The Idolmaster (anime)/Characters

These are the characters from both The Idolmaster and The Idolmaster 2 games and the The Idolmaster anime.

Main Idols (765 Production)
The focus of much of the story of both the games and the anime adaptation.
 * Color Coded for Your Convenience: Each idol has her theme color as highlighted on their headings and images.
 * Idol Singer
 * True Companions: Especially in the anime adaptation.

Everything between parentheses on the profiles means that they changed and/or were added by "THE iDOLM@STER 2".

Haruka Amami
"Voiced by: Eriko Nakamura (Main), Yuka Iguchi (Xenoglossia)

Age: 16 (17)

Height: 158cm

Weight: 45kg (46kg)

Birthday: April 3rd

Blood type: O

Three sizes: 83-56-80 (83-56-82)

Hobbies: Telling jokes, karaoke, (talking on the phone)"

The main character; a cheerful, hard-working 16-year-old.


 * Big Bad: Okay, not really, but in the in-universe Mujin Gattai Kisaragi movie she is cast as this. She seems to have enjoyed it.
 * Character Tics—When in thought she tends to look up and to the right or left. A part of the fandom ran away with it and created "Nonowa."
 * Ascended Meme -- "Nonowa" appears in Episode 7 of the anime, while Hibiki was tending to Yayoi's younger siblings.
 * Clark Kenting: In the anime.
 * Cute Clumsy Girl—Unless she's focusing really hard on her movements, such as when dancing, she will fall over her own feet. She considers not tripping once in a day an accomplishment.
 * Dojikko—Established as her most defining trait in the anime. But the middle and end, it's completely forgotten about.
 * Enforced Method Acting—In universe;.
 * Every Girl Is Cuter With Hair Decs: Her ribbons. She always carries them. Always.
 * Genki Girl—Though not as much as Yayoi...
 * Green Eyes
 * Idiot Hero
 * Image Song -- "Taiyou no Jealousy", "I Want", "Otome yo, Taishi wo Idake", and "START!!"
 * Lethal Chef
 * Nice Girl
 * One-Note Cook—Can't cook anything edible other than sweets. Averted in the anime where she manages to fix a dish after Chihaya gives her the wrong sauce.
 * Plucky Girl: Her defining trait. Her optimism is the glue that holds the group up.
 * Ridiculously Average Guy—Even the President thinks she is. What sets her apart is her infectious optimism.
 * Standardized Leader
 * Yandere: Some fans' interpretation of Black Haruka.

Chihaya Kisaragi
"Voiced by: Asami Imai (Main), Kaori Shimizu (Xenoglossia)

Age: 15 (16)

Height: 162 cm

Weight: 41 kg

Birthday: February 25th

Blood type: A

Three sizes: 72-55-78

Hobbies: Listening to music, (Training)"

A talented and serious 15-year-old who became an idol in order to improve her singing. She isn't really thrilled by the flashier aspects of her career, and is rather fond of classical music.


 * A-Cup Angst -- Flanderized amongst fanworks. It doesn't help that come iM@S2 she's the only idol whose bustline hasn't grown an inch. The anime even lampshades on this comes the Beach Episode.
 * Adaptation Dye Job—Chihaya's hair started off black with a slight blue tinge. It graduated to full on blue from the 360 port and onward.
 * Brown Eyes
 * The Comically Serious
 * Cry Cute --
 * Dark and Troubled Past --
 * Fairy Tale Motifs—Chihaya's character is built around symbols of the bluebird of happiness (two of her image songs, Aoi Tori and Nemuri Hime, contain direct references), which ties into her desire to handle her life herself and find meaning her own way. The anime abandons this part of her character arc completely.
 * Famed in Story—By the time of the 2nd Vision games.
 * First-Name Basis—In the games, upon the first meeting, she demands Producer to call her "Chihaya". In fact, she doesn't like being called by her family name.
 * Hey, It's That Voice! -- Tsubaki Yayoi, now with smaller chest.
 * She's also Makise "Christina" Kurisu.
 * Hopeless with Tech - Wich is kind of weird since she's the one assigned to do the Audio Tech's job during their first stage performance on episode 3 of the anime.
 * Ill Girl—In iM@S2, she has a fever twice throughout the story.
 * Image Song -- "Aoi Tori", "Me ga Au Toki", "arcadia", and "Nemurihime".
 * From the anime, we get Yakusoku.
 * Not So Stoic—She has been known to crack up at the lamest jokes.
 * Serious Business—Her attitude toward singing. She's not fond of any "extracurricular" activity that entails her career, and spends her free time listening to classical music.
 * Stepford Smiler—Pretends so hard to be cheerful for the Producer.
 * Sugar and Ice Girl
 * Unwinnable—In the original Arcade game, she is notoriously prone to this. She gains only slight improvements to her tension in events, but large losses if you say the wrong thing, or mess up on a lesson minigame. Because you're working on a time limit, her tension going too low results in an inescapable death spiral. Thankfully, the console version can do a Save Scumming to prevent it.
 * Did the Research—This is entirely realistic for a character with depression and social anxiety.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Yukiho Hagiwara
"Voiced by: Yurika Ochiai (iM@S) and Asami Asakura (iM@S2, Anime), Yui Horie (Xenoglossia)

Age: 16 (17)

Height: 154 cm (155 cm)

Weight: 40 kg (42 kg)

Birthday: December 24th

Blood type: A

Three sizes: 80-55-81 (81-56-81)

Hobbies: Writing Poems, Japanese Tea, (Blogging)"

A painfully shy 16-year-old from a traditional household who's prone to frequently bursting out in tears. She became an idol hoping to shed her fragile persona.


