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The central characters in ''
FLCL is an original video animation (OVA) anime series created and directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki, written by Yōji Enokido, and produced by the FLCL Production Committee, which consisted of Gainax, Production I.G, and King Records. ''F ...
'' (also known as Fooly Cooly), a 2000 Japanese
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
produced by
Gainax Gainax Co., Ltd. (stylized as GAINAX; ja, 株式会社ガイナックス, Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ) is a Japanese anime studio famous for productions such as ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', ''Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise, Roya ...
and
Production I.G is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise, founded on December 15, 1987, by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa and headquartered in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan. The letters I and G derive from the names of the company founders: producer Mitsuhisa Ish ...
, with two additional seasons released in 2018. The first season covers the story of a sixth grade student named Naota Nandaba whose life is greatly changed after he is run over by the mysterious alien troublemaker Haruko Haruhara. The second season covers the story of a seventh grade student named Hidomi Hibajiri whose life Haruko also intrudes.


Main characters


Haruko Haruhara

: , her actual name , is the mysterious pink-haired alien who is the central character in the FLCL series and serves as the antagonistic
catalyst Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...
for the abnormal events within the series, her goals mostly unknown save her obsessive desire to have Atomsk by absorbing him. She is an energetic and unpredictably reckless sociopath who is nicknamed "Vespa Woman" for riding a sunglow Piaggio
Vespa Vespa () is an Italian luxury brand of scooter (motorcycle), scooters and mopeds manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian. The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A. of ...
SS 180, claiming to be 19 and later 16 despite Mamimi's observation that she is 20. Haruko is usually seen carrying a
midnight blue Midnight blue is a dark shade of blue named for its resemblance to the apparently blue color of a moonlit night sky around full moon. Midnight blue is identifiably blue to the eye in sunlight or full-spectrum light, but can appear black under ...
left-handed Rickenbacker bass guitar model 4001. She displays knowledge of guitar types & American
classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...
. Her Rickenbacker is modified to fire bullets together with axe and rocket launcher modes.FLCL Ultimate Edition DVD Liner Notes Haruko can also use it to fly and open N.O. Channels. In the manga, she also uses a cut off rifle similar to
Mare's leg The Mare's Leg is the name given to a customized shortened rifle used by Steve McQueen's character on the television series '' Wanted: Dead or Alive'' (1958–1961). McQueen's character was named Josh Randall, and the gun has also been referred ...
. Haruko also has the ability to hypnotize weak-minded people into complying with her demands or believing anything she wants, such as having someone believe a bad drawing to be a photograph of a fabricated experience. During the first season of ''FLCL'', having come to the planet years before and having a history with Amarao, a deemed failure to her expectations, Haruko arrives to Earth under the cover of an investigator for the ''Galactic Space Patrol Brotherhood'' to find a human with N.O. abilities to help her retrieve Atomsk from the clutches of Medical Mechanica. She eventually finds Naota and established the channel by hitting him with her guitar, moving into his household as a maid to keep tabs on him while her constant presence endangers him and others on a daily basis. Haruko has connections to the Nandaba family cat, Miyu Miyu, who serves as a "walkie talkie" to her superiors. The cat does not speak (besides its "meows" and grunts) but it is obvious that Haruko is getting some kind of reply, as her conversations with Miyu Miyu indicate. With even Amarao unaware of her full intentions, assuming Atomsk is a former lover, Haruko's played with Naota's feelings while endangering the Earth as part of her plan for Atomsk to fully manifest. But the plan backfires when Atomsk made Naota his host, with a furious Haruko attacking the boy before being incapacitated long enough for Atomsk to escape in the universe. Haruko appeared to forgive Naota in the aftermath while tenderly offering him to join her in tracking down Atomsk before retracting the offer, leaving her guitar behind and taking the double-necked guitar/bass that Naota created while harnessing Atomsk's power as her own. At the end of the manga adaptation, a character identical to Haruko appears from Naota's forehead and introduces herself as Haruha Raharu's boss Superior Raharu,FLCL Volume 2, p186, Tokyopop, November 2003 hinting that Haruko is actually on the run from the Galactic Space Patrol Brotherhood. Between the events of the first season and ''FLCL Progressive'', as depicted in the latter's credits, Haruko manages to briefly absorb Atomsk years after leaving Naota. But the experience causes a part of Haruko's being to split off from her while losing Atomsk. The ordeal changed her hair orange while keeping the
Gibson EB-0 The Gibson EB-0 is a bass guitar that was introduced by Gibson in 1959. When production ceased in 1979, a total of 20,844 instruments had been built. History The EB-0 was first marketed in 1959 in response to the declining sales of Gibson's EB-1 ...
component of Naota's double-necked guitar/bass, though Haruko remains adamant to capture Atomsk all over again. Returning to Earth under the guise of a homeroom teacher in Hidomi's school, Haruko uses the girl's classmate Ko Ide to weed out Hidomi as her target while being opposed by her discarded fragment in the form of Julia Jinyu. Haruko eventually devours Julia, restoring her original hair color, and focuses her full attention on a defiant Hidomi whom she provokes into attacking her just as Atomsk approaches Earth. Regaining her original guitar while continuing her fight with Hidomi, Haruko manages to absorb Atomsk before he and a possessed Julia separate from her as she emotionally breaks down from failing again. But Haruko quickly recovers from her loss and resumes her hunt for Atomsk. Haruko reappears in ''FLCL Alternative'', marking a slight departure from her usual intentions. Still representing the Galactic Space Patrol Brotherhood, Haruko has turned her focus away from Atomsk and directly antagonizes Medical Mechanica's endgame, entering Kana Koumoto's life to gauge the potential of her latent N.O. powers. From Kana's forehead she acquires a red 1968 model
Fender Mustang The Fender Mustang is a solid body electric guitar produced by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. It was introduced in 1964 as the basis of a major redesign of Fender's student models, the Musicmaster and Duo-Sonic. It was produced ...
, and she is not seen until the finale riding her signature Vespa SS 180, which is left in the care of noodle chef and occasional accomplice Dennis Yoga. Haruko aids and instigates Kana and her friends throughout the season, and is shown to have had a previous relationship with Tsukata Kanda of Interstellar Immigration, before having moved on when she was underwhelmed by his N.O. potential. Nonetheless, they team up in the finale "Full Flat". Haruko was ultimately sucked through the "Naked Focal Point", a giant wormhole opened by Kana unleashing her full power to end Medical Mechanica's apocalypse event. In the credits she is seen alongside her Vespa in an unknown location, possibly
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...
.


