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Main Characters
Grandma
The Protagonist of the story "Hungry Hearts Diner".
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: You can see it in the first game where she's bickering with Grandpa either about him refusing to meet their daughter or other things like being stubborn to borrow their neighbor's pestle. But behind their bickering, they actually worried and love each other.
- Beware the Nice Ones: It takes a lot to make Grandma really angry, but as Missy finds out, people who are both prideful and stubborn can set her off
- Cool Old Lady: She's very spirited for an old woman and she has a knack for guessing some of her customer's backgrounds before they actually reveal them.
- Supreme Chef: She makes the foods and drinks in the game. Even people compliment her cooking and chowing down on it happily.
Grandpa
The husband of Grandma, and one of two owners of the diner.
- Dead All Along: After unlocking the last chapter with him, it's revealed he's been dead since last New Year's.
- Grumpy Old Man: He's a bit prickly into his old age, but Grandma still loves him dearly.
- Promoted to Playable: He becomes playable in the prequel Memories, unfortunately he's Doomed by Canon.
- Supreme Chef: As the chef in Memories, Grandpa is just as skilled of a cook as Grandma.
Sue
The Deuteragonist of the third game of the story "Hungry Hearts Diner".
- Aerith and Bob: Subverted, it's actually short for "Subaru".
- Former Teen Rebel: Well, more misguided than rebellious. Officer Hiro introduced her to Grandma prior to the events of Neo. She became this after her Grandma's passing.
- Like a Son to Me: Inverted; she eventually comes to consider Grandma like one of her own. In the Distant Finale, Grandma eventually becomes her grandma-in-law, though Grandma has long passed away when the letter was written out.
- Secret Secret-Keeper: She knew all along that Catherine was Fudeko.
Recurring Characters
Mabo
Grandma's beloved grand son.
- Near-Death Experience: In Moonlit Memories, shortly after he mentions seeing Grimm, the abandoned building he keeps hanging out at eventually burns down. Thankfully, Mabo didn't go to the building that day, otherwise he would have met a fiery end.
- Precocious Crush: In Neo, the soon-to-be high-schooler Mabo develops a crush on Sue, who's twenty-one. He eventually marries her in the Distant Finale.
- Troubled Child: Mabo is prone to bratty behaviors due to having issues with his mom and dad expecting a child, which is why he's a regular customer at Grandma's diner. Eventually becomes a Troubled Teen in Neo.
- Troubled Teen: Mabo is noticeably more irritable as his family living situation worsened near the end of his middle school years. He even considered skipping high school to get a job, abandoning his dreams of becoming an astronaut. He's doing this in a desperate attempt to keep his family together, but thankfully Grandma's advice helped his parents reconcile.
Officer Hiro
The local policeman with a smile on his face wherever he goes.
- Former Teen Rebel: As JD in Memories, he really had it out for his family, wanting nothing to do with his family as their attention was focused on his baby brother.
- The Lost Lenore: His lost his wife Sakura some time ago, and his mourning over her causes most of his character issues.
- Stepford Smiler: Hiro's got some issues that he buries underneath that smile and work. He's mourning the loss of his wife Sakura, who died in a traffic accident. This causes him some hang-ups in Neo, struggling to move on even after he found another wife.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Salisbury Steak, something his late wife cooked for him.
Mr. Jizo
A mysterious monk that evokes spiritual thought with his presence. Possibly the spirit of a statue.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: He talks about how the game flow works to Grandma and Sue, from how cooking a dish enough times can unlock another, to the stamina system. The problem is that he describes it as if it's some natural occurrence or spiritual enlightenment, and it is how it is because it's an idle game app. Naturally, it leaves Grandma and Sue confused.
- Exposition Fairy: Exposition Customer, in this case. When you unlock his story (which bears no relevance to any of the games' main plot or themes), he explains gameplay mechanics that don't quite make sense to the protagonists, but makes sense to you, the player.
Dr. Mondo
A doctor who's appetite shows in his weight. He's an old friend and a very frequent customer at Grandma's diner.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: He develops feelings for Catherine/Fudeko, but she rejects him at first. She later reciprocates after he punched the guy who was cheating on her.
- Beware the Nice Ones: As if the spoilers weren't enough, even Officer Hiro was shocked when it happened.
- Big Eater: Grandma chides him for his repeat visits and voracious appetite making him overweight. He's as fat as ever in Neo. He has his reasons for it. He's eating what his friends could not when they died from disease or starvation. He survived because he was given rations to ensure he did, and he felt guilty he only saved himself. It's only until a visit from one of his deceased comrade Furrows that the good doctor would finally break the habit and move on.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: When he discovers that Catherine/Fudeko is seeing someone, he chooses to respect her new relationship. When he discovers that the guy she was dating is cheating on her, the good doctor knocked him out.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Being a former Combat Medic, his time in the war has given him an increased appetite as he feels like he's eating for those who can't no more.
