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Love Hina characters
Urashima Keitaro The main character of the series, Keitaro has a not-very-enviable life as the hard-luck 'kanrinin' (manager) of the all-female Hinata Inn. For fifteen years he has held onto the promise he made with his childhood sweetheart, to make it into Tokyo U. As the series progresses, he falls harder and harder for Narusegawa, and gradually his motivation changes. He acknowledges that he is now trying to enter Tokyo U together with Narusegawa, not just to keep the old promise.
Keitaro is actually a really nice guy, but he does have the worst luck. He just wants to do his best as kanrinin, keep everyone happy, study hard to get into Tokyo U, and get together with Narusegawa. But he is often misunderstood; Narusegawa, especially, thinks he's a pervert. This is usually because of something utterly stupid, like a girl fainting on him or someone else opening a door he is standing behind so that he can see Narusegawa wearing a towel, etc. This misunderstanding isn't helped by the fact that he is an unfortunate klutz with a tendency to - for example, fall and accidentally catch hold of some female's clothes while falling. With typically painful results. ^_^;;; Despite this, Keitaro is really devoted to Narusegawa. He always gets upset when there's some major misunderstanding between them, and he cares about her hugely. He cares about everyone else, too. He's gotten himself into some somewhat strange situations - agreeing to marry all the girls, passing himself off as Motoko's fiancé, letting Motoko practise a new technique on him so she can save Narusegawa, dragging Shinobu onto the Hinatasou roof, etc. Mm, Keitaro is cool. He's probably my favourite; also, I feel sorry for him. He studies really hard and pours lots of effort into trying to qualify for Tokyo U but whenever it seems he's making some progress, it's always followed by another failure. :( Still, he doesn't give up on his dream, and eventually he does qualify. ^_^. He's just a real nice guy. Although he gets beat up on a lot, he'll easily risk his neck to help anyone, and he'll sacrifice his own happiness for someone else's (example - when he thought Narusegawa liked someone else and encouraged her to go for it). He's really good-natured, he hardly ever loses his temper. He's the sort of guy you keep going "awwww" at. ^_^. Narusegawa Naru The violent cute girl, Narusegawa, is also trying to qualify for Tokyo U. Her motivation for this isn't *entirely* clear but what is true is that she wants to get in with Keitaro. She helps him to study. Narusegawa spends a lot of time and sacrifice on studying; she spends a lot of time in her room doing that.
Because Narusegawa secretly (aka - very obviously ^^;) likes Keitaro, she is prone to psychotic jealous fits, where she pounds Keitaro into the skyline or through windows for every minor misunderstanding. I don't know how she manages to deceive people into thinking she doesn't like Keitaro, with this sort of behaviour. But she does furiously deny liking him. Narusegawa is generally thought to be the cutest of the girls (except for Motoko when she's prettied up) and even did a stint as an idol. She lost her fame after being exposed as a violent psychopath. (My wording. ^_^; I don't dislike her *really*... she's kind of nice and cool when she's being normal or sad... but when she goes into angry-jealous mode, she irritates me 'cos I like Keitaro. ^_^.) I think Narusegawa is probably one of the cutest anime girls. She is very private about her feelings. She secretly feels things and covers them up completely. She seems to expect Keitaro to take all the initiative when it comes to the relationship, which doesn't exactly help to speed things along as she hasn't given him much confidence that she would want a relationship... She's quick to misunderstand Keitaro and jump to conclusions. I don't really know what to say about Narusegawa. She's usually either being aggro, or kind of sad/angry, wondering things to herself that she won't say aloud. When she's not in one of these two modes, she's just an ordinary girl who sort of blends in, usually getting pulled into some crazy adventure or the other. Konno Mitsune (Kitsune) Her nickname is Kitsune (Fox). You can sort of see why. Her face looks just like a fox. ^_^. Kitsune hasn't had much character focus in the episodes; she is the only one whose background we have no idea of. She's just sort of... there. She is Narusegawa's best friend and they went to high school together. Kitsune also likes Seta. She liked him since she first met him, but before she could approach him, Narusegawa asked her how she could get him to like *her* because Kitsune had a bit of a reputation for being good at that sort of thing. ^_-. Anyway, Kitsune pushed her feelings aside to help Narusegawa.