Naota Nandaba

: , is the 12-year old protagonist of the first season. His name is derived from the Japanese word for "honesty". Unbeknownst to him, he has the "right kind of head" to be used as an N.O. channel, form of dimensional energy that seems to manifest through hormonal influxes. Slightly wise beyond his years and heavily critical of others around him, Naota is cynical, obsessed with appearing mature and devoutly acts 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 - everything is ordinary" despite the show's surreal and often absurd happenings. His attitude is largely reserved and bitter, though he can be somewhat smug and content at times. Naota idolizes his older brother Tasuku, carrying around Tasuku's baseball bat, and even hanging out with Tasuku's old girlfriend Mamimi. In Naota's mind, Tasuku is the epitome of what it means to be an adult, as opposed to the other adults in his life (e.g. his father, his grandfather, and his teacher) who he perceives as being immature. Much like Amarao, Naota is picky about his drinks (disliking drinks which are sour or bitter) and hates spicy foods, and shares an intimate bond with Haruko. This being said, Amarao and Naota's childhoods nearly mirror each other. While initially bothered by Haruko's presence as she provided him with a
Gibson Flying V The Gibson Flying V is an electric guitar model introduced by Gibson in 1958. The Flying V offered a radical, "futuristic" body design, much like its siblings: the Explorer, which was released the same year, and the Moderne, which was designed ...
from his N.O. Channel, Naota begins to develops a crush on her, which overlaps with his initial crush on Mamimi. He embraces her with a kiss in the final episode, and prior to that breaks down and cries while hugging her after she had returned from leaving without notice. Despite this, when his chance to be with her comes, he chooses to let her go and not follow her while keeping her
Rickenbacker 4001 The Rickenbacker 4001 is an electric bass that was manufactured by Rickenbacker as a two- pickup "deluxe" version of their first production bass, the single-pickup model 4000. This design, created by Roger Rossmeisl, was manufactured between 1 ...
after she took the double-necked guitar/bass he created from his
Gibson Flying V The Gibson Flying V is an electric guitar model introduced by Gibson in 1958. The Flying V offered a radical, "futuristic" body design, much like its siblings: the Explorer, which was released the same year, and the Moderne, which was designed ...
and Atomsk's
Gibson EB-0 The Gibson EB-0 is a bass guitar that was introduced by Gibson in 1959. When production ceased in 1979, a total of 20,844 instruments had been built. History The EB-0 was first marketed in 1959 in response to the declining sales of Gibson's EB-1 ...
.