 * A-Cup Angst—She's actually got a decent bust, but she still thinks she's flat. This bugs Chihaya and the Futami twins.
 * Adaptation Dye Job: In Xenoglossia, her hair is of a darker tone.
 * Brown Eyes—Of the soft, coffee-colored variety. Also serves as Curtains Match the Window.
 * Catch Phrase -- "I'll go bury myself!" (whenever she becomes extremely embarrassed)
 * Does Not Like Men—She's afraid of them.
 * In the anime, she's very taken with Makoto's Bifauxnen side.
 * Hidden Depths—She does have inner strength, but it's hidden by her shyness. She joins 765 to shed her shy exterior.
 * Image Song -- "First Stage", "Kosmos, Cosmos", "ALRIGHT*", and "Nando mo Ieru yo"
 * Lovable Coward
 * The Other Darrin—In iM@S2 and the anime, Yurika Ochiai is replaced by Asami Asakura.
 * Shrinking Violet: To Fragile Flower levels. She wants to shed this aspect of her.
 * Sparkling Stream of Tears—Tends to cry a lot.
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Girly Girl to her Tomboy best friend, Makoto.
 * Why Did It Have To Be Dogs?—Even chihuahuas scare her.
 * Yamato Nadeshiko

Yayoi Takatsuki
"Voiced by: Mayako Nigo (Main), Ami Koshimizu (Xenoglossia)

Age: 13 (14)

Height: 145 cm

Weight: 37 kg

Birthday: March 25th

Blood type: O

Three sizes: 75-54-77 (75-54-78)

Hobbies: Othello, (Baseball, Gardening)"

An "ALWAYS 200% GENKI!!" 14-year-old from a poor family and the eldest of six children. Making a living for her family was part of the reason she joined 765.


 * Adaptation Dye Job: In Xenoglossia, her hair is more reddish than orange.
 * Big Eater
 * Blue Eyes
 * Covert Pervert
 * Genki Girl
 * Girlish Pigtails
 * Hey, It's That Voice! -- Lilica Felchenrow, hyperactive as ever.
 * Image Song -- "Ohayou!! Asagohan", "Kiramekirari", "Genki Tripper", and "Smile Taisou"
 * Kawaiiko—So cute Hibiki even once said she wanted to take her home.
 * No Indoor Voice
 * The Pollyanna
 * Saying Sound Effects Out Loud—She usually uses onomatopoeia on her speech.
 * The Scrooge—She doesn't come off as greedy, but she is known to go to great lengths to scrounge up a few bucks, even searching under vending machines for loose change. Even as a hugely successful idol she spends her spare time doing menial chores for cash.
 * Ship Tease --
 * Verbal Tic—Of the "Catch Phrase that isn't really even a word" variety. U-uu!

Ritsuko Akizuki
"Voiced by: Naomi Wakabayashi (Main), Mai Nakahara (Xenoglossia)

Age: 18 (19)

Height: 156cm

Weight: 43 kg

Birthday: June 23rd

Blood type: A

Three sizes: 85-57-85

Hobbies Im@s: Analyzing paperwork, Management

Hobbies Im@s 2: Qualifications, Analysis, Volunteering"

A focused, industrious 18-year-old who originally joined 765 as an intern, but became an idol due to shortage of talents. Even as an idol she still handles the business side of her career.

In iM@S2, she becomes the producer of Ryuuguu Komachi.


 * Adaptation Dye Job: In Xenoglossia, her hair is of a lighter tone.
 * Brainy Brunette
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * The Comically Serious
 * Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: She is proficient in MMA, as a drama CD details her using it to beat up some thugs wanting to kidnap Yukiho.
 * Expository Hairstyle Change: In iM@S2, she switches her hairstyle to a high ponytail.
 * First-Name Basis—In iM@S2, the Producer uses "Akizuki-senpai" at first due to her being a senior in working. She then tells him to call her "Ritsuko" instead because she is younger than him.
 * Girlish Pigtails—Her original hairstyle were braids a la Wendy's mascot.
 * Hair Antennae
 * Hot Librarian
 * Image Song -- "Mahou wo Kakete!", "Ippai Ippai", "livE", "Love Order-Made"
 * Meganekko
 * The Smart Guy
 * The Stoic
 * Team Mom

Azusa Miura
"Voiced by: Chiaki Takahashi (Main), Tomo Sakurai (Xenoglossia)

Age: 20 (21)

Height: 168 cm

Weight: 48 kg

Birthday: July 19th

Blood type: O

Three sizes: 91-59-86

Hobbies: Dog Walking, (Café hopping)"

The oldest of the idols at age 20, Azusa is an easygoing, hopeless romantic. She became an idol hoping to gain more attention and ultimately find her "destined one."

In iM@S2, she is a member of Ryuuguu Komachi.


