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Main characters
Katri Ukonniemi
Katri Ukonniemi (カトリ・ウコンネミ)
Voiced by: Hitomi Oikawa (Japanese), Barbara Tissier (French), Graciela Molina (European Spanish), Alexandra Sedas (Portugeuse), Daniela Fava (Italian), Graciela Molina (German), Jody Pijper (Dutch), Eman Hail (Arabic)
A nine year old girl from Tampere, Finland. At a young age, her father died and her mother had to go to Germany for work, so she was taken by train to the village of Palki to live with her grandparents. She dreams of being a doctor after watching Emily and Sofia, but ends up becoming a writer. She loves animals.
- A Boy and His X: Katri is always seen with her pet daschund Aapeli.
- All-Loving Hero: Katri is friendly to everyone, even people who are horrible to her. Her kindness actually causes some of them to become better people and feel ashamed for how they treated her.
- Big Sister Instinct: Katri is like this to Klaus.
- Bookworm: Katri spends time reading books during work or before going to sleep.
- Broken Tears: She misses her mother very much and even though she tries to hide it, she cries when thinking about her.
- Country Mouse: Raised on a farm? Check. Good with animals? Check. Never Learned to Read, innocent, and the complete opposite of "sophisticated"? Check, check, check.
- Culture Equals Costume: Katri dresses in traditional Finnish garb, in contrast to richer characters that dress more stylishly.
- Disappeared Dad: Her father died when he was around three years old.
- Dub Name Change:
- For whatever reason, Katri's name is changed to "'Nathalie"' in Dutch dub.
- The same goes to the French dub where Katri's name becomes "'Cathy"'.
- Kati in the Italian dub.
- The Portegeuse dub named her Catarina.
- Farmer's Daughter: Her grandparents own a farm, and she spent her days as a child playing with the animals.
- Famed In-Story: In the Grand Finale Katri reunites with her mother, and becomes a famous writer known for her works about life in rural Finland.
- Friend to All Living Things: Apart from Aapeli, Katri also adopts a cat (Mikki) and adores the various animals on her grandparent's farm.
- Tomboy with a Girly Streak: Katri certainly dresses feminine and likes to wear pink, but she also has an affinity for working hard and rough-and-tumble play.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Katri is a blonde-haired girl who's very kind and has a strong sense of responsibility.
- Improbable Age: Katri works as a cowherd and then as Mrs. Kuusela's personal assistant at the age of ten.
- In the Blood: Katri is noted to be very stubborn, like her grandfather Julis.
- Like Brother and Sister: Martti and Pekka's relationship towards Katri is mostly this, with Martti seeing Katri as his relative he must protect.
- Missing Mom: Her mother travelled to Germany for work, leaving Katri in the care of her grandparents.
- National Stereotypes: As expected of Finns, Katri is quiet, very blunt and often the serious one between others. She requires quite some prodding to get out of her shell. However, this likely has to do with her rural upbringing rather than her nationality.
- Never Learned to Read: Katri doesn't have any kind of education at the age of nine. She quickly learns to read and write in Räikkölä farm thanks to Martti and Akki.
- Pink Is Feminine: Most of her clothing (her blouse, underclothes, hair wrap and night gown) are a light shade of pink.
- Raised by Grandparents: Katri is raised by her paternal grandparents, as her mother lives in Germany.
- Scholarship Student: Katri becomes this by receiving scholarship where she can study in Liberty Academy for free.
- Stepford Smiler: Katri sorely misses her mum but tries to hide it, though many times the facade slips and she admits she feels miserable.
Aapeli
Aapeli (アベル)
Voiced by: Naoki Tatsuta (Japanese), Unknown (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Portugeuse), Unknown (Italian), Unknown (German), Unknown (Dutch), Unknown (Arabic)
- Animal Companion: He's Katri's pet dachshund and follows her everywhere she goes.
- Big Eater: Apart from dog food, he loves to eat sandwiches and grilled fish.
