List of Komi Can't Communicate characters
Appearance
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The manga series Komi Can't Communicate features an extensive cast of characters created by Tomohito Oda. The story mostly takes place at the elite Itan Private High School, and follows Shōko Komi, who is suffering from a crippling social anxiety disorder on her quest to make 100 friends with the help of her classmate Hitohito Tadano.
The names of the majority of the characters are puns or plays on words, usually related to their most defining character trait. The Japanese spellings are taken from the official fanbook.[1]
Main characters
Shōko Komi
- Japanese: 古見 硝子 (Komi Shōko)
- Voiced by: Aoi Koga[2] (Japanese); Amber Lee Connors[3] (English)
- Portrayed by: Elaiza Ikeda[4]
- Komi is a high school girl who suffers from extreme social anxiety, which prevents her from communicating with other people. Komi has long, black hair with a purple tinge. She is described as extremely beautiful, garnering the adoration of others. Komi is usually drawn with a detailed face and almond-shaped eyes. When she is anxious, shocked, surprised, or on many other occasions, her appearance switches to a simplified face dominated by very large, round eyes. When Komi is excited, cat ears tend to appear on her head, of which Komi Ch. 35 and sometimes othersCh. 196 are aware. She tends to motivate herself by pumping both fists.
- Due to her communication disorder, Komi never had been able to make friends in elementary and middle school. Because of this, she feels lonely when entering high school. Her wish is to befriend 100 people before graduation from high school. Due to Komi's beauty and stoic, somewhat aristocratic demeanor, she is very popular among her classmates and quickly garners a adoring, but distanced following. Komi's silence tends to be mistaken as aloofness, despite her simply being too afraid to talk. Her big-eyed, anxious look after having been addressed is often mistaken for anger, further deterring other people from becoming close to her. Initially, Komi is completely unable to speak with anyone outside her family. Even there, she speaks so rarely that even her brother dismisses the possibility of having heard her voice.Ch. 49 When Komi tries to speak, she either freezes completely or stutters severely. Over the course of the story, she slowly learns to talk to others first over a phone and speak short sentences in person. By her second school year, she is able to hold longer conversations when emotionally invested.Ch. 226–228 When she is in her third year, she even manages to speak with intimidating strangers (albeit nervously).Ch. 348 Her social anxiety also leads to her being very insecure and overthinking her actions.Ch. 35, 100 Komi is also quite pessimistic about herself, usually believing that any misunderstandings are a result of her own fault. That despite everyone's' praises of her, she still considers herself to be boring and uninteresting. Even initially thinking that's it's she herself who is unworthy to be with Tadano.
- Hitohito Tadano is the first one (outside her family) to recognize her social anxiety and to which she develops a friendship. Tadano helps her find more friends, with the assistance of Najimi Osana. Komi quickly develops romantic feelings for Tadano, but is for the longest time too shy and worried to express her feelings or to act on them. Only after Tadano confesses his own feelings to her, she is able to do so and the two become a couple.Ch. 300–304 Over the course of their relationship, Komi becomes more flirtatious and starts to tease Tadano.Ch. 349, 355, 359
- Komi is a very kind and caring person, trying to help others whenever possible.eg. Ch. 31, 64, 99 Despite her anxiety, Komi is a very good student, usually being at the top of her class in tests.Ch. 36, Vol. 12 She is also good at sports, allowing her to be a serious competitor to the very sportive Chika Netsuno. She only learns how to ride a bike when Tadano teaches her, though.Ch. 187 Komi likes to read and is a good cook.eg. Ch. 49, 66, 207 She is very fond of cats and owns several plush cats and cat dolls. After learning about a cat café in her town, she quickly becomes a regular and befriends the normally very distanced black cat Chocolat.Ch. 81, 214
- Her name is Komi, when written in the Japanese order, refers to the Japanese term Komyushō (コミュ症), meaning communication disorder.
Hitohito Tadano
- Japanese: 只野 仁人 (Tadano Hitohito)
- Voiced by: Gakuto Kajiwara[2] (Japanese); Kyle McCarley[5] (English)
- Portrayed by: Takahisa Masuda[4]
- Tadano is a student at the prestigious Itan High School and Komi's seatmate. He has short black hair with a white flower-shaped cowlick. A recurring joke is that Tadano is otherwise completely average: he is of average size (for a Japanese teenager),Ch. ? has average grades,Ch. 36, Vol. 12 shows average performance at sports,Ch. ? etc. He intends to be completely normal and not stand out,Ch. 1 but his plans are foiled when he meets Komi on his first day at Itan High School and discovers her communication disorder. As such, he befriends her and promises to help her to accomplish her dream of having 100 friends, with him being the first.
- In middle school, Tadano was a chūnibyō: he slicked back his hair, popped up his collar, and tried to act cool. After becoming completely embarrassed by a failed attempt to confess his love to his classmate Kawai, he dropped this persona and decided to become completely normal.Ch. 32
- Tadano has an almost uncanny ability to figure out what other people are feeling and thinking, which helps him to form a relationship to the other students, especially those with a communication disorder like Komi and Katai. He is kind and caring and likes to help other people, but this also leads to him being taken advantage of, including by his teachers.Ch. 58 In his first year, he gets elected as class council president instead of Komi (who gets elected to be "God") because no other student wants to do the job.Ch. 17
- Initially, Tadano is very almost universally disliked by his classmates, mainly because of jealousy of his closeness to Komi, or met with indifference at best. Over the time, he becomes increasingly popular due to his kind demeanor. By his third year, the other students are vying to be his "number one" friend.Ch. 359
- Tadano develops very quickly romantic feelings for Komi, but rejects the idea of her being interested in him for the longest time. As a result, he does not act on his feelings or does not confess to Komi, until Membagi – who also fell in love with him – makes him realize his love for Komi.Ch. 300–304 After he confesses to Komi, the two become a couple and start dating.
- On several occasions, Tadano is forced to dress up in women's clothings.Ch. 68, 224, 251 Komi thinks he looks cute as a girl,Ch. 68 and even some of the boys start to fantasizing about dating him as "Tadano-kun-chan".Ch. 250 Due to this crossdressing and his almost romantic relationship to Katai, his family starts to believe him to be gay.Ch. 68, 224, 307, 338
- Tadano lives with his parents and his younger sister Hitomi in a fairly small flat in an apartment block where he has to share a room with Hitomi. He is very enthusiastic about old buildingsCh. 103, 105, 293 and want to become a teacher after school.Ch. 349
- Tadano's name is a play on words: tada no hito (ただの人) means "an ordinary/average person", and "hito" (仁) means "human" or "compassionate".[6]
First Year Classmates
Najimi Osana
- Japanese: 長名 なじみ (Osana Najimi)
- Voiced by: Rie Murakawa[2] (Japanese); Skyler Davenport[5] (English)
- Portrayed by: Yūtarō[7]
- Najimi is an old friend of Tadano and their gender is unknown. In Middle School, they dressed in a boy's uniform but in High School they primarily dress as a girl (wearing a skirt but a shirt with a necktie instead of a ribbon).Ch. 9 Their unspecified gender leads to comedic situations throughout the series, such as their choice of a dressing roomCh. 39 and how to grade their performance in sports.Ch. 137
- Najimi is socially extremely skilled and everybody's friend. Through their social ability they are able to becomes friends with anyone in a few minutes.Ch. 9 Despite their social skills, Najimi initially does not want to become Komi's friend. They met her already in elementary school and wanted to befriend her, but got scared off by Komi's silence and staring. Only after Komi "saved" them from some unwanted suitor, Najimi warms up to Komi.
- Especially early on, Najimi is a crucial catalyst for Komi getting more acquainted to social situations by organising get-togethersCh. 22, 46, 79, 179 and trips during summer vacation,Ch. 37 involving her in games,Ch. 19 or making Komi order food for them in cafés and sandwich shops.Ch. 13, 51 Najimi also instigates situations in which Komi and Tadano get to know each other better, thus furthering they romantic relationship.eg. Ch. 22, 46, 180, 246
- Najimi is abject to studying, but gets good grades.Ch. 36, 159 They often organize prankseg. Ch. 180 or cause mischief in other ways.Ch. 141 Najimi has a tendency to have a gambling addiction,Ch. 46–47 and keeps coming up with shady business schemes for the school's culture festivals.Ch. 69, 234
- Najimi's full name osananajimi (幼馴染) literally means "childhood friend".[6]
Himiko Agari
- Japanese: 上理 卑美子 (Agari Himiko)
- Voiced by: Yukiyo Fujii[8] (Japanese); Sarah Williams[5] (English)
- Agari is a fearful girl in Komi's class, who gets nervous when having to speak to others. Najimi picked her as potential friend for Komi due to their similar traits.Ch. 14 Agari is initially scared of Komi following her in hiding (as Komi is herself to anxious to speak to Agari), but then gets the idea that Komi is trying to encourage her. Feeling not worthy of Komi's friendship, she agrees to become her dog, revealing her masochist traits.
