Toradora!/Characters

This is the character page for the romantic comedy Toradora!. Enjoy! ---

Ryuuji Takasu
"Voiced by: Junji Majima"

Ryuuji is a seventeen-year-old high school student in Class 2-C. Due to biological inheritance, his face makes him look like an intimidating delinquent and causes many misunderstandings. He lives in a fatherless family with just his mother, thus Ryuuji has learned to be self-sufficient. He is good at cooking and keeping everything in his house clean, and also excels at sewing. He holds a crush on Minori Kushieda, a girl his age in his class. He has a pet parakeet named "Inko-chan" (inko literally means parakeet in Japanese). Ryuuji often helps Taiga with domestic chores which she is otherwise unable to perform. At school, he is known as "the only person able to stop the palmtop tiger", referring to Taiga's nickname. -

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 * Animal Motifs: The dragon.
 * Berserk Button: DO NOT compare him to his father.
 * Beware the Nice Ones: During the School Race during the Cultural Festival.
 * Cannot Spit It Out
 * Chick Magnet
 * Character Tics: Hair twirling.
 * Face of a Thug
 * First Kiss:
 * He Cleans Up Nicely: Once he's all dressed up and groomed at the Christmas Party, everyone notices how good he looks in a suit.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: A rare in-universe example, as his classmates soon realize that he is a whole lot nicer than he looks.
 * Love At First Punch: Subverted.
 * Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Feminine Boy to Taiga's Masculine Girl.
 * The Matchmaker: At first, he was trying to hook up Taiga and Kitamura.
 * Neat Freak: And holy shit HOW! Hits absurd extremes in the last novel when his punishment for  cleaning the faculty restroom everyday and writing weekly reports about it. Teachers start to freak out when he begins indexing the hairs he finds on the floor.
 * Nice Guy: Don't let his mean looks fool you.
 * Real Men Wear Pink: Cooks, sews, cleans, etc. This especially helps Taiga, who recently moved away from home with nary a knowledge of basic home skills.
 * Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Savvy Guy to Minori's Energetic Girl.
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Sensitive Guy to Yuusaku's Manly Man.
 * Slasher Smile: His default smile but subverted in that it's his bone structure that give him this type of smile, not his intent. He is able to pull a non-Slasher Smile when he does a non-toothy half-smile though.
 * Son of a Whore: Subverted.
 * Strong Family Resemblance
 * Troubled but Cute
 * Turn Out Like His Father: Defied. Even though he looks like him, he pledged to never be like his father. See Berserk Button above.
 * Unlucky Everydude
 * What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?: He takes cleaning very, very seriously.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Taiga Aisaka
"Voiced by: Rie Kugimiya"

Taiga is a well-regulated and beautiful girl who has trouble engaging with from others. Due to her ridiculously short stature at 143.6cm (4'8.5") and her tendency to snap at others in brutal ways, she is given the nickname "Palmtop Tiger." Her childlike appearance and her nickname gave her a complex which in turn serves to give her a negative attitude and facial expression. Essentially, Taiga gets upset easily and is considerably clumsy.

Due to her cute looks, she often gets confessions by boys her age, but she turns down every one of them. She comes from a rich family but due to bad relations, she has taken to living on her own. However, being a child of privilege barely prepared her for dealing with domestic chores. When she meets Ryuuji and learns of his domestic talents, she begins to depend on Ryuuji for them. Aside from sleeping in her own house and going to school, she spends most of her time at Ryuuji's house; so much so that she is almost considered a member of his family, and many classmates think they are dating. -- --
 * A-Cup Angst: The focus of the Pool Episode. Ryuuji offers to help her by making breast pads to fill up her swimsuit.
 * Action Girl. Of the Cute Bruiser type.
 * Animal Motifs: The tiger.
 * Berserk Button: Any reference to her small stature or her nickname!
 * Broken Bird
 * Brown Eyes
 * Cannot Spit It Out
 * Cry Cute
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Cute Bruiser
 * Defrosting Ice Queen: A variation. She's not exactly "cold" but the way she eventually warms up to Ryuji makes her one of these.
 * Dojikko
 * Groin Attack: Against her Jerkass father.
 * In-Series Nickname: "Palmtop Tiger"
 * Lonely Rich Kid
 * Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Masculine Girl to Ryuuji's Feminine Boy.
 * The Napoleon
 * Odango Hair: When she wears a swimsuit or a chinese dress.
 * The Ojou
 * Older Than They Look
 * Perpetual Frowner: At first...
 * Rapunzel Hair
 * Romantic Two-Girl Friendship: With Minorin.
 * Say My Name:
 * Shana Clone: A deconstructed one.
 * She Cleans Up Nicely: She is already cute but everyone commented on how stunning she can be when she made the effort to dress up at the Christmas Party.
 * Shout-Out: She pretty much quotes Shana and Louise by shouting "Urusai!" or referring to Ryuuji a dog...
 * Single Woman Seeks Good Man
 * Super Drowning Skills
 * Tsundere: Voiced by Rie Kugimiya too!
 * Arguably, a Deconstruction of the concept: her mood swings and anger issues seem to come more from her pretty screwed up home life than mere love deals. And not to mention that
 * Tsunshun
 * Tsurime Eyes
 * Waif Fu: See the short, cute doll-like girl !
 * Zettai Ryouiki: The first opening even has a gratituous shot of her wearing them.
 * Zettai Ryouiki: The first opening even has a gratituous shot of her wearing them.