 * Actor Allusion—In the anime, though not to her seiyuu's previous roles but her previous job as a gravure idol. Azusa was asked to do an audition of gravure idol and was asked to pose. Cue Male Gaze. On boobs.
 * Adaptation Dye Job—Like Chihaya, her hair started off black. It changed to blue in the 360 port, then a dark purple in the SP games. As of iM@S2 it has gone back to blue.
 * Catch Phrase—Due to her overall ditzy innocence, it may as well be "Ara ara..." (or sometimes just one "Ara") (or "Oh my...")
 * Cool Big Sis
 * Christmas Cake—She isn't one yet, but it's pretty clear the chance of becoming one fuels her search for a significant other.
 * Expository Hairstyle Change—In iM@S2, and a few episodes into the 2011 anime, she has cut her hair to a short bob.
 * The Ditz
 * Hello, Nurse!—Mostly in the anime, there's nearly NO men who'd pass up on asking her out for a date (even if she's clueless and probably refusing). Which leads to...
 * So Beautiful It's a Curse—The entire cityscape (and even the zoo animals) end up entranced by her beauty when she runs through the streets in a wedding dress. Eventually it starts a stampede.
 * Hey, It's That Voice!—It's Litchi "Boobie Lady" Faye-Ling (yes, Azusa may as well be Idolmaster's Boobie Lady). Also, she's Omotchama in the 2008 remake of Yatterman.
 * Idiot Hair—Which becomes weaponized in her 'counterpart' in Mujin Gattai Kisaragi, the AzuScythe.
 * Image Song -- "9:02 pm", "Tonari ni...", "Mythmaker", "Lovely"
 * The Ingenue
 * No Sense of Direction

Iori Minase
"Voiced by: Rie Kugimiya (Main), Yukari Tamura (Xenoglossia)

Age: 14 (15)

Height: 150 cm (153 cm)

Weight: 39 kg (40 kg)

Birthday: May 5th

Blood type: AB

Three sizes: 77-54-79

Hobbies Im@s: Traveling overseas, Shopping

Hobbies Im@s 2: Traveling, Eating Out"

The rich, spoiled 14-year-old daughter of a corporation CEO acquainted with 765's president. She is sickeningly sweet towards complete strangers, but incredibly sharp-tongued to everyone else (i.e., the staff, her fellow idols, and even the producer). She became an idol to prove to her father that she could become successful on her own terms.

In iM@S2, she is a member of Ryuuguu Komachi.


 * Adaptation Dye Job—In Xenoglossia, her hair is black.
 * Cry Cute—The end of her story, when she tries to viciously (and tearfully) insult the Producer, saying she's glad she won't have to put up with him being stupid and useless anymore.
 * Every Girl Is Cuter With Hair Decs—In both hairstyles she has a hairband.
 * Expository Hairstyle Change—In iM@S2, her hair is slightly shorter and has a bang out of her hairband.
 * Forehead of Doom
 * Girls Love Stuffed Animals—She carries around a stuffed rabbit named "Usa-chan/Charles Donatello The 18th" with her at all times.
 * Hey, It's That Voice! -- Shana, Louise, Nagi, Taiga, Aria, Liechtenstein... the list can go on.
 * Image Song -- "Here we go!!", "Futari no Kioku", "Rizora", and "DIAMOND"
 * Kawaiiko
 * Lonely Rich Kid—The reason Usa-chan is so precious to Iori is that it was her only friend since childhood, as the only people who ever had much contact with her were maids and butlers. You can catch her talking to Usa-chan from time to time.
 * The Ojou: Daughter of a big time CEO
 * Omniglot—Like Takane, she's fluent in a number of languages.
 * Screw the Rules, I Have Connections—Invoked and inverted in the same dialogue during Episode 10, when she blackmails the producer of Shinkan Shoujo Pro, who's planning to force 765 to lose on purpose, into playing by the rules with the fact that her family is the major stockholder for his idol group's parent company.
 * Security Blanket—Usa-chan.
 * Shana Clone: See her Hey It's That Voice listings above. Yup.
 * Show the Forehead
 * Spoiled Sweet: Iori has ego in spades, but she's short in arrogance. Her best friend among the other idols is always-short-on-cash Yayoi, and she is not above doing her part on chores and eating commoner's food.
 * Tsundere—An unusual A/B hybrid for her seiyuu, a Type A specialist: Type B around people she wants to manipulate, type A around everyone else, especially the Producer.
 * "Well Done, Daughter" Gal

Makoto Kikuchi
"Voiced by: Hiromi Hirata (Main), Eri Kitamura (Xenoglossia)

Age: 16 (17)

Height: 157 cm (159 cm)

Weight: 42 kg (44 kg)

Birthday: August 29th

Blood type: O

Three sizes: 73-56-76 (75-57-78)

Hobbies: Sports, (Collecting stuffed animals)"

16-year-old Makoto was raised as a boy by her father, who always wanted a son. As such, she uses masculine pronouns and is good at sports and karate, and gets more attention from girls than boys. Ultimately she came to resent it, wishing she could be more feminine and get more attention from boys, so she became an idol to try to reinvent herself.


