Ai Yori Aoshi/Characters
A character sheet for Kaoru, Aoi, and the other inhabitants of the Sakuraba house in Ai Yori Aoshi. (Characters listed are sorted roughly in order of appearance)
Kaoru Hanabishi
- Voiced by: Soichiro Hoshi (Japanese), Dave Wittenberg (English), Toni Mora (Spanish), Hernán Fernández (Catalan)
Kaoru is a college student and exile from the Hanabishi house. Having endured years of physical and emotional abuse from his grandfather, he made the choice to break free and move out on his own.
- Abusive Grandparent: Kaoru has the caning scars to show it.
- Bedmate Reveal: Number one recipient of this trope.
- Dogged Nice Guy
- Heroic Bastard
- Missing Mom
- Nice Guy: To the point of being a Flat Character
- Perfectly Arranged Marriage: Kaoru and Aoi love each other deeply in addition to being arranged to marry. Unfortunately, the arrangement was broken when Kaoru left the Hanabishi family, which is the primary cause for the drama in the story.
- Scars Are Forever
Aoi Sakuraba
- Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi (Japanese), Michelle Ruff (English), Ana María Camps (Spanish), Isabel Valls (Catalan)
Aoi is one of the living heirs to the Sakuraba dry goods[1] fortune. She had kept a Childhood Marriage Promise to Kaoru, even though her own parents were against the idea after he ran away from the Hanabishis. A chance encounter on a train has reunited them, and she has vowed to uphold her promise to stay with Kaoru for the rest of her life.
- Apologizes a Lot
- Curtains Match the Window
- First Girl Wins: It's only because Aoi and Karou have to hide their relationship at first that there's ever any doubt about this... and none of that doubt is held by Aoi or Karou.
- Kimono Fanservice
- Shrinking Violet
- Shy Blue-Haired Girl
- Sleep Cute
- Victorious Childhood Friend
- Yamato Nadeshiko
Miyabi Kagurazaki/Sakuraba
- Voiced by: Akiko Hiramatsu (Japanese), Lia Sargent (English), Marta Estrada (Spanish), Anna Orra (Catalan)
Miyabi is Aoi's guardian. She is very strict about upholding the Sakuraba house's honor, and makes it a point to tell Kaoru and Aoi to hide their relationship from the public.
- The Caretaker
- Cross-Popping Veins
- Defrosting Ice Queen
- Happily Adopted: By the Sakurabas. Officially, in the ending of the manga.
- Harem Nanny
- Parental Abandonment: Her parents, who worked for the Sakurabas, were killed in a car accident.
- Parental Substitute: Has one in Aoi's mother.
- Stern Teacher: Sometimes was one to Aoi when training her.
- Sugar and Ice Personality: Initially only affectionate toward Aoi, but as Kaoru earns her respect, she warms up to him.
- Team Mom
Taeko Minazuki
- Voiced by: Kaori Mizuhashi (Japanese), Philece Sampler (English), Rosa Moyano (Spanish)
Taeko is a close friend of Tina and belongs to the same photography club as Tina and Kaoru. She seems to have a very unlucky streak (mostly involving tripping over things), and has been unable to hold down any kind of permanent job because of this, until pleas from Aoi and friends convince Miyabi to allow her to work as a maid.
- Cordon Bleugh Chef: Taeko is capable of producing decent meals, but she has a tendency to mix her normal meals with chocolate.
- Cute Clumsy Girl
- Gag Boobs
- Meganekko
- Meido
- Miko: Not officially, but her hobby of Paranormal Investigation means she has the knowledge and the wardrobe for the job.
Suzuki and Sato
The other members of Merisu University's photography club. They're Flat Characters - everything we know about them is summed up in these tropes, plus the fact that they take photos.
- Male Gaze: Sato, who thinks Buxom Is Better.
- Rail Enthusiast: Suzuki would rather take photos of rolling stock than of pretty co-eds.
- Those Two Guys
Tina Foster
- Voiced by: Satsuki Yukino (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English), Assumpta Navascues (Spanish), Elisabet Bargalló (Catalan)
Tina is an American-born college student who has lived in the Kyushu region for most of her life (so much so, that she's almost completely forgotten how to speak English).
- All of the Other Reindeer: She was born in America and culturally Japanese, and as such, cannot easily fit into either country.
- But Not Too Foreign: One of the most sympathetic examples.
- Cat Smile
- Cute Little Fangs: She shows one sometimes when she smiles.
- Funny Foreigner
- Groper Girl: She has a tendency toward practicing "skinship" that involves her own hands and the other female boarders' chests.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy
- Kansai Regional Accent
- Stepford Smiler: Not quite as happy as she outwardly seems.
Mayu Miyuki
- Voiced by: Sayaka Narita (Japanese), Karen Strassman (English), Noemi Bayarri (Spanish)
Mayu, like Aoi, is the daughter of a prestigious businessman. And also like Aoi, she has been in love with Kaoru ever since she met him. She spends a lot of time bickering with Tina.
Chika Minazuki
- Voiced by: Haruko Momoi (Japanese), Kari Wahlgren (English), Carmen Ambrós (Spanish)
Taeko's cousin, who lives by the beach. First appears in volume 7 (anime episode 16).
- Bedmate Reveal: Tends to inflict this on Kaoru.
- Genki Girl
- Tan Lines: Due to coming from the beach and spending so much time in the water.
Natsuki Komiya and Chizuru Aizawa
The other members of the swim team that Chika belongs to in high school - or, at least, the only ones we ever see. They serve as Those Two Girls for Chika during the Enishi season.
- Cute Clumsy Girl: Chizuru
- Extreme Doormat: Chizuru
- Genki Girl: Natsuki
- Older Than They Look: Natsuki
- Shrinking Violet: Chizuru
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Natsuki is the tomboy; Chizuru is the girly girl.
- Back to Ai Yori Aoshi
- ↑ now a department store