These are the characters for the series Welcome to the Ballroom.
Note: All names are in Eastern Order, family name first
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Main Cast
Fujita Tatara
Voiced by: Shimba Tsuchiya
I need to change.
A middle school student who takes an interest in ballroom dancing in his last year.
- Attention Whore: Downplayed. He is very happy when he makes people around him pay attention to him. Chapter 34 implies this is because his mother left when he was a child. But he doesn't demand their attention at all times and is just glad someone pays attention to him.
- Beginner's Luck: In just under his first year of ballroom dancing, he obtained competent mentors (Sengoku & later Marissa), able to dance with his crush (Shizuku) at the Misaka cup for a short while, became acquaintances with some of the best dancers at his age (Kiyoharu, Shizuku, Gaju) and obtain experienced partners that are thrown to him(Mako & Chinatsu). Downplayed, given that he didn't win his first competition (Tenpei cup), and he still had to work really hard to obtain that luck in the first place. This is also deconstructed as due to his abnormal luck, his own dancing became overdependent on his partners' skills which made his partnership with Chinatsu so rocky at first.
- Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: At the start of the manga. He has no real desires and just wants something that he can be good at. He finally has a goal when he meets Sengoku, who forces him to join his studio.
- Digging Yourself Deeper: Was easily overtaken by emotions, speaking out words from his heart even though his mind knew that it is embarrassing for him.
- Distressed Dude: In the very first chapter, is saved from a gang of bullies by a mysterious man, who turns out to be Sengoku.
- For Happiness: He honestly enjoys dancing and at first didn't really care about tournaments or winning. An urging by Kiyoharu & Chizuku to want him dance competitively for a year, and especially being partnered with Chinatsu quickly smashes that notion.
- Friendless Background: Tatara didn't seem to have any real friends before he started ballroom dancing. He even admits in middle school the only people he talked to were the people who were bullying him.
- Grew a Spine: It's been commented that he's grown more aggressive since he's partnered with Chinatsu. Being more outspoken and willing to say his mind compared to his partnership with Mako.
- Heroic BSoD: After the Tenpei cup and meeting & trying to lead Chinatsu, he ended with being led by Chinatsu and wonders he has regressed in leading.
- Heroic Self-Deprecation: Chapter 40 shows that Tatara dislikes his cowardliness. And he in general realizes his inexperience in dancing and is the first to attack it.
- Hyper-Awareness: Tatara is able to notice the small signs of other dancers, allowing him to read their movements and predict their actions. This is the reason for his Instant Expert ability.
- Instant Expert: Learnt from having to narrate the sumo matches for his blind grandmother, he has the uncanny ability to be able to seeing dancing moves once and be able to recreate them if he has some practice or the skills needed to do so. It's downplayed as even after seeing Sengoku's more complex dancing skills, he couldn't copy them no matter how hard he tried as he didn't have the skills or the body type yet to do so.
- Missing Mom: Tatara's parents are divorced and he lives with his father and grandma. Chapter 34 imply that his mom leaving is a big reason for his personality.
- Mood-Swinger: Big time during the Tenpei arc, Sengoku even lampshades it.
- Nice Guy: Laid back and kind to everyone.
- Shipper on Deck: He platonically ships ShizukuXKiyoharu and GajuXMako as partners as he doesn't like the idea of partners being split up
- Teach Him Anger: Though sometimes only when he is dancing, he gradually loses his meekness and is willing to be assertive. Best shown when after the clash with Gaju in their first quickstep round at the Tenpei, he refuses to apologize to Gaju. And later when he is partnered with Chinatsu, where Mako noted that during Mako & his partnership he had never gone angry towards her compared to Chinatsu.
- You Remind Me of X: Tatara really reminds Kugimiya of his younger self.
Hanaoka Shizuku
Voiced by: Ayane Sakura
I want to compete with you again.
Tatara's middle school classmate and Hyoudou's dancing partner.
- Always Someone Better: How she feels towards Kiyoharu and later, it's hinted, Chinatsu.
- Berserk Button: Not taking dancing seriously annoys her. When she thought that Tatara came to the studio to mock it or out of perversion, she was incredibly angry.
- Can't Catch Up: Towards Kiyoharu. She knows how talented he is and feels that she can't keep up with him and will eventually be left in the dust.
- Childhood Friends: With Kiyoharu, they have been partners since children and are in perfect sync with each other as a result.
