The Kitakou universe is home to not only the title school's broadcasting club, but also three other schools and their students. Most if not all of these characters' names are puns off of the various prefectures of Japan.
Due to Himaruya having indefinitely postponed the series, some characters are only given backstory or further details in profiles and otherwise don't figure very heavily.
. The PURE universe modifies the situation so that the cast is attending a former Catholic school in Yokohama, named "St. Modern Kitakou".Noto Kanazawa
The protagonist of the series. Noto is an idealistic young man who has long dreamed of attending Kitakou, due to great things he's heard about its broadcasting club. Little does he know that his life's just about to take a series of very strange turns.
Having started out as an average unlucky and meek type of boy, Noto's characterization abruptly headed off in a much different direction after the series Barjona Bombers began. After snapping and attempting to get his revenge on the Barjona cast, he's since taken on a more narcissistic and arrogant demeanor and adopted the guise of "Noto-sama".
- Break the Cutie: Noto eventually winds up breaking down from the pressure, though this is an off-screen occurrence during PURE.
- Butt-Monkey: Was this quite often, to his displeasure.
- Cute and Psycho: After he realized his author started a new series and with being sick of being the unpopular bullied boy, he snapped hard. The initial comics with his change depict him as much crueler and violent to his victims of humiliation.
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: Is mistaken for a girl due to his appearance and voice. After he becomes Noto-sama, this is played even more straight.
- Lovable Sex Maniac: If there's nudity or stripping to be had, he'll want in on it.
- Meaningful Name: His surname is the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture, while his given name comes from the Noto peninsula (and a historic clan of Japan).
- School Newspaper Newshound: Part of his job.
- Teeny Weenie: Toyama mentions it in chapter 7 of the classic series, in an attempt to discourage Hinaji from trying to take off Noto's boxers. It apparently hasn't grown since junior high.
- Tsundere: As Noto-sama, in the later comics and the games.
- Unsettling Gender-Reveal: Hinaji doesn't buy that Noto is actually cross-dressing for the club film until he tries to take off "her" boxers. He winds up in tears from the revelation.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Initially takes on the role of a girl for the broadcasting club's first movie in the original series. Himaruya also depicts Noto wearing dresses and other feminine clothing in his official artwork.
- Creepy Crossdresser: Can come off as this as "Noto-sama" in some strips.
Suzuka Akafuku
A strange ninja that's the president of the broadcasting club. Contrary to his appearance, he actually hates ninjutsu.
- Big Brother Mentor: Acts as this to Noto and the other club members.
- The Faceless: His default appearance in the classic series, until Miyako manages to get a look under his mask. Averted in PURE, where he never wears the mask.
- Meaningful Name: Suzuka is a city in the Mie prefecture, while akafuku is a red bean mochi that's famous there.
- The Unintelligible: Often speaks in muffled "Nnph nnph" or "Nee, nee" sounds as part of his ninja speak. In the PURE series, there even have to be parentheses describing what he actually means to say.
Hatoba "Big Boss" Isahaya
The leader of a gang at the school, though he barely acts like it due to his lax and shy nature. It's difficult to tell what's on his mind
- Heavy Sleeper: Has a habit of crashing into slumber, to where his gang members are shown to have to drag him around.
- Kind Hearted Cat Lover
- Meaningful Name: His surname derives from a city in the Nagasaki prefecture.
- Monochromatic Eyes
- Parental Abandonment: Was abandoned as a small child, and grew up with his aunt. He spends his time outside of school by living and working in a Chinatown restaurant.
Hinaji Kasukabe
A formerly pessimistic and shy otaku who decided to change his life around upon entering high school. Even with having completely made himself over, he's still awkward with girls and tends to overreact. He joined the broadcasting club out of his crush on Noto.
- Character Development: Starts out unlucky with girls, winds up with a girlfriend by the end and having given up his one-sided crush on Noto.
- Expository Hairstyle Change: Had shaggy dark hair in junior high, as shown in flashbacks. He decided to cut and bleach it to its current look.