- Canon Foreigner: Aapeli is an anime-only addition and wasn't present in the original novel.
- Evil-Detecting Dog: Aapeli is good at detecting malicious threats to Katri and her friends.
- Tragic Keepsake: He was given to Katri by her mother, Sarah, before her departure to Germany.
Maruti Halma
Maruti Halma (マルティ・ハル)
Voiced by: Toro Furuya (Japanese), Brigitte Lecordier (French), David García González (European Spanish), Unknown (Portugeuse), Paolo Torissi (Italian), Bea Tober (German), Unknown (Dutch), Nasr Anani (Arabic)
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Mari finds Maruti annoying, and also is angry at him for breaking her doll.
- Best Friend: To Katri. He'd do anything for her.
- Book Dumb: He starts out as this as he skips school sometimes. However, once he saw Katri being determined in reading books, he decided to study hard as well and informed Katri of news outside Finland.
- Bratty Half-Pint: Downplayed. He's not rude by any means, but he's rather carefree and oblivious. Early in the anime, he invites her to go fishing with her, and ends up causing a storm at the Halma household when they go missing.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: His determination to study alongside Katri shows he always had the potential in him to study, he just didn't use it.
- Canon Foreigner: Maruti wasn't in the book, but has an overwhelmingly large role in the anime.
- Cheerful Child: He takes life less seriously than Katri and is generally more laid-back. However, when he sees her passion for studying, he decides to join in and becomes studious as well.
- Commonality Connection: Maruti and Katri have a shared love of animals; they met when he was hired to guard livestock of the Raikkola Mansion.
- Dub Name Change: Maruti was named Martin in the French and Italian dubs.
- Inconsistent Spelling: Is it Maruti or Marrti?
- Innocent Blue Eyes: He has a pair of sky-blue eyes and golden hair. He's child-like at heart and a bit bratty, but always means well.
Pekka
Pekka (ペッカ)
Voiced by: Tsubasa Shioya (Japanese), Guillaume Boisseau (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Luís Lucas (Portugeuse), Mauro Ramiero (Italian), Matthias Hinze (German), Unknown (Dutch), Muhammad Helmy (Arabic)
A boy who works as a livestock keeper at the Pentilla mansion.
- Big Sister Worship: Saying he adores Katri is an understatement, as he idolizes her and is envious of the attention she gives to Maruti.
- Canon Foreigner: Pekka didn't exist in the original novel. He was created for the anime adaptation.
- Bishōnen: He has very pretty features, particularly his blonde hair.
- Dashingly Dapper Derby: He wears a two-pointed cowboy hat. Justified as it's the 1910s and it was popular to wear them as a fashion statement.
- Dub Name Change: He became Peter in the French and Italian dubs.
- Farmer's Daughter: Male variant; like Katri he's a livestock herder.
- Hypercompetent Sidekick: Pekka is a cow-herder, field-maintainer and a do-it-yourself carpenter.
- Innocent Blue Eyes: His are deep blue and the colour of the sky. Though, the "innocent" bit is rather questionable...
- The Rival: While both him and Maruti are close friends of Katri's, they see one another as rivals.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: He's quite foul-mouthed when he's mad.
- Shout-Out: He's a Finnish boy who wears a big green hat...sound familiar?
Ukonniemi Family
Sarah Ukonniemi
Sarah Ukonniemi (サラ・ウコンネミ)
Voiced by: Fujita Yoshiko (Japanese), Monique Thierry (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Portugeuse), Unknown (Italian), Unknown (German), Unknown (Dutch), Unknown (Arabic)
Katri's mother. She is abroad in Germany for work.- In the Blood: Like Katri, she loves animals. Aapeli was a gift from her before she left.
- Parents as People: She doesn't want to be away from her daughter, but she has to work to keep her family out of poverty. She was happy to be reunited with her daughter after six years.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Katri has her golden hair and eyes.
