Yumekui Merry (manga)/Characters

A list of characters from the Manga and Anime series Yumekui Merry. Many characters have yet to be covered.

Yumeji Fujiwara
"Voiced by: Nobuhiko Okamoto (JP), Blake Shepard (EN)"

A fairly average guy, except that he has the power to see into people's dreams. His encounter with the mysterious Merry Nightmare changes that, and he vows to be her companion, and to help her find her way back to the world of dreams. It's hinted that he and Merry have met somewhere before, and because of his abilities and potential, Chaser John Doe speculates that.

Tropes associated with Yumeji:

 * Accidental Pervert: Frequently.
 * Aura Vision
 * Chick Magnet: To start, he has the obvious affection of Isana, there is a lot of Ship Tease between him and Merry, and there are some mild hints that Yui might like him as well.
 * Chronic Hero Syndrome
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Evil Eye
 * Heart Is an Awesome Power: Seeing into people's dreams is actually incredibly useful.
 * I Owe You My Life: His original reason for staying with Merry.
 * I Will Protect Her: Type 1 towards Merry.
 * Idiot Hair: Even though he's not especially stupid
 * The Lancer: He's not a potent enough combatant to be The Hero, but he can provide excellent support.
 * Living Emotional Crutch: Again, to Merry.
 * Idiot Hair: Even though he's not especially stupid
 * The Lancer: He's not a potent enough combatant to be The Hero, but he can provide excellent support.
 * Living Emotional Crutch: Again, to Merry.


 * Most Writers Are Writers
 * Ordinary High School Student
 * Redheaded Hero
 * Took a Level in Badass:
 * Took a Level in Badass:

Merry Nightmare
"Voiced by: Ayane Sakura (JP), Hilary Haag (EN)"

The problem with Merry Nightmare is that she has amnesia. She knows who and what she is (she's a Dream Demon, and for some reason a very powerful one), but she doesn't know how she got from the dreamworld to our world, or why she's stuck here. Her only hope of finding a way home is to hunt down other Dream Demons in our world, and to find them she needs Yumeji's help.

Tropes associated with Merry:

 * Action Girl
 * Adaptation Dye Job: On the manga covers, her hair seems to be dark indigo, but the anime changes it to more of a burgundy.
 * Curiously, this doesn't just apply to her hair; there's no real indication of this in the original art, but the animators make Merry's skin slightly pinker than everyone else's.
 * Animal Motifs: Sheep, frequently lampshaded.
 * Badass Adorable
 * Bare Your Midriff: Constantly. The makers of the anime even treat it as Fan Service -- instead of Panty Shots, we get gratuitous closeups of Merry's bellybutton.
 * Subverted in the beach episode; Merry doesn't own a swimsuit, and the one Isana lends her is her old one-piece from school.
 * Berserk Button: Don't ever hurt her friends, especially Yumeji.
 * Betty and Veronica: The Veronica to Isana's Betty.
 * Catch Phrase: "I have no hopes or dreams".
 * Cute Bruiser: John actually wonders aloud how she can get so much power out of such a small body.
 * Cute Little Fangs
 * Cute Monster Girl
 * Dangerously-Short Skirt: Never gets a Panty Shot, but she's still every bit as tough as the average Action Girl.
 * Facial Markings: Two little purple triangles, one under each eye.
 * Exotic Eye Designs: Her pupils are horizontal rectangles.
 * Gamer Chick
 * Green Eyed Red Head
 * Heartbroken Badass: When one misunderstanding almost gets Yumeji killed via Taking The Sword, Merry's rage is sufficient to cause her to Take a Level In Badass right then and there.
 * The Hero: Mostly by default, but she's pretty well-suited to the role.
 * In-Series Nickname: Yumekui Merry, of course.
 * Impossibly Cool Clothes
 * Lightning Bruiser
 * Manic Pixie Dream Girl: She definitely manages to make Yumeji's life more interesting, although he wasn't quite an Ordinary High School Student to begin with.
 * Meido: Her work clothes.
 * Monster Roommate: Since she doesn't have a place of her own, staying with Yumeji and Isana is the obvious solution.
 * Nice Hat: She almost never takes it off -- which is only to be expected, considering she was created by an author who used to be best known for Touhou doujinshi.
 * Pettanko
 * Pointy Ears
 * Security Blanket: In the first episode, she misplaces her hat, panics, and stumbles away from Yumeji mumbling "My hat, my hat, where's my hat..." When she later recovers it, she explains that she's just not comfortable without a hat on.
 * She Fu
 * Super Toughness: Dream Demons can be hurt, but they -- especially Merry -- can take a lot more punishment than ordinary humans. For example, there's a scene in the manga, where Merry, Yumeji, and a few others have stumbled into Maze's dreamspace, that involves Yumeji about to be hit by a robotic clown wielding a giant sledgehammer; Merry leaps in, takes the hit for him, and proceeds to beat the robot into scrap while shouting "THAT... FUCKING... HURT!!"
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Donuts. She adores them.
 * Trademark Least Favorite Food: She can't handle carbonated drinks.
 * What Is This Thing You Call Love?: Claims not to understand love and other such human emotions.
 * You Gotta Have Indigo/Burgundy Hair (theatre)
 * Zettai Ryouiki
 * You Gotta Have Indigo/Burgundy Hair (theatre)
 * Zettai Ryouiki

