Character page for Suzume.
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Main Characters
Suzume Iwato
Suzume Iwato
Voiced by: Nanoka Hara (JP), Akari Miura (JP young), Nichole Sakura (EN), Bennet Hetrick (EN young), Lévanah Solomon (European French), Diane Darrasse (European French young)
A high-school girl who becomes drawn into events after she opens a door.
- Action Girl / Action Survivor: Suzume manages to survive and close the gates, despite being starting out as an ordinary high school girl. She is also shown to be a lot more athletic than her stated status as a high-school student who was roped into the adventure might lead one to expect. She certainly is able to jump the trail barrier like it was a hurdle without ever missing a beat, during a situation that is extremely stressful, which implies that the action may be second nature for her.
- Agony of the Feet: Suzume loses one of her shoes when she jumps on the Tokyo Worm, and soon after removes the other shoe. Her socks are soon stained with red from the damage her feet take until she can get a chance to wash and bandage them.
- Badly Battered Babysitter: Suzume ends up being one of these as she struggles to look after two kids, prompting Sōta to help her by entertaining the kids himself, leaving Suzume to come up with something to keep the kids from questioning the living chair.
- Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Subverted. She's quite attractive, but predictably for a (rather naive) schoolgirl on the run, she and her clothes get quickly beaten up. She also accumulates a number of small injuries in Tokyo, though she got the chance to clean up straight after.
- Crush Blush: Suzume has one the first time she meets Sōta.
- The Determinator: She will bring Sōta back, no matter what anyone says or what she has to do.
- Disappeared Dad: There's no mention of what happened to her father, whether he ran off or died when she was a baby is left unsaid. Tamaki merely says that her older sister was a single mum.
- Little Miss Snarker: Suzume is quite quick-witted and unafraid to speak her mind, even to those close to her. Or rather, especially to those close to her.
- Love at First Sight: She falls in love for Sōta the first time she sees him.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Twice, after she unleashes the Worm upon her hometown and then upon realizing she caused Sōta to miss an important exam.
- Nephewism: Was raised by her aunt after he mother died.
- Nice Girl: Despite her rebellious and impulsive streak, Suzume is essentially a very kind and honest girl.
- Not Afraid to Die: Seeing many people (including her mother) die as a child has made her see living or dying as a matter of luck. As a result, she is rarely worried about her own safety.
- Ordinary High-School Student: Suzume begins the story as this.
- School Uniforms are the New Black: Suzume starts her journey while wearing her school uniform, but that's only because she'd just left school. She switch to a casual outfit loaned to her by Chika for the second act, before swapping back to the uniform after her new outfit is ruined.
- Smitten Teenage Girl: She has a hugh crush on Sōta and she's whiling to do anything to help him to stop the Worm from entering the real world. She even kisses him twice when Sōta was a chair.
- Took a Level in Badass: Later in the movie, she’s able to stand her ground and fight back against the Worm and revive Sōta.
- Touched by Vorlons: As a result of entering the Ever After as a child, Suzume is able to see the Worm.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: By opening the door and unknowingly releasing the keystone that becomes Daijin the cat, Suzume unleashes a series of disasters on Japan.
Sōta Munakata
Sōta Munakata
Voiced by: Hokuto Matsumura (JP), Josh Keaton (EN)
A mysterious young man looking for a door.
- Badass in Distress: He's an experienced Closer but since he's trapped as a chair most of the film, he's reliant on Suzume to help him close the gates to the Ever After.
- But Now I Must Go: Downplayed. Sōta parts ways with Suzume after they return from the Ever-After to resume his duties as a Closer and deal with personal matters in Tokyo, but promises to come see her again. The two of them are reunited in the last credits scene.
- Deadpan Snarker: He's a little frosty towards Suzume initially, especially after she helps him close the first door.
- Disney Death: Suzume uses him to seal the Worm above Tokyo, trapping him in crystal form. Later, she enters the Ever-After and helps him escape.