Hidomi Hibajiri

: is the nihilistic 14-year old protagonist of season two, ''FLCL Progressive''. While sharing Naota's outlook on Mabase, Hidomi frequently has morbid dreams of herself as a corpse and dying in horrific ways with her more perky subconsciousness as the narrator. She also wears a set of cat ear headphones which Julia Jinyu recognizes to be an inhibition device created by Medical Mechanica that protects her from both her own power and Haruko's mind altering abilities. The headphones'
LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Electronics, device that Light#Light sources, emits light when Electric current, current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy i ...
lights change from blue to red whenever she is about to "overflow", making her targeted by Haruko as a result. Haruko's attempt to have the headphones removed activates its security lock mode, drilling itself into Hidomi's skull to prevent removal and causing her to manifest the traits of her subconsciousness as a result of radiowaves from an active Medical Mechanica factory. Once the factory is destroyed, gaining glimpses of Haruko's attempt to contain Atomsk and her intent with that power, Hidomi refuses to help as she became a different person to the point that her dreams are no longer morbid in nature. The actions caused by Haruko that result in Ide being a casualty provoke Hidomi into attacking her, with Hidomi eventually reunited with Ide as they begin their relationship in the season epilogue.


Kana Koumoto

: (Japanese);
Megan Harvey Megan Taylor Harvey is an American voice actress who is known for providing voices for English dubs of anime for New Generation Pictures and NYAV Post NYAV Post is an American recording studio located in New York City. It was founded by Mic ...
(English) is the 17-year old protagonist of season three, ''FLCL Alternative''. She is a noisy airhead who works part-time at a restaurant and hangs with her friends, Mossan, Hijiri and Pets in what was an unremarkable time until she crossed paths with Haruko who opened her N.O. Channel.


Canti

is a medical robot with what looks like a television set for a head. He was manufactured by Medical Mechanica, but he is possessed by Atomsk during his escape attempt and ends up traveling to Earth via Naota's N.O. Channel. Haruko's act of breaking the back of the robot's head causes Atomsk to reside within the robot ending up in the service of the Nandaba Family and doing Haruko's work, fetching things like drinks and porno magazines for Shigekuni. In the latter case, a conscientious attempt to satisfy Shigekuni's request, the manga states the robot would spend three hours at a time looking through "perverted magazines" which gave the impression that he likes porn. When Mamimi first saw the robot while he was wearing a halo and wings, believing him to be a god due to his angelic appearance, she named him "Canti" after "Cantido, the Lord of Black Flames" in the video game she plays. Despite his appearance, Canti expresses human-like emotions as he feels embarrassed about his broken head (where Haruko hit him) and spends his free time finding the pieces to glue back together while wearing a box. He is also extremely polite, extending a helping hand to Lieutenant Kitsurubami even after she attempted to destroy him which thoroughly charms her. Apparently, he can also eat curry with his "mouth" (which is just a grille), but it is never really explained how. As Canti still contains a fragment of Atomsk, he can be possessed by the being and proceed to "eat" Naota to gradually complete being transferred to Earth. Atomsk's symbol appears on Canti's screen when he absorbs Naota; the symbol is a corruption of the
kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...
characters for . This symbol also appears on him when Naota "swings the bat" in "Full Swing". When Naota is absorbed, Canti's physical strength is increased and he gains the ability to transform into an antitank gun, called the "Overdrive Technique" in the manga, that fires Naota's essence in the form of a liquid bullet that returns to the gun after being fired. When first synchronized with Naota, Naota fully connects with Canti through a plug that goes in his eye instead of a screw-in light bulb in the back of his head (broken off in episode one). In the final episode of the first season, his monitor displaying the characters for instead at the time, Canti is revealed to be a component piece of the Medical Mechanica's Terminal Core and used by both the organization to power their doomsday device and Haruko to complete Atomsk's arrival to Earth. Remaining with the Nandaba Family, Canti eventually shuts down and ends up in the possession of the Interstellar Immigration Bureau prior to the events of ''FLCL Progressive'' in their attempt to reverse-engineer N.O. powered technology. However, the robot is eventually discarded and sent to the organization's space base, his severed head coming back to life as a dog-like creature as the result of Atomsk's arrival to Earth while ingesting Ide's being. Possessed by Atomsk, Canti eventually releases the entity and Ide. Canti becomes a maid at Hidomi's café as revealed in the season epilogue. While he doesn't appear in ''FLCL Alternative'', multiple combat robots modeled after Canti were sent after the protagonists in the final episode.


