open/close all folders
Main Groups
Minor Characters
Characters that play minor roles in group or event stories, and have connections, familial or otherwise, to the members of each respective group.General
- All There in the Manual: Basic information that isn't revealed in event stories, such as their ages, hobbies, and food preferences, is revealed in the official fanbooks.
- Cast of Snowflakes: Every NPC with a Live2D model has a unique design regardless of their significance to the story.
- The Ghost: NPCs that are story relevant but don't have Live2D models fall under this. Some examples include most of the mother characters save for Kanade's mother, Kanade's grandmother, both of the Tenma parents, Kohane's father, and Mafuyu's parents although both Mafuyu's mother and Mafuyu's father are finally given a model in Immiscible Discord and Searching for a Reflection Beneath the Waters respectively.
- Hero of Another Story: They tend to have their own things going on when the main characters aren't around, though the players usually only hear about them after they've happened. Occasionally, the main characters will help them sort out their issues.
- Limited Wardrobe: Unlike the original characters in the main cast, who will occasionally be depicted wearing different outfits in illustrations, 4komas, and cameo appearances, these characters are always depicted wearing the same outfit they debuted in.
- Out of Focus: While some of them have Live2D models and are fully voice-acted, these characters don't show up very often if they're not related to the event conflict.
- Unnamed Parent: Most parent characters aren't named in-game regardless of their story relevance, being referred to as "[X]'s mother/father" in their name tags. However, some of them have been named in official material, like Toya's father whose name was revealed to be "Harumichi".
Leo/Need Minor Characters
Iori
Voiced by: Natsue Sasamoto
Lead vocalist of the professional band STANDOUT. Debuted in the event Don't Let Doubts Hold You Back.- The Antagonist: In Leo/need's first arc, she was for a time an antagonistic figure, not because she was a bad person, but because she attempted to recruit Shiho away from Leo/need to replace her band's bassist Mio and came close to succeeding in doing so.
- Brutal Honesty:
- In Resonating With You when trying to convince Shiho to join STANDOUT, she harshly evaluates Leo/need as a band that's holding Shiho back by playing for fun rather than trying to go professional.
- She calls Mio a coward for flaking out on their live performance when their group needed her before turning to Shiho and telling her that she'll be waiting for her if she wants to go pro with STANDOUT next week.
- The Cameo: She briefly appears in the second-anniversary animated music video for "Journey", where she invites Shiho to join STANDOUT.
- Does Not Like Spam: She dislikes spicy food.
- Famed Instory: She's the leader of the band STANDOUT, which went professional in Resonating With You.
- Graceful Loser: In Resonating With You, she backs off for good after Shiho decides to stay with Leo/need.
- Jerkass Has a Point: While her chewing Mio out in Resonating With You was harsh and drove her to tears, she was right to be angry about Mio flaking right before the band was set to go live. It's implied that she has done this multiple times before, as well.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She doesn't come off as the nicest of individuals due to her blunt nature, but she has good intentions underneath it all.
- While she was pretty insistent on Shiho leaving Leo/need and going pro with her group, it was because she saw potential in Shiho and believed her being with an "unserious" group like Leo/need was holding her back from going professional as a musician.
- Before Shiho's decision to join STANDOUT could be made final, she gives Leo/need a chance to prove themselves by playing as the opening act to STANDOUT, and gracefully backs off when Shiho decides to stay with them.
- She was cold to Mio about flaking out on the band, but she said those words because she cared about her and didn't want to force Mio to go professional when she felt unprepared to.
- She helps Ichika write her first original song for Leo/need.
- The Leader: Of the band STANDOUT.
- The Mentor: She's gradually becoming one for Leo/need throughout their story. While their first arc revolved around Shiho being torn between joining STANDOUT per Iori's request or remaining a member of Leo/need, she encouraged Shiho to listen to the band one more time before making her decision. As well, she helped Ichika write her first original song for the group.
- Older Than They Look: She's 19 years old, but doesn't look much older than the high school-aged members of Leo/need.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Banana chocolate crepes.
Mio
Voiced by: Rio Tsuchiya
A member of the band STANDOUT and the group's bassist. She initially hesitated because she wasn't ready to go pro, leading Iori to attempt to recruit Shiho over to their band in her place. However, she made up her mind in the end and returned in time for the group to debut professionally. She first debuted in the event Resonate With You.- Does Not Like Spam: She dislikes fresh cream.
- Famed Instory: A member of the professional band STANDOUT.
- Girls Love Stuffed Animals: Her hobby is collecting teddy bears, according to her official profile.
- Mirror Character:
- To Ichika, as pointed out by Shiho. Both wanted to continue playing music with their respective bands but were anxious about going professional due to the added responsibilities that came with it. By the end of Resonating With You, they both firm their resolve to take going professional seriously so that they can keep playing with their friends.
- Shiho also sees the part of herself that wants to continue singing with Leo/need in her as well.
- Tears of Remorse: Cries after being chewed out by Iori for flaking out on the group, combined with Iori telling Shiho she'll be waiting for her to show up as a replacement when the band goes pro next week right in front of her.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Super spicy Tantanmen ramen.
- Younger Than They Look: Is 19 years old but doesn't look much older than the high school-aged members of Leo/need.
Miu Takagi
Voiced by: Yuuko Oono
A young guitarist who debuted in the event That day, the sky was far away. She befriended Shiho in middle school, but eventually transferred to another school.- Commonality Connection: Befriended Shiho because they would both spend their lunches alone on the rooftop.
- Does Not Like Spam: Dislikes pickled eggplants.
- Friendless Background: Never really had much of a chance to make friends because of how often she had to transfer schools.
- Really Moves Around: Her family had to move around a lot because of her parents' jobs. She only attends Miyamasuzaka Girls for a short period of time because of this.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Ikura sushi.
Hanano Yoshizaki
Voiced by: Maria Sashide
A fan of Leo/need's that debuted in the unit event Live with Memories. The conflict with her brother becomes central to the event.- Does Not Like Spam: She hates cauliflower.
- Fangirl: She's openly a fan of Leo/need, as the band was what saved her from sinking into a depression following her parents' divorce.
- Strong Family Resemblance: She looks like a shorter, gender-flipped version of her older brother.
- Trademark Favorite Food: She loves cheesy hamburg stakes.
- Younger Than They Look: Downplayed Trope. She's 14 but looks the same age as the members of Leo/need, who are only 1-2 years older than her.
Youta Yoshizaki
Voiced by: Rikuya Yasuda
A fan of Leo/need's that debuted in the unit event Live with Memories. The conflict with his sister becomes central to the event.- Does Not Like Spam: He hates mekabu seaweed.
- Fanboy: He's openly a fan of Leo/need and Ichika recognizes his face from him watching their live shows from the front row along with his sister.
- Nice Guy: He's unfailingly polite to Leo/need on their first meeting and attempts to distance himself from his sister so that she can grow with her new family, as he knows continuing to keep her away from them would eventually prove to be detrimental to her home life.
- Poor Communication Kills: He tells his sister they shouldn't meet up anymore, as he wants her to spend more time with her new family. She takes this the wrong way and runs off before he can clarify. Toward the end of the event she reveals that she knew that he was only telling her this for her sake, but was too hurt to accept it.
- Strong Family Resemblance: He looks like a taller, gender-flipped version of his younger sister.
- Too Dumb to Live: He narrowly avoids being hit by a car while chasing after his younger sister, who ran off after he told her that they shouldn't hang out anymore.
- Trademark Favorite Food: He loves kimchi hot pots.
Saku Kousaka
Voiced by: Ayaka Fukuhara
A member of the band "anemone". She debuted in the event story No Seek, No Find- Bifauxnen: Could easily pass for a bishounen male character if not for her full model and voice.
- Boyish Short Hair: Tied with Shiho for having the shortest hair of any female character in the cast, and she has a tomboyish air to her.
- Brutal Honesty: Like Iori before her, she tends to say what's on her mind when evaluating Leo/need, even if her words distress them. Unlike Iori, however, she isn't shown to be secretly considerate of what she says to others, and goes too far with her critiques without purpose, making her criticism far less constructive than the advice Iori gives.
- Curtains Match the Window: Her eyes are the same peach and pale pink colors as her hair, despite the official fanbook saying her hair is partially dyed.
- Delinquent Hair: According to her official profile, she dyes her hair depending on her mood during the day.
- Emotionless Girl: Downplayed Trope. She speaks in a low monotone and wears a neutral expression during most of her appearances in No Seek, No Find, but she does smile a few times during her interactions with Leo/need.
- Identical Stranger: Downplayed Trope. She looks vaguely similar to Leo/need's bassist Shiho and even shares in common a tendency for brutal honesty, but the characters never comment on this.
- Jerkass: Tends to say what's on her mind without considering the feelings of those she's speaking to, which ends up driving the plot of No Seek, No Find.
- Bluntly tells Leo/need that while their songs were cute, they didn't resonate with her at all and that the audience doesn't want to hear Leo/need's music.
- She also badmouths Leo/need to the live house owner when she accuses him of forcing the image of a girly high school band on anemone, an image she appears to look down on and believes Leo/need has.
- The Leader: She's the lead singer and composer of the band "anemone".
- Trademark Favorite Food: Super spicy ramen.
- The Unapologetic: She doesn't apologize to Leo/need for her harsh criticism of their musical style and further sells the image of them being an unserious high school band to the live house owner at the end of No Seek, No Find.
- Younger Than They Look: She's 16 but looks a bit older than the members of Leo/need.
Yoshiki Shindou
Voiced by: Hiroshi Tsuchida
The director of record label Solis Records who debuted in the event Little Bravers!. He's interested in Leo/need's activities.MORE MORE JUMP! Minor Characters
Mai
Voiced by: Misaki Kano
A former member of the idol group Haruka was a part of, ASRUN. After a Career-Ending Injury, she was forced to retire as an idol. She is 15 years old.- The Cameo: She briefly appears in the second-anniversary animated music video for "Gunjo Sanka" during her Moment of Weakness.
- Career-Ending Injury: As a result of over-practicing, she can no longer hit high notes and was forced to leave the idol industry.
- Does Not Like Spam: Liver.
- Mirror Character: To Minori. Like Minori, she was inspired by Haruka to become an idol and worked hard for it, eventually managing to become one and be in the same group as Haruka. She's basically a look at how someone like Minori might end up if she's not careful in what she's doing.
- Moment of Weakness: Mai is normally a cheerful girl who worked hard and admires Haruka, but being in a slump for a while where she had weighed ASRUN down, and eventually suffering a Career-Ending Injury after Haruka reassured her that tomorrow will be better and that she can overcome her slump with effort caused her to explode at Haruka, blaming her for giving her false hope and stealing her dream away from her.
- My God, What Have I Done?: She deeply regrets what she said to Haruka, which only increases when she realized she's the reason why Haruka quits being an idol and wants to properly apologize for it even if she knew that it's already too late to change anything. Thankfully, they managed to reconcile in the main story.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Eclairs.
Nanami "Nanamin" Hayakawa
Voiced by: Arisa Nakada
A 17-year-old former idol turned online streamer with 800 thousand followers. She has promoted MORE MORE JUMP! through her streams which has helped to garner the unit fame.- Does Not Like Spam: She dislikes Wasabi.
- Famed In-Story: She's very famous because of her status as a former idol and has a very large online following.
- Nice Girl: Unfailingly nice and is one of MORE MORE JUMP!'s greatest supporters. In her debut appearance in the event "Hear me! Hopeful Show!", she was very kind and supportive to the girls and especially Minori.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Usually referred to as "Nanamin" instead of her actual name.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Fruit tarts.
Yuina Uchiyama
Voiced by: Emi Hirayama
- Does Not Like Spam: Bok choy.
- Fangirl: She's a fan of Minori and was the first of Minori's fans that she met in person.
- No Name Given: She was only ever identified as "Minori's Fan" until the event MORE MORE MAKING XMAS, which revealed that her name is "Yuina".
- Trademark Favorite Food: Potato croquette.
- Tomboy with a Girly Streak: She plays basketball and has a tomboyish style, but one of her hobbies is handicraft.
Ayaka Saito
Voiced by: Satomi Moriya
A 20-year-old college student who is a big fan of Shizuku. She works part-time as an event staff member and offered to help MORE MORE JUMP! with their first real event performance. She debuted in the event MORE MORE Making Xmas.- Does Not Like Spam: She doesn't like oysters.
- Fangirl: She's a big fan of idols, particularly Shizuku. According to her official profile, one of her hobbies is watching live idol performances.
- Older Than They Look: She's 20 years old and in college, but she doesn't look any older than the high school-aged female characters in the cast.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Pork cutlets.
Riho Hasegawa
Voiced by: Ikumi Hasegawa
- Does Not Like Spam: Hard and crumbly bread.
- Fangirl: She's been a fan of Haruka since her days as a member of ASRUN.
- Hope Bringer: She aspires to bring hope to people with the songs she creates.
- Shrinking Violet: Her official profile states that she used to be shy and stayed indoors, but she gained more confidence and is now active on video-sharing sites as a producer.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Pudding.
