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* PottyEmergency: Has one in the Episodes 16-17 two-parter in the first anime.
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* PottyEmergency: Has a brief one in Episode 25; implied to have been caused by drinking too much fruit milk.
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* {{Expy}}: She's pretty much a carbon copy of Ritz Kobayashi, the mangaka, as [[TheCameo she appears]] in ''TheLegendOfKoizumi''.
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* {{Expy}}: She's pretty much a carbon copy of Ritz Kobayashi, the mangaka, as [[TheCameo she appears]] in ''TheLegendOfKoizumi''.''Manga/TheLegendOfKoizumi''.
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* HeroicSelfDeprecation: Despite narrowly qualifying for the finals, Saki feels bad about being unable to do much throughout her semifinals match and being only narrowly saved by Rinkai's Nelly, though Hisa and their teammates reassure her that she ''did'' contribute to their success.
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As of current chapters, both teams have qualified for the National Finals and are to face each other, as well as reigning champions Shiraitodai and fourth-seeded Rinkai.
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As of current chapters, Team Kiyosumi, which took the Nagano tournament by storm by earning its Nationals slot in its first competitive season alone, is playing at the Side-B National Semifinals, against co-quarterfinalist Himematsu, Rinkai and Usuzan, while Saki and Nodoka, 3rd- and 2nd-placers at the Nagano individuals, respectively, are slated to play at the National individuals.
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As of current chapters, Team Kiyosumi, which took the Nagano tournament by storm by earning its Nationals slot in its first competitive season alone, is playing at has narrowly qualified for the Side-B National Semifinals, against co-quarterfinalist Himematsu, Finals alongside fourth-seeded Rinkai and Usuzan, are slated to face both reigning champions Shiraitodai (to which Teru, the older sister of team Captain Saki, plays as Vanguard) and fellow upstarts Achiga, while Saki and Nodoka, 3rd- and 2nd-placers at the Nagano individuals, respectively, are slated to play at the National individuals.
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As of present Team Achiga, now coached by Harue, has qualified for the finals. Regardless of outcome, this will be the highest standing they have reached, in the process overtaking the massive lead of two-time defending champion Shiraitodai from West Tokyo during the semifinals.
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As of present Team Achiga, now coached by Harue, has qualified for the finals. finals and are slated to face off against fellow semifinalist and defending champions Shiraitodai (whose lead they overtook en route to the finals), as well as fellow upstarts Kiyosumi (the current team of Nodoka, a friend of three of the team's members) and fourth-seeded Rinkai. Regardless of outcome, this will be the highest standing they have reached, in the process overtaking the massive lead of two-time defending champion Shiraitodai from West Tokyo during the semifinals.
reached.
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* OvershadowedByAwesome: She is the only player in Team Kiyousumi the media cares about because of her prestigious ranking, so she overshadowed everyone else in her team, including Saki. However it's the other way around to fellow players.
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* OvershadowedByAwesome: She is the only player in Team Kiyousumi Somewhat averted. Some players tend to underestimate her due to her apparent lack of superpowers, but the media cares about because of is all over her, and the most insightful players know not to take her prestigious ranking, so she overshadowed everyone else in her team, including Saki. However it's the other way around to fellow players.lightly.
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** When finally introduced in the prequel ''Shinohayu'', it's shown that Harue apparently has a near-OCD obsession with reading match records and researching whether or not a particular opponent has a visible "tell" whenever they make a play.
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* MasterApprenticeChain: Harue was once coached by Kuro and Yuu's mom while she was in grade school, and now she returns the favor by mentoring the Matsumi sisters in their own try at the Nationals.
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two tropes can\'t be on the same line. Expy is more than hair style
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* {{Expy}}: Her hair style looks very similar to [[Manga/CardCaptorSakura Sakura's]].
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* [[MrExposition Ms. Exposition]]: Lots and lots of Mahjong-specific TechnoBabble.
* OlderThanTheyLook[=/=]TokenMiniMoe: Appears to be around 10, in spite of being 15 or 16.
* OlderThanTheyLook[=/=]TokenMiniMoe: Appears to be around 10, in spite of being 15 or 16.
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* [[MrExposition Ms. Exposition]]: MsExposition: Lots and lots of Mahjong-specific TechnoBabble.
*OlderThanTheyLook[=/=]TokenMiniMoe: OlderThanTheyLook: Appears to be around 10, in spite of being 15 or 16.
*
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* BrokenAce: Back in her day she was touted as one of Team Achiga's greatest players. Then came Sukoya, and she was never the same again. Fortunately she got better as the days passed mentoring the current Team Achiga, more so after they reach the National finals, helping her regain her self-confidence.
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* BrokenAce: Back in her day she was touted as one of Team Achiga's greatest players.players -- in fact, in her first chronological appearance in ''Shinohayu'', she even recounts how she forced her opponents to hit negative in the Nara children's final. Then came Sukoya, and she was never the same again. Fortunately she got better as the days passed mentoring the current Team Achiga, more so after they reach the National finals, helping her regain her self-confidence.
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Nodoka\'s father has a character profile now
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* BadassAdorable[=/=]BadassBookworm: Cute as a button, isn't she? Well, try telling that to everyone who discovered how much of a menace she is on the table.
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* BadassAdorable[=/=]BadassBookworm: BadassAdorable: Cute as a button, isn't she? Well, try telling that to everyone who discovered how much of a menace she is on the table.
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* [[EducationMama Education Papa]]: Her father disapproves of her choosing to forgo going to a prep school in Tokyo to stay at Kiyosumi, and has contempt for mahjong and the town she lives in.
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* FantasyForbiddingFather: Her father doesn't think much of Mahjong, saying that it's purely a game of luck, that training camps are a waste of time and that the friends Nodoka makes through it won't be of any use in a "hick town" like where she lives. He seems to tolerate her playing mahjong to the extent that it doesn't interfere with anything more important, and reluctantly decides to "consider" letting her stay where she is if she wins the Nationals, though.
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* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: With Saki.
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* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: With Saki.
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* AgentScully[=/=]GenreBlindness: Because she doesn't believe in superstition, she simply doesn't notice when something weird is up. This is shown in full force come the National quarterfinals, where by just playing normally she [[SpannerInTheWorks unwittingly derails Sae and Kinue's joint effort]] to block out Hatsumi's ability, culminating in her taking a direct Yakuman hit with dealer penalty. She's completely unfazed, and ''still'' manages to score on par with Hatsumi and outwit GenreSavvy Sae and Kinue, which lends surprising credence to her incredulous modus operandi.
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* AgentScully[=/=]GenreBlindness: AgentScully: Because she doesn't believe in superstition, she simply doesn't notice when something weird is up. This is shown in full force come the National quarterfinals, where by just playing normally she [[SpannerInTheWorks unwittingly derails Sae and Kinue's joint effort]] to block out Hatsumi's ability, culminating in her taking a direct Yakuman hit with dealer penalty. She's completely unfazed, and ''still'' manages to score on par with Hatsumi and outwit GenreSavvy Sae and Kinue, which lends surprising credence to her incredulous modus operandi.
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* RoseHairedSweetie: She has pink hair and is sweet and kind.
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* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: She has pink hair.
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The list of the two protagonist teams of the manga and anime series ''Manga/{{Saki}}'' -- Kiyosumi High School (from the main series) and Achiga All-Girls' Academy (from the side-story ''Manga/{{Saki Achiga-hen}}'').
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The list of the two protagonist teams of the manga and anime series ''Manga/{{Saki}}'' -- Kiyosumi High School (from the main series) and Achiga All-Girls' Academy (from the side-story ''Manga/{{Saki Achiga-hen}}'').
''Manga/SakiAchigaHen'').
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* OvershadowedByAwesome: Saki is this to media as they care more about Nodoka, last year's Inter-Middle High Champion. They didn't even mention Saki in the introductions to the second Nagano semifinals. This is in contrast to many of Saki's rivals, who seem more interested in her than Nodoka. Lampshaded in ''[[Manga/{{SakiAchiga-hen}} Achiga-hen]]'' by Hiroko and Izumi, when they discussed a certain first-year who can beat even the most seasoned third-years.
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* OvershadowedByAwesome: Saki is this to media as they care more about Nodoka, last year's Inter-Middle High Champion. They didn't even mention Saki in the introductions to the second Nagano semifinals. This is in contrast to many of Saki's rivals, who seem more interested in her than Nodoka. Lampshaded in ''[[Manga/{{SakiAchiga-hen}} Achiga-hen]]'' ''Achiga-hen'' by Hiroko and Izumi, when they discussed a certain first-year who can beat even the most seasoned third-years.
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As of current chapters, Team Kiyosumi, which made waves by winning its very first foray into the Nagano tournament, is playing at the Side-B National Semifinals, against co-quarterfinalist Himematsu, Rinkai and Usuzan, while Saki and Nodoka, 3rd- and 2nd-placers at the Nagano individuals, respectively, are slated to play at the National individuals.
to:
As of current chapters, Team Kiyosumi, which made waves by winning its very first foray into took the Nagano tournament, tournament by storm by earning its Nationals slot in its first competitive season alone, is playing at the Side-B National Semifinals, against co-quarterfinalist Himematsu, Rinkai and Usuzan, while Saki and Nodoka, 3rd- and 2nd-placers at the Nagano individuals, respectively, are slated to play at the National individuals.
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Achiga is not considered a powerhouse, but ten years ago, it upset the balance of mahjong power in Nara Prefecture when it defeated high-ranking Team Bansei en route to a slot at the Nationals. Led by future superstar Sukoya Kokaji, it advanced all the way to the National Semifinals. There it lost and their ace player, Harue Akado, was traumatized into quitting. It ultimately disbanded next year after a disastrous prefectural season. Its resurgence after nine years of inactivity, as well its sudden return to the Nationals, has once again made waves.