- Keet
- Meaningful Name: Kasukabe is a city in the Saitama prefecture.
- Official Couple: With Udonko Sanuki.
Rinko Tsugaru
A gentle and introverted young girl, who's alienated due to her "strange" Tsugaru dialect. She joins the broadcasting club after being betrayed by her supposed former friends.
- Country Mouse
- Fangirl: Of sentai and tokusatsu in particular.
- Meaningful Name: Tsugaru is a city in the Aomori prefecture.
Miyako Owari
The student council president, known for being outgoing yet incredibly selfish. She's able to keep the male student body in line due to being tougher than all of them, but has difficulty finding a boyfriend.
- Cool Big Sis: Plays this role to the younger club members.
- Important Haircut: Cuts her hair in PURE, after she realizes the older boy she had a crush on (and grew her hair out for) doesn't return her feelings.
- Girlish Pigtails: In PURE.
- Meaningful Name: Her surname is derived from the Owari province, which would go on to form the Aichi prefecture after merging with Mikawa.
- Tsundere: Pushes Suzuka around and treats him harshly, but sometimes shows gratitude for his help and relies on him the most for support with her troubles.
- Yaoi Fangirl: Stated to be one in her profile, and is shown to go to conventions specifically for yaoi doujinshi.
Iriyoshi Toyama
Noto's childhood friend, who considers it his duty to look out for the unlucky boy. He seems like an average high school student, except the little problem of his family being involved in the Yakuza. While he tries to keep his family's connections a secret, he tends to tote around a gun for the sake of Noto's protection.
- Meaningful Name: His surname comes from the Toyama prefecture and its capital.
Wakasa Fukui
The childhood friend of both Noto and Toyama. Their friendship has become strained over the years, as she bears a crush on Toyama and has come to see Noto as a threat to her potential relationship. Due to her competitive nature, she's earned the nickname "The Fukui Sniper".
- Expository Hairstyle Change: Wore her hair in pigtails as a kid, now wears it loose.
- Four Eyes, Zero Soul: Has shades of this in her personality.
- Meaningful Name: Her surname references the Fukui prefecture, while her given name derives from a town in it (and the Wakasa province).
- Unlucky Childhood Friend: To Toyama, and much to her aggravation.
Udonko Sanuki
An aspiring doujinshi artist and friend of Miyako, appearing later in the PURE series.
- Her Code Name Was "Mary Sue": Her webcomic is based off of her feelings for Hinaji, though he had no clue that the characters were meant to represent them.
- Heroic BSoD: Winds up traumatized for a time by an otaku, who ranted at her for drawing a pairing that he hated.
- Meaningful Name: Sanuki was a Japanese province that became the present Kagawa prefecture. Udonko is a type of flour used to make udon noodles, which originated from that province. It also doubles as a pun for her given name, translating to "Udon child".
- Last-Name Basis: Usually referred to as "Sanuki-san", rarely by her given name.
- Official Couple: With Hinaji in the end.
- Shrinking Violet: Her shyness and wallflower nature is what initially kept her from openly expressing her feelings.
Onyo J. Kaduo
A mysterious homeroom teacher who appears to be a small, anthropomorphic pig.
- Lovable Sex Maniac: Desires to get a peek or feel at any girls' butts.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: No one questions why anyone let a pig be a teacher.
Mitake Shinshū
Wakasa's henchman who serves to help in bullying Noto.
- All There in the Manual: Would have had more of a role in the Kitakou games, if Himaruya ever completed them.
- Meaningful Name: Mitake was a village located in the Kiso district of Nagano, before its merger into the town of Kiso. Shinshū is the province that became the Nagano prefecture.
- Satellite Character: Exists just to serve Wakasa.
One of many other schools in the original series, named after the actual Asaka Prefectural High in Koriyama, Fukushima. In PURE, its Yokohama counterpart is another Catholic school to rival St. Modern Kitakou.
