Characters originating from Puchim@s! Petit iDOLM@STER. A comedic manga later adapted into a series of anime shorts with Drama CD support, it contains Super-Deformed personalities of the core iM@S cast: mysterious lifeforms encountered by the idols while working around the world.
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In General
Puchim@s provides examples of:
- Birds of a Feather: In the manga, many of the Puchidols (that don't live in the office itself) live with their respective core idols, with the exceptions of Takane (who cares for Koami, Komami and Yayo), the Futami twins (who jointly care for Takanya), Yayoi (who cares for Harukasan), and Kotori (who cares for Chicchan).
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: While they're all child-like and quirky, many of them show shocking competency in strange areas, especially when they start with the idols' various shoots and shows.
- Formally-Named Pet: Harukasan and Miurasan, who were both named by Haruka.
- God Guise: Harukasan originates from an unnamed island where the villagers call Puchidols as such. The OVA reveals she has temples and monuments dedicated to her. Chihya and Io are shown to be from the same island (according to Miki), while Koami and Komami are indirectly hinted to be from there as well.
- Hammerspace: Several Puchidols can produce items as large as their bodies from outta nowhere.
- Head Pet: They love to rest on an idol's head. Special mention for Miurasan, who can teleport the person she's on atop.
- Pretty Freeloaders: More 'cute' than 'pretty' though, and a couple do more to carry their share of work, especially in the manga.
- Running Gag: In addition to the standard Idolmaster gags, there are several restricted to this manga, e.g. Chihaya's tendency to give weird names to the petit idols or Haruka's tendency to pour water on Haruka-san to make it multiply.
- Horrible Camping Trip: Every time they go on vacation or travel overseas. Especially when Harukasan is brought or sneaks herself along.
- The Kindnapper: Whenever the Producer is caught alone in public with a Puchidol, he gets arrested by the police for being a child predator, even though he's not. There's also Takane always trying to steal more Puchidols to live with her.
- Signature Move: Harukasan's multiplication, Io's laser beam, Miurasan's teleportation, etc.
- Similar Squad: Each Puchidol exaggerates the character flaws, or incorporates a popular fan meme, of the core idol she looks like.
- Super-Deformed: Though they're treated as "mysterious lifeforms" in-universe, they're really just chibi versions of the idols.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Aside from their unusual powers, no one questions the Puchidols' existence. They ride trains, purchase merchandise, visit the neighbors... it's all considered normal. No one questions why they look so much like the idols, either.
- Weirdness Censor: The surprising antics a Puchidol does will eventually become the new norm.
The Puchidols
Afu
- Big-Breast Pride: Insane as it may be, and much to Chihya's rage, she's one of the better endowed Puchidols. In the second teaser commercial and during Episode 9 she taunts Chihya for being flat. Viewers are told though they can not see a difference, to the Puchidols there is.
- Expository Hairstyle Change: In summer, her hair turns brown and becomes short, along with her Ahoge curling up into a heart shape. This is a result of her mating season, which causes her to cling to every male (and Makoto) in sight.
- Face Hugger: To men (and Makoto) during her mating season.
- Flash Step
- Groin Attack: How she stops the Producer from stopping her.
- Jerkass: She certainly has bouts of this due to her selfishness. It ranges in severity from swiping food (especially onigiri) from other people, to jumping on other sleeping Puchidols and sleeping on them, to trashing the office for no discernible reason.
- Pokémon Speak: "Nano!" and "Afuu!" When her hair changes in the summer, "Hanii!" note gets added to her vocabulary.
- Sleepy Head
- Spoiled Brat
- Trademark Favorite Food: Rice balls.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Does it to escape from Ritsuko.
Chibiki
- Artistic License – Geography: Invoked when she returns her summoned monsters home - she sends the penguin to the North Pole and Orochi to The Amazon Rainforest. It's blatantly insinuated she simply doesn't care where they came from, so long as they go away.
- Bad Boss: The reason why the Mon obey her without question. Also see Artistic License – Geography above.
