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"Dancing! Singing! Exciting! Whooo!"

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Hello! Project's old logo.

Hello! Project is an umbrella term to refer to the female idols managed by Up-Front Agency and (formerly) Tsunku. The current major groups in the project are Morning Musume '24 (the flagship and longest running group), ANGERME (formerly S/mileage), Juice=Juice, Tsubaki Factory, BEYOOOOONDS, and OCHA NORMA.There are also numerous sub-units and Hello! Pro Kenshuusei (formerly Hello! Pro Egg), a training program for young girls looking to become full-fledged idols under the umbrella. Each group has their own unique sound and members, with no two songs sounding the same.

Hello! Project began in 1998 and at the time consisted of Morning Musume 1st generation members and soloist Michiyo Heike. They're still going strong in 2024, with close to 300 members having been part of the umbrella over the years. The current line up's ages range from 10 to 24, with every kind of girl you could think of. A lot of them also do things outside of singing, such as acting, hosting TV shows, modelling, livestreaming, etc.


    Current artists and members 
  • Morning Musume '24 (formed 1997): Erina Ikuta (joined 2011), Ayumi Ishida (joined 2011), Sakura Oda (joined 2012), Miki Nonaka (joined 2014), Maria Makino (joined 2014), Akane Haga (joined 2014), Reina Yokoyama (joined 2016), Rio Kitagawa (joined 2019), Homare Okamura (joined 2019), Mei Yamazaki (joined 2019), Rio Sakurai (joined 2022), Haruka Inoue (joined 2023), Ako Yumigeta (joined 2023)
  • ANGERME (formed 2009 as S/mileage): Rikako Sasaki (joined in 2014, graduating in 2024), Moe Kamikokuryou (joined 2015), Ayano Kawamura (joined 2017), Layla Ise (joined 2018), Rin Hashisako (joined 2019), Rin Kawana (joined 2020), Shion Tamenaga (joined 2020), Wakana Matsumoto (joined 2020), Yuki Hirayama (joined 2021), Yukiho Shimoitani (joined 2023), Hana Gotou (joined 2023)
  • Juice=Juice (formed 2013): Akari Uemura (graduating in 2024), Ruru Dambara (joined 2017), Yume Kudou (joined 2019), Riai Matsunaga (joined 2019), Rei Inoue (joined 2020), Ichika Arisawa (joined 2021), Risa Irie (joined 2021), Kisaki Ebata (joined 2021), Sakura Ishiyama (joined 2022), Akari Endou (joined 2022), Mifu Kawashima (joined 2023)
  • Tsubaki Factory (formed 2015): Kisora Niinuma (graduating in 2024), Ami Tanimoto, Mizuho Ono (joined 2016), Saori Onoda (joined 2016), Mao Akiyama (joined 2016), Yuumi Kasai (joined 2021), Shiori Yagi (joined 2021), Marine Fukuda (joined 2021), Runo Yofuu (joined 2021), Mihane Ishii (joined 2024), Yuu Murata (joined 2024), Fuuka Doi (joined 2024)
  • BEYOOOOONDS (formed 2018): CHICA#TETSU: Reina Ichioka, Rika Shimakura, Shiori Nishida, Saya Eguchi / Ame no Mori Kawa Umi: Kurumi Takase, Kokoro Maeda, Yuhane Yamazaki, Minami Okamura, Momohime Kiyono / SeasoingS: Miyo Hirai, Honoka Kobayashi, Utano Satoyshi
  • OCHA NORMA (formed 2021): Madoka Saitou, Ruli Hiromoto, Kanami Ishiguri, Kirara Yonemura, Nanami Kubota, Sumire Tashiro, Natsume Nakayama, Miku Nishizaki, Momo Kitahara, Roko Tsutsui
  • Hello! Project Kenshuusei (formerly Hello! Project Egg, formed 2004): Yulia Matsubara (joined 2017, major debut in 2024), Karin Onoda (joined 2018, major debut in 2024), Honoka Hashida (joined 2019, major debut in 2024), Ayana Murakoshi (joined 2019, major debut in 2024), Hasumi Uemura (joined 2019, major debut in 2024), Hinoha Yoshida (joined 2021, major debut in 2024), Rena Kamimura (joined 2022, major debut in 2024), Soara Kawano (joined 2023), Toa Makino (joined 2023), Niina Hayashi (joined 2023), Hana Shimakawa (joined 2024), Yurika Asano (joined 2024), Chihiro Miyakoshi (joined 2024), Itsuki Nishimura (joined 2024), Yume Souma (joined 2024), Mano Ootsubo (joined 2024), Hikari Yoshida (joined 2024), Meisa Sugihara (joined 2024), Rua Hattori (joined 2024)

    Former artists and members 
NOTE: Former Hello! Project Kenshuusei, H!P Egg and Hello! Project Kenshuusei Hokkaidou members who didn't debut are not listed.
