< FLCL

FLCL/Characters


Naota Nandaba

Voiced by: Jun Mizuki (JP), Barbara Goodson (EN)

The 12 year-old main character. His name is derived from the Japanese word for "honesty". He apparently has the "right kind of head" to be used as an N.O. channel. He dislikes bitter drinks and spicy curry.

Naota is obsessed with appearing mature and attempts to act nonchalant. This is most expressed in his monologues which open and close each episode where he continues to claim that "nothing amazing ever happens here" despite the show's surreal and often absurd happenings. Naota idolizes his older brother Tasuku and believes him to be the model for a mature adult.

At the beginning of the series, he's noticeably bothered by the situation with Haruko, but over the course of the series he realizes his own feelings and admits that he loves her, along with embracing her with a kiss, in the final episode. In the end though, Haruko leaves him behind after telling him he's still only a kid.

Ninamori: By the way, that hat is really bizarre.

Haruko Haruhara (Haruha Raharu?)

Voiced by: Mayumi Shintani (JP), Kari Wahlgren (EN)

An energetic, spontaneous pink-haired woman from outer-space, and investigator for the Galactic Space Patrol Brotherhood/Stellar Fraternity. She rides a sunglow Piaggio Vespa SS 180 and carries a blue Rickenbacker bass guitar on her back and claims to be 19, even though she's not human. She becomes the Nandaba household's maid after running both him and his father over with her Vespa and plays on a rival team of the Mabase Martians, seemingly for extra money.

Naota: Who are you, and what do you want?
Haruko: I'm just a wandering housekeeper.
Naota: Tell me the truth.
Haruko: I'm an alien.
Naota: Right, and this afternoon you were a nurse.

Mamimi Samejima

Voiced by: Izumi Kasagi (JP), Stephanie Sheh (EN)

A truant high school student with pyromaniacal tendencies, she's apparently Naota's brother Tasuku's girlfriend, though she is in some sort of relationship with Naota since his brother left Japan. She also smokes a lot and spends most of her time under a bridge. She is often seen with a camera, and always smokes a worn cigarette with "Never Knows Best" written onto the paper. It is implied that she is often bullied at school, causing her to often ditch.

Canti

A medical robot with what looks like a television set for a head. He was manufactured by Medical Mechanica, but taken over by Atomsk as a way to escape them. After having his head broken by Haruko, he is recruited by her as an assistant; however, he proves to be no good for much other than washing dishes and fetching drinks for the family.

When called into battle, he can access Atomsk's power using Naota as a catalyst.

Eri Ninamori

Voiced by: Mika Itou (JP), Melissa Fahn (EN)

Naota's classmate. In the series, she is referred to as Ninamori, her last name. She is the daughter of the mayor of Mabase and is class president.

She projects a proper, even slightly stuck-up personality, and conceals personal information to an almost obsessive degree. Eri isn't above breaking the rules to get what she wants. She rigs the voting during the casting for the school play in order to get the lead role in a play version of Puss in Boots and have Naota cast opposite her, which (along with other instances) hints at a crush on him.

Amarao

Voiced by: Koichi Okura (JP), Dave Mallow (EN)

An agent from the Department of Interstellar Immigration, a The Men in Black-like agency. This agency, among other things, acts as a middle man for negotiations between the government and Medical Mechanica. Thus, Haruko is a big problem for them as she is bent on provoking an attack by disrupting communications.

Unlike other adults, such as Naota's father and teacher, he is mature and serious about his job. He has a pair of eyebrows so large, people can't help but drop everything they're doing and just stare at them. He seems to have had a past relationship with Haruko similar to Naota's, and knows more about her than anyone else in the series.

Kamon Nandaba (Naota's Dad)

Voiced by: Suzuki Matsuo (JP), Joe Martin (EN)

Naota's 47 year-old father, a former pop culture journalist working as a freelance writer, with his own trashy tabloid: "Kamon-Mabase" (the title is a pun of "come-on mabase"). He makes the most references to pop culture. Like the other adults in FLCL, Kamon is extremely immature, notably more so than the other adults. However, he shows a surprising amount of seriousness and thoughtfulness at some points in the anime.

Shigekuni Nandaba (Naota's Grandpa)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Ito (JP), Steve Kramer (EN)

Naota's grandfather. He owns the family bakery and coaches the local baseball team, the Mabase Martians. He has a grudge against Mamimi for unspecified reasons, but it is suggested that he didn't approve of Tasuku dating her. Shigekuni values baseball more than anything in the world—he is disappointed in his own son and younger grandson because they are lousy baseball players. Though like his grandson, he cannot stand spicy curry.

... And anything else can be assumed to be another old man trope.

Masashi and Gaku

Voiced by: Kazuhito Suzuki (Masashi, JP), Steven Blum (Masashi, EN), Akira Miyashima (Gaku, JP), Bob Marx (Gaku, EN)

Two of Naota's friends/classmates, both 12 years old. Masashi generally sounds slightly depressed and always has a look of apathy while Gaku is somewhat hyper and is obsessed with kissing and other things of sexual behavior while constantly saying "chu" ("Smooch" in the English version.) Masashi also has a job as a delivery boy, and drives his dad's truck around, even though he's only in grade school.

  • Expy: They look quite similar to Keisuke and Toji, Shinji's best friends from Neon Genesis Evangelion, with their general natures switched.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Gaku is more hyper and active than perpetually bored looking Masashi.
  • Those Two Guys: Are pretty much just commentators and observers to what going on in the series.

Lt. Kitsurubami

Voiced by: Chiemi Chiba (JP), L. Villa (EN)

An agent who works with Amarao. She's perhaps the most soundly mature off all the characters, devoted to her position as lieutenant and a pinpoint sharpshooter to boot. However, Kitsurubami has a touch of fangirl in her that pops out from time to time. Amarao has a crush on her, but she's become utterly repulsed at his unwelcome and creepy advances toward her- especially when she takes notice of his peculiar "eyebrows."

Atomsk the Pirate King

An enigmatic character, apparently the most powerful "space pirate" in the galaxy. His N.O. is great enough to steal entire solar systems. His physical appearance is that of a bird-like creature resembling a phoenix. He has a nose ring identical to the metal ring on Haruko's bracelet, which allows her to detect Atomsk's presence or the activation of N.O. in general. His power is initially channeled through Canti, augmenting him with strength and powers of superhuman feats, until his release in the final episode. Amarao mistakes Atomsk for Haruko's love interest, picturing him as a humanoid energy being, but is quickly proven wrong: Haruko has been searching for Atomsk in hopes of absorbing his infinite power for herself, but is unsuccessful at capturing him. Instead, Naota gains his powers for a short time and enrages Haruko into trying to kill him, but he quickly gives them up to confess his love to her. Atomsk escapes to the far reaches of the universe, and Haruko begins her hunt for him anew.

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