The following is a list of characters from the Japanese manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 and anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 Martian Successor Nadesico

Martian Successor Nadesico

, is a science fiction comedy anime TV series, and a later manga series created by Kia Asamiya. The manga, published in English by CPM Manga, is significantly different from the anime....

. Character names are listed in Western order, with the given names preceding the surnames.

Nadesico crewmembers

Akito Tenkawa

Born on Mars and orphaned after his parents died in an apparent military coup, Akito's dream to become a cook stemmed from the quality of the raw food available. Though he has a nanomachine controller enabling him to pilot machinery, he refused to become a military pilot; his first time in an Aestevalis, a humanoid combat robot, was an accident, though he quickly showed capable piloting skill. Due to the lack of pilots on the Nadesico, Akito was officially made one for the duration of the tour of duty

Tour of duty

In the Navy, a tour of duty is a period of time spent performing operational duties at sea, including combat, performing patrol or fleet duties, or assigned to service in a foreign country....

. A fan of the anime Gekiganger, his devotion to the series is rekindled by fellow pilot Gai Daigoji. Akito is romantically adored by nearly all the girls aboard the Nadesico, especially the ship's captain Yurika Misumaru, who he later proposes to and marries.

Yurika Misumaru

Yurika is the beautiful but ditzy captain of the Nadesico and childhood friend of Akito Tenkawa. Though he considers her crazy, Yurika has romantic feelings for him, and the two later get married. Yurika is shown to be very scatterbrained at times, misinterpreting comments made by others as words of inspiration and devotion, and forgetting or twisting events from her and Akito's childhood. Nonetheless, she is a very capable captain, and a constant source of cheerfulness and inspiration for the rest of the crew. Yurika is voiced by Houko Kuwashima

Houko Kuwashima

is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She is capable of playing a variety of roles, ranging from young boys to feminine women. Kuwashima is currently affiliated with Aoni Production. Her given name, , is sometimes misread as Noriko, even in Japan...

 in Japanese and Jennifer K. Earhart in English.

Ruri Hoshino

The "Electronic Fairy", she keeps the ship's computer (Omoikane) running and slowly bonds with it, asking it numerous questions about society and human interaction. Ruri is a child prodigy and somewhat distant from the rest of the crew, whom she considers "nothing but idiots" (Japanese ばかばっか baka-bakka). She is occasionally referred to as "Ruriruri" by fellow bridge crewman Minato and Aestivalis pilot Hikaru. In addition, she co-hosts the "Naze Nani Nadesico" segment, and is the narrator

Narrator

A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...

 at the beginning of each episode of Nadesico, recapping previous events while adding her own opinion of the situation. Ruri is very cold and extremely knowledgeable of many things and doesn't like getting into the things that most crew members do. Rather she enjoys sitting back in front of the monitor regulating the Nadesico, playing video games and communicating to Omoikane. She does have her spontaneous moments like when during the pageant she dresses up in a bathing suit and sings (however, out of embarrassment, she drops out of the standings).

Manga - Ruri is full captain of the Nadesico. She seems not much different but she is given almost all the attention rather than just half. The mirror copy of her is the same and acts completely the same along with the fact that she is also captain of her ship. Both Ruris seem to also have an internal problem and cough up blood when under extreme stress.

Gai Daigoji

Born Jiro Yamada (an average name, similar to John Doe or John Smith in English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

), he insisted that Gai Daigoji was "the name that belongs to (his) soul", and angrily asserted his "true" name whenever someone used the "other" one. A rabid Gekiganger otaku

Otaku

is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga or video games.- Etymology :Otaku is derived from a Japanese term for another's house or family , which is also used as an honorific second-person pronoun...

, he was an official pilot and arrived three days ahead of schedule when he learned they would be piloting actual robots like in the anime. Fueled by his devotion to the show, Gai had a fierce intensity in and out of battle, and was angry and resentful towards Akito for being the first one to engage the enemy, stealing "(his) destiny", even though he had a broken leg and was unable to fight. The two were soon able to bond over Gekiganger, although Gai couldn't understand why Akito would rather be "a dumb cook" than a robot pilot. Although it was Gai's wish to die heroically in battle like one of the characters, he was unceremoniously shot and killed during an escape of prisoners held aboard the Nadesico; Akito took his death very hard, and devoted himself to Gai and the ideals of Gekiganger. In the Super Robot Wars series of video games, the player can save Gai by fulfilling certain conditions, and in Super Robot Wars W

Super Robot Wars W

is part of the Super Robot Wars franchise and was published for the Nintendo DS by Banpresto. It is the first Super Robot Wars game released for the Nintendo DS. Like some DS games, special features can be unlocked by starting a new game with any of the Game Boy Advance era games inserted into SLOT...

, he lives as part of the game's default story, to the point of even having a game exclusive timeskip transition for both him and his Aestevalis Custom so as to fit him into the Nadesico movie's plot.

