List of BanG Dream! characters
The Japanese music media franchise BanG Dream! features a large ensemble of characters, with its main cast organized into ten all-female bands of five members each. The band Poppin'Party serves as the protagonists of the franchise's anime television series, making their debut in 2015.
Four new bands were introduced with the arrival of the BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! mobile game in 2017: Roselia, Afterglow, Pastel Palettes, and Hello, Happy World!. At the end of 2018, a backup band called The Third was renamed Raise A Suilen, with its members portraying new characters. A seventh band named Morfonica was introduced in 2020.
In 2022 and 2023, following a new approach being undertaken by Bushiroad, MyGO!!!!! and Ave Mujica were introduced as the eighth and ninth bands in the franchise. A tenth band, Mugendai Mewtype, was also introduced in 2023, consisting of five VTubers.
For live performances, Poppin'Party, Roselia, Raise A Suilen, Morfonica, MyGO!!!!!, Ave Mujica, and Mugendai Mewtype's members play their own music, while the others are limited to vocals as well as voice acting. With the exception of Mugendai Mewtype, the live bands are featured in the anime's seasons, though the mobile game further details their formation and activities. Various voice actresses also host band-themed online radio and television programs.
Creation and conception
BanG Dream! was founded by Bushiroad president Takaaki Kidani on the premise of voice actresses who could play their own instruments in live concerts. To create the characters and setting, he approached novelist Kō Nakamura; despite having little experience creating fictional bands, two of Nakamura's works were music-based and inspired by his college friends. He shaped Poppin'Party, the first band in the franchise, and its formation after his time in high school. For example, Kasumi meeting her friends is based on Nakamura befriending classmates who wished to create a band; like Kasumi, the guitarist of Nakamura's band bought a guitar at a local pawnshop, while both groups held meetings in a warehouse. Other character aspects were based on their voice actresses, such as Tae holding street performances in the second season of the anime being inspired by Sae Ōtsuka doing the same as a teenager and Chiyu and Risa Tsumugi both being fluent in English. The character designs for Poppin'Party are also loosely modeled after their real-life counterparts. The franchise's first work, the manga BanG_Dream! Star Beat by Nakamura and Aya Ishida, contained numerous differences in character traits that were retconned in later media. The rebooted story takes place in Tokyo's Kita and Shinjuku wards.The premiere of the anime and launch of BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! in 2017 saw the debuts of Roselia, Afterglow, Pastel Palettes, and Hello, Happy World!. Roselia had first appeared as a live-action group at Tokyo Game Show 2016. Nakamura was not involved in the game's storywriting as developer Craft Egg instead oversaw it.
The Third, a backup band that provided instrumentals for live concerts by Afterglow, Pastel Palettes, and Hello, Happy World!, debuted as its own group alongside Poppin'Party and Roselia in April 2018. The band was later renamed Raise A Suilen. Morfonica, the lone band of the seven with a violinist, was formed in 2020 to celebrate Girls Band Party! three-year anniversary.
Nakamura primarily writes the lyrics for Poppin'Party songs, while Elements Garden's Asuka Oda does so for the other bands.
Many of the characters are high school students, mostly split between Hanasakigawa, Haneoka, and Tsukinomori Girls' High School. As part of Girls Band Party! sixth anniversary, ten characters begin attending college at Yotsuba Women's University or Keiho Women's University.
Poppin'Party
Poppin'Party, the first band in the BanG Dream! franchise, serves as the protagonists of the anime series. Formed by Kasumi Toyama, the band consists of five high school friends who support her in her journey to rediscover the "Star Beat". Although their raw skill is not the best, they make up for this with their strong energy and innate connection between each other. Their name references the "popping" theme of their band and music; before performances, they huddle and recite the chant, "PoPiPa, PiPoPa, PoPiPaPaPiPoPa!".The first season of the anime is focused on Poppin'Party's creation and efforts to perform at live house Space, while the second and third seasons detail their organization of a self-sponsored concert and participation in the BanG Dream! Girls Band Challenge, respectively. In the main story to Girls Band Party!, the band helps the player character recruit bands for the titular event. Poppin'Party has four in-game band stories: "Poppin'Party is Born!" is a retelling of their formation from the first season; "Colorful, Poppin' Candy" follows the band's plans to save the downtown festival; "Double Rainbow" focuses on an argument between Arisa and the others; and "Live Beyond!!" focuses on the band's participation in the Rocking Star Festival and desire to spread their music.
Poppin'Party is a pop rock band with upbeat music. In accordance with their goals to find the Star Beat, their outfits—which are based on school uniforms—heavily feature a celestial motif.
