Special A/Characters

This is a listing of characters who appear in the anime and manga series Special A. Names are in Western order (ie. First name first). Beware of unmarked spoilers!

Hikari Hanazono
"Voiced by: Yuko Goto"



Hikari knows what it feels to always be second to someone else. After all, she's still ranked second in the school, meaning she's still failed to beat Kei Takishima at something: something she's been trying to do since they were six years old. She even followed Kei to Hakusenkan just to beat him, which costs her family a lot of money. It's not that she's incompetent, however: Hikari is still incredibly strong, incredibly smart, and incredibly pretty. She's just that oblivious to Kei's feelings for her.


 * Action Dress Rip: Chapter 10 / Episode 6.
 * Action Girl: Hikari is frequently shown training, and it shows - the only times she's collapsed involved injury/illness combined with a rather large amount of exertion (after competing in several matches). Moreover, the only time she's lost any of those are, of course, when up against Kei. Further, she's yet to lose any physical fights she's been in, though you'd think she was made of cracked glass the way Kei reacts to the prospect of her fighting.
 * Alliterative Name
 * Badass Adorable / Cute Bruiser
 * The Beautiful Elite
 * Beware the Nice Ones: You don't want her mad at you. Really.
 * Big Eater: Oh, dear.
 * Cannot Spit It Out:
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Whenever she's sick.
 * The Determinator / Plucky Girl: Hikari will not give up, no matter how many times she's been defeated, at beating Kei. She won't give up on anything else, either, though her intelligence and strength result in her not needing to continue for too long generally.
 * Genki Girl
 * He Is Not My Boyfriend: Anytime anyone assumes Kei and Hikari are dating, her response is a cheery "He and I are rivals," with her laughing merrily and Kei looking like he just ate a lemon.
 * Hot Blooded
 * Lethal Chef: The area in which she is least talented in, and only because she's so strong.
 * Well, it's also shown that she doesn't really bother to season her food. So not only is it a dense, homogenized mess, it takes like dishwater (unless you're named Kei Takishima).
 * Naive Everygirl
 * Noodle People: Considering how strong she is.
 * Oblivious to Love: Oh, so much. She's so focused on her and Kei's rivalry that she can't even take a hint.
 * Selective Obliviousness: Only towards her, though. She quickly perceives someone's attraction to someone else - more than one Face Palm ensues after people realize she sees everyone's romantic intentions except Kei's.
 * Rapunzel Hair
 * Savvy Guy Energetic Girl: With Kei.
 * Scholarship Student: Well, not really, as the Hanazono family is shown to scrimp so that Hikari can go to the same school as everyone else, but the effect's the same.
 * Sink or Swim Mentor
 * Serious Business: Beating Kei.
 * Super Strength
 * Takishima Is Always Better
 * Unless she's sick.
 * The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: She sees herself as this towards Kei: which is why Yahiro pisses her off when he declares he's beaten Kei once.
 * Unknown Rival: Hikari gets a bunch of these, as several people wishing to become the center of attention for Kei try to get rid of her. She completely misses the point.
 * Victorious Childhood Friend:
 * You Are Number Six: Kei often calls her "Number Two" to provoke her. It works.
 * You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry
 * You Are Number Six: Kei often calls her "Number Two" to provoke her. It works.
 * You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry

Kei Takishima
"Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama"



So you're the handsome elder son of the filthy rich CEO of the Takishima Corporation. You're ranked first in your school and have a natural talent for everything you do. You excel in every single subject, from athletics to mathematics. Everything just comes easy for you, doesn't it? Oh, wait. That's not you. That's Kei. And it's true: the only problem poor Kei has is that Hikari just doesn't get his feelings for her.