Isana Tachibana
"Voiced by: Ai Kayano (JP), Brittney Karbowski (EN)"

Isana is a childhood friend of Yumeji's, a fellow member of the Writing Club, and harbors strong feelings for him. She lives with her father and works at the family-owned Maid Cafe. She quickly befriends Merry, and it is hinted that she and Yumeji met her at some point in their childhood.

Tropes associated with Isana:

 * Adaptation Dye Job: In the manga, her hair is purple-tinted, but the anime turns her into a straight White-Haired Pretty Girl.
 * Betty and Veronica: The Betty to Merry's Veronica.
 * The Chick: Shares this position with Yui.
 * Childhood Friend Romance: To Yumeji.
 * Dangerously-Short Skirt: Has one, but she isn't an Action Girl.
 * Every Girl Is Cuter With Hair Decs
 * Girlish Pigtails
 * Hollywood Pudgy: Very insecure about her weight, and occasionally teased about it, but she still looks cute and petite to the audience.
 * Chapter 39 takes this to another level.
 * Idiot Hair: Like Yumeji, she's not particularly stupid, just not a genius.
 * Meido: Part of her job.
 * Most Writers Are Writers
 * Nice Girl: Unless Yumeji walks in on her at the wrong moment.
 * Patient Childhood Love Interest: Clearly has very strong feelings for Yumeji, and apparently has had them for some time.
 * Tsundere: A mild Type B towards Yumeji.
 * You Gotta Have Lilac Hair: In the manga.
 * White-Haired Pretty Girl: In the anime.
 * Zettai Ryouiki

Takateru Akiyanagi
"Voiced by: Shinnosuke Tachibana (JP), Chris Patton (EN)"

Another member of the Writing Club, reflected in his odd habit of composing haiku at random moments, often with completely mundane subjects. As the only other male member of the club, he is shown to be good friends with Yumeji, and there seems to be a budding romance between him and Saki.

Tropes associated with Takateru:

 * Beta Couple: With Saki, probably.
 * Bishonen
 * Camp Straight
 * Expy: Only other guy in a club alongside the male protagonist, a very cool head, a slight but near-constant smile, Bishonen facial features... does he remind anyone else of Itsuki Koizumi?
 * Implausible Hair Color: He's blond, and there's no indication that he's But Not Too Foreign.
 * Long-Haired Pretty Boy: It wouldn't be worth mentioning if it wasn't of comparable length to--perhaps even longer than--both Merry's and Saki's.
 * Most Writers Are Writers: The most blatant example.
 * Nice Guy: What he comes across as overall.
 * Perpetual Smiler: Not as jarring as most examples.
 * Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: The savvy guy to Saki's energetic girl.
 * Unresolved Sexual Tension: Again, with Saki.
 * Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: The savvy guy to Saki's energetic girl.
 * Unresolved Sexual Tension: Again, with Saki.

Saki Kirishima
"Voiced by: Mariya Ise (JP), Shelley Calene-Black (EN)"

A close friend of Yumeji and Isana and a fellow member of the Writing Club, she seems to be fascinated by Yumeji's ability to see into dreams. She is quite confident and outgoing most of the time, but notably becomes rather timid when she's alone with Takateru.

Tropes associated with Saki:

 * Beta Couple: With Takateru
 * Freaky Is Cool: Is quite interested in Yumeji's ability, and lets him check her dreams out for her.
 * Genki Girl
 * He Is Not My Boyfriend: Defied, she specifically has Takateru walk a few steps behind her to avoid situations like this. It still turns into a Ship Tease scene.
 * Most Writers Are Writers
 * Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Energetic girl to Takateru's savvy guy.
 * Tsundere: Type B towards Takateru.
 * Tomboy: Complete with short hair.
 * Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Takateru
 * Gainaxing: In the OP.

Mei Hoshino
"Voiced by: Natsumi Takamori (JP), Emily Neves (EN)"

President of the Writing Club, and unwitting host to Chris Evergreen, one of the first Dream Demons that Yumeji and Merry encounter. Chris appears to her as a pen-pal who she only knows through text messaging. She dreams of becoming a novelist.