Arisa Higure
Voiced by: Yūki Takada
- The Cameo: Makes a non-speaking appearance in the MORE MORE JUMP! main story digest animation.
- The Resenter: She was jealous of Shizuku's position as the Cheerful*Days center and was very bitter about it.
- We Used to Be Friends: Her and the other members of Cheerful*Days were initially friendly towards Shizuku, even being understanding of her situation and helping her out. But the continued sidelining and Shizuku's passive attitude soured their relationship. It hit a breaking point when Shizuku who was supposed to be in their concert wouldn't make it as she was scheduled to be in another show, which frustrated the other members since Shizuku being the center and having the most fans would disappoint the attendees, not helped by Shizuku discrediting her work and admitting that she got what she didn't deserve.
Minori's Mother
Voiced by: Ryōka Yuzuki
Minori's mother, only seen during the MORE MORE JUMP! main story digest animation.- The Cameo: Her first on-screen appearance is a brief scene in the unit's main story digest, complete with a single, short speaking line.
- The Faceless: During her one brief appearance, she's seen only from behind.
- No Name Given: She's listed in the credits as simply "Minori's mother."
Vivid Bad Squad Minor Characters
General
- Ascended Extra: These NPCs tend to show up more often than the NPCs in any other group's storylines due to their importance to Vivid BAD SQUAD's overarching plot and its progression.
- Breaking The Fellow Ship: Light up The Fire has Kotaro, Arata and EVER splitting up with Vivid BAD SQUAD after Taiga gives them a Curb-Stomp Battle. While VBS regained their determination to surpass RAD WEEKEND almost immediately afterwards, it takes time for the others to come back, with Kotaro being the first to rediscover his resolve to surpass RAD WEEKEND in BURN MY SOUL.
- Hero of Another Story: Seemingly more so than some of the game's other NPC characters, as they have their own backstories, plot points, and grievances happening beyond their interactions with Vivid BAD SQUAD.
- For the former members of RADder, there's the subplot of what became of Nagi after she went overseas with Taiga, why RAD WEEKEND was held in the first place, and why RADder's disbanded after the event was held.
- There's also the partnership between Arata and Souma, which was set up to be compared to and contrasted with Akito and Toya's own partnership, and how the two are coping with Souma's Career-Ending Injury.
- Remember the New Guy?: Tends to introduce plot-relevant backstory characters that weren't alluded to until the event they debuted in, such as Taiga, Ken's old partner, and Nagi, his younger sister who was the central character of RAD WEEKEND.
- Shōnen Genre: Almost every character is written to fit a role from the shonen genre, such as Ken filling the role of the mentor, while Arata is the rival.
Ken Shiraishi
Young Adult Appearance
Voiced by: Hiroshi Nakamura
An's father and a former musician who held the legendary live "RAD WEEKEND". He was the one who sparked both An and Akito's dreams from a young age and continues to act as a guiding figure not only to them but to the rest of Vivid BAD SQUAD as they make their way toward achieving their shared goal. He currently runs the live cafe and bar that the group frequents "WEEKEND GARAGE".- Academic Athlete: According to Taiga, he was academically inclined and adept at sports in middle school. The only thing Taiga beat him in was singing.
- Always Someone Better:
- In the event story Bout for Beside You, he sympathizes with An's feeling of loneliness as she begins to believe that she'll be left behind by Kohane, as he had also felt that way toward Taiga, who had developed a superior singing capability to him.
- Taiga reveals in Find A Way Out that in middle school, Ken was an Academic Athlete, and the only thing that Taiga could beat him at was singing. However, Taiga worried that if he really tried, Ken could likely have surpassed him in singing as well.
- Boyfriend-Blocking Dad: Subverted Trope, as he's perfectly fine with An hanging out with her male teammates every day (justified as he doesn't seem to see them as dating options for his daughter), has no issue with her going on a date with Kohane, and doesn't seem to mind that she's posing as a bride in a photoshoot, only joking that she won't be able to fit into the dress if she eats too much the day before. An's "Dressed In Pure White" side story has An and Kohane point out how laid back his character is compared to Kohane's father.An: Hmm. I kind of want to see my father get as upset as Kohane's father.
Kohane: What? I can't imagine that happening at all...
An: So it's okay! Maybe next time I'll tell him I have a boyfriend or something?
Airi: Hey, hey, don't make fun of your parents, no matter how much you want to see their reaction.
An: Right? Too bad... - Childhood Friends: With Taiga. They've known each other since middle school due to being raised on Vivid Street and have been close ever since.
- Does Not Like Spam: He dislikes umeboshi.
- Famed In-Story: Famous for being a part of the former in-universe street music group RADder and hosting the legendary "RAD WEEKEND" event. He's still well-known in the street music community even after retiring and his live cafe is frequented by many musicians.
- Family Eye Resemblance: He has the same dark-orange eyes as his daughter.
- Foil: To Taiga in how they handled the aftermath of Nagi's death and how they guided Vivid Bad Squad. Taiga chose to head overseas to perform in Nagi's memory, while Ken chose to retire and opened WEEKEND GARAGE to guide and mentor aspiring street musicians in Vivid Street. After the team knows the truth of Nagi's death, Ken tells the full truth of what really happened about RADder and encourage them to keep going because he believed in them and their capabilities and eventually takes over to fully mentoring them at the end of On Your Feet, while Taiga tried to crush their dreams as a way to let them know whose shoes they are trying to fill, now that they know that RAD WEEKEND is Nagi's last performance.
- Free-Range Children: His daughter An, who he pretty much allows to do whatever she wants without worrying about her. The Vivid Old Tale reveals that this extended even into her childhood, as he would leave her on Vivid Street to hang out with the street musicians while he went to work.
- Good Parents: One of the few good parents in the cast. He is supportive of his daughter's dreams and offers advice not only to her but also to her fellow group members in hopes of guiding them toward their shared goals.
- Local Hangout: He owns the live cafe Vivid BAD SQUAD frequents, Weekend Garage, which was built after he retired from RADder.
- The Mentor: To Vivid BAD SQUAD. Several event stories imply that he's been guiding An, Akito, and Toya since before the events of the unit story. He later becomes a straight example in the end of the On Your Feet event as he decided to help train Vivid Bad Squad to reach their potential to surpass RADDERS.
- Open-Minded Parent: In An's Buddy Funny Spend Time side story, he doesn't mind that his daughter is going on a date despite knowing it's with Kohane. When An is surprised that he knew who it was before she even namedropped her, he says it's because he knows his daughter.
- Out of Focus: Regarding his role in RAD WEEKEND whenever new information about the event is revealed. He went from being a central figure and coordinator of the event up until STRAY BAD DOG to what appears to be little more than a member of the team that performed in it by Legend Still Vivid following the introduction of Taiga and Nagi. Despite this, the story still props him up as being an important figure in the event.
- Parental Neglect: The Vivid Old Tale reveals that he often neglected An to focus on helping his colleagues, much to her disgruntlement. He learns his lesson after she becomes fed up with him enough to run away from home, which gave him quite a scare.
- Parental Substitute: Acts as one to both Akito and Toya and seemingly has a better relationship with them than they do with their parents.
- Parents as People: While he's a supportive father, it's been revealed over time that he's not quite perfect, as he often neglected An during her childhood to help out his colleagues. He's also kept secrets from his daughter, such as Nagi's whereabouts after she went to America, the real reason why RAD WEEKEND was hosted in the first place, and the fact that he had a secret recording of RAD WEEKEND hidden away for who knows how long.
- Retired Badass: Retired from being a street musician after hosting the legendary RAD WEEKEND event and now works as a live cafe owner.
- Shipper on Deck: He's been an open supporter of An's relationship with Kohane since their partnering up in the unit story, as exemplified by his reaction to An telling him she's going on a date in An's "Excitement At It's Peak" side story.An: I'm going on a date this Sunday!
Regular Customer B: Wait, wait, wait! I've never heard of such a partner! [after some chaotic confusion] Don't tell me you know who her date is with, Ken?
Ken: It's obvious after you think about it. She's got such a cute little partner!
An: [...] Damn, I knew you wouldn't be surprised...
Ken: It's obvious. I know my daughter, you know? - Stage Names: He's referred to as "KEN" in the street music community.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Inverted. The only things he and his daughter physically have in common are their dark-orange eyes and wavy hair. They otherwise look quite different.
- Trademark Favorite Food: All meat dishes.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: For three years, he withheld the information that Nagi had died from pancreatic cancer from An in order to honor Nagi's wish to tell her when she was mature enough to handle the news. In order to keep the secret hidden, he also led An to believe that Nagi was still alive, just overseas pursuing music.
- The Workaholic: When he was younger, he would fulfill any request his employers asked of him even if it meant breaking off practice times with his daughter.
- You Remind Me of X: Gave a middle school-aged Akito the motivation he needed to keep pursuing street music because he saw himself in him.
Yuka Shiraishi
An's mother and Ken's wife, who made an appearance in An's "Overflowing Feelings" 4* Card story.
- Good Parents: Like Ken, she is a good mother for An, and helps her to properly cry and grieve for Nagi at the end of the card story.
- The Ghost: Though she has no 2D Live model or voice in her physical appearance in An's "Overflowing Feelings" Card story, she has only been mentioned in passing until then.
- Happily Married: With Ken.
- Shipper on Deck: Invites Kohane over for dinner in An's Get In the Car! card story, and brings up about how often her daughter talks about Kohane, much to An's embarrassment.
Taiga Kotaki
Young Adult Appearance
Voiced by: Takeshi Hirabayashi
Ken Shiraishi's old partner who participated in the legendary "RAD WEEKEND" event. Formerly a part of RADder with Ken and his sister Nagi. Moved to America after the group broke up and is now recognized as a world-famous musician.- Breakup Breakout: In-Universe example. He went on to achieve worldwide fame after RADder break up.
- Childhood Friends: With Ken. They've known each other since middle school due to being raised on Vivid Street and have been close ever since.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: He's more formally introduced in Bout for Beside You when he effortlessly trounces Arata in a match over who can captivate the audience more with their performance, the same Arata who had previously curb-stomped Akito and Toya in STRAY BAD DOG.
- Does Not Like Spam: He dislikes Tsubuan.
- Famed In-Story: Taiga is famous among the street music community for being Ken's partner and being a part of the legendary RAD WEEKEND event. As well, after going overseas and beginning to work in America, he became a world-famous musician known for a song called "WALKER".
- Foil: To Ken in how they handled the aftermath of Nagi's death and how they guided Vivid Bad Squad. Taiga chose to head overseas to perform in Nagi's memory, while Ken chose to retire and opened WEEKEND GARAGE to guide and mentor aspiring street musicians in Vivid Street. After the team knows the truth of Nagi's death, Ken tells the full truth of what really happened about RADder and encourage them to keep going because he believed in them and their capabilities, while Taiga tried to crush their dreams as a way to let them know whose shoes they are trying to fill, now that they know that RAD WEEKEND is Nagi's last performance.
- Honorary Uncle: As Ken's former teammate, An has known him since she was a child and refers to him as "uncle".
- Intergenerational Friendship: With An, his former teammate's daughter. He also begins to develop this sort of relationship with Kohane after he begins to mentor her in Bout for Beside You and Akito as of Find A Way Out.
- Kick the Dog: In Light Up the Fire, he pits Vivid Bad Squad and the street musicians who gathered together to surpass RAD WEEKEND into one Hopeless Boss Fight... right after he tells them of the truth of Nagi's death while they are all still processing the fact.
- The Mentor: Offers to train Kohane as of Bout for Beside You to see where she goes as a street musician when properly trained.
- Nice Guy: He's a fairly chill person despite his cool and unapproachable appearance.
- After watching Kohane's performance in STAY GOLDEN, he offers to train her in order to help her reach her full potential as a singer. Even outside of training her, he gives her helpful life advice, particularly about her confidence issues.
- In Find a Way Out, Taiga sits Akito down and tells him the story about his and Ken's past as street musicians and in the process reassures Akito that even Ken had to struggle to find his "song". This helps restore Akito's faith in his growth as a singer.
- Out of Focus: After Legend Still Vivid, he disappears for 3 unit events until Find A Way Out, despite still presumably being in Shibuya. While he did appear in The Vivid Old Tale, it was only in flashback form rather than current-day Taiga.
- Remember the New Guy?:
- After an almost out-of-nowhere appearance in Awakening Beat, Bout for Beside You reveals that he's Ken's former partner and a part of the team that hosted RAD WEEKEND, none of which was mentioned by the characters before.
- He's also the reason RAD WEEKEND happened in the first place, as he decided on a whim that he wanted to gather a bunch of performers for an event. The characters begin attributing the existence of RAD WEEKEND to him after this reveal despite An and Akito not doing this before Bout for Beside You.
- Renowned Selective Mentor: He's a world-famous musician known for participating in the legendary event RAD WEEKEND, but he won't take just anyone under his wing, not even his honorary niece, An. However, in Bout For Beside You, he offers to train Kohane, who had just come into her own as a singer in Awakening Beat. This ends up making An jealous and fuels her insecurity about losing Kohane.