  • Former Morning Musume members: Yuuko Nakazawa (joined 1997, graduated 2001), Aya Ishiguro (joined 1997, graduated 2000), Kaori Iida (joined 1997, graduated 2005), Natsumi Abe (joined 1997, graduated 2004), Asuka Fukuda (joined 1997, graduated 1999), Kei Yasuda (joined 1998, graduated 2003), Mari Yaguchi (joined 1998, graduated 2005), Sayaka Ichii (joined 1998, graduated 2000), Maki Gotou (joined 1999, graduated 2002), Rika Ishikawa (joined 2000, graduated 2005), Hitomi Yoshizawa (joined 2000, graduated 2007), Nozomi Tsuji (joined 2000, graduated 2004), Ai Kago (joined 2000, graduated 2004), Ai Takahashi (joined 2001, graduated 2011), Asami Konno (joined 2001, graduated 2006), Makoto Ogawa (joined 2001, graduated 2006), Risa Niigaki (joined 2001, graduated 2012), Miki Fujimoto (joined 2003, graduated 2007), Eri Kamei (joined 2003, graduated 2010), Sayumi Michishige (joined 2003, graduated 2014), Reina Tanaka (joined 2003, graduated 2013), Koharu Kusumi (joined 2005, graduated 2009), Aika Mitsui (joined 2006, graduated 2012), Junjun (joined 2007, graduated 2010), Linlin (joined 2007, graduated 2010), Mizuki Fukumura (joined 2011, graduated 2023), Riho Sayashi (joined 2011, graduated 2015), Kanon Suzuki (joined 2011, graduated 2016), Haruna Iikubo (joined 2011, graduated 2018), Masaki Satou (joined 2011, graduated 2021), Haruka Kudou (joined 2011, graduated 2017), Haruna Ogata (joined 2014, graduated 2018), Kaede Kaga (joined 2016, graduated 2022), Chisaki Morito (joined 2017, graduated 2022)
  • Michiyo Heike (1997-2002): Soloist
  • Taiyou to Ciscomoon, later renamed to T&C Bomber (1999-2000): Miho Shinoda, Atsuko Inaba, Ruru Honda, Miwa Kominato
  • Coconuts Musume (1999-2008 note ): Ayaka (graduated 2008), Chelsea (graduated 2000), April (graduated 2000), Danielle (graduated 2001), Mika (graduated 2004), Lehua (joined 1999, graduated 2002)
  • Country Musume (1999-2014 note ): Rinne (graduated 2002), Azusa Kobayashi (graduated 1999), Hiromi Yanagihara (died 1999), Asami (joined 2000, graduated 2009), Mai Satoda (joined 2002, graduated H!P 2009), Miuna (joined 2003, graduated 2009)
  • Miyoshi Chinatsu (1999-2000): Soloist
  • Melon Kinenbi (2000-2010): Hitomi Saitou, Megumi Murata, Masae Ootani, Ayumi Shibata
  • Yuki Maeda (2000-2009): Soloist
  • Sheki-Dol: (2000-2002): Ami Kitagami (graduated 2001), Ibuki Ooki (graduated 2001), Mami Suenaga (joined and graduated in 2001), Saki Arai (joined and graduated in 2001)
  • Aya Matsuura (2000-2009): Soloist
  • Miki Fujimoto (2001-2009): Soloist until 2003 when she joined Morning Musume. Left Morning Musume in 2007 and continued to be a soloist under H!P until her graduation in 2009.
  • Rika Ishii (2001-2002): Soloist, but she didn't release any solo works during her time in H!P.