- Cute, but Cacophonic
- Cute Little Fangs: Like Hibiki.
- Inconvenient Summons: Happens more often than not, and the main source of humor involving her powers.
- Pokémon Speak: "Dazo!" "Haisai!" "Naissaa!" "Anmayoo!"note
- Portmanteau: Her name, which is a cross between "Chibi" and "Hibiki". Also doubles as a pun.
- Summon Bigger Fish: Her crying automatically summons huge animals ranging from the mundane (bears, alligators) to the fantastic (Dragons, giant birds, and Yamata no Orochi).
- Summon Magic: It seems when she's introduced to an animal or supernatural creature, she can summon them afterwards. As the series continues, her stable of Mons grows larger and larger.
- Bears Are Bad News: One of the first animals she could summon when first introduced.
- Cute Ghost Girl: After encountering a Japanese ghost in a graveyard.
- Prone to Tears: She's a crybaby and tears up easily.
- Shout-Out: Volvole is a boss monster from God Eater Burst, a Bandai Namco Entertainment game series.
- Unreliable Expositor: Claims to be from Okinawa, like Hibiki, but later events - like personal experience with a rare animal that lives nowhere near Okinawa, and unfamiliarity with bitter melon, a feature of Okinawan cooking - suggest she's not being entirely truthful.
She was originally found in the Amazon, or the jungle region of Puchi Island, neither of which are near Okinawa.
Chicchannote
- Cannot Spit It Out: Her love for the Producer.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Gets upset when Afu, in her mating season, goes Face Hugger on the Producer.
- High-Pressure Emotion: Whenever her feels for the Producer take stage.
- Implausible Deniability: What Ritsuko will do, whenever similarities to Chicchan are pointed out.
- Neat Freak: Regarding documents.
- Not So Stoic: When placed in a hopeless situation, she will break down and cry.
- Pokémon Speak: "Meh!" and "Moh!"
- Rapid-Fire Typing: Without fingers!
- The Scrooge: Even when the vacation budget allows extra spending, she will fight hard to cut more expenses.
- Serious Business: Her attitude towards just about everything.
- Team Mom: For the other Puchidols.
- Tsundere: She is tough and strict with nearly all of the other characters (including Ritsuko herself), but absolutely melts when dealing with the Producer.
Chihya
- A-Cup Angst: Can be confrontational with big-breasted people, particularly Miki. She used to snap and hiss at Ritsuko, but changed nature after she fed Chihya lunch. Takane tends to be Hidden Buxom, due to her choice of clothing, but Chihya was openly angry when Takane tried to kidnap her (she was pressing Chihya against the chest). Chihya snapped at Azusa when being taught how to swim (due to Azusa's bikini) and when Azusa placed Chihya on her lap (as Azusa's breasts were resting on Chihya's head).
- This also extends to some of the other puchidols as well - Afuu is not above invoking Big-Breast Pride to irritate Chihya, and while she doesn't hiss at Miurasan, she has been shown to be somewhat jealous. Bizarrely enough, Takanya seems to be an exception, despite Takane having Hidden Buxom.
- Affectionate Gesture to the Head: Whenever she really likes someone, she'll climb on their head and pat them repeatedly. It also doubles as a form of communication. Chihaya gets the lion's share of this treatment, but Ritsuko gets it as well on rare occassion.
- The Blind Leading the Blind: Her full day escapade of travelling through town to deliver Chihaya a music sheet.
- Face Hugger: How she goes to sleep when around others. Usually on Chihaya.
- Idol Singer: She can sing Enka style songs using nothing but a series of "Kuh!"
- Pokémon Speak: "Kuh!" note
- Spell My Name With An S: The romanization of her name can either be Chihya or Chihyaa. Funimation's subs use Chihyah. The CD covers instead go for Chihya- (with the dash).
- Super Drowning Skills: Drowns the instant she makes contact with a swimming pool or the ocean.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Milk. She seems to drink several cartons of it each day.
- The comedic reasoning behind this is due to a common Japanese urban legend that young girls who drink a lot of milk (or go to sleep early) will grow large breasts.