Ko Ide

: , Hidomi's classmate resembling Naota who became Haruko's ideal pawn in confirming Hidomi as her target, opening his N.O. Channel as the youth bragged to his classmates about her giving him special treatment. Ide eventually realizes he has feelings for Hidomi, using his power to oppose Haruko and later fights her using Naota's
Gibson Flying V The Gibson Flying V is an electric guitar model introduced by Gibson in 1958. The Flying V offered a radical, "futuristic" body design, much like its siblings: the Explorer, which was released the same year, and the Moderne, which was designed ...
which he acquired from Julia. Ide ends up being affected by Hidomi's N.O. Channel, turning him into a balloon person that was later ground up by the Interstellar Immigration Bureau's space base and fed to Canti. This resulted in Ide being held within Canti's restored body before being released and restored to his former self.


Atomsk

, also known as the due his N.O. channel enabling him to steal entire star systems, is an enigmatic energy being in the form of a
phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
-like creature with a nose ring identical to the metal Ring on Haruko's bracelet that allows her to detect Atomsk's presence. Atomsk's power to manipulate space made him sought by both Haruko and Medical Mechanica, the latter having successfully captured him before the events of the first season. Atomsk's bass guitar is a 1961 Gibson EB-0. Amarao assumed that Atomsk was a humanoid male figure with fiery red hair and that he was Haruko's lover by the way she spoke of him, but, in actuality, Haruko's goal was to devour Atomsk and take his power for her own use. During the first season, Haruko searched for an ideal human whose N.O. Channel was great enough to enable Atomsk's escape from Medical Mechanica. This led her to Naota, though Atomsk's arrival is incomplete since he is sealed within Canti and possesses the robot to ingest Naota to manifest his power to fight the Medical Mechanica robots sent after him. While Haruko planned Atomsk's full appearance on Earth by allowing Medical Mechanica's doomsday scheme to occur, it ended up with Atomsk using Naota as a host body to fight a furious Haruko using both his guitar and Naota's before combining them for the death blow. But the fight ends abruptly when Naota releases the being while kissing a surprised Haruko after confessing his love for her. Atomsk then leaves Earth while damaging the Medical Mechanica plant, with Haruko chasing after him. As revealed in the credits of ''FLCL Progressive'', taking place between it and the first season, Atomsk is later found and absorbed by Haruko for the brief moment that resulted in the creation of Julia Jinyu, who attempted to keep him free from Haruko and Medical Mechanica before she was defeated and eaten by the former. While not making a direct appearance, Atomsk appears in one of Hidomi Hibajiri's dreams, alluding a connection between the two. Atomsk eventually returns to Earth to reclaim his guitar as a maddened Hidomi battles Haruko, first possessing Canti and then Julia before flying off. Atomsk is named after the novel ''
Atomsk Atomsk may refer to: * ''Atomsk'' (novel), a novel by Carmichael Smith (Paul M. A. Linebarger) * Atomsk (FLCL character), a character in the anime FLCL {{Disambiguation ...
'' by Carmichael Smith (a
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
of Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger, better known as
Cordwainer Smith Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger (July 11, 1913 – August 6, 1966), better known by his pen-name Cordwainer Smith, was an American author known for his science fiction works. Linebarger was a US Army officer, a noted East Asia scholar, and a ...
). In the director commentary on the third DVD, the director states that he is unsure as to how it's really pronounced (in the English version of FLCL, it is pronounced "atomisk").


Medical Mechanica

is a mysterious organization that serves as a secondary antagonist in the FLCL series, being of alien origin like Haruko and seeking Atomsk's power for their own agenda. Having placed a
Clothes iron A clothes iron (also flatiron, smoothing iron, or simply iron) is a small appliance that, when heated, is used to press clothes to remove wrinkles and unwanted creases. Domestic irons generally range in operating temperature from between to . ...
-like factory on Mabase, its bottom outfitted with a laser cannon, Medical Mechanica's goal is said to be
ironing Ironing is the use of a machine, usually a heated tool (an iron), to remove wrinkles and unwanted creases from fabric. The heating is commonly done to a temperature of 180–220 °Celsius (356-428 Fahrenheit), depending on the fabric. Ironing wor ...
out the wrinkles in both a figurative sense and as a literally means of terraforming. During the first season, the Interstellar Immigration Bureau having peacefully prevented their actions prior, Medical Mechanica is provoked into attacking Earth by sending its robots to the planet through Naota's N.O. channel as Haruko uses it to gradually steal Atomsk from them. But their attack ends when Naota released Atomsk and the being damaged the factory before leaving. In ''FLCL Progressive'', traces of their presence on Earth are still seen, Medical Mechanica is revealed to have developed the earphones Hidomi wears as Haruko's actions once more cause conflict between it and the Interstellar Immigration Bureau.