- Small Role, Big Impact: In chapter 7 of Find A Way Out, he reveals to Akito that he was the reason that Ken became interested in street music in the first place. When they were both in middle school, he grew annoyed at Ken leading a passionless life as an Academic Athlete and sang him a song fueled by his emotions. This interaction ignited Ken's interest in street music, and the rest is history.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Old whiskey.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: With Ken, so much so that it was rumored in-story that the two don't get along. However, Bout For Beside You shows that that's just how they interact.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: For three years, he withheld the information that Nagi had died from pancreatic cancer from An in order to honor Nagi's wish to tell her when she was mature enough to handle the news. In order to keep the secret hidden, he also led An to believe that Nagi was still alive, just overseas pursuing music.
- You Remind Me of X: In chapter 7 of Find A Way Out, Taiga tells Akito that he reminds him of a younger Ken.
Nagi Kotaki (MAJOR UNMARKED SPOILERS)
Young Adult Appearance
Voiced by: Marie Ooi
Taiga's sister and a part of the group Ken and Taiga formed to host the legendary event RAD WEEKEND. Following the event and their group's subsequent break-up, she went to America with Taiga. She is first mentioned in the event story Bout for Beside You and is given a physical appearance in Legend Still Vivid.- Ambiguous Situation: She went overseas with Taiga for work after RADder disbanded, but only Taiga achieved worldwide fame while Nagi's fate was left a mystery. She hasn't kept in contact with An since she left, and when asked what happened to her, Taiga responds that she's off singing in the streets somewhere with a solemn look. Tension forms between him and Ken before he changes the subject. The 2nd fanbook leaves her age blank, making it unknown if she's even still alive. Light up the Fire reveals that she died from pancreatic cancer three years before the Vivid BAD SQUAD unit story began.
- Cool Big Sis: As revealed in The Vivid Old Tale, she acted like this to a young An. Taiga even describes them as being "sisterly".
- Dead All Along: By the time the event Light up the Fire begins, she's been dead for three years, having died from pancreatic cancer shortly after RAD WEEKEND was held. While Ken, Taiga, and the people of the city were aware of this, with Taiga and Ken being there for her last months, they deliberately kept the truth from An and eventually her good friends due to Nagi's request not to tell An until she was mature enough to process her grief.
- Does Not Like Spam: Her least favorite food is tomatoes, the same as An.
- Famed Instory: A member of RADder, Ken and Taiga's team that hosted the legendary RAD WEEKEND event.
- Genki Girl: Appears to be a rather cheerful woman in the old recordings of her despite her cool and mature appearance.
- The Ghost: Initially only mentioned by Taiga and An in Bout For Beside You but not given a physical appearance. Averted in the event Legend Still Vivid in which she appears in a recording of RAD WEEKEND.
- The Mentor: Mentored An on singing and creating music since she was a child.
- Mirror Character: To An Shiraishi, her surrogate niece. Both are cheerful people persons that were born and raised on Vivid Street and deeply love the people of the city, who also love them in return.
- Older Than They Look: Is an old friend of Ken's who has known An since she was a child, meaning she would have to be in her late 30s, early 40s like Ken himself by the current day. However, during RAD WEEKEND, which takes place around two years before the unit story, she doesn't look a day over 23 due to having the same large-eyed stylization as the young cast. The Vivid Old Tale takes this even further as a card cameo featuring a child An and Nagi reveals that she looked the same back then as she does currently
◊. - Posthumous Character: She died prior to the events of the game and only appears in flashbacks.
- Remember the New Guy?: Made out to be a central figure in RAD WEEKEND from Legend Still Vivid onwards, despite earlier Vivid BAD SQUAD stories, such as Bout for Beside You, the first event to name-drop her, not implying this to be the case. The writing attempts to lampshade this by making An seem surprised that Toya, Kohane, and the others assume that Nagi is a central figure of RAD WEEKEND in The Vivid Old Tale, though from a story perspective, this reaction makes little sense as An witnessed the event herself.
- The Reveal: In Light Up The Fire, it's revealed that she died from cancer prior to the events of the game. The reason An didn't know is because Nagi told Ken, Taiga, and everyone else on Vivid Street to keep it quiet because An wouldn't take the news well. An was told that Taiga and Nagi went to America together to continue their music career, when really only Taiga did.
- Secretly Dying: In the flashbacks shown in Light up the Fire she continued to interact with An while she was dying of cancer, but didn't tell her about her condition for fear that An wouldn't be able to process or move on after finding out the truth due to her age. After she was bedridden with only a few weeks to live, she made Ken and Taiga promise not to tell An about her death until she was older.
- Small Role, Big Impact: She doesn't make a lot of appearances in even the stories she is featured in, and is revealed to be a Posthumous Character in Light Up The Fire, but she played a big role for how RAD WEEKEND, the event Vivid Bad Squad wants to surpass, came to be in the first place.
- The Smurfette Principle: As of The Vivid Old Tale, she's the only female NPC that's a recurring part of the Vivid BAD SQUAD storyline. Even then, she's not in the forefront like Ken or Taiga and never has any direct interactions with present-day Vivid BAD SQUAD, only ever appearing in flashbacks or being mentioned. This is because she's been dead for some time by the time the event Light up the Fire begins, eliminating any chances of her being an important character in the group's future development.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Downplayed Trope. She and Taiga are brother and sister but don't look very similar outside of both having reddish brown hair, albeit in different shades.
- Swan Song: In-Universe example. RAD WEEKEND is revealed to have been her final performance due to the fact that she is Secretly Dying at that time.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Her favorite food is "delicious coffee".
- Uncertain Doom: By Find A Way Out, it's unknown if Nagi is even still alive due to her not keeping contact with An since she went overseas, despite their close relationship. As well, whenever she's mentioned by Ken, Taiga, or a background character, the atmosphere becomes glummer, implying that something happened to her that the players aren't made privy to. Her profile from the 2nd official fanbook also fails to list her age, and she's the only NPC who this happens to, as even the deceased NPCs, such as Emu's grandfather, list the ages they were when they died. It was eventually revealed that she died shortly after RAD WEEKEND.
- Two Guys and a Girl: The only girl in the group RADder, as Ken and Taiga are both males.
- Unknown Rival: An has vowed to surpass her one day, despite Nagi no longer being in the picture.
- Vague Age: The 2nd official fanbook neglects to reveal her age, and she's the only NPC whose age isn't listed.
- Walking Spoiler: It's hard to talk about her without mentioning that it was revealed that she's dead in Light Up The Fire. On top of the fact that the game implied it for years, An's banner card for the aforementioned event is a spoiler in itself, making it even harder to not mention.
Arata Tono
Voiced by: Kouhei Yanagi
A 19-year-old street musician who was introduced in the event story "Stray Bad Dog". He serves as a rival of sorts to Akito. His partner suffered from a career-ending injury leading to him going solo.- Always Someone Better: To Akito. He reminds Akito that he's falling behind the others due to lacking individual skills, and can wow the crowd without the need for a partner or group in STRAY BAD DOG.
- Taiga is this to him, as it's revealed that no matter how many times they battle he's never able to defeat him. Taiga cryptically reveals to him that the thing holding him back is his inability to see that he isn't alone.
- Ambiguously Gay: Definitely on the "ambiguous" side since there aren't many onscreen interactions between him and his former singing partner, Souma. However, Souma's accident has taken a toll on him, to the point where continuing to sing alone has been painful for him. As well, in chapter 7 of THE POWER OF UNITY, KAITO says that Arata is like Akito and Toya because they lovenote their partner and have the same desire to surpass RAD WEEKEND.
- Ascended Extra: As of THE POWER OF UNITY, his story relevance is boosted due to developing friendships with the members of Vivid BAD SQUAD and the fact that he performs at events with them.
- Broken Ace: He's able to easily hype up the crowd with his singing in STRAY BAD DOG without needing a partner. However, THE POWER OF UNITY reveals that the emotional baggage he carries from losing his partner is partially what's keeping him from reaching his full potential as a singer.
- Brutal Honesty: Doesn't hold back on evaluating the individual skill of each Vivid BAD SQUAD member, as well as making Akito aware of his lack of talent compared to the others.
- The Cameo: In the second-anniversary animated music video for "Journey" he can be briefly seen in the recap segments for STRAY BAD DOG and THE POWER OF UNITY.
- Career-Ending Injury: Not him, but his partner suffered from a traffic accident that paralyzed various parts of his body, leaving him unable to continue performing. This leads to Arata going solo to surpass RAD WEEKEND for the sake of both of their dreams.
- Character Development: While he will still at times gently bully Akito, by THE POWER OF UNITY he isn't the same guy that hands out harsh critiques and has his own set of problems that are holding him back from being the best he can be. He even volunteers to sing in the event Vivid BAD SQUAD was hosting despite initially looking down on them.
- Character Focus: While it's still an Akito event, he gets a lot of focus and Character Development in THE POWER OF UNITY.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Effortlessly beats Akito and Touya in a singing battle in the event story Stray Bad Dog without the need for a partner.
- He ends up on the receiving end of one from Taiga in the event story Bout For Beside You, and again in Light Up the Fire.
- Does Not Like Spam: He dislikes natto.
- First-Name Basis: With Ken and inconsistently with An. When he's initially shown talking about An, he refers to her as "An-chan". However, in a side story for Walk on and on, he refers to her as "Shiraishi-san". As of Find A Way Out, he refers to her as "An-chan" again.
- Freudian Excuse: It's implied that his partner's Career-Ending Injury is the reason for his Jerkass behavior. Averted Trope in that Souma reveals that Arata has always had a teasing personality.
- Foil: To Akito.
- Both characters have multi-colored hair with orange and olive-colored eyes. However, Akito's hair is mostly orange with dyed blonde streaks, while Arata has mostly brown hair with orange streaks. It's unknown if the orange parts of Arata's hair are dyed.
- They both have a dream of surpassing RAD WEEKEND. However, in Akito's case, he needs the help of others to get close to accomplishing his dream, due to his lack of talent compared to the other street musicians he works with. On Arata's end, he's The Ace and has the potential to surpass RAD WEEKEND on his own. That is until THE POWER OF UNITY revealed that his emotional baggage from losing his partner is keeping him from reaching his full potential as a singer.
- Both are introduced as jerkasses but are revealed to be decent people when the story progresses.
- Arata had a partner but was forced to go solo after his partner was partially paralyzed in a traffic accident. Akito almost lost his partner due to his partner's insecurities but was able to convince him to come back to his side and continue performing with him.
- Hidden Depths: As the story progresses, it turns out that there is more to him than that initially meets the eye.
- While initially portrayed as better in skill and more grounded than Akito and by extension, the rest of Vivid BAD SQUAD was, it's revealed in THE POWER OF UNITY that he's just as lost as they are after losing his partner in a traffic accident.
- Despite their hostile first interactions, Souma reveals that Arata was always quite fond of Akito and Toya and talked about them with him frequently during his hospital visits.
- Similarly to Akito, he has a sweet tooth and was elated to find out through Souma (Who found out through Toya) that Akito has one as well.
- I Just Want to Have Friends: Implied to be the reason why he has a change of heart and approaches Vivid BAD SQUAD in THE POWER OF UNITY. As well, an Area Conversation between Akito and Toya reveals that Arata used to sulk around because he didn't have friends that liked sweets like him until Souma informs him that Akito also likes sweets.
- Jerkass: Initially introduced in STRAY BAD DOG as being smug and condescending toward the members of Vivid BAD SQUAD from their first interaction. However, after his Character Development that started from Awakening Beat, he evolves more of a Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While still having a bit of a teasing personality, he becomes nicer and more helpful to the members of Vivid BAD SQUAD after having a change of heart. He also hangs out with the male members more frequently after THE POWER OF UNITY and invites Akito and Toya to the "Pancake and Parfait" fair event after learning through Souma that Akito has a sweet tooth like him.
- Last-Name Basis: He refers to everyone by their last name with honorifics. For example, he refers to Akito as "Shinonome-kun".
- Older Than They Look: While 19 isn't old, he doesn't look much older than Akito and Toya, who are both first years in high school.
- Put on a Bus: On Your Feet reveals that the group's utter defeat under Taiga in Light Up My Fire had Arata leaving to another town due to the Heroic BSoD he sufffered from the defeat and will take some time to come back to Vivid street.
- Smug Smiler: Perpetually has a smug smirk on his face whenever he interacts with Akito in the story.
- Stepford Smiler: Rarely frowns despite the toll Souma's accident has taken on him.
- Stock Shōnen Rival: Presented as one to Vivid BAD SQUAD as a whole due to their shared goal of wanting to surpass RAD WEEKEND, but mainly acts as one to Akito due to the two being Foils to each other. Even after he begins working with the team, he doesn't have much of a relationship with the other members of Vivid BAD SQUAD, save for some passing interactions with Toya, who in turn ends up having a stronger bond with Arata's former partner Souma.
- Sweet Tooth: Is revealed to have a sweet tooth in an Area Conversation between Akito and Toya.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Chocolate parfaits and omelet rice.