As of present Team Achiga, now coached by Harue, has qualified for the finals. Regardless of outcome, it is the highest the school has attained, and in the process it overtook the massive lead of two-time defending champion Shiraitodai.
As of present Team Achiga, now coached by Harue, has qualified for the finals. Regardless of outcome, it is the highest the school has attained, and in the process it overtook the massive lead of two-time defending champion Shiraitodai.
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As of present Team Achiga, now coached by Harue, has qualified for the finals. Regardless of outcome,
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** EmpoweredBadassNormal: By carrying Etopen, she can reach "Nodocchi mode"
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run-on sentences.
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Not considered a powerhouse unlike neighboring Bansei, Team Achiga once upset the balance of mahjong power in Nara Prefecture ten years ago when it defeated high-ranking Team Bansei en route to a slot at the Nationals, only to fall at the National Semifinals to the eventual champions, led by future superstar Sukoya Kokaji, with their ace player Harue Akado being traumatized into quitting, and ultimately disbanded next year after a disastrous prefectural season. Its resurgence after nine years of inactivity, as well its sudden return to the Nationals, has once again made waves.
As of present Team Achiga, now coached by Harue, has qualified for the finals, which will be the highest the school will have attained regardless of outcome, in the process overtaking the massive lead of two-time defending champion Shiraitodai.
As of present Team Achiga, now coached by Harue, has qualified for the finals, which will be the highest the school will have attained regardless of outcome, in the process overtaking the massive lead of two-time defending champion Shiraitodai.
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As of present Team Achiga, now coached by Harue, has qualified for the
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*BloodKnight: She likes playing against ''Koromo''. Only someone that enjoys intense mahjong battle would feel like this.
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run-on sentence.
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Yuuki specializes in rapid point-farming at the East round, giving her a greater chance of starting as the first dealer, leading Hisa to place her as Team Kiyosumi's starter, though she tends to lose steam come South round, causing her to lose points she earned in the East round.
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Yuuki specializes in rapid point-farming at the East round, giving round which gives her a greater chance of starting as the first dealer, leading Hisa to place her as Team Kiyosumi's starter, though she dealer. She tends to lose steam come South round, causing her to lose points she earned in the East round.round. This leads Hisa to place her as Team Kiyosumi's starter.
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* MemeticBadass: [[invoked]] "Nodocchi" is so famous, other players wonder if she has "ultimate luck" or if she's even human.
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* MemeticBadass: [[invoked]] "Nodocchi" is so famous, other players wonder if she has "ultimate luck" or if she's even human. Hisa once referred to her as "an incarnation of the god of online mahjong".
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* NiceJobBreakingItHero: While Nodoka's logic usually helps her most of the time, in a world where everyone can summon goddesses and cause localized earthquakes, it is still bound to fail her at some point. During the National quarterfinals, she kept foiling Kinue and Sae's plan to stop Hatsumi's power because it's just a coincidence to her. And even after she saw Hatsumi's open hand she chalked it up as a big coincidence. Sae is so annoyed she let Hatsumi complete her yakuman in Nodoka's dealer turn as revenge. The sad thing is that Nodoka is unperturbed and chalked it up again as another coincidence, much to their shock.
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* NiceJobBreakingItHero: While Nodoka's logic usually helps her most of the time, in a world where everyone can summon goddesses and cause localized earthquakes, it is still bound to fail her at some point. During the National quarterfinals, she kept foiling Kinue and Sae's plan to stop Hatsumi's power because it's just a coincidence to her. And even Even after she saw Hatsumi's open hand she chalked it up as a big coincidence. Sae is so annoyed she let Hatsumi complete her yakuman in Nodoka's dealer turn as revenge. The sad thing is that Nodoka is unperturbed and chalked it up again as another coincidence, much to their shock.shock.
*NoSell: Momoko's {{invisibility}} doesn't work on her because of her experience with online Mahjong. A player's presence or lack of presence is a non-factor.
*NoSell: Momoko's {{invisibility}} doesn't work on her because of her experience with online Mahjong. A player's presence or lack of presence is a non-factor.
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* SecurityBlanket: Etopen, her penguin plushie.
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* SecurityBlanket: Etopen, her penguin plushie. She takes it to matches to keep calm and focused.
*SuperMode: "Nodocchi" which is activated by holding Etopen.
*SuperMode: "Nodocchi" which is activated by holding Etopen.
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*TransformationTrinket: Etopen is DeconstructedTrope. Nodoka uses it to fall asleep at home, and thus it is associated with home, peace, online Mahjong etc. By bringing it to matches, she can better visualize the match as online instead of in-person. This increases her focus, decreases her mistakes, and in general makes her a more powerful player. In other words, Etopen transforms her into her online avatar, "Nodocchi", which certainly looks like a MagicalGirl.
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*InsaneTrollLogic: In Nodokoa's view, deliberately choosing bad waits because you feel they're more likely than good waits is madness. The problem with Nodoka's view, is that Hisa usually wins like this such as during the regional qualifier.
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* GoingCommando: A continued argument between fans is if Nodoka does this or not. Make no mistake, this is SeriousBusiness.
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* GirlishPigtails: Turns into a single sidetail during the finals, however.
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* GirlishPigtails: Turns At the start, she has two long tails tied with red hair ribbons. Super cute. They turn into a single sidetail during the finals, however.finals.
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*MemeticBadass: [[invoked]] "Nodocchi" is so famous, other players wonder if she has "ultimate luck" or if she's even human.
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* ButtMonkey: She (and her huge breasts) is typically the subject of many of her friends' jokes. It also doesn't help that she always tries to put up a serious facade.
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* ButtMonkey: She (and her huge breasts) is typically the subject of many of her friends' jokes. It also doesn't help helps that she always tries to put up a serious facade.
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* DefeatMeansFriendship: Subverted -- if anything, her pride was getting a beating when Saki outplayed her with ease the in the first five games they had, and she is upset by the realization that Saki, with her ability, could have won, but chose not to. She befriended Saki not because she was defeated but because Saki has a legitimate reason to keep playing mahjong and join their club.
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* DefeatMeansFriendship: Subverted -- Averted-- if anything, her pride was getting a beating when Saki outplayed her with ease the in the first five games they had, and she is upset by the realization that Saki, with her ability, could have won, but chose not to. She befriended Saki not because she was defeated but because Saki has a legitimate reason to keep playing mahjong and join their club.
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*{{Fetish}}: Imagining Nodoka in a {{meido}} outfit wasn't enough. Learning that she was playing mahjong ''while'' dressed as a maid caused a goofy look and drool.
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As of the current chapter, Team Kiyosumi, which made waves by winning the Nagano tournament in its first competitive season ever, is playing at the National semifinals Side B, against Himematsu (from their quarterfinals bracket, B-1), Rinkai and Usuzan, while Saki and Nodoka, 3rd- and 2nd-placers at the Nagano individuals, respectively, are slated to play at the National individuals.
to:
As of the current chapter, chapters, Team Kiyosumi, which made waves by winning its very first foray into the Nagano tournament in its first competitive season ever, tournament, is playing at the Side-B National semifinals Side B, Semifinals, against Himematsu (from their quarterfinals bracket, B-1), co-quarterfinalist Himematsu, Rinkai and Usuzan, while Saki and Nodoka, 3rd- and 2nd-placers at the Nagano individuals, respectively, are slated to play at the National individuals.
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* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Ridiculously good at inviting this, in-universe and out.
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* BadassAdorable[=/=]BadassBookworm: Cute as a button, isn't she? Well, try telling that to everyone who discovered how dangerous she is on the table.
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* BadassAdorable[=/=]BadassBookworm: Cute as a button, isn't she? Well, try telling that to everyone who discovered how dangerous much of a menace she is on the table.
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* TheDreaded: Never mind that outside the mahjong board Saki is just like your average cute dorky schoolgirl. Everybody else who played her (or at least watched intently) deeply fear her ability to control the points in her favor.
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* TheDreaded: Never mind that outside the mahjong board Saki is just like your average cute dorky schoolgirl. Everybody else who played her (or at least watched intently) deeply fear her ability to control the points in her favor. This is lampshaded during her run-in with Team Achiga in the first few chapters of ''Achiga-hen'', where Shizuno senses a dangerous aura from her.
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* EnemyMine: During the National semifinals Side B, she realizes that if Team Usuzan falls under 0, both they and Team Kiyosumi will be eliminated. She then decides to prevent that from happening while trying to gain points against Rinkai and Himematsu. However, she's also aware that Team Usuzan will need to win off anyone, including Hisa, so the latter decides that she'd promptly rid herself of Team Usuzan once Team Kiyosumi hits at least second-place.
to:
* EnemyMine: During the Side-B National semifinals Side B, Semifinals, she realizes that if Team Usuzan falls under 0, both they and Team Kiyosumi will be eliminated. She then decides to make an informal alliance with Team Usuzan's Yuan to prevent that either one from happening falling below 0 (and prematurely ending the game), while simultaneously trying to gain points against Rinkai off Choe and Himematsu. However, she's also aware that Team Usuzan will need to win off anyone, including Hisa, so Hiroe ''and'' keeping Yuan at arm's-length in the event the latter decides that she'd promptly rid herself of Team Usuzan once Team Kiyosumi hits at least second-place.to win off her.