  • W (2004-2007): Nozomi Tsuji, Ai Kago
  • Berryz Koubou (2004-2015): Saki Shimizu, Momoko Tsugunaga, Chinami Tokunaga, Maasa Sudou, Miyabi Natsuyaki, Maiha Ishimura (graduated 2005), Yurina Kumai, Sugaya Risako
  • v-u-den (2004-2007): Rika Ishikawa, Erika Miyoshi, Yui Okada
  • ℃-ute (2005-2017): Erika Umeda (graduated 2009), Maimi Yajima, Megumi Murakami (graduated 2006), Saki Nakajima, Airi Suzuki, Chisato Okai, Mai Hagiwara, Kanna Arihara (joined 2006, graduated 2009)
  • Erina Mano (2006-2013): Soloist
  • Buono! (2007-2017): Momoko Tsugunaga, Miyabi Natsuyaki, Airi Suzuki. Originally formed to perform theme songs for the anime Shugo Chara!.
  • Ongaku Gatas (2007-2010): Hitomi Yoshizawa, Rika Ishikawa, Mai Satoda, Asami Konno, Miki Korenaga, Arisa Noto, Erina Mano, Minami Sengoku, Yuri Sawada, Mika Mutou. Unit formed with members of Hello! Project's futsal team Gatas Brilhantes H.P.
  • SI☆NA (2008-2011): Ai Suma, Manami Iwashima, Nana Nakayama (graduated 2009), Asami Abe
  • Ice CreaMusume (2008-2010): Shenshen, Anchii, Peipei, Youko, Reirei, Guu-chan
  • Da Xiao Jie (2008-2012): Frances, Aiko
  • Former ANGERME (S/mileage) members: Ayaka Wada (joined 2009, graduated 2019), Yuuka Maeda (joined 2009, graduated 2011), Kanon Fukuda (joined 2009, graduated 2015), Saki Ogawa (joined 2009, graduated 2011), Kana Nakanishi (joined 2011, graduated 2019), Akari Takeuchi (joined 2011, graduated 2023), Fuyuka Kosuga (joined and graduated in 2011), Rina Katsuta (joined 2011, graduated 2019), Meimi Tamura (joined 2011, graduated 2016), Murota Mizuki (joined 2014, graduated 2020), Maho Aikawa (joined 2014, graduated 2017), Momona Kasahara (joined 2016, graduated 2021), Musubu Funaki (joined 2017, graduated 2020), Haruka Oota (joined 2018, graduated 2020)
  • Former Juice=Juice members: Yuka Miyazaki (graduated 2019), Tomoko Kanazawa (graduated 2021), Sayuki Takagi (graduated 2021), Aina Ootsuka (graduated 2013), Karin Miyamoto (graduated 2020), Nanami Yanagawa (joined 2017, graduated 2019), Manaka Inaba (joined 2018, graduated 2022)
  • Country Girls (2014-2019): Momoko Tsugunaga (graduated 2015), Risa Yamaki (graduated 2019), Manaka Inaba (graduated 2016), Chisaki Morito (graduated 2019), Uta Shimamura (graduated 2015), Mai Ozeki (graduated 2019), Nanami Yanagawa (joined 2015, graduated 2019), Musubu Funaki (joined 2015, graduated 2019)
  • Kobushi Factory (2015-2020): Ayaka Hirose, Rio Fujii (graduated 2017), Minami Nomura, Rena Ogawa (graduated 2017), Ayano Hamaura, Natsumi Taguchi (graduated 2017), Sakurako Wada, Rei Inoue
  • Former Tsubaki Factory members: Risa Ogata (graduated 2020), Riko Yamagishi (graduated 2023), Yumeno Kishimoto (graduated 2023), Kiki Asakura (graduted 2023)

See That Other Wiki and the Hello! Project fan wiki for more information.


Hello! Project provides examples of:

  • Adults Dressed as Children: One of the old Hello! Morning segments, although in most cases it was more teenagers dressed as nursery school kids.
  • Animal Reaction Shot: The "Dramatic Chipmunk" clip was taken from a TV segment of Minimoni and a prairie dog.
  • All Just a Dream: The videos for Morning Musume's "Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun da yo!" and "Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai!"
  • An Aesop: Minimoni were put together to show "small people can do big things".
  • Anti-Love Song: Many songs by multiple artists, which are about how you don't need love to be happy or successful in life.
  • Animated Music Video:
    • Morning Musume's YAH! Aishitai featured the characters as Lilliputians and used CGI animation, like the show Lilliput Kingdom, which it was the theme song for. Muten Musume's "Appare! Kaiten Zushi" is minimally animated in 2D.
    • Many of Minimoni's music videos are (at least partially) animated. While some are animated in 2D, others are animated in 3D. The Minihams songs for the Anime/Hamtaro movies are a combination of both.
