Hanasaku Iroha/Characters

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The characters of the anime series Hanasaku Iroha:


Ohana Matsumae

The main character. Ohana moves from Tokyo to her grandmother's hot spring inn Kissuiso after her mother Satsuki runs off with her boyfriend, leaving a huge debt in their name. Desiring drama but claiming to be pragmatic, Ohana resolves to work hard in her new environment after discovering the Kissuiso isn't what she thought it would be.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:


Minko Tsurugi

One of the workers at Kissuiso and is usually seen helping in the kitchen. Minko has a rocky first start with Ohana after the former catches the latter pulling out her plants, as Ohana mistook them for weeds. In spite of her harsh personality, Minko is a capable and hard worker.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

"Anyone's a loser compared to Tohru!"


Nako Oshimizu

Another employee at Kissuiso and a waitress. Nako is friends with Minko, who she nicknames "Minchi," and is very shy.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Minko: I never realized how sexy that dress was.

Yuina Wakura

Ohana's and Minko's classmate (and Nako's schoolmate) and the daughter of Kissuiso's prestigious rival, Fukuya. She is, along with Minko, considered one of the prettiest girls in school and enjoys popularity with the boys. She has a habit of affecting various accents to amuse herself.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:


Tomoe Wajima

Head waitress of Kissuiso. Tomoe loves gossip and wants compensation for the sharing of it.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:


Koichi "Ko" Tanemura

Ohana's best friend from Tokyo and is affectionately called "Ko-chan" by her. Ko confesses to Ohana upon learning that she is moving away.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:


Satsuki Matsumae

Ohana's mother and a novelist. Satsuki runs off with her boyfriend after he gets into debt and leaves Ohana with her grandmother, who she does not get along with.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:


Sui Shijima

  • Age: 68
  • Voiced by: Tamie Kubota (elderly) and Takako Honda (adult)

Manager of Kissuiso and Ohana's estranged grandmother. Sui carries a cold demeanor and quickly puts Ohana to work while she stays at the inn. She does not have a good relationship with Ohana's mother Satsuki, and has stated that she had disowned her.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Abusive Grandparent:
    • Makes Ohana work at Kissuiso from her first couple of minutes after arriving and isn't above slapping Ohana thrice as punishment for accidentally disrupting customers. Subverted in that she treats all her staff with the same level of strictness, and are paid decently for their work.
    • And played straight with Satsuki, though because she believes in putting work ahead of family.
  • Alliterative Name
  • Armor-Piercing Slap: Slaps both Ohana and Minko, the latter because it was her futon that fell on the customers, and the former because Ohana demanded that she be slapped as well for dropping it in the first place. Slaps Enishi multiple times for panicking.
  • Bad Boss: Is not above physically disciplining her employees. Subverted in that she pays them well for their work.
  • Brown Eyes
  • Defrosting Ice Queen: She starts to warm up to Ohana slowly, but the first time she really shows her softer side is in Episode 6, when she's visibly surprised and almost pleased when she sees Ohana and Nako in the old kimonos she designed.
  • Evil Matriarch: Subverted.
  • Four Is Death: Was rejected four times by her husband before he accepted her hand in marriage.
  • Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: Smokes a traditional Japanese pipe.
  • Happily Married: She and her late husband were this.
  • I Have No Daughter: Has this attitude towards her daughter Satsuki, though it turns out that she wanted Satsuki to succeed her.
  • I Was Quite a Looker: According to several older customers in Episode 6. And in flashbacks in Episode 21, the audience sees why.
  • Insistent Terminology/They Call Me Mister Tibbs: She demands to be addressed as "Madam Manager" rather than "Mom" or "Grandma" at work.
  • Jerkass Facade: The only times she shows her softer side is when she's by herself, though she's friendly with Denroku.
    • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Ultimately confesses to Ohana that she'd rather shut down Kissuiso than crush her employees' dreams with her own nigh-selfish desire to keep the inn going.
  • Parental Favoritism: Always made it very clear that she would've wanted Satsuki to succeed her in taking over the inn.
  • Parental Neglect
  • Perpetual Frowner
  • Pet the Dog: Personally makes Satsuki's favorite food, stewed fish cakes, alongside her dinner.
  • Stealth Mentor: Possibly to Ohana if Episode 3 is any indication.
  • The Stoic
  • Tsurime Eyes
  • Wham! Line: "I'm thinking of sealing the Kissuiso and the logs after the Bonbori Festival this year."
  • Yamato Nadeshiko