- Decoy Protagonist: Well...heroine. The manga starts with Tatara meeting Shizuku and he gets a crush on her making the readers think that she's the heroine. But after the second arc, Shizuku doesn't appear as much as before as both of them went to different high schools and later Tatara obtains Chinatsu as his partner.
- Friendly Rivalry: With Kiyoharu. In fact the thought that their rivalry had became one-sided made her rather depressed.
- She tells Tatara after the Tenpei Cup that she wants to compete with him once again, hinting that she is starting to see him as a rival as well.
- Hidden Depths: Is very insecure when she's dancing with Kiyoharu since she knows that he will always be a step ahead of her.
- A flashback during the Tenpei Cup reveals that Kiyoharu told her that even though they are partners, he also considers her a rival, a statement she took as "the greatest praise." Her desire to continue to improve in order to be a proper rival to Kiyoharu is actually the catalyst that sparks the events during the Tenpei Cup— because Kiyoharu is still recovering from his injury, she wishes to take every and any opportunity she can to improve, even if it means taking another partner. At the end of the competition, she actually states that she forgot the stipulations of Gaju and Tatara's "competition," forgetting that she would have had to take Gaju as a partner if she had won.
- Chapter 46 hints that she is both awed and intimidated by "monstrous" partners who used to be leaders in girl-girl pairs, notably Chizuru and Chinatsu, since in Kiyoharu's words, a follower like her didn't understand the strength & outlook of a leader.
- Hyper-Awareness: During the camp, she is the only one that realizes the sudden coldness from Chinatsu towards Tatara stems from Chinatsu's jealously of hearing that Mako had a really nice time partnering with Tatara, even calling him a marvelous leader.
- Manipulative Bastard: While not as malicious as the trope typically suggests, Shizuku very deliberately exploits Gaju's temper and rivalry with Kiyoharu during the Tenpei Cup in order to motivate him to give his best performance possible— and in turn, boost herself.
- Nice Girl: Very friendly and polite to everyone around her.
- Oblivious to Love: She's doesn't notice Tatara and Gaju's crushes on her due to her devotion to dancing.
- Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Is chilly and aloof to Tatara early in the series, thinking that he might be getting into ballroom dance (the major cornerstone of her entire life) out of a passing whim (or out of a desire to get touchy with girls). Once she sees how serious he's taking things, she starts warming up to him.
- Even though she acts friendly and warm with the other main characters, she conceals a lot of her true emotions. A big example at the end of the Tenpei Cup when she laughs upon realizing she forgot that she had promised Gaju she would partner with him if they won and congratulating Mako on her winning the "competition" with a warm smile. Immediately after, a one page scene shows her crying alone in the bathroom.
- Younger Than They Look: A trope already common enough in this series, Shizuku is noted to look startlingly mature for a 15 year old.
Hyoudou Kiyoharu
Voiced by: Nobuhiko Okamoto
You hurry up and get on the dance floor too.
A dancing genius and Shizuku's partner.
- The Ace: He's seen as the best amateur dancer with everyone behind him, even his partner.
- Awful Truth: In the Tenpei cup, he delivers one to an exhausted Tatara where he flat out said that the way Tatara is now he can't beat Gaju and his true enemy is Shizuku...in front of everybody including Shizuku herself. Everybody quickly agreed to the claim, but in Sengoku's words, he should be the last person to deliver that claim.
- Big Brother Mentor: Invoked by his mother to become this for Tatara during Tatara's first training camp after Tatara & Chinatsu situation gone sour, forcing him to cut his sponsorship if he did not make that pair advance to the finals.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: How he appeared at first, even to Sengoku. But we quickly learned if anything it's the opposite.
- Childhood Friends: With Shizuku, they have been partners since children and are in perfect sync with each other as a result.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Downplayed that while he's not overwhelmingly odd, he's very much in his own world at times. Even Shizuku admits she has trouble understanding him when she's been his partner for 9 years.
- Determinator: Twice he's competed in major dancing competitions despite not being physically fit. Once having a fever, another have a seriously hurt leg and kept dancing either way.
- Sleepyhead: Kiyoharu has a lot of scenes of him taking a nap.
- The Stoic: Kiyoharu barely emotes, it gotten to the point that Shizuku, his partner and childhood friend admits she has trouble understanding what's he thinking at the start of the series.
- Unishment: He and Shizuku are disqualified from competing for 6 months due to having a substitute (Tatara) danced for him. The reason for the substitution? His leg injury made him unable to arrive in time. Therefore, this specific punishment would be the best for him to recover from his injury. Of course Sengoku invoked this when he saw how injured Kiyoharu was.