 * The Ace: Textbook example.
 * Smart People Play Chess
 * Supreme Chef
 * Aloof Big Brother: To Sui.
 * Arranged Marriage: To Sakura. Later, to Alisa.
 * Back-to-Back Badasses: Every time Kei and Hikari get into a physical fight with anyone else, expect this to occur in the middle of the Curb Stomp Battle they're about to give out.
 * Battle Couple
 * The Beautiful Elite
 * Bishonen
 * Bishie Sparkle
 * Berserk Button: Do not try to hurt Hikari in his presence. Ever.
 * Big Fancy House: Lives in one.
 * Bridal Carry: To Hikari.
 * The Bully: How Akira sees him.
 * Cannot Spit It Out: You know, for being as smart as he is, you'd think Kei would have the brains to just explain how he feels if he was really interested in dating Hikari (particularly given how distressed he gets at times by her cluelessness).
 * The Comically Serious
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Everyone Can See It: His feelings for Hikari.
 * Glowing Eyes of Doom: Kei + Anything that might come between him and Hikari = This.
 * Hey It's That Voice: It's Jun Fukuyama. You had to see this coming.
 * I Was Just Passing Through: He cites this as his excuse every time he rescues Hikari from whatever sort of trouble she gets herself into. Of course, nobody but Hikari believes a word of it.
 * Nonchalant Dodge
 * Noodle People
 * Patient Childhood Love Interest: VERY patient
 * Photographic Memory: He has one.
 * The Rival: Hikari views him as this.
 * Savvy Guy Energetic Girl: With Hikari.
 * Single Target Sexuality: Kei is Hikari-sexual.
 * The Stoic: Until Hikari gets in trouble.
 * Not So Stoic: When Hikari gets in trouble or whenever Hikari misinterprets him.
 * Victorious Childhood Friend:

Jun Yamamoto
"Voiced by: Tsubasa Yonaga"



The son of two famous musicians and Megumi's younger twin brother, Jun is ranked third in school. Because of his upbringing he loves music more than anything else: it's just that he has little to no talent for it. Jun, like Megumi, is fiercely protective of Ryuu because he's been kind to them since they were children and is always looking out for the two of them. Generally quiet and unassuming,  Jun is terrified of this because it caused the girl he was dating to dump him in disgust.


 * Brown Note: Every time he tries to sing.
 * Big Fancy House: Lives in one.
 * Bishonen
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Dreadful Musician
 * Half-Identical Twins: With Megumi.
 * Nice Guy: His major personality trait.
 * Non-Action Guy
 * The Quiet One
 * Weak-Willed: Big time.
 * The Quiet One
 * Weak-Willed: Big time.
 * Weak-Willed: Big time.
 * Weak-Willed: Big time.

Megumi Yamamoto
"Voiced by: Ayahi Takagaki"



Jun's older twin sister, Megumi is ranked fourth in school. Like Jun, she values music more than anything else, and is a singer. She rarely speaks to preserve her voice (and her singing is quite powerful as a result. . Also like Jun, she's very protective of Ryuu for the same reasons her brother is (ie. during tests he's making sure they don't fall asleep, etc.)


 * All Love Is Unrequited: Her crush on Yahiro.
 * The Beautiful Elite
 * Becoming the Mask: Pretends to like Yahiro in order to get him to leave Akira alone. It ends up.
 * Big Fancy House: Lives in one.
 * Brown Note: Every time she tries to sing in a closed area.
 * Cute Mute: A variation. She doesn't talk a lot of the time, but this is just to preserve her voice.
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Deadpan Snarker: Made even funnier because she uses her sketchbook.
 * Dreadful Musician: Her singing can cause quite a lot of damage to her surroundings
 * Greek Chorus: With her brother and Ryuu.
 * Half-Identical Twins: With Jun.
 * Pair the Spares: With
 * The Quiet One: The reason she's so quiet is as to preserve her voice when she sings.
 * Rapunzel Hair
 * Talking With Signs: Although she is most definitely not mute or anything, she just needs to preserve her voice.
 * The Voiceless

Tadashi Karino
"Voiced by: Hiro Shimono"



The cheerful son of the school's director, Tadashi is ranked fifth in school and is always goofing around. He has a tendency to just wander around and do what he wants to do. He has a penchant for sweet things and Akira's cooking. Because of his personality, he ends up being the character most comically attacked by Akira.