- Agari is a foodie and shows her confident and knowledgeable side when it comes to food.Ch. 28, 61, 139, She also posts restaurant reviews on an internet site. Her aunt owns a food stand.Ch. 193 Agari has a voluptous figure and is somewhat self-concious of her large breasts.Ch. 106
- Her name is a pun on agari shou (あがり症) (stage fright) and hikyou (卑怯) (cowardice), referencing her anxiety of speaking in front of others.
Ren Yamai
- Japanese: 山井 恋 (Yamai Ren)
- Voiced by: Rina Hidaka[8] (Japanese); Cristina Vee[5] (English)
- Yamai is obsessed with Komi, claiming to be in love with her. Because of that, she is extremely jealous of Tadano due to his closeness to Komi. Initially, she tries to deter Tadano from coming close to KomiCh. 8 and later even kidnaps and threatens him.Ch. 23–26 Only after Yamai profusely apologizes for her actions, Komi agrees to become friends with her.
- She fetishizes objects related to Komi (e.g. a hair from Komi,Ch. 23 an old pantyhose,Ch. 120 or a cup Komi drank fromCh. 312). She also regularly comes up with schemes to get Komi in slightly sexual situations.eg. Ch. 47, 60, 106, 117, 336 which consistently fail. Komi's self appointed bodyguards, Kishi in particular, keep foiling Yamai's attempts to harass Komi.eg. Ch. 342
- Yamai is from the beginning friends with Himeko Kishi and Akako Onigashima. She is musically gifted and plays violin and piano.eg. Ch. 235 Her family is wealthy and tends to spend their vacation overseas.eg. Ch. 94, 186
- Her relationship to Nakanaka could be described as frenemies. While the two constantly quarrel and compete for Komi's affection, Yamai coaches Nakanaka's band before their performance at the culture festival and plays with them on stage.eg. Ch. 235 The two also fight side-by-side in a school-wide battle royale (with toy guns) in their third year.eg. Ch. 333 Lily Sukida ships them as Yama x Naka.eg. Ch. 137
- Her family name is homophone to the Japanese word 病 (Yamai) meaning "illness" or "sickness", while "Ren" is a different reading of the kanji 愛, meaning "love". Her name is also a reference to her yandere nature.
Omoharu Nakanaka
- Japanese: 中々 思春 (Nakanaka Omoharu)
- Voiced by: Rumi Okubo[8] (Japanese); Cherami Leigh[5] (English)
- Nakanaka is a chūnibyō who imagines being a reincarnation of a warrior called "Arsot Les Primavera" from a fantasy world, who is carrier of a secret "dragon force". Before meeting Komi, Nakanaka was lonelyCh. 31 and hadn't had any friends since elementary school.Ch. 48 She used her imagination to cope with her feelings of isolation. She tries to become friends with Komi by pretending to know her from an earlier life as "Princess Komila". After Komi notices that Nakanaka feels alone during physical education, she reaches out to Nakanaka and becomes her friend.Ch. 31 Nakanaka is socially awkward and does not really know how to interact with other people.Ch. 48 In her second year at Itan High School, she manages to befriend Ojousa Mako, Hanya Tonatsu, and Bosa Towa, somewhat with the unintended help of Ren Yamai.Ch. 156
- In school, Nakanaka tends to wear her jacket over her shoulders as a cape, has (fake) bandages on her left arm, and a fingerless glove on her right hand. Most of the time, she wears an eye bandage, which she claims to contain her "dragon force". On some occasions, she wears a colored contact lens underneath the eyepatch.eg. Ch. 98 Outside of school, she dresses in a mild goth style.eg. Ch. 47, 48
- Nakanaka is an avid gamer, although not extremely skilled.Ch. 174 She often plays a mobile MMO called "PGO" (a riff on Fate/Grand Order, "FGO" for short).eg. Ch. 94 She is also shown to collect manga, anime poster, and corresponding figurines. In her second year at Itan High School, she forms a rock band called "Perro Rabioso" ("Mad Dog" in Spanish) together with Mako, Tonatsu, and Towa with Yamai's support.Ch. 235 Nakanaka is the singer and writes the lyrics.
- Her relationship with Yamai is characterized by dispute, with both of them vying for Komi's affection. Despite this, there is also an underlying friendship between them as they also support each other, e.g. when Yamai coaches Nakanaka's band or when Nakanaka and her bandmates provide Yamai moral support after Komi got together with Tadano as a couple.Ch. 312
- Nakanaka's name is written with the kanji 中 (naka) which can alternatively read as "chū", referencing her nature as chuunibyou. Her given name consist of the kanji 思 and 春, meaning "thought, imagination" and "spring, adolescence" respectively, alluding to chuunibyou being the state of an adolescent having delusions of grandeur.
Makeru Yadano
- Japanese: 矢田野 まける (Yadano Makeru)
- Voiced by: Ami Maeshima[9] (Japanese); Kira Buckland[5] (English)
- Makeru is Komi's self-proclaimed rival. She constantly tries to compete with her in all kinds of matters, from physical traits and performance in sports,Ch. 20–21 to gradesCh. 36, cooking skillsCh. 119 and all kinds of games.eg. Ch. 115. She keeps losing every time, though. Her losing streak is not only limited to competitions with Komi.Ch. 186
- Her name is a play of words on the phrase 負けるやだの (Makeru yada no), meaning "I hate losing."
Himeko Kishi
- Japanese: 岸姫子 (Kishi Himeko)
- Voiced by: Maaya UchidaEp. 20 credits
- Kishi usually wears partial knight's armor on her left arm and legs. She is initially part of Yamai's circle of friends, but becomes quickly one of Komi's most loyal followers. She is part of Komi's self-proclaimed honour guard and regularly acts as foil to Yamai's attempts to come too close to Komi.eg. Ch. 342
- Despite her appearing first in chapter 8 of the manga, her face isn't shown until chapter 270. Before that, her face is always covered up by other characters or speech bubbles, or simply not drawn. She is not depicted to really interact with Komi before Chapter 331.
- Kishi is trained in martial arts, fencing, and horseback riding and is part of the school's volleyball team.Ch. 342 She protects Komi out of a desire to serve and loses her purpose after Komi tells her she does not want Kishi to be her servant.Ch. 343 Kishi shortly becomes a deliquent, but finds her way again after Komi explains she would prefer her protection as a friend.
- Her name, 岸 (Kishi) is homophone to the Japanese word 騎士 (Kishi), meaning "knight". Together with her given name Himeko, which means "princess", her name describes her as "Princess Knight".
Akako Onigashima
- Japanese: 鬼ヶ島 朱子 (Onigashima Akako)
- Voiced by: Sarah Emi Bridcutt[9] (Japanese); Erika Harlacher (English)
- Like Kishi is Onigashima is part of Yamai's circle of friends. She is usually carefree and friendly but gets quickly irritated by minor drawbacks, causing her to rage like a demon.Ch. 121 Her name おにがしま あかこ (Onigashima Akako) means "Red Girl from Oni Island" which is a reference to the tale of Momotaro.
Shigeo Chiarai
- Japanese: 地洗井 茂夫 (Chiarai Shigeo)
- Voiced by: Kenji Akabane[10] (Japanese); Sean Chiplock[5] (English)
- Chiarai is friends with Sonoda and Shinobino. He has ruffled hair with a short braid and hairpins. Along with this friends, he starts the tradition of the boys in class fantasizing about dating the girls.Ch. 75 He is also a fan of Makeru Yadano and is a member of the small "Yadano-san Fan Club". His name is a reference to charao, which is the male counterpart of a gyaru.
