest daughters are also identical twins. They get very upset when people confuse them for one another.
- Always Identical Twins: From their hair to their outfits, Umi and Sora always look the same. This changes only slightly when Sora gets her hair cut.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: They're real brats to Tatsuta sometimes. They pester him in the middle of work and ask him to go out of his way to transport them places.
- Brains and Brawn: Umi is the smarter twin, as she excels in school and gets fantastic grades. Sora, on the other hand, is the stronger of the two and does well in PE while her grades are abysmal.
- The Dividual: Unfortunately, while they dislike being seen as each other, they hang around each other too often and share too similar of mindsets for anyone to meaningfully tell them apart. Tatsuta even suggests they fuse so their best traits make for one talented little girl.
- Gum In Hair: During a contest to prove which twin is which, Sora blows the bigger bubble from a piece of bubblegum but gets it all over her hair when it pops. She gets a haircut, thereby finally distinguishing her from Umi...but gets mistaken for Umi anyway.
- History with Celebrity: Both of them are friends and fans of Shia. Their starting looks were because they were copying Shia's appearance.
CITY Weekly Magazine
The staff of the CITY's weekly magazine.
Editor in Chief
Exactly What It Says on the Tin. He runs a tight ship and holds his employees to a high standard.
- Living Legend: He used to be a wildly famous mangaka in his youth, but has since retired and isn't interested in pursuing the field again. The old and weathered manuscripts he casually gives away can fetch for millions of yen.
Arama-San
One of the two editors working under the Editor In Chief. A helpful and sunny young woman who is just the slightest bit of a ditz.
Todoroki
The newest editor working at CITY Weekly who joined the magazine's staff in the hopes of working with his favorite manga writer, Kamaboko Oni.
Kamaboko Oni
Creator of Mr. Bummer, a comic strip that runs in the weekly magazine. His passion for his work almost makes up for his lack of talent or ideas!
- The Cynic: Mr. Bummer has to come from a place of negativity, after all. Despite being a decently respected mangaka and making a successful long-running newspaper strip, Kama-Oni is astonishingly pessimistic. He pretty much gives up when he can't find an immediate solution, folds when he hears that the uber popular Daisuke Naganohara will be taking over his slot in CITY Weekly, and a good chunk of his time is spent crying in despair.
- Respected by the Respected: Kama-Oni has a lot of fans despite his pessimism, but what surprises him the most is the fact that Daisuke Naganohara herself is a huge fan of Mr. Bummer, and she decided to publish her works in CITY Magazine precisely because someone she respected currently worked there.
Daisuke Naganohara
A famous mangaka hired by the magazine to create a replacement for Mr. Bummer.
- He Who Must Not Be Seen: Naganohara never makes any major appearances in person throughout the story, but on the rare occasion when they are seen, it's always from the back. One of the full cast images shows Naganohara to have long blue hair, matching Mio's appearances in the Nichijou Flash Forwards. She makes her first full appearance in the CITY arc, where she, unsurprisingly, looks exactly like a grown up Mio.
- Legendary in the Sequel: At least through this series, we learn that Mio's humble origins as an amateur mangaka bear fruit in adulthood.
- Samus Is a Girl: The CITY arc reveals Naganohara is a woman, and according to Kamaboko Oni sounds exactly like Wako Izumi. Those who came from Nichijou would be able to get this reveal sooner.
- Yaoi Fan: Naganohara's output is mostly BL, and their most famous work is the over the top BL manga Stop!! Kiss Thief!. The manuscript they sent out to CITY Weekly was, unsurprisingly, another BL manga, but this time in the Warring States era.
Students
Eri "Ecchan" Amakazuri
A middle school student and Matsuri's best friend.
- Moving Angst: Ecchan's subplot is about her moving away to England at the end of the year and her reluctance to tell Matsuri about it. Given that Matsuri is her best and oldest friend in middle school, it's understandable why she'd be so reluctant to break her heart.
Riko Izumi
Wako's younger sister and a classmate of Tatewaku. Is perpetually falling asleep in class because she stays up all night inventing things.