- Distressed Dude: He's trapped in the Ever-After for much of the final third of the film until Suzume brings him back.
- Fate Worse than Death: Daijin passes his responsibility as the Eastern Keystone to him, meaning he will be crystallized in the Ever After, unable to talk or move for eternity. Fortunately, he is able to escape this fate.
- Forced Transformation: Souta is forcibly transformed into Suzume's three-legged chair at the hands of the cat Daijin. He also becomes the new keystone, though he is eventually turned back to normal.
- Friend to All Children: Helps out Suzume with Rumi's kids. Fitting since he's aiming to become a teacher.
- Heroism Won't Pay the Bills: Suzume is shocked that Souta is a graduate student and is planning to become a teacher despite the importance of what he does. Souta flat out tells her while being a Closer is an important job it doesn't pay the bills and he, at least when not a chair, has to eat just like everybody else.
- It's All My Fault: Argues that he's more to blame than Suzume, because he failed to find the door in time.
- I Work Alone: Tries to get Suzume to leave the job of closing the doors to him, only to resign himself when it becomes clear he needs her help in his transformed state
- Last of Their Kind: He seems to be one of the only Closers left, beside his grandfather.
- Mysterious Past: Though his life prior to the events of Suzume has yet be given too much detail, what we do know is that he went through Parental Abandonment and was trained by his grandfather in the art of Closing.
- Nice Guy: A kind and heroic young man who doesn't blame Suzume for unwittingly opening the door.
- One Head Taller: Sōta towers over the shorter Suzume by at least this much.
- Raised by Grandparents: It's implied he was raised by his grandfather as his parents are never mentioned.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Fits the description to a tee, being a tall, good-looking man with long dark hair (second-longest in the show after Suzume, even). He had Suzume smitten with just one look, plus several admirers back in Tokyo where he rented a room.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Souta's grandfather is apparently quite strict and isn't approached for help earlier in the film because Souta doesn't want to disappoint him.
Tamaki Iwato
Tamaki Iwato
Voiced by: Eri Fukatsu (JP), Jennifer Sun Bell (EN)
Suzume's aunt.
- Anger Born of Worry: She's concerned by Suzume's seemingly reckless behavior and confronts her when she catches up in Tokyo.
- Demonic Possession: Briefly semi-possessed by Sadaijin.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After her argument with Suzume (exacerbated by Sadaijin) escalates to a vicious level in which she declares she never wanted her and Suzume is just a burden and not her daughter at all, Tamaki is horrified at what she said to her niece and breaks down crying in Tomoya's arms.
- Oblivious to Love: Tamaki seems to completely miss that her co-worker Minoru has a crush on her, which is ironic given one of her concerns is that nobody would date a single mother.
- Older Than They Look: She's in her early forties, but looks a decade younger. When she starts an argument with Tomoya over her niece's safety, passerbys assume that Tomoya has been cheating on one of them with the other.
- Old Maid: She's unmarried and in her forties, something that forms part of her insecurities.
- Parental Substitute: She's been raising Suzume for 12 years, considers the girl as her own, and in a flashback even tells her that she would be her mother.
- Parents as People: While she genuinely loves her niece, she admits she has felt frustrated by how much of her life was taken up by raising Suzume, something that comes out during their argument.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: She assumes Suzume is on the run with some guy; while this is true, it's not for the reasons Tamaki thinks.
- Single Parents Are Undesirable: Feels she's this, unknowing that Okabe has feelings for her.
- Struggling Single Mother: She doesn't appear to struggle much financially, but she still has her fair share of trouble raising Suzume on her own, especially when the girl apparently runs away.
Daijin
Daijin
Voiced by: Ann Yamane (JP), Lena Josephine Marano (EN)
A mischievous little cat.
- Arc Villain: For the first half of the film. Despite his aims not being inherently harmful, it is thanks to him that Sota becomes a chair and nearly doomed to be the new Eastern Keystone, and it is his actions that drive the plot after being unleashed, with his refusal to retake his duty leading to a lot of potential harm. Played with, as while he does cause a lot of harm by refusing to take his role seriously enough, he does help find the doors in the first place.
