Characters for Level Up Just By Eating, tropes up to date with translated manga chapters. Beware Late Arrival Spoilers.
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Main Characters:
Kosakai Kehma
I may be away from my overly strict and easy to enrage mother, but I'm not sure this is an improvement.
What the...OH NO!
The Protagonist. He gets summoned by Laura to this new world to be her champion when she's at the end of her rope and desperate.- Abusive Parents: His mother was "overly strict" and quick to anger. He dreaded being anywhere near her. His father never abused him, physically or mentally, but refused to stand up to her. He had to learn to cook for himself starting at age 5 if he wanted to eat anything other than the left-overs they deigned to give him, after coming home late at night.
- Accidental Pervert: He once walked in on Femille changing because he neglected to knock first when he went to her room to tell her lunch was ready.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: He gives Laura a lot less slapstick in the manga than the original web-novel.
- Affectionate Gesture to the Head: He loves to show affection to the ladies of his harem by petting them on the head.
- Almighty Janitor: Subverted. When he first signs up for the adventurer's guild, he starts off with a G-rank license, since his background is completely unknown. Once he helps the town fight off a monster swarm, even taking down the [Boston Crab] boss monster, solo, his rank is quickly raised to D.
- Assimilation Backfire: He, along with his harem, eat the meat from a clown-fish monster. Unfortunately, the clown-fish monster comes with a "can change from male to female" skill, which activates on him immediately, can't be turned off, or transferred. Oops.
- Attractive Bent-Gender: Girl Kehma is very attractive and comes with a somewhat generous bust.
- Beat Them at Their Own Game: First time he fights a flame elemental, he smothers it to death with a flame-thrower.
- Chivalrous Pervert: He greatly appreciates the beauty of the ladies in his sphere of influence, has groped Laura's breasts on several occasions (which she enjoyed), his reaction to walking in on Femille changing was complimenting her body (as opposed to darting out of the room and shutting the door), and he has frequent erotic dreams, but he respects their boundaries and informed consent is critically important.
- Cruel to Be Kind: He's hard on Laura because he doesn't want her hurt. She eventually catches on and appreciates it. She still doesn't like it though.
- Did Not Think This Through: He's informed that the clown fish monster is transexual and can go from male to female. He still takes a bite of one when it's offered. The skill activates after he gets it with barely enough warning for him to go "what the.."
- Endearingly Dorky: The least goofy thing about how he treats his girls is thinking that the correct reaction to accidentally walking in on one changing is to stand there and admire her body rather than apologize and get out of the room, but they like him because when push comes to shove, he comes to their rescue come hell or high-water.
- Erotic Dream: He's frequently had on-screen erotic encounters with the lovely ladies in his sphere of influence only to wake up in bed, fully clothed and sighing, disappointed that it was All Just a Dream.
- Gender Bender: As a result of eating a "clown-fish" monster, he gets forcefully gender-swapped into a girl and she gets stuck that way.
- A Handful for an Eye: He manages to escape the Lion Chimera early in the story by throwing a fist full of dirt in its face and then retreating outside its perceived territory, taking a couple of rare fruit with him.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: Though he's often stronger fighting bare-handed, he prefers to fight with a sword whenever possible.
- Insecure Love Interest: While he never says it aloud, he genuinely feels unworthy of the affections of his harem, but he at least has the good sense not to actively turn them away when he can help it.
- Magikarp Power: He starts the story weaker than your average joe, much weaker, but because of his [Magical Absorption] skill, he quickly becomes a magical and martial powerhouse that can beat up on just about anyone or anything that gives him and his grief.
- Marry Them All: The story ends with him married to all the ladies of his harem, including Marin.
- Multi-Melee Master: Thanks to getting the [Sword Master] and [Axe] skills from the [Goddess Point] system, as well as the martial arts he learned in Japan, he can fight equally well with several melee weapons, or bare-handed.
- Never Gets Drunk: Depending on the Writer. In the web-novel, he and Asha tie and pass out simultaneously. In the manga, he wins a drinking contest that lasts over two hours on screen without even felling tipsy.