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Not considered a powerhouse unlike neighboring Bansei, Team Achiga once upset the balance of power in Nara ten years ago when it eliminated Bansei in the prefectural qualifiers and eventually qualifying for the Nationals, only to fall at the semifinals to the eventual champions, led by Sukoya, with their ace player Harue being traumatized into quitting, and ultimately disbanded next year after a disastrous prefectural season. Its resurgence after nine years of inactivity, as well as the fact that it qualified once more for the Nationals, has surprised some observers.
to:
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During the National semifinals Side A, however, Shizuno ultimately reveals her hidden power: "The Lord of the Mountain Depths". Born of her love for long walks along the mountains around her hometown, this ability lets her intuitively sense possible draws from the dead wall (which can be read as "mountain"). Coupled with the dice roll results, she can use this to counter or outright negate her opponents' abilities.
to:
During the Side-A National semifinals Side A, Semifinals, however, Shizuno ultimately reveals her hidden power: "The Lord of the Mountain Depths". Born of her love for long walks along the mountains around her hometown, this ability lets her intuitively sense possible draws from the dead wall (which can be read as "mountain"). Coupled with the dice roll results, she can use this to counter or outright negate her opponents' abilities.
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* DullEyesOfUnhappiness: PlayedForLaughs after Koromo floors her during a training session.
* EmptyEyes: PlayedForLaughs after Koromo [[CurbstompBattle floors her]] at a training session.
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* IdenticalStranger: When she was younger, she resembled Yuuki. When Nishida is interviewing Nodoka about her friends on the Achiga team, she even mistakes Ako for Yuuki in an old photo.
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* IdenticalStranger: When she was younger, younger she resembled Yuuki. When Nishida Junko is interviewing Nodoka about her friends on the Achiga team, from Team Achiga, she even mistakes Ako for Yuuki in an old photo.
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* SpannerInTheWorks: When Kuro finally stopped being TheLoad, her first major move ''halts'' Teru's rampage by way of discarding a dora, a move she is normally loathe to use. Even before that, Toki, noticing how upset Kuro appears, thinks that she has (unwittingly) proven helpful by attracting all the dora tiles, making it more difficult for Teru to increase the value of her hand.
to:
* SpannerInTheWorks: When Kuro finally stopped being TheLoad, her first major move ''halts'' ''completely spoils'' Teru's rampage gameplay by way of discarding a dora, a move she is normally loathe to use. Even before that, Toki, noticing how upset Kuro appears, thinks that she has (unwittingly) proven helpful by attracting all the dora tiles, making it more difficult for Teru to increase the value of her hand.
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* BigSisterInstinct: Usually inverted, in that Kuro usually protects Yuu from bullies back in their childhood, but played straight during the National quarterfinals, when she decides to return the favor after Kuro loses many points in the quarterfinals, thinking it's her turn to stand up for her little sister.
to:
* BigSisterInstinct: Usually inverted, in that Kuro usually frequently protects Yuu from bullies back in their childhood, but played straight during the National quarterfinals, when she decides to return the favor after Kuro loses too many points in the quarterfinals, her match, thinking it's her turn to stand up for her little sister.
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* MyGreatestFailure: Losing her team too many points, which led to its elimination in the Nationals. As such, she relates to Kuro, who lost too many points during the semifinals.
to:
* MyGreatestFailure: Losing her team too many points, which led to its elimination in the Nationals. As such, she relates to Kuro, who lost too many points during the semifinals.Side-A Semifinals.
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* MsFanservice: [[RoseHairedGirl Pink hair]], [[GirlishPigtails pigtails]], [[ZettaiRyouiki thigh-high stockings]] and even [[GagBoobs huge tracts of land]].
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* MsFanservice: [[RoseHairedGirl Pink hair]], hair, [[GirlishPigtails pigtails]], [[ZettaiRyouiki thigh-high stockings]] and even [[GagBoobs huge tracts of land]].
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* {{Expy}}: Her hair style looks very similar to [[Manga/CardCaptorSakura Sakura's]].
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* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Ridiculously good at inviting this, in-universe and out.
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* AgentScully / GenreBlindness: Because she doesn't believe in superstition, she simply doesn't notice when something weird is up. This is shown in full force come the National quarterfinals, where by just playing normally she [[SpannerInTheWorks unwittingly derails Sae and Kinue's joint effort]] to block out Hatsumi's ability, [[spoiler:culminating in her taking a direct Yakuman hit with dealer penalty.]] She's completely unfazed. [[spoiler:Nodoka ''still'' scores on par with Hatsumi, outscoring the GenreSavvy Sae and Kinue, which lends surprising credence to her incredulous modus operandi.]]
to:
* AgentScully / GenreBlindness: AgentScully[=/=]GenreBlindness: Because she doesn't believe in superstition, she simply doesn't notice when something weird is up. This is shown in full force come the National quarterfinals, where by just playing normally she [[SpannerInTheWorks unwittingly derails Sae and Kinue's joint effort]] to block out Hatsumi's ability, [[spoiler:culminating culminating in her taking a direct Yakuman hit with dealer penalty.]] penalty. She's completely unfazed. [[spoiler:Nodoka unfazed, and ''still'' scores manages to score on par with Hatsumi, outscoring the Hatsumi and outwit GenreSavvy Sae and Kinue, which lends surprising credence to her incredulous modus operandi.]]
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* PassiveAggressiveKombat: Her play style in a nutshell.
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* PassiveAggressiveKombat: Her play style in a nutshell. While watching her match at the Side-B National Semifinals, Momoko compares her style to a rubber-band -- the greater the odds are stacked against her, the more dangerous her moves become.
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* AgentScully / GenreBlindness: Because she doesn't believe in superstition, she simply doesn't notice when something weird is up. This is shown in full force come the National quarterfinals, where by just playing normally she [[SpannerInTheWorks unwittingly derails Sae and Kinue's joint effort]] to block out Hatsumi's ability, [[spoiler:culminating in her taking a direct Yakuman hit with dealer penalty.]] She's completely unfazed[[spoiler:, and ''still'' scores on par with Hatsumi and much better than the GenreSavvy Sae and Kinue, lending surprising credence to her incredulous modus operandi.]]
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* AgentScully / GenreBlindness: Because she doesn't believe in superstition, she simply doesn't notice when something weird is up. This is shown in full force come the National quarterfinals, where by just playing normally she [[SpannerInTheWorks unwittingly derails Sae and Kinue's joint effort]] to block out Hatsumi's ability, [[spoiler:culminating in her taking a direct Yakuman hit with dealer penalty.]] She's completely unfazed[[spoiler:, and unfazed. [[spoiler:Nodoka ''still'' scores on par with Hatsumi and much better than Hatsumi, outscoring the GenreSavvy Sae and Kinue, lending which lends surprising credence to her incredulous modus operandi.]]
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Expanded Nodoka\'s genre-blindness
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* AgentScully: Because she doesn't believe in superstition, she simply doesn't notice when something weird is up. This is shown in full force come the National quarterfinals, where where by just playing normally she [[SpannerInTheWorks unwittingly derails Sae and Kinue's joint effort]] to block out Hatsumi's ability.
to:
* AgentScully: AgentScully / GenreBlindness: Because she doesn't believe in superstition, she simply doesn't notice when something weird is up. This is shown in full force come the National quarterfinals, where where by just playing normally she [[SpannerInTheWorks unwittingly derails Sae and Kinue's joint effort]] to block out Hatsumi's ability.ability, [[spoiler:culminating in her taking a direct Yakuman hit with dealer penalty.]] She's completely unfazed[[spoiler:, and ''still'' scores on par with Hatsumi and much better than the GenreSavvy Sae and Kinue, lending surprising credence to her incredulous modus operandi.]]
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The list of the two protagonist teams of the manga and anime series ''Manga/{{Saki}}'' -- Kiyosumi High School (from the main series) and Achiga All-Girls' Academy (from the side-story ''Manga/{{Saki Achiga-hen}}''.
to:
The list of the two protagonist teams of the manga and anime series ''Manga/{{Saki}}'' -- Kiyosumi High School (from the main series) and Achiga All-Girls' Academy (from the side-story ''Manga/{{Saki Achiga-hen}}''.
Achiga-hen}}'').
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The list of the two protagonist teams of the manga and anime series ''Manga/{{Saki}}'' -- Kiyosumi High School (from the main series) and Achiga All-Girls' Academy (from the side-story ''Manga/{{Saki Achiga-hen}}''.
Click [[Characters/{{Saki}} here]] for the characters portal.
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!Kiyosumi High School -- Nagano
The mahjong club of Kiyosumi, an otherwise nondescript school from Nagano Prefecture, was restarted by Hisa Takei two years ago and was its lone member until Mako Someya joined the following year. After an influx of freshmen, the club enters its first mahjong tournament.
As of the current chapter, Team Kiyosumi, which made waves by winning the Nagano tournament in its first competitive season ever, is playing at the National semifinals Side B, against Himematsu (from their quarterfinals bracket, B-1), Rinkai and Usuzan, while Saki and Nodoka, 3rd- and 2nd-placers at the Nagano individuals, respectively, are slated to play at the National individuals.
!!Saki Miyanaga
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saki_saki_5776.png
->''"Mahjong is fun, isn't it?"''
->'''Year:''' 1st\\
'''Position:''' Captain\\
'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KanaUeda
Saki is a shy, bookish freshman who claims to hate mahjong in spite of her near-supernatural luck which allows her to consistently end matches with ±0 (which is harder than winning). After Nodoka helps her confront her personal demons -- that is, a bad impression of her own sport because her family used to be sore losers and arrogant winners -- she decides to join Kiyosumi's mahjong team, hoping to one day reach the National Inter-High School Tournament and see again her estranged older sister Teru, the current national champion, whom she hadn't seen since their parents separated.
Aside from her uncanny ±0 play style, she has affinity to get a rare yaku Rinshan Kaihou off the dead wall. After the Nagano quarterfinals, it is revealed Saki still uses her old ±0 style, except that instead of settling down with that score, she actually manipulates everyone else's scores in her favor.
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* {{Adorkable}}: Would you believe that one of the most dangerous girls in mahjong is also a shy bookworm who tends to get lost in competition venues and frequently trips on thin air?
* AwfulTruth: She's aware that Teru is angry with her, but is quite disturbed to hear her [[IHaveNoSon telling people that she doesn't have a sister]], making her wonder if reconciliation is impossible.