 * Adorkable
 * Arranged Marriage
 * Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Akira.
 * Big Eater: And he especially loves Akira's cooking.
 * Bishonen
 * Brown Eyes
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer
 * Butt Monkey: Although by the way he reacts you'd think he actually enjoys being the Butt Monkey.
 * Childhood Friends: With Akira
 * Cool Bike
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * The Ditz: Oh, Tadashi.
 * Ditzy Genius / Brilliant but Lazy: On the other hand, he's apparently rather competent: he's ranked fifth in school and it's hinted he could be higher, he's quite athletic, and knows his way out of awkward situations. On the flipside, he has little to no tact, common sense, or wit. Most of the time.
 * Nice Guy: Underneath it all.
 * Ditzy Genius / Brilliant but Lazy: On the other hand, he's apparently rather competent: he's ranked fifth in school and it's hinted he could be higher, he's quite athletic, and knows his way out of awkward situations. On the flipside, he has little to no tact, common sense, or wit. Most of the time.
 * Nice Guy: Underneath it all.

Akira Toudou
"Voiced by: Hitomi Nabatame"



Akira is ranked sixth in school and is the daughter of the owner of a famous airline company. She has a talent for cooking and is the one who whips up the group's afternoon snacks. She is very fond of Hikari and usually won't do anything unless Hikari agrees to it. She enjoys beating Tadashi up


 * Adaptation Dye Job: Her hair was quite black in the manga, but is changed to purple in the anime.
 * Beauty Mark
 * Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Tadashi.
 * Big Fancy House: Lives in one.
 * Brown Eyes
 * Does Not Like Men
 * Important Haircut: When she was younger, she had waist-length hair. She later cut it probably to ensure she'd stop being such a crybaby.
 * Expository Hairstyle Change
 * Schoolgirl Lesbians: Would come off as one, seeing how she adores cute schoolgirls (like Hikari, to a lesser extent Megumi).
 * Camp Straight
 * Slap Slap Kiss:
 * Supreme Chef / Team Chef: She is the chef of the group, seeing how she makes all their afternoon snacks.
 * Tall, Dark and Bishoujo
 * Team Mom: Definitely.
 * Tsundere: Blatant Type A here.
 * You Gotta Have Purple Hair: Although it could easily be stylized black.
 * Team Mom: Definitely.
 * Tsundere: Blatant Type A here.
 * You Gotta Have Purple Hair: Although it could easily be stylized black.

Ryuu Tsuji
"Voiced by: Kazuma Horie"



Seventh in their grade, Ryuu is the son of a sports car company's CEO. He is very good at handling children, animals, and plants. The twins adore him, primarily because the three of them have been together since childhood and since meeting them he's always been looking out for them.


 * Adaptation Dye Job: He had reddish-blond hair in the manga and green hair in the anime.
 * Bishonen
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: He is a lot smarter than seventh place. The only reason he's seventh is because he keeps worrying about the twins, who tend to get bored and sleep while studying.
 * Curtains Match the Window: Anime only.
 * Friend to All Children: Let's face it, Ryuu is the ultimate babysitter.
 * Friend to All Living Things
 * The Beast Master:
 * Green Eyes
 * Greek Chorus: With the twins.
 * Ho Yay / Yaoi Guys: With Finn (later).
 * Only Sane Man: The go-to character for bewildered reaction shots.
 * Parental Substitute: Serves as this for the twins. Lampshaded by Sakura, when she notes how weird it is that Jun asks Ryuu for permission to go on a date, which Ryuu admits is true.
 * Super Speed Reading: Pulls this one off in a test battle which is part of the Xanatos Gambit aimed to kick him out of the SA. He reads all the 1000 questions by casually flipping the pages really fast, and then answers all of them in 10 minutes. He got all of them right!
 * You Gotta Have Green Hair: Anime only.