Original ''FLCL'' characters


Mamimi Samejima

: is a 17-year old truant high school student with a quixotical grip on reality who carries a camera and smokes more of the time, hinted to have been bullied at her school and apparently from a broken family as her parents are mentioned are separated or are out of her life. She was originally Tasuku's girlfriend since he saved her from an elementary school fire, which she apparently caused due to her
pyromaniac Pyromania is an impulse control disorder in which individuals repeatedly fail to resist impulses to deliberately start fires, to relieve some tension or for instant gratification. The term ''pyromania'' comes from the Greek word (''pyr'', 'fi ...
al tendencies to burn things she hates like her old school. It became a ritualistic practice for her in worshipping her personal deity Cantido whom she considered Canti an incarnation of. While Mamimi conceals her destructive nature, her aura of benign morbidness does make her an outcast in the eyes of others, save Naota who had a crush on her. Most characters refer to Mamimi simply as Mamimi, but Naota's friends refer to her as "Naota's wife", and Haruko calls her "Sameji", a shortening of her last name. Amarao refers to her as "that high school girl". Her relationship with Tasuku was ultimately based on caring for those who are dependent on her, having a habit of naming things "Takkun" like a black kitten, and leaving them the moment that they show any independence. Mamimi entered a sort of relationship with Naota as a means of coping with Tasuku having left for America and getting a new girlfriend, calling him "Takkun" before he realized she was using him and emotionally explodes about her using him as a consolation prize during the events of Brittle Bullet while vowing to win her love. But a disillusioned Mamimi instead found a Medical Mechanica terminal core which she named "Takkun", used it to enact retribution against those who have wronged her by feeding it her classmates'
cellular phones A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...
and
motorbikes A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising, ...
before it goes berserk while enacting its program. It is revealed that Mamimi, unable to return Naota's feelings despite having a genuine affection for him, leaves Mabase to become a professional photographer, assuming they remain friends.


Commander Amarao

: Commander works for the Department of Interstellar Immigration, a middle man for negotiations between the government and Medical Mechanica while seeing Haruko as a legit threat for provoking Medical Mechanica into attacking Earth. Having a history with Haruko, who used him like Naota before abandoning him for not living up to her standards as his portals are small, Amarao wears fake
eyebrow An eyebrow is an area of short hairs above each eye that follows the shape of the lower margin of the brow ridges of some mammals. In humans, eyebrows serve two main functions: first, communication through facial expression, and second, prevent ...
s made of
nori Nori is a dried edible seaweed used in Japanese cuisine, made from species of the red algae genus ''Pyropia'', including ''P. yezonesis'' and '' P. tenera''. It has a strong and distinctive flavor, and is often used to wrap rolls of sushi or '' ...
that appear to negate his N.O. channel alongside sweets. But he is revealed to have no eyebrows with Haruko mocking him by claiming them to cover up his apparent lack of masculinity. His vehicle of choice is a
Fuji Rabbit The Fuji Rabbit is a motor scooter produced in Japan by Fuji Heavy Industries (now Subaru Corporation) from 1946 through 1968. The Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan rates the Fuji Rabbit S-1 model introduced in 1946 as one of their ''240 ...
, a motor scooter which was initially produced in 1946 six months prior to the initial production of the
Vespa Vespa () is an Italian luxury brand of scooter (motorcycle), scooters and mopeds manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian. The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A. of ...
, hinting traces Haruko's effect on him in his youth. Amarao first appears in the fourth episode of the series to covertly warn Naota of Haruko and her intentions, giving viewers the impression that he is virtually an omniscient character with his dispensing of background information and fairly accurate predictions. But subsequent events would reveal him to be an extremely weak and very shortsighted man despite seeming to grasp what is happening better than most, having a hint of jealously over Haruko's preference of Naota over him despite knowing her intentions for him and knowing he needs to stop her from endangering Earth with her antics to the point of ordering an attempted assassination of Canti which led to him being confronted by Haruko in all-out gunfight before Medical Mechanica's giant robot appeared. Ultimately, unable to convince Naota, Amarao could only watch the climax unfold before seeing Atomsk fully manifest. In the manga, Amarao's role is greatly diminished but had an important role in visiting Shigekuni and revealed what he knows of the N.O. channel to him.