 * Action Girl—While modeling for a swimsuit edition of an idol magazine, she proposes a shot of her leaping from the roof into the pool.
 * Taken to the next level in Episode 8, where she has an epic kung-fu fight with grunts atop a ladder bridge while wearing a tuxedo.
 * Bifauxnen/Bokukko
 * Cat Smile
 * Cute Bruiser
 * Epic Fail—Note to Makoto (especially in the anime): Cutefying yourself, making up 'cute noises' and calling yourself "Mako-rin" doesn't work.
 * Even the Girls Want Her—Her fanbase mostly consists of teen girls with a crush on her.
 * Expository Hairstyle Change—It took her four games, but as of iM@S2 and the anime it has occurred to her that letting her hair grow out may be a step towards looking more feminine.
 * Gackt—Rumor has it he's the inspiration for her new haircut, because apparently Japanese people are entranced by the concept of styling gel.
 * Gender Blender Name
 * Hair Antennae
 * Hey, It's That Voice! -- Kamui Tokinomiya (At least this may be a better disguise than just the ponytail...)
 * I Just Want To Be Feminine
 * Image Song -- "Agent Yoru wo Yuku", "Meisou Mind", "Jitensha", and "tear"
 * Jack of All Stats In the game, although she is proud of her dancing skills, her skills are perfectly average. For those unable to play you can check out this video here. You can see her skills at 1:53.
 * One of the Boys
 * Paper-Thin Disguise—In the anime, she tries to sneak past her fangirls by wearing a hat and a jacket. It doesn't work.
 * Ship Tease --
 * Shorttank—Her swimsuit and training outfits.
 * Tomboy
 * Why Did It Have To Be Cockroaches?—Went stiff and panicky when Iori jokingly mentioned out loud that there's one in the office.

Ami and Mami Futami


"Voiced by: Asami Shimoda (Main, both), Kaori Nazuka (Ami, Xenoglossia), Momoko Saito (Mami, Xenoglossia)

Age: 12 (13)

Height: 149 cm (158 cm)

Weight: 39 kg (42 kg)

Birthday: May 22nd

Blood type: B

Three sizes: 74-53-77 (78-55-77)

Hobbies Im@s: Text messaging, Imitating others

Hobbies Im@s 2: Ecology (Only Ami), Playing Games (Only Mami), Text Messaging (both)"

A pair of hyperactive 12-year-old twins who became idols (and the youngest of the bunch) because it sounded fun. They take turns performing under Ami's name.

In iM@S2, Ami is a member of Ryuuguu Komachi while Mami is produced separately.

""With our little grey cells and seven-colored faces, the sexy girl detectives Ami and Mami, in the name of our Grandmother and Grandfather, and in the name of the moon, will capture the culprit.""
 * Bratty Half Pints
 * Buffy-Speak -- "If we become a super-cool-awesome idol, then everyday will be relaxing right?"
 * Dirty Kids—They have shades of this.
 * Divergent Character Evolution—If one pays attention in the arcade and first Xbox360 games, Mami turns out to be a little more mature than Ami. In the SP games, Takane figured out that they were two different people when she made eye-contact with Mami and saw that she was more mature. Come iM@S2, the twins get separate careers, Mami changes her hairstyle and Ami leaves, so it's likely that this will continue.
 * Every Girl Is Cuter With Hair Decs
 * Expository Hairstyle Change: In iM@S2, Mami's hair is longer than Ami's, but she keeps it in a side ponytail.
 * Fashionable Asymmetry—Their cute&girly outfit in iM@S2. They have two different pairs of boots between them, having traded the left ones.
 * The Heroes—How they are cast in Mujin Gattai Kisaragi.
 * Hey, It's That Voice!—They share the same seiyuu with another famous pair of twins, Rin and Len Kagamine.
 * Huge Schoolgirls—Between the first game and the second, the twins shot up from the smallest idols to towering over girls several years their senior.
 * Image Song -- "Positive!", "Start Star", "Reimei Starline", "Jemmy" (Mami only), and "YOUou MYshin" (Ami only)
 * In the Name of the Moon—Word for word in Episode 9, complete with an over-the-top pose.


 * The Nicknamers—They have cutesy nicknames for all the other idols (Iorin for Iori, Miki-Miki for Miki, Yuki-pyon for Yukiho, etc.) and they address the Producer as "nii-chan" instead of "Producer".
 * One of Us—Devoted gamers who carry their handhelds with them everywhere, although the Xbox port of the first game had to edit out their Gameboy Advances due to the Console Wars.
 * Single-Minded Twins
 * Tag-Team Twins
 * Theme Twin Naming
 * Third Person Person
 * Trickster Twins

Miki Hoshii
"Voiced by: Akiko Hasegawa Age: 14 (15) Height: 159 cm (161 cm) Weight: 44 kg (45 kg) Birthday: November 23rd Blood type: B Three sizes: 84-55-82 (86-55-83) Hobbies Im@s: Bird Watching, Talking to friends Hobbies Im@s 2: Talking to friends, Nail art"

Laid-back 14-year-old Miki thinks she can breeze through the idol ladder, given that she already gets good grades without much effort, gets 20 love confessions a day, and manages to stay in shape in spite of sleeping a lot. She debuted in the first game's Xbox 360 version, and is the only character to have an alternate story route.