Enishi Shijima

Ohana's uncle and Satsuki's brother, who is, personality-wise, the opposite of his mother, sister, and niece.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Accidental Pervert: When he first meets Ohana, he accidentally bumps into her and gropes her butt.
  • Brother-Sister Incest: Tomoe suggests that the reason he likes Takako is because she has a similar personality to Satsuki. He hastily denies it. It's later revealed that they used to attend college together.
  • Brown Eyes
  • Curtains Match the Window
  • A Day in the Limelight: Episode 16 and 17.
  • Happily Married: To Takako.
  • Lovable Coward: Doesn't have much of a backbone when it comes to Sui, Satsuki, or Takako, and he was quite the crybaby when he was a kid.
  • Megane
  • Tareme Eyes
  • Throw the Dog a Bone: Finally gets a break in Episode 16, when Sui gives him a chance to run the inn.
  • The Unfavorite: Sui doesn't hide her preference for Satsuki over him to take over Kissuiso. She changes her tune a bit after he grew some balls and took charge, and later, after Satsuki calls her out on it, saying she should act more like a mother.


Tohru Miyagishi

Assistant chef at Kissuiso and serves as a strict supervisor towards Minko. Ohana is somewhat intimidated by Tohru's constant yelling at Minko and greatly dislikes him after having a conversation with him.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Betty and Veronica: The Veronica to Ko's Betty.
  • Brown Eyes
  • Cool Bike
  • Deadpan Snarker
  • Dogged Nice Guy: Towards Ohana.
  • Green-Eyed Monster: Subverted. He is well-aware that Ohana has feelings for Ko and spends the majority of his time in Tokyo with tasting cuisine and playing a sushi crane game to distract himself while Ohana goes to see Ko (at his suggestion).
  • Hot-Blooded
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He yells at Minko whenever she screws up at cooking, but he also gives Ohana advice -- in his own rude way -- when he questions her on her self-reliance and is perceptive to the fact that she doesn't have many friends. In Episode 5, he also shows his appreciation for Ohana's concern for him by pinching her nose. He eventually reveals how much he cares about Minko in episode 22.
  • I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: In spite of his own feelings for Ohana, he forces her to meet with Ko when they are visiting Tokyo so that she can come to terms with her feelings for him. In Episode 22, he admits to Minko that he does have feelings for Ohana, but he doesn't plan on doing anything about it.
  • The Mentor: To Minko and a bit towards Ohana.
  • Oblivious to Love: He is unaware that Minko has a crush on him. Until Episode 22.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red oni to Mr. Ren's blue oni.
  • Sitcom Arch Nemesis: In Ohana's opinion.
  • Tsurime Eyes
  • Tsundere: To Ohana.


Renji Togashi

  • Age: 42
  • Voiced by: Tarou Yamaguchi

Head chef at Kissuiso.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:


Takako Kawajiri

An apparently wealthy business consultant for the inn who Enishi cannot say no to. She later becomes his wife, making her Ohana's aunt.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:


Taro Jiromaru

A customer (and eventually part-time worker) at Kissuiso and supposedly a famous novelist.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:


Denroku "Beanman" Sukegawa

  • Age: 73
  • Voiced by: Cho

Kissuiso's janitor and head of its maintenance section. Denroku is nicknamed "Beanman" because he shares the same surname as a bean-selling company and has worked at Kissuiso since it first opened.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:


Back to Hanasaku Iroha
  1. ↑ "Hana" can also mean "nose" in Japanese
  2. ↑ Curiously, many fansubs translate it to its Malay/Filipino equivalent "Balut", which may hint to the groups' origins in either Malaysia, Singapore or the Philippines
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