Taisei Sonoda
- Sonoda has long, black, slicked back hair. Along with his friends Chiarai and Shinobino, he regularly fantasizes about dating the girls in his class. He has been shown to have a crush on Nakanaka in particular.Ch. 75, 117 His name is a pun on the phrase そのだ (sono da), meaning "that's it", while is given name 大勢 (taisei) means "the general trend/situation".
Mono Shinobino
- Japanese: Shinobino Mono (忍野 裳乃)
- Voiced by: Kensho Ono[10] (Japanese); Jack Dillon[5] (English)
- Shinobino dresses and acts like a ninja, including constantly wearing a face mask. He is part of Komi's self-appointed bodyguards. His name is a reference to his ninja attitude, being homophone to the Japanese term 忍びの者 (shinobi no mono), meaning "a person in hiding".
Nokoko Inaka
- Japanese: 井中 のこ子 (Inaka Nokoko)
- Voiced by: Megumi Han[11]
- Inaka is a girl from the countryside who strives to be a city girl, who speaks with a noticeable dialect.Ch. 51 She is scared of others shunning her for being a country girl, although in reality most of her classmates already know. Inaka sees Komi as example of how to be a perfect city girl and tries to imitate her.
- Inaka lives in the same town as Komi's grandmotherCh. 93, where she helps out as miko at a shrine during winter break. She is Komorebi Hiki's cousin.Ch. 275 Her name 田舎のこ (inaka no ko) means literally "country girl".
Nene Onemine
- Japanese: 尾根峰 ねね (Onemine Nene)
- Voiced by: Ruriko Aoki[11] (Japanese); Casey Mongillo[5] (English)
- Onemine is a kind and reliable girl who is seen by her classmates as having a sisterly personality.Ch. 58 Except Najimi, she is one of the first to notice the budding love between Komi and Tadano. Onemine's closest friend is Otori, with whom she usually keeps holding hands to keep Otori from vanishing.Ch. 292 She lives with three younger unruly sibling in a small house.Ch. 116 Her name refers to the Japanese word for "big sister" お姉 (onee).
Kaede Otori
- Japanese: 尾鶏 かえで (Otori Kaede)
- Voiced by: Yurika Moriyama[11] (Japanese); Cherami Leigh (English)
- Otori is a girl with a ditzy and sluggish personality.Ch. 64 Everything she does, she does very slowly. Despite that, Otori has a tendency to vanish unexpectedly and finding herself in odd places,Ch. 71, 241 a trait she shares with her mother.Ch. 186 She is good friends with Onemine and usually together with her. Otori lives in a huge, European style mansion.Ch. 241 Her name is a pun on the Japanese word おっとり (ottori), meaning "calm" or "gentle".
Makoto Katai
- Japanese: 片居 誠 (Katai Makoto)
- Voiced by: Shin'ichirō Kamio[12]
- Portrayed by: Junpei Mizobata[7]
- Katai is a tall and muscular student with an intimidating appearance, who everyone sees as a delinquent. However, he is actually a kind and timid person, who like Komi suffers from a communication disorder.Ch. 76 He only joins the class several months into the semester, after first having been sick and then too shy to enter school. To build confidence, he worked out and built his muscles. He usually talks in a low and gravelly voice which is hard to make out, which adds to the misunderstanding of Katai being a deliquent.
- Tadano is the only one initially approaching Katai without fear and in a friendly way, which causes Katai to become almost immediately enamored with Tadano. Their friendship is often joked to be of an almost romantic nature,eg. Ch. 80, 95, 117 often to Komi's confusion. Katai is scared of Komi (who in turn is scared of Katai), but sees her as "communication master" who is trying to teach him how to properly communicate. Katai's family owns a martial arts dojoCh. 179 and all have the same intimidating appearance.also Ch. 186
- His name is homophone to 固い (katai), meaning "hard" or "firm".
Shisuto Naruse
- Japanese: 成瀬 詩守斗 (Naruse Shisuto)
- Voiced by: Katsuyuki Miura[13]
- Portrayed by: Yu Shirota[14]
- Naruse is a student who has delusions of grandeur due to being a bishōnen.Ch. 102 He believes all that his classmates admire and adore him, although they are mostly indifferent about him. Naruse initially believes that only Komi is worthy of him, because of her beauty. But has since found friendship in other classmates as well. Despite being narcissistic, he is fundamentally kind & friendly. Offering his lunch to Tadano or convincing Ase that she deserves to love herself.
- Over the course of the manga, Naruse and Ase get closer and ultimately start dating.Ch. 180, 289–290, 347, 361 Naruse's grandfather is shown to be at least as narcissistic as himself, albeit in a more cheerful manner.Ch. 186
- Naruse's name is a play on words with the Japanese term for "narcissist", ナルシシスト (narushishisuto).
Chūshaku Kometani
- Japanese: 米谷 忠釈 (Kometani Chūshaku)
- Voiced by: Shotaro Uzawa[13]
- Kometani is friends with Naruse.Ch. 102 He keeps commenting on the story, breaking the fourth wall, and always talks in captions instead of speech bubbles. While initially only commenting on events where he is present, he later also does so even when he is not actually part of story at the point.eg. Ch. 239
- His face is normally drawn only very stylized, except for a very few exceptions.eg. Ch. 201 Kometani's name is a pun on the English word "commentate".
Ayami Sasaki
- Japanese: 佐々木 あやみ (Sasaki Ayami)
- Voiced by: Minami Takahashi[13]
- Sasaki is a member of Komi's group for the Year 1 field trip,Ch. 104 where she and Kato plan to make the trip as enjoyable for Komi as possible. She is a highly gifted yo-yo master as she landed 3rd place in the world championship.Ch. 111 But as she has been ridiculed about this in the past, Sasaki initially tries to keep this secret. So she disguises with a hannya mask and takes up the stagename "Y. Y. Hannya". Komi and Kato are both aware of her "secret" identity. On occasions, Sasaki uses her yo-yo skills to earn money.Ch. 292
- Sasaki is one of Komi's closest friends. She, Komi, and Kato often meet at Kato's house to drink tea and discuss love matters.eg. Ch. 149, 195, 245 Sasaki mischieviously plays matchmaker on several occasions, arranging situations where one of her friends has to interact with their respective crushes.eg. Ch. 113, 117
- In contrast to most other names, Sasaki's name is not a pun or play on words: Ayami Sasaki is an anagram of "Asamiya Saki", the name of a character from the manga series Sukeban Deka who uses a yo-yo to fight crime.
Mikuni Katō
- Japanese: 加藤 三九二 (Katō Mikuni)
- Voiced by: Fumiko Uchimura[13]
- Katō is a member of Komi's group for the Year 1 field trip,Ch. 104 who aspires to be a competitive shogi player.Ch. 111 She is highly organised and plans out Komi's, Sasaki's, and her field trip to Kyoto to the minute. Along with Sasaki, she is aware of Komi's crush on Tadano and highly supportive of both of them getting together. Katō herself has a crush on Katai.
- Katō lives with her family in a huge mansion in a traditional Japanese style,Ch. 149 where she, Sasaki, and Komi regularly meet to discuss love matters. While there, they get dressed up in kimono by her mother Yakuna Katō.
- Katō's name is unusual among the names of the characters in the series, as it is no pun or wordplay. Instead, it is a reference to the well-known shogi player Hifumi Katō. Both their given names are made up of numbers: 三九二 (mikuni) means "three, nine, two", while 一二三 (hifumi) means "one, two, three".
Amami Satō
- Japanese: 左藤 甘美 (Satō Amami)
- Voiced by: Live MukaiEp. 23 credits
- Satō is a sweet girl who always agrees to do favors for anyone who would ask her.Ch. 122 She is a member of the Sociology Club together with Ushiroda and Maeda. The Japanese word 砂糖 (satou) means "sugar" and 甘み (amami) means "sweetness". The Japanese word for "sweet" 甘い (amai) can also mean "naive".
Eiko Ushiroda
- Japanese: 牛路田 影子 (Ushiroda Eiko)
- Voiced by: Mari UchiyamaEp. 23 credits
- Ushiroda is a member of the Sociology Club together with Satō and Maeda. She is worried about Satō's over-benevolence.Ch. 122 Her name is a pun on the Japanese expression 後ろだ (ushiro da), meaning "being behind", because she sits behind Komi in class.