- Wild Hair: In winter, her hair grows out slightly and becomes shaggy. It also makes the shape of cat ears on the top of her head.
Harukasan
- Affectionate Gesture to the Head: If placed on someone's head, she'll start chewing on their hair. Haruka really loves it.
- Asteroids Monster: When doused with fresh room-temperature water, she multiplies, or...
- Sizeshifter: ... grows in size.
- Beyond the Impossible: On very rare occassions, she has multiplied without water. No one knows the exact mechanics of how or why it happens, but fortunately, she doesn't make more than two or three copies in this manner.
- The Dreaded: The only Puchidol outright feared by most of the main cast (especially Yukiho). If at all possible, she is never left unsupervised.
- Expy: She multiplies when splashed with water, turns wild when fed after midnight. and she is sensitive to sunlight. Sound familiar?
- Face Hugger: Iori and Haruka are the common targets.
- Happy Rain: She loves to play in the rain, and will always attempt to sneak or beg someone to let her out. Because of her unique reaction to water, everyone does everything they can to not let it happen.
- Hive Mind: When multiplied all her copies generally have the same objective or target the same person.
- Killer Rabbit: Agreed to be the most dangerous of all the Puchidols, for good reason.
- Lethally Stupid: While not exactly lethal and not totally dumb, she has a bad tendency to do a lot of damage without meaning to, especially when she multiplies. She's much more intentionally dangerous when she goes wild.
- Mundane Utility: As terrifying as a super-sized Harukasan is in general, it can be used to carry people in order to cut down on transport costs. Especially across water.
- Perpetual Smiler: Almost always seen with a vacant, open-mouthed smile, especially when she and her multiples rampage. The only time she isn't smiling is when she's being intimidated by Ritsuko.
- Pokémon Speak: "Kakka!" (Sometimes stretched out to "Harukakka!" note ), "Vaai~"
- Mondegreen Gag: The manga implies Harukasan does not understand what anyone is saying to her. This even includes the other Puchidols.
- Speak in Unison: Her swarming legion of copies.
- Snot Bubble: It's even audible.
- Soul Jar: The ribbons on her head. If someone removes them, she becomes lifeless. This action must be performed if she turns evil upon eating after midnight, in order to make her normal again.
- Superpowered Evil Side: Go ahead and feed her after midnight. If you want to jump start the Apocalypse, spill some water on her after doing it.
- As the manga shows, Yukiho can stop the apocalypse. She'll just be screaming all the while.
- Weakened by the Light: Non-evil version.
- Zerg Rush: Once exposed to water. The only characters who can stop her are Ritsuko, Yayoi, and Yukiho. Ritsuko's method involves You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry!, scaring Harukasan back to normal. Yayoi's method is something of a Noodle Incident, implied to involve a lot of violence and trauma. Yukiho's method gets played as Forgot About Her Powers, due to the fear trauma Yukiho experiences.
Io
- Forehead Beams: Unleashed like a Wave-Motion Gun.
- Sucking-In Lines: When at full power for cockroach extermination.
- Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: Aside from the Producer, she's never actually hit her targets.
- Beam Spam: She gets frustrated when seeing the target is unharmed. Rather than taking time to aim, she just fires more blasts in rapid succession, causing more collateral damage.
- Living Weapon: Iori has trained Io to target and fire Forehead Beams upon command. Usually to punish the Producer.
- Mundane Utility: Staff eventually harness her Forehead Beams to use as lighting.
- Person of Mass Destruction: It was mentioned to Miki that the tribe Io originally came from was found annihilated. Later chapters revealed her Forehead Beams. Doesn't take much to connect the dots...
- Pokémon Speak: "Kii!" and "Moh!"
- The Quiet One: She likes listening to others talk and rarely says anything herself. When paired with someone else like this (Yukiho or Yukipo for example), she'll wait awkwardly for them to speak.
- Straight Man: Often takes this role when on adventures with other Puchidols.
- Super Mode: When truly enraged she creates a Holy Halo above her head and gains the ability of Flight. Unfortunately her aiming skills actually get worse.