- Sour Outside, Sad Inside: He is grumpy and overly strict with Laura because his own mother was an abusive tyrant, and he doesn't know how to relate to women. Fortunately, he does get better.
- Spell My Name With An S: Some translations go with "Kehma" while others go with "Keima."
- Supreme Chef: Since he had to learn how to cook for himself, starting at age 5, he took to browsing the internet for recipes and became very, very proficient in cooking.
- Trademark Favorite Food: He specializes in dishes that feature eggs.
Laura Gine Amara
You have rank 6 in one-handed egg-cracking? Just how many eggs did you practice with?!
The goddess who got kicked out of heaven and summons Kehma to this new world.- Brainless Beauty: She's both gorgeous and stupid.
- Can't Hold His Liquor: One glass of wine and she collapses, face-planting a table. Drinking fruit juice makes her tipsy, slurring her speech.
- Cassandra Truth: Nobody believes her when she says she's a goddess, except Kehma.
- Expy: She's a mix of Aqua from KonoSuba and Hestia from Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?.
- Girlish Pigtails: Wears her hair in twintails and has both the innocence and joy normally associated with the trope.
- Lazy Bum: Deconstructed. Because she spent her time in Heaven just lazing about, she used up all her [Goddess points] and got kicked out, having to live among the mortals until the rest of the celestial bureaucracy believes she's learned her lesson, and maybe even then she'd still get stuck with the mortals.
- The Load: She has almost nothing to add to the party. About the only benefits she brings are being Ms. Exposition, her [Analyze] skill, and occasionally the [Goddess] system she brings with her providing Kehma with necessities, like equipment and skills he can't gain from eating monsters, but this requires payment in the form of monetary or food contributions, which she consumes.
- Obstructive Code of Conduct: Early on, Kehma suggests using the [Goddess Point] system to profit by having her shop from the catalog and selling the goods on the open market. She responds that while this is a good idea, on paper, she's specifically forbidden from knowingly giving such items to the general public, and if she tries, she'd face divine judgement.
- This Looks Like a Job for Aquaman: She finally makes an active contribution at the end of the story. Severely outmatched by Genbu, Kehma calls upon Laura's [Invocation], which can only be used once. The fight is still pretty damn close, Kehma winning by the skin of his teeth.
- Tsundere: Type-B. She's pleasant and cordial to strangers, but people she knows and likes get to see all her irreverent points.
Femille Croquette
Kehma! Please make me your disciple!
A bunny-eared, dog-tailed girl who is scammed by an adventurer's guild client. After Kehma helps her out, she asks to be his apprentice and then joins his party, with Laura's blessing.- Accidental Proposal: On the receiving end when she and Laura shop with Kehma at an an accessory store and he buys them matching chokers, not knowing that for dog-race beast-kin, like herself, this is an engagement ceremony. Even though she informs him before she puts the choker on, she still accepts his gift with gratitude and wears it with pride.
- The Apprentice: She's officially Kehma's apprentice in magic.
- Bequeathed Power: She starts the story only able to use [Fireball], causing her to be expeled from mage academy, due to repeated failures to pass academic tests. Kehma helps expand her horizons by giving her the [Ice Needle] and [Axe] skills, which she masters in minutes.
- Debt Detester: After Kehma helped her get even with an unscrupulous client, she wishes for some way to repay him. When he turns down the money, stating she should have it for her fiscal obligations, she insists on doing something to return the favor. He has her dress up like a maid, clean and do housework, and then give him an innocent Lap Pillow. Which she actively enjoyed doing.
- Heinz Hybrid: Bunny ears on her head, human body, and dog's tail on her back.
- Hidden Depths: Her training at mage academy has clearly failed her as she shows far more talent with magic than she's aware of.
- Instant Expert: She masters the [Axe] and [Ice Needle] skills Kehma gifts her in minutes, which is supposed to be impossible.
- Single-Target Sexuality: She doesn't care if Kehma changes back to a guy or stays a girl, she will happily marry Kehma anyway.
- Squishy Wizard: Her magical power is quite high for her level, but her strength and stamina are relatively low.