Note: The school's name can be alternatively read as Asaka or Azumi. Himaruya uses the latter reading for the second series.
Matsukage Chōshū
The chairman of this broadcasting club. He tries to keep things in order, but finds his job difficult due to the hijinks the other club members put him through.
- Meaningful Name: Chōshū was a feudal domain in Japan, and is now known as the Yamaguchi prefecture.
Imari Hagakure
The vice-president. She bears a crush on Matsukage but is unable to act on it, due to the other members insisting on constantly following him.
- Curtains Match the Window: Violet hair and eyes (both were initially pink in colored art).
- Emotionless Girl
- Meaningful Name: Her given name is a city in the Saga prefecture, while her surname derives from the Hagakure samurai guide.
- Yamato Nadeshiko: Has the general personality traits of one.
Shijimi Shimane
A loud, childish, and energetic young man who admires Matsukage, but won't let him have his space.
- Keet
- Meaningful Name: Shijimi (corbicula) are a type of clam used in Japanese cuisine, and can be found in the Shimane prefecture.
- Verbal Tic: "Kyaha~!"
Hōki Tottori
A quiet, mysterious member of the club. He only joined out of his love for music, and has found himself having to keep Shijimi out of trouble.
- The Stoic
- Meaningful Name: Hōki is a city in the Tottori prefecture.
Ichizen Ameya
A strange new student who came from Tokyo, bringing his favorite teddy bear along with him. He only appears in PURE.
- The Ditz
- Horrible Judge of Character: The teddy bear he carries around is cursed to bring death to anyone who owns it, and can even turn into a vicious monster. Ichizen finds it cute and thinks it can't be all that bad.
- Keet
- Super-Strength: Acquired this due to his heavy amount of experience as a junior high athlete.
- Meaningful Name: Ameya is a popular street in Ueno, Tokyo.
- Verbal Tic: "Ssu!"
Erika Hibiya
A selfish, overbearing young woman who claims to be a princess and from France, but is in actuality an average Tokyo-ite longing to have a boyfriend.
- All There in the Manual: Erika briefly appears in deleted strips of the Barjona Bombers manga and was to also appear in a Barjona game, but Himaruya never completed it. The little that's known of her exists from the strips and her profile information.
- Meaningful Name: Her surname comes from the Hibiya district of Chiyoda, Tokyo.
- Noblewoman's Laugh / Verbal Tic: "Nohohohoho~"
- Tsundere
Another rival school to Kitakou, loosely based off of the actual Iwase High in Fukushima. There's not much difference between its incarnations in the first and second series, though it contains a relatively small broadcasting club and is more famous for its film division.
Junsa Mito
A free-spirited but loud and overreactive young man. As he's the son of a cop, he feels the need to act on his own senses of what he considers to be justice.
- Hot-Blooded
- Meaningful Name: Takes his surname from the Mito clan (and capital of Ibaraki), while "Junsa" means "policeman"
Kanra Takasaki
The childhood friend of Junsa. She spends most of her time trying to calm him down and stop the chaos he causes.
- Brainy Brunette
- Cool Big Sis
- Meaningful Name: Kanra and Takasaki are both towns in the Gunma prefecture.
Ichigo Nikkō
A seemingly easygoing archer, whose calm smile hides a more severe personality.
- Cute and Psycho
- Femme Fatalons: Can use his sharp fingernails as a weapon to threaten, when not using his arrows.
- Long-Haired Pretty Boy: He doesn't bother to cut his hair, so it's grown rather long. In his early appearances, he's even shown to wear it in pigtails.
- Meaningful Name: Ichigo can either mean "strawberry" or "one to protect". His surname derives from a city in the Tochigi prefecture.
- Perpetual Smiler
Koedo Chiba
A member of the club that only exists in the PURE universe. An androgynous girl that usually prefers to dress in a masculine manner, due to having been teased for her boyish looks as a kid.
- Berserk Button: Do NOT suggest that she act more "like a girl".