Hoshio “Jukujosukii” Maeda
- Japanese: 前田 “ジュクジョスキー” 星雄 (Maeda Hoshio)
- Voiced by: Naoki KuwataEp. 23 credits
- Maeda is a member of the Sociology Club together with Satō and Ushiroda.Ch. 122 He expresses his interest in older women on several occasions,Ch. 122, ? earning him the nickname 熟女好き (Jukujosukii), "loves older women". His name "Maeda" refers to him sitting in front of Komi, as 前だ (mae da) means "being in front".
Toshio Seikimatsu
- Japanese: 世紀末 年男 (Seikimatsu Toshio)
- Voiced by: Norihito Hase
- Seikimatsu is a tall and muscular character with a very distinct mohawk and fringe of hair. He returns as a classmate in Komi & Tadano's third year class, where he develops a friendship with Tadano. Shown to have always wanted to apologize to Tadano for elbowing him in the face in their first year. His name means literally "end of the century man" and is a reference to the Fist of the Northstar characters Kenshiro and Raoh, who both bear similar titles.
Samu Samurai
- Japanese: 佐村井 サム (Samurai Samu)
- Voiced by: Tooru Arizumi
- A boy in the class who dresses and styles his hair like a samurai.
Yuuji Otaku
- Japanese: 小宅 優司 (Otaku Yuuji)
- Voiced by: Tooru Arizumi
- Otaku has a striking face and wears horn-rimmed glasses. Despite being introduced as not looking like an otaku,Ch. 62 he shows typical otaku interests, like manga, movies, and novels.Ch. 216
Class Delinquents
- Also in Komi's class are four unnamed delinquents. One always wears a baseball cap and a hoodie, one has curtain bangs, the third one has his hair combed straight up, and the fourth constantly wears a medical face mask.Ch. 17 The four are part of Komi's self-appointed bodyguard. They are initially scared of Katai, but soon come to admire him due to his physique.Ch. 110
Second Year Classmates
Rumiko Manbagi
- Japanese: 万場木 留美子 (Manbagi Rumiko)
- Portrayed by: Ai Yoshikawa[7]
- Manbagi is a gyaru who joins Tadano and Komi's class in their second year of high school.Ch. 131 She initially presented herself with an excessive amount of ganguro make-up, scaring people off. She befriends Tadano and Komi when they help her after an anxiety attack. Manbagi puts off the make-up after Komi and Tadano tell her she would look better without.Ch. 136
- Manbagi quickly becomes Komi's best friend and confidant. Her reactions to Tadano are initially abrasive, as she does not know how to react to his kindness and compliments.Ch. 136 She quickly develops romantic feelings for him, though, especially after Tadano claims to be her boyfriend to protect her from unwanted advances by the Golden Skulls (subject to change).Ch. 165 Manbagi is initially unaware that Komi is also in love with Tadano, but realises this when she sees Komi and Tadano play a romantic scene in the class' stageplay at the culture festival.Ch. 223 When Manbagi decides to give up on Tadano for Komi's sake, Komi refuses as she does not want to be responsible for Manbagi's unhappiness while also being insecure about Tadano's feeling for her.Ch. 228 Despite both being in love with Tadano and vying for his affection, Manbagi and Komi are both determined to remain friends.
- After some unsuccessful attempts,Ch. 264, 294 Manbagi finally manages to confess her love to Tadano and asks him to date, which he initially accepts.Ch. 300 But when she ask him whether he is really sure about his feelings, he realises he loves Komi and confesses to her.Ch. 302 Manbagi is left heartbroken, but finds support from her friends.Ch. 303 In her third year in high school, she overcomes her love sickness and starts to get closer to her new seatmate Taketoshi Wakai.Ch. 345
- Before meeting Komi, Manbagi was already friends with Mutan, Yukapoyo, and Gonzales, three other gyarus.Ch. 140 She owns a goldfish called "People-kun" (ぴーぷるくん (Piipurukun), named after Hitohito Tadano: 人 (hito) means people).Ch. 217
- Manbagi's name is a direct reference to her initial styling as Manba Gyaru.
Shibuki Ase
- Japanese: 阿瀬 志吹 (Ase Shibuki)
- Ase is a girl who sweats profusely. She is highly self-concious about this and feels everyone is disgusted of her.Ch. 151 She befriends Komi and Manbagi when they lend her an antiperspirant. Ase is Isagi's closest friend, having known her since elementary school.Ch. 196 Over the course of the manga, she and Naruse get closer and eventually start dating.Ch. 180, 289–290, 347, 361
- Her name 汗飛沫 (ase shibuki) means "drops of sweat".
Kiyoko Isagi
- Japanese: 潔 清子 (Isagi Kiyoko)
- Isagi is a germaphobe, who wants to become the student council president.Ch. 196 She cannot stand to be touched by other persons (except trying to helpCh. 196, 303), thoroughly washes herself if she cannot avoid it, and desinfects her desk. He has very high moral standards, which is also wants to apply to her office as student council president. Due to her standards, she also initially refuses any help in her election campaign.
- Her ambition stems from an incident at the entrance ceremony, when incumbent student council president Ichō Setoka's actions inspired her. Despite finding out that Setoka is only has the position for her own amusement and that her actions at the ceremony were selfish, Isagi is not disencouraged.Ch. 200 She ultimately manages to win the election due to speeches by Ase and herself, which are brutally honest about her flaws.Ch. 202–203
- Isagi knows Ase since elementary school.Ch. 196 She feels responsible for Ase's low self-esteem because she called her filthy shortly after Isagi developed her germaphobia.Ch. 202 Ase forgave her though and remained her closest friend, despite Isagi acting distant for several years.
- During the second year's culture festival, Isagi forms the "Federation for Breaking Illicit Relationships" (Japanese: 不純異性交遊撲滅委員会 (Fujun iseikouyuu bokumetsu iinkai)) – or "FBI" for short – with the student council to prevent "immoral" behaviour between students of opposite gender.Ch. 229 They do so by hitting the perpetrators with toy hammers. Isagi does not approve of the relationship between Ase and Naruse because she thinks he is an idiot.Ch. 229, 262, 289, 291, 362–363
- The kanji in her name (潔 (isagi), 清 (kiyoshi)) both mean "clean" or "pure".
Shuki Ohai
- Japanese: 緒杯 朱紀 (Ohai Shuki)
- Ohai likes breasts.Ch. 130 During the second and third year fitness tests, she comments on the chest size of the other girls.Ch. 137, 346 She also acts as judge during the Summer Uniform Grand PrixCh. 150, 366 and the Smile contest.Ch. 201 Along with Toutoi and Fukusuki, she forms the "Riverside Magazine Hunters Club" (河川敷本探し部 (Kasenjiki hon sagashibu)), looking for thrown-away erotic magazines on the river bank.Ch. 192
- Her name is a pun on おっぱい 好き (oppai suki), "likes breasts".
Son Tōtoi
- Japanese: 尊井 尊 (Tōtoi Son)
- Tōtoi looks like Buddha, but has a very lecherous character.Ch. 130 Together with Ohai and Fukusuki he forms the "Riverside Magazine Hunters Club". Tōtoi regularly organises contents where the unsuspecting participants are judged by their looks, like the annual Summer Uniform Grand PrixCh. 150, 366 and the Smile Contest.Ch. 201 For a test of courage, in which Najimi pranks Komi and Tadano, he gets painted gold to appear as a Buddha statue.
- His name 尊い (tōtoi) means "noble" or "sacred", which in this case is ironic as Tōtoi is neither.
Natsu Fukusuki
- Japanese: 福数寄 夏 (Fukusuki Natsu)
- Fukusuki likes summer uniforms,Ch. 192 so he acts as a judge during the Summer Uniform Grand Prix.Ch. 150, 366 Together with Toutoi and Ohai, he is part of the "Riverside Magazine Hunters Club" and also judges the Smile contest.Ch. 201 He is costume designer for class 2-1's stageplay during the school's culture festival.Ch. 238
- His name is a play on words of the phrase 夏服 好き (natsufuku suki), literally "likes summer uniforms".
