Characters who appear in the anime film Wolf Children and their associated tropes.
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Hana
Voiced by: Aoi Miyazaki (JP), Colleen Clinkenbeard (EN)
The main protagonist and the mother of the titular characters.
- Absurdly Youthful Mother: She gave birth to Yuki and Ame as a college student, and when the two are tweens, she can easily be mistaken for their older sister.
- Beast and Beauty: The beauty (a cute human woman) to the wolf-man's beast (wolf-human hybrid).
- City Mouse: Though she adapts much better than most. Partly because Wolf-Yuki chases the wild animals away from her crops.
- Common Law Marriage: With the wolf-man. They were never married, just lovers. Despite that, both of them showed to have a caring and happy union with one another.
- Dead Person Conversation: She dreams of her long deceased lover while unconscious right before Ame departs.
- Determinator: Despite the drawbacks when she first moves to the countryside, she sticks it out. Several of the locals joke that other city folks who attempted to live the country life found it too hard and moved away after a short while.
- Good Parents: A kind and eternally devoted mother to her kids.
- Her Heart Will Go On: The film focuses on Hana attempting to raise Yuki and Ame, even setting aside her grief over the death of the wolf-man.
- Interspecies Romance: Fell in love and had two children with the wolf-man.
- Mama Bear: Hana is insanely devoted to her children and will do anything to keep them safe. Without the wolf man, Hana is left to raise her two children alone, but she never complains and she never shows any resentment towards her kids. She leaves her comfortable life in the city behind to find a safe place to raise her kids, working her ass off to restore an abandoned old house in the country. Even though she has no idea how to raise half-wolf children, she tries her best to support them. When Ame leaves for the mountain during a typhoon, Hana follows him in only a rain-jacket and rain-boots. The terrain is steep and treacherous on the mountain, moreso when it's pouring rain and gusting wind, but Hana keeps going in order to find her son and keep him safe.
- Nice Girl: Hana is sweet, caring, and always dependable.
- Older Than They Look: Hana still looks like she's in her early twenties despite being in her mid-thirties by movie's end.
- Single Woman Seeks Good Man: The first indications that Hana was starting to fall in love with the wolf-man was after he helped up a child, after the said child fell down.
- Stepford Smiler: Played with. In the face of adversity, Hana doesn't always smile, but when she does, it's never to hide her real feelings - it's her way of facing things head-on. This is partly as a way to honor her father, who always wanted her to smile, like the flower she was named for.
- Struggling Single Mother: When her wolf man lover dies in an accident, Hana is left to take care of their two children all by herself. This is particularly difficult because along the usual financial problems, Hana has to figure out on her own how to raise her wolf children right while also keeping their wolf lineage a secret from outsiders. Eventually, she moves to the remote countryside where she manages to make amends for her family and her children are able to roam freely. While she still cannot let others find out the truth of her children, the neighbors do help her out a lot and make life a bit easier for her.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Her word-for-word reaction when she sees that Wolf-Yuki has chewed up the entire living room.
Yuki
Voiced by: Momoka Ono (child), Haru Kuroki (tween) (JP), Lara Woodhull (child), Jad Saxton (tween) (EN), Julia Meynen (GER)
One of the two titular characters and the eldest child.
- Animal Motifs: Wolves, naturally.
- Big Eater: As a child, her appetite couldn't be filled. She even lampshades this herself.
- Big Sister Instinct: She saves Ame from drowning at one point, and is later seen protecting him from bullies.
- Character Development: Yuki became less energetic and more humble.
- Cheerful Child: As a toddler, Yuki was always smiling and laughing.
- Fiery Redhead: Yuki's hair was red and she was quite energetic as a child. As she gets older it darkens into a black similar to her mother's and she becomes calmer.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Was the foolish one, but grows out of it.
- Genki Girl: As a toddler, she was a whirlwind of untamed energy.
- Girliness Upgrade: As she ages, Yuki dresses more fashionably and makes it a point to try and fit in with the other girls more.
- Hair Color Dissonance: Her hair is auburn when she was young but gets progressively darker as she grows older.
- Half-Human Hybrid: Her mother is a human, her father was a werewolf.
- Heroic Bastard: Her parents didn't have a legal union, making her and Ame this. And either as a child or tween, Yuki remained a sweet person.
- Humanoid Female Animal: Yuki's half wolf form looks decidedly more human-like than Ame's, especially when they're teenagers.
- Iconic Outfit: Her signature blue dress with a snow pattern.
- I Hate Past Me: Evidential during her fallout with Ame.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: As she gets older, she simply wants to live a normal life as a human girl.
- Meaningful Name: She was born on a snowy day.