  • Attack of the 50-Foot Idol:
    • The music video for "LOVE Machine" by Morning Musume has the members upscaled to giants.
    • The video for "Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai!" also had this with Risa Niigaki fighting a Godzilla expy, apparently with The Power of Love.
  • Audience Participation Song: While many songs have strict fan chants, several artists have songs that they usually get the audience to sing along to. Some of the more well-known examples amongst fans are Morning Musume's "Aozora ga Itsumademo Tsuzuku You na Mirai de Are!" and C-ute's "JUMP". These songs are often performed towards the end of a concert.
  • Authority in Name Only: The Leaders and especially Sub-Leaders of groups sometimes act as peacekeepers if there's a falling out between members of their group and on game show appearances they may pick who competes if appropriate. However they are just the face of the band, if that, in regards to the actual music.
  • Awesome, but Impractical: Became an Enforced Trope a few times when Ayaka had her "Chinese cafe" gimmick for her English lessons segment on Hello Morning; she wore a tight Chinese style dress which looked great, but she couldn't dance properly in it when asked by Ai Takahashi or Nozomi Tsuji.
  • Awesome Moment of Crowning:
    • When the Elder Club graduated, Yuko Nakazawa, the very first leader of Morning Musume, passed on Leadership of Hello! Project to Ai Takahashi.
    • Morning Musume winning the Japanese Record Award for Best New Artist.
  • Bavarian Fire Drill: Used as a prank on Morning Musume during an episode of Utaban (they faked an actual fire with smoke and alarms going off). This leads in to what is effectively a Public Service Announcement to make sure they and the viewer know what to do in the event of an earthquake or other disaster.
  • Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Rika Ishikawa's Charmy character would quite often act like this.
  • Blatant Lies: In "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari", Ai Takahashi denies still having her Fukui accent... in Fukui-ben.
  • Call-Back: In the original "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari" and one of the Elder Club versions, Mari Yaguchi's part refers to the lyrics of "Koi no Dance Site".
  • Casting Gag: In 2016, Juice=Juice starred as the fictional idol group NEXT YOU in the TV drama adaptation of the novel Budokan. The novel was written by Hello! Project fanboy Ryo Asai, who based the story elements on UP-FRONT PROMOTION (renamed "GREEN-UP PROMOTION" in-universe) and real Hello! Project idols (Sayuki's character was inspired by Kanon Suzuki).
  • Catchphrase: Most members have a catchphrase of sorts. Some groups do, too. If not a phrase, they make a particular gesture while introducing themselves, such as W forming the letter by having both Tsuji and Kago doing the peace sign and touching their index fingers together.
  • Characters as Device:
    • Chinese members Junjun and Linlin who only joined to break into the Chinese market.
    • Before them, Coconuts Musume was an attempt to do the same thing for the US.
  • Color-Coded Characters: Within each group, members are assigned image colors to represent them in merchandise, costumes, and glowsticks.
  • Cover Version: It's common practice for artists to release self-covered versions of their early songs, and many songs are actually covers by non-H!P artists. Early on, there were a couple of series of cover albums — "Douyou Pops" (covers of children's songs from around the world) and "FOLK SONGS" (covers of folk songs, mostly Japanese classics, but also some international tunes).
  • Crosscast Role:
    • Happened a lot during Hello Morning Theatre skits due to the fact the cast was made entirely of girls.
    • BEYOOOOONDS's "Megane no Otoko no Ko" is about a boy who wears glasses, played by member Kokoro Maeda.
  • Darker and Edgier: One of Hitomi Yoshizawa and Rika Ishikawa's post-Musume projects was a Punk Lolita styled JRock group called Hangry & Angry, which was VERY dark compared to their work in Morning Musume. However, it wasn't actually a part of Hello Project, but they were still under the Up Front Works banner.
  • A Day in the Limelight: Several members only get to be the centre position for one single, particularly in the case of Morning Musume.
  • Earth Song:
    • Ecomoni, a unit consisting of Rika Ishikawa and Sayumi Michishige, was formed specifically to promote Hello! Project's Green Aesop events, called "Acchii Chikyuu wo Samasun da" ("Let's Cool Down the Hot Earth"), which ran from 2004 to 2007. In 2004, Morning Musume themselves performed a musical at the event, which was full of pro-environmentalism songs, including one titled "HELP! Acchii Chikyuu wo Samasun da". This song would also be recorded by Ecomoni and released on one of the Petit Best compilation albums.