Yuusaku Kitamura
"Voiced by: Hirofumi Nojima"

Yuusaku is a male student in Ryuuji's class, and is his best friend. He is the vice-president of the student council, the class representative, and captain of the boy's softball club at school. Yuusaku wears glasses, and has a diligent personality. He thinks he is poor at talking to girls, though Ryuuji observes otherwise; Yuusaku likes the student council president Sumire Kanou. Despite being on the student council, he is in violation of riding a motorcycle to school. -- --
 * All Love Is Unrequited
 * Chick Magnet
 * : Briefly.
 * Demoted to Extra: Got noticeably less prominent in the last act of the series.
 * Megane
 * No Nudity Taboo: A rather mild version, but one episode had him nonchalantly walk into a room in full view of the three main girls with nothing covering him except a hand towel held in front of his naughty bits.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Manly Man to Ryuuji's Sensitive Guy.
 * Shirtless Scene: Four of them.
 * Student Council President: Starts as the class president and the vice president of the Student Council.
 * Stupid Sexy Flanders: He even has a physique like Flanders!
 * Tall, Dark and Handsome: How Taiga described him in one of the next episode previews
 * Yes-Man: To Sumire, when he's still the Student Council Vice President.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Possibly just Hair Color Dissonance, since while he does have dark bluish-green hair, he later
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Possibly just Hair Color Dissonance, since while he does have dark bluish-green hair, he later

Minori Kushieda
"Voiced by: Yui Horie"

""Just as much as I'll want to doubt them, thinking 'Do they really see ghosts?', I'll end up thinking 'Are they really in love?'. I just don't see it. As much as I believe, it continuously eludes me. I've never experienced any of it for myself, y'know. These things that other people speak of as simply natural, they've never happened to me. And so that's why, I just can't believe in such things. I'm left on the outside... I want to believe, but I've kind of given up. The most I can do is enviously watch 'the ones who can see' with my finger in my mouth, cheering them on from the sidelines. Just that, is a connection, I guess... What a bunch of lies! It's all a delusion! A figment of your imagination! is what I want to shout because I still can't shake my doubt.""

Minori is a girl in Ryuuji's class, and is a close friend to Taiga. She is also known by the pet name "Minorin". In contrast to the negative Taiga, Minori is always smiling and cheerful, but is also a natural airhead. She is very athletic and is the captain of the girl's softball club at school, though at the same time she holds many part time jobs. She is a glutton when it comes to food, but is also constantly combating with dieting. -- "Minori:"
 * Bi the Way
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Her oddness does not keep her from performing admirably at her jobs or being an excellent softball player.
 * Chewing the Scenery: Her hilarious antics are known to admirably steal the scene.
 * Cloudcuckoolander: However, she has been shown to be unusually perceptive at times though, being able to deduce that Taiga was wearing pads under her swimsuit, among other things (like Ami being two-faced).
 * Club President
 * Cry Cute:

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 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Expy: Looks and acts in a way that is reminiscent of Tsukihime's Kohaku,
 * Fiery Redhead: Well, close enough
 * Genki Girl: Again, arguably a Deconstruction. Her Genki Girl attitude hides a lot of issues.
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Large Ham
 * Nightmare Fetishist
 * Plucky Girl
 * The Pollyanna: She never gets sad, nor cries
 * Romantic Two-Girl Friendship: With Taiga.
 * Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Energetic Girl to Ryuuji's Savvy Guy.
 * Stepford Smiler: There's a lot of issues hidden behind her genki-ness.
 * Strange Girl
 * Why Do You Keep Changing Jobs?
 * You Go, Girl!
 * You Gotta Have Red-Violet Hair
 * You Gotta Have Red-Violet Hair

Ami Kawashima
"Voiced by: Eri Kitamura"

""I’m not the Palmtop Tiger who’s always sticking around with you; neither am I Minori-chan, who’s your sparkling sun. I, Kawashima Ami, am standing in the same land as you, walking on the same path as you. It's just that I’m a few steps ahead of you.""