Halma Family
Mari Halma
Mari Halma (マリ・ハルマ)
Voiced by: Yuko Tsuga (Japanese), Unknown (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Portugeuse), Dania Cericola (Italian), Caroline Ruprecht/Melanie Hinze (German), Unknown (Dutch), Unknown (Arabic)
Maruti's older sister.- Cool Big Sis: Katri initially viewed her as scary, but she finds Mari is actually this. She even gifts Katri a book, knowing she's a Bookworm.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Has her father's red hair.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: The girly girl to Katri's tomboy - for instance, she loves dolls and was angry when Maruti broke hers.
Beine Halma
Beine Halma (ペイネ・ハルマ)
Voiced by: Masato Tsujimura (Japanese), Albert Médina (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Portugeuse), Unknown (Italian), Axel Scholtz/Hans Nitschke (German), Unknown (Dutch), Unknown (Arabic)
Maruti's father.
- Big Fun: He's tubby, but a good-hearted man nonetheless.
- Good Parents: He's happy to see that Katri's studious spirit has rubbed off on his son and pays her 10 roubles to thank her.
- Happily Married: To his wife, who's name is unknown.
- Henpecked Husband: According to Maruti, his mother is the one who calls the shots about what happens in the Halma household.
- Hidden Heart of Gold: Despite initially being stiff towatds Katri, he becomes grateful to her for setting a good example for Maruti and pays her, knowing the Ukonniemis are going through financial hardships.
- Secretly Wealthy: Maruti is rather humble about his origins. You wouldn't know the Halmas are rich until you find out they live in a mansion and can afford many expensive things.
Maruti's mother
Maruti's mother
Voiced by: Unknown (Japanese), Unknown (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Portugeuse), Unknown (Italian), Unknown (German), Unknown (Dutch), Unknown (Arabic)
Maruti's mother.- Happily Married: She's happily married to Beine.
- No Name Given: We never learn her real name.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: She can be very strict, but she wants her son to be a hard-working man. When she learns that he's actually started to put in the elbow grease at school, she's actually surprised.
Helena
Helena (ヘレナ)
Voiced by: Yuko Kobayashi (Japanese), Amélie Morin (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Portugeuse), Unknown (Italian), Unknown (German), Unknown (Dutch), Unknown (Arabic)
Maruti's cousin.
- Alpha Bitch: She's a stuck-up brat who makes fun of people for being poor.
- Canon Foreigner: Like Maruti and the rest of his family, Helena didn't exist in the book.
- Rich Bitch: To make Katri jealous, she shows off her handkerchief and tells her it's more expensive than anything she owns. Katri retorts that it's a cheap handkerchief knitted by a machine, leaving Helena gobsmacked.
- Spoiled Brat: She flaunts her wealth at every opportunity she gets, particularly towards Katri.
- Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: Has a bright red bow.
Räikkölä Mansion
Tame Räikkölä
Tame Räikkölä (テーム・ライッコラ)
Voiced by: Akio Nojima (Japanese), Yves-Marie Maurin (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Portugeuse), Unknown (Italian), Unknown (German), Unknown (Dutch), Nasr Anani (Arabic)
Katri's first employer and the head of the Raikkola house. He is an expert gunsmith and wolf hunter.
- Good Is Not Nice: At first, he disliked that Katri had brought Aapeli to the Raikkola house and tried to get rid of him. However, when he witnessed Aapeli's intelligence and friendliness, he realized why Katri was attached to him and apologized for his behaviour.
- The Gunslinger: According to Esco, he's a skilled gunslinger. He's also said to be a great hunter.
- Understanding Boyfriend: His wife, Ulla, clearly has some form of mental illness, and he tries his best tsupport her even if he doesn't understand it.
- Would Hurt a Child: Tame was furious when Katri mishandled his cows and beat her. Once she explained the situation to him, he realized he had overreacted and apologized.