Finn Coupe Shuzette

 * Ho Yay / Yaoi Guys: With
 * Royals Who Actually Do Something
 * Ho Yay / Yaoi Guys: With
 * Royals Who Actually Do Something

Iori Tokiwa

 * Like Brother and Sister: Hikari sees Iori this way, to his dismay.
 * The Rival: The first one that Kei finds exceptionally difficult to get rid of.

Hajime Kakei

 * Megane
 * Out of Focus: First appears to be set up as a major antagonist for the Special A kids, but then gets sent to the hospital and doesn't reappear until near the end of the series.
 * Student Council President: Although the student council is weak and ineffectual as compared to the influence the Special A class has.

Sumire Karino

 * Hot Mom
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: Maybe.
 * Serial Romeo: Is said to have been this before settling down with Tadashi's father (who was said to be the same way).
 * Sink or Swim Mentor: Probably, if Tadashi's flashbacks are anything to go by.

Yahiro Saiga


An old friend of Akira and Kei's, they haven't seen much of him after a mutual falling out that no one likes to talk about. A seemingly affable young man with a sinister streak and a love of screwing with people's heads, Yahiro serves as the main antagonist for the first part of the series. A master manipulator, Yahiro does his utmost to conceal his real agenda from everyone, all while doing his best to look like an unsympathetic jackass.


 * Adaptation Dye Job: His hair is brown in the manga, pink in the anime.
 * Almost Kiss: In the anime he almost kisses but is interrupted by Tadashi. He actually yells at him for spoiling the mood.
 * Ambiguously Evil: It's pretty hard to tell how we're supposed to view Yahiro for much of the series.
 * Badass: He actually scares Kei. That's gotta count for something.
 * The Beard: In one arc in the manga, Megumi has told her mother that she will bring her boyfriend to a concert that the family will be attending. Only thing is, she doesn't have a boyfriend. Guess who gets roped into filling this role?
 * Big Damn Heroes:
 * Broken Ace: He's a toned down Kei with a side of self-loathing.
 * Defeating the Undefeatable: He actually managed to beat Kei in a game of tag when they were younger by locking the door while Kei was counting. Slippery.
 * Easily Forgiven: Averted for some time, to the point where when Jun and Ryu catch him with Megumi violence nearly ensues. Also completely averted with Akira, as it's hinted that she's refused to speak with him for seven or eight years due to her anger.
 * Evil Former Friend: How Akira and Kei see him anyway.
 * Evil Genius: He's at least as smart as the members of the Special A.
 * For the Evulz: Acts like this is his motivation for screwing with Akira and Kei.
 * Hidden Depths:
 * I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: His entire motivation. He drives off anyone who poses a threat to Akira while taking the blame so she'll never know she was betrayed. After she gets together with Tadashi he promptly drops out of the picture.
 * If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her: He mentally remembers doing it to multiple people  in the past, and he does it in-series to Tadashi, who isn't threatened at all by it (Yahiro assumes, initially, that it's because Tadashi is an idiot).
 * It Amused Me: In the manga, he claims this is why he hangs out with Megumi and helps her with her singing. Right...
 * Jerkass Facade: See Zero Approval Gambit below.
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold
 * Knight Templar: Towards Akira and Kei.
 * Lonely Rich Kid: He's got more money, and fewer friends, than even Kei.
 * Love Makes You Evil: He's acts like a possessive jerk towards Akira and is a Poisonous Friend to Kei. In both cases, he's motivated by genuine concern and believes they'll be better off for it.
 * Manipulative Bastard: Does his best to make sure no one understands his motives.
 * Pair the Spares: With . The relationship is a little better developed in the manga.
 * Poisonous Friend: To Kei and Akira
 * Real Men Wear Pink: Despite his pink suit and hair he's never made out to be a Sissy Villain.
 * Screw the Rules, I Have Money
 * Ship Tease: With Megumi. They never come out and admit they're together but Everyone Can See It. Here's a hint guys--after your third or fourth pretend date you've officially Become The Mask.
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend:
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist: His intentions are good. His methods, suck.
 * Wicked Cultured: He's an opera buff, and actually enjoys Megumi's singing.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Pink actually.
 * Zero Approval Gambit: He'd rather have Akira focus her hatred on him, completely destroying their friendship, than admit he was trying to protect her from a Gold Digger friend. He later pulls a similar routine on Kei.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Pink actually.
 * Zero Approval Gambit: He'd rather have Akira focus her hatred on him, completely destroying their friendship, than admit he was trying to protect her from a Gold Digger friend. He later pulls a similar routine on Kei.