- Barrier Maiden: His job is to keep the Worm under control, along with his eastern counterpart Sadaijin.
- Cats Are Mean: Daijin has moments of this, as he abandons his duty to run off and turns Sōta into a chair forcing him into the role of the keystone.
- Cheshire Cat Grin: When Daijin smiles as seen in the picture, it means nothing good for Souta.
- Color Contrast: Funnily enough, he and Sadaijin are this in both of their forms (Sleep-Mode Size and true size). Daijin, a white kitten, transforms into a black, lion-sized feline, while Sadaijin, a gigantic black cat almost Suzume's size, transforms into a white kaiju-sized feline. Given this is a Makoto Shinkai movie, the yin-yang symbolism is perhaps intentional.
- Cute Kitten: Daijin looks like an adorable kitten and is more than happy to strike adorable poses, which results in him receiving a substantial social media following during his trek across Japan. Observe
◊. - Dissonant Serenity: His voice doesn’t change often, be it saying he likes Suzume or saying a lot of people are going to die each with the same cheerful tone.
- Foil: To Sadaijin, naturally.
- The two are the Western and Eastern Keystones. Daijin's introductory scene is very clear and elaborate as Suzume frees him, while Sadaijin mysteriously appears without anyone releasing him beside Hitsujirō. The door Daijin's "guarding" is a nondescript piece in rural Japan, in an abandoned building forgotten by almost everyone but Suzume. Sadaijin is implied to be guarding the Tokyo door (though it looks more like a gate), a grand architectural piece in a high spiritual location, known only from the records the Closers kept.
- One's a small white kitten who can transform into a larger black form, while the other's a large black cat the size of a panther who can transform into a gigantic white kaiju.
- Daijin's incredibly talkative with an abrasive personality, while Sadaijin spoke very little and has very little characterization, given his late introduction. The latter borders on We Hardly Knew Ye territory, while Daijin's practically the Deuteragonist. The kitten's also quite childish and playful, while the large cat is very Stoic and mature.
- I Just Want to Be Loved: Daijin just wants to be with Suzume who freed him from being a keystone and was kind to him, even if it means turning Sōta into a replacement keystone. The little cat is shaken when he realizes that Suzume doesn't love him and she's furious with him for his actions.
- Jerkass God: Freed from his job of keeping the Worm sealed, Daijin passes his responsibility to Sōta and refuses to go back to his post.
- Jerkass Realization: After Sota becomes the new Eastern Keystone, he is forced to realize that Suzume doesn’t actually love him at all, and he was just hurting her.Daijin: Suzume doesn’t love me…
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Daijin may seem selfish and traps Sōta as the keystone but he rescues Suzume from harm twice and ultimately willingly returns to his duty as the keystone.
- Mega Neko: Daijin is a minor example, as his true form is a black cat roughly the size of a lion.
- Named After Somebody Famous: Daijin the cat is named such by social media due to his resemblance to an ancient Japanese minister. Given his minor Glamour ability, it's likely he influences the people around him to call him that, since "Daijin" seems to be his actual name, coincidence or not.
- Talking Animal: Is a talking cat.
Other Characters
Tomoya Serizawa
Tomoya Serizawa
Voiced by: Ryunosuke Kamiki (JP), Joe Zieja (EN)
A friend of Sōta's from school.
- Butt-Monkey: Most of the humor in the final third of the movie comes at Tomoya's expense, from his crappy car to a crowd thinking he's a two-timer.
- Hidden Depths: Serizawa looks like a punk, but is also working to become a teacher.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He comes off as somewhat rude and annoyed with Sōta in his initial appearance, but as the film goes on it's shown he does care about Sōta's disappearance and goes out of his way to help Suzume by giving her a ride to the last door.