Tropes associated with Mei:

 * Armor-Piercing Slap: Delivers an awesome one to Chris, and proceeds to forgive him for what he did to her and encourage him to finish his novel.
 * Blind Without'Em: Claimed to be unable to clearly see Chris's face, but it's implied that she was only pretending.
 * Club President
 * Cool Big Sis: Is well-liked and respected by her juniors.
 * Girlish Pigtails
 * Interspecies Romance: Although not made explicit in the manga, her relationship with Chris bordered on this, and it's implied that she recognized his true form and accepted him regardless.
 * Meganekko
 * Most Writers Are Writers: Her dream is to become a novelist. This is actually becomes an important plot point:.
 * Nice Girl
 * Star-Crossed Lovers: With Chris, particularly in the anime.

Yui Kounagi
"Voiced by: Tomoko Akiya (JP), Luci Christian (EN)"

Yumeji and Merry first meet Yui at the supermarket, and soon discover that there is more to her than meets the eye (unless it's Yumeji's eye). She is the vessel of Engi Threepiece, but unlike possessed persons seen thus far, her relationship with her Dream Demon is a sisterly one of mutual respect.

Tropes associated with Yui:

 * Big Sister Instinct: To Engi, although which of them is literally older is unknown.
 * The Chick: Because of her connection with Engi she ends up accompanying the group on most of their exploits, where she provides no combat support, but plenty of emotional support.
 * Cloudcuckoolander
 * Cool Big Sis: Tries to be this to everyone, be they younger or older.
 * Every Girl Is Cuter With Hair Decs
 * Les Yay: Her interactions with Engi and Nao.
 * Lethal Chef
 * Living Emotional Crutch: To Engi, in the same way that Yumeji is one to Merry.
 * Meet Cute: An unusually elaborate one: Merry crashes into her, she drops the doll she'd been thinking about buying, and Yumeji catches it for her.
 * Nice Girl
 * Schoolgirl Lesbians
 * Ship Tease: With Engi, Nao and her Straight Option Yumeji.
 * Nightmare Fetishist: Implied to be into the occult.
 * Sharing a Body: Again, with Engi.
 * Strange Girl: If her taste in dolls is any indication.
 * Willing Channeler
 * You Remind Me of X: Reminds Engi of her sister Patty.

Engi Threepiece
"Voiced by: Aya Endo (JP), Shannon Emerick (EN)"

The first benevolent Dream Demon Yumeji and Merry meet. She came to the real world with the intention of hunting down Heracles, who brought her older sister Patty there and ended up killing her. She is currently inhabiting Yui's consciousness, with her permission.

Tropes associated with Engi:

 * Action Girl: And how!
 * The Big Girl: Definitely a powerful fighter, although she's not as good as Merry.
 * Cute Monster Girl
 * Exotic Eye Designs: Triangular pupils.
 * Heroic Albino
 * Hot Chick with a Sword
 * Hunter of Her Own Kind: Unlike Merry, she has no way to send Dream Demons back to the dream world, and she has learned to kill Heracles' underlings in cold blood, although she tries to avoid this now that Merry is around.
 * Improbable Hairstyle: Shaped like wings.
 * It's Personal: Her vendetta against Heracles.
 * Lady of War: Is very kind and polite to anyone she's not trying to kill.
 * Prehensile Hair: Not just shaped like wings, it can actually be used as wings!
 * Revenge Before Reason: After the battle with the twins, shes pretty much hellbent on killing Heracles even if it means her vessels life and having to fight her friends. She gets better after Yui calls her out about it.
 * Rapunzel Hair
 * Sharing a Body: With Yui.
 * Storm of Blades: Can replicate her sword multiple times to this effect.
 * Sugar and Ice Girl: Displays shades of this.
 * Sword Beam: One of her signature techniques.
 * White-Haired Pretty Girl

Chaser John Doe
"Voiced by: Joji Nakata (JP), Chris Ayres (EN)"

A mysterious cat-like Dream Demon that first appears to Yumeji through a recurring dream, having taken an interest in Yumeji and his ability. His intentions and loyalties remain unclear, and he refers to himself as an "ally of truth", but he has nonetheless become something of a mentor figure to Yumeji. He currently inhabits the body of a cat in the real world.