* BadassAdorable[=/=]BadassBookworm: Cute as a button, isn't she? Well, try telling that to everyone who discovered how dangerous she is on the table.
* BattleAura: In the form of a burning right eye.
* BornLucky: ItRunsInTheFamily.
* CharacterTitle: Of every title in the series, even the ones she has no direct involvement in, such as ''Achiga-hen'' and ''Shinohayu''.
* CharacterDevelopment: Used to dislike mahjong with a passion due to several bad memories of playing it, but as the first season rolled she learns to gradually love her sport, as she openly tells Koromo.
* TheChessmaster: Everybody who has played against her deeply fears her ability to manipulate scores and still go around smiling like it's nobody's business.
** During the Nagano semifinals, she helped Kana get past ±0, but because she formed a basic yaku, she couldn't just win with ron, so the only way for her to score is to draw a 6-dotted tile, to which Saki called pon, meaning there's only one of the 6 dots left. While Kana panicked over the last one, Saki ''knew'' it's on the dead wall which was untouched unless by kan, and drew said 6-pin for her. She then declared kan, so Kana could steal it with a chankan -- except earlier Saki opened her point sticks drawer ''before'' Kana can declare ron, in the process opening more kan dora that helped raised Kana's point by 3 han and earn 16,900 points. Which was more like a HopeSpot, because Saki's quick play ruined Kana's chances.
** During the Nagano finals, Koromo was forced to discard the 1-pin tile she drew to keep her yaku, knowing this will play right into Saki's hand.
** At the National quarterfinals, she broke Kasumi's streak by discarding 8-sou for Kyouko's call. She also declared kan simply to shift drawing order to her favor; whether or not Kyouko's win of that hand is orchestrated, Saki quickly wrapped that match up with a cheap hand to take the lead.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: A minor case, but Saki's thought processes don't usually match that of a normal player. She often comes to conclusions at odds with what observers to her matches can really see, and ends up with a 1/5 in her Analysis statistic. To wit...
** During the Nagano finals, she started to worry that Yumi can stop her Rinshan ''all the time'', even as the latter muses that she has most likely used up her luck for the year in that single move.
** During the National quarterfinals, she panics and sees ''Kyouko'', the only normal player in the match, to be the biggest threat on the table (and the last person she wants to continue to the semifinals), and ''not'' the goddess-possessed Kasumi. Even as ''everyone else on the table'' starts to fear Saki as though she was the Devil incarnate, complete with intimidating BattleAura and supernatural manifestations (in this case, a localized earthquake).
* CuteBookworm: Outside the mahjong table Saki likes nothing more than to read.
* CuteClumsyGirl: She manages to trip over nothing near the end of Season 1 Episode 6 after unwittingly intimidating Team Ryuumonbuchi with her BattleAura, and again in Episode 23.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[http://sadpanda.us/images/1628808-0UZ5S3N.png There is a clear reason why the Miyanaga sisters broke apart and why Saki is an unstable emotional wreck most of the time.]]
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Earned a reputation for herself after beating the nigh-invincible Koromo.
* {{Dismotivation}}: Saki's default state at the beginning of the series. As mentioned by Hisa, she doesn't even think about winning for a second. She's moved on since then. Mostly.
* TheDreaded: Never mind that outside the mahjong board Saki is just like your average cute dorky schoolgirl. Everybody else who played her (or at least watched intently) deeply fear her ability to control the points in her favor.
* {{Expy}}: Of Min Yuri, the deuteragonist of Ritz' previous manga, ''Manga/{{Fatalizer}}'', being a timid girl with a fearsome power.
* FinishingMove: A yaku rinshan kaihou off the dead wall, which she can frequently use.
* {{Foil}}: To Nodoka, in that she stopped enjoying mahjong due to bad experiences playing it with her family, in contrast to Nodoka, who made friends with that game.
* HeroicBSOD: After hearing that Teru has disowned her. She's not entirely surprised, but begins to doubt whether even facing and winning against Teru in mahjong will be enough to make up with her.
* HyperAwareness: According to Hisa, Saki is very good with hands-on mahjong because of this. In many occasions it's implied she could sense the presence of tile, or even see it before she draws it. Showcased wonderfully when she played online for the first time, where she complains that she cannot intuitively sense the flow of the game.
* ImpossibleTask: Her ±0 style. As said in Season 1 Episode 1, even a pro's winning percentage is 30% on average, and breaking even like Saki did is even harder when done on purpose. Not to mention, it's implied that Saki started playing with this style when she was around six.
* InSeriesNickname: She gained quite a number from her fellow players.
** Mako -- "Zero Child"
** Momo -- "Rinshan Kaihou-san"
** Koromo (and other players) -- "Rinshan-user"
* LetsGetDangerous: Whenever she plays seriously. Just try to pull off what she does all the time even once. One extreme case is finishing her second game in the club with four concealed triplets, on a draw after a tsumo, and thinking that would make her score ±0. Come the Nagano finals, Koromo plays into three consecutive kan, and by the tournament rules, had to pay for all the points Saki would've earned, thus ending in Saki's comeback victory.[[hottip:Note:For those who want the exact combo, it was "An all-circles all pons/kans three concealed pons/kans three kans 1 red dora tsumo after a kan" worth 32,000 points. Don't forget about that rule, either...]]
* MeaningfulName: "Saki" means "to bloom." Saki's signature move, Rinshan Kaihou, means "the flower that blooms atop the mountain." Lampshaded in a flashback.
-->'''Saki''': "Bloom? It's the same! As my name!"\\
'''Teru''': "That's right, Saki. On a tall mountain beyond the forest, that's where the flower blooms. You are just like that flower... strong..."
* MetaphoricallyTrue: Due to HeroicSelfDeprecation and {{Cloudcuckoolander}} tendencies, many of her statements result to this. In the beginning, Saki said she always lost against her family, triggering her dislike of mahjong. From the words alone, it would lead us to believe that she's not good. Further context reveals, however, that she can score ±0 at will, causing her to [[ILetYouWin always lose]], but it also shows her ridiculous luck and skill.
* NoSenseOfDirection: During both the Nagano and National tournaments, she often gets lost in the venues.
* NoSocialSkills: Initially Saki had no understanding of a mahjong player's honor. This is best shown in her first game with Kiyosumi, when she unwittingly hurt Nodoka's pride as Inter-Middle High Champion by winning four times with a ±0 and once with a yakuman, then proceeded to revert to ±0 as a grace for Yuuki (who was lamenting her lack of points) after winning a match several points ahead of Nodoka. This is lampshaded at one point by Koromo (who has her own difficulties with making friends), in which, after saying that she decided not to follow Nodoka into the building where Achiga was having its semis match...
-->'''Koromo:''' "Saki, you're bad at socializing as usual."
* OpenSecret: While it's never blatantly kept secret, neither Teru nor Saki, or anyone who knew, reveal their (strained) relationship to public, Teru having only denied having a sister twice in the anime to Sumire and Junko. However, it didn't stop players with good analysis skills like Mihoko and Hiroko to guess that there ''is'' a connection. And in ''Achiga-hen'', all three players Teru faced looked really shocked at her declaring kan, having expected a Rinshan Kaihou.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: Saki is this to media as they care more about Nodoka, last year's Inter-Middle High Champion. They didn't even mention Saki in the introductions to the second Nagano semifinals. This is in contrast to many of Saki's rivals, who seem more interested in her than Nodoka. Lampshaded in ''[[Manga/{{SakiAchiga-hen}} Achiga-hen]]'' by Hiroko and Izumi, when they discussed a certain first-year who can beat even the most seasoned third-years.
-->'''Hiroko''': "And there's also that first year player from Kiyosumi."\\
'''Izumi''': "Do you mean Haramura?"\\
'''Hiroko''': "No, it's Saki Miyanaga."
* ParentalAbandonment: Saki's parents are separated, and her mother and Teru seem to be living in a different prefecture. She lives with her father, who only appears on screen a handful of times.
** SolomonDivorce: Saki's parents haven't legally divorced yet, but the sisters each living with different parents still fits.
* PowerLimiter: Saki plays better when she is without socks because it helps remind her of the first time she played mahjong and considered it fun.
* PowerWalk: Depicted in Season 1 Episode 6, when she walked past Team Ryuumonbuchi, only to trip on her own feet five steps later, and again in ''Achiga-hen'', while passing by Team Achiga, complete with BattleAura, intimidating Kuro, Harue and Shizuno even as it turns out that [[NoSenseOfDirection Saki is just trying to find her way]].
* RedEyesTakeWarning: She's normally a good girl even with red eyes, but if you're playing against her it's a valuable warning.
* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: With Nodoka.
* SamaritanSyndrome: Has a tendency to help her opponents. Whether her help will be good or bad varies on the occasion.
* SelectiveObliviousness: Nodoka's crush on her is quite noticeable to others, but Saki herself seems unaware of it.
* ShowerOfAngst: Takes one after being unable to bring herself to come see her sister's team in the National semifinals Side A.
* ShrinkingViolet: When not wrecking players like it's nobody's business, Saki would rather retreat into a book or into a chat with Nodoka.
* SpiritedCompetitor: Come the Nagano tournament, she is quite excited by the prospect of being able to play against so many other strong players.
* SuperMode: "Awakened" Saki, which manifests during her National quarterfinals match against Kasumi, Toyone and Kyouko, causing a ''minor earthquake to shake the venue''. Except this was actually the manifestation of her ''fear'' over the otherwise completely normal Kyouko, causing her to revert to her ±0 style... even as the latter begins to discover what makes Saki a force to reckon. Whether this is a true Super Mode or actually her ''default state'' prior to her parents' breakup is still under debate.