- Meaningful Name: Her surname references the Chiba prefecture and its capital. Her given name comes from the town of Kawagoe, which is often called "Koedo" (little Edo).
- Sugarand Ice Personality
A fourth high school, based off yet another actual one in Fukushima. These characters have appeared in Kitakou PURE, as well as the Barjona Bombers continuity.
Fujiyuki Hamamatsu
The unlucky chairman of this club, who has been constantly unhappy or in some sort of danger ever since his birth.
- Author Avatar: Resembles Hidekaz Himaruya's self-portraits, and was even voiced by him for a later Barjona game that never materialized.
- Blood from the Mouth: Tends to have this happen to him a lot.
- Eyes Always Shut
- Meaningful Name: His surname (and that of his sister below) comes from a city in Shizuoka prefecture.
Chako Hamamatsu ("Yun-Yun")
The younger Hamamatsu sibling, who's put into a constant state of worry due to her brother's misfortune.
- All Love Is Unrequited: Has a crush on Noto, who barely notices her. She thus doesn't reciprocate the feelings that Iyuta holds for her.
- Hair Antennae: Two long, roach-like hairs protrude from her head.
- Shrinking Violet
Iyuta Nibutani
An ordinary guy from Hokkaido who doesn't stand out much from the rest of the students, though rumors persist about a secret crush of his.
- Meaningful Name: His given name comes from a Hokkaido chant, the Iyuta-upopo. His surname is based off of the Nibutani district, which has a large ethnic population of Ainu.
- Mistaken for Gay: Iyuta has feelings for Chako. Unbeknownst to him, the rest of the school thinks he's got the feelings for the other Hamamatsu, due to how they hang around each other a lot. This even leads to paranoia from Hamamatsu that Iyuta is hitting on him.
Tira Sugusuku
A transfer student from Okinawa. She's bright and chatty, but has an unusual problem with laughing a little too much.- Annoying Laugh: It's forbidden to make her laugh, because it'll only cause mass irritation and she'll never want to stop.
- Genki Girl
- Spell My Name With An S: While usually spelled "Tira" now, Himaruya used to spell it as "Tila" and "Tyla" in his older artwork.
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: Her grandmother Kinu appears in a post-WWII period comic by Himaruya, titled "Okinawa Heart". The young Kinu and Tira bear a strong resemblance to each other, and even have the same uncontrollable laughter.
- The Unintelligible: Her Okinawan accent tends to get in the way, making it hard for others to understand what she says.
Komachi Akita
A neurotic, eccentric young girl who is said to suffer from various obsessive-compulsive behaviors and an anxiety disorder. This has to lead to her demanding others to treat her as a princess, and sulking when they refuse to honor her.- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Believes herself to be a princess from a different dimension, going as far as to meddle in the occult to find a way back home.
- Custom Uniform: Altered her school uniform to look more Gothic Lolita-esque, adding a bow and petticoat to the skirt and adorning it with all sorts of ruffles.
- Meaningful Name: Surname references the Akita prefecture. When read in the Eastern given order, her name directly references a brand of rice known as "Akita Komachi". Her given name may also be a reference to the female waka poet Ono no Komachi.
- Verbal Tic: "Piko piko", "Gagaga", "Kiruru", "Pupupu", and other repetitive tics are added on to her sentences.
Hiyori Akasaka
- Meaningful Name: Akasaka is a district in Tokyo (his home city).
- Satellite Character: To Ichizen. We know they're good friends, but not too much else about him.
- Scary Shiny Glasses: His eyes are never seen, to the point where Noto draws a pair on the lenses.
Azuki Shougoin
A mysterious girl that stalks the Kitakou broadcasting club, but her attempts to infiltrate them wind up foiled.
- Inner Monologue: She has a habit of doing this for her plans. It doesn't help that she's revealed to be a fan of the Death Note manga.
- Meaningful Name: Azuki beans are used in sweets. Her surname appears to come from the Shougoin temple in Kyoto, where the sweet yatsuhashi originated (a variant called hijiri contains azuki jam).