- Big Sister Worship: Any flashback we get to Riko's childhood shows her adoring Wako, even feeling bummed out when her older sister moves out of the home.
- Dreary Half-Lidded Eyes: The times when she's seen awake, her eyes are relaxed and half-lidded as if she's about to nod off again.
- Family Theme Naming: Wako and Riko Izumi share at least one syllable in their given names.
- Gadgeteer Genius: To the point that she can literally invent complex mechanical devices in her sleep. Heck, the reason why she's so sleepy all the time is because she spends nights tinkering on something.
- Sleepyhead: The scenes we get of her fully conscious could probably be counted on one hand.
- When She Smiles: This is what initially causes Tatewaku to become infatuated with her. The same thing happens to multiple other side characters who form the "Wako Izumi Fan Club" and attempt to prevent Tatewaku from asking her on a date.
Nobuteru Tekaridake
A student at Mont Blanc University who manages (and is the only human member of) the school's theater troupe.
- Friend to All Living Things: Besides working with a diverse group of animals, the wildlife and mysterious creatures of CITY adore Tekaridake. In the final arc, the tsuchinoko even turns itself in to Tanabe to raise the funds Tekaridake would need to run for mayor, and his whole campaign platform revolves around making CITY a paradise for animals. He would have been a serious competitor for mayor if animal votes were counted as legitimate.
- Speaks Fluent Animal: Tekaridake can converse with all of his animal friends just fine. They don't speak on screen, however, so Tekaridake often has to repeat what they say for the fourth wall.
- Starving Artist: While he's an ambitious playwright, he's very poor with money management and is indebted to quite a few people. He hopes that his plays will make enough money to pay back all his remaining debts, but he never makes enough.
Tekaridake Troupe
A group of animals Tekaridake uses as actors in his plays. Members include a monkey, duck, hedgehog, bird and mouse.
CITY South Soccer Team
Members of the local high school's soccer team.
In General
- Flat Character: The majority of them have little onscreen characterization.
- Informed Attribute: A bit of a running gag has their various personality traits and lives outside the soccer team explained in sidebars which, because they rarely show up on their own, are rarely if ever demonstrated on-panel. Chapter 83 does showcase activities they do outside of soccer, but their actions are entirely offscreened and we only see the (admittedly highly successful) results.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: The boys all come from completely different backgrounds and have very impressive backgrounds that have nothing to do with soccer whatsoever. Nevertheless, they come together to play for City South, and suck hardcore at it.
- Satellite Character: It's rare for any of the players to show up in the manga on their own.
Yamato Kurogane
A quiet guy who wears a hat. Used to be a star baseball player back in middle school, and still has it pretty good as a replacement batter.
Obina
The team captain.
Rokurou Hohoemi
The team's full-back.
- Held Back in School: The final arc reveals that Hohoemi got held back six times before the events of the manga. Gondenyama corrects this and reveals it's actually seven times. Exploited, surprisingly, because that means Hohoemi is officially old enough to run for mayor and promote himself as the "first student candidate" where his friends could not.
- Older Than He Looks: He is no taller or more mature looking than his teammates, but the City arc reveals he's exactly 25 years old.
- Perpetual Smiler: All of his appearances show him with a big old smile on his face, with his Eyes Always Shut.
The Yooko Brothers
Brothers who play center-back and dabble in fashion design on the side.
Bouinosuke Hinotama
The team's sub-captain. Rarely shows up for practice but is a master of the Obina Dojo style.
Murone
Mid-fielder and guitarist of the popular band Gaucho.
Shirogane
An elite pro-gamer.
Naeba
Plays mid-field and is a rare fish hunter.
Genjirou Masago
A midfielder and the team's best player. Unfortunately for his teammates he gets injured a lot.
Kasuga
The team's forward and a champion long-distance runner.
Iwao Gondenyama
Secretly a spy for Caps Lock High who's infiltrated the team.
Kurobe
The team's sub and a stock-market whiz.
Tanabe Family and Employees
A wealthy local family who owns an estate on the outskirts of The City, as well as the various servants they employ.
Officer Tanabe
The only actual member of the Tanabe Family seen in the series. She works as a local police officer, but is out of commission at the start of the series with a broken leg.