 * Big Breasts, Big Deal—Takes pride of her large chest.
 * Born Lucky
 * Brilliant but Lazy
 * Clingy Jealous Girl—A mild one in anime.
 * Disproportionate Retribution—The real reason she joined 961 in SP games is because
 * Expository Hairstyle Change: In iM@S2, her hair is curly.
 * Friendly Enemy—During SP games, despite being in 961, she showed almost zero hostility towards 765 Pro idols.
 * Green Eyes
 * Hair of Gold
 * Idiot Hair
 * It's All About Me
 * Image Song -- "relations", "Furufuru Future", "Shocking na Kare", and "Day of the future"
 * Important Haircut—In her alternate story.
 * Lazy Blonde
 * The Nicknamer—Not as much as Mami and Ami, but she does have nicknames for a few people; "Makoto-kun" for Makoto, "Forehead" for Iori, . For some odd reason she addresses Ritsuko as "Ritsuko...san", always pausing before the honorific.
 * The Obi-Wan—How she is cast in Mujin Gattai Kisaragi.
 * -- Played for Laughs at the ending of SP Missing Moon.
 * Sleepyhead
 * Spoiled Brat
 * Third Person Person
 * Trademark Favorite Food -- "Onigiri na no!!"
 * Verbal Tic - "-na no" (a declarative phrase) and "Afu~" (Japanese onomatopoeia for yawning)
 * Trademark Favorite Food -- "Onigiri na no!!"
 * Verbal Tic - "-na no" (a declarative phrase) and "Afu~" (Japanese onomatopoeia for yawning)

Hibiki Ganaha
"Voiced by: Manami Numakura Age: 15 (16) Height: 152 cm Weight: 41 kg Birthday: October 10th Blood type: A Three sizes: 86-58-83 (83-56-80) Hobbies: Knitting, Table tennis, (Walking)"

An energetic 15-year-old from Okinawa who loves to dance and sing. She became an idol to make people happy, and has a ridiculous number of pets ranging from the mundane to the bizarrely exotic. Hibiki was introduced in the iM@S SP as a member of Project Fairy, 961's production. In iM@S2, she is a part of 765 Production.


 * Affably Evil—During her time at Project Fairy.
 * Blue Eyes—A bright shade of aquamarine
 * Conspicuous Trenchcoat—Disguises herself like Haruka and Makoto above, to the point where Kotori doesn't even recognize her.
 * Cute Little Fangs: In the anime.
 * A Dog Named "Dog"—Played with; A majority of her animals have the name of their species name in them but have a cute like nickname like Hamuzou and Inumi.
 * Eyes Always Shut—Not during regular conversation, but in the PSP game she spends large portions of her songs with her eyes closed when no other girl does that.
 * Friend to All Living Things—She has dozens of pets, ranging from the mundane (cat, hamster, dog) to the exotic and outright bizarre (a crocodile!).
 * Genki Girl
 * Gullible Lemmings—She believes all of the lies Kuroi told her about 765.
 * Horrible Judge of Character
 * The Idiot From Osaka—She's from Okinawa, but otherwise fits.
 * I'm Taking Her Home with Me—To Yayoi.
 * Image Song -- "Next Life", "TRIAL DANCE", and "shiny smile"
 * Japanese Pronouns -- "Jibun"
 * Jerkass Facade
 * The Rival—During her time at Project Fairy.
 * Serious Business—She takes her rivalries very seriously.
 * Speaks Fluent Animal—While she speaks to animals in a cutesy fashion, in the anime, she can understand what her hamster is saying.
 * Tomboy—Subtler than Makoto, but still apparent.
 * Trash Talk
 * Wild Child

Takane Shijou
"Voiced by: Yumi Hara Age: 17 (18) Height: 169 cm Weight: 49 kg Birthday: January 21st Blood type: B Three sizes: 90-62-92 Hobbies Im@s SP: Stargazing, Stage shows Hobbies Im@s 2: Stargazing, History"

An elegant and majestic 17-year-old from an unstated, far-off land, Takane was first introduced as a member of Project Fairy in iM@S SP. Although haughty, she's very polite to everyone, even her rivals. In iM@S2, she is a part of 765 Production.


 * Big Eater—In one episode of the anime, she ate three large bowls of ramen. In one sitting.
 * In addition, in her segment of "Are We Live?". Takane's Ramen Expedition, she devours a truly intimidating bowl of ramen singlehandedly. And later proceeds to devour both of the twins' equally intimidating helpings. "Gluttonous Princess", indeed.
 * Cloudcuckoolander—although Takane usually just comes off as mysterious and elegant, she occasionally has her "uhh... Takane?" moments. For instance, during the Kero Kero cooking show she developed a more than strange attachment to the head of her frog costume. The Producer had remind her that, no, she was not allowed to take it home.
 * Friend to All Children
 * Gentle Giant—Takane is officially the tallest core idol of the franchise; the Cinderella Girls game (which canonicity is uncertain) introduces Kirari Moroboshi, who is a whopping 185 cm tall.
 * Punny Name—Her first name is phonetically similar to the Japanese phrase "So tall" (if read as 'Taka, ne') or the word for mountain peak.
 * Gratuitous English—In the anime. "That's top secret."
 * Human Aliens—She just might be one.
 * Image Song -- "Flower Girl," "Kazahana", "My Best Friend"
 * Japanese Pronouns -- "Watakushi." Indicates that she is excessively formal, just like the rest of her speech.
 * Lonely Rich Kid
 * Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane—She's most likely either from the moon or Germany.
 * Missing Mom—Her mom passed away when she was little.
 * The Ojou
 * Omniglot—She's fluent in almost all languages related to Latin.
 * Princess Curls
 * Trademark Favorite Food—Ramen.
 * The Rival—During her time at Project Fairy.
 * White-Haired Pretty Girl
 * Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?