    • Morning Musume have had a few other songs promoting nature preservation over the years, namely "Nature is Good!" and "Chikyuu ga Naiteiru" ("The Earth is Crying").
    • Tomoiki Ki wo Uetai's song "Minna no Ki" is about the importance of planting trees and taking care of nature. Tomoiki themselves were formed as part of an NPO movement whose goal was to plant trees — the unit's name translates to "Living Alongside One Another - We Want To Plant Trees".
  • End of an Age:
    • 2009, when the Elder Club members graduated from Hello! Project, leaving only the younger artists in Morning Musume, Berryz Koubou, °C-ute, Erina Mano, and the trainees. Yuko Nakazawa passed leadership to Ai Takahashi.
    • In 2014 when Tsunku stepped down as producer. As of 2024, he only works as Morning Musume's sound producer, rather than the overall producer of Hello! Project itself.
  • Evolving Music: The many MANY versions of Morning Musume's "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari", since it's a member introduction song and the lineup changes drastically every few years.
  • Fade Out: Juice=Juice's "Dream Road ~Kokoro ga Odoridashiteru~" is the first Hello! Project music video to fade out at the end, which took a lot of fans by surprise.
  • Fanservice:
    • While their actual costumes are usually pretty tame, many members release photobooks, some more risque than others. Most photobooks feature swimsuit shots.
    • Similarly, many image DVDs and photobook making-ofs (that feature behind the scenes footage) contain the members in swimsuits.
  • Football Fight Song:
    • Morning Musume's "Ganbare Nippon Soccer Fight!" (for Japan's women's soccer team) and Kobushi Factory's "Yes! We are family" (for FC Machida Zelvia).
    • Baseball: C-ute's "Koero! Rakuten Eagles", DEF DIVA's "LET'S GO Rakuten Eagles" and GAM's "Daisuki Rakuten Eagles", all in support of the Rakuten Eagles team.
    • Wrestling: C-ute's "Arashi wo Okosun da! Exciting Fight!" and "Arigatou ~Mugen no Yell~" (for the Japan Wrestling Federation).
  • Four-Girl Ensemble: Many groups over the years have consisted of only 4 members.
    • Minimoni: Mari Yaguchi, Mika, Nozomi Tsuji, Ai Kago. When Mari graduated, she was replaced with Ai Takahashi.
    • Melon Kinenbi: Hitomi Saitou, Megumi Murata, Masae Ootani, Ayumi Shibata. The group did not change its lineup once during the 10 years it was active.
    • Taiyou to Ciscomoon (later T&C Bomber): Miho Shinoda, Atsuko Inaba, Ruru, Miwa Kominato. Despite only lasting a year and breaking up in 2000, after 2010 they occasionally get together for reunion shows — without Ruru, as she lives in China and has retired from the entertainment industry.
    • S/mileage's 1st generation: Ayaka Wada, Yuuka Maeda, Saki Ogawa, Kanon Fukuda. They released 4 indies singles, 7 major label singles and an album before they added new members.
    • Tanpopo's second and third lineups: Kaori Iida, Mari Yaguchi, Ai Kago, Rika Ishikawa. When everybody but Rika left the group, they were replaced by Asami Konno, Risa Niigaki and Ayumi Shibata, making it still four members.
  • Foreign Cuss Word: On an episode of Hello! Morning, Morning Musume member Ai Takahashi said "oh shit", followed by "I want a kitty".
  • Fun with Acronyms: Many group names are acronyms involving the members' names. The most notable example being GAM, an acronym of "Great Aya & Miki".
  • Fun with Foreign Languages: Several songs enjoy mixing and rhyming Japanese and English with varying degrees of success, such as Morning Musume's "Koi wa Hassou Do The Hustle", as evidenced by the title alone —- "Hassou" and "Hustle" on rhyme with an exaggerated Japanese pronunciation of "Hustle".
  • Game Show Appearance: It's common for members to make appearances on game shows, but Mari Yaguchi and Mai Satoda were regulars on multiple shows for many years.
  • Gamer Chick:
    • Ai Takahashi (who has been seen with a pink Nintendo DS in at least one episode of Hello! Morning), Sayumi Michishige (whose proficiency at Tetris is listed among her special skills), and Chisato Okai (who has made blog posts about playing video games).
    • Mari Yaguchi has done an advertising campaign for Nintendo's Wii and DS, and also had a regular column in Famitsu magazine.
    • When they were having a tournament on DanceDanceRevolution most of the girls were scoring in the tens of thousands, except for the famously unathletic Ai Kago who won her round with a score in the millions.