- Subordinate Excuse: She uses the fact that she's Kehma's apprentice to get close to him.
Lolona Hyldon
You remind me so much of that guy, Kehma, and that's not a good thing.
A half-elf swordsman the party meets as part of an Escort Mission. She's initially hostile to Kehma for irrational reasons, but warms up to him in a hurry when he comes to her rescue.- Ambiguously Brown: Which she inherited from her father. Her elven mother had milky-white skin, while her father was very tan.
- Bathtub Bonding: When Kehma (gender bent) and crew arrive at the oasis where they're about to go hunt the puffer-fish monster they need so Kehma can buy a house for the party to live in, she waltzes in on Kehma bathing and they proceed to bathe together, with her washing Kehma's back first.
- Best Her to Bed Her: Subverted. She demands a duel with Kehma to see how skilled he is, and he cleans her clock, but while she does have feelings for him, she doesn't really act on them until he saves her life, and even then, she has to get over her Parental Abandonment issues first.
- Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: Her father was ambushed by enemy soldiers while delivering supplies to the army, and fled, then was executed for desertion after turning himself in.
- Does Not Like Men: Thanks to Parental Abandonment issues, she is deeply suspicious of men. She gets over it once she learn the truth of the why her father deserted and was convicted of theft.
- Half-Human Hybrid: Human on her father's side. Elf on her mother's side.
- Happily Adopted: By her step-sister Lilina.
- Like Parent, Like Spouse: Although they look nothing alike, she can't help but compare Kehma to her long-dead father, based on their personalities.
- Master Swordsman: Her profession.
- Mood Killer: On her first appearance, she enters Kehma's bedroom without knocking, spots him getting a Lap Pillow from Femille, scowls, and walks out in a rage, giving them a token apology.
- Parental Abandonment: Her mother died of illness and her father was executed for desertion and theft of essential supplies while she was a small child.
- Rebuilt Pedestal: When her father disappeared during his duty in the military and then the army sent a messenger telling her and her mother that he was both a thief and deserter, summarily executed for his crime, leaving them both unattended, she grew to hate his memory. Then she learned the full story from Lilina. Her father was delivering supplies to the army, was ambushed by the enemy, and abandoned the supplies to save his life, fleeing to another country in a moment of weakness. He stumbled upon traveling merchant Lilina and asked her to take care of his family before turning himself in for judgement. While Lilina was able to take custody of Lolona, it was already too late for Lolona's mother who had died of illness in the meantime.
- Rule of Sexy: Her mithril thread outfit exposes her belly. This does nothing to affect the armor's protective quality for some reason.
- Sour Outside, Sad Inside: She's initially very abrasive due to the trauma of helplessly watching her mother die of illness because her father deserted from the army and abandoned them both, leaving her an orphan until she was picked up by Lilina.
- Super-Senses: She tracks the core of the Cloud Monster by hearing it when it shifts around and builds a new body behind a "cloud" of sand faster than the eye can see.
- Tsundere: Type-A. Abrasive and judgmental, she grows fond of Kehma once she gets to know him.
Marin
Please take me on your journey, Kehma-niisan!
A young girl the party encounters, lost in the desert. After having her cooking praised by Kehma, she asks to join his adventures and her brother Karin agrees, giving the party his blessing.- Cheerful Child: Very chipper and upbeat.
- Children Are Innocent: A sweet and sensitive girl without a trace of malice.
- Girlish Pigtails: A happy child who wears twin-tails.
- Jail Bait Wait: Discussed. When she asks for Kehma's hand in marriage, he balks, insisting she's too young, until he gets proof that she is, in fact, of legal marrying age, but even then declines to give her sexual loving, to her chagrin, until she turns 18. When she offers to do lewd stuff to him instead, he says he doesn't have a problem until Laura slaps him upside the head.
- Jumped at the Call: When Kehma praises her cooking, stating that he'd be happy to hire someone like her as a full-time chef for his party, she jumps at the offer, asking to join his party on their adventures, and she gets her older brother's blessing because he's about to get married to his sweetheart and would love to have the family home/inn to themselves for a bit...