876 Production Idols
An idol stable exclusive to the Dearly Stars game.
 * Cameo: During Episode 10. They even get to sing the ending theme for that Episode.
 * They appear again during episode 25.
 * They can also be seen briefly during credits in episode 18.
 * Color Coded for Your Convenience: Just like their 765 counterparts.
 * True Companions

Ai Hidaka
"Voiced by: Haruka Tomatsu Age: 13 Height: 149 cm Weight: 40 kg Birthday: June 25th Blood Type: O Three Sizes: 78-55-79 Hobbies: Bargain Hunting, Goldfish scooping"

13-year-old daughter of Mai, herself a once hugely popular idol. Growing up on tales of her mother's glory, little wonder she ended up wanting to become an idol herself. Unfortunately, she fails every audition she tries, until a chance meeting with Haruka, who felt she has potential and introduces her to 876.


 * Absurdly Youthful Mother—Mai was forced into retirement when she got pregnant at age 15 (and still at the peak of her career) with Ai. Fourteen years later, when now 29-year-old Mai decides to rejoin the business, she's understandably still very hot.
 * Ascended Fangirl
 * Calling the Old Lady Out—Ai and Mai had a falling-out after the latter's comeback, and are rivals for several chapters of Ai's story.
 * Cute Bruiser—She beats up Ryo more than once across the different stories.
 * Determinator
 * Expy—Of Haruka.
 * Genki Girl
 * Image Song -- "ALIVE" and "Hanamaru"
 * Inelegant Blubbering—Part of her friendship with Yukiho stems from both being prone to cry a lot. The difference is where Yukiho mostly whimpers, Ai sounds the foghorn.
 * No Indoor Voice
 * Stacy's Mom—Ai is the Stacy in this case.
 * Stage Mom—A subtle case, but the tales of Ai's mother made her desperate for a moment in the spotlight.
 * Stuck in Their Shadow -- In-Universe, Ai fears this when her manager says she could become a big success just by namedropping her famous mother, saying she wants to become an idol based on her own ability. A fear which turns out to be entirely justified.

Eri Mizutani
"Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa Age: 15 Height: 152 cm Weight: 36 kg Birthday: March 7th Blood Type: B Three Sizes: 82-53-76 Hobbies: Video editing, Jigsaw puzzles"

15-year-old Eri was a hikikimori and an internet celebrity known as "ELLIE". One day, however, she is scouted by a producer from 876 to become a real idol, a prospect Eri is naturally very nervous about.


 * But Now I Must Go—The end of her story arc.
 * Elegant Gothic Lolita—Her ELLIE persona was famous for this.
 * Every Girl Is Cuter With Hair Decs: Her clip.
 * Geek
 * Hikikomori
 * Hollywood Nerd—Eri is surprisingly pretty and well-kempt for a hikikomori.
 * Image Song -- "Precog" and "Crossword"
 * Kindhearted Cat Lover
 * Otaku—Eri frequently references video games and internet memes, in some cases outright quoting lines.
 * Shrinking Violet
 * Shy Blue-Haired Girl

Ryo Akizuki
"Voiced by: Yuko Sanpei Age: 15 Height: 162 cm Weight: 54 kg Birthday: September 15th Blood Type: O Three Sizes: 80-58-80 (yes, really. Go figure.) Hobbies: Cleaning, Cooking"

A soft spoken 15-year-old boy and Ritsuko's cousin. Fed up with his lack of luck with girls and unwanted luck with boys, he asked Ritsuko for help in turning him into the kind of cool, handsome idol that women would love. She introduced him to 876, where he is promptly put into a frilly pink dress and pushed onstage in a desperate attempt to save a show after the actual performer is a no-show.


 * Biggus Dickus
 * Boy Meets Girl
 * Butt Monkey—Ryo's story is one long Humiliation Conga leading up to the end.
 * Several of Ryo's bad endings turn out rather miserably for him as well. Being found out and becoming a laughingstock doesn't seem so bad compared to the ending where he completely loses his mind and actually begins to believe he is a girl.
 * Clark Kenting—Glasses on: Male. Glasses off: Female!
 * Dude Looks Like a Lady
 * Even the Guys Want Him
 * Dragged Into Drag
 * Dropped a Bridget On Him—Ryo does this to the entire nation of Japan. His popularity determines whether they love him anyway or laugh him off the stage.
 * Even the Girls Want Her—Yumeko thinks Ryo has this effect on her, before finding out his little secret, to much relief on her part.
 * Image Song -- "Dazzling World" and "Himitsu no Sangoshou"
 * Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy—Yumeko wears the pants.
 * Wholesome Crossdresser

Yumeko Sakurai
"Voiced by: Sayuri Yahagi (NeueGreen Drama CD)"

Ryo's fellow idol and rival in his storyline. Though she maintains an image of being cute and innocent, she uses incredibly dirty tactics to claw her way to the top, such as giving out candies that clog the vocal cords of her rivals, or sabotaging the stage so the other contestants screw up.