    • Haruna Iikubo enjoys Nintendo games.
  • Genre-Busting: Although lyrically there is a tendency towards cutesy songs, ballads, Silly Love Songs or breakup songs, the styles of music have been as diverse as big band ("Mr. Moonlight ~ Ai No Big Band" by Morning Musume), rap ("Get Up! Rapper" by Salt 5), and pop punk ("Aoi Sports Car no Otoko" by Aoiro 7). Tsunku also dabbled in EDM a lot around 2013-14 (Morning Musume's "Wagamama Ki no Mama Ai no Joke"), some songs are funk (Morning Musume '24's "Suggoi Fever"), there's reggae (7nin Matsuri's "Summer Reggae! Rainbow"), amongst many, many others.
  • Greatest Hits Album:
    • If they last long enough, most artists end up releasing at least one. Morning Musume currently (as of 2024) has 7.
    • Up until 2019, Hello! Project released a compilation album a year of some of the greatest hits released in the previous 12 months, known as the "Petit Best" series. "Petit Best 20", however, was a compilation celebrating the past 20 years, with each member getting to pick their favourite Hello! Project song to be placed on the album.
    • The "Hello! Project no Zenkyoku kara Atsumechaimashita!" series features songs picked by various famous H!P fans and personnel related to the umbrella from across the entire library.
  • Gratuitous English: Absolutely everywhere, even in just the group names and song titles alone. The overuse of this trope is seen by fans as being a Hello! Project staple.
  • Groin Attack: On an episode of Utaban featuring Minimoni, Ai Kago suddenly used one against Mari Yaguchi while simultaneously punching her in the backside.
  • Hurricane of Puns: Several songs feature multiple puns, often hard to translate. S/mileage's "Koi ni Booing Buu!" in particular, since it relies on "Buu" being the Japanese word for "Oink" and rhyming with the word "Booing". The lyrics also include puns on "Chu" ("Kiss") and "Chew" ("Kuchibiru ni Chuuing").
  • Intergenerational Friendship: Some of the older members are friends with the younger ones. Sayumi Michishige is the most prime example, especially when she became the sole 6th gen member amongst the rest of the younger girls.
  • Long-Runners: Hello! Project started in 1998 and is still going, albeit with completely different members. Most of whom were born after the umbrella's formation.
    • Several members have been part of H!P for over 10 years. The longest tenure is Morning Musume's Mizuki Fukumura, who joined Hello! Project in 2008 as a trainee and graduated in 2023, serving almost 15 years.
  • Minor Major Character: Some of the leaders weren't front girls, but they were the ones who held the groups together.
  • Ms. Fanservice:
    • Once Aya Matsuura and Miki Fujimoto formed GAM, every costume they wore was designed to show off their legs.
    • In one of Ayaka's English lessons, Kaori Iida (jokingly) says she'd like to go to the beach wearing a see through bikini. In another, Mari Yaguchi suggests she wouldn't bother with a bikini at all.
    • Sayumi Michishige likes to portray herself as an Innocent Fanservice Girl, but she's not fooling anyone.
  • The Musical: Over the years, Hello! Project groups have performed in many musicals — a mixture of original (such as Morning Musume's "Morning Town" and "Love Century" musicals) and adaptations (such as "They Are Elevens sequel manga and Pharaoh No Haka), as well as musicals featuring Sanrio characters. Since 2015, Hello! Project musicals have been under the brand "Engeki Joshi-bu" (Women's Theatre Club) and post-Covid, the only group that performs musicals is BEYOOOOONDS, as they were specifically designed to be a theatre group.
  • Never Got to Say Goodbye:
    • Country Musume member Hiromi Yanagihara died suddenly in a car crash a week after the group's debut single was released.
    • Several members also left unexpectedly without fans being able to say farewell, either due to graduating following a long hiatus or because of a scandal. Since most members have a proper graduation concert as a way of sending them off, this trope is how fans of particular members can feel if their favourite leaves suddenly. Notable examples include:
      • Morning Musume's Mari Yaguchi (left the group following a dating scandal, and it was up in the air if she'd return to Hello! Project at all — she did after a long hiatus), Ai Kago (was suspended from H!P after being caught smoking and drinking underage. She was put on hiatus and wasn't outright fired until she was caught smoking again, at which point the agency had no choice but to let her go), Miki Fujimoto (was reported to be dating a comedian and while management initially denied it, Miki herself admitted that she was in a relationship and essentially quit Morning Musume of her own choice — like Mari, she was placed on hiatus, but came back quickly as a soloist note )
      • C-ute's Megumi Murakami was forced to leave the group in 2006 after photos of her on a date surfaced. She retired from the entertainment industry — although she's currently active as a dancer under the name "Meg". Kanna Arihara, from the same group, was placed on hiatus due to an injury and retired not too long after, but she returned to showbiz as an actress under the name "Kanna".