- What the Hell, Hero?: After his attempt to help Tatara during the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament ended with Tatara unable to control his body well. Shizuku told him off for his unneeded help.
- Worthy Opponent: He sees Tatara as one when after Tatara could dance with Shizuku while also enjoying himself.
Akagi Gaju
Voiced by: Kentarō Tomita
A Latin amateur dancer who has always wanted Shizuku as dancing partner. His main dancing partner is his sister, Mako.
- Berserk Button: Anytime it seems like Tatara and his sister are too close.
- Big Brother Mentor: Invoked after Gaju realizes that Tatara goes to the same high school as him, he starts to look after him.
- Childhood Friend Romance: He's had a crush on Shizuku since he first saw her and they're interacted a lot due to tournaments.
- Jerkass: He was a major one during the Tenpei arc when he kept mocking Mako, Tatara and Kiyoharu. He calms down once the arc ends though.
- Jerkass Has a Point: While his desire to change partners and his mocking of Mako is obnoxious, the manga shows he has a point in his desire to change partners, as Mako's meekness meant that Gaju was effectively calling all the shots alone which was stressing him out, and their difference in body size meant that they are only able to effective dance Latin together compared to Standard.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: After the Tenpei arc, he can still be rather annoying and is happy to mess with his friends. But he becomes Tatara's friend and is very worried about Tatara's partnership breaking apart.
- The Nicknamer: Called Tatara brushhead at the start. And during a competition he once called Kiyoharu cripple in front everybody.
- Rage Breaking Point: In the past upon learning that Mako couldn't reach his potential (with their height differences and their dancing skills), he actually tried to help Mako and didn't want their partnership to end. But due to her passive personality which persists even when he's frustrated about their progress, he ended up abandoning her
- My Sister Is Off-Limits: Interestingly, Gaju doesn't seem jealous while Tatara and Mako are actually pairing up and dancing together, since he was trying to get another partner himself. This does come into full play a while later when he and Tatara meet after the Tenpei-cup, and Gaju is certain that ''something'' must have happened during Tatara and Mako's partnership, since she has now started to wear a bra. From then on he gets furious whenever the subject of Tatara and his sister comes up.
- Took a Level in Kindness: After the Tenpei cup, he realizes that Mako is more skilled than he gave her credit for and as such he becomes much kinder to both Mako and Tatara afterwards.
Akagi Mako
Voiced by: Sumire Morohoshi
I will also ask it. Make...Please make me a flower!
Gaju's younger sister and dancing partner.
- Birds of a Feather: With Tatara being just as kind and meek.
- Can't Catch Up: She realizes that she doesn't have the same potential as her brother and eventually he'll have to pair up with someone better to reach his full potential, but she loves dancing and wants to dance with him as long as possible.
- Curtains Match the Windows: Gold hair, gold eyes.
- Determinator: She's determined to keep improving to keep on Gaju's level even though she knows it's very possible that she won't be able to keep up with him in the future.
- Grew a Spine: Her partnering up with Tatara made her realize she was more skilled than she realized and grew more confident as a result. Afterwards, she and Gaju are able to learn how to complement each other.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: She's blond and is the kindest female character in the series.
- Hidden Depths: Her conversation with Chinatsu in Chapter 34 reveals that while she wanted to keep dancing with Gaju, her mindset is trying to prepare towards the day when she and her brother would completely split up as partners.
- The Load: Gaju considers her this to him, and as it turns out, others in the dance community do as well, calling her a "doll partner" and encouraging Gaju to find a new partner on his level, setting off the events of the Tenpei Cup arc. Tatara's goal in this arc is to help her become a better dancer than Shizuku.
- Nice Girl: Sweet, gentle, and incredibly kind to everyone.
- Overshadowedby Awesome: Is a good enough dancer to be sponsored by a clothing company, but paled in comparison compared to for brother.
- Shrinking Violet: Incredibly meek, never raising her voice and passively going along with other's opinions. It's deconstructed as her meekness nearly cost her partnership with her brother who was getting fed up with her inability to speak her mind.
- Stepford Smiler: In a conversation with Chinatsu in Chapter 34 Mako reveals that she has a reputation for being a "doll partner" due to her inability to keep up with her brother. She's clearly saddened by the knowledge that Gaju's talents will mostly likely outstrip hers yet again in the future, but still wants to do her best to keep up with him.
Hiyama Chinatsu
Voiced by: Chinatsu Akasaki
These bastards, we'll roll right over them.