* SweetAndSourGrapes: Despite her stated dislike of mahjong early in the series, she's good enough to break even, which is more difficult than winning, much to Nodoka's frustration. It's indicated, however, that her ability to manage this feat is in part because she doesn't feel the pressure of winning. Once she enters the tournament, she commits herself to winning.
* TakeAThirdOption: Saki's prominent ±0 playstyle. Back then, she doesn't want to win because everyone will get angry at her, and of course she doesn't want to lose her New Year money or candy. Faced with bad choices, she then decided to make it so she doesn't win or lose.
* TalkingThroughTechnique: Her plan for reconciling with Teru, as the last time she saw Teru, she was unwilling to speak with her at all. This may be part of the reason why, even after getting to Tokyo, Saki is hesitant to go over to see Teru.
* [[WellDoneSonGuy "Well Done, Sis" Girl]]: She desperately wants to reconcile with Teru and get her approval, no matter how distant Teru seems. In the anime, she even has a dream about a younger Teru congratulating her younger self.
* WideEyedIdealist: Saki's idea that she can reunite her family by playing Mahjong sure is a stretch, although she does acknowledge its near-impossibility.
* WillfullyWeak: Before she decides to play seriously, she would instead aim for ±0, which is like ending a game of poker with the same amount of chips you started with.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: She's an incredibly dangerous player, known for pulling off pattern-breaking moves that ruin even the most calculated plays... and she's deep down a sad kid with a broken family, a sister who doesn't even acknowledge her, and a relative who may or may not be dead.
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!!Nodoka Haramura
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saki_nodoka_84.png
->'''Year:''' 1st\\
'''Position:''' Vice-Captain\\
'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AmiKoshimizu
One of the newer members of Team Kiyosumi, Nodoka was last year's Inter-Middle High Champion, and is considered a genius at the sport. In spite of her calm, mature appearance (and a big shelf), she has a somewhat childish side -- she cannot sleep comfortably without her penguin plushie Etopen. After losing six straight games to Saki (with a ±0, even), she initially disliked her, but upon learning of her emotional baggage, becomes her best friend and confidante.
Nodoka plays in a careful, analytical way, and is quick to discount any aspect of the game that is [[StrawVulcan not "logical"]]. She also plays online mahjong under the username "Nodocchi", where her style of deciding the best probability of getting a winning hand with quick draws and discards, thus disrupting her opponent’s pace, makes her one of online mahjong's best players. In addition, at Hisa's recommendation, she carries Etopen to help settle her down while playing in tournaments helping her reach her heightened state -- "Nodocchi Mode", in which she appears as her online avatar, dressed in white with a halo and white wings, under which state she gains quick hand-building abilities.
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* AgentScully: Because she doesn't believe in superstition, she simply doesn't notice when something weird is up. This is shown in full force come the National quarterfinals, where where by just playing normally she [[SpannerInTheWorks unwittingly derails Sae and Kinue's joint effort]] to block out Hatsumi's ability.
* AntiMagic: Because her style is [[AgentScully logic-based]], she is immune to any debuffing abilities other players can throw at her. She is still susceptible to players using self buff type abilities however, although her absolute efficiency control will usually keep her even with such opponents.
* BadassAdorable: Not quite to the extent of Saki and Koromo, but she still counts.
* BadassNormal: In a series chock-full of high-impossible powers and sheer luck, her strength lies in calculating odds, and is probably the closest the series has to this trope.
* BattleAura: An emanation of her "Nodocchi" avatar.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Nodoka is both mature and serious, as well as pretty childish, evidenced whenever she hugs Etopen while playing.
* ButtMonkey: She (and her huge breasts) is typically the subject of many of her friends' jokes. It also doesn't help that she always tries to put up a serious facade.
* CannotSpitItOut: She doesn't openly tell Saki how she feels about her. In Season 1 Episode 25, after praying at a shrine, Nodoka tells Saki that she wishes to to stay by her side forever.
* DCupDistress: Of all the busty girls in the series, Nodoka is the most sensitive about her size, particularly when people tease her or express fascination with her pair.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Subverted -- if anything, her pride was getting a beating when Saki outplayed her with ease the in the first five games they had, and she is upset by the realization that Saki, with her ability, could have won, but chose not to. She befriended Saki not because she was defeated but because Saki has a legitimate reason to keep playing mahjong and join their club.
* [[EducationMama Education Papa]]: Her father disapproves of her choosing to forgo going to a prep school in Tokyo to stay at Kiyosumi, and has contempt for mahjong and the town she lives in.
* EveryoneHasStandards: Despite her refusal to believe in the occult, she can't bring herself to express her opinion on that matter to Kuro after hearing about her dora ability's relation to her MissingMom.
* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: Etopen, her penguin plushie. It later becomes a plot point, when Hisa suggests that she hold it while playing to improve her confidence.
* {{Expy}}: Of Sigrid Aoyama, the main character of ''Manga/{{Fatalizer}}''.
* FantasyForbiddingFather: Her father doesn't think much of Mahjong, saying that it's purely a game of luck, that training camps are a waste of time and that the friends Nodoka makes through it won't be of any use in a "hick town" like where she lives. He seems to tolerate her playing mahjong to the extent that it doesn't interfere with anything more important, and reluctantly decides to "consider" letting her stay where she is if she wins the Nationals, though.
* {{Foil}}: To Saki. Her disapproving father aside, Nodoka actually enjoyed the sport and has made lots of friends with it, in stark contrast to Saki, whose bad experiences playing it with her family gave her a negative impression of mahjong.
* GagBoobs: They're prone to minor {{Gainaxing}}, and are the subject of several jokes throughout the series.
* GirlishPigtails: Turns into a single sidetail during the finals, however.
* GirlsLoveStuffedAnimals: She always carries Etopen around, even during matches.
* INeedToGoIronMyDog: Calls Saki to the restroom after Yuuki's match in the Prefectural Finals despite her initial reluctance. Once inside, Nodoka tells Saki that this was so that Yuuki could cry over her loss beyond her peers' earshot.
* InvisibleParents: Her mother, whose job is apparently why she had to move away from Achiga, is never seen.
* MsFanservice: [[RoseHairedGirl Pink hair]], [[GirlishPigtails pigtails]], [[ZettaiRyouiki thigh-high stockings]] and even [[GagBoobs huge tracts of land]].
* NewTransferStudent: During ''Achiga-hen''. She transfers schools quite a bit, and unfortunately, has difficulty settling down with a group of friends. Her goal in the series is to convince her father to let her stay at Kiyosumi by winning the tournament.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: While Nodoka's logic usually helps her most of the time, in a world where everyone can summon goddesses and cause localized earthquakes, it is still bound to fail her at some point. During the National quarterfinals, she kept foiling Kinue and Sae's plan to stop Hatsumi's power because it's just a coincidence to her. And even after she saw Hatsumi's open hand she chalked it up as a big coincidence. Sae is so annoyed she let Hatsumi complete her yakuman in Nodoka's dealer turn as revenge. The sad thing is that Nodoka is unperturbed and chalked it up again as another coincidence, much to their shock.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: She is the only player in Team Kiyousumi the media cares about because of her prestigious ranking, so she overshadowed everyone else in her team, including Saki. However it's the other way around to fellow players.
* PowerGivesYouWings: Under "Nodocchi Mode"
* {{Pride}}: Slightly [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]], but of all the Kiyosumi players, she's the most competitive, and the most concerned with her image, getting quite embarrassed when her teammates find out about her sleeping with Etopen.
* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: With Saki.
* SayingTooMuch: When playing against Kuro, she mentions offhandedly that she hasn't seen any dora tiles, inadvertently revealing that she doesn't have any. She then learns about Kuro's dora ability.
* SecurityBlanket: Etopen, her penguin plushie.
* SweetAndSourGrapes: She's initially upset that Saki, who claims she doesn't like mahjong, could beat her without so much as batting an eye. However, when Saki dedicates herself to winning the tournament so that she can reconcile with Teru, Nodoka befriends her.
* VaporWear: A shot of her backside in Season 1 Episode 1 more or less confirms that she's not wearing anything underneath her uniform.
* WhatTheHellHero: Saki and Nodoka's relationship got off to a rough start, as Nodoka expresses frustration with Saki's ±0 style, claiming she felt insulted. With Saki resolving to go to the nationals and face her sister, Nodoka drops her attitude and becomes Saki's confidante.
* ZettaiRyouiki: Wears a pair of white ones as part of her school getup.
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!!Yuuki Kataoka
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saki_yuuki_1643.png
->''"Tacos rock!"''
->'''Year:''' 1st\\
'''Position:''' Vanguard\\
'''Voiced by:''' Creator/RieKugimiya
Yuuki is Nodoka's good friend since their days at Takatobara Junior High School and her diminutive, energetic antithesis, having enrolled at Kiyosumi solely because its cafeteria sells tacos.
Yuuki specializes in rapid point-farming at the East round, giving her a greater chance of starting as the first dealer, leading Hisa to place her as Team Kiyosumi's starter, though she tends to lose steam come South round, causing her to lose points she earned in the East round.
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* BadassCape: Wears one throughout the Nationals, as if to send a message that Team Kiyosumi is no pushover.
* BigEater: Kid really loves to eat. Especially if tacos are involved.
* BirdRun: Occasionally does this in Season 1 to further emphasize her childish demeanor.
* BiTheWay: While she seems to want Kyoutaro to "check her out", Yuuki's really quite fond of Nodoka's bosom, much to the latter's discomfort.
* BookDumb: A genius at mahjong, but her brain completely burns out after filling in an arithmetic training book with (mostly wrong) answers.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: She must eat tacos to fuel her mahjong prowess.
* CripplingOverspecialization: She blows the field at East Wind... and can do not much else come the other rounds. Come the National semifinals, Hisa tried to remedy this by having her change priorities from big hands to cheap but quick ones with the intention of getting a parenchan; while Yuuki finished her semifinals match in a distant third place, it's implied that the results will be clear in the finals.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Just because she's a cutesy airhead doesn't mean she doesn't know how to lead the way in any match.