- Tsundere: He comes off as smug and condescending toward Akito during most of their interactions, but it's revealed in THE POWER IN UNITY that he's quite fond of him and Toya, so much so that he's talked about them frequently with his hospitalized partner Souma, calling them "funny" and "pleasant". He has talked about them so much that Soma was able to immediately identify them when he brought them along to the hospital Souma was staying in for a visit.
- The Power of Friendship: He learns this in the event THE POWER OF UNITY after realizing that Taiga's advice for him to improve was to realize that he isn't alone.
- The Worf Effect: After curb-stomping BAD DOGS, a duo that is regarded as talented by other street musicians, on his own, he's in turn curb-stomped by Taiga in Bout for Beside You to show off how powerful Taiga is as a singer to the audience.
Souma Miyata
Voiced by: Mutsuki Iwanaka
Arata's former partner and the one who introduced him to RAD WEEKEND. A car accident rendered him bedridden. He was introduced in THE POWER OF UNITY.- Best Friend: Proudly declares himself to be Arata's best friend when he introduces himself to Akito and Toya. This is significant, as it further establishes that he and Arata are no longer "partners" due to his accident.
- Career-Ending Injury: He was a street musician and Arata's partner before a traffic accident rendered him paralyzed in various parts of his body.
- Character Focus: After Toya himself, he's the second most important recurring character in the event Walk on and on, as he spends a good portion of the story mutually-mentoring with Toya on composing music tracks and confiding in him about his situation.
- Delinquent Hair: He has light blonde strands in his otherwise dark brown hair.
- Genki Guy: He's very energetic and friendly despite being bedridden. Arata clarifies that he's come a long way from his depressed state after the accident.
- The Ghost: He was first mentioned in STRAY BAD DOG but not shown on screen. It wasn't until THE POWER OF UNITY that he would receive a proper introduction, four-unit events later.
- Foil: To Toya, which becomes more evident in the event story Walk on and on.
- While they both have a dream of surpassing RAD WEEKEND, Souma was the one who introduced the idea to Arata after taking him to watch the performance, in contrast to Toya who received his dream from Akito.
- They're both opposite Oni's to their respective partners, with Souma being a Red Oni to Arata's Blue Oni, and Toya being a Blue Oni to Akito's Red Oni.
- They both view their partners as irreplaceable parts of their lives, but Souma is incapable of continuing as Arata's partner after his Career-Ending Injury, forcing Arata to carry their dream on his shoulders alone. Toya can carry on chasing his dreams with Akito but was initially held back by his insecurities.
- Innocently Insensitive: He fails to notice Arata's sullen expression after he declares himself to be Arata's "best friend" rather than his "partner" when introducing himself to Akito and Toya.
- Meaningful Name: Named his duo unit with Arata "Gurney Flaps", tying to his belief that as a team, they could cut through the wind and move forward on any road.
- Nice Guy: He certainly gives off a better first impression than his partner Arata, as he's friendly to Akito and Toya upon their first meeting.
- Only Friend: Arata implies that he's the only one regularly visiting Soma while he's in the hospital. That said, Akito and Toya do meet and befriend him in the THE POWER OF UNITY.
- Stepford Smiler: He's more broken up about his condition than he initially let on in THE POWER OF UNITY. He confides in Toya after the two become closer through working together in Walk on and on.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Genki Red Oni to Arata's calmer, more soft-spoken Blue Oni.
- The Mentor: In Walk on and on, he mentors Toya in sampling music.
Harumichi Aoyagi
Voiced by: Kenichi Ono
A 53-year-old classical musician as well as Touya's estranged father. Determined to set Touya down on the path of pursuing classical music, Touya's decision to pursue street music, which he deems as "worthless", enrages him.- Abusive Parents: One of the most prominent examples in the main cast, just after Mafuyu's parents. In Vivid BAD SQUAD's unit story, he had been at odds with his son for years due to Toya's desire to choose a path away from classical music. Several flashbacks and dialogue build upon the abuse Toya suffered at his hands, as it was shown that Toya was deprived of a normal childhood due to never being allowed to play with his friends and being forced to play piano in all of his free time, such as practicing from morning to night on weekends and holidays, or until bedtime after school, even if Toya's fingers began to hurt. Toya's fes story also shows that his father would belittle him if he made a mistake. It wasn't until junior high that Toya realized that he finally had enough and decided to "run away" from that life, venturing into doing street music instead against his father's wishes. By the current day, Toya is traumatized by the sound of classical music and can't be around his father normally for fear that they'll begin to argue about his choices.
- Character Development: Mostly offscreen, but it's been suggested that Toya's father is slowly but surely warming up to the idea of allowing Toya to pursue street music. As well, Toya confirms in an Area Conversation that they've fought much less since the events of Nocturne Interlude.
- Defrosting Ice King: The event story Nocturne Interlude implies that Harumichi may not be all bad, as Toya may have been finally able to get him to see his side of things by pleading with him to view his live performance. It's implied that his father did go to see it and that while he still doesn't understand why Toya doesn't want to choose a better future for himself in classical music, he at least is beginning to understand his son's passion for the path he chose for himself.
- Also implied to be the case as of the event story Same Dreams, Same Colors. While he and Touya still don't completely see eye to eye, he allows Touya to go on his camping trip with Vivid BAD SQUAD because "he has a job to do". That said, according to Touya it did take some convincing in the form of a two-hour presentation on why it was a good idea for him to go.
- In Find A Way Out when Toya tells him he made a song and was happy that his group enjoys it, he coldly tells him there's no point in being a composer if you don't expect your work to be recognized, rather than being supportive. However, When Toya answers back that he's made a big step by creating a song that has meaning, he doesn't debate him on it as he would have in the past.
- Famed Instory: He is a famous classical musician and wants his children to follow the same path as him, whether they have any desire to or not. The fact that Toya is the only one of his children to have gone down a different path frustrates him.
- Family Eye Resemblance: The only thing he and his son Toya have in common appearance-wise is their gray eyes.
- Fantasy-Forbidding Father: Vehemently against Touya pursuing a path in anything except classical music. He views Touya's interest in street music as worthless and doesn't understand why he's so passionate about it. That said, as of "Nocturne Interlude", it's implied that he's beginning to ease up on this mindset.
- Foil: To the Asahina's, Mafuyu's parents. Both are a Fantasy-Forbidding Father to their respective children and disapprove of their children having their dreams and aspirations outside of their chosen careers. The difference is that while Touya was successfully able to rebel against him and was allowed a chance to go follow his path, even if he doesn't fully understand Touya's dream, the Asahina's still held a tight leash over Mafuyu's life and Mafuyu still had a hard time trying to rebel against her parents, especially her mother.
- Generation Xerox: Defied, as Toya is the only one of Harumichi's children to stray away from pursuing a career in classical music, wanting to instead carve out his future performing the music that he wants. However, to a degree, this is also played with, as Toya has admitted to loving music, including classical music, the same as his father, but he's held back by the childhood trauma he experienced at the hands of his parents.
- Jerkass Has a Point: While the other aspects of his character are disagreeable, his annoyance at Toya not respecting his curfew and coming home late at night is at least, in part, justified, as a minor being out in the late hours is dangerous.
- Out of Focus: While he is still mentioned from time to time, he was absent for a long period following the event story Nocturne Interlude. He wouldn't show up again until Toya's fes story, where he only appeared in a brief flashback from Toya's childhood. He doesn't show up again until Find A Way Out.
- Pet the Dog:
- The end of Nocturne Interlude implies that Harumichi took in Toya's passionate appeal to him and attended the live show where he performed with Vivid BAD SQUAD. He also allows Toya to go on an overnight camping trip with Vivid BAD SQUAD in Same Dreams, Same Colors, though it took Toya showing him a two-hour long presentation on why it was important for him to go for him to be convinced.
- An Area Conversation between An and Toya reveals that while he already had top schools picked out for Toya to attend, he allowed him to attend Kamiyama High School because Toya wanted to go to the same school as Tsukasa (And Akito, though Tsukasa had to be used as leverage). This is zig-zagged, however, because it was less about what his son wanted and more about him knowing and trusting Tsukasa's parents. Toya even thanks Tsukasa's parents for being the reason he was able to attend the same school as Tsukasa and Akito.
- In An's "Limited Menu Survey!" side story, Toya reveals that he does buy Toya the Christmas presents he asks for.
- Shared Family Quirks: His favorite food is his wife's cookies, the same as his son's.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Downplayed Trope. The only thing he and his son seem to have in common physically is their grey eyes.
- Unnamed Parent: In-game he's only referred to as "Toya's Father". However, the official Twitter account revealed his name as "Aoyagi Harumichi".
- Younger Than They Look: He looks pretty rough for someone who is supposed to be 53.
Kotaro Mita
Voiced by: Hiromu Mineta
A fellow street musician and an acquaintance of BAD DOGS. Due to believing An isn't talented and is simply using her father's popularity to get ahead, he sabotages Vivids' performance to help BAD DOGS and Vivids "confront" each other. He is 17 years old.- Ascended Extra: He didn't have much of a role beyond the main story other than being Akito and Toya's friend who would occasionally pop up to share some new plot-relevant information with the characters. In THE POWER OF UNITY, his role in the story is expanded on as he declares his desire to surpass RAD WEEKEND, solidifying him as a friendly rival to Vivid BAD SQUAD. He also performs in the first-ever event they hosted as a team.
- Brutal Honesty: In the main story, he outright tells BAD DOGS that while their performance was good, it wasn't enough to surpass RAD WEEKEND.
- Butt-Monkey: Appears to be set up for this role whenever he appears, as Akito bullies him and An doesn't remember who he is the moment he becomes plot relevant again. This carries over even into his anthology appearance.
- The Cameo: In the second-anniversary animated music video for "Journey" he can be briefly seen in the recap segment for THE POWER OF UNITY.
- Cool Big Bro: He started to take his music more seriously because he wants to be one for his baby brother.
- Does Not Like Spam: He doesn't like strawberry-flavored things, with the exception of jam.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Initially only referred to as "Musician" before his real name was revealed.
- Forgettable Character: Between Vivid BAD SQUAD's unit story, STRAY BAD DOG and THE POWER OF UNITY, he was largely Out of Focus, and An had to ask who he was again a few times.
- Friendly Rivalry: With Vivid BAD SQUAD (but mostly Akito) as of THE POWER OF UNITY as he declared that he also wants to surpass RAD WEEKEND.
- Hidden Depths: While lightly implied in THE POWER OF UNITY, Light Up the Fire reveals that he's pretty emotionally sensitive and has self-confidence issues. In the latter event, Taiga challenges him and the other street musicians to a singing battle following the reveal of Nagi's death, and he's by far the most intimidated and overwhelmed by Taiga's challenge, and is insulted by Taiga and the Vivid Street audience for his poor performance. He breaks down crying afterwards, calling himself an idiot for not being able to sing at such a crucial moment, before continuing to sob and lament about how pathetic he thinks he is. He ends up revealing that he already knew that he was a weaker performer than everyone else but hearing Taiga call him weak to his face has convinced him to give up on his dream of surpassing RAD WEEKEND, and he runs away crying.Kotaro: Why... why!? Why would I not be able to sing at all at such an important moment!? Why am I so... stupid, and spineless, and just so fucking shitty at everything!? (sobs)
- Mirror Character: To Kohane. Both were inspired to take street music more seriously after seeing how hard Vivid BAD SQUAD worked (or in Kohane's case, the other members) towards pursuing their dream of surpassing RAD WEEKEND. Both also have self-confidence issues and believe that they're holding their teammates back, although Kohane was eventually able to overcome this while Kotaro quit because of it.
- Nice Guy: Beyond the dick move he pulled in the main story and his suspicions toward An, he's proved to not be that bad of a person and is a loyal friend of the BAD DOGS members.
- Practically Different Generations: He's slightly older than the Vivid BAD SQUAD membersnote and he has a baby brother.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Strawberries.
- Tragically Misguided Favor: In the Vivid BAD SQUAD main story, Akito and An agree to hold a friendly competition at a live event, but the Musician for BAD DOGS, in an attempt to allow BAD DOGS to win, sabotages the event during Vivid's performance by cutting the sound. While An manages to rerail the event even without the music, Kohane is left extremely shaken from stage fright. However, Akito takes credit for the sabotage and claims that he was trying to prove that Kohane wasn't ready for the big stage (in a Cruel to Be Kind manner).
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Akito is noticeably more hostile toward him than he is to his other friends, and Koutaro is at times intimidated by him, but they're otherwise shown to be close. Find A Way Out confirms that they have known each other since before Akito met An or Toya.Akito: You guys, let's start practicing.
Koutaro: Oh, are you going to practice now? Then count me in!
Akito: (angrily) Ah?
Koutaro: W-why are you still angry?!
Tatsuya Okazaki
Voiced by: Rio Takahashi
The leader of the music group EVER. Debuted in Singing in Sync. He is 22 years old.- As You Know: Walk on and on reminds players that he's in the group EVER, for those that forgot he existed due to his status of being previously Live2D modeless.
- Delinquent Hair: His hair is mostly blonde with a dark brown underlayer. It's unknown if it's natural like An and Toya's multi-colored hair or bleached and dyed like Akito's.
- No Name Given: His character wasn't given a name until the event story Walk on and on.