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Against cockroaches.
- Tsundere: With a laser beam, no less. Unlike Iori, she's firmly a Type A. It's even Lampshaded by the narrator.
- Why Did It Have To Be Cockroaches?: She hates these in a big way, to the point of firing off her beam at full blast on sight, regardless of any property damage or bystander injury.
Koami & Komami
- Hoist by Their Own Petard: More often then not, their pranks or attempts to pull pranks will often backfire on them - during the Puchidol swim meet, for example, them using tamen to distract Takanya results in them getting disqualified.
- Identical Twin ID Tag: Koami wears yellow and wears her hair up and to the right of her head. Komami wears green and wears her hair up and to the left.
- Pokémon Speak: "Tokaa!" (Komami) and "Chii!" (Komami) note . They'll also say "Niichaa" or "Neechaa" to refer to certain humans.
- Single-Minded Twins
- Trickster Twins
Makochii
- And Call Him "George": A downplayed example, but she is often on the receiving end of this from Makoto, who rubs cheeks with her so hard that it causes friction burn.
- Balloon Belly: Especially when she is fat.
- Big Eater: Enforced by Makoto and Takane, because they believe she looks cuter when fat. Takane also thinks Makochii will float like a blimp if she's fat enough.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Ends up part of a shockingly popular consultation radio segment despite her Pokémon Speak.
- Gamer Chick: She's proven that in a fighting game, all she needs is one hit to chain an infinite combo. In a taiko game, she's like a machine gun.
- Oh, Crap!: Every time Makoto shows affection or wants to feed Makochii. It's not that she dislikes getting attention, it's because Makoto is There Is No Kill Like Overkill with it. She also reacts this way when Takane erroneously believes that overfeeding Makochii with mandarin oranges will grant her Flight. Takane being Takane, no amount of logical reasoning will discourage her from achieving it. Makochii tries to run and hide whenever it happens.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse / Super-Strength: Minor version. She's capable of keeping humans in her wrestling holds and throwing them several feet through the air.
- Pokémon Speak: "Yaa!" (sometimes stretched out to "Yaarii!") and "Makyo!"
- Wrestler in All of Us: Despite the fact that Makoto was trying to teach her karate...
Miurasan
- Affectionate Gesture to the Head: If she hasn't seen a Puchidol for awhile, she rushes to do this on them.
- Cool Big Sis: To the other Puchidols.
- The Ingenue
- Oh, Crap!: A reaction several of the cast have whenever she appears, due to her Random Transportation and the ease with which it can happen.
- Pokémon Speak: "Ara!"note
- Also says "Standyby" when she predicts a teleport is coming.
- Power Incontinence: She cannot use her teleport ability without another person making a loud sound or clapping their hands. When such an event occurs, she cannot prevent from teleporting. The location of where she will appear tends to depend on the surface thoughts of the person making the noise.
- She eventually learns how to teleport by clapping her own hands. This significantly increased the level of Oh, Crap! she generates when walking into a room.
- Power Nullifier: Ear muffs.
- Random Transportation: She does this when startled, usually by someone else clapping their hands.
PiyoPiyo
- Break Them by Talking: She gives two hour behavior lectures whenever someone does something stupid. Kotori is her most common target.
- Flight
- Hypercompetent Sidekick: To the 765 staff in general, and to Kotori in particular. She's far more capable at doing office work than Kotori is.
- Meaningful Name / Punny Name: "Piyo" is the Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound a little bird makes (translates into "chirp" in English). It's a play off Kotori's name, which means "little bird".
- Not Cheating Unless You Get Caught: It's most obvious when she uses her flying abilities for racing and pull-up contests.
- Pokémon Speak: "Pii!"
- Sleep Mask
- Team Mom: Though less frequently than Ritsuko and Chicchan, she does help maintain order.
Takanya
- Absurd Cutting Power: When she throws a sheet of paper or cardboard, it can slice through any substance.