Lieutenant Kitsurubami

: Lieutenant is an attractive young woman and Amarao's second in command in the Interstellar Immigration Bureau, often seen either giving out vital mission data or on the field. Despite Amarao's flirting advances, respecting her superior despite being weirded out by his false eyebrows, Kitsurubami prefers to keep their relationship strictly professional. She also seems to become smitten with Canti, despite her initial attempt of destroying him with an anti-tank rifle while incorrectly calling him a "cyborg". Kitsurubami is also shown to suffer chronic
nose bleeds A nosebleed, also known as epistaxis, is bleeding from the human nose, nose. Blood can flow down into the stomach, and cause nausea and vomiting. In more severe cases, blood may come out of both nostrils. Rarely, bleeding may be so significant t ...
whenever witnessing Naota's N.O. manifestations from his head, though these scenes might be played for comedic effect. Kitsurubami is named after a light brown traditional Japanese color, which happens to be the color of her skin. Thus, her name could be interpreted as "Lieutenant Brown", although the color Kitsurubami is not the common "brown". She appears to be the only "normal" (or mature) adult in FLCL; however, her apparent dislike of close contact with others adds an element of childishness to her character.


Junko Miyaji

: is Naota's eccentric sixth grade teacher. Her students have given her the nickname "Miya-Jun". She seems to be constantly troubled by the shallower problems which Naota seems to create, such as the destruction of her car (which happens twice over the course of the series) or the terrible interruption of a lesson. Even on 'normal' days, however, she is pathetically inept: her attempt to teach chopstick usage to a generation of students raised on
spork A spork is a hybrid form of cutlery taking the form of a spoon-like shallow scoop with two to four fork-like tines. Its name is a portmanteau of spoon and fork. Spork-like utensils, such as the terrapin fork or ice cream fork, have been manufac ...
s ends with the revelation that she is unable to use them herself. She can be viewed as symbolic of the ineffectiveness of educational institutions imparting any truly important or useful knowledge: Naota constantly characterizes the adults around him as "unable to grow-up". In his mind, Miya-Jun's inability to act like a normal adult (similar to his father, grandfather, Ninamori's father, Amarao, and many others) confirms his theory. Adults like her are contradictions in Naota's life; he wants to become an adult, but the adults around him don't act like adults at all.


Kamon Nandaba

: , 47, is Naota's father, a former
pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * Pop (Gas al ...
journalist working as a freelance writer, with his own trashy tabloid: "Kamon-Mabase" (the title is a pun on "Come on, Mabase"). Compared to the other adults in FLCL, Kamon is the most extremely immature yet shows a surprising amount of seriousness and thoughtfulness. He also makes the most references to pop culture: ''
EVA Eva or EVA may refer to: * Eva (name), a feminine given name Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Eva (Dynamite Entertainment), a comic book character by Dynamite Entertainment * Eva (''Devil May Cry''), Dante's mother in t ...
'', "Monkey-sensei" (referring to the creator of the series ''
Lupin III , also written as ''Lupin the Third'', ''Lupin the 3rd'', or ''Lupin the IIIrd'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Monkey Punch. It follows the endeavors of master thief Arsène Lupin III, the grandson of Arsène ...
''), ''
Hamtaro ''Hamtaro'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese manga and storybook series created and illustrated by Ritsuko Kawai about a hamster. The manga was serialized in Shogakukan's "Second Grade" magazine in April 1997; more ''Hamtaro'' stori ...
'', ''
Mobile Suit Gundam , also known as ''First Gundam'', ''Gundam 0079'' or simply ''Gundam '79'', is an anime television series, produced and animated by Nippon Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting ...
'', and
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
to name a few. Kamon has taken a liking to Haruko when she moved in as their family's housekeeper, but she only wants to use him as a potential N.O. portal before deeming him useless to her needs and places him in a deathlike coma while replacing him with a robot double to putter around the house. Naota, believing his father and Haruko are sleeping together, eventually learns the truth when he indirectly deactivated the robot and found the real Kamon whom he revived by being hydrated in their bathtub. Despite this ordeal, Kamon continued to obsess over Haruko to the point of challenging Naota to a paintball gunfight which he lost. In the manga, the Kamon's robot double is absent and Naota ends up murdering Kamon over the misunderstanding.


Shigekuni Nandaba

: is Naota's grandfather and Kamon's father. 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. He does not defend Naota as the other players mock him, because he holds too much pride for Tasuku. He enjoys taking advantage of Canti as much as Kamon does. He has an affinity for pornography. In the first episode, he mistakes "furi kuri" with "kuri kuri," a sound effect often used to describe any twisting motion, often breasts or nipples.