Tatara's highschool classmate and, later, his main dancing partner.
- Affectionate Nickname: Invoked, Chinatsu has Tatara call her "Chii-chan" to built camaraderie.
- Boyish Short Hair: As a child Chinatsu had this after a bully mocked that she didn't look good with long hair. She regrew her hair to look like her idol, Hongou.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: For Tatara. She never reacts well when Tatara reacts to another girl and was very bitter when she learned that he was Mako's partner before even if it was a short period of time. Even refusing to talk to him for days.
- Curtains Match the Windows: Her hair and eyes appear to be the same shade of red.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: To Tatara. Their partnership was formed because Chinatsu refused to let Akira get the last laugh and Tatara was desperate. As such it takes a long time for Chinatsu to really trust him, not help by the fact they are very different in every way. But they have started to trust each other as time goes on.
- Fiery Redhead: She has red hair and has the biggest temper of the three girls.
- Hidden Depths: Her rivalry with Akira goes a lot deeper than petty insults. It's revealed the reason the two are so caustic towards each other is because they were once not only friends but dance partners. Their relationship fell apart due to poor communication, but it's clear that they want things to go back to how they used to be.
- Iconic Sequel Character: She doesn't show up till the third arc but as she becomes Tatara's partner, she has the most screen time out of the most prominent three teenage girls.
- Jerkass Realization: During the Metropolitan Tournament, she realizes that her struggles & attitude with Tatara had caused Tatara (who had been the only one she can be a follower) to unintentionally give up on her, and try to think about his leading as much as he can.
- The Knights Who Say "Squee!": Is absolutely elated to meet Chizuru in person and instantly asks her to sign her poster and give her a hug. As it turns out, seeing Chizuru dancing with another girl as a child was what inspired Chinatsu to pursue dance.
- Odd Friendship: With Tatara.
- She seems friendly with Mako, the most timid and shy member of the main cast (if not the entire series).
- Rage Breaking Point: Her inability to follow with male dancers & Akira stubbornness to stay as a follower causes Chinatsu to quit dancing for some until she met Tatara. And even with Tatara, she reaches this again during the Training Camp arc, hampering their training even when the competitions is coming soon.
- "Reason You Suck" Speech: Gives one to Akira in chapter 41, saying Akira only blames the leader for her faults and when confronted about them, she just says she doesn't really like dancing anyway.
- Skinship Grope: A downplayed example occurred in chapter 33 when Chinatsu touched the other girls' muscles out of curiosity of how in shape they were. She even asked them their BMI. Of course Tatara, Gaju and Kiyoharu heard that and it sounded much more perverted than it actually was.
- Statuesque Stunner: Is taller and has a more shapely figure compared to the slender Shizuku and petite Mako. Kiyoharu mentions that it's easier for dancers with her body type to win overseas, since her figure leaves a strong impression.
- Tsundere: Due to her head-strong nature and fiery nature, she can be brash and rude when she doesn't mean to and will regret it later on when she calms down. This is pretty obvious in her relationship with Tatara.
Koumoto Akira
Voiced by: Aoi Yuuki
What I love is something else.
Chinatsu's dancing rival.
- Abhorrent Admirer: To Chinatsu. While Chinatsu does think of Akira as a friend underneath it all, she is very creeped out by how Akira clings to her.
- All the Other Reindeer: Akira was bullied in elementary school due to being a bit bigger than the other kids. It stopped when Chinatsu transferred in and stood up for her.
- Boob-Based Gag: Her breasts aren't unnaturally big but they have been used for some jokes due to their size.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Towards Chinatsu. She was very unhappy to see that Tatara and Chinatsu became close as partners and was angry whenever they "flirt" in her eyes.
- Formerly Fat: As a child, she was thicker than the others which caused her to get bullied.
- Hidden Depths: Her rivalry with Chinatsu goes a lot deeper than petty insults. It's revealed the reason the two are so caustic towards each other is because they were once not only friends but dance partners. Their relationship fell apart due to poor communication, but it's clear that they want things to go back to how they used to be. And of course, in Akira's case, these feelings are further complicated by her unrequited crush.
- Straight Gay: Has feelings for Chinatsu but doesn't have any stereotypical behavior attached to her.
- Woman Scorned: Pretty much the reason for Akira's grudge against Chinatsu. She's bitter that Chinatsu didn't see her as her partner but just someone that took dancing halfheartedly. Despite this she kept dancing as that was the only way she could be with Chinatsu, feeling hurt when Chinatsu quit. Her taunts to Chinatsu in chapter 23 was a desperate attempt to force Chinatsu back into the dance world so she could still be with her.