Saku Fushima
- Japanese: 腐島 さく (Fushima Saku)
- Fushima is a hobby mangaka.Ch. 188 She is into yaoi and ships Tadano and Katai as "Kata x Tada".Ch. 188, 193 She was forced by Najimi to introduce herself to the class by rapping.Ch. 130
- Her name 腐しま 作 (fushima saku) means "rotten/debauched works", referring to her lewd fantasies.
Maya Takarazuka
- Japanese: 宝塚 真矢 (Takarazuka Maya)
- Takarazuka is an androgynous, handsome girl who is a talented actor.Ch. 221 She can only act male roles, though.Ch. 227 Takarazuka is aware of the unspoken love between Komi and Tadano, so she arranges situations where they both have an opportunity to get closer. Her name is a reference to the all-female Takarazuka Revue musical troupe.
Shiki Gekidan
- Japanese: 劇段 色 (Gekidan Shiki)
- Gekidan is a girl who constantly wears a lion costume. She is into acting and performs a musical number to get Komi's contact information.Ch. 258 Her name is direct reference to the Japanese musical theatre company of the same name 劇団四季 (Gekidan Shiki).[15]
Men Kichō
- Japanese: 帰蝶 綿 (Kichō Men)
- Kichō is a character who is very thorough and always wants precision and accuracy.Ch. 188, 238 He can be bothered if something is even a millimeter out of place. He tries to get Komi's contact details by writing his own on a rice corn, which unfortunately gets blown away.Ch. 258 His name is a pun on 几帳面 (kichōmen), meaning "meticulous".
Spiri Urana
- Japanese: 占南 スピリ (Urana Supiri)
- Uruna is a girl who dresses like a fortune teller and has a tear shaped mole under her eye.Ch. 188 Fitting her outfit, she constantly tries to sell trinkets and talismans to students and visitors of the culture festival.Ch. 238, 258 Her name is a word play on 占い (urai), "fortune telling" and スピリト (supirito), "spirit".
Masuko Fuwa
- Japanese: 不破 益子 (Fuwa Masuko)
- Fuwa is a rotund girl with a soft belly and constant smile on her face, who is something like the class mascot. Her name is a pun on ふわマスコ (fuwa masuko), "fluffy mascot".
Kaname Bodou
- Japanese: 母堂 かなめ (Bodou Kaname)
- Bodou is a boy who has a very motherly nature and interacts with his classmates as if he were their parent. e.g. bringing them waterCh. 240 or fruit.Ch. 258 or just being caring. So much so that they frequently refer to him as a "mom", which he hates being called. His name is a play on words with the Japanese word for "mother" お母さん (okaasan).
Ichinose, Ninomai, Santori, and Shishima
- Japanese: 一ノ瀬 (Ichinose), 二舞 (Ninomai), 三取 (Santori), 四志摩 (Shishima)
- Ichinose, Ninomai, Santori, and Shishima are seatmates and tend to do everything together.Ch. 188, 258 Their names are puns on the Japanese words for "one" 一 (ichi), "two" 二 (ni), "three" 三 (san), and "four" 四 (shi), earning them the nickname "The Number Guys" 数字の人 (suuji no hito).
Ken Inui
- Japanese: 乾 賢 (Inui Ken)
- Inui is a boy whose hair makes him look as if he has dog ears. He is constantly quarreling with Sarutahiko.Ch. 188, 212, 258 his childhood "friend". It's implied that they've been getting along better ever since their Second year Valentine's Day, where they were awoken to some deeper feelings. His name is a pun on the Japanese word for "dog" 犬 (inu).
Mei Sarutahiko
- Japanese: 猿田彦 めい (Sarutahiko Mei)
- Sarutahiko is a girl who resembles a monkey due to her hair. She is always getting in arguments with Inui.Ch. 188, 212, 258 her childhood "friend". It's implied they've been getting along better since Valentine's. Becoming awoken to deeper feelings. Her name references the Shinto god Sarutahiko Ōkami, whose name 猿田彦大神 (sarutahiko ōkami) can be translated as "Prince Of The Monkey Fields".
Kingyo Baba
- Japanese: 馬場 金魚 (Baba Kingyo)
- Baba is a girl whose head resembles a goldfish. She always follows the flow of what everyone else is doing or saying, constantly repeating her catchphrase "That's right!" (Japanese: そうでヤンスね (Sō de yansu ne)).eg. Ch. 188 She remarked once that it's impossible for her to do things of her own volition. Her name 金魚 (kingyo) literally means "goldfish".
Reika Tsunde
- Japanese: 積手 れいか (Tsunde Reika)
- Tsunde is a tsundere.eg. Ch. 210 It was revealed in the Second Year White Day that she fell in love with Bodou.
Mitsu Toro
- Japanese: 吐露 蜜 (Toro Mitsu)
- Toro is a seductive, but lazy girl who uses her appeal to charm the boys into doing her all kinds of favors, including carrying her up the stairs.Ch. 240 Komi and Manbagi ask her to teach them flirting techniques to get Tadano's attention.
Shizuka Odoka
- Japanese: 小戸日 静 (Odoka Shizuka)
- Odoka looks like a vengeful spirit, specifically Sadako from the Ring franchise or Kayako Saeki from the Ju-On movies. She has long black hair, which falls over her eyes, and tends to stand stooped over. She first appears as a scarer in a haunted house during Komi's first school year's culture festival.Ch. 70. Her name is a play on words with 脅かしい (odokashii), "intidimating/scary".
Doji
- Japanese: 土地 (Doji)
- Doji is a clumsy girl who constantly trips and falls over. She once dropped her smartphone out of the window when trying to ask Komi for her contact information.Ch. 258 Her name is a pun on ドジ (doji), meaning "blunder" or "clumsy".
Moe Ashitano
- Japanese: 明日野 or 蘆田野 萌枝 (Ashitano Moe)[a]
- Ashitano is a girl who acts & talks like an upper-class lady. But has a weak endurance, quickly burning out and losing all energy after a taxing task.Ch. 258 The way she is drawn when burned out and her name are allusions to the boxing manga Ashita no Joe. Her given name 燃える (moeru) means "burn".
Hafuri
- Japanese: 祝 (Hafuri)
- Hafuri dresses and acts like a person from the time of the Japanese bubble economy and still uses a pager.Ch. 258 Her name is a pun on the Japanese transliteration of "bubbly" バブリー (baburii).
Third Year Classmates
Mako Ojousa
- Japanese: 小帖佐 真胡 (Ojousa Mako)
Tonatsu Hanya
- Japanese: 半屋 十夏 (Hanya Tonatsu)
Towa Bosa
- Japanese: 菩茶 冨和 (Bosa Towa)
Lily Sukida
- Japanese: 鋤田 リリー (Sukida Lili)
Yuragi Emoyama
- Japanese: 江藻山 ゆらぎ (Emoyama Yuragi)
- Emoyama is a passionate girl who enjoys moments of life that illicit feelings of emotion. Which she refers to as her catchphrase "Emo!". As such, she is vastly aware of the many events in her school's students' lives, even if they aren't exactly her classmates or friends. Such as knowing that Sasaki & Kato had fought in their first-year field trip when grouped with Komi. Or indicating that she knows that Tadano & Komi became friends using a chalkboard in first year. She was introduced back in second year and is also shown to be a strong supporter of Tadano and Komi's relationship. Her name is a pun on the word "emo".
Muzuka Shiina
- Japanese: 椎名 むずか (Shiina Muzuka)
- Shiina is a girl who is very difficult and intractable. She constantly switches her mood, remains aloof in group activates, or will challenge others for aimless reasons. During the third year battle royale, she berated Komi when she tried to stop her from quitting the game. Although Komi eventually won her over. She has since been slowly warming up to her. She has a heavily pierced left ear and is always wearing a sweater over her uniform. Her name is a play on words with the Japanese word for "difficult", 難しい (muzukashii).
Machi Omakawa
- Japanese: 小間川 まち (Omakawa Machi)
- Omakawa is a girl who had always wanted to be called cute since middle school. She would try to give compliments to others in order to receive a similar response but would fail because of the oddity of her timing. Komi became the first one to finally call her cute. She likes being called cute as it raises her confidence and willpower, so much so that it produces a visible wave of aura around her. Her family name is a pun on the Japanese phrase お前かわいい (omae kawaii), "You are cute", while her given name is a play on 待ちます (machimasu), "I wait". Taken together, her name refers to her waiting to be called cute.