When Seta re-arrived on the scene, Kitsune seemed pretty anxious to keep him and Narusegawa apart. The viewer might have originally thought it was to protect Narusegawa's happiness (stopping her from being confused and remembering how he had left, etc) or the Keitaro-Narusegawa relationship that was forming, but when we find out that Kitsune likes Seta, it throws a new angle on it. Kitsune is pretty sexy. I hate using that word but I can't think how else to describe her. ^^; She's just got that kind of provocative look. She loves to drink sake, frequently. ^_^; She is cute and a little sly - foxlike ^_^. - and can be flirtatious, though usually in jest. She has the most compassionate view that bad things happening to other people are for her entertainment, to spy on etc. ^_^. Mm, Kitsune isn't bad at heart or anything. A little insensitive, sometimes, but when she's worried about someone she'll go all-out to try to protect their happiness. She's a fairly likeable, easy-going character, but she doesn't usually stand out much. Kaolla Su Now, Su is just... weird. ^_^; Su is from another country (another planet, more like it ^^;) and lives at Hinata-sou so she can stay with all her friends and so she won't have to get married. Su is really peculiar. ^^; I guess she's sort of from the jungle, because her room (which amazes Keitaro every time he sees it ^_^.) is a total jungle in itself - trees and bushes growing everywhere, and even a stream. And she talks to turtles, runs around barefoot, eats great numbers of bananas, and is extremely agile and limber - often running around on the roofs, dangling from balconies, jumping all over the place, etc. She is very hyperactive and cute, and always full of energy, jumping around and exclaiming over everything. She is not the most sensitive or discerning of mortals, but she is basically nice. That is not always very apparent because of her cheerful, gung-ho attitude to everything. I don't know if I'd exactly call her 'ditzy', although I guess she is. It's more like she's just a kid who blurts out whatever weird thought comes into her head. She's actually very smart, especially with computers. Her dream for when she grows up is to go back to her country and teach people computer technology. In the meantime, her favourite activities are hanging out with Shinobu and Taichi (and later, Sara), having adventures, exploring the secret passages of Hinata-sou, and building mecha. She especially likes making mecha Tama-chan. In my opinion, this is one of the things that makes the show as whacky as it is - Kaolla's weird machines popping up all the time. They often cause a lot of trouble (like a mecha Tama-chan that started attacking everyone) and a lot of chaos. Kaolla also has the strange ability to suddenly turn into an adult. This exhausts her energy but she does it a couple of times in the series, and seems to be interested in Keitaro as an adult. In adult form, she also has the ability to fire hundreds of flying Tama-tama (turtles) at an enemy. Maehara Shinobu Shinobu moved into Hinata Inn when her parents got divorced. They were putting some pressure on her to decide which parent to go with, but Shinobu just didn't want to move when she was starting to get settled at a new school and so on. Keitaro encouraged her when she was feeling bad about herself, and told her she should make up her own mind what she wanted to do, and so she decided to stay at Hinata with him.
Shinobu has a gentle nature; she's kind, soft-spoken and shy. She also has a big crush on Keitaro, who she calls 'sempai'. She says "sempai" in a tremulous voice a lot. It gets annoying. ^_^;; But Shinobu's a sweetie. She knows she doesn't really have a chance with Keitaro, and actually tries to help him get together with Narusegawa, knowing that is what will make him happy. She just likes being with him. She seems very delicate and can get caught up rather unwillingly in everyone else's mishaps. She is not violent or aggressive at all, although she does show some spunk on occasion, and will speak earnestly to inspire others to whatever action she feels is right. I think she was pretty lonely before coming to Hinata-sou but now she is surrounded by friends. Although she is a lot more kind and serious than anyone else, and takes things very sensitively, she fits in with the household well and enjoys living there. Shinobu is also a good housekeeper. She seems to do most of the chores, including cooking, cleaning and the laundry. Everyone was glad when Shinobu moved in because none of the others could cook very well, or wanted to. ^_^; Aoyama Motoko Motoko is studying the way of the sword. She knows a lot of cool techniques. She spends a lot of time training and has quite a few opportunities to use her skills - like when she mistakes Keitaro for a pervert, or gets annoyed at someone, or has to protect everyone from a mecha Tama-chan, etc. She's the group's protector. She is also the most violent, after Narusegawa, but then Naru is only violent toward Keitaro and Motoko occasionally attacks other people, like when Shinobu and Su were nagging her about when she was first kissed. ^_^; Motoko is a serious, rather aloof person, but as the series progresses she becomes a little more... human, I guess. At first, she fiercely resented Keitaro coming to be manager of Hinata-sou. She hated men because the older sister she idolised left her and left her training to get married. He eventually grows on her, but she is still ready to give him a whalloping at the slightest provocation. Although she is originally very practical and focused, concentrating mostly on her sword work and neglecting to develop as a person, she does develop a feminine side. After all her clothes were ruined and she was forced to borrow girly clothes from Haruka (which embarassed her terribly, as she is so down-to-earth and feels awkward in frills of any sort), Keitaro helped her to see that she could still be strong while being more feminine and kind. After that, she would quite often be seen in nice girl's clothes and is thought to be very pretty in them, although they were something of a novelty on her at first. She maintained most of her earnest, serious attitude, and was quick to frown on romance or any perceived advances of Keitaro, but she ended up being quite good friends with Keitaro. Keitaro really is a nice guy and helped her a lot in accepting who she was and how to recognise her own strength. She is quite tough but she does have a weak spot - turtles. Motoko is quite terrified of turtles. ^_^; She is also a little shy; she tends to feel awkward in any role she is unaccustomed to. She goes through a lot of self-doubt and inner confusion in trying to find her role - although she seems like such a strong person, she becomes confused and uncertain easily. I think she doesn't have a lot of experience in dealing with her own emotions. Motoko is one of my favourite characters, I think. I love her voice, which is kind of deep, although it goes very high-pitched and squeaky when she's afraid or is screaming. ^_^. I didn't like her at first because she was always beating up on Keitaro, but she settled down and became quite nice, often the serious one and the voice of reason for the others, who are more exciteable. Otohime Mutsumi Otohime is another girl who is trying to qualify for Tokyo U. She studies with Narusegawa and Keitaro, and finally makes it in at the end of the series. Like Keitaro, she failed three times already, but unlike Keitaro, she is actually very intelligent. She is just extremely vague and the last three times, forgot to write her name on the exam paper (^_^;;) or fainted during the exam time or something like that.