- Naughty Is Good: Had this in spades as a child. She constantly threw tantrums to try and get what she wanted, teased her little brother for being a crybaby, and left Hana exasperated with the messes she made. On one occasion, she intentionally transformed from a wolf to a human while the neighbors were visiting (though they thankfully didn't see this) and gave her mother a cheeky wink after pulling it off. Yuki's sweet nature saved her from being a Bratty Half-Pint and her misbehavior came more from impulsiveness rather than anything malicious.
- Nice Girl: While always very sweet, Yuki became a very kind girl as she grew.
- Protected by a Child: Of the non-dangerous variety. Yuki is able to keep wild boars away from her mother’s crops by marking her territory.
- Sacrificed Basic Skill for Awesome Training: Inverted. She was a talented hunter as a wolf pup and could navigate the forest with ease. But her choice to go to human school causes her to lose touch with the natural world and her wolf-like strength since Ame beats her easily in a fight
- Secondary Character Title: Along with Ame. She and him may be the titular characters, it's their mother who is the protagonist.
- Ship Tease: With Souhei.
- Shower of Angst: After her fight with Ame in wolf form, she's shown in the bathtub, covered in cuts and bruises, hugging herself and crying.
- Statuesque Stunner: By twelve-years-old, she's almost as tall as her mother, and if one looks close enough, you can notice that she's slightly taller than Souhei during the scene where they stand in front of the mirror during the storm.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Yuki grows up to be a near carbon copy of Hana.
- Tall Poppy Syndrome: Self-Enforced, because her natural self, was disapproved by the majority of the school children, which she wanted to be friends of.
Ame
Voiced by: Amon Kabe (child), Yukito Nishii (tween) (JP), Alison Viktorin (child), Micah Solusod (tween) (EN)
One of the two titular characters and the youngest child.
- Aloof Big Brother: Inverted. In their later years, Ame stops timidly clinging to Yuki and becomes rather independent and reserved, becoming distant towards her.
- Animal Motifs: Wolves, naturally.
- Better with Non-Human Company: Ame was initially shy around people and scared of wildlife. His experience catching a kingfisher gives him a strong curiosity of nature. As he grows up, he becomes apathetic towards human life and is much more comfortable being in nature. Hana and Yuki eventually become the only humans he shows his face to.
- Bully Magnet: Ame was bullied by other kids at school.
- But Now I Must Go: In the ending, where he chooses to live as a wolf and rule the forest in his deceased teacher's place.
- Character Development: Ame became more outgoing and fully embraced his wolf heritage, especially after he met his fox-teacher.
- Distinguishing Mark: His wolf form has a black spot on the left ear.
- Half-Human Hybrid: His mother is a human, his father was a werewolf.
- Heroic Bastard: His parents didn't have a legal union, making him and Yuki this. And while Ame grew more aloof as he aged, he still remained a relatively decent person.
- Loners Are Freaks: He has trouble connecting with kids at school, and in a montage is seen being bullied.
- Meaningful Name: Ame was born on a rainy day.
- Momma's Boy: He mostly spent time at his mother's side.
- Mysterious Animal Senses: Ame's training with sensei has made him more perceptive of shifts in the weather. He was able to detect an incoming storm before the meteorologists.
- Nice Guy: Ame is shy, but is quite polite and thoughtful.
- Prone to Tears: As a child he was quite sensitive and easily reduced to tears, not helped at all by Yuki's teasing.
- The Quiet One: Even after his character development, Ame still retains his quiet nature.
- Secondary Character Title: Along with Yuki. He and her may be the titular characters, it's their mother who is the protagonist.
- Shrinking Violet: Was very shy and withdrawn.
- Shy Blue-Haired Girl: A rare male example. Ame's hair was colored blue and he was the shyer sibling.
- Strong Family Resemblance: As Ame grows up, his human and wolf form are both very similar to his father.
- Took a Level in Badass: The shy, clumsy Ame becomes a stoic, badass who decides to live as a wolf.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Not too extreme, but by the time he’s 10, his relationship with his sister takes a deep nosedive.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: While still generally good natured, Ame becomes detached to people, including his family, as he grows older.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: He's much more stoic and knowledgeable about the wilderness than the average ten year-old. Lampshaded when Hana comes to the realization that her son is maturing as a wolf rather than as a regular child. It may also have something to do with Ame spending most of his time in the company of an elderly fox.
- Would Hit a Girl: He and Yuki got into an intense fight during the middle of the film, and Ame didn't hold back.
The Wolf-Man
Voiced by: Takao Osawa (JP), David Matranga (EN)
The wolf lover of Hana and father of the titular characters. He dies at the start of the film.
- Beast and Beauty: The beast (wolf-human hybrid) to Hana's beauty (a cute human woman).
- Common Law Marriage: With Hana. They were never married, just lovers. Despite that, both of them showed to have a caring and happy union with one another.
- Deceased Parents Are the Best: While he was alive, he was a caring father to his children.