- Not What It Looks Like: When Tamaki finally catches up to Suzume and sees her about to enter his Cool Car, she believes he’s a playboy trying to sleep with her. When she starts to argue with the two of them, several passersby believe that he’s a cheating boyfriend.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Tomoya tells Suzume he's pissed with Sōta for missing his teacher exam and the only reason he's checking in on him is that Sōta owes him money. Eventually he admits he's genuinely concerned about Sōta's disappearance and the money was just an excuse, since it's actually Tomoya that owes Sōta.
Chika Amabe
Chika Amabe
Voiced by: Kotone Hanase (JP), Rosalie Chiang (EN)
A resident of Ehime.- Because You Were Nice to Me: In thanks for Suzume rescuing her tangerines, she helps her out.
- Commonality Connection: She and Suzume bond over their shared status as high school students in the same year
- Nice Girl: Helps out Suzume by letting her stay at her family's inn and giving her a change of clothes.
Rumi Ninomiya
Rumi Ninomiya
Voiced by: Sairi Ito (JP), Amanda Céline Miller (EN)
The owner of a karaoke bar in Kobe.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: Rumi looks like an average middle-aged mother when she picks Suzume up, but on the job she's a stunner thanks to carefully applied makeup and a flattering dress.
- Struggling Single Mother: Nothing is known about her husband and she is dealing with raising two rambunctious kids while running her bar. She's very grateful to Suzume for helping out.
Minoru Okabe
Minoru Okabe
Voiced by: Shota Sometani (JP), Roger Craig Smith (EN)
One of Tamaki's co-workers at her job.- All Love Is Unrequited: He carries a torch for Tamaki, who doesn't notice.
- The Runaway: Ran away from home when he was a teenager due to peer pressure and social expectations, though this was Played for Laughs as Tamaki instantly scolds him, since he compared his situation with Suzume.Tamaki: Suzume's not you!
Hitsujirō Munakata
Hitsujirō Munakata
Voiced by: Matsumoto Hakuō II (JP), Cam Clarke (EN)
Sōta's grandfather.- Forced to Watch: He saw the Worm gathering above Tokyo, but his age and illness left him unable to do anything.
- Hero of Another Story: Hitsujirō has some undisclosed history with Sadaijin and was a Closer in his prime.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Starts as an apparently abrasive and uncaring jerk, but eventually gives Suzume information and assistance to try and save Sōta, even though he thinks it's futile at best and possibly destructive to try.
- Know When to Fold Them: Invokes this, by telling Suzume she's done what she could and encouraging her to just go home.
- The Mentor: Taught Sōta about his duties as a Closer.
- Noodle Incident: Apparently lost his right arm in some unknown incident
- Out Living Ones Offspring: It’s implied that he’s outlived his son and comes close to losing his grandson.
- Retired Badass: Hitsujirō was a former Closer in his prime, but now he's a sick old man. He’s able to see the Worm but is helpless to do anything to stop it.
Tsubame Iwato
Tsubame Iwato
Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa (JP), Allegra Clark (EN)
Suzume's mother.- Deceased Parents Are the Best: Portrayed in flashback as a kind and loving mother.
- Posthumous Character: She died in the 2011 Tōhoku tsunami when Suzume was a child.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Created the chair that plays a major role in the film.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Looks enough like her daughter, that young Suzume mistakes her future self for their mother.
The Great Worm
The Great Worm
Voiced by: N/a
A primordial beast that lives under Japan and causes earthquakes.- Big Bad: The Worm serves as the biggest threat to Japan and keeping it from escaping the Ever After serves as one of the primary conflicts in the film. However, it does not appear sapient, and is more of a force of nature than a character.
- Feral Villain: The Worm never shows any sign of intelligence and does not seem to be aware of the humans fighting it (although it does fight back against the much larger Sadaijin).
- Historical Rap Sheet: It caused the Great Kantō earthquake in 1923, a catastrophe that killed over 100,000 people.
- Invisible to Normals: The Great Worm is invisible to everyone except Suzume and Souta.
- Leaking Can of Evil: The Great Worm is sealed in the Ever After, but naturally appearing doors allow it to try and reach into the living world.