- No Sense of Direction: She walks from home to the local market and back every day, and she still got lost, wandering the desert a full day, at least, before she collapsed and Kehma's party found her.
- Older Than They Look: Believe it or not, she's actually 15 and can legally get married. Kehma doesn't take this assertion at face value, double checks with her brother, and after finding out that it's true, agrees to marriage, but declines to engage in sexy-fun-times with her until she turns 18.
- Skinship Grope: She responds to seeing Girl Kehma in a modest bikini swimsuit by groping Kehma's breasts and going "Kehma-oniisan has such nice boobies!" Kehma begs her to stop and the other girls are going "first time Kehma's the one being harassed."
- Supreme Chef: She's an even better chef than Kehma, and when he off-handedly mentions that he'd be happy to hire her for her cooking skill, she jumps at the chance, with the blessing of everyone else in the room.
- Token Mini-Moe: Her age looks like it's in the single digits, or very low double digits, and she asks to join Kehma's party.
Supporting Characters:
Effa
Those guards dumped another problem on us, again!
The receptionist for he adventurer's guild that meets Laura and Kehma.- Character Tic: She wears gloves to show that she's professionally detached. When she takes her gloves off before offering a hand-shake, it means you've earned her trust.
- Irrational Hatred: She has an initially poor impression of Kehma and Laura for no rational reason and wanted them to fail. This goes away once he proves himself in the battle with the swarm of killer crabs that were swarming the town.
- The Key Is Behind the Lock: In order for Kehma to sell the monster materials he collected, he has to become a trusted member of the adventurer's guild, but he has to sell the monster materials so he can pay the fee to sign up... Fortunately, the guild allowed him and Laura to sign up with a promissory note.
Asha
As I thought, you are my fated partner for being able to keep up with me in alcohol!
The innkeeper of Crescent Moon Inn.- The Alcoholic: She not only loves booze, she has such a high tolerance that she can drink just about anyone under the table. In the web-novel, she and Kehma get into a drinking contest and it's a draw, with him having [Poison Resistance] at level 3.
- Apron Matron: Runs the inn and bar.
- Did You Just Have Sex?: Chapter 7 of the manga leaves it ambiguous as to whether she and Kehma actually had sex or not, as there was a great deal of drinking involved and Kehma states he went to his bedroom and slept like a log the moment things got complicated, waking up next morning fully clothed. The only thing that's certain is that Asha did put his hand on her naked breast. That wasn't a dream. Laura picked up on it and wasn't amused.
- Engagement Challenge: On her own behalf! She won't even consider dating a guy who can't match her drink for drink. This makes her very, very popular with the rowdy clientele of the Crescent Moon Inn.
- Foreign Queasine: She sells frog-meat pies. While Kehma was adventurous enough to try it as it was offered, Laura was squeamish until Kehma shoved a piece into her mouth while she was complaining. She found the taste divine.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Blonde and a good woman who runs the inn with a firm but gentle hand and is always willing to lend a hand to her guests, provided they don't cause trouble.
- Prophecy Twist: In the web-novel version, the reason she's always challenging guys to drinking contests is that a fortune-teller her parents hired mentioned that she won't be Happily Married if she doesn't find a man who can outdrink her. Kehma suspects that this was a back-handed attempt to get her to stop drinking, which backfired.
- Serious Business: Something more important or superior to quality booze doesn't exist!
- Shipper on Deck: In the manga version, chapter 18, she pops a confetti sprinkler and cheers Kehma on when he informs her of the impending group wedding between himself and Laura, Femille, and Lolona.
Lilina Crocket
I have a good eye for people and can tell that you're going to make it big soon.
A very influential merchant who first hires Kehma and Laura to move a safe for dismantling and recycling, but then quickly has him sign an exclusive contract with an advance payment of 60,000 coins, expecting a rapid growth, though even she is surprised at how fast he climbs the ranks.- Benevolent Boss: Treasures her employees and treats them with class.