- Older Than They Look: He's 22, but he looks like he'd be older than Vivid BAD SQUAD (a group of first years by his debut) by one or two years at his oldest looks-wise.
- Out of Focus: While he existed as far back as Singing in Sync, which was the first Vivid BAD SQUAD unit event, his event appearances were infrequent likely due to his lack of a Live2D model.
- Remember the New Guy?: Downplayed compared to other examples of this trope. While he existed as early as the Vivid BAD SQUAD event story Singing in Sync, he didn't have a Live2D model, thusly remaining as The Unseen and The Voiceless until Walk on and on. From there, his Live2D model and voice acting were retroactively added to his previous story appearances.
- Unseen No More: He was finally given a name, Live2D model, and voice acting as of Walk on and on.
Kohane's Father
- Doting Parent: From what we learn of him, he's very much this to Kohane, frequently taking pictures of her and wanting to record her practicing her singing, much to Kohane's embarrassment.
- The Ghost: Stands out as the only father in the Vivid BAD SQUAD storyline to never show up onscreen in any form, as he's only mentioned in passing primarily by Kohane and occasionally by her friends.
- Generation Xerox: He's noted to be a photographer, which is a hobby his daughter takes an interest in.
- Good Parents: Kohane mentions her father often enough in her voice lines and she is shown to have a good relationship with him. Mr. Azusawa is also doting and while initially skeptical, he is supportive of his daughter's new dream, making him one of the few good parents in the cast.
- Open-Minded Parent: He's skeptical but ultimately supportive of Kohane's dream to pursue street music. He even allows her to perform at live houses late at night despite initially believing they were dangerous.
Other Aoyagi Family Members
Tropes concerning Toya's other family members, which consist of his two older brothers and mother.
- Aloof Older Brother: In Nocturne Interlude, Toya explains that his two older brothers are indifferent to his predicament with their father, as they chose to go down the path of classical music.
- Abusive Parents: Toya's mother, though to a lesser degree than Harumichi as far as the players are shown. She was complicit in Toya's abuse because she believed that his following the path of classical music was best for him, banning him from doing pretty much anything in his free time lest he get injured and be unable to practice.
- Commonality Connection: Toya's mother is a classical musician just like her husband, Harumichi.
- Generation Xerox: Toya's mother is a classical musician like her husband, and so are her children except for Toya, who "ran away" from it to become a street musician instead.
- Foreshadowing: Toya's "Aoyagi Household Christmas Party" side story foreshadows his brothers coming home one day so that he can confront them over their past and the progress he made with their father.
- The Ghost: Toya's two older brothers, who are only mentioned in passing and don't appear in the story due to studying abroad.
- No Name Given: Unlike her husband and even though she has dialogue in the story, Toya's mother has yet to be named. Toya's older brothers qualify as well.
- Parental Neglect: A flashback reveals that Toya's mother acted dismissively toward him when he attempted to vent to her about how hard his father was pushing him during practice, leaving him with no one to talk to as his older brothers were similarly apathetic to his situation. Toya mentions that she also played a part in depriving him of a normal childhood, as he wasn't allowed to participate in sports and other physical activities at school for fear that an injury would make him unable to continue practicing music.
- Pet the Dog: While the Parental Neglect angle is still there, there are several hints that suggest that Toya's mother isn't all bad. Or, at least, not as bad as his father initially was:
- Cookies became Toya's favorite food because his mother makes them for him every year on his birthday.
- In one Area Conversation, it's revealed that Toya's mother recorded one of his father's performances for him to watch later since he missed it while it was airing. Toya happily thinks to himself that he'll ask her to watch it together with him later.
- Practically Different Generations: Toya explains in his "A Bond Between Siblings" side story that his two brothers are much older than him, and they went abroad to study while he was still young, leaving him with few memories of them behaving like siblings. Considering the age of his father (53) and the fact that Toya was a young child in the flashback when interacting with a child Tsukasa, it's likely that his brothers are well into adulthood in the present day.
Shota Hayashi
An old friend of Akito's who used to play on the same soccer team as him before Akito quit. He debuted in the event The Sounds of a Summer Festival!.
- Childhood Friends: With Akito, as they were friends in elementary school and played on the same soccer team, though they grew apart after Akito abruptly quit soccer.
- The Ghost: Played With. While he does show up, he doesn't have a Live2D model or voice acting unlike most other NPCs in the Vivid BAD SQUAD storyline.
- Nice Guy: Cares about Akito's well-being despite rarely getting to speak with him after Akito stopped playing soccer. He also invites BAD DOGS to perform at two different festivals after watching their initial live house performance in The Sounds of a Summer Festival!.
- We Used to Be Friends: His relationship with Akito, as the two drifted apart after Akito quit soccer and began to pursue music instead. Akito makes the first move to mend their friendship in his "The Loud Cheering Full of Excitement" second side story.
Vivi
Vivi cameo in Airi's "Captivated by Cuteness" 3☆
A gray, striped stray cat that lives on Vivid Street and is loved by the street musicians that frequent there. Like Vivid Streets visitors, the cat has an interest in music and approaches people who can sing. If she doesn't like their singing, she passes them by. "Vivi" debuted in the event Wishing for Your Happiness Upon the Blue Sky!.- Absent Animal Companion: While her role in Wishing for Your Happiness Upon the Blue Sky! was minor in the first place, the cat has yet to make a proper appearance again after that event ended.
- Ambiguous Gender: It's never outright stated what gender Vivi is, though considering she's referred to as "Vivi-chan", she's likely female.
- Amplified Animal Aptitude: Downplayed Trope. Unlike the other strays that inhabit Vivid Street, Vivi has a fondness for music and approaches people that can sing well. If she doesn't like their singing, she ignores them. Because of this, she has garnered the reputation of being a cat that understands music and is loved and respected by the musicians on Vivid Street, who work hard to improve their singing so that they can be approached by Vivi. Beyond this quirk, she's not suggested to be any more intelligent than the average cat, however.
- The Cameo: Vivi shows up as a cameo in Airi's "Captivated by Cuteness" 3☆.
- Meaningful Name: She was named "Vivi" after Vivid Street where she lives.
- Remember the New Guy?: A minor example. In Wishing for Your Happiness Upon the Blue Sky!, An talks about Vivi as if it had been an inhabitant of Vivid Street for some time, at least long enough to have built up a reputation, and Kohane mentions having seen it around before. However, Vivi was never mentioned before Wishing for Your Happiness Upon the Blue Sky! and Akito and Toya don't seem to know who she is.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: A minor plot point in Wishing for Your Happiness Upon the Blue Sky! is Vivi mysteriously disappearing and An worrying that she may have been run over by a truck. She turns out to be safe in the end.
Wonderlands × Showtime Minor Characters
Rabbit Kigurumi
Voiced by: Naoyuki Shimozuru
A rabbit suit of Kigurumi, one of the Phoenix Wonderland mascots. Debuted in the Wonderlands × Showtime main story.- Ascended Extra: Petit SEKAI has him performing in one of WxS's shows, something that he's not yet been shown doing in the game proper.
- The Faceless: Never seen without his mascot costume so what he looks like beneath it is unknown.
- Goofy Suit: Wears the Rabbit Kigurumi suit in all of his appearances.
- Jerkass: Only interested in protecting Emu, who is implied to be his charge, and is cold and professional to everyone else.
- Mysterious Protector: He often appears watching over Emu and will act aggressively when Emu is in danger. Rui theorizes that he's Emu's bodyguard in disguise.
- No Name Given: He's only ever referred to as "Rabbit Kigurumi" in the game.
- Would Hurt a Child: Doesn't hesitate to strong-arm a teenage Tsukasa into working with Emu in the main story.
Nenerobo
Voiced by: Machico
A robot Rui made in the likeness of Nene so that she can perform without having to be on-stage herself. After Nene overcame her stage fright, Nenerobo remains an important of the group's shows as Rui upgrades it to be able to move and dance alongside Nene without being directly controlled by her.- Barely-Changed Dub Name: She's called Robo=Nene in the English version.
- Do-Anything Robot: Slowly becoming one over time, as Rui keeps adding more and more features, like measuring sounds in decibels and translating Emu's "language".
- Expy: She's basically a robotic version of Mikudayo, right down to the Super-Deformed aesthetic. Interestingly, Mikudayo appears in the story alongside her as a mascot suit. They also sing together in "Tokugawa Cup Noodle Kinshirei".
- Informed Attribute: Ena describes Nenerobo as "coming up to [her] waist". The Live2D models have them standing more equal in height.
- Modesty Shorts: In the HAPPINESS episode of Journey to Bloom, Nenerobo is shown wearing shorts under her skirt when Tsukasa was apologizing to Nene for yelling at her when their show went south.
- Perpetual Smiler: Due to having a static facial expression.
- Remote Body: Originally, Nenerobo was controlled by Nene remotely so she could perform without being seen on-stage. However, since Nene has overcome her Performance Anxiety, Rui upgraded Nenerobo to be autonomous.
- Robot Buddy: To Nene. She treats Nenerobo like an actual person sometimes, like when she apologized to it in chapter 15 of WxS story for leaving it behind after making it perform in her place.
- Robot Me: She's a shorter, robotic version of Nene.
- Stylistic Suck: Nenerobo was explicitly designed in the image of the infamous Mikudayo, and has a disproportionately-sized face, stubby limbs, and no neck.
- Token Robot: While the rest of Wonderlands x Showtime are actual humans (not counting their Sekai), she is a robot, making her stand out.
Mikudayo
Voiced by: Hatsune Miku
A human-sized Nendoroid mascot costume that was created in the image of Hatsune Miku, as the name implies. In the game, it was found backstage by Miku and is occasionally worn by the characters. The only thing it ever says is "Mikudayo".- Ambiguous Situation: It's never explained why the Mikudayo mascot suit shows up in Wonderland SEKAI as before meeting the Miku in the main story it isn't indicated that Tsukasa had a special interest or connection to Miku herself.
- Ascended Extra: Initially introduced as a mascot costume rather than a proper character, she sings alongside Nenerobo and the Crypton Virtual Singers in "Tokugawa Cup Noodle Kinshirei".
- Ascended Meme: Was a long-running meme in the Vocaloid fandom years before she made an official appearance in this game.
- Creepy Mascot Suit: It's either creepy or cute depending on your perception.
- Goofy Suit: A human-sized Hatsune Miku V2 Nendoroid suit that appeared in Wonderland SEKAI for unexplained reasons. It's so far been worn by Wonderland Miku herself, as well as KAITO.
- Pokémon Speak: Most of her dialogue is her saying her name.
- Stylistic Suck: It looks like a Super-Deformed version of Hatsune Miku V2.
- You Don't Look Like You: Or rather, it doesn't look like Wonderlands × Showtimes version of Miku despite being a mascot costume that inexplicably showed up in their SEKAI. No one ever comments on this, likely due to knowing what the original Miku looked like.
Sakurako Seiryuin
Voiced by: Hisako Tōjō
The diva of the Phoenix Stage, the number one troupe of Phoenix Wonderland. She debuted in On this Holy Night, I Sing.- Always Someone Better: Not only her troupe, Phoenix Stage, which is the number one troupe in Phoenix Wonderland, but also her as a character to Wonderlands x Showtime as a group. She is particularly antagonistic to Nene, as she looked down upon Nene's struggles with inferiority and fear of failure until Nene proves herself by the ending of the event "On this Holy Night, I Sing".
- Ascended Fangirl: Dreamed of becoming a show cast member in Phoenix Wonderland since she was small. At 17, she's the songstress of Pheonix Stage.
- Does Not Like Spam: She dislikes Konjac.
- Full-Name Basis: Tsukasa always refers to her by her full name, to her annoyance.
- Kick the Dog: She spends most of "On this Holy Night, I Sing" going out of her way to belittle the members of Wonderlands x Showtime in any way she can, whether it be insulting their stage, demeaning their talent, or deliberately provoking their personal issues.
- Lovable Alpha Bitch: Proved herself to be this when she used her influence to help Wonderlands x Showtime get the rest of Phoenix Wonderland's staff together to perform one grand show to save the park from being drastically changed in Wonder Magical Showtime!
- The Cameo:
- She was one of the characters that attended Tsukasa's birthday party at Pheonix Wonderland in 4koma #108.
- Briefly appears in the animated MV for NEO during the segment showing Tsukasa's audition in Towards the Phoenix at the Sky's Edge.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Roll cake.
- Tsundere: She is impressed with WonderlandsXShowtime on some occasions, but otherwise, she refuses to admit to it.
- The Rival: The group she is in serves as one to WonderlandsXShowtime due to being the top entertainment troupe of Phoenix Wonderland. However, in ''Wonder Magical Showtime!" she is willing to put the rivalry aside to save the park.
- Tsurime Eyes: Befitting her Tsundere personality.
- Worthy Opponent: Declares Nene a worthy competitor after being moved to tears by her singing before running off in On this Holy Night, I Sing.
Kounosuke Otori
Voiced by: Masaki Aizawa
One of the owners of Pheonix Wonderland and Emu, Keisuke, Hinata, and Shousuke's father. He debuted in the event story Smile of Dreamer.- Does Not Like Spam: Cough drop candy.