- The Ace: Much to the dismay of Ami & Mami, who ended up adopting her, Takanya is shown to be extremely talented at any game that she tries. She's only lost once, when Koami & Komami distracted her with ramen.
- An Odd Place to Sleep: Suspended upside-down from the ceiling.
- Big Eater
- Hidden Buxom: Unlike her idol counterpart, seemingly averted (at least if you take how Chihya reacts to her into account).
- Pokémon Speak: Semi-averted. She is capable of saying more than a handful of things, but nothing longer than two syllables. However, more often than not she tends to default to saying "Shijo".
- The Smart Gal: Shown to be highly intelligent. Sometimes the other Puchidols seek her advice for their problems.
- Talking with Signs: She is capable of reading and writing, thus she uses this as a form of communication.
- Tug Lover War: Being in the care of twins has this disadvantage from time to time.
- The Unfavorite: Seems like it with Takane who doesn't get overexcited over her and even tries to pawn her off to Chihaya. Then again, Takane is already taking care of 3 Puchidols...
- Walk on Water
Yayo
- Fertile Feet: A variation; she grows bamboo shoots on her head every spring.
- Money Fetish: She doesn't spend any of the money she collects, just chews on it.
- Pokémon Speak: "Uu-uu!"
- Running on All Fours: Is often seen doing this to get around.
- She Has The Sound: Is very sensitive to sounds. Especially the sound of money. Thus she gets used as a bloodhound whenever somebody needs to find something.
- Wild Hair: Her hair grows out every winter.
Yukipo
- An Odd Place to Sleep: She likes to sleep in tight closed spaces, which is a major reason for her digging holes in the floor. The main cast keep empty boxes for her, so she stops doing it.
- Flag Signals: She knows how to communicate using signal flags.
- Impractical Musical Instrument Skills: Can communicate with others by playing a Puchidol sized bugle.
- Little Bit Beastly: Grows a fluffy, raccoon-like tail in winter.
- Nice Girl: She is frequently seen comforting other characters who are angry or depressed.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse / Super-Strength: She can lift full sized furniture with one hand. Pulled Ritsuko from falling out a window without any trouble.
- Pokémon Speak: "Poe~"
- The Quiet One: To the point where even though she was the first Puchidol introduced in the manga, it took almost three real world years before she actually started speaking.
- Beware the Quiet Ones: She's grown a spine since her first appearance and will show open anger when people really get on her nerves. Damaging or making the kotatsu cold will generate the strongest hatred.
- Shovel Strike: Her shovel can burrow through any substance. It's also used as a solution for most problems Yukipo encounters, like opening doors or turning on a stove.
- Sleepyhead: Though she is very helpful with chores and spends time comforting the main cast, Yukipo spends a large amount of the day sleeping. Afu tends to be a jerk and steal her favorite sleeping spots.
- Super Mode: When forced into a situation where no retreat is possible, she generates a powerful Battle Aura and suddenly Dual Wields shovels for combat.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Is shown to enjoy eating Pickled Radish.
The Producer
Traits unique to the Producer of Puchim@s:
Voiced by: Junji Majima
- Butt-Monkey: He's the target of a lot of jokes and source of the stupidest adventures.
- The Faceless / Non-Human Head: His head is shaped like a giant yellow letter "P".
- Heroic Build: Loves to show it off, but the idols largely ignore him.
- It Amused Me: The reason for several of his dumbest schemes. Usually gets beaten-up by Ritsuko or Iori when they learn of it.
- Large Ham: TRIPLE BICEPS!
- Master of Disguise: According to the Puchim@s! manga, the Producer's actual head is shaped like a giant yellow P. The reason why various incarnations of iM@S have different looking Producers is because he wears several human looking masks with different appearances. No-one knows why he bothers.
- Office Romance: Ritsuko, Chicchan, and Afu during her mating season. Producer seems to prefer Ritsuko.
- Ship Tease: Ritsuko, Chicchan, and Afu during her mating season. To a lesser degree the other idols are hinted to have feelings for the Producer, but this incarnation of him will have them second-guessing themselves with his Large Ham routines.