Ulla Räikkölä
Ulla Räikkölä (ウッラ・ライッコラ)
Voiced by: Unknown (Japanese), Lucie Dolene (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Portugeuse), Unknown (Italian), Karin Schröder (German), Unknown (Dutch), Reem Saadeh (Arabic)
Tame's wife.
- Babies Ever After: Mrs. Räikkölä has another newborn daughter named Erna.
- Big Eater: Ulla loves to cook. She often makes sweets and crepes, which she always eats later.
- Brutal Honesty: She tends to speak without a filter, which leads to her saying absurd things even if she means well. When Katri tells her about her dreams, she replies that she should marry a man who's owns a mansion (the implication being that his wealth will help Katri achieve her goals).
- Cloud Cuckoolander: Ulle isn't entirely there and tends to have her head in the clouds.
- Death of a Child: Her daughter died when she was two, and Ulla became a different person ever since.
- Dreamworks Face: Ulla's default expression are half-lidded eyes and a dopey smile.
- Innocently Insensitive: Ulla once suggested Katri give Aapeli away. This upset Katri as Aapeli was a gift from her mother.
- The Mentally Disturbed: Ulla displays some signs of schizophrenia due to the loss of her daughter Reina. Fortunately, she gets better since Katri's arrival at the farm.
Hannah
Hannah (ハンナ)
Voiced by: Rihoko Yoshida (Japanese), Unknown (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Portugeuse), Unknown (Italian), Marina Krogull (German), Unknown (Dutch), Unknown (Arabic)
A former servant of the Räikkölä house who was asked to come back to work during the same time Katri began to work there.
- Artistic License – Medicine: Hannah was bitten by a dachshund, but doesn't contract rabies.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: Hannah dislikes Aapeli and constantly abuses him. When she's stealing wool, she has him tied up so he can't alert anyone.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Despite appearing friendly and jubilant on the outside, Hannah conspired with two of her friends to steal sheep wool from Räikkölä and Halma households. She is caught, and disgraced.
- Greed: Hannah is driven by a desire for money. She wanted to steal merchandise from the Räikköläs and Halmas, and also tried to sell Katri to Human Traffickers.
- I Never Said It Was Poison: Hanna does this to Apelli few times at night by saying that her treats won't make him sick.
- Kick the Dog: Hanna plays malicious pranks to Aapeli to help her henchmen steal the wool in Räikkölä's farm.
- Also, literally. She kicks Aapeli, and in return he bites her.
- Obviously Evil: Hanna was supposed to take a job in Räikkölä farm again, but judging from the look on her face and her hatred towards Aapeli it'd be difficult to mistake her for anyone other than a villain.
- Token Evil Teammate: Out of all the members of the Räikkölä mansion, Hannah is the only truly evil one as she's willing to harm children and animals.
- Would Hurt a Child: Hannah attempted to sell Katri to slave traders because of her dislike of her. Thankfully, Katri made it out of there unscathed.
Aunt Gunilla
Aunt Gunilla (グニンラ)
Voiced by: Kazue Takahashi (Japanese), Unknown (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Portugeuse), Unknown (Italian), Unknown (German), Unknown (Dutch), Unknown (Arabic)
Tame's aunt, who visits his house every year.
- Big Damn Heroes: Aunt Gunilla frees Aapeli when Hannah ties him up.
- Cool Old Lady: Aunt Gunilla visits Räikkölä farm every winter to help the people make yarn and tell folk stories. She even takes responsibility in freeing Aapeli to help protect the wool from the thieves.
- Friend to All Living Things: She is an overprotective mother figure to Katri, and also protected Aapeli and the sheep from Hannah.
- The Mentor: Aunt Gunilla taught Katri how to spin wool.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: When Katri visits her village to see her again, she finds out that Aunt Gunilla has passed away and her funeral is being held.