- Nepotism: Implied. No one outright says it, but during the rollcall for mayoral candidates the newscaster mentions that Tanabe is one of two legitimate choices for mayor—but only because her family's conglomerate is so powerful that it practically runs CITY anyway.
- Ojou: The daughter and heiress of the biggest conglomerate in CITY, Tanabe pretty much wants for nothing and lives her life in a luxurious mansion. While she is eccentric, she's very ladylke and composed.
- Overly Long Name: Her full name, as revealed in the final arc, is Sumiresakurakomi Tanabe.
- Rich in Dollars, Poor in Sense: While she's a kind person, she's lacking in basic reasoning. For example, the reason why the CITY Race was structured as it was this year was because she was too shy to ask Tatsuta Adatara out on a date normally.
- Spoiled Sweet: She gives as good as she gets, admittedly. She regularly holds spectacular feasts for people she finds interesting or deserving, rewards handsomely for mundane tasks, and even throws a city-wide party to thank the CITY residents for their hard work and kindness.
- Uptown Girl: Inverted. She is in love with the middle class Tatsuta Adatara, who is only dimly aware of her feelings.
Hotaka
The Tanabe Family's loyal butler.
- Brains and Brawn: With Obaba back in high school. Where Obaba commanded authority over the school by beating up any threat, Hotaka did the paperwork and heavy lifting that allowed the school to stay peaceful.
- Hypercompetent Sidekick: For Tanabe. He also used to be this for Obaba as their school's student body vice president.
- The One That Got Away: Implied. Obaba, in her younger years, lamented having to get married and stay at home to help with the shop, but she said she wouldn't have minded it so much if Hotaka was the one she was betrothed to instead. Hotaka could not, regardless of their feelings, because all of his family members serve the Tanabe family and he is next in line. Obaba seems to still hold some affection for him decades later, as she offers him a seat as vice mayor with zero strings attached.
Magician
One of the Tanabe Tower Bosses who guards the 11th floor.
Abacus
One of the Tanabe Tower Bosses who guards the 10th floor.
Braids
One of the Tanabe Tower Bosses who guards the 9th floor.
Oni
One of the Tanabe Tower Bosses who guards the 8th floor.
Memory Master
One of the Tanabe Tower Bosses who guards the 6th floor.
Giant Albino Western Sushi Chef
One of the Tanabe Tower Bosses who guards the 6th floor.
MOB
A group of citizens who mistake Honkan for a thief and band together to stop him.
In General
T-Shirt Guy/Kamui Tateshina
A guy wearing a t-shirt.
Good Person
A man with flat-top haircut wearing a yukata. A very nice man all around who is instantly recognized by everyone as a good person
Polka Dot Shirt Guy
A kid wearing a polka dot shirt
Sweater Girl
An irritable young woman wearing a sweater
Dress Girl
A young lady wearing a dress with a tendency to find herself in unusual situations.
New Mob
A stocky young man with a buzzcut who strikes up a friendship with Tateshina.
Other Citizens
Honkan/Officer
A local police officer who recently took over for Officer Tanabe. He's very studious and takes his position incredibly seriously.
Shia Azumaya
Wako Izumi's friend from high school and a local celebrity. She created the popular advertising character Mr. Explosion (Though it was Wako who actually drew the design).
- Hopeless Suitor: Shia's rather honest about her feelings for Tatsuta, but her attitude and size completely shut her down from any true romantic pursuit, as Tatsuta thinks of her as Just a Kid.
- Intergenerational Friendship: She's great friends with Sora and Umi, despite her being college age and them being children. Shia often stops by the Adatara household to play with them, and vice versa for the twins.
- Older Than They Look: She looks about as old as Sora and Umi, but she claims to be twenty years old. Nobody ever believes her.
Amagi
A teacher at the local high school.
Kuratake
The town barber. He offers free shortcuts and tends to receive a number of gifts and favors from his customers.
Toudou
Owner of the local antique store. He has the unique talent of being able to instantly determine the value of any item brought to him.
Mimineko
A strange cat/rabbit creature that Toudou keeps as a pet.