- Ship Tease: With Catherine/Fudeko in A Fresh Start, being the one man who isn't superficially interested in her. He even went so far as to punch out a guy that was hurting her.
The Salaryman
A businessman from a local megacorp.
- Flat Character: He has no story at all, and is simply just a generic customer.
The Bluecollar
A factory worker with a big appetite from his line of work.
- Flat Character: Like the Salaryman, he is a generic customer with no backstory.
Hungry Hearts Diner: A Tales of Star-Crossed Souls
Pigtails
A schoolgirl whose resting scowl scares people away.
Scarlett
A city girl prettied up and looking for love.
- Gold Digger: She's looking to find a wealthy man, but only so she can provide for her son.
Slick
A shady-looking man whose motivation is an enigma.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted. Chronologically, he's Grandma's second customer who has that nickname.
Ol' Tokei
An old clockmaker and childhood friend of Grandma. Sakura's father.
Hungry Hearts Diner 2: Moonlit Memories
Rika
Mabo's cousin.
- Missing Mom: Her mom had passed sometime ago, and her death has caused her relationship with her dad to be estranged.
- Picky Eater: She has trouble eating food since she's not used to eating around people anymore. That's why she come to Grandma's to eat.
- Trademark Favorite Food: She loves the way her Mom made her curry.
- When You Coming Home, Dad?: She hates how her dad is always busy with work.
Mr. Zeni
Rika's estranged father. A businessman trying to make microwavable curry.
- Character Development: He eventually stops his curry idea, realizing he's just been alienating his daughter more and strives to become a better father.
- The Lost Lenore: The reason he's been working so hard is because he wants to recreate the taste of his late wife.
Grimm
An ex-yakuza who claims to be a grim reaper of sorts.
- Invisible to Normals: He's not making that reaper talk up. He really can only be seen by people who's close to the end of their life. Then it gets alarming when it's revealed Mabo can see him.
- Unfinished Business: Despite not taking any life, he's somehow still stuck haunting Grandma in the epilogue. He finally passes on when he learns his son is actually still alive.
Kiyoko
A rather proper woman.
- Birds of a Feather: The main reason she fell for Hiro? She also has someone else she misses and still loves.
- Happily Married: She and Hiro get married, and is pregnant in the third game.
- Fish out of Water: She ran away from a rich family to elope with someone, so she has trouble
- Second Love: To Hiro.
Casanova
A charming con man.
- Freudian Excuse: He admits to Grandma that he started swindling after his grandma ended up cheated out of house and home by ruthless relatives, and she kept apologizing to them even on her deathbed - so he felt he needed to be just as cruel to compete and survive in an equally cruel world.
Chuckles
A comedian who tries to bring smiles to everyone's faces. "Tries" being the keyword, though, as his jokes are met with less than stellar results.
- Survivor Guilt: He lost his sister some time ago due to starvation, and as such he can't seem to finish a meal.
Sapphire
A mysterious, beautiful lady who just started her night club career.
- The Reveal: She's revealed to be transgender. However, since the game takes place in the 1960s, she can't legally change her gender.
Hungry Hearts Diner Neo: A Fresh Start
Jesse
A sumo wrestler packing an appetite for his career.
- Aerith and Bob: Justified, due to to his heritage (see below).
- Child of Two Worlds: He's actually raised in Hawaii, despite his grandmother being Japanese.
Catherine
A cabaret woman, fresh in the night club scene.
- Aerith and Bob: Subverted in that it's actually an alias.
- Naughty by Night: Catherine is her stage name. Her real name is Fudeko, the manga artist.
- Walking Spoiler: :You want to know why this folder's heavily marked? See below.
Fudeko
A plain and unkempt manga artist who, despite illustrating popular manga, is working two jobs to make ends meet.
- It's for a Book: Her second job is so she can research for her new manga.
- Naughty by Night: The second job she has? It's a night club gig as Catherine.
- Older Than They Look: Grandma mistakes her for being middle school-aged, when she's really in her thirties.
- Walking Spoiler: You want to know why this folder's heavily marked? See above.
Missy
A spirited factory worker with a noticeable baby bump in her belly.
- Big Eater: Her first visit to the diner has her clean some noticeably big plates of food. Justified in that she's pregnant; she's feeding for two.
- Fatal Flaw: Pride and stubbornness. Much to Grandma's irritation.
- Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Grandma snaps at her after one too many tirades of being abandoned and having to do thing on her own, telling her that there are people out there that can help. She's just too stubborn to take it.
- Parental Abandonment: She was raised in an orphanage, and resents her mother for having abandoned her.
- Teen Pregnancy: She's actually seventeen, working herself to the bone to be able to care for her unborn child.
Furrows
A city official.
- Dead All Along: It's strongly implied he's actually a ghost of one of Mondo's old war buddies.