Kasumi Toyama
Kasumi Toyama is a third-year student at Hanasakigawa Girls' High School who serves as the leader, lead singer, and rhythm guitarist of Poppin'Party. She plays a red ESP Random Star. She is active and optimistic and is always looking for a heart-pounding, sparkling sound called the "Star Beat". Her sister Asuka is a year younger than her, but it is sometimes hard to tell who is the older of the two.Prior to forming Poppin'Party, Kasumi spends her first weeks of high school searching for the Star Beat, including trying out every club activity. Eventually, she discovers the Random Star at the pawnshop owned by Arisa's family, and a performance by Glitter Green at live house Space ultimately convinces her to start her own band. Despite her cheerful disposition, she takes failure hard, losing her voice due to stress after being told she was the worst-performing band member during their audition at Space. Her friends motivate her to overcome her struggles and continue singing, which ultimately succeeds when they pass their second audition and perform in the final show at the live house. As Poppin'Party's leader, she spearheads much of the band's activities and interactions with other groups, including helping live house CiRCLE organize the Girls Band Party and serving as Hanasakigawa's first-year representative at the end of her first year. During her senior year of high school, she becomes an employee at RiNG, a subsidiary live house of CiRCLE.
She is voiced by Aimi. In the English dub, Juliet Simmons voices Kasumi.
Contrary to her happy-go-lucky nature in the finalized version, Kasumi is a shy and reserved girl in Star Beat. After being ridiculed for sensing the Star Beat and singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" as a child, she becomes withdrawn as she enters high school, but wishes to change herself by rediscovering the Star Beat. Upon finding the guitar at Arisa's pawnshop, she is recruited into becoming the protagonist of Arisa's "game" BanG_Dream!. As she learns the instrument, she regains her confidence in performing.
Tae Hanazono
Nicknamed "O-tae", Tae Hanazono is the lead guitarist of Poppin'Party and a third-year student at Hanasakigawa. A skilled guitarist who has been playing since she was little, she loves music and works part-time at a live house, the money from which she saved to buy her blue ESP Snapper guitar. A bit airheaded girl, she tends to take things at her own pace, and can be surprised and wired at times. Tae lives with her parents and 20 rabbits, whom she treats like her children.As first-year students, Tae and Kasumi are classmates who get placed in a remedial home economics class. There, the two bond over their mutual interest in guitar, with Tae teaching Kasumi basic chords. Kasumi attempts to recruit Tae to join the band, but is challenged to impress her by making her "heart race". The effort works when she is inspired by their performance and plays along before formally entering the group. When her childhood friend Rei arrives in Tokyo, Tae is scouted by her and Chiyu to become Raise A Suilen's guitarist. She receives the blessing of Poppin'Party and attempts to play for both bands, but this backfires when she misses Poppin'Party's anniversary concert at the cultural festival. Tae eventually parts ways with RAS after a final live and re-affirms her commitment to Poppin'Party, including writing a song of gratitude. When the one-year anniversary of Poppin'Party's successful audition at Space nears, Tae works with Arisa to organize a party.
Tae is voiced by Sae Ōtsuka. Luci Christian portrays her in the English version.
Her Star Beat counterpart is shy but strong-willed. She joins the band after assisting Kasumi, Arisa, and Rimi in writing the lyrics to their song "Yes! BanG_Dream".
Rimi Ushigome
Rimi Ushigome is a third-year student at Hanasakigawa and the bassist of Poppin'Party, making her the youngest and shortest member of the band.; she is nicknamed "Rimi-rin" by her bandmates. She is shy, and efforts to overcome this have not resulted in success so far. Rimi plays a pink ESP Viper bass, which was a hand-me-down from her older sister Yuri Ushigome of Glitter Green. She loves the chocolate cornets from Yamabuki Bakery and chocolate and sweets in general. Contrary to her meek personality, she also enjoys horror entertainment like paranormal fiction and zombie films as long as they are not excessively grotesque. Rimi grew up in the Kansai region before moving in middle school, and she occasionally speaks with a Kansai dialect whenever she is panicking.On the day of their high school entrance ceremony, Kasumi's bright and cheery self-introduction makes Rimi want to get to know her more. Although she reveals to Kasumi that she is related to Yuri and can play the bass, her anxiety makes her hesitate and decline Kasumi's invitation to her band. When Glitter Green is running late for their concert at Space, she joins Kasumi on stage for a rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". After their improvised performance buys enough time for her sister's band to arrive, Rimi agrees to join. In addition to playing the bass, Rimi is Poppin'Party's main songwriter, and her friends note her songs have a positive impact on the band. She has a tendency to compare herself to her older sister, which leads to writer's block when she is tasked with writing a theme song for the downtown shopping district, though she gradually learns to develop her own image with her band's help. During the Girls Band Challenge, Rimi and Arisa partner to create a promotional music video for Poppin'Party, though the fun she has during the competition causes her to worry about its conclusion ahead of the final before being comforted by the support of the fans and her bandmates.
Rimi is voiced by Rimi Nishimoto. She is voiced by Avery Smithhart in the English dub.
In Star Beat, Rimi is depicted as a mysterious girl who enjoys eating rice and pretending to be a ninja.