- Family Theme Naming: All of the male names of the family end with "suke".
- Strong Family Resemblance: Keisuke looks more like him than any of his other children do, aside from Keisuke's pink eyes.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Apple candy from fairs.
Keisuke Otori
Voiced by: Hikaru Hanada
Emu's older brother who debuted in the event story Smile of Dreamer. One of the owners of Pheonix Wonderland, he currently works as the theme park's manager alongside Shousuke.- Aloof Big Brother: Toward Emu. He has gotten better over time and by Pop of my Heart!!, he treats her fairly nicely.
- Cool Big Bro: By A Desperate Situation!? Island Panic!, he has become this to his younger sister, Emu.
- Does Not Like Spam: He doesn't like chocolate.
- Family Eye Resemblance: He has pink eyes like his sister Emu.
- Family Theme Naming: His name ends with '-suke', just like his father and brother.
- Nice Mean And In Between: The in-between to Hinata's nice and Shousuke's mean.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: He was until the end of Wonder Magical Showtime!.
- Practically Different Generations: He's 30 years old, making high school-aged Emu half of his age. Hinata is also a decade younger than him.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Pink eyes aside, of the Otori siblings he looks the most like their father.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Dried horse mackerel.
Shousuke Otori
Voiced by: Atsushi Imaruoka
Emu's older brother who debuted in the event story Smile of Dreamer. One of the owners of Pheonix Wonderland, he currently works as the theme park's manager alongside Keisuke.- Big Brother Bully: Toward Emu, being more abrasive to her than the straight-laced Keisuke. He has gotten better over time and by Pop of my Heart!!, he treats her nicer, only being mildly annoyed when she acts too enthusiastically.
- Cool Big Bro: By A Desperate Situation!? Island Panic!, he has become this to his younger sister, Emu. That said, he is still a bit harsher toward her than Keisuke is due to having less patience for her energy.
- Family Eye Resemblance: He has pink eyes like his siblings.
- Family Theme Naming: His name ends with "suke", just like his father and brother.
- Nice Mean And In Between: The mean to Hinata's nice and Keisuke's in-between.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: He was until the end of Wonder Magical Showtime!.
- Older Than They Look: He's 27 but looks more like a young adult than someone who is nearing 30.
- Picky Eater: He dislikes green peppers.
- Practically Different Generations: He's 27 years old, making him significantly older than his high school-aged sister, Emu.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Specifically in the Desperate Times?! Island Panic! event. When the members of WonderlandsxShowtime are talking about their future plans, he comments that he's surprised that they aren't planning on sticking together for as long as they possibly can, making the members realise that their future plans would involve the disbandment of the group not very far into the future. This passing comment kicks off WonderlandsxShowtime's second arc regarding the members' feelings about disbanding in future, which was the focus of multiple events after this one.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Corndogs.
Hinata Otori
Voiced by: Satomi Moriya
Emu's older sister debuted in the event Smile of Dreamer. She is currently attending college.- Big Eater: She has an even bigger appetite than her sister Emu, according to said sister.
- Cool Big Sis: As the friendliest of Emu's siblings, Emu looks up a lot to her, and even sometimes goes to places with her like shopping.
- Does Not Like Spam: Averted; like her younger sister, she notably doesn't have a least favorite food.
- Family Eye Resemblance: She has pink eyes like her siblings.
- Friend to All Children: She plans to get a job related to children in the future.
- Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: She's soft and feminine compared to her spunkier younger sister, however, her hobby is playing softball.
- The Generic Girl: Compared to her brothers who debuted as antagonistic figures and had gotten Character Development over time, she is comparatively less defined and is simply the nice, supportive sibling.
- Nice Girl: She's the kindest of Emu's older siblings.
- Nice Mean And In Between: The gentle and kind-hearted nice to Shousukes mean and Keisuke's in-between.
- Older Than They Look: She's 20 years old but could easily pass for a high school student.
- Practically Different Generations: She's 20, making her 10 years younger than her oldest brother, Keisuke.
- Rose-Haired Sweetie: The kindest of Emu's siblings who has dark pink hair.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Downplayed Trope, but her dark-pink hair matched with her pink eyes makes her look closer to her younger sister Emu than her other siblings.
- Spoiled Sweet: Comes from a rich family and is the kindest of Emu's siblings.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: The soft Girly Girl to Emu's spunky Tomboy.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Peaches.
Jean Riley
Voiced by: Shouto Kashii
The CEO of Riley Entertainment, a large company that manages the world-famous IP.- Expy: One to Walt Disney. Even his amusement park is the Colorful Stage! equivalent of Disneyland.
- Nice Guy: He was interested in making a business partnership with Pheonix Wonderland to boost its popularity but backed off after watching the members of Wonderlands x Showtime perform, believing they had what it took to make it successful themselves one day.
- Phenotype Stereotype: Downplayed Trope, as he is a White-American man with pale blonde hair and greenish-gray eyes.
Yuuka Kazamatsuri
Voiced by: Emiko Takeuchi
A world-famous actress that debuted in Mermaid Admiration. She is Nene's role model and the reason Nene aspires to become an actress. She is currently 31 years old.- Does Not Like Spam: Fish-and-chips (because she was expecting horse mackerel and it wasn't).
- Constantly Curious: Her profile says that despite her calm appearance, she is actually full of curiosity and has a strong spirit of challenge.
- Famed Instory: She's a world-famous actress and the source of Nene's desire to become an actress as well.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Deep-fried horse mackerel.
Rakunosuke Otori
Voiced by: Hasu Takehiro
Emu's late grandfather and the former owner of Pheonix Wonderland. He once worked with Jean Riley as an adviser and collaborator to help create his first move, "Smiley".- Does Not Like Spam: Surströmming.
- For Happiness: He built Pheonix Wonderland because he wanted to make people around the world smile.
- Manchild: Described as having been innocent like a boy despite his old age.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Taiyaki, just like his granddaughter.
- Posthumous Character : He died several years before the Wonderlands x Showtime unit story began.
- Self-Made Man: Downplayed Trope. He came from a rich family but built Pheonix Wonderland from scratch without relying on his family's wealth.
Asahi Genbu
Voiced by: Kaito Ishikawa
Debuted in the event A Sorrowful Farewell at the Curtain Call. He is a member of Tokyo ArcLand and an up-and-coming actor. He is currently 18 years old.- Ambiguously Gay: Outright says he fell in love with Tsukasa's portrayal of Miles, with the Kanji and phrasing used strongly suggesting it was in a romantic sense. He's also a big fan of Tsukasa in general, and fanboys over him upon their first meeting.
- Commonality Connection: He bonds with Rui over their mutual respect and admiration for their hero Tom Gray, and their desire to put on a show that brings the world together. This is what prompts him to scout Rui to become a director at Tokyo ArcLand.
- Contrived Coincidence: He met Rui's director inspiration Tom Gray at the border shelter he stayed in when he was a child due to Tom Gray volunteering there from the neighboring country. This gives him and Rui something to bond over, since they both look up to him.
- Dark and Troubled Past: When he was a child, he lived abroad with his parents in a war-torn country, and eventually became separated from them when a gun conflict broke out. He lived alone in an evacuation shelter as a refugee for a while, isolated from those around him due to being unable to communicate with them in the language they spoke. While he was eventually reunited with his parents, the experience followed him into his teenage years, and his understanding of being in a war-like situation can be felt by the members of Wonderlands x Showtime during his performance in the play "Two Androids".
- Famed In-Story: He's an up-and-coming actor who has appeared in various movies and dramas on TV.
- Fanboy: He's unabashedly a fan of Wonderlands × Showtime despite being part of a popular theatre trope himself.
- Fan of the Underdog: He's a big fan of Wonderlands × Showtime despite being quite famous himself, especially Tsukasa.
- Nice Guy: He's very kind to the members of Wonderlands × Showtime and helps them improve their acting for their final promotional performance. He also backs off of asking Rui to work with him at ArcLand after seeing Rui's pained expression, telling him that his place is with Wondershow.
Nightcord at 25:00 Minor Characters
Kanade's Father
Voiced by: Wataru Usami
The person who inspired Kanade to write and compose songs.- Curse: Despite definitely not meaning to, he ended up leaving Kanade with one. Him praising Kanade and asking her to continue composing songs that can make people happy turned from an encouragement to a curse after he got hospitalized, as Kanade believes that fulfilling her father's request is the only thing she can do to atone for what she believed to be her fault, and it became the only thing that keeps her going despite wanting to disappear so badly.
- Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: He usually sports these, making him look tired and exhausted.
- Easy Amnesia: After being surpassed by Kanade musically, he collapsed from the built-up stress and fatigue, becoming a hospital-bound amnesiac as a result. As of Carnation Recollection, he's gradually recovering from his memory loss issues, but he still didn't recognize his Kanade as his daughter.
- Failed a Spot Check: In Carnation Recollection, he holds a conversation with Kanade and doesn't notice the fact that she strongly resembles a younger version of his wife with blue eyes. Even after she tells him her name, which he points out is the same name that he and his wife had planned to name their daughter, he fails to connect the dots.
- Good Parents: One of the few examples in the game; Kanade's father is supportive of his daughter and tried his best to make a living for her sake. Even after Kanade outshone him without effort, never once did he curse or hate her in his diary; in fact, he has nothing but praise towards her despite being hurt.
- Locked Out of the Loop: In Carnation Recollection, due to his amnesia, he doesn't recognize that Kanade is his daughter and believes his wife is still alive and pregnant with their child. Kanade pretends to be the stranger to spare him the grief of not remembering his daughter and the fact that his wife is long dead.
- Parents as People: He's a good father to Kanade, but his inability to create music that's "modern", difficulty in fulfilling his clients' requests, and Kanade outshining him effortlessly took a heavy toll on his mind. Despite trying his best to continue to support Kanade, in the end, the stress and work become too much and he succumbed to a coma, leaving his daughter alone.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Inverted Trope. He looks nothing like his daughter and it's shown from a flashback that she more closely resembles her deceased mother.
- Unnamed Parent: He's only called "Kanade's Father", even in his official profile.
Kanade's Mother
Voiced by: Ai Yamamoto
The beloved wife and mother of Yoisaki family, who died a few years before the event of the game. She first appears through flashbacks in Carnation Recollection.- Caring Gardener: She had a fondness for gardening in life, which also ties into her Flower Motifs.
- Deceased Parents Are the Best: She was one of the few Good Parents in the cast and died long before the Nightcord at 25:00 unit story took place. While Kanade's father isn't an inherently bad parent, the stress he endured after being surpassed by Kanade musically left him amnesiac and hospital-bound, leaving Kanade depressed and struggling alone for years.
- Does Not Like Spam: Goya.
- Flower Motifs: Carnation, which symbolizes motherly love. It's her favorite flower, and Kanade said that her mother always keeps some around the house.
- Good Parents: From what little we've seen of her and how fondly Kanade remembers her, it's clear that she was a good mother to her daughter.
- Irony: She's died from an illness long before the Nightcord at 25:00 unit story happens, and only appears very occasionally in flashbacks. Despite this, she's the only mother character in the entire cast that has a Live2D model at least until Immiscible Discord where Mafuyu's mom gets her Live2D.
- Missing Mom: She died from an illness when Kanade was a child.
- Motherly Side Plait: Has her hair done in this way, which further emphasizes her motherly nature.
- Older Than They Look: She was 30 years old when she died but looked to be in her early to mid-'20s instead.
- Posthumous Character: She's long gone by the event of the game, and only appears through flashbacks.
- Strong Family Resemblance: It's clear that Kanade took after her mother rather than her father, as the only physical difference between her and her daughter are their eye colors, height, and hairstyles.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Deep-fried tofu.
- Unnamed Parent: She's only referred to as "Kanade's Mother", even in her official profile.
Mafuyu's Mother (UNMARKED SPOILERS)
Voiced by: Megumi Toyoguchi
Mafuyu's mother, who nurtured her daughter to become the "perfect girl". She is the driving force behind Mafuyu's conflict, and the primary antagonist for N25's story as a whole.- Abusive Parents: While initially more subtle and seemingly not as bad as some of the other examples in the game, Mafuyu's mother disregards Mafuyu's feelings in favor of her focusing on her studies and keeping up her grades, leading her to become the Empty Shell of a person that she is shown to be now. She might actually be the worst example of this in the game now, as the more the players learn about her, the more monstrous she becomes.
- Arch-Enemy: Saying Goodbye to the Masked Me makes it clear that Mafuyu's mother hates Kanade and considers her to be the reason why Mafuyu is no longer the "perfect daughter".
- Awesomeness by Analysis: In Guiding a Lost Child to What Lies Beyond, Mafuyu skips her mock exam to join N25 in Phoenix Wonderland and lies to her mother by saying that she got sick and has to rest at a friend's house, thus missing the exam. Mafuyu's mother got suspicious because not only did Mafuyu call in late if she supposedly did get sick, but this is also the first time that Mafuyu broke curfew; she then remembered Mafuyu saying that she got interested in music thanks to a friend of hers, and proceeds to call the school to presumably cross-check her claims. Apparently, Mafuyu inherits this trait from her mother.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Mafuyu's mother is, at first glance, a kind and very pleasant woman who cares greatly for Mafuyu, but beneath that she has emotionally manipulated Mafuyu to do whatever she asks her to do and doesn't really care about her feelings at all. She is so good at it, in fact, that even Kanade - who knew what her parenting had done to Mafuyu - had difficulty finding faults with her as a person when she first met her, aside from feeling that something is amiss.