* CuteLittleFangs: A further proof of her childishness.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Considers her rivals from other schools in the Nagano tourney her friends, even the likes of Mihoko, who badly defeated her during their finals match. As such, she hates it when some reporters deride Nagano players as second-rate, since they're not just insulting her and her teammates, but also everybody else from that region.
* EverybodyHatesMathematics: Yuuki's weakness at mathematics is a problem in the long run, as she often miscalculates the scores.
* ExpressiveShirt: The cat-belt thingie that's lip-synched to her speech.
* GenkiGirl: And almost every scene featuring her is bound to be filled with her infectious, childlike energy.
* GirlishPigtails: Wears her hair with a pair of these, in line with her childish demeanor.
* HypocriticalHumor: Asking "No matter how you look at it, isn't she [Koromo] just a kid?" when she herself also looks and acts much younger than her age. Hisa lampshades on this.
* IdenticalStranger: Nishida, when seeing a photo of Nodoka's friends from Achiga, mistakes a younger Ako for her, since she was in the room at the time.
* InnocentFanserviceGirl: Just watch any of the training camp episodes. She and Team Eisui's Hatsumi may as well be soulmates.
* [[MrExposition Ms. Exposition]]: Lots and lots of Mahjong-specific TechnoBabble.
* OlderThanTheyLook[=/=]TokenMiniMoe: Appears to be around 10, in spite of being 15 or 16.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: Many consider her a weakling despite her ability to farm points in East Wind. And she would've gotten away with a strong lead during the National quarterfinals, too, had Komaki not fallen asleep and got a direct sanbaiman hit on Yuuki.
* PowerUpFood: Tacos, or anything that rhymes with it (To a lesser extent), such as ''tako''yaki.
* TookALevelInBadass: Happens before her first major match in the Nationals, where she comes into the venue sporting a cape and vows to show everyone that Kiyosumi isn't a weak team. Prior to the National semifinals, at Hisa's recommendation she also began learning how to deal with big hands and playing with fast combos. While she only managed to put Kiyosumi at third-place (due to Suzu's explosion), Satoha notes the acceleration of her hands, and muses that she must have been training with both Teru and Kuro in mind.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Tacos, which she considers to be the source of her Mahjong skills.
* VerbalTic: She often ends sentences with "da jo" or "da je".
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!!Hisa Takei
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saki_hisa_551.png
->''"Would you live the one life you're given in such a calculated way?"''
->'''Year:''' 3rd\\
'''Position:''' Lieutenant\\
'''Voiced by:''' Creator/ShizukaIto
Hisa is the StudentCouncilPresident (or "[[InsistentTerminology Student Congress President]]", as she'd rather have it) of Kiyosumi High School, as well as club leader of its mahjong team, now in her final playing year. Having once went by the surname "Ueno", back in middle-school she shared a rivalry with Mihoko Fukuji, currently of Team Kazekoshi, but mysteriously withdrew from individual competition.
Her style revolves around "hell waits," meaning she'd be on standby for anyone with either one tile left in play or requiring one tile to win, disorienting her opponents and allowing her to trick them into playing right into her hand. She also tends to choose the route with the lowest win rate. Despite her strength, she prefers being a team player, which she became come third year.
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* AgentMulder: In contrast to reality-focused Nodoka, Hisa is always prepared to take the supernatural elements of mahjong into account to plan for her strategy.
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Asks her quote of Nodoka when talking about her playstyle.
* {{Badass}}: Given the proper encouragement and training, and with an experience playing at the individuals, Hisa can become one of the most dangerous team players in Japan.
* ClubPresident[=/=]StudentCouncilPresident: Is president of both Kiyosumi's mahjong club and it's student [[InsistentTerminology congress]].
* CoolBigSis: To the freshmen of Team Kiyosumi.
* EnemyMine: During the National semifinals Side B, she realizes that if Team Usuzan falls under 0, both they and Team Kiyosumi will be eliminated. She then decides to prevent that from happening while trying to gain points against Rinkai and Himematsu. However, she's also aware that Team Usuzan will need to win off anyone, including Hisa, so the latter decides that she'd promptly rid herself of Team Usuzan once Team Kiyosumi hits at least second-place.
* FriendlyRival: With Mihoko, which has actually toned down from their junior-high days.
* GenreSavvy: She is well aware that some rather unlikely things tend to happen around a lot of players, including herself winning with really bad waits.
* GirlishPigtails: Wore her hair on a pair of hairbands during her previous competitive season. She does so again come the Nationals.
* {{Guile Hero}}ine: Skilled at manipulating other players' thoughts to her advantage.
* HeroicBSOD: Prior to the National quarterfinals, she becomes stricken with fear and convinces herself that her opponents are too strong, and ends up screwing up the early portion of her match and falls to last place, before she regains her composure and help Team Kiyosumi claw its way back to second place.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Mako.
* HonorBeforeReason: During the Nagano individual finals, she trusted her ability to the very end. It allowed her to win the hand but it lowered her score such that she couldn't overtake Saki.
* IdiotHair: Not that she's an idiot, but she does have one.
* InsistentTerminology: She'd rather be called "Student ''Congress'' President", and even then she strongly prefers going by "Buchou" ("Club President") over that.
* TheLastDance: Since she is in her third year, the current tournament will be her last chance to compete.
* MsExposition: She shares this role with Yuuki.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: During the National quarterfinals, Saki is worried that Hisa is not playing like her usual self, but Nodoka believes it's a good thing that she isn't doing her "hell waits" style like usual, and Mako notices the abrupt change and restored confidence in herself, wondering if she's really alright.
* PassiveAggressiveKombat: Her play style in a nutshell.
* PerformanceAnxiety: For all her smarts, one of Hisa's most glaring weaknesses is that she tends to worry too much about her chances of winning, which led to a full-on HeroicBSOD during the National quarterfinals, from which she only recovered at the last minute.
* RuleOfCool: Her FinishingMove when she has a game-winning hand.
-->'''Mihoko''': "That poor tile..."
* SlasherSmile: Tends to sport one whenever she thinks she has the upper hand.
* SpotOfTea: Occasionally seen sipping a cup of tea together with Mako.
* {{Troll}}: Has some shades of this, as her initial idea for having Nodoka play with Etopen at her side was for "joke material," and she, possibly deliberately, gives some [[InnocentInnuendo misleading double entendres]] about what happened between her and Yumi at [[ClingyJealousGirl Momoko's]] presence.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Seems to be getting onto this with Hiroe, whose taunting her to get her out of her HeroicBSOD in the quarterfinals has given way to good-natured banter in the semifinals.
* WillfullyWeak: In the Nagano individuals, she didn't play seriously until she heard the argument between Saki and Nodoka.
* YouAreNotAlone: A main source of Hisa's emotional strength lay in her realization of how far she has gotten since first stepping onto Kiyosumi -- from solo player in her first year to a two-girl team with Mako come second-year... to having not only a full team, but dozens of friends and supporters (inside and outside school, including regional rivals) in her final year.
----
!!Mako Someya
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saki_mako_6490.png
->''"That view that the president said she wants to see... I will also show it to Grandpa!"''
->'''Year:''' 2nd\\
'''Position:''' Sergeant\\
'''Voiced by:''' Creator/RyokoShiraishi
Mako is the sole eleventh-grader in Team Kiyosumi, as well as Hisa's best friend and confidante. Her peculiar manner of speech appears to be a result of being raised by her grandfather -- she uses the [[JapanesePronouns pronoun]] "washi", which is usually used only by old men. Her family owns a mahjong parlor (maid cafe in the anime).
Mako plays with her photographic memory, which she calls “Spindle Territory”. During matches, she takes of her glasses and compares the game to others she has seen in the past.
----
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Having watched thousands of mahjong matches early in life, she uses memories of them to develop her own strategies to get around her opponents' plays.
* [[DramaticNecklaceRemoval Dramatic Glasses Removal]]: When she does get serious.
* TheGlassesComeOff: She does this when using her PhotographicMemory.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Hisa.
* IDontKnowMortalKombat: She often loses to raw or inexperienced players because they play in a method outside of the scope of her ability. This was apparently remedied via studying Maho's style at training camp.
* JapanesePronouns: Mako uses the pronoun "washi", which is normally the domain of older men. She was raised by her grandfather, so she apparently picked up his speech habits; in a flashback in Chapter 117, another member of Mako's family tells her that even if she likes her grandfather, she shouldn't mimic his speech patterns..
* [[SirNotAppearingInThisTrailer Madam-Not-Appearing-in-this-Pinup]]: In several magazine pinups where Saki, Nodoka, Yuuki and Hisa were present, Mako was entirely absent.
* OhCrap:
** During the Nagano finals, when Kaori gets a Yakuman on her during Mako's dealer turn, which Kaori, in her inexperience, had claimed was a cheaper hand.
** When she realized that Hao is playing ''Chinese'' mahjong, something with which Mako has no familiarity.
* PhotographicMemory: Mako has memorized nearly every match she's seen played at her grandpa's mahjong parlor. In practice, though, this tends to yield mixed results -- it failed her against Kaori, a total newcomer with an unpredictable playstyle, as well as Hao, who plays a completely foreign form of the sport, but helped her win against the more orthodox-minded Aislinn.
* ScaryShinyGlasses: Gets them at times, such as when challenging Kaori to a rematch of their Nagano finals match (with Tomoki and Miharu). [[EpicFail Kaori wins again.]]