Tropes associated with John:

 * Aloof Ally: Only helps when he deems it necessary.
 * Animal Motifs: Cats.
 * Awesome McCoolname: Seriously, Chaser John Doe!
 * Badass
 * Badass Longcoat: He even keeps it as a full-on cat!
 * Cats Are Mean: Subverted, he turns out to be an ally.
 * Cool Mask
 * Dark Is Not Evil
 * Expressive Mask: His mask can subtly shift between a smile and a frown.
 * Fan Nickname: John Bro.
 * For the Lulz: Occasionally acts this way, such as having Yumeji treated by Catgirl nurses and pretending to be surprised when Yumeji complains.
 * Improbable Weapon User: Word of God says it's a cross between a saw and a guillotine.
 * In the Hood
 * Large Ham
 * Noble Demon: He's surprisingly helpful when it counts.
 * Petting Zoo Person
 * Seeker Archetype: Refers to himself as an "ally of truth".
 * Sharing a Body: With a cat.
 * The Smart Guy: A key source of information to the group.
 * Stealth Mentor: All those attacks on Yumeji were actually to prepare him for what was to come.
 * Unusual Ears: The things poking out of his hood.
 * White Mask of Doom

Pharos Heracles
"Voiced by: Kenta Miyake (JP), David Matranga (EN)"

The main antagonist, little is known about him except that he is rallying Dream Demons with the apparent intention of occupying the human world and supplanting the human population. John Doe speculates that this is probably not the full extent of his plan.

Tropes associated with Heracles:

 * An Axe to Grind
 * BFA
 * Big Bad: Apparently.
 * Cheshire Cat Grin: Seems to be perpetually present.
 * Dark Messiah: Falls somewhere between this and The Antichrist.
 * Evil Laugh
 * Frozen Face / Perpetual Smiler
 * Implacable Man
 * Light Is Not Good: Frequently associated with light motifs.
 * Won't Work On Me: Ignores Engi's Storm of Blades attack like it was nothing.
 * Visionary Villain: Although he's carefully avoided telling his underlings his true purpose, this guy has a clear idea of what he wants to achieve and how he'll go about it. Said goal is to.
 * With Us or Against Us: His general approach to recruiting.
 * With Us or Against Us: His general approach to recruiting.

Maze Landsborough
"Voiced by: Hiroyuki Yoshino (JP), Greg Ayres (EN)"

A notable recurring antagonist, and an underling of Heracles. While not the biggest direct threat, his tricks and creations can be quite dangerous on their own. Merry has sent him back to the Dream World.

Tropes associated with Landsborough:

 * Cyclops
 * Dangerously Genre Savvy: He knows better than to enter the fray directly when he's much more effective at a distance. Later attacks Yumeji while he's developing Lucid Gadget, and even lampshades it by stating that only TV characters give their opponents the chance to prepare. It doesn't do him any good in the end, though.
 * Demonic Possession / Grand Theft Me: Unlike some of the more benevolent Dream Demons, he completely took over his host's body without permission. This eventually caused him trouble, since a host personality not given freedom once in awhile is liable to surface at exactly the wrong moments.
 * Which another of Heracles' associates specifically warned him about.
 * Dirty Coward: Once Merry and Enji get past his tricks, he's an easy target and most likely would've kicked his ass long ago. It's only because of his human host that they lay off from destroying him.
 * Exotic Eye Designs: His pupils resemble the Tick-Tack-Toe symbol.
 * For the Evulz: Enjoyed screwing with his host's everyday life and generally acting like a jerk.
 * Human Shield: Used his host -- more specifically, his host's hopes and dreams -- as a shield; having become the embodiment of his host's dreams, killing Landsborough would leave his host an empty shell.
 * Merry's power allowed her to Take a Third Option against him.
 * Meaningful Name: Uses his power to trap people in a maze.
 * Monster Clown: Both himself and his mooks.
 * Squishy Wizard: By his own admission. Still claims to be tougher than ordinary humans, but Yumeji isn't an ordinary human.

Chain Noir
A Dream Demon who faithfully serves Heracles, she operated through the body of a girl named Minato, who Yumeji and Merry had previously saved from another Dream Demon. She works alongside Maze Landsborough to take down Yumeji and Merry, but they both end up getting sent back to the Dream World.


 * Bastard Girlfriend: Sadistic streak, chain motif, Stripperific.
 * Demonic Possession: Unlike Maze, she seems to have it down to an art, and knows to give control back to the original owner once in awhile.
 * Improbable Hairstyle: There are several streaks of a light color running down her dark hair. What colors they are exactly is hard to tell since she hasn't appeared in any color pages yet, but it definitely wouldn't be natural on a human. Not that there aren't human characters with oddly colored hair.
 * Knight of Cerebus: Definitely one of the most serious threats the group has faced yet.
 * Meaningful Name: Noir is heavily associated with darkness and the color black, and Chain, well... figure it out yourselves.
 * Stripperific
 * Variable-Length Chain: Not at all inhibited by the chains she wears, she's able to move freely and use them to her full advantage.
 * Woman in Black: It definitely matches her attitude.