- Crocodile Tears: Mafuyu's mother uses this tactic on her in order to guilt her into changing her mind about pursuing a career in music. She might have done it again in Saying Goodbye to the Masked Me, though it's left ambiguous.
- Determinator: Ever since Someday, This Wish Will Transcend the Morning Sky, Mafuyu's mother has been trying to find anything suspicious on Mafuyu's computer to no avail, as Mafuyu was paranoid enough to hide both the Nightcord app and her work with N25 in a hidden folder. Come Immiscible Discord, seeing Mafuyu with bags under her eyes in the morning made her redouble her efforts, until she manages to find the hidden folder seemingly through sheer persistence.
- Dramatic Irony: Despite wanting Mafuyu to become a doctor, Saying Goodbye to the Masked Me reveals that it was her action of staying by little Mafuyu's side and feeding her apples all day during flashbacks in Mirage of Lights that made Mafuyu want to become a nurse.
- The Dreaded: Mafuyu's mother inspires such a fear in Mafuyu that the mere thought of disappointing her could give her a panic attack. This isn't only limited to Mafuyu either, as in Immiscible Discord, Kanade felt her back going cold when she talks with her, and even after she got home in her card story, Kanade still felt the lingering chill in her back and hands.
- Education Mama: She is very academically minded and has repeatedly crushed Mafuyu's dreams and aspirations because she believes that she should focus on her studies, for example, steering her away from being a nurse and telling her that she should aim to be a doctor instead. Her influence is one of the biggest reasons why Mafuyu suffers from so much psychological torment and is unable to find a sense of control and stability in her life.
- Elemental Motifs: Ice, or more specifically coldness, for Mafuyu's mother. No matter how sweet she talks and acts, Mafuyu never feels warmth from her mother anymore, only numbing coldness. Similarly, Kanade felt her back and hands going cold when she finally meets and talks with her in-person.
- Faux Affably Evil: Mafuyu's mother never drops her polite and kind demeanor, even when manipulating her daughter and doing everything she can to crush her dreams and identity until Saying Goodbye to the Masked Me where it finally cracks for a moment.
- Foil: Two examples:
- They serve as one to Touya's father, Harumichi, as parents who disapprove of their children having dreams outside of the paths they've chosen for them. However, they differ in that Harumichi's child successfully rebelled against him and eventually convinced him to relent, even though he doesn't fully understand his son's dream. Mafuyu's parents, meanwhile, still have a strong hold on Mafuyu's current life and future, as Mafuyu hasn't had the confidence to stand up to her parents and they still don't realize the effect their parenting has had on their child. As of Saying Goodbye to My Masked Self, Mafuyu has come to realise the faults of her mother and reveals her true feelings about wanting to be a nurse. However, she is unable to reason with her mother and ultimately runs away from home.
- The Asahina couple (mostly Mafuyu's mother) also serve as one to the Shinonomes, but specifically with Ena's father, Shin'ei, in regards to how they handle their children's chosen career paths. While Mafuyu's parents strictly steer Mafuyu to become a doctor and Mafuyu's mother especially wants for Mafuyu to stay as a "good girl" for her, Shin'ei Shinonome, on the other hand, disapproved of Ena wanting to become an artist like he was out of misguided concern that she won't be able to handle the lack of appreciation well. He otherwise didn't dissuade her further when she went ahead to become an artist on her own accord and he lets Akito become a street musician. This goes for the other parent as well, as Ena's mother is much kindlier and is loving and accommodating towards Ena (even keeping drawings Ena had thrown away), while Mafuyu's father is more mindful of Mafuyu's feelings and is softer towards her despite his own neglect.
- Hate Sink: Mafuyu's mother only exists to be a genuinely terrible person towards her daughter, micromanaging every aspect of Mafuyu's life to force her to fit her idealized image of a "perfect girl" with every expectation that she'll be subservient to her directions. There's very little depth or justification given for why she acts this way, unlike Toya's and Ena's father explanation, and for most fans the most common emotions towards her is sheer hatred and disgust.
- The Heavy: Undoubtedly the most prominent antagonist in the game, as she is the main reason why Mafuyu became as broken as she is, leading to the creation of the Empty SEKAI. Unlike other examples in the game (like Iori or Emu's brothers), whose antagonistic role only last for a few events, Mafuyu's mother retains this status for years, and the majority of N25's story and events had been building up for an eventual confrontation between Mafuyu and her mother. Even when it finally happened in Saying Goodbye to the Masked Me, the conflict is not yet fully resolved because Mafuyu ran away from home, and it seems she will remain as an antagonist for the foreseeable future.
- He Who Must Not Be Seen: She initially doesn't have a model or voice despite appearing numerous times in the story, which is strange as there have been numerous NPCs that only appear once and yet were still given a full model and voice. The fact that she's only given a voice and model when she meets with Kanade in chapter 7 and 8 of Immiscible Discord, despite showing up in chapter 1 and 5 of the event, implies that it might be tied into how Mafuyu perceives her parents.
- Irony: Mafuyu's mother claims that she wants to make Mafuyu the "happiest child in the world" despite both not at all caring about what actually makes her daughter happy and being the source of her turmoil.
- It's All About Me: Mafuyu's mother claims that she cares about Mafuyu and that she just wants what is best for her, but it becomes apparent in Immiscible Discord that all she cares about is what makes herself happy, to the point that when Kanade told her that Mafuyu had wanted to disappear before and begs her to allow Mafuyu to continue her work with N25 as a way for her to cope and relax, she instead believes that talking to Mafuyu about how being a doctor is more important than making music with N25 will make all of her suffering magically disappear, not compromising even just a little bit to give what Mafuyu actually wants.
- Similarly in Saying Goodbye to the Masked Me, when Mafuyu finally tells her mother that she doesn't want to be a doctor and instead wants to be closer to her patients, she still insists that Mafuyu should become a doctor because it will make her happy, completely ignoring that it doesn't make Mafuyu happy at all.
- Lack of Empathy: Mafuyu's mother doesn't seem to care about how Mafuyu feels at all and disagrees with the mere notion of her having fun outside of her studies. This only becomes even more apparent in Immiscible Discord, where her reaction to being told that Mafuyu had wanted to disappear before, and that doing music with N25 is something Mafuyu genuinely wants to do and helps her cope, was to have a proper talk with Mafuyu that it's better to be a doctor than working with N25.
- In Saying Goodbye to the Masked Me, even after Mafuyu finally pours her heart out to her mother while crying, instead of empathizing with her daughter and realizing that she had made a mistake, her response is to dismiss Mafuyu's claims, blame Kanade, and say that if she knew it'd turn out like this, she wouldn't have given Mafuyu anything. This is especially a cruel thing to say when Mafuyu not only genuinely loves her mother, but had also worked tirelessly to make her mother happy even at the cost of her own self without saying anything for so long.
- Like Mother, Like Daughter: She and Mafuyu are both kind, understanding, and are rarely seen without a smile, both of which are a mask to hide something darker beneath. Even their looks, expressions, and dress are similar to each other.
- Loving a Shadow: Saying Goodbye to the Masked Me makes it clear that Mafuyu's mother genuinely loves Mafuyu... or at least, the image of what Mafuyu is like in her head. Because when Mafuyu finally shows her real self and pours her heart out to her mother, her response is to refuse to believe it and blame Kanade for "corrupting" her perfect daughter, instead of believing that Mafuyu is very flawed and broken from all the expectations placed on her shoulders.
- Manipulative Bastard: Mafuyu's mother is shown to be a master of this in Guiding a Lost Child to What Lies Beyond event, playing her daughter like a fiddle. The moment Mafuyu starts to stand up for herself and wants to continue trying music, she asks her daughter whether her friend that got her interested in music is studying well to enter university and has a good dream like Mafuyu does, advising her to find a friend "of her peers" instead because otherwise, she's making her worried. She then proceeds to say that she'd support Mafuyu dabbling in music if that's really what she wants to do... as long as Mafuyu wouldn't come to regret it down the line. What would have been a sound advice in any other situation was turned into a subtle threat, and as someone who dearly loved her mother, Mafuyu ended up following her mother's wishes.
- She once again shows that she's a master manipulator in Immiscible Discord. Everything regarding her meeting with Kanade was carefully planned; she's the one who approaches her, she's the one who chooses the venue, and she's the one directing the flow of conversation. She also never outrights disagrees with Kanade, even praising and thanking her at multiple points, before making a logical rebuttal that paints her as just being worried for Mafuyu's future and dreams. It was only Kanade's experience of having genuinely loving parents and knowing Mafuyu better as a person that allowed her to see that there was no genuine, unconditional love from Mafuyu's mother to Mafuyu, and prevents her from being manipulated.
- Her best showing is without a doubt in Saying Goodbye to the Masked Me. Her two confrontations with Mafuyu shows the extent of just how good she is at this, numerous times nearly making Mafuyu give up and follow her wishes like a marionette if not for Mafuyu's memories with N25 and having Miku and KAITO to give her guidance. She starts by being calm and reasonable, shifting to demanding when Mafuyu seems agree; when Mafuyu doesn't agree to her demands, she apologizes for always demanding Mafuyu to excel and how strict she is before promising she'd allow Mafuyu to continue music after exams are over; when that doesn't work too, she shifts to crying and saying that she's only doing this because she cares about Mafuyu's future, triggering her Trauma Button and nearly making her daughter submit; when that doesn't work either, she shifts to Tranquil Fury, and only when even that doesn't work did she start to crack, experiencing a brief Villainous Breakdown before hastily reassuming her mask, but by then the damage has been done and Mafuyu finally breaks free from her strings.
- Moodswinger: Saying Goodbye to the Masked Me shows that Mafuyu's mother seems to be this to some degree, shifting between calm and reasonable to tears to Tranquil Fury at the drop of a hat.
- Never My Fault: In Saying Goodbye to the Masked Me, hearing about Mafuyu's true feelings didn't make her realize that perhaps her daughter needs help and that there is something wrong with how she raised her; instead, she blames Kanade for "corrupting" Mafuyu to become like this.
- Obliviously Evil: Mafuyu's mother fully believes that everything she did, she did for the sake of Mafuyu's future and happiness, while in reality all she did is kill Mafuyu's emotions and sense of self to the point of suicidal depression. Fittingly enough, even after Kanade told her that what she's doing is driving Mafuyu over the edge in Immiscible Discord, she still doesn't see anything wrong with what she's doing. Even when Mafuyu finally told her herself in Saying Goodbye to the Masked Me, she proceeds to put the blame on Kanade instead of recognizing that she's the reason why Mafuyu became so broken.
- Pet the Dog: A minor example happens in Someday, This Wish Will Transcend the Morning Sky, as Mafuyu's mother allows Mafuyu to spend the night at Ena's house despite otherwise wanting her to come home and study. It's downplayed, though, as Mafuyu's mother only allowed this because Ena used her father's name and fame as a painter as leverage to convince her.
- Pride: The game goes to show that Mafuyu's mother has a massive ego problem, which greatly affects the way she treats Mafuyu and why she refuses to see her part in Mafuyu's crumbling sense of identity and will to live. She's shown to be vain in various other ways as well, such as looking down on Mafuyu's classmates for not being as studious or intelligent as her daughter, and only allowing Mafuyu to stay with Ena for the night because Ena happens to be a famous painter's daughter.
- Strong Family Resemblance: When Mafuyu's mother is finally given a model in Immiscible Discord, it's clear that she's practically a grown-up version of her daughter. It seems Mafuyu inherited her two-tone purple and blue eyes from both of them, with the blue coming from her mother and purple coming from her father.
- Supreme Chef: Mafuyu's mother is apparently one, as revealed in "Break into a Smile" card story; Mafuyu's classmates express envy after trying the lunch her mother made at how lucky Mafuyu is to have a mother that can cook such divine meals for her every day. Which is all the more ironic because Mafuyu can no longer taste food.
- Unnamed Parent: Unlike some of the other important parents in the game, she isn't given a name and is only ever referred to as "Mafuyu's mother".
- Unseen No More: She's finally finally given a model and voice in Immisicle Discord.
- Villainous Breakdown: Mafuyu's mother experienced a brief one in Saying Goodbye to the Masked Me, wherein Mafuyu's resistance to her manipulation manages to crack her amicable mask. She hastily reassumes her mask a short time later, but by then her rant has managed to break what little is left of Mafuyu's Selective Obliviousness regarding her mother to pieces.Mafuyu's Mother: I made a mistake, buying you a computer and letting you use the musical instrument—!
Mafuyu: Mom...?
Mafuyu's Mother: You started making music behind my back, kept me in the dark for 2 years, slacked off in studying, and got deceived by a girl that you don't really know on the internet! Had I known that this would happen, I wouldn't have given you anything!