- Gut Feeling: She trusts her instincts and chose to sign an exclusive contract with Kehma while he was still a G-rank adventurer, expecting great things from him. Her faith is rewarded when he rises through the ranks like a rocket.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Blonde, and a good, kind woman.
- Intrepid Merchant: She runs a trade caravan, crossing country borders, even at times of war.
- Little Bit Beastly: As a member of the "Dwalf" race, she has fox ears on the side of her head.
- You Are Too Late: She learns of Lolona's situation from her father, but by the time she arrives to help, Lolona's mother had already died.
Ceres
Now Laura, work hard so you don't hold Kehma Oniichan back too much, okay?
A goddess acquaintance of Laura that decides to indirectly help Laura and Kehma out at several key points.- Animorphism: She often takes the form of a little chick when she wants to go unnoticed.
- Impractically Fancy Outfit: If she didn't spend most of her time in the guise of a baby chick, she would hardly be able to move without falling out.
- Navel-Deep Neckline: The v-line of her dress stops just north of her crotch.
- Romantic Wingman: Almost literally. She has wings and helps with practical and relationship advice between Laura and Kehma.
- Winged Humanoid: She has fairy-like wings on her back.
Lalana
Hahaha! To think you're so strong, Kehma-san. How about you come work for me full-time, huh?
A blacksmith that hires Kehma to purify some ore and then sends him into a dormant volcano to mine a different ore for her smithy. The last part goes horribly wrong when a pair of Flame elementals attack Kehma's party.- Double Entendre: According to the translator notes, the page quote is a subtle flirtation asking for Kehma's hand in marriage in the original Japanese text.
- Famed In-Story: She is known as a retired, powerful, former high-ranked adventurer.
- Little Bit Beastly: Like Lilina, she also has fox ears on her head.
- Red Baron: "Golden Princess" Lalana.
- Retired Badass: She gave up adventuring to become a blacksmith and is content working on the forge.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: She asks Kehma and party to gather up some gems for her out of a dormant volcano that should have had only weak monsters a beginner could learn from, so Femille could get some combat experience. Two Flame elementals smell Kehma's [Magic Absorption] skill and attack the party.
Karin
You can take Marin on your journey, I don't mind. She likes you, and I'm going to marry my sweetheart in a month, we'd like this in to ourselves for a bit...
Marin's older brother.- Affectionate Gesture to the Head: He loves to ruffle Marin's hair when he shows affection.
- Anger Born of Worry: When Kehma and crew brought Marin back from the desert, he chides the girl for wandering off, lost, and not bothering to ask directions, nearly getting herself killed.
- Childhood Friend Romance: With his sweetheart Fran, whom he's set to marry.
- Gender-Blender Name: "Karin" is usually a female name, but he's male.
- Open-Minded Parent: Her gives Kehma's party his blessing to take Marin with them on their adventures. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
- Parental Substitute: Since Marin and Karin are orphans, he's the closest thing she's got to a parental figure.
Fran
- Childhood Friend Romance: She and Karin have known each other since they were children and are scheduled to be married soon.
- The Ghost: Aside from one illustration in chapter 19, little as been said or shown about her.
Monsters:
Chimera Lion
ROOAAARRR!!
The first monster Kehma and Laura encounter. It guards a fruit tree.- Cats Are Mean: It's mostly a lion and is a very vicious predator.
- Defensive Feint Trap: It pretents to be asleep, but the snake that is its tail is watching. When prey gets close to the fruit tree, it jumps up and ambushes its next meal.
- Mix-and-Match Critter: Lion for the main body, a snake for the tail.
- Roar Before Beating: Truth in Television. Before attacking Kehma, it roared a challenge.
- Stationary Boss: It does not wander far from the fruit tree. This allows Kehma to escape after grabbing a couple of fruit.
Shizaku
B-kaw-erghk!
The first of the Boss chickens Kehma encounters.- Anticlimax Boss: No battle, no fan-fare. Kehma just sneaks up on him and kills him while he's napping.
- Breath Weapon: According to the skills Kehma gains from eating its flesh, it breathes fire.
- Medal of Dishonor: Kick poo feet level 8.
- Playing with Fire: His breath is a flamethrower.