Anneli
Anneli
Voiced by: Reiko Suzuki (Japanese), Unknown (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Portugeuse), Unknown (Italian), Unknown (German), Unknown (Dutch), Mona Sulaiman (Arabic)
A maid that works at the Räikkölä farm.- Actually, That's My Assistant: In Episode 6, Katri had just arrived at Räikkölä farm and encounters a middle-aged woman. She immediately assumed that woman is the wife of house. The woman, however laughs and then introduces herself as a servant named Anneli.
- Cool Big Sis: She often offers words of kindness to Katri and encourages her to be happy.
- Ms. Exposition: She explained to Katri that Ulla used to be a happy lady, but after the death of her daughter, Reina, she was so traumatized she developed schizophrenia as a result.
Akki Ranta
Akki Ranta (アッキ・ランタ)
Voiced by: Kazuhiko Inoue (Japanese), Bernard Soufflet (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Portugeuse), Enrico Carabelli (Italian), Frank Schröder (German), Unknown (Dutch), Unknown (Arabic)
A university student who stays at home due to an injury. He befriends Katri, but is later forced to escape to Russia because of his political activities.
- Been There, Shaped History: Downplayed. He's buddies with Vladimir Lenin, and in one scene they meet at a restaurant to talk about their plans.
- Canon Foreigner: Akki wasn't in the book. In the anime, his role is an addition to the Räikkölä house, as well as a friend to Katri and the kids.
- Cool Big Bro: He tells Katri about the importance of reading and studying and supplies her with the arithmetic books from his university.
- Friend to All Children: After Katri and Maruti are drawn to his art and singing, he happily interacts with them and incites them to his house. They have a lot of fun, and are distraught when the police come to arrest him for inciting anti-government sentiment. He promises them he'll be alright, and he returns once Finland is an independent country.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: He has golden hair and is a down-to-earth, empathetic guy.
- Handicapped Badass: Even though he was discharged from university because of his injury, he still shows up to save Katri and Marti from mortal danger, risking his life to do so.
- Happily Married: He's engaged to Emilia.
- Innocent Blue Eyes: Akki has light blue eyes and is friendly to everyone he meets.
- Intrepid Reporter: After he was released form police custody, he became a newspaper reporter. This makes sense when you consider his love for writing.
- Last-Minute Hookup: Akki and Elina officially become a couple in episode 48, though there were some hints of them before.
- Nice Guy: He spends time with Katri by showing her his drawings, and asking about her aspirations.
- Patriotic Fervour: Akki supports the Finnish independence movement, and was arrested by the police for his activism.
- The Smart Guy: He's a university student and a math genius.
- Token Rich Student: He's wealthy and invites Katri and her friends to his villa, wanting to know more about them.
Emilia
Emilia (エミリア)
Voiced by: Kumiko Mizukura (Japanese), Virginie Ledieu (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Portugeuse), Tullia Piredda (Italian), Maja Dürr (German), Unknown (Dutch), Unknown (Arabic)
Akki's fiancee.
- Innocent Blue Eyes: They reflect her kind-hearted nature.
- The Medic: Emilia is a nurse. After meeting her, Katri is inspired to be a nurse as well. Though Katri ends up being a writer.
- Nice Girl: When she encountered an injured Katri, she treated her wounds without asking for anything in return.
- Pink Is Feminine: From head to toe, Emilia dresses in pink.
Sofia Nylanen
Sofia Nylanen (ソフィア・ニーラネン)
Voiced by: Minori Matsushima (Japanese), Isabelle Ganz (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Portugeuse), Serena Cantalupi (Italian), Unknown (German), Unknown (Dutch), Unknown (Arabic)
A friend of Akki's who's training to be a doctor.
- Canon Foreigner: Sofia wasn't in the original novel by Auni Nuolivaara.
- Drives Like Crazy: Despite having a license, she's a terrible driver. Katri and Lotte feel unsafe in the car with her.
- Kind Hearted Cat Lover: She gifts Katri a purple cat, Mikki.
- The Medic: She is an apprentice doctor at St. Paul's Hospital.