Megumi Reinard

Megumi Reinard is a former voice actress

Seiyu

Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...

 who did work for anime and animated commercials. She is recruited by Nergal to be the communications officer aboard the Nadesico. Megumi has no love for war and killing in general. This is why she has a lot in common with Akito Tenkawa, who only wants to be a cook, not a pilot/soldier. She is also Yurika Misumaru's main competition for Akito's affection, though she is not really worried since the captain is oblivious to just about everything. Megumi is the first to officially be classified as Akito's girlfriend, beginning around episode 4.

Jun Aoi

The first officer of the Nadesico, Jun has no small infatuation for Yurika, leaving a position in the Earth's military to join her crew and "look out for her". She is clueless of how he feels and considers him her "best friend

Friend zone

The friend zone, or occasionally friendship zone, is a dating term describing a relation in which one partner wants to become intimate romantically while the other prefers to be just friends. It is generally regarded as not a positive development, particularly for a man...

", though the rest of the crew realize his feelings. A common running gag

Running gag

A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....

 is Jun's misunderstanding of Yurika's special efforts, such as preparing food--he believes it is for him, but it always ends up being for Akito, with him being passed by. He has crush on Yurika.

Inez Fressange

Developed the Nadesicos Phase Transition system for Nergal on Mars before it was invaded; when the ship returned to the planet, she came aboard, stating that the surviving colonists refused to leave, believing the ship would soon be destroyed; however, an attack immediately afterwards forced the grounded Nadesico to raise its shields, crushing the underground colonists and leaving her the only survivor. She hosts the "Naze Nani Nadesico" segment as a technical consultant along with Ruri and Yurika in an attempt to teach the crew about the ship's workings, as a way of atoning for what happened.

Ryoko Subaru

Aestivalis pilot and, she escaped from the L2 space colony when it was destroyed by the Jovians, salvaging four Aestevalis suits and fellow pilot Izumi Maki. The most fiery and combative of the three, but a surprise attack from the enemy left her terrified and crying out for help from Akito; this was noted and would be mercilessly brought up by Izumi and Hikaru many times, to her great embarrassment. Over time, she began to accept her feelings for Akito, but for the most part refrained from public displays of affection.

Izumi Maki

Aestivalis pilot, brought in a storage container from the L2 colony by Ryoko. Quiet and reserved, though an incurable pun

Pun

The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...

ster, cracking up at her own jokes. In the later episodes she reveals she had two fiancees, both of whom died. One of disease, one of an accident.

Hikaru Amano

Aestivalis pilot and rabid Gekigangar III fangirl, she was ejected from the L2 colony in a capsule which crashed into the Nadesico; making her way through the air ducts, she was directly over Akito's room as he was watching a tragic episode of Gekiganger. Moved to tears, her wailing could be heard through the overhead vent, right before she fell out of it and onto him. She is a rabid Gekigangar III

Gekigangar III

is an anime series within the anime series Martian Successor Nadesico that plays a critical part in the plot thereof. Gekiganger III was designed to mimic 70s Super Robots, especially Getter Robo. Initially, only Gai Daigoji and Akito Tenkawa are depicted as enjoying the series...

 fan and one day wants to publish her own manga about the series with herself as the lead female, and two of the male leads in a shōnen-ai relationship. During Martian Successor Nadesico: The Prince of Darkness

The Prince of Darkness (Nadesico)

, or Prince of Darkness Nadesico, is a 1998 anime film written and directed by Tatsuo Sato, and it is a sequel to the series Martian Successor Nadesico. The story is a direct sequel to Nadesico: The Blank of Three Years, a video game for the Sega Saturn that takes place immediately after the manga...

it is shown that Hikaru becomes an actual manga artist

Mangaka

is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...

, but is overstressed due to her profession.

Nagare Akatsuki

Nagare came into the picture after the Nadesico escaped from Mars; a skilled Aestivalis pilot, Nagare rescued Akito during battle as the latter was in a state of panic

Panic attack

Panic attacks are periods of intense fear or apprehension that are of sudden onset and of relatively brief duration. Panic attacks usually begin abruptly, reach a peak within 10 minutes, and subside over the next several hours...

 and unable to move. He was soon assigned to the Nadesico, bringing along Erina Won, who he had a mysterious relationship with. Nagare disparaged Akito for his devotion to the simplistic ideals of Gekiganger and the fact that he hates Japanese Anime altogether, but the two were still able to get along well enough.

Minato Haruka

The main helmswoman for the Nadesico. She gave up her job as the secretary for a large company's president so she could join the Nadesico crew. Her reason being that it sounded much more interesting. She has a mixed-up relationship with Goat Hoary. She helps Tsukomo and falls in love with him after a fight with Goat that ended their relationship.

Erina Kinjo Won

Erina joins the Nadesico at the same time as Nagare and proves to be just as irritating to the other characters. Her official post is co-helmswoman, but she ends up pushing orders onto everyone around and even the captain. She has a great fascination with Akito because of his boson jumping abilities and constantly confronts him to become a experiment guinea pig. In episode 22, she seems to cry when Akito leaves which may hint at her feelings for him also.

