|
 Like any long series, Hana yori Dango has had legions of characters march their way across the pages. From incidental, single-appearance extras to the cast of principals, many faces appear as you wend your way through the population of Yohko Kamio's adolescent world. Taking a cue from another long series, Dragonball, I'm only going to expand upon those characters who play a major role in a story arc. Plus, to keep spoilers relatively under control, the characters are listed here in order of appearance, with an alphabetical index.
Code Key: Major characters are delineated by a flower icon:
 .
Names appear in family name-first name order, with the family name in CAPS.
fa: First Appearance; la: Last Appearance; oa: Only Appearance
gr: School Grade at Introduction; age: Age at Introduction
|
|
MAKINO Tsukushi (fa: vol. 1, gr: 10, age: 15)
A first-year Eitoku high school student, she has a merit scholarship and a part-time job. She lives with her Mama and Papa and younger brother (by 1.5 - 2yrs.) in a small apartment a train's ride away from school. Filled with working-class spirit and a sense of justice, school life among the pampered elite children of Japan is filled with daily hardship and emotional challenge. |
Makiko (fa: vol. 1, gr: 10, age: 15)
A doe-like classmate and friend of Tsukushi's at Eitoku, she has a very hard time showing spirit in the face of adversity. Surreptitiously, she tries to help out her friend in small, meaningful ways. |
DOUMYOUJI Tsukasa (fa: vol. 1, gr: 11, age: 16)
A lifetime student at Eitoku, his prince-like arrogance and impulsiveness tend to prevent him from forming any close, feeling relationships. The Doumyouji family has worldwide corporate holdings of vast wealth, to which Tsukasa is the sole male heir. Spurning those who seek to curry favor through him, Tsukasa limits his circle of friends tightly. |
HANAZAWA Rui (fa: vol. 1, gr: 11, age: 16)
A solitary, quiet boy, Rui's lifetime place at Eitoku is guaranteed by his father's prestige. However, Rui shows almost no motivation or ambition, whether in academics or in relationships. Extreme shyness in childhood kept him emotionally shut away from other children, but Shizuka was able to form a bond with him that he feels quite strongly to this day. |
Yuuki (fa: vol. 1, gr: 10, age: 15)
A childhood friend of Tsukushi who attends an unnamed school, Yuuki is also her co-worker at the pastry shop. Yuuki listens to Tsukushi's horror stories of love and adversity at Eitoku with a barely-disguised sense of wonder and awe, but also manages to offer sound advice and an understanding ear. Attending high school without her longtime friend may be making her a little bit lonely. |
Asai (fa: vol. 1, gr: 10, age: 15)
A mean-spirited, vindictive girl with an overdeveloped sense of entitlement, Asai sees her place at Eitoku as a stepping-stone to prosperous marriage. Accompanied constantly by her two rarely-named friends, Asai makes trouble for Tsukushi at every opportunity. Besides simple romantic rivalry, Asai seems to be motivated by bitterness towards Tsukushi's social ease and perceived lack of self- or class-consciousness. |
TOUDOU Shizuka (fa: vol. 2, gr: college, age: 18)
Well-groomed in all the feminine arts, and bearing a refreshing sense of compassion and selflessness, Shizuka is very easy to love. Which is just what Rui has done, for most of his young life. A legendary alumna of Eitoku, today's generation of students still holds a reverent attitude for this model young lady. |
NISHIKADO Soujirou (fa: vol. 1, gr: 12, age: 17)
The extroverted party-goer of the F4, he always has a pretty young girl on his arm, except when he's trying to arrange matches for his less worldly friends, Doumyouji and Rui. The youngest of three sons, through a string of unhappy circumstances, he is the family heir. Always a perfect gentleman, Soujirou has enough humor and kindness to keep all of his relationships on good terms, even if they don't last very long. |
MIMASAKA Akira (fa: vol. 1, gr: 12, age: 17)
Often in the background, Akira is the least well-known of the F4. He enjoys the nightlife, although he prefers his women older and preferably married. Usually he assists in Soujirou's matchmaking schemes, although occasionally Akira tries to dissuade his partner-in-crime from interfering in matters of the heart. The eldest of three, with two adorable twin sisters, Akira's young, equally adorable mother seems to be a single parent, a marital status unique among the F4. It is perhaps that fact that makes Akira slightly more mature than his friends. |
AOIKE Kazuya (fa: vol. 1, gr: 10, age: 15)
Tsukushi's accident-prone buddy from grade school, Kazuya nurtures an unspoken crush for everybody's favorite poor girl. Dismayed by her departure from the public school system, Kazuya was able to follow his heart to Eitoku after his parents got rich from some well-placed real estate deals. His neuveau-riche status does not serve him well at Eitoku, nor does the fact that he dotes on Tsukushi, the class outcast. Granted a forgiving heart and limitless patience, Kazuya doggedly pursues Tsukushi, despite bearing witness to her other romantic entanglements. |