- Disappeared Dad: The Wolf Man, though it's due to his death while attempting to support Hana and their kids rather than neglect.
- Friend to All Children: His first introduction has him immediately helping up a child who fell down and giving the kid a reassuring pat on the head.
- Half-Human Hybrid: According to him, he's the last one with both human and wolf blood in him. It's unknown what his exact parentage is, though he did grow up with human relatives, after the death of his parents.
- Interspecies Romance: He (a wolf) began a relationship with Hana, a female human.
- Last of His Kind: The wolf man is the last surviving descendant of the Japanese wolf, a subspecies of the gray wolf which in real life has been extinct since the early 20th century. When he dies, Yuki and Ame become the last of their kind.
- Nice Guy: All his scenes shows him to be a kind and thoughtful individual.
- Noble Wolf: A literal example. Not only was he a wolf, but also a Nice Guy.
- No Name Given: His real name is never revealed.
- Plot-Triggering Death: His death leads to Hana having to raise their children alone and unprepared regarding his wolf heritage that they inherited.
- Present Absence: He dies early in the film, but his death leads to Hana having to raise their children alone, and his heritage being his children's primary Story Arc.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Has black hair, drawn like a standard pretty boy character, and is significantly tall.
Nirasaki
Voiced by: Bunta Sugawara (JP), Jerry Russell (EN)
A respected elder and spiritual mayor of the rural community Hana and the children move to who helps Hana integrate and learn farming.- Grumpy Old Man: He's a gruff senior citizen.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Nirasaki tells Hana multiple times and gruffly that putting on a smile isn't enough to make it in the rural village.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Standoffish, rude, and initially unhelpful, Nirasaki eventually helps Hana learn how to farm and enlists the rest of the townfolk to assist her as well.
- Mentor in Sour Armor: Nirasaki teaches Hana but not without giving her a lot of verbal grief over what he perceives to be her "playing at farming".
- Stern Teacher: Nirasaki is gruff and doesn’t mince words but genuinely helps Hana learn farming once he sees her resolve.
- Wasteland Elder: Despite no formal title, Nirasaki acts as the de facto leader of the rural farming town that helps Hana and the children.
Sensei
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": He's only addressed by his role as Ame's mentor.
- Interspecies Friendship: He, a fox, is a friend and mentor to the wolf-human hybrid Ame.
- Killed Offscreen: Ame still refers to him in present tense after seeing him gravely wounded, but Ame ultimately abandoning his family to take his place as the forest's new guardian essentially confirms that he didn't make it.
- Meaningful Name: Ame probably just gave him that name, but "sensei" means "teacher" and "master".
- Mentor Archetype: He is Ame's teacher.
- Mentor Occupational Hazard: His death results in Ame deciding to take his place as the forest's guardian.
- Old Master: He's in the twilight of his life and teaches Ame the ways of the wild.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Only featured in a few scenes, but is crucial to Ame becoming more in touch with his wolf side.
Souhei
Voiced by: Takuma Hiraoka (JP), Jason Liebrecht (EN)
A new boy who starts in Yuki's class. He's an outgoing boy and the polar opposite of Ame. He quickly becomes curious about Yuki as she smells like dog. He quickly becomes popular in class.
- Card Games: Is fond of these.
- Class Clown: Almost to the point of being a Genki Guy.
- Every Scar Has a Story: He has a scar on his right ear. It's from after he followed Yuki around and she half transformed into a wolf in fear and slashed it.
- Implied Love Interest: To Yuki.
- Innocently Insensitive: Asks if Yuki owns a dog when he smells her, causing her to become self-conscious about herself. When she tries to distance herself from him, he goes after her because he thinks he's upset her and that just makes her more anxious.
- Inseries Nickname: The others often call him "Kou-chan".
- Lovable Jock: An atheletic student and Nice Guy.
- New Transfer Student: A new student student to Yuki's class.
- Nice Guy: Gets along with everyone.
- The Nose Knows: Is somehow able to smell dog-like scent coming from Yuki when he first meets her.
- Parental Neglect: According to him, his mother is busy with her new husband and soon-to-be-born baby, and has next to no time for him. She doesn't even pick him up during the storm.
- Physical Scars, Psychological Scars: Even though Yuki gives him a physical one, he has hidden and even worse psychological scars.
- Sad Clown: Is neglected by his seemingly overprotective mother who mostly acts like she cares to not draw attention to that.
- Secret Secret-Keeper: He knew about Yuki being part-wolf but kept it to himself and promises her he'll never tell anyone.
- Sibling Rivalry: With the baby his mother is carrying.
- Stepford Smiler: Of the hiding depression type, he wants to grow up as quickly as possible.
- Walking Spoiler: Comes with first coming half-way through the second half with his own story to tell.
- Younger Than They Look: When not cheerful, he looks much older.