- Sweet Tooth: All of his favorite foods are desserts.
Grouse
A grumpy old man. Furuta's husband.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Subverted. His son never returned home from the war, but it turns out he's alive all along.
Mrs. Furuta
A scatterbrained woman. Grouse's wife.
Mr. Haku
A depressing-looking but wealthy man living in a nearby estate.
- Mistaken for Murderer: Officer Hiro suspects him to be a murderer, considering he tries to get Sue to discard evidence in trash bags, and was caught with dirtied clothes trying to bury something in his backyard. Thankfully he is not, but he caused a lot of miscommunication trying to keep a secret.
- Poor Communication Kills: He could have avoided all his issues if he didn't try so hard to hide his crossdressing hobby and came clean to his wife.
- Unmanly Secret: He's into crossdressing, but takes drastic measures to hide his hobby, which makes him come off as more suspicious than he should be.
Kit
A country girl from the mountains. Also heavily implied to be a real kitsune.
- Aerith and Bob: Averted. Kit's name is never mentioned in the cutscenes.
- Does Not Like Spam: She hates Kitsune Udon because she thinks it's made from real kitsune.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Whenever Sue's attention is elsewhere, Kit disappears without another word.
Hungry Hearts Diner: Memories
JD
A local street ruffian.
- Call-Forward: He's actually a teenage Hiro. This is when he started bonding with Sakura.
- Canon Character All Along: You'd be hard-pressed to believe that JD and Hiro were the same guy.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Grandma remembered him being much sweeter in his youth. Now he's an abrasive man who has issues with his family. As a younger Hiro, though, he eventually comes around.
Maverick
A tough-looking man with a perpetually furrowed brow.
Yumemi
A cheerful girl with big dreams.
Kino
The neighborhood high-schooler with a big secret.
- Becoming the Mask: Kino comes to the diner so she could focus on her studies to get into the prestigious Todai University, with a focus on agriculture. In spite of her efforts being driven by her desire for approval, she comes to enjoy her subject matter, wanting to take up mycology regardless of what university she ends up in.
- Survivor Guilt: Kino lost her brother in a house fire, and often feels worthless to her own father who refuses to talk to her.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: She's trying to get into the prestigious Todai University just so she can get the attention of her father, Professor Toki, who keeps burying himself in his work and pays little attention to her. The immense amount of neglect has led her to believe that her father doesn't care about her at all wanted her to die instead of her brother. She and her father eventually come to terms with the tragedy, with Kino continuing to study hard on her own terms and eventually makes it to Todai.
Slick
A travelling salesman of various things of dubious quality.
- Con Man: Whatever he's trying to sell, the way he plays up his goods makes them more sketchy than useful. That's what he was taught to do by his boss. He was taught to scam others, and eventually realizes the emotional robbery he's doing isn't worth the profit.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted. Grandma's would later have another customer who has that nickname.
Mr. Showbiz
A man that is a bit of a schemer, aptly named for his work in television.
- Been There, Shaped History: Some advice from Grandma would inspire him to create what would become Tokusatsu tv shows.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Judging by his comments regarding creating a superhero with a red and silver motif, Mr. Showbiz may be the in-universe counterpart to Eiji Tsuburaya. If that's not enough, then the collectible that is unlocked by completing his story heavily resembles the SSSP logo/badge.
Headmaster Hari
The former teacher of Grandma's daughter, retired from his position.
The Traveler
A tourist from afar, with a basic grasp on Japanese.
- Alien Among Us: It's all but outright stated that he's actually an alien on a mission to retrieve advanced technology from Earth before knowledge of it becomes widespread.
- Funny Foreigner: His Japanese is initially quite rough, and it come off as entertainingly broken. Thankfully, his later scenes shows that his grasp of Japanese becomes more coherent if not still a bit janky.
- Pet the Dog: Years after he first met Granny, he stops by the diner to drop off something important he rescued for her: her shrine box, which contains various sentimental items such as Mabo's umbilical cord, and Grandpa's naming certificate for his grandson.
Sweetie
The young granddaughter working at the nearby candy shop.
- Adorably Precocious Child: She's a hard worker at the candy shop, trying her best to help her grandma and papa since her mama's away from home.
- Canon Character All Along: She's a younger Sue.
Professor Toki
A shut-in scientist that never leaves home to focus on his work.
- Survivor Guilt: He lost his son in a house fire, and threw himself into his work to try and undo that tragedy. However, in doing so, he neglected his own daughter, Kino.
- Workaholic: He is so focused on his work, the only times he's ever stepped out is to pick up his food delivery orders. He's trying to cope with the loss of his son, but doesn't realize his work has caused a huge rift with his daughter, Kino, who's studying obsessively to get his attention.
Serina
A cabaret singer idolized for her beauty.
Maestro
A man that claims to be a world famous author. He's ordinary otherwise.