Tasuku Nandaba

, who is 17 years old at the beginning of the series (current age unknown), is Naota's older brother who moved to America to play baseball. Mamimi believes that, since Tasuku saved her from the fire at their old elementary school, he likes her and it is continually suggested that Naota serves as a sort of stand-in for his older brother (most explicitly by Mamimi's use of the same nickname for both). The actual depth of their initial relationship is unknown. In "FLCLimax", she seems to have lost hope in him, allowing the destruction of her mobile phone just seconds after looking at his number on a screen. In the first episode, Naota receives a postcard from Tasuku, revealing that he now has an American girlfriend. Although he never actually appears on screen, he is very significant to the storyline. As the former star of the baseball team, Naota idolizes him, but is afraid of not living up to his brother's legacy, and because of this never swings the bat when at the plate. There are examples of scenes in which Naota yells out "Tasuk--"; the Japanese audience, at first assuming that he will exclaim, "Tasukete" (Help me!), may be surprised when he instead says, "Tasuku", the name of his older brother. Naota says in the first episode that, for a moment, Haruko resembled Tasuku.


Eri Ninamori

: , 12, is Naota's classmate. In the series, she is referred to by her last name. She is the daughter of the mayor of Mabase and is class president. She projects herself as a proper and slightly stuck-up cynic with good grades while concealing personal information to an almost obsessive degree; like needing
corrective lenses A corrective lens is a lens (i.e. a transmissive optical device) that is typically worn in front of the eye to improve daily vision. The most common use is to treat refractive errors: myopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism, and presbyopia. Glas ...
, instead wearing
contacts Contact lenses, or simply contacts, are thin lenses placed directly on the surface of the eyes. Contact lenses are ocular prosthetic devices used by over 150 million people worldwide, and they can be worn to correct vision or for cosmetic ...
while at school. Even with her class president status, however, Ninamori is not above breaking the rules to get what she wants. When news of her father's affair with his secretary is made public with the possibility of her parents getting a divorce, Ninamori rigged the classroom ballots to get the lead role in a ''
Puss in Boots "Puss in Boots" ( it, Il gatto con gli stivali) is an Italian fairy tale, later spread throughout the rest of Europe, about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand of a princess in marriage for hi ...
'' play while having Naota cast as the titular character to his dismay. She is ultimately revealed to have a slight crush on Naota, further hinted by her dislike towards Mamimi and later Haruko. Ninamori has N.O. powers as well, though a temporary effect of Naota head-butting her as a result of Haruko's antics sending him flying towards her. In this instance, an cephalopod-like Medical Mechanica robot which first appeared on Naota's head as cat ears transferred itself over to Ninamori at the time it begins to gradually manifest while using her body as a both a weapon and shield in its attempt to capture Canti before it finally emerged after ingesting curry and is destroyed. In the manga, the robot's role is lessened as more of a minor support character in helping Ninamori save Naota from an angered Haruko.


Gaku Manabe

: , age 12, is another one of Naota's classmates and close friends and is obsessed with kissing and other things of sexual behaviour. In episode three, "Marquis de Carabas", he plays the part of a mouse in the school play. Gaku also uses the word "chu" constantly, especially when referring to Haruko. This is a pun in Japanese, because "chu" is the Japanese
onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Such a word itself is also called an onomatopoeia. Common onomatopoeias include animal noises such as ''oink'', ''m ...
for both kissing and the sound a mouse makes. In the English version, "chu" is replaced with "smooch" to make more sense to English speaking audiences. He's somewhat hyper (compared to the bored composure of his friends) and is usually seen with Masashi. He is an encyclopedia of bizarre rumors and legends, many of which are sexual in nature. He consistently refers to Mamimi as Naota's "wife", and Haruko as the "kiss-kiss" girl, likely due to her lewd behavior around Naota.


Masashi Masamune

: , age 13, is yet another of Naota's classmates. He is friends with Naota and is often seen hanging out with him, Gaku, and Ninamori. Masashi also has a job as a delivery boy, and drives a truck around, even though he is only in grade school. His father's truck is later eaten by the terminal core when Mamimi loses control of it. Masashi, like Naota, generally sounds slightly depressed.


''FLCL Progressive'' characters


Julia Jinyu

: , revealed to be created from Haruko during her attempt to contain the absorbed Atomsk, Julia becomes an opposition to her counterpart's scheme to recapture Atomsk through Hidomi. While originally a part of Haruko, possessing a
Fender Jazzmaster The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, Fender Jazzmaster is an electric guitar designed as a more expensive sibling of the Fender Stratocaster. First introduced at the 1958 NAMM Show, it was initially marketed to jazz guitarists, but found ...
that was initially Naota's Gibson Flying V before it fused with Atomsk's guitar, Julia has a more serious and blunt personality and travels in a vintage
Chevrolet Bel Air The Chevrolet Bel Air is a full-size car produced by Chevrolet for the 1950–1975 model years. Initially, only the two-door hardtops in the Chevrolet model range were designated with the Bel Air name from 1950 to 1952. With the 1953 model year, ...
that can transform into a robot with multiple functions. Finding Hidomi before Haruko, Julia arranges herself to work at the Hibajiri Café after making an attempted
vehicular homicide Vehicular homicide is a crime that involves the death of a person other than the driver as a result of either criminally negligent or murderous operation of a motor vehicle. In cases of criminal negligence, the defendant is commonly charged w ...
on the girl and resolving to be her bodyguard instead. Though Julia is her own person, preferring to ensure Atomsk's freedom at all costs, Julia retained traits with Haruko that include loving Atomsk and bearing animosity towards Medical Mechanica. Julia is ultimately defeated by Haruko, who gave the offshoot closure of truly becoming her own person before eating her. But when Haruko absorbed Atomsk, Julia manages to separate from her and briefly serve as Atomsk's vessel before leaving for parts unknown.