Mr. Prospector

Mr. Prospector's real name is never revealed, but he seems to not only be some sort of Nergal accountant, but the recruitment officer for the Nadesico. He is most known for agonizing over the loss of expensive equipment.

Seiya Uribatake

Ace mechanic Seiya joins the Nadesico to get away from his wife and child, at the same time chasing around various young women. Most noticeable among them is Hikaru, who he almost has a relationship with.

Goat Hoary

A serious man of few words, Goat seems to be the crew's guardian. He also has a relationship with Minato Haruka for a time. He is very big and very strong, capable of carrying Megumi and Ruri, one on each arm, and is a skilled marksman.

Howmei

Head chef on the Nadesico, Howmei is responsible for making sure everything gets cooked correctly, even if it involves teaching Akito about the variety of spices and flavourings available on Earth. Given the very nature of the Nadesicos mission... and the fact that some of them might not live to see another day, Howmei want to make sure that every meal the crew eats is as good as they want... because it may be their last meal.

Itsuki Kazama

Itsuki came on as a replacement pilot when Akito left the ship with Megumi during the Christmas return of the Nadesico to Earth. She is known as a great team player and an excellent pilot, but was killed in her first battle with the team. During production, she was unnamed, so she was referred to in-series as "Newbie" and "Seelie" (by Ryoko both times). She was originally named Sayuri Terasaki, but this name was retcon

Retcon

Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...

ned by her appearance as one of the lead characters in the Blank of Three Years video game.

Aqua Crimson

The rich daughter of the Crimson family, Aqua appears briefly for one episode, as an analogue to Aquamarine: a character from Gekiganger III. Much like her namesake, she initially appears as a caring, beautiful, and respectful teen, only to later be shown as somewhat of a psycho, wanting to die along with Akito. She believes that by doing so, she will escape from her rich and boring lifestyle, and become a tragic heroine. Aqua also seems to be a remarkable cook, though it is implied that she always includes in her food a powerful paralyzing drug, making this point somewhat moot.

Jovians

Tsukumo Shiratori

Tsukumo is a commander of the Superior Jovian Male Forces and a mecha pilot. He is similar in appearance and personality to Gai Daigoji, and ultimately dies in the same way. In the video game Super Robot Wars W

Super Robot Wars W

is part of the Super Robot Wars franchise and was published for the Nintendo DS by Banpresto. It is the first Super Robot Wars game released for the Nintendo DS. Like some DS games, special features can be unlocked by starting a new game with any of the Game Boy Advance era games inserted into SLOT...

 for the Nintendo DS

Nintendo DS

The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...

, he survives his assassination after Gai, with whom he had developed a comrade-in-arms relationship with, took a bullet meant for him. During the six-month time period between the halves of the story, he marries Minato, ends up helping Kaname Chidori

Kaname Chidori

is a fictional character and the female protagonist of the light novel, manga, and anime series Full Metal Panic!. She was voiced by Satsuki Yukino in the original Japanese anime and by Luci Christian in the English dubs by ADV Films and FUNimation Entertainment.-Overview:At first glance, Kaname...

 and her friends deal with the "Poniman" incident when things get far out of hand (in one version of the mission, he makes things worse, getting into a battle with Sousuke Sagara

Sousuke Sagara

is a fictional character and the main protagonist in the light novel, manga, and anime series Full Metal Panic!. He was portrayed by Tomokazu Seki in the original anime and by Chris Patton in the English dub.-Overview:...

, another character voiced by Tomokazu), and participates in the events of the Prince of Darkness storyline.

Yukina Shiratori

Yukina is Tsukumo's younger sister, and is horrified to find out that her older brother has fallen in love with an earth woman (Minato). She promptly leaves for the Nadesico to assassinate the woman in question, but after meeting her, she realizes Minato is a very nice woman and understands why her brother fell in love with her. When her brother is murdered, Minato becomes her only family. Within the next few years, Minato becomes like a mother to Yukina. She often bullies Jun, but it seems because she has crush on him.

Gen-Ichiro Tsukuomi

Tsukumo Shiratori's best friend and comrade in battle and off the field, however later jealousy forms within him for abandoning their Gekigangar 3 ideal of woman hood Mrs Nanako; Tsukumo still leaves despite Gen-Ichiro's protests. Later on Gen-Ichiro, believing Tsukumo had defected to the Earth Alliance's side and under special orders from Vice Admiral Hiroki Kusakabi, has Tsukumo shot to stop him from defending the Earth and plans to conquer Earth and Mars. Although later on during the series Gen-Ichiro has some slight doubts about where he should be and in the movie Martian Successor Nadesico: Prince of Darkness, Gen-Ichiro now works for Nergal in an attempt to stop his former commander and the Martian Successors.