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!!Kyoutaro Suga
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saki_kyoutarou_8201.png
->'''Year:''' 1st\\
'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JunFukuyama
TheOneGuy of Team Kiyosumi, who mostly serves as comic relief and errand boy, as well as Saki's long-time classmate since middle school. Between his mediocre skills, his unrequited crush on Nodoka (and later Mihoko), and being delegated with heavy work by Hisa, Kyoutaro generally has a hard time. His relative lack of familiarity with mahjong allows him to act as TheWatson, giving Hisa and Yuuki the opportunity to explain things for the benefit of the audience. During the tournament, he becomes their errand boy and is currently serving as Yuuki’s... taco delivery boy.
-----
* ButtMonkey: He spends most of his time running errands for the club, and isn't very good at mahjong.
* DaydreamSurprise: The story will occasionally segue into his {{fanservice}}y fantasies of Nodoka and/or Mihoko.
* HeroicBSOD: PlayedForLaughs after the Nagano individuals, where he loses badly and is eliminated by lunch time (albeit partly because the men's tournament had more participants and an earlier elimination).
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: He gets this at times. For example, in the anime, Hisa said she locked the ''three'' first-years out of the mahjong club so Yuuki can focus on studying for the exam she has to retake. Mako then reminds Hisa that there are four first-years, and it shows Kyoutarou out doing errands as usual.
* TheOneGuy: The sole male in the mahjong club, and one of the few recurring male characters in the series.
* TheWatson: His relative inexperience at mahjong allows Hisa and Yuuki to play [[MrExposition Ms. Exposition]].
----
!Achiga All-Girls' Academy -- Nara
Not considered a powerhouse unlike neighboring Bansei, Team Achiga once upset the balance of power in Nara ten years ago when it eliminated Bansei in the prefectural qualifiers and eventually qualifying for the Nationals, only to fall at the semifinals to the eventual champions, led by Sukoya, with their ace player Harue being traumatized into quitting, and ultimately disbanded next year after a disastrous prefectural season. Its resurgence after nine years of inactivity, as well as the fact that it qualified once more for the Nationals, has surprised some observers.
As of present Team Achiga, now coached by Harue, has qualified for the finals, which will be the highest the school will have attained regardless of outcome, in the process overtaking the massive lead of two-time defending champion Shiraitodai.
!!Shizuno Takakamo
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SakiShizuno_5159.png
->''"Nodoka! We will definitely make it to the finals! So Nodoka, join us! In the finals!"''
->'''Year:''' 1st\\
'''Position:''' Captain\\
'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AoiYuuki
The daughter of a confectioner, Shizuno is one of the first girls her age that Nodoka befriended during her stay in Nara. Energetic and excitable, she is the driving force behind the revival of Team Achiga, as well as its unprecedented return to the Nationals after a decade. Outside of school, she is never seen without her trademark track jacket and... [[GoingCommando nothing else, actually]]. While an above-average orthodox player, Shizuno is noted for her determination and energy.
During the National semifinals Side A, however, Shizuno ultimately reveals her hidden power: "The Lord of the Mountain Depths". Born of her love for long walks along the mountains around her hometown, this ability lets her intuitively sense possible draws from the dead wall (which can be read as "mountain"). Coupled with the dice roll results, she can use this to counter or outright negate her opponents' abilities.
----
* ACupAngst: Not in-series, but Shizu has voiced her insecurities regarding her bust size (compared to her friends) during a post-credit skit in ''Achiga-hen''. A manga omake has her distressed after noticing that Ako's height and chest size have increased since they were in elementary school, while hers have largely remained the same.
* AGlassInTheHand: In ''Zenkoku-hen'', does this with a rice ball while taking a break from practice to eat lunch with Kei and her friends.
* AntiMagic: What Shizu's ability effectively is, as it shuts down both Ryuuka's Toki-fueled futuresight and Awai's double-riichi explosion.
* ArchEnemy: A ''very'' disgruntled Awai has labeled Shizu as this after catching her off-guard with her hidden ability. [[UnknownRival The feeling is not mutual.]]
* BadassBoast
-->"Senriyama are strong. Shiratodai are strong. We know that...! But we're strong too! And compared to this morning, right now, we are much stronger!"
* BadassNormal: Even commented on by Team Senriyama's Hiroko, when she notes how Achiga's juniors and seniors show weird draw patterns. As a freshman, Shizuno is obviously not included.
* BattleAura: Shizu has ''two'', as revealed in the finale: a fiery halo, like the ones seen with Japanese temple guardians, and a gigantic Brocken spectre, the latter of which only Awai can see. Might be an unintentional ShoutOut, given an [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica earlier series]] [[Creator/AoiYuuki Shizu]] and [[Creator/ChiwaSaito Awai's]] voice actresses were part of.
* BluntYes: Gives one to Nodoka when they were in Achiga together. Keep in mind that the two are in elementary school at the time.
-->'''Nodoka''': ''(struggling to keep up)'' "Shizu, Ako...! ''(Gulp)'' You're going too fast... There's no need for running. Why sprint away all of a sudden? Are you kids?"\\
'''Shizuno''': "''Yes, we are!''"
* ChildhoodFriends: With Ako, Kuro and (before her transfer to Nagano) Nodoka.
* {{Determinator}}: If there's anything sure about Shizu (aside from not wearing pants) it's that she will ''never give up'', no matter how stacked the odds.
* DullEyesOfUnhappiness: PlayedForLaughs after Koromo floors her during a training session.
* EleventhHourSuperpower: The "Lord of the Mountain" stance. Koromo says that Shizuno, while using it, thwarted her latter two attempts at Haitei Raoyue, but it only fully manifests in the Captains' match of the semifinals.
* EnlightenmentSuperpowers: The way she awakens to her hidden ability is not unlike Japanese ''yamabushi'' monks in the ancient ages. Or perhaps a taoist.
* GenkiGirl: Shizuno is such a big bag of cheerful energy that, in an extra chapter, she spontaenously decides to take a mountain hike (missing Kuro and Nodoka in the process) ''because it looked fun''.
* GilliganCut: She declares that she's "got this" before her quarterfinals match, before the camera cuts to her in dire straits.
* GivingSomeoneThePointerFinger: She has a tendency to do this at times.
* GoingCommando: Par for course for the franchise, but Shizu's a glaring example for ''Achiga-hen'', as she runs around with just the jacket of a tracksuit, without the pants, which makes it ''painfully'' obvious that she's not wearing anything underneath. Ironically her concept art has her wearing spats.
* NatureHero: Spending long hours like a mountain monkey have awakened in her an intrinsic mahjong power.
* MissingStepsPlan: Since Shizuno is [[GenkiGirl highly enthusiastic but not much for thinking things through]], this happens with her plan to see Nodoka again. Thankfully, some of her friends, such as Ako, help her fill in the missing steps.
-->1. Go to Achiga\\
2. ?\\
3. Go to the Nationals\\
4. Face Nodoka again!
* PluckyGirl: Especially evident in the last match of the quarterfinals, where, after a difficult beginning, she perseveres and gets just the draw she needs to win.
* TomboyishPonytail: Wears her hair like this, although it's more as a testament to her energy.
* WorthyOpponent: She sees Saki as this, lampshaded in ''Achiga-hen'' Episode 3, when Saki scared her off with BattleAura while walking away casually. For a while Shizu was UnknownRival to Saki, until Koromo warn her about Shizuno's hidden ability. Considering Saki's surprisingly mild reaction to Koromo's warning, whether the rivalry feeling is mutual or not yet is still under debate.
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!!Ako Atarashi
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SakiAko_4578.png
->'''Year:''' 1st\\
'''Position:''' Lieutenant\\
'''Voiced by:''' Creator/NaoTouyama
Another girl Nodoka befriended while in Nara, Ako is Shizuno's neighbor and childhood friend. The younger sister of Harue's old teammate Nozomi, Ako was the second-best player of the children's club that Harue oversaw. She attended a different middle school than Shizuno and Nodoka (Adamine Middle High School, to be exact), and actually planned to enroll in Bansei, but after she hears about Shizuno's plans she gladly enters Achiga instead, where she serves as Team Achiga's ace in the hole, being the only girl with some experience in a national tournament, having placed sixteenth overall during the Nara tourney back as a player for Team Adamine.
Ako's style seems to revolve around scoring via quick hands with small point totals.
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* ACupAngst: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]], because while she's not exactly flat-chested, she does occasionally wish she had breasts as large as Yuu's.
* BadassNormal[=/=]BoringButPractical: Ako's way of playing is not flashy at all, but it does its job, allowing gains without the massive risks that could be found in some of her teammates' playstyles.
* ChildhoodFriends: With Shizuno, Kuro and (for a few years) Nodoka.
* GilliganCut: While discussing her strategy for her National semifinals match against Team Shiraitodai's Takami...
-->'''Shizuno:''' "So what's the plan? Try to avoid dealer repeats and when you are in tenpai as dealer, say you aren't?"\\
'''Ako:''' "That's right. [[TemptingFate A pretty simple counter strategy]]."\\
''(Cut to the match)''\\
'''Ako:''' "[[OhCrap Or so I thought! This is bad!]]"
* IGotBigger: Back in their childhood, Shizuno was OneHeadTaller than Ako. Come tenth-grade, the latter has already grown taller (and bustier). Shizuno airs her distress about this development, and the fact that she largely remained petite, during a post-credits skit.
* IdenticalStranger: When she was younger, she resembled Yuuki. When Nishida is interviewing Nodoka about her friends on the Achiga team, she even mistakes Ako for Yuuki in an old photo.
* JapaneseSiblingTerminology: Uses "Onee-chan" on her older sister Nozomi, and "Yuu-nee" on her friend Kuro's older sister Yuu.
* OhCrap: After realizing that she won with a cheap hand against Takami. She enters a minor HeroicBSOD, and Hitomi has to get her attention.
* TheLancer: To Shizuno and Team Achiga.
* TemptingFate: She thinks it's simple to avoid dealer repeats against Takami, but when she gets down to it, she can't manage to do so.