- Pink Is Feminine: She wears a pink outfit with white highlights.
Kuusela Mansion
Lotte Kuusela
Lotte Kuusela (ロッタ・クウセラ)
Voiced by: Kumiko Takizawa (Japanese), Unknown (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Portugeuse), Milena Albieri (Italian), Evelyn Maron (German), Unknown (Dutch), Reem Sadeh (Arabic)
The widow of Mr. Kuusela. She runs the Kuusela household.
- City Mouse: She was born and raised urban, thus agricultural work is alien to her.
- Graceful Ladies Like Purple: She wears a blue blouse and a purple skirt.
- Happily Married: She was married to Carlo, until his death.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Lotte takes Katri under her wing and pays for her education, helping her fulfill her dream.
- Hidden Depths: She's a skilled artist and specializes in drawing Finnish cultural clothing.
- Benevolent Boss: She treats all her staff (Katri, Viljami, Aneli and Henrikka) kindly and even allows Viljami to have the house when she moves.
- Parental Substitute: She treats Katri like she's her own daughter. After moving with Klaus to her parents' home in Turku, she invites Katri there and sends her to school afterwards.
- Spoiled Sweet: She's a wealthy heiress, but isn't the slightest bit spoiled or unpleasant. She even gifts the Kuusela mansion to Viljami after moving to Turku.
- Strong Family Resemblance: To her aunt. Unfortunately, that's where the similarities end as she's an Alpha Bitch.
- Upper-Class Equestrian: She is a wealthy City Mouse, and at one point brags about her skill in riding horses.
Klaus Kuusela
Klaus
Voiced by: Makoto Kosaka (Japanese), Unknown (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Portugeuse), Roberto Magani (Italian), Unknown (German), Unknown (Dutch), Unknown (Arabic)
Lotte and Carlo's son.
- Alliterative Name: Klaus Kuusela.
- Affectionate Nickname: He is called "Bo-chan" by the staff of the Kuusela household.
- Cheerful Child: He's always happy and loves playing with Katri and Mikki.
Carlo Kuusela
Carlo Kuusela
Voiced by: Tomomichi Nishimura (Japanese), Unknown (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Portugeuse), Unknown (Italian), Tom Deininger (German), Unknown (Dutch), Unknown (Arabic)
The deceased husband of Lotte.
- Alliterative Name: Carlo Kuusela.
- Posthumous Character: He died fighting Germany during World War I.
- Strong Family Resemblance: His son is the spitting image of him, down to the eyes and hair.
Viljami
Viljami
Voiced by: Koichi Hashimoto (Japanese), Unknown (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Portugeuse), Unknown (Italian), Setfan Meszerits (German), Unknown (Dutch), Abd Al-Latif Shamma (Arabic)
He is the older brother of Pekka. He is entrusted by Lotta to hire servants at the Kuusela mansion.
- Happily Married: To Alina, a maid he met while working at Kuusela Mansion. The two hit it off and eventually became husband and wife.
- Nepotism: After the Petilla mansion is burned down, Pekka is left out of work. Viljami hires him to work at the Kuusela house.
- Rags to Riches: For most of his life, he was a labourer, until Lotte gifted him her mansion.
Alina
Alina
Voiced by: Satoko Kifuji (Japanese), Unknown (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Unknown (Portugeuse), Unknown (Italian), Unknown (German), Unknown (Dutch), Mona Sulaiman (Arabic)
A maid at the Kuusela house. She falls in love with Viljami.
- Canon Foreigner: She wasn't in the book and was created as a love interest to Viljami.
- Friend to All Children: She is quite fond of Katri.
- Happily Married: To Viljami. This makes Pekka her brother-in-law.
- Pink Is Feminine: Alina's clothes are primarily pink.
- Satellite Love Interest: She is this to Viljami, as we don't know much of her, except that she fell in love with him whole they were working at Mrs. Kuusela's house.
- Those Two Girls: She often does housework and field work with Henrietta.