Sakura Ushikubo

 * Arranged Marriage
 * Berserk Button: She (and her father) absolutely detest lies and becomes extremely violent when lied to.
 * Big Damn Heroes:
 * Birds of a Feather: Non-romantic example with Hikari.
 * The Ditz: She's a bit oblivious to Yahiro's more sadistic moments. Of course, it's because she's one of the few people he shows his hidden heart of gold to.
 * Dogged Nice Girl
 * Genki Girl
 * Hot Blooded
 * Just the Way You Are: The reason she accepts Jun.
 * Living Lie Detector
 * Rose-Haired Girl: In the anime; her hair is dirty blonde/light brown in the manga.
 * Ugly Guys Hot Daughter
 * Ugly Guys Hot Daughter

Alisa Appleton

 * Alliterative Name
 * Arranged Marriage
 * Big Eater: Food is pretty much her only motivator.
 * Dogged Nice Girl: To Kei.
 * Supreme Chef: It only shows up once or twice in the manga, but she's shown to be just as adept at making food as she is at eating it.
 * Trademark Favorite Food: She seems particularly obsessed with tacos. However, she never actually gets one.

Sayo

 * False Friend: She was hanging around Akira just because Akira was rich.
 * Identical Stranger: To Yui.

Aoi Ogata

 * Hero Worshipper: He adores Kei.
 * Ill Boy: He's rather prone to stomach ailments, which exacerbates his lack of appetite.
 * Picky Eater: Aoi apparently has an extremely dull sense of taste, and thus everything tastes remarkably bland to him. As such, he tends to not eat.
 * Poisonous Friend: In Kei's eyes; since Aoi is loyal to Kaname (Kei's grandfather) and instrumental in executing many of his plots, Kei resents Aoi's presence.

Sui Takishima

 * Big Brother Worship: To Kei, after realizing he's not the Aloof Big Brother Sui thinks he is.
 * Bratty Half Pint: To Hikari only.
 * Cute Shotaro Boy

Nagi Takishima

 * Kissing Cousins

Satoru Takishima

 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: He's competent enough (though not nearly as much as his wife or son), but he acts about as old as he looks.
 * Hot Dad
 * Older Than They Look: He looks like an extra-tall version of Sui, although he's in his late thirties.
 * Wrestler in All of Us: He's a huge fan of pro wrestling, and attempts to wrestle with Hikari whenever they meet as a greeting. Stretching back, the entire plot is set in motion because of his wrestling fandom. He's a part of the same wrestling fan club as Hikari's father, who invited Satoru and Kei over to visit... which resulted in Hikari challenging Kei, losing to him for the first time, and starting her obsession.

Midori Takishima

 * Berserk Button: Anything to do with Kaname.
 * Hot Mom
 * Tsundere: Unusually, as a reaction, not as a default. She's more tsuntsun towards people who act stoic towards her (like Kei), but she has no problems opening up if people are acting warm towards her (she positively adores Hikari).
 * Uncanny Family Resemblance: Kei looks like a male version of Midori with shorter hair.

Kaname Takishima

 * The Atoner:
 * Big Bad: Drives much of the "keep Kei and Hikari apart" plot once they get their Relationship Upgrade halfway through the manga.
 * Big Bad: Drives much of the "keep Kei and Hikari apart" plot once they get their Relationship Upgrade halfway through the manga.

Chitose Saiga

 * Bratty Half Pint
 * Cute Shotaro Boy

Atsushi Hanazono

 * Big Brother Instinct
 * Beware the Nice Ones: You don't want him mad at you either.
 * You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry

Jiro Hanazono

 * Hot Blooded