Hafuru Ogiya
- Japanese: 荻谷 把布留 (Ogiya Hafuru)
- Ogya is known for always using a pacifier, wearing a baby bib, and conversing in baby talk. But still retains the mentality of a normal high schooler and has sharp eyes. He soon becomes a new friend to Tadano and has been shown to be very devoted to him. His name is made up from baby noises.
Koto Kyouno
- Japanese: 京ノ 古都 (Kyouno Koto)
- Kyouno speaks in an antiquated, dignified Kyoto dialect, and is often seen with a handkerchief in hand. She wants to make friends, but her way of speaking gives the impression that she is being sarcastic and condescending. Her name consists of the kanji for "Kyoto" (京都) and "old" (古).
You Fuki
- Japanese: 蕗 陽 (Fuki You)
- Fuki is a clumsy man. Essentially the male counterpart of Doji, although his own clumsiness results in causing destruction around him. His name is homophone to 不器用 (fukiyou), meaning "clumsy".
Kyara Nanoda
- Japanese: 名野田 キャラ (Nanoda Kyara)
- Nanoda is a normal girl who uses her last name as her catchphrase and be a "nanoda" character, which is a common manga/anime trope. なのだ (nanoda) is a Japanese affirmative phrase, which can be translated with "It is!" or "it is surely so". Although she realizes it's very embarrassing to do so, she still says it because she feels that she can't make friends if she didn't have a unique character. なのだ (nanoda) is a Japanese affirmative phrase, which can be translated with "It is!" or "it is surely so". Her name is a pun on なのだキャラ (nanoda kyara), meaning literally "nanoda character".
Teruka Kire
- Japanese: 吉礼 照佳 (Kire Teruka)
- Kire almost always carries an angered expression on her face, making others believe she's always bitter about something. But in truth, it's because of her bad eyesight. She also desires to make friends. キレて (kirete) means "get angry".
Teruyoshi Jimochi
- Japanese: 慈餅 輝善 (Jimochi Teruyoshi)
- Jimochi is a boy who suffers from hemorrhoids.
Yuka Shiroki
- Japanese: 白木 由佳 (Shiroki Yuka)
- Yuka is a girl who belongs to Manbagi's original trio of gyaru friends. Having been introduced in second year, she joins Komi and Tadano's class in third year. She displays typical gyaru traits, wearing strong makeup and brimming with personality. She tells people to refer to her as "Yukapoyo".
Teachers and Other Students
Homeroom Teacher
- Japanese: 担任の先生 (Tannin no sensei)
- Komi's homeroom teacher in the first two years at Itan High School is an unnamed woman with glasses and a hair bun, who constantly wears a track suit.Ch. 2 She is lazy, taking advantage of Tadano's helpfulness,Ch. 58 and sees no problem in drinking alcohol while having to supervise her students on a field trip.Ch. 281
Chika Netsuno
- Japanese: 根津野 ちか (Netsuno Chika)
- Voiced by: Megumi HanEp. 10 credits (Japanese); Suzie Yeung[5] (English)
- Netsuno is a highly competitive, second-year student who is hot-blooded.
Miwa Omojiri
- Japanese: 重尻 美葉 (Omojiri Miwa)
- Omojiri is an assistant teacher in Komi's class in her second year at Itan High School,Ch. 158 and her homeroom teacher in the third year.Ch. 325 Initially, she is very punctilious and meticulous in school, but also so overworked that she collapses at home from exhaustion and sleeps through large parts of the weekend. She relaxes a bit when Komi shows her some kindness outside of school. Her family name Omojiri is a play on words on the phrase 尻が重い (shiri ga omoi) (literally: "the butt is heavy"), which means "being lazy" and alludes to her demeanor outside school.
Gorimi
- Japanese: 檎林美 (Gorimi)
- Gorimi is a large and muscular senpai who oversees the school library committe.Ch. 36, 159 She is known for enforcing quiet in the library by slapping perpetrators with her paper fan. If one is hit three times, she will remove them from the library. After her eventual graduation, the Electrical engineering Club creates a robotic replacement for her in her likeness.Ch. 372 Gorimi's name is a pun on ゴリラ 見た目 (gorira mitame), roughly translating into "looks like a gorilla".
Setoka Ichō
- Japanese: 伊調 せとか (Ichou Setoka)
- Her name is pun on 生徒会長 (setokai chou), "President of the Student Council".
The Four Heavenly Kings
Komorebi Hiki
- Japanese: 日岐 こもれび (Hiki Komorebi)
- Hiki is with 180 cm unusually tall for a Japanese girl of her age.Ch. 275 She is very self-concious of her height, so she spent the last year in middle-school as a shut in. She is Inaka's younger cousin. Hiki meets Komi when she visits a shrine in her hometown where she wants to pray for success in her high-school entrance exam. When Hiki collapses due to her anxiousness, Komi comes to her help and assuages Hiki's fears.
- Hiki joins Itan High School when Komi starts her third year there.Ch. 326 With her tallness, Hiki is crucial in the first year students winning the school-wide battle royale (with toy guns).Ch. 326 She becomes good friends with her classmates Aoi Netsuno and Susumi Shujou.Ch. 334, 351
- Hiki's given name is homophone to 木漏れ日 (komorebi), meaning "the sunlight filtering through trees". This word describes the light shafts and the patterns on the ground created by the sunlight shining through the leaves of a tree. Taken together, the name Hiki Komorebi is a play on words with hikikomori, the Japanese term for shut ins.
Arisa Anchi
- Japanese: 安智 有梨沙 (Anchi Arisa)
Saki Tsuzurafuji
- Japanese: 葛藤 咲 (Tsuzurafuji Saki)
Yukari Kogoen
- Japanese: 小御縁 ゆかり (Kogoen Yukari)
Taketoshi Wakai
- Japanese: 和貝 武利 (Wakai Taketoshi)
- Wakai is a boy who joins Manbagi's third year class as her new seatmate and is also the captain of the school's soccer team. He has a case of Gynophobia and avoids interacting with females in general. According to him, talking to girls makes him overly conscious and causes him a lot of stress. He feels that he has to appeal to them or otherwise they'll look down on him. He also has a limit on how much he can handle talking to girls if he has to, which will cause him to faint if it empties. Manbagi, out of her friendly nature, often calls out to him various times, which of course stresses him further. However, he has since been getting used to her, and slowly growing closer to her.
Family Members
Hitomi Tadano
- Japanese: 只野 瞳 (Tadano Hitomi)
- Voiced by: Maaya Uchida[16] (Japanese); Suzie Yeung (English)
- Hitomi is Hitohito's younger sister. She is very talkative and assertive, and tends to bombard new acquaintances with questions.Ch. 133, 182 From the second year of the story on, she visits Kisai High School, where she is classmates with Komi's younger brother Shōsuke and Katai's little sister Ai. As Shōsuke's seatmate, she takes it onto herself to help him make friends, as she assumes he is suffering from a communication disorder and hence unable to do so himself.Ch. 133 To achieve her goal, she uses ventriloquism to imitate Shōsuke's voice and pressures him into partaking in class activities.Ch. 145 She has no romantic interest in him and only sees him as friend.Ch. 198
- Hitomi gives her brother romantic advice on several occasions, for example by helping him to buy a present for Komi for White Day without knowing who the recipient is. She notices the romantice tension between Hitohito and Komi quickly,Ch. 50, 182 but after having seen Hitohito in drag and with together Katai, she begins to assume him to be gay.Ch. 64, 224, 307, 338 Hitomi and Hitohito share a single room in their family's apartment.
- She is very sportive and good in Judo, being able to overpower not only Shosuke but also much bigger and stronger members of a biker gang.Ch. 182
Jeanne Tadano
- Japanese: 只野 慈安布 (Tadano Jannu)
- Jeanne is Hitohito's and Hitomi's mother. She meets Komi's family first when their families coincidentally make a holiday trip to the same campsite.Ch. 143 Her face is not shown before Chapter 338. Believing Hitohito to be gay for a while due to Hitomi's reports, she is initially puzzled when Hitohito introduced Komi as his girlfriend.Ch. 338 She is at first intimated by Komi, but after getting to know her better, she becomes happy about having Komi as part of her family.Ch. 338–340
- Her name is a play on words with ただのじゃない (tada no janai), meaning "not normal", probably referring to her (for a Japanese woman) unusual given name.