      • Juice=Juice's Sayuki Takagi quit following a tabloid exposing her relationship with singer-songwriter Yuuri. Apparently, management originally removed her from the group but had her remain in Hello! Project, but Sayuki refused to stay unless she could continue to be part of the group itself.
      • Kobushi Factory lost three members (Rio Fujii, Rena Ogawa, Natsumi Taguchi) within the span of a year of each other in this way. Rio was set to graduate but had her contract terminated unexpectedly before a graduation ever took place, Rena was on hiatus for anxiety and left without any kind of send-off, and Natsumi's contract was terminated unceremoneously, although she later said it was her own choice.
      • Tsubaki Factory's Risa Ogata was placed on hiatus after a secret social media account of hers was found, which allegedly contained posts of her slandering other members of the group. While on hiatus, Risa chose to leave H!P, stating that she felt like she no longer had the right to be there.
      • Country Girls's Uta Shimamura quit after only one single, with the official reason being due to contract issues. Since then, Uta has resurfaced as a member of the idol group Kyurun te Shitemite.
      • ANGERME's Haruka Oota was suspended following her admitting that she was getting too close to a fan and potentially leaking private information that could endanger the other members. After a long hiatus, she decided to leave H!P to focus on her studies and hopefully enter university.
  • One Head Taller: Berryz Koubou's Yurina Kumai towered over all of the other members at 181cm (5' 11"), which is extremely tall for a Japanese woman. Former Hello! Project Kenshuusei member Ichigo Yamada was 169cm (6' 5").
  • One-Letter Name: W. Also known (fortunately) as Double You.
  • One-Steve Limit: Subverted, to an extent. While the names are written differently in kanji (at least partially in some instances), several groups have had members with the same name:
    • Morning Musume had both Kago and Takahashi Ai in the group together, with Kago writing her name as 亜依 and Takahashi writing hers as 愛.
      • Morning Musume also had both Iikubo and Ogata Haruna, with Iikubo's name written as 春菜 and Ogata's as 春水.
      • The group currently has Kitagawa and Sakurai Rio, with Kitagawa's name being written as 莉央 and Sakurai's as 梨央.
    • ANGERME has both Hashisako and Kawana Rin. Hashisako writes her name as 鈴, while Kawana writes hers as 凜.
    • Juice=Juice has Uemura and Endou Akari. Uemura's name is written as あかり, and Endou's is written as 彩加里.
  • Otaku: Hardcore Fanboys, called wota, collect special edition CDs and merchandising (photobooks, calendars, etc.), and try to go to as many concerts and "handshake events" as possible. At concerts they wave glowsticks or perform elaborate cheering and dancing routines called wotagei.
  • Overly Long Name: Short-lived subunit Morning Musume Tanjou 10nen Kinentai, which was formed to promote the group's 10th anniversary. Their 20th anniversary unit was simply "Morning Musume 20th".
  • Pimped-Out Dress:
    • Common in concerts (especially graduation concerts, where the departing girl's dress is more pimped out than any of the others') and music videos.
    • Pretty in Mink: Kaori Iida plays it very straight in the music video for "I WISH" where she wears a fur coat. Some of the costumes in the music video for "Renai Revolution 21" are also fur lined — Kei Yasuda's includes a furry stetson.
  • Pint-Sized Powerhouse:
    • Although she's short, Ai Takahashi has a very strong stage presence.
    • Meimi Tamura can also count as this. While she normally acts cute, whenever she's performing/singing/acting, her voice will noticeably change and she can belt out really strong notes, and often (depending on her role/the feel of the song) gains a badass attitude.
  • Playboy Bunny: v-u-den's Aisucream to My Purin features the members in these.
  • Precious Puppies: The video for "Hey! Mirai" by Morning Musume has the members playing with puppies.
  • Pyrrhic Victory: A personal one for Tsunku. After his laryngeal cancer came back, he had his vocal cords surgically removed. To reiterate, he had to sacrifice his voice in order to fight his cancer. As a result, he can never speak again.