Hinae Hibajiri

: , Hidomi's mother, she runs a local cafe which Hidomi and later Jinyu work at. Hinae's reasons for running a café were to await the return of her husband, only to ultimately decide to close the establishment much to Hidomi's dismay. But after realizing Hidomi's feelings, Hinae reconsiders and decides to keep the business open even after their café was destroyed during Medical Mechanica's attack.


Goro Mori

: , Ko's pudgy classmate, known for wearing unusual clothing including a short skirt to class without any guilt. He also lied to his classmates about having a girlfriend, having hired Aiko during a day at the beach to keep face before Marco spotted him paying Aiko for helping him. Despite Aiko's initial disinterest in him outside their business relationship, Goro ends up winning her heart while helping her.


Marco Nogata

: is a classmate of Hidomi's who is of Latino descent and Goro's friend, appearing to passively absorb the oddities of his class while becoming a part-time worker and test subject at the Interstellar Immigration Bureau's amusement park front.


Eye Patch

: is a homeless guy whose real name is unknown and is a member of the Interstellar Immigration Bureau, appearing in numerous places like as a regular at the Hibajiri café. As a member of the Interstellar Immigration Bureau, Eye Patch is revealed to have acquired the lifeless Canti from the Nandaba Family to develop technology that utilizes the N.O. Channel's energies. Such an item being a flower pot that can reverse a N.O. Channel's polarity.


Masurao

: is Commander Amarao's son who serves as Eye Patch's aide, keeping his activities in the Interstellar Immigration Bureau a secret from Aiko by pretending to be a boxer.


Aiko

: is Masurao's daughter who runs a scheme involving posing as a girlfriend for desperate boys in exchange for money while giving away her father's possessions, ultimately revealed to be an artificial plant-human created by the Interstellar Immigration Bureau from reverse-engineering Canti and that she is amassing the money to buy her freedom. She eventually uses her power to stop Medical Mechanica's assault on Mabase while developing genuine feelings for Goro.


Tonkichi

: is an elderly member of the Interstellar Immigration Bureau who works under the cover of an amusement park worker in a Mr. Dodo costume, hiring Marco Nogata to test a new attraction which is later revealed to be part of an anti-Medical Mechanica weapon. The amusement park itself would later be revealed as the site of an experiment to extract N.O. energies from love-sick people, Tonkicki attempting to take down a still active Medical Mechanica factory.


Tami Hanae

:


''FLCL Alternative'' characters


Tomomi Hetada

: is one of Kana's friends (until Episode 5) who goes by the nickname "Pets"(ペッツ), a high school student with issues with her dad. In episode 5, Pets reveals her friendship with Kana was a lie and she always hated her.


Hijiri Yajima

: is one of Kana's friends, a high school student who is also a model.


Man Motoyama

: is one of Kana's friends who goes by the nickname "Mossan"(モッさん, a high school student with aspirations to be a clothing designer/model.


Tsukata Kanda

: is a member of the Department of Interstellar Immigration who bears a resemblance to Naota, being one of Haruko's previous targets before she deemed his N.O Channel too small for her plans.


Dennis Yoga

: is an owner and head chef of the ramen restaurant Kana works at.


Maki Kitaki

: is the Prime Minister of Japan.


See also

*
List of FLCL episodes The episodes of the Japanese original video animation series '' FLCL'' were directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki and produced by the ''FLCL'' Production Committee, which included Gainax, Production I.G, and Starchild Records. The English adaptation was l ...
*
Discography of FLCL is an original video animation (OVA) anime series created and directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki, written by Yōji Enokido, and produced by the FLCL Production Committee, which consisted of Gainax, Production I.G, and King Records. ''FL ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Flcl Characters
FLCL is an original video animation (OVA) anime series created and directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki, written by Yōji Enokido, and produced by the FLCL Production Committee, which consisted of Gainax, Production I.G, and King Records. ''F ...
pt:FLCL#Personagens