Tadano's Father
- Hitohito's and Hitomi's father only appears once in the manga as of chapter 367 when the Tadano and Komi family happen to meet each other at a campsite.Ch. 143 His face is not shown, nor is a name mentioned.
Shōsuke Komi
- Japanese: 古見 笑介 (Komi Shōsuke)
- Voiced by: Junya Enoki[16] (Japanese); Jack Dillon (English)
- Shōsuke is Shōko's by about a year younger brother. He tends to remain silent, but unlike Shōko he is perfectly capable of talking but just chooses not to.Ch. 86 He is tall and handsome and easily gets the attention of girls, but is uninterested.Ch. 68 Shōsuke is sportive and gifted with his hands.Ch. 145, 173
- While Shōko is in her second year at high school, he joins the Kisai High School, where he ends up seatmates with Tadano's younger sister Hitomi.Ch. 133 Hitomi mistakes his introversion for a social anxiety disorder and immediately tries to help him to overcome it. Her incessant attempts to forceably push him into social interactions tend to exhaust Shōsuke.Ch. 133, 145 Katai's younger sister Ai falls in love with Shōsuke, but he has yet to show if these feelings are mutual.Ch. 182, 198
- His name is the same play on words as his sister's on the word Komyushō (コミュ症), meaning communication disorder.
Shūko Komi
- Japanese: 古見 秀子 (Komi Shūko)
- Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue[17] (Japanese); Dorothy Fahn (English)
- Shūko is Shōko's and Shōsuke's mother and a full-time housewife. She looks so much like her daughter that she sometimes gets mistaken for her or her sister.Ch. 22, 55 Unlike Shōko, her mother has a very outgoing personality and describes herself as "eternal 17-year old", somewhat to Shōko's embarassment.
- Shūko met her future husband Masayoshi in high school when she was actually 17.Ch. 125 She was somewhat of a delinquent at that time and not interested in school. Masayoshi caught her eye with his good looks, his kindness, and his skills in craftsmanship and cooking.
- Her maiden name is 新見 (Niimi) which can be translated as "new look/view" and is effectively the opposite of 古見 (Komi), meaning "old look/view", alluding to her character being opposite to the rest of her family.
Masayoshi Komi
- Japanese: 古見 将賀 (Komi Masayoshi)
- Voiced by: Mitsuaki Hoshino[17]
- Masayoshi is Shōko's and Shōsuke's father. Like his children, he talks very little and seems to suffer from a similar social anxiety disorder as his daughter. Somehow, Masayoshi and Shōko manage to communicate without words.Ch. 42, 74 Similar to Shōko, he can appear very intimidating to people not familiar to him.
- He is of the same age as his wife Shūko, who he met at 17 in high school. He organised a flashmob to ask her on a dateCh. 153 and took her with a motorcycle to the beach.Ch. 166
- When Tadano and Shōko start to go out, Masayoshi "kidnaps" Tadano before their first date to put him to a test.Ch. 317 On that occasion, they visit an aquarium where Masayoshi reveals himself to be enthusiastic about sea animals. After that "date", he becomes somewhat enamoured with Tadano.Ch. 349 He later takes Tadano also to a sauna to get him to know better.Ch. 364
Yuiko Komi
- Japanese: 古見 結子 (Komi Yuiko)
- Yuiko is Masayoshi's mother and Shōko's grandmother and the matriarch of the Komi family. She lives in the countryside – in the same village where Inaka comes from –, where the family tends to visit her on holidays.Ch. 45, 91–92, 184–185, 271–272 Yuiko is somewhat strict but reveals a playful side when she engages with her grandchildren in games, usually with their allowance at stake.
Akira Komi
- Japanese: 古見 晶 (Komi Akira)
- Akira is Komi's young cousin.Ch. 45 She is the daughter of Ryōko (古見 良子 (Komi Ryōko)) and Sadayoshi Komi (古見 定義 (Komi Sadayoshi)). Akira is shy but likes Komi and loves to play with her.Ch. 45, 91–92, 184–185, 271–272 They tend to meet when Shōko's family visit their grandmother.
Ai Katai
- Japanese: 片居 愛 (Katai Ai)
- Ai is Makoto Katai's younger sister. She has long blond hair and usually wears a trenchcoat over her school uniform. In contrast to her brother, who only gets mistaken for a delinquent due to his physique and demeanor, Ai is actually one. She acts tough, has no interest in school, and gets into gang fights.Ch. 182
- Ai visits the same high school as Shōsuke Komi and Hitomi and is classmates with them. She instantly falls in love with Shōsuke, revealing her softer side.
- Her name can be read as 固い 愛 (katai ai), meaning "tough love".
Other characters
Rei Natsukido
- Japanese: 夏木戸 澪 (Natsukido Rei)
- Rei is the daughter of one of Komi's mother's school friends and stays at the Komis' house for a week over the summer holiday when her parents are away on a business trip.Ch. 168–177 She is in the second year of elementary school.
- Initially distanced and emotionally cool, she slowly warms to Shōko, her friends, and the other members of the Komi household. When she realises that she is becoming attached to them, she runs away. With Najimi's help, Komi manages to find her and bring her home. Rei reveals that she had to move very often due to her parents work, meaning she had to say farewell to her friends often and only after a short time. As a result, Rei decided to rather stay emotionally distant and not to make any new friends. When Komi explains to her that this is an opportunity to make many friends all over the world, Rei finally agrees. Before parting, Komi and Rei bet who can make 100 friends more quickly. After Rei and her family move to the United States, she manages to quickly befriend the foul-mouthed Mila, who somewhat begrudgingly accepts. When Komi is in the US on her class trip, she manages to meet up with Rei.Ch. 284
Momo Natsukido
- Japanese: 夏木戸 百々 (Natsukido Momo)
- Momo is Rei's motherCh. 177 and an old school friend of Komi's mother Shūko.Ch. 153 For work related reasons, she and her husband have to move regularly, also internationally.
Kamiko Arai
- Japanese: 新井 嘉美子 (Arai Kamiko)
- Arai is a trainee in the beauty salon Komi frequents, where she washes the customers' hair and sweeps the floor.Ch. 34 She takes Komi's silence initially for disapproval, which makes her highly insecure. However, when Komi finally manages to express her gratitude without words, Arai is encouraged again.
- Her name 洗い髪子 (arai kami ko) translates literally to "hair-washing girl".
Maki Karisu
- Japanese: 雁巣 真姫 (Karisu Maki)
- Karisu is the hair-dresser in the beauty salon Komi visits and a very charismatic personality.Ch. 34 She knows Komi since she was a little kid. Thus, she is accustomed to Komi's silence and can easily understand her. It is later revealed that she is single and friends with Teshigawara, Tenjouin, and Toujouin.Ch. 367
- Her name is a pun on the Japanese word for "charisma", カリスマ (karisuma).
Chocolat
- Japanese: ショコラ (Shokora)
- Chocolat is a black female cat living in the cat café Komi visits and the "boss" of all the cats there.Ch. 81 Normally aloof and distant, she takes pity on Komi when all other cats avoid her and lets Komi pet and cuddle her after realizing that unlike all of the other humans who pet the cats within the cat café without their consent, Komi is more thoughtful of the cat's feelings and would rather have them come to her. Komi eventually earns the title "Chocolat Mama" because Chocolat becomes so attached to her.Ch. 214
Hoshiko Teshigawara
- Japanese: 勅使河原 欲子 (Teshigawara Hoshiko)
- Teshigawara is an office lady who is in real urgent need of some tissues.Ch. 43 She manages to get some from Komi who happens to hand out pocket tissues while helping Najimi on their summer job. Some time later, she encounters Nakanaka on a late night stroll and plays along when Nakanaka mimes using her umbrella as a gun.Ch. 174 Teshigawara is friends with Karisu, Tenjouin, and Toujouin and like all of them single.Ch. 367
- Her name is a pun on the Japanese phrase ティッシュがほしい (tisshu ga hoshii), "I need tissues".
Tatsuhito Akido
- Japanese: 明戸 達人 (Akido Tatsuhito)
- Akido is an expert on maid cafés.Ch. 67, 238 He has it taken onto him to visit one maid café per day, which leads him to the maid café organised by Komi's class during the school's culture festival. Despite being a critical maid expert, he is still a timid otaku around women. He happens to know Ren Sutejijuku since kindergarden and they mutually despise each other. Although during their meeting in the second-year culture festival, a caption box remarks that they will eventually marry in a few years' time.