Adults
Sengoku Kaname
Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa
Then you better take a good look at the guy you must defeat.
A pro dancer and Tatara's teacher.
- Always Someone Better: While he is introduced as a world level dancer and Japan's best male dancer, he's not the best either.
- Big Brother Mentor: To Tatara (and Gaju as well). He is responsible for bringing Tatara into the dancing world in the first place, and Tatara often asks him for advice and greatly looks up to him, seeing his position as one of the best dancers around as a goal to aspire to. However, since Sengoku is also a young, confident and friendly guy who once saved Tatara from bullies, they still manage to form a close and rather informal relationship.
- Didn't Think This Through: During the Tenpei cup, he (who trained Tatara & Mako for the 2 months) realized that he has been ignoring to build up or telling Tatara to use his stamina well, causing him to run out of energy just before the finals.
- Easily Forgiven: Subverted by Chiduru, while her anger towards him persists for months before forgiving him (which gave Sengoku free time to teach Tatara for a while), the reason why she's angry towards him? He spent most of their prize money on hostesses. Which somebody lampshaded that she should be angrier longer.
- The Gadfly: He happily likes to mock his friends and co-workers for fun.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Sengoku is cocky, aggressive and crude but his heart's in the right place and happy to help Tatara.
- Renowned Selective Mentor: Noted to be the only Japanese man world level dancer but he has never chosen to train anyone except Tatara. Gaju is actually shocked about this as he previously asked for mentoring and was rejected and is curious why Tatara was chosen. Deconstructed as Tatara being his first student, he is not as effective in teaching, and had to be reminded by Kiyoharu that he neglected Tatara's stamina.
- Would Hit a Girl: Hell, he's happy to beat his partner till she's bleeding cause she keeps hitting him back.
- Younger Than They Look: Tatara is surprised to learn he's 23.
Tsuburaya Tamaki
Voiced by: Mamiko Noto
A young woman who's currently in charge of Ogasawara Dance Studio.
- Alliterative Name: Her first name and surname both start with "T".
- Beware the Nice Ones: She's a gentle, kind lady but isn't afraid to get rough with Sengoku for being thoughtless.
- Cool Big Sis: To Tatara. She would stand up in his defense if she felt that Sengoku pushed him around too much. She even advised Tatara to switch studios so he could get the training needed. Shizuku states that she misses him after he left.
Banba Karen
Voiced by: Yūki Kodaira
One of Tatara's first teachers.
- Beautiful All Along: Introduced as rather overweight but when she looks for a partner she really slimmed down and is quite pretty to the shock of everyone. Though in the anime she gained back her weight.
- Lookalike Lovers: Banba's new partner looks just like a male version of her. This was even noted In-Universe.
- Otaku Surrogate: The fanbook reveals her hobby is reading manga.
- Quirky Curls: Has notably curly hair compared to anyone else in the series.
- Waistcoat of Style: A rare female version, her wardrobe includes a lot of vests.
Hongou Chiduru
Voiced by: Minako Kotobuki
Bend but do not break.
A professional dance and former dance partners with Sengoku.
- Cuteness Proximity: Her first meeting with Tatara ends with her going hugging and kissing him on the cheek over how adorable he is.
- Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: Averted. When she slapped Sengoku in her first appearance, he happily hit back which evolved into a brawl.
- The Fashionista: Her competition dresses is custom designed by a design team and is a trendsetter for the national dance world.
- The Gadfly: She happily plays along with Sengoku's pranks for fun.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Like Sengoku, she happily pranks people for fun but is generally nicer than Sengoku.
- Ms. Fanservice: She's incredibly beautiful and wears form fitting clothes in her off time.
- No Sense of Personal Space: She's notably very physically close with Sengoku, to the point Chinatsu wonders if they're going out. She's also quite affectionate with Tatara in their first meeting.
- Unkempt Beauty: She's good-looking enough when in full-ballroom mode but she looks just as good with casual clothes and loose, wind-swept hair.
Hyoudou Marissa
Voiced by: Yuko Kaida
You say it's the world of 'results', but even to those talented people who you envy, it is their own, personal hell.
Kiyoharu's mother and dance coach.
- Absurdly Youthful Mother: Looks like she's in her twenties and does not look like she has a son in his midteens.