Otohime faints quite often, actually. I think she said she was anaemic. At any rate, she is quite weak physically and it seems to show in how she acts. She is really vague and kind of dizzy - she says rather strange things, in a kind of breathless, gentle voice. She's quite strange generally, in fact. She likes Keitaro a lot but she isn't at all jealous or possessive, not seeming to mind at all that he obviously likes Narusegawa. She almost acts as though nothing in life is worth worrying about or showing enthusiasm for, but it's not that she's apathetic; she studies hard and all. It's just hard to describe her. ^_^; As she stayed at Hinata-sou for a while when she was young, Otohime becomes a suspect in the "who did I make the promise to?" dilemma of Keitaro's. For some time it seems as though it *was* her, and Otohime lets him think so (although she probably isn't being calculating or scheming - she probably just thought it would be interesting to see what happened ^_^;) but finally reveals that it wasn't her after all. Otohime is a kind and gentle sort of person. She never loses her temper or loses patience, and she never seems ruffled by anything. Her vagueness can get a little irritating but she's mostly a cool enough character. Urashima Haruka I have no idea how to describe this lady. ^_^;; She's the dispassionate aunt of Keitaro who perpetually has a cigarette in her mouth. She is fairly dry and she is my favourite character. ^_^. Although Keitaro is Hinata-sou's manager and she says she leaves decisions up to him, it seems as though she is a higher authority. She tells him about problems the inn is having and makes decisions on her own, like hiring Kentaro and sending everyone to the Hinata beach site to earn more money.
She has a "hidden side" to her. When she was younger she had some kind of fling with Seta. She also has lots of extremely feminine, frilly, slightly bizarre clothes, which doesn't go with her current personality. ^_^. Seta Seta is an archeologist and professor at Tokyo U. He travels the world with Sara, searching for ancient turtle civilisations. He was Narusegawa's tutor when she was in high school, and she had a big crush on him. There is some confusion over whether Seta and Narusegawa like each other in the present, but they don't. Kitsune likes Seta and always has done. Seta is an easy-going, friendly man, in sharp contrast to his daughter. He is also, surprisingly, an extremely skilled fighter. He beat even Motoko in a battle. It's hard to know what he's actually thinking, because he says everything with a peaceful look on his face. He likes pretty girls but he doesn't really give attention to anyone. Sara Sarah is Seta's daughter. (Well, she calls him 'papa' but actually he is just taking care of her. I'm not sure exactly what the circumstances are but Sara does not like her real parents and has no wish at all to go home.) She is a terrible brat. She resents anyone who likes her father and she likes making trouble for everyone. It seems that the only person she likes at all is her father. She is outspoken/loud-mouthed and tact is an unknown quaility to her. But when trying to cause trouble, she meets her match in Su and after that seems to calm down, although she's still pretty bratty. Kitsune offered to be her 'mama' because she didn't have one, and she also became friends with Su, the other non-Japanese resident of Hinata-sou. The two would go all around Hinata-sou, exploring the secret passages and mysteries of the place. Haitani and Shirai
Shirai is the pudgy one, Haitani is the tall one. These two are 'friends' of Keitaro. They are also pretty hard-luck guys. They like to think of themselves as lady charmers but they're kind of... not. ^_^; Haitani likes Shinobu (!) and Motoko, while Shirai likes Haruka. ^^;;; They dream about getting the girls but nobody pays the slightest bit of attention to them. Even Keitaro forgot their names. They studied with him at one stage, I think, but ended up just as random characters who showed up every now and then, usually for comic relief. Kentaro Kentaro is another minor character who kind of shows up for comic relief. He was originally presented as a rival for Narusegawa's affections, but soon gave up on her. He has a pretty cold 'modern' attitude toward love - it's a game where you have to win the other person over, don't play unless you can succeed, etc. So he gives up on Narusegawa pretty quickly.