 * Alpha Bitch
 * Defrosting Ice Queen
 * Demoted to Extra - Hello and goodbye, Ms. Relatively Minor Character! No albums for you!
 * Fan Girl - Of Azusa, to the point of calling her sister.
 * Karma Houdini
 * Kick the Dog - She hates Yayoi's guts, even going so far as attempting to pull her candy trick and ruin a live show before Ryo intervenes.
 * Pet the Dog - She has the decency to feel bad about it later, upon finding out about Yayoi's financial situation.
 * The Rival
 * Tsundere - For Ryo.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds - Prior to her finding out Ryo's gender, the two develop an odd mixture of mutual hatred and friendship, and hang out together quite often.
 * Wounded Gazelle Gambit - Her first line of defense when called out on cheating.

Project Jupiter


961 Production's idol unit in iM@S2. Basically an idol group of bishies.


 * Darker and Edgier—the boys have a distinctly darker sound. Just compare "Alice or Guilty" to the girls' "The World Is All One" or "Shiny Smile".
 * And then "Koi wo Hajimeyou" happened...
 * Mr. Fanservice
 * Even Evil Has Standards—Or at least "Hypercompetitive Idols with a Penchant for Serious Business":.
 * Graceful Loser—In the game, even after losing to the girls in the Idol Awards, the boys bear no ill will against them and congratulates them. Kuroi on the other hand...
 * Jerkass—In the anime, as Haruka first witnessed. Or at least that's how they appear to be no thanks to Kuroi manipulating them into thinking that 765's idols are "corrupt".
 * Recycled Script—Their anime plotline has a lot of elements borrowed from the Project Fairy storyline in the SP games, and Kuroi fueling rivalry between idol groups with over-the-top stories of his own victimhood is one of those.
 * Idol Singers
 * The Rival
 * Unwitting Pawn—To Kuroi, who has been manipulating them into thinking that the idols of 765 are "corrupt" and that they were to do everything to stop them.

Touma Amagase
"Voiced by: Takuma Terashima Age: 17 Height: 175cm Weight: 57kg Birthday: March 3rd Blood type: B Three sizes: 81-65-80 Hobbies: Soccer, cooking, collecting figures"

17-year-old leader of Project Jupiter. A self-centered idol who takes idol work very seriously and dislikes people who are just in for the fun of it.


 * Adorkable—The real personality under his grouchy, competitive facade; while this is hinted at in his dere moments, it's especially apparent towards the end of both the game and anime.
 * An Aesop—He's a grumpy, overcompetitive guy whose teammates are much more laid back than he, and he's in a game about The Power of Friendship.
 * Anime Hair
 * Determinator—In your first face-off against him (where the winner is the group who can draw the most spectators to their stage with their performance), Touma utterly destroys your group even after losing one speaker to an electrical surge.
 * Expy—Shares a lot of resemblances with Kratos Aurion, from another Namco game.
 * Fluffy Fashion Feathers—Has one on his belt.
 * Idiot Hair—Rivaling Miki and Ai's.
 * Image Song -- "BANGxBANG"
 * Insufferable Genius—He has the skill to back up his arrogance.
 * It's All About Me
 * Jerkass
 * Real Men Wear Pink—Loves to cook.
 * Serious Business: Idoling.
 * Spanner in the Works --
 * Stop Having Fun Guy
 * Trash Talk
 * Tsundere—He's not quite the tough guy he thinks he is. He gets flustered and tries to cover it up whenever this shows through. Lampshaded by Shouta.
 * Tsundere—He's not quite the tough guy he thinks he is. He gets flustered and tries to cover it up whenever this shows through. Lampshaded by Shouta.

Hokuto Ijuuin
"Voiced by: Daichi Kanbara Age: 20 Height: 180cm Weight: 64kg Birthday: February 14th Blood type: O Three sizes: 86-76-87 Hobbies: Piano, violin, dating"

An "eternally dangerous idol prince", 20-year-old Hokuto is another idol for Project Jupiter, and his hobbies include piano, violin and going on dates.


 * Adorkable - His self-introduction consists solely of over-the-top pickup lines and attempts at flirting because he claims he only knows how to appeal to a female audience.
 * Blond Guys Are Evil
 * Casanova - In the anime, he's attractive to an ostrich!
 * Image Song: "Kesshou [[Crystal Dust]]"
 * Prince Charming
 * Ship Tease -

Shouta Mitarai
"Voiced by: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka Age: 14 Height: 163cm Weight: 49kg Birthday: April 20th Blood type: AB Three sizes: 77-60-79 Hobbies: Napping, filial piety"

An aptly named 14-year-old idol who takes a relaxed approach to his career.


 * Cute Shotaro Boy
 * Expy - It's pretty hard not to notice his similarities with Iori.
 * Image Song - "On Sunday"
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * The Slacker
 * Ship Tease -
 * Show the Forehead

The Producer
"Voiced by: Yuuki Tai (Frontier Works' Drama CDs), Takahiro Mizushima (Relations Drama CD), Kenji Akabane (Anime), Shintaro Asanuma (Nemurihime Drama CD)"

The rookie producer of 765 controlled by the player. ---
 * Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass—How he is portrayed in the Drama CDs.
 * Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"
 * Expy—His anime version is one of Koichi Minamoto, but now caring for 13 girls instead of three!
 * He Who Must Not Be Heard—In the game.
 * The Other Darrin—For the Drama CDs, Yuuki Tai (Cobray Gordon); for the anime, Kenji Akabane (the new Kouji Kabuto and Xiahou Ba).
 * Megane—In the anime adaptation and several manga adaptions.
 * Nice Guy—In the anime version, which makes him earned a Fan Nickname "Broducer".
 * Player Character
 * The Faceless -- ...Until the anime came along. Still a very nondescript face though.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair—His anime depiction.