Mafuyu: ...Ah...
Mafuyu's Mother: Listen carefully, Mafuyu. The one who truly care about you isn't that girl— It's your mother!! - Walking Spoiler: It's impossible to talk about her without spoiling Mafuyu's arc, especially considering the sheer amount of influence she has on it.
Mafuyu's Father (UNMARKED SPOILERS)
Voiced by: Tarusuke Shingaki
Mafuyu's father. Unlike his wife, he scarcely made an appearance, and thus is much less important to both Mafuyu and N25's story as a whole.- Fantasy-Forbidding Father: Both of Mafuyu's parents pushed being a doctor onto Mafuyu instead of her true dream of becoming a nurse.
- Nice Guy: In comparison to his wife, his first real appearance in-game shows him to be a much softer person, allowing Mafuyu to stay with Kanade (and even intending to send Mafuyu's belongings and money to her) when he sees how upset she is at the idea of going home and talking to her mother. He also expresses regret for not being there for Mafuyu beforehand and intends to make it up to her.
- Out of Focus: Mafuyu's father isn't nearly as important to Mafuyu's story as her mother is, and as such rarely comes up when Mafuyu's home life is discussed. He doesn't have a substantial impact until Searching for a Reflection Beneath the Waters.
- Parental Neglect: He spends most of the game rarely seen and is implied to be out at work, therefore missing all of the emotional abuse his wife is putting onto Mafuyu and passively going along when he is around. In his first real appearance, however, he expresses regret at his obliviousness to Mafuyu's feelings.
- Parents as People: From his first real appearance alone, it's clear he does genuinely care for Mafuyu, unlike his wife. However, at the same time, he isn't exactly a perfect parent, given he spends most of the game rarely seen, being implied to be out at work (missing out all of the emotional abuse his wife put on Mafuyu in the process), and passively going along when he is around. He does express regret for this and intends to make it up for her, down to even sending Mafuyu's belongings and allowance to Kanade and letting Mafuyu stay with her.
- Strong Family Resemblance: When her father was given a model in Searching for a Reflection Beneath the Waters, he also has the same purple hair as Mafuyu. It seems Mafuyu inherited her two-tone purple and blue eyes from both of them, with the blue coming from her mother and purple coming from her father.
- Unnamed Parent: Unlike some of the other important parents in the game, he isn't given a name and is only ever referred to as "Mafuyu's father".
- Unseen No More: He was finally given an appearance in Searching for a Reflection Beneath the Waters, after only being shown once or twice through dialogue only.
Shin'ei Shinonome
Voiced by: Takanori Hoshino
Akito and Ena's father who debuted in the event story "Unsatisfied Pale Color". He is a famous artist who inspired Ena to pursue a career in art but doesn't believe she has the talent to make it in the world of art. While he is the father of both of the Shinonomes, he is more important to Ena's storyline and character arc than he is to Akito's.- Abusive Parents: A milder example compared to Harumichi and Mafuyu's parents. He wants to look out for his daughter, Ena but gives her harsh advice that ends up nearly irreversibly damaging her self-worth.
- Broken Pedestal: To Ena, who used to admire him and wanted to be an artist like he was... until he brutally called her talentless and she eventually chose to still become an artist out of spite and anger, her relationship with her father strained.
- Brutal Honesty: None of the advice he tries to give to Ena about the world of art is wrong. It's more on the way he says it that elicits negative reactions out of her and damages her self-worth. Akito calls him out on this, telling him that he should be gentler with Ena when giving advice.
- Character Development: By On this Canvas, I Paint, he's eased up somewhat on giving advice to Ena after Akito spoke with him and, while still not great at it, he's gotten better at communicating what he means to say to Ena.
- The Cynic: His tendency to inform his daughter to be prepared for failure rather than encouraging her to do her best seems to imply that he's a very cynical person.
- Famed In-Story: He's a skilled and famous artist, well-known enough that in Someday, This Wish Will Transcend the Morning Sky, Mafuyu's mother allows Mafuyu to stay the night in Ena's house because she's his daughter.
- Generation Xerox: He's a famous painter with a daughter who aspires to be like him. Defied in the case of Akito, who has a talent for art but is apathetic to this ability and career path.
- In the Blood: Being an artist must be, as he's a famous artist with a daughter who aspires to be like him and a son who is a naturally talented artist.
- Like Father, Unlike Son: In at least one regard. While it's clear that his children get quite a few of their traits from him, like their communication issues, he appears to be relatively calm in all of his appearances regardless of what is said to him or how his children react to what he says, contrasting his children who are very quick to irritation. Especially Ena, who is shown to become very emotional.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He comes off as a jerk when speaking to his children, but he only wants Ena to succeed and fails to communicate it properly. He's attempting to improve himself after being called out by Akito.
- No Name Given: Prior to Someday, This Wish Will Transcend the Morning Sky, which revealed his name to be "Shin'ei", he was only ever referred to as "Ena and Akito's Father" in the game.
- Out of Focus: Despite the majority of Someday, This Wish Will Transcend the Morning Sky taking place in the Shinonome household, he only shows up in one of Ena's flashbacks and is otherwise mentioned in passing particularly when Ena uses his fame as leverage to convince Mafuyu's mother to allow Mafuyu to spend the night at her house. He doesn't come home until Ena's side story, which takes place after Mafuyu goes home.
- Parents as People: Attempts to give the best advice he can give to his aspiring artist daughter so that she'll be prepared to handle the harsh world of art, but ended up making her resent him because of how cold his criticisms come off. Similar to his two children, he has issues with communication and appears to be trying to work through it as of On this Canvas, I Paint.
- Parental Neglect: While he neglects Ena emotionally, he also appears to neglect Akito in general, as he's less involved in Akito's life than Ken Shiraishi is as far as the players are shown.
- Pet the Dog: According to his official profile, his hobby is camping with his family, showing that he cares for them despite how distant he is.
- Poor Communication Kills: The primary reason Ena resents him is for his poor communication when attempting to convey to his daughter how difficult it is for artists to make it out in the world if they aren't up to snuff.
- Shared Family Quirks:
- Clearly both of his children get their Tsundere traits and poor communication skills from him.
- His profile from the official fanbook confirms that his favorite foods are pancakes and cheesecakes while his least favorite food is carrots, the same as his two children.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Zig-zagged in the case of both of his children:
- While he at least looks more like Ena than he does his son, Ena's hair and eyes are a deep, grayish pink color that gives it the appearance of it looking like an ashy brown color, while his hair and eyes are simply brown. As well, Ena's drawn with the same doe-eyed stylization as the rest of the female characters in the cast, while he is drawn a bit more realistically, which is also unhelpful to their physical similarities as parent and child.
- Akito has olive-colored eyes and bright orange, both of which are natural, making him look even less like his father than Ena does. The only thing he and his son physically have in common is their Tareme Eyes.
- Tsundere: Seems to be the source of this trait in both of his children, as he's never able to convey what he means without coming off as a jerk to his kids.
Ena and Akito's Mother
Ena and Akito's mother. While making several appearances throughout Ena's story, she doesn't have a big role until the event story Someday, This Wish Will Transcend the Morning Sky.
- Foil: To Mafuyu's mother;
- While Mafuyu's mother is strict and controlling to the point of being abusive because she wants to ensure Mafuyu remains the perfect student, Ena and Akito's mother is a lax parent who believes her children have their own lives to live and doesn't dwell too much on the fact that they both do poorly in school.
- They're also different in the way they regard their children. Mafuyu's mother doesn't seem to take Mafuyu's feelings or personal desires into consideration when deciding every aspect of her current life and her future, and as a result, this has caused Mafuyu to lose her sense of self. Ena and Akito's mother believes in her children's freedom and allows them to do as they please, but she still worries about the challenges they bring upon themselves and the damage it does to their mental health while they pursue their dreams.
- The Ghost: Despite the role she plays in Someday, This Wish Will Transcend the Morning Sky she doesn't have a Live2D model and is The Voiceless.
- Good Parents:
- One of the better parents in the cast by virtue of just being a good person that cares for her kids and understands that they deserve a little freedom to figure things out for themselves.
- In Ena's Colorful Festival story, when Ena is struggling to recreate the sketch of the girl she had once attempted to throw away, her mother reveals that she secretly kept it because she believed one day Ena would regret getting rid of it.
- Open-Minded Parent: Possibly one on Ken Shiraishi's level. She allows her kids to do what they want, as she believes they have their own lives to live. This makes her the exact opposite of both Mafuyu's mother and Toya's father, at least with his initial characterization.
- Parental Neglect: In the way where she doesn't seem to be that involved in her children's lives and allows them to do what they want. However, both of her children seem to be fine with the freedom this has allotted them and Mafuyu benefits from seeing a different parenting perspective and family dynamic overall.
- Parents as People: While she's a fairly lax parent that stays out of her children's way so they can live their lives, she worries about the burdens they've brought upon themselves, and doesn't have much control over what they do.
- Unnamed Parent: She's only called "Mother" in the story.
Kanade's grandmother
Kanade's grandmother and her guardian.
- The Ghost: She is never seen physically.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Granddaughter, rather. She narrowly experienced this in "Someday, From the Depths of Despair" with Kanade nearly dying from overworking herself, especially since her son just got hospitalized for nearly the same reason before this event.
Futaba Natsuno
Voiced by: Manaka Iwami
A classmate of Ena's in an art class that Ena used to take part in who debuted in On This Blank Canvas, I Paint.- Always Someone Better: Unwittingly becomes one to Ena without meaning to. Futaba improved fairly quickly from Ena sometime after she joined Ena's class and fueled Ena's Inferiority Superiority Complex. However, her improvement after the time skip is explained by her determination to continue drawing despite the harsh criticisms she received from their art teacher, contrasting Ena who gave up and regressed artistically.
- Can't Take Criticism: Inverted Trope, as while she does take Yukihira's criticism to heart, she's used them to better her drawings and showed significant improvement after continuing to take his classes. This contrasts Ena's response to criticism, as Yukihira's bluntness plus her own father's criticisms toward her caused her to "run away" from art and regress artistically as a result.
- Does Not Like Spam: She doesn't like salty food.
- Fan of the Underdog: Chapter 5 of "On this Canvas, I Paint" reveals that she's a fan of Ena's paintings, despite Ena being considered a mediocre artist in-universe. She also confessed to trying to imitate Ena's style.
- Nice Girl: Futaba is unfailingly nice and welcomed Ena back when she decided to return to take her art classes again.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Pancakes from the shop on the way home.
Saneatsu Yukihira
An old friend of Mr. Shinonome and Ena's art teacher who debuted in the event "On This Blank Canvas, I Paint".
- Brutal Honesty: He doesn't hold back when critiquing his students. That said, it is implied that he feels bad when he notices how hard Ena is taking it.
- The Ghost: Played With. While he appears in person during the event he debuts in, he is not given a model in any form.
- Pet the Dog: By "Someday, This Wish Will Transcend the Morning Sky, he acknowledges Ena's hard work and improvement in her illustration, while still pointing out her flaws and weak points that she can work on.
- Poor Communication Kills: In On This Blank Canvas, I Paint, at one day of class, Yukihira critiqued Ena's work for the day in the class and even had memos for Ena to read on where to improve. However, Ena, who had recently faced the fallout of having to hear her father's Brutal Honesty at the time, couldn't take the critique too well and quit the class shortly after. Had Ena stayed around longer, she would have known that Yukihira had some advice to give to her so she could get better.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Although he may have harsh words and criticism for his students, he will apologize if it inadvertly hurt their feelings. He also lets Ena redo her assignment so she can improve on it, taking her assignment that he critiqued as lacking home.
- Stern Teacher: Yukihira doesn't mince words when he critiques the students. However, rather than it being because he's an asshole that wants to hurt his students' feelings, it's because he wants to see his students improve.
Yuuki Akiyama
Voiced by: Eriko Matsui
Mizuki's older sister who is studying fashion design overseas. She debuted in the event And Now, the Ribbon is Tied.- Cool Big Sis: She is extremely supportive of Mizuki's choices and dreams, and even encouraged them to join Nightcord at 25:00.
- The Ghost: Mentioned in passing by Mizuki up until And Now, the Ribbon is Tied, where she plays an important role as a flashback character.
- Averted after Re-tie Friendship, where And Now, the Ribbon is Tied was updated to give her both a Live2D model and voice acting.
- Given Name Reveal: She was initially referred to as simply "Mizuki's Older sister," but later introduced herself to Kanade and Mafuyu as "Yuuki Akiyama."
- Shared Family Quirks: Much like Mizuki she's also into fashion and making clothes. Her initial Live2D model has her wearing a casual suit and tie.
- Small Role, Big Impact:
- Before moving overseas, she encouraged a middle school-aged Mizuki to join Nightcord at 25:00, believing it would be good for them to look for others that can appreciate and understand them for who they are.
- Next to the Unchanging Warmth reveals that she's the one who inspired Mizuki's love of cute clothing and accessories and when she later learned that Mizuki's friends in elementary didn't like Mizuki's favorite things, she comforted and encouraged Mizuki to be true to themselves instead.