Kentaro is kind of the opposite of Keitaro. The two have totally different views (about love, etc) and while Keitaro is a bumbler, Kentaro is smooth, good-looking, qualified for Tokyo U on his first try, etc. He ends up working part-time at Hinata-sou because Kitsune-tachi sent his company bankrupt when he tried to recruit Shinobu and Motoko as idols. (Never mind. ^^;) He doesn't have much role in the series. He's funny because he tries to be all suave and serious and dignified but nobody lets him pull it off. He's not a bad guy really. ^_^. Tama-chan Kaolla Su is one of the two main reasons this anime is as strange as it is. Tama-chan is the other. There is an ongoing, bizarre fascination with turtles throughout the series. Su makes lots of turtle mecha, the spring special is set on an island inhabited by flying turtles, Seta continually searches for an ancient turtle civilisation, etc. Anyway, Tama-chan is a turtle that was given to Keitaro and Narusegawa by Otohime. She lives at Hinata-sou. Tama-chan, like other turtles in this series, has the ability to fly and makes meowing noises like a cat. ^^; It's quite cute but bizarre. Tama-chan just flies around going where it pleases. She doesn't do much of actual significance in the series. The main time she got screen time was because it was revealed that Motoko was terrified of turtles. Motoko tries to avoid Tama-chan wherever possible, but it doesn't always work; Tama really likes Motoko. ^_^; Also, Kaolla is always trying to eat Tama-chan but Shinobu usually saves her in time. ^_^; Kaolla Amara Amara is Su's older sister. She really looks like an older Su and has been mistaken for her. She is a lot less hyperactive than her younger sister and wasn't the nicest of people. She came to Hinata-sou to bring Su home but eventually gave up on that. She attacked Keitaro so that Su wouldn't have a reason to stay, but the two sisters fought. She has a large crocodile for a pet. Actually, she was in love with Su's 'oniisama' and I think the two ended up getting together. Motoko's fans
If they have names, I don't know them. But there are three girls who hang around Motoko sometimes and respect her greatly. At first Motoko would just be irritated by their attention but she learns to appreciate and like them more. Two of them welcomed Motoko becoming more feminine, thinking she looked cool and pretty, but the other was annoyed at her for compromising her sword skills, living with a man and becoming emotionally involved with other people at Hinata-sou. But Motoko became stronger because she did care about the others, and so won the girl over. Su's 'oniisama' His name escapes me, but the man Su calls 'older brother' bears some resemblence to Keitaro. He is more tanned, and when his glasses are off, he looks very different, but he has been mistaken for Keitaro several times. On closer inspection, he is not much like Keitaro at all. He's more matter-of-fact and a lot more smooth and less clumsy. He was going to marry Kaolla but she couldn't think of her 'big brother' (they're not literally brother and sister) as a potential husband. Keitaro helped to fix things between them and he ended up getting together with Kaolla's older sister Amara. Taichi Taichi is a friend of Shinobu and Su. She was the first friend that Shinobu made at school; she accepted her friendship where the more snobby/popular girls wouldn't. They're in the same class. Shinobu sort of looked out for her, because Taichi would get picked on by the older girls. When Taichi also became friends with Su, Shinobu felt left out at first. But the three soon became a trio of close friends and hung out together a lot. Narusegawa Mei Mei is Naru's sister, although not by blood. Her father married Naru's mother. She came to Hinata-sou to bring Naru back to her family. There was some misunderstanding between Mei and Naru; each thought that the other didn't like them. Naru mistakenly thought that Mei wanted her to go home so that Mei would be allowed to study abroad, but Mei thought that Naru didn't like her and she was going to study abroad so that she could stay with her parents without her around. Mei was really happy when her father married Narusegawa's mother because she'd always wanted an older sister. I think the two were eventually reconciled to each other (through Keitaro's help, naturally ^_^.) and now Narusegawa seems to have resumed decent relations with her family. Mei is a cute girl. Although she originally schemed to get Keitaro and Otohime together (so Narusegawa wouldn't have any ties at Hinata-sou), she is basically a nice kid. She's more like a normal person than most of the others, anyway. ^_^; Others
There are some pretty minor characters whose names I can't really remember (if they were ever revealed). They include:
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