Takao Kuroi
"Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu"

- Birthday: September 6th

The president of 961 Production, first introduced in Idolm@ster SP.


 * Consummate Liar—One of his deceptions include giving Hibiki a larger B-W-H than she really has (which was revealed by iM@S2).
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive
 * Dirty Old Man
 * Evil Counterpart—To the producer.
 * Gratuitous French—In SP, he likes peppering his sentences with French words like "Non", "Oui", etc. Would've been a French Jerk if he wasn't Japanese at all.
 * He Who Must Not Be Seen
 * The Faceless—In the anime.
 * Jerkass—Very much likes giving rumors and lies and slanders to 765 Pro... why? Just because he wants to feel superior over Takagi.
 * Manipulative Bastard—To Project Fairy in iM@S SP, and Jupiter in iM@S2.
 * Meaningful Name—Kuroi can be broken down into Ku-Ro-I, which corresponds to 9-6-1. Kuroi also means "black".
 * Pet the Dog—A dishonest manipulator he may be, but one SP radio drama reveals a (somehow) nicer side, when he takes a "family-like" photo of Azusa, Iori and Producer, and gives it to them to keep as a memorial/gift.
 * Pitiful Worms—One of his ways to insult the people of 765 Productions.
 * "The Reason You Suck" Speech—In iM@S2, during the Idol Academy nominations party, he harshly insults the Producer and your unit. Cue the Shut UP, Hannibal from your unit's leader.
 * Took a Level in Jerkass—Kuroi is already a big Jerkass in the games, but in the anime, we see him doing much more dangerous slanders than just spreading rumors, culminating in the slandering of Chihaya's past, which traumatizes the poor girl, disgusted the Jupiter boys and goes up into Complete Monster territory in that particular continuity.
 * We Used to Be Friends --

Kotori Otonashi
"Voiced by: Juri Takita Age: 2? (It's rude to ask a lady her age.) Height: 159 cm Weight: 49 kg Birthday: September 9th Blood type: AB Three sizes: Secret (Not divulged, Undisclosed, etc.) Hobbies Im@s: Wild fancy, Browsing 2chan Hobbies Im@s 2: Watching TV, Daydreaming, Forum surfing"

Secretary of 765 Production, who serves as the game's announcer and tutorial guide. Famous for daydreaming on the job—sometimes in the middle of conversations.


 * A Day in the Limelight—Although not an idol, she sometimes gets a song in the larger album collections.
 * Exposition Fairy
 * First-Name Basis—Subverted in iM@S2. Upon her self-introduction, she suggests the Producer to call her either "Kotori-san", "Kotori-neesan", or "Kotori-chan". However, he decides to use "Otonashi-san" instead.
 * Hey, It's That Voice!—Apparently, Mei-Fang is now less robotic and guides through Mission Control.
 * Mission Control—Her first appearance in Live For You was this for the player.
 * Out of Focus
 * Sexy Secretary
 * Yuri Fangirl—In the anime.
 * Sexy Secretary
 * Yuri Fangirl—In the anime.

Junichiro Takagi
"Voiced by: Kan Tokumaru"

- Birthday: July 6th

President of 765 Production. Appears only as a black silhouette from the neck down. In the iM@S SP games, he has a fairly major role in the story... but still appears only as a black silhouette. Everyone refers to him as "President", so it's easy to forget his name.


 * Benevolent Boss—He's generally depicted in this way...
 * Put on a Bus—In iM@S2 his cousin Junijirou becomes president, while Junichiro becomes chairman as to avoid traveling all over the country.
 * Though the change could have been prompted by his voice actor's sudden death before he can do any more voicework.
 * Stupid Boss—Got handed the Idiot Ball for the iM@S SP games.
 * Mission Control—In the Xbox version of the game, he's the one who gives the player information on the current trends and idol rank every week.

Junjiro Takagi
"Voiced by: Hochu Otsuka"

New president of 765 Production after his cousin Junichiro stepped down. In the anime, his body can now be seen in full, but his face is still obscured. Like Junichiro, he is referred by everyone as "President".


 * Benevolent Boss
 * He Who Must Not Be Seen
 * The Faceless—In the anime.
 * Passing the Torch—His position was passed onto him by his cousin.
 * We Used to Be Friends --

Minori Ishikawa
"Voiced by: Risa Hayamizu (InnocentBlue Drama CD)"

The president of 876 Production. An old friend with Junichiro.


 * She Who Must Not Be Seen—Like the other president, she only appears as silhouette in the game.

Manami Okamoto
The manager of 876 Production. She's the one responsible for making Ryo debut as female idol.


 * The Cameo—Appears in the final episode of anime.
 * Idiot Hair
 * Meganekko

Reiko Ozaki
"Voiced by: Yuu Asakawa (InnocentBlue Drama CD)"

A freelance producer who brings Eri to the idol industry.