Ami is Yuusaku's childhood friend who transfers into his class midway through their second year of high school. She is very beautiful and even works as a model, though after she transfers school, she temporarily stops modeling. However, she still continues to go to the gym readily and maintains a slim figure. She is always kind and generous towards others, though this is merely a deception. In truth, she is arrogant and will not hesitate to use others for her own benefit. -
 * Alpha Bitch --> Lovable Alpha Bitch: Eventually. Not to mention, we learn that
 * Animal Motifs: The chihuahua (Taiga calls her "baka-chi" ["stupid chihuahua"]).
 * Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: An excellent example, though she matures with time.
 * Bromantic Foil: Tries to be a major player in the game of love but ends up as this for Ryuuji, Yuusaku, and (arguably) Minori.
 * Character Development: Possibly the best example in the show.
 * Cry Cute:
 * I Just Want to Be Special: Her main objective, arguably.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold
 * Kawaiiko: Tries to pass herself off as this. Grows out of it eventually.
 * Magic Skirt: She sits between the campus' two vending machines in a manner that would normally shows her panties.
 * Manipulative Bitch: Until she gets a buttload of Character Development.
 * Ms. Fanservice: She usually fills the role aside from Ryuuji's own mom, Yasuko.
 * Only Sane Girl: Yes, she may not appear to care about other people's feelings, but when you get past her tactless, unpleasant self, you realize that her words are much more down-to-earth and sensible than what you give her credit for.
 * Pet the Dog: Several of these occur as her character develops.
 * Rich Bitch
 * Tall, Dark, Bishoujo AND Snarky
 * The Tease
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: With Taiga and Minori
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Yasuko Takasu
"Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara"

Yasuko is Ryuuji's thirty-three-year-old mother, though she refers to herself as eternally twenty-three; she has large, F-cup-sized breasts. Soon after Ryuuji was born, her husband died which left her to raise her son by herself. She works at a hostess bar named Bishamonten Kuni where she goes by the name "Mirano" and single-handily supports her two-member family financially. However, she has a childish personality and since she works so hard, she entrusts the household chores to Ryuuji. She instantly takes a liking to Taiga and already regards her as a member of her family. - -
 * Absurdly Youthful Mother: She was about 16 or 17 when she had Ryuuji
 * Adult Child: She acts this way most of the time. However, she can also be highly perceptive at times (almost superhumanly so). For example,
 * Bottle Fairy: Justified by her job as club hostess.
 * Children Raise You
 * Cute Clumsy Girl
 * Gag Boobs
 * Gainaxing
 * Hair of Gold
 * Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Acts to the trope quite well but she's no hooker, just a late-night bar hostess, which, in some aspects, is perceived as pretty much the same in Japan.
 * Hot Mom: So, so much
 * Lady Drunk: Justified with her job.
 * Ms. Fanservice
 * Not a Morning Person: Again, justified due to her job.
 * Older Than They Look
 * The Pollyanna: Seriously.
 * Single Mom Stripper: Again, not exactly a stripper, but close enough according to Japanese standards.

Yuri Koigakubo
"Voiced by: Rie Tanaka"

Yuri is the twenty-nine-year-old homeroom teacher of Ryuuji's class. She likes to do things at her own pace and is timid towards Taiga's way of speaking out. Since her twenties are almost over, Yuri is in a hurry to get married soon and she even tries to dress well so as to be able to get into a relationship quicker. After she becomes thirty without getting married, she develops a twisted and depressed personality, which does not help that when Taiga talks about her, she emphases her single status. -- -
 * Butt Monkey
 * Christmas Cake
 * Flanderization: In the anime, her status as a Reasonable Authority Figure got toned way down and her status as a Butt Monkey and Christmas Cake way up. Consider some of the things in the novels that were changed or dropped outright:
 * Her freakout during the wrestling show is scripted. The students are so impressed by her performance that they vote her MVP and ask her to come to the afterparty.
 * When Kitamura announces he's quitting Student Council and storms out of class, she cancels a date and spends the night trying to contact his family. When he tries to leave school the next day, she physically restrains him and has a sub cover her class so she can spend the entire day talking to him.
 * In the last book, she tells off Taiga's mom for expecting her daughter to abandon the people who've taken care of her for the last year in favor of a mother who abandoned her. Then when Ryuuji returns to school, she puts her career on the line to prevent him from getting expelled.
 * My Biological Clock Is Ticking
 * Reasonable Authority Figure
 * Sensei-chan
 * Shrinking Violet
 * Slasher Smile: When wrestling is approved as the theme of the festival.
 * Stern Teacher: Sometimes. She does cower when threatened, though (at least in the anime).

Sumire Kanou
"Voiced by: Yuko Kaida"

Sumire is the student council president and always manages to get the top grades in school; she is in fact a Scholarship Student and has horrible eyesight. She has a strong-minded personality which she depends on to be a figure those will follow. Her younger sister is Sakura and her parents own a supermarket. Sumire likes Yuusaku and as a result is the object of an one-sided hostility from Taiga. -
 * Action Girl
 * Authority Equals Asskicking:
 * Blue Eyes
 * Can't Hold Her Liquor: One can of fruit wine and she goes completely nuts.
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Drill Sergeant Nasty
 * Jerkass: Though she has her reasons.
 * Student Council President: Yusaku's superior.
 * Tall, Dark and Bishoujo
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair
 * Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: She is terrified of them.
 * Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: She is terrified of them.