Shouta Shiota, Lola Michisato, Chii Saiko, and Itsuya Ooki
- Japanese: 塩田 翔太 (Shiota Shouta), 路里 ローラ (Michisato Rora), 西湖 ちい (Saiko Chii), and 大木 いつや (Ooki Itsuya)
- Shouta, Michisato, Saiko and Ooki are four elementary school students living in Komi's neighborhood. They first meet her when Najimi invites them to a snowball fight.Ch. 90 They later meet Komi again during summer vacation when they all take part in radio exercises,Ch. 167 and then again when Komi and her friends help out selling food at a summer festival.Ch. 193
- Saiko's name is a pun on the japanese word 小さい (chiisai), meaning "small", despite her being by far the tallest of the four. Similarly is Ooki's name a pun on 大きい (ooki), "big", although he is the smallest of the group.
Ryouko Tenjouin
- Japanese: 天上院 旅有子 (Tenjouin Ryouko)
- Voiced by: Maaya Uchida[18]
- Tenjouin is a bus guide on Komi's class's school trip to Kyoto.Ch. 105 While highly motivated, she is slightly nervous and occasionally stumbles over words. The students' obvious lack of interest begins to disencourage her until she notices that Komi and Tadano are actually paying attention. She notices the romance between these both and wishes for them be get married.
- Tenjouin is friends with Karisu, Teshigawara, and Toujouin and like all of them single.Ch. 367
- Her name 添乗員 (Tenjouin) literally means "tour guide".
Ren Sutejijuku
- Japanese: 諏手寺宿 蓮 (Sutejijuku Ren)
- Sutejijuku enthusiastically loves stage plays and visits 1208 theatre performances a year.Ch. 230 She is not too discerning when it comes to the choice of the stage plays she visits and also attends random school plays. This leads her to the stage performance by Komi's class during the second year's culture festival where she witnesses a performance by Katai and Tadano (dressed as a girl). Sutejijuku knows maid connoisseur Akido since kindergarden and they mutually despise each other. Although during their meeting in the second-year culture festival, a caption box remarks that they will eventually marry in a few years' time.
- Her name is a play on words with ステージ塾 愛 (sutējijuku ren), roughly meaning "love (for) stage school".
Golden Skulls (subject to change)
- Japanese: ゴルデン スカルズ(仮) (Goruden sukaruzu (kari))
- The Golden Skulls (subject to change)[b] are a group of teenage boys who appear like typical playboys and attempt to pick up girls during different outings.Ch. 165, 268 But they constantly fail to approach any girls for being too shy and fearful.
Homare Toujouin
- Japanese: 東条院 誉 (Toujouin Homare)
- Toujouin is a flight attendant on Komi's class's flight to New York for their second year's class trip.Ch. 278 She takes particular care of Komi and is initially dejected by Komi's apparent indifference. A thank-you letter Komi gives her while deboarding restores her spirits, though.
- Toujouin is friends with Karisu, Teshigawara, and Tenjouin and like all of them single.Ch. 367
- Her name is a play on words with 誉れ 搭乗員 (homare toujouin), which can be translated as "honorable flight attendant".
Sanjuurokurou Yamada
- Japanese: 山田 三十六郎 (Yamada Sanjuurokurou)
- Yamada is a classmate of Hitomi who more or less by chance gets dragged into a group date of Hitomi, Shōsuke, and Ai.Ch. 198 He suspects both Hitomi and Ai might be interested in him romantically,Ch. 207 though neither of them actually are.
- His given name 三十六郎 (Sanjuurokurou) means "the thirty-sixth". A recurring gag is that everyone (except Hitohito) keeps getting his name wrong and call him by different numbers, including 十一郎 (juuichirou) (eleven), 二十二郎 (nijuunirou) (twenty-two), and 六十九郎 (rokujuukyuurou) (sixty-nine).Ch. 207
Rami Kawai
- Japanese: 河合 羅美 (Kawai Rami)
- Kawai is an old middle school classmate of Tadano and Najimi who was Tadano's first love, and was the one who rejected him, which caused him to change into his normal persona from the event. It was later revealed in the manga that in reality, she herself was in love with Tadano since long before the confession. But she had forced herself to reject him in order to help snap him out of his chuni phase. To return him to how she used to know him.
Narrator
- Japanese: ナレーション (Narēshon)
- Voiced by: Noriko Hidaka[8] (Japanese); Amber May[5] (English)
Notes
- ^ "Ch." and "Vol." are shortened forms for chapter and volume of the Komi Can't Communicate manga
- ^ "Ep." is shortened form for episode and refers to an episode number of the Komi Can't Communicate anime television series
References
- ^ 古見さんは、コミュ症です。 公式ファンブック (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on September 9, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- ^ a b c Pineda, Rafael Antonio (May 11, 2021). "Komi Can't Communicate Romantic Comedy Manga Gets October TV Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
- ^ Connors, Amber Lee [@AmberLeeConnors] (February 7, 2022). "I'm beyond ecstatic to announce you can hear me as ✨Shoko Komi✨ in ✨Komi Can't Communicate✨ This role is incredibly special to me, as someone who grew up with severe social anxiety & worked hard to overcome it. You can check the dub out on Netflix now!" (Tweet). Retrieved February 7, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Mateo, Alex (July 22, 2021). "Komi Can't Communicate Manga Gets Live-Action Series on September 6". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 22, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Mateo, Alex (February 7, 2022). "Netflix Streams Komi Can't Communicate Anime's English Dub". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
- ^ a b Oda, Tomohito (2016). 古见さんは、コミュ症です。. Vol. 1. Shougakukan. ISBN 978-4-09-127343-7.
- ^ a b c 増田貴久主演『古見さんは、コミュ症です。』に吉川愛、溝端淳平ら出演へ 主題歌はaiko. Real Sound (in Japanese). Blueprint Co., Ltd. August 10, 2021. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Pineda, Rafael Antonio; Mateo, Alex (August 17, 2021). "Komi Can't Communicate Anime Unveils 1st Video, More Cast, Ending Song, October 6 Debut". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
- ^ a b Mateo, Alex (August 24, 2021). "Komi Can't Communicate Anime Casts Ami Maeshima, Sarah Emi Bridcutt". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
- ^ a b c Mateo, Alex (August 31, 2021). "Komi Can't Communicate Anime Casts Kenji Akabane, Yuga Sato, Kensho Ono". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ^ a b c Mateo, Alex (September 28, 2021). "Komi Can't Communicate Anime Casts Megumi Han, Ruriko Aoki, Yurika Moriyama". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (March 1, 2022). "Komi Can't Communicate Anime's 2nd Season Reveals New Opening/Ending Theme Song Artists, Additional Cast, April 6 Premiere". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 1, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Pineda, Rafael Antonio (March 15, 2022). "Komi Can't Communicate Anime Season 2's Video Reveals More Cast, Previews Theme Songs". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
{{cite web}}
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timestamp mismatch; March 16, 2022 suggested (help) - ^ 城田優、『古見さんは、コミュ症です。』に高校生役で出演 「共感する箇所の多い物語」. Real Sound (in Japanese). Blueprint Co., Ltd. September 30, 2021. Archived from the original on March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
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timestamp mismatch; March 16, 2022 suggested (help) - ^ "Shiki Theatre Company": shiki.co.jp website. Retrieved on July 18, 2022.
- ^ a b Mateo, Alex (September 7, 2021). "Komi Can't Communicate Anime Casts Junya Enoki, Maaya Uchida". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 7, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ a b Mateo, Alex (September 21, 2021). "Komi Can't Communicate Anime Casts Kikuko Inoue, Mitsuaki Hoshino as Komi's Parents". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- ^ 古見さんは、コミュ症です。公式 [@comisanvote] (May 26, 2022). "古見さん20話ご視聴ありがとうございました!EDクレジットには岸さんで載ってましたが、めっちゃ喋ってガイドしてツッコんでくれた天上院さんは #内田真礼 さんが演じて下さいましたーー!...結婚しろよ。(AS)#古見さん #komisan #内田真礼" (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved May 26, 2022 – via Twitter.