- Too Dumb to Live: It goes to sleep in a completely unprotected nest. Its death was just a matter of time.
Byakko
Revenge? What a ridiculous human concept. It is the pride of a warrior to fight the strong!
The second of the chicken boss monsters who ambushes Kehma, not for vengeance, but for the "honor" of fighting someone who beat up Suzaku.- Breath Weapon: Like most of the adult chicken monsters, it can breathe fire.
- Fearless Fool: So much so, it even has a skill called "Fearless Fool" which boosts its attack power while weakening its defense.
- Playing with Fire: It can breathe fire.
- Proud Warrior Race Guy: He boasts of a "warrior's honor" and challenges strong opponents.
- Spin to Deflect Stuff: It can spin its body to negate incoming attacks.
Genbu
Try not to die until our fated fight, Kehma!
The third of the chicken boss monsters.- All Your Powers Combined: In preparation for the duel with Kehma, it eats the souls of the other three guardian beast roosters, becoming nearly god-like in power. It takes Kehma temporarily borrowing Laura's divine might to win the battle, and even then it was close.
- Flechette Storm: It can and does attack with a flurry of needles.
- Let's Fight Like Gentlemen: It challenges Kehma to come to its territory and face it head on, or it will go up to his sleeping area and caw at him all night.
- I Have Your Wife: At the end of the story, he gets tired of waiting for Kehma to get ready for their duel so kidnaps Laura in the middle of the night and leaves Kehma a note demanding a duel or Laura's life is forfeit.
- Loophole Abuse: It challenged Kehma to a duel but never specified when. So when Kehma goes Screw This, I'm Outta Here and flees the forest, this chicken doesn't take it as a forfeit, but waits patiently for Kehma's return.
- Mix-and-Match Critter: Part chicken, part turtle, and part snake.
- The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: It so wants to fight Kehma that it shows up when he's fighting the [Boston Crab] and gives him advice on how to beat it.
Boston Crab
It has been so long since a human challenged me! I hope you are a Worthy Opponent!
The crab that led a massive crab swarm to attack the town where Kehma and Laura were living.- Blood Knight: It lives for fighting worthy opponents.
- Giant Enemy Crab: The boss of a bunch of murderous crabs and it's so large, Kehma looks bite-sized next to it.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: On both ends. First, it takes advantage of Kehma's sword breaking to smack him around. When Kehma got a chance to catch his breath as a result of Genbu stepping in and giving him a few pointers, Kehma returned the favor, punching it to death.
- No-Sell: Its shell is so tough, Kehma broke his sword trying to cut it. Fortunately, fists worked just fine.
Flame Elemental
Fee,Fie, Foe, Fum, I smell the blood of a Japanese Man!
The boss monster(s) of the volcano.- The Dreaded: When word of just one of these guys appearing gets around, entire armies are summoned to deal with it. Kehma's party beat two of them.
- Horned Humanoid: They have horns on their heads.
- I Am a Humanitarian: They happily eat people.
- Playing with Fire: As their name suggests, they have powerful fire attacks.
- Power Parasite: Like Kehma, they have the [Magic Absorbtion] ability.
- Scissors Cuts Rock: Logically, they are weak to ice attacks, but they're so high above the level of Femille, that she was only able to annoy one by attacking with [Ice Needle], and only did significant damage by concentrating all her power on a single point, but even that was not enough.
- Super-Senses: What roused them from their slumber was the smell of Kehma's [Magic Absorption] skill.
- Villainous Glutton: They are always hungry and looking for more and more people to eat.
Cloud Monster
Damn it! I never got to show off my final form!
A monster that attacks the caravan Kehma, Laura, Femille, and Lolona were guarding.- Adaptive Ability: It grows considerably stronger if its fake body receives a lethal blow but the core is not destroyed in the process.
- Attack Its Weak Point: The only way to successfully kill it is to destroy its hidden core. Fail, and it will only come back stronger.
- Dishing Out Dirt: It sucks up dirt and sand to create an artificial body to hide in.
- I Shall Taunt You: It loves to taunt and torment its prey and intended meal.