  • Revolving Door Band: Most groups, especially the longer ones, have ever-changing lineups, although there are exceptions (such as Berryz Koubou and C-ute). Morning Musume has had 47 members altogether and many of the current members were born after the group's formation.
  • Rock Me, Amadeus!:
    • "Jiriri Kiteru" by Berryz Koubou samples Chopin's "Revolutionary Etude" (Étude in C minor, Op. 10 No. 12).
    • "Mugen Climax" by °C-ute samples the third movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
    • BEYOOOOONDS's "Eiyuu ~Waratte! Chopin-senpai~" samples Chopin's "Heroic Polonaise" (Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53), which is played by member Honoka Kobayashi on piano.
  • The Runner-Up Takes It All: In 1997, Sharam Q ran a competition to find a new rock vocalist that was won by Michiyo Heike. Leader Tsunku later decided to create an all girl group made up of the five runners up and challenged them to sell 50,000 copies of their first single with only five promotional events, they managed it in four and Morning Musume went on to be incredibly successful. Heike's solo career was over by the year 2000, and Morning Musume are still around in 2024.
  • Sailor Fuku:
    • Aya Matsuura wears one in the video for LOVE Namida Iro.
    • Morning Musume '15 wear blazer-style uniforms in the "Seishun Kozou ga Naiteiru (Another Ver.)" music video.
    • These are featured in S/mileage's "Uchouten LOVE" music video.
    • Some of the BEYOOOOONDS members don them in the music video for "Megane no Otoko no Ko".
  • Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!: Used comically by Yasuda Kei's Granny character in the "Until the Bus Comes" part of Hello Morning Theatre.
  • Silly Love Songs: A lot of them, across the board. S/mileage's early songs were mostly
  • Singer Namedrop: Morning Musume do it near the end of "LOVE Machine" ("Morning Musume mo / Anta mo Atashi mo").
  • Softer and Slower Cover: For S/mileage's musical "SMILE FANTASY", Wada Ayaka sang a solo rendition of the group's song "Ama no Jaku". The original is very upbeat and cutesy, and considered a Tsundere song given the lyrics, but in the musical, it's slowed down, accompanied with soft piano and strings, and Ayaka's tone and expressions make the meaning of the song much sadder.
  • Spelling Song: Minimoni's "Minimoni no Kazoe Uta" is about counting in Japanese and English — there's a version that's counting in the bath, and another that's counting while preparing for a date.
  • Spell My Name With An S: There are sometimes multiple inconsistencies with spellings, mostly group names.
    • Is it v-u-den, Viyuden, Biyuuden, Biyuden or something else? All of these Romanisations can be found on official products.
    • BEYOOOOONDS is officially spelt with 5 "O"s.
    • Minimoni, Mini-moni and Mini Moni are all official.
    • Melon Kinenbi is sometimes Melon Kinen-bi.
  • Stage Names: Many members use stage names, or continue to use their maiden name as their stage name after they get married. Most foreign members tend to use a nickname or only their first name, with the exception of Jang Dayeon.
  • Stalker with a Crush: Tenshin Mukai appears as this on variety shows acting like this towards Yaguchi Mari, which in one case culminated in a prank where Mari found herself Alone with the Psycho while trapped in a Stalker Shrine.
  • Strictly Formula: While each group's songs are very diverse in sound and vocals they usually all follow the Verse/Chorus/Verse/Chorus/Interlude Of Music/Repetition Of Last Chorus formula.
  • Too Many Belts: A recurring part in Morning Musume's costumes.
  • Translated Cover Version:
    • Morning Musume's "Summer Night Town" was covered by Coconuts Musume in English.
    • Ice CreaMusume and Da Xiao Jie both covered a few Morning Musume songs in Chinese.
  • Vocal Evolution: Many members start off sounding pretty rough but grow into confident, stable vocalists as time goes on.
    • Asami Konno and Sayumi Michishige were thought of by fans as being particularly bad, even by Idol Singer standards, but by the end of their careers, a lot of people found them much more tolerable to listen to.
    • Berryz Koubou and C-ute started out as young kids, so over the course of their time as idols, their voices not only improved technically, but also changed in sound and pitch as they got older. Risako Sugaya and Airi Suzuki in particular sound quite different to how they did originally.
  • Vocal Tag Team: Morning Musume's "WHY" on their album 3rd -LOVE Paradise-, in which the member singing changes every syllable.

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