- The Confidant: For Kugimiya when he has a breakdown towards dancing and being compared
- Manipulative Bastard: She basically ignites a conflict between Kugimiya and Tatara in order to motivate during the Mikasa Cup. Also shows shades of this when she casually threatens to not sponsor Kiyoharu (and by proxy, Shiuzku's) time overseas if he doesn't help Chinatsu and Tatara.
- Ms. Fanservice: Incredibly beautiful and wears plenty of dresses that show off her figure or form fitting clothes.
- Older Than They Look: She looks around Sengoku's age but must be at least in her thirties.
- Sexy Mentor: Marisa Hyoudou becomes this to Tatara and Chinatsu when they have to switch to her studio as Sengoku isn't around enough to give them the training they need.
- Sink or Swim Mentor: Most notably when she tells Tatara and Chinatsu to place in the same competition that Kugimiya and Idogawa are going to compete in.
- Training from Hell: Gives one to Tatara, starting from doubling his workout load made from Sengoku (in addition to more workout sessions), have him start practicing Latin (who by the way, is very late from everyone's perspective) to improve his flexibility and perfecting Tatara's stances. Notably, she's the one only of Tatara mentors who never seem to have the problem with Tatara's struggling to learn from words alone.
Idogawa Tamie
Kugimiya Masami's dance partner.
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: A more subtle version, but her dark, prominent eyebrows are one of her most distinctive features.
- Messy Hair: She doesn't seem to bother even brushing her hair when not competing, a sign of her rather detached and mellow personality.
- The Quiet One: Very quiet, though Kugimiya seems to be able to read her silences and looks to an extent.
- Satellite Character: For Kugimiya, the anime episode first discussed about her transparency and her seemingly mundane life.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: When she not competing, she never seem to be a person who looks after her appearance.
- Statuesque Stunner: Notably tall, fit, and slender, to the point that some onlookers in the onsen wonder if she's a ballerina.
- Undying Loyalty: While her excuse is that she found bonding with other dancers a hassle, she still stood by Kugimiya's side during the time he's in rehabilitation after he's hit by a truck
- Youthful Freckles: Though she seems to cover them with makeup while competing.
Kugimiya Masami
One of Tatara's rivals.
- Abusive Parents: Of the emotional kind. His parent ignored him for his older brothers.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: His original dance teacher, Kunieda Tadashi gave him the emotional support and attention that his own family never did. While he grew to hate dancing, he quickly started dancing again to heal his teacher's broken spirit when Kunieda realized how suicidal Masami was.
- Child Prodigy: His initial year of ballroom dancing resulted him in winning competitions against other experienced dancers, and by the 3rd year his is tasked with teaching community dance to other students
- Driven to Suicide: Chapter 44 reveals that Masami was so stressed by competitions that he wanted to die (but is too scared of committing suicide), was happy when he was hit by the truck, then turned to despair when he's alive without sustaining any major injuries.
- For Happiness: His reason for starting dance is the same as Tatara. Then deconstructed as subsequent years of being compared and obtaining results took a toll of him mentally, but he still can't quit as his initial years of dancing are too happy for him.
- Hidden Depths: While he shown to be a cocky and aggressive dancer, chapter 44 reveals that after all these years of comparison and competition he wonder would rather not dance at all. But is now dancing to fix his original dancer teacher's spirit.
- Hypocritical Heartwarming: While he is really rude to his partner Idogawa whenever they are practicing, when Tatara tried to say her nickname he usually call her, Kugimiya was about to bit his head off. It later extends to Tatara too, giving him advice and photographing Tatara & Chinatsu when they got full checks in a round while still being a jerk to him.
- Jerkass: Kugimiya is rude and doesn't really think of his partner's needs (though it doesn't help that Idogawa is very quiet on her own).
- Made of Iron: Once survived from being hit by a truck without any major injuries, though it caused him to stop dancing for a year.
Mine Gorou
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: In Chapter 43 he mentions that Tatara and Chinatsu's relationship reminds him of his relationship with his former partner, the woman he went on to marry.
- Face of a Thug: Mine is tall and has an intimidating, hard face (complete with a scar on his mouth), but turns out to be a nice man who loves his wife and daughter.
- Happily Married: He only dances with Akira as he loves dancing and it's obvious he's devoted to his family. Although his wife (who stopped to take care of their daughter) didn't find out until much later.
- Nice Guy: Despite his scary face and intimidating air, he's actually quite a nice fellow who loves his family and is kind to both Akira and Tatara.
- Satellite Character: Compared to Akira