* UndesirablePrize: Ako knows she shouldn't win as a dealer when Shibuya is on the table, but does so nonetheless.
* YankTheDogsChain: In ''Saki Biyori'', she plays online mahjong and gets into a yakuman tenpai, only to lose her connection.
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!!Kuro Matsumi
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SakiKuro_139.png
->''"Even if you don't come back... I'll be waiting."''
->'''Year:''' 2nd\\
'''Position:''' Vanguard\\
'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KanaHanazawa
The youngest daughter of the owner of Achiga's local inn, Kuro was the star of Achiga children's mahjong club, of which Shizuno, Nodoka and Ako were members. Although the club disbanded when Harue went pro, Kuro patiently continued to look after their clubroom, hoping her friends would return one day. All her hard work paid off when, years later, Shizuno and Ako return to share her goal of going to the Nationals, so they could play with Nodoka again.
Kuro has a special ability that helps increase the points of her hands: ''all'' dora tiles sooner or later get drawn to her. This means that when she scores, she usually scores big, but limits the kinds of hands she can make. There is another downside to this -- she cannot discard dora tiles, lest she lose the ability to gather doras for a few games afterward.
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* AchievementsInIgnorance: By holding on to her dora, she (unwittingly) manages to keep Teru from running roughshod over her competition.
* CryCute: Breaks down before Yuu after her National quarterfinals match, where she lost too many points to Toki, and again after her semifinals match, this time in regret over how she (apparently) did nothing while Toki and Kirame sacrificed themselves to spare their teams (and Achiga) from Teru's rampage.
* FailedASpotCheck: PlayedForDrama -- Kuro never noticed that her win against Teru was only made possible by the sacrifices done by both Toki and Kirame. She only learns about it when her friends point it out to her after the Vanguard match. At this point she breaks down crying, blaming herself for (apparently) doing nothing to help.
* FreudianExcuse: In an extra chapter, Yuu suggests that Kuro likes large breasts because they remind her of her mother.
* GlassCannon: Kuro's style can be compared to this, where she's capable of scoring huge hands when the situation is right due to her dora magnet ability. However her defense is terrible, and an opponent who knows about her ability can literally play around her -- as shown by Toki during the quarterlies of Side-A, where she ran away with a 90,000 point lead.
* InvisibleParents: Kuro and Yuu's father is apparently alive and runs their family's inn, but has never been seen.
* TheLoad: For a good chunk of the Vanguards' match against Teru, all Kuro could do was flinch and whimper while Kirame and Toki did most of the work fending away Teru's streaks.
* MissingMom: Her (and Yuu's) mother died when they were very young, which badly affected the girl. It's also the reason why Kuro is unable to let go of any dora tiles, as she feels it would mean saying goodbye to her mother again. [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness Nodoka, normally dismissive of the supernatural, can't bring herself to dismiss Kuro's beliefs regarding dora tiles to her face]].
* MyGreatestFailure: Constantly losing team points during her turn at the table during the Nationals -- when the group is debating whether Harue has lost hope in their chances of victory, she blames herself for losing so many points. Also, during the semis, failing to realize that the two other Vanguards on the table (Toki and Kirame) had formed an impromptu alliance, and as a result was not able to ''actively'' help them in taking down Teru.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: As with Yuuki, she often ends up facing some of the best players in Japan, unless they have a different approach (such as deliberately aiming to survive the round, rather than win, like Shindouji does). It's best indicated in how her sister Yuu, who's about her skill level, tends to win the Sergeant match, in which there is less likely to be strong players.
* RedBaron: "The Dragon [[SheIsTheKing Lord]] of Achiga"
* SkinshipGrope: Gives one to her sister in the brief shot of the girls on the beach in the PSP game's opening.
* SpannerInTheWorks: When Kuro finally stopped being TheLoad, her first major move ''halts'' Teru's rampage by way of discarding a dora, a move she is normally loathe to use. Even before that, Toki, noticing how upset Kuro appears, thinks that she has (unwittingly) proven helpful by attracting all the dora tiles, making it more difficult for Teru to increase the value of her hand.
* ThanksForTheMammary: When taking a step back on the street, she accidentally puts her hand on the invisible Momoko's breasts, and for a moment, mistakes her for her sister, based on touch.
* TheWorfEffect: Kuro is supposedly one of the best players of Team Achiga; however, come the Nationals, her dora-focused playstyle, as well as going up against some of the best players (including Toki and Teru herself) made her lose the most points per match. By contrast, Yuu, who is approximately Kuro's skill level and has a relatively easier time in the Sergeants' match, has gotten positive scores throughout the tournament.
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: In the match against Teru, she has an internal monologue about all the people she's parted from, before preparing to discard her dora tiles, declaring that even if those she parts from won't come back, she will still wait.
* ZettaiRyouiki: A black pair.
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!!Yuu Matsumi
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SakiYuu2_6954.png
->''"Kuro-chan has always been the one to save me... But today, it's [[JapaneseSiblingTerminology Onee]]-[[ThirdPersonPerson chan]]'s turn to fight!"''
->'''Year:''' 3rd\\
'''Position:''' Sergeant\\
'''Voiced by:''' MAKO
Yuu, Kuro's older sister, is the sole twelfth-grader in Team Achiga, and one of two (besides Arata) without a direct connection to Nodoka. Sickly ever since she was young and easily chilled, Yuu is always seen wearing layers upon layers of thick clothing, complete with mufflers and mittens, even during summer. Like her younger sister, Yuu is a competent player, but her skill is complemented by a special ability to draw "warm" tiles (any tile with a red component to its face) to her hand. Unlike Kuro's ability, though, it doesn't have an associated drawback.
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* AttackItsWeakPoint: As she effectively avoids Sumire's arrows, she then scores against her when her defense is at its weakest.
* BigSisterInstinct: Usually inverted, in that Kuro usually protects Yuu from bullies back in their childhood, but played straight during the National quarterfinals, when she decides to return the favor after Kuro loses many points in the quarterfinals, thinking it's her turn to stand up for her little sister.
* BlankWhiteEyes: Fairly common when she gets flustered.
* DeclarationOfProtection: Her quote, as seen above.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: In her first scene, she's shown relaxing under a kotatsu in summer when she greets Kuro, then displays her shyness when she's surprised to see Ako (whom she knows) and Shizuno. After she gets over her shock at hearing that they want her for the revived Achiga mahjong club, she says she's very happy, having wanted to be in the children's club with her sister.
* {{Foil}}: The Matsumis can be seen as one to the Miyanagas. Kuro and Yuu are very close (even after their mother's death), in sharp contrast to how a tragedy tore Saki and Teru apart.
* HiddenBuxom: It's not obvious from how she dresses, but Kuro is correct, and her breasts are comparable to Nodoka's.
* IKnowYouKnowIKnow: After realizing Izumi has her figured out in the quarter-finals, she remembers that she's played against her sister and her other friends, who know her even better than Izumi does. Thanks to this strategy, and the fact that Hiroko mis-identified Yuu's drawing pattern, Yuu manages to win the Sergeants' round.
* IllGirl: It's unclear why exactly she has to dress in multiple layers to stay warm even in summer, but her condition has been present since she was a small child.
* MissingMom: Half of the reason why she works in the school greenhouse is because it's warm, and the other half is because it has many of her mother's favorite flowers.
* NiceGirl: In spite of her shyness, she's kind, good-natured and polite.
* ScarfOfAsskicking: Her muffler, while usually making Yuu look more cuddle-worthy, can also turn into this, as shown in her match with Sumire.
* ShrinkingViolet: She has some problems with social awkwardness, especially when she says that she had wanted to join the mahjong club, but didn't feel as though she could.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: Yuu looks almost exactly like her mother, except for hair color.
----
!!Arata Sagimori
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SakiArata_6453.png
->''"I didn't want to see her surrounded by kids. I wanted to keep watching her in her dignified and strong phase."''
->'''Year:''' 2nd\\
'''Position:''' Vice-Captain\\
'''Voiced by:''' Creator/YumiUchiyama
The granddaughter of the owner of the local bowling alley, Arata is probably Harue's biggest fan. While an avid player since very early in life, she stopped after Harue's team lost during the national semifinals. After some convincing by Kuro, she finally joins Team Achiga as club president, finally rounding off their roster.
Arata's main play style is very much influenced by bowling, especially with how she prefers waits using "pin" tiles. As Hiroko quickly notes, the tiles she ends up playing usually looks like the (bowling) pin arrangement one gets after the first roll in bowling (or ryanmen waits). This ''not'' her only way of playing however, as she also has another "outdated" style that is inspired by how Harue played ten years prior.
----
* {{Ascended Fan|boy}}girl: Idolized Harue throughout her childhood, and eventually became one of her protégés come high-school.
* BadassBoast: At the semifinals, when Harue worries that her old necktie will be bad luck, Arata reassures her that she will take it to the finals.
* BrokenPedestal: Arata pretty much lost all faith in the game after she found out that Harue quit mahjong, even casually. It caused her to stop playing for ''years'' as a result, and she initially refused to join Team Achiga because she wanted to see Harue as a pro, rather than teaching children mahjong.
** RebuiltPedestal: ...But Harue returning to mentor Team Achiga brings her back to the game as well, especially after hearing about Harue playing for a corporate team.
* ClubPresident: Harue chose Arata for the position in spite of Yuu being a third-year, because she is composed and reliable.
* CustomUniform: She wears Harue's necktie instead of the ribbon for her uniform.
* CynicismCatalyst: After Harue stopped playing mahjong, Arata becomes somewhat more gloomy and cynical than when she was as younger, even after Harue returns to coach her and the others.
* {{Expy}}: She's pretty much a carbon copy of Ritz Kobayashi, the mangaka, as [[TheCameo she appears]] in ''TheLegendOfKoizumi''.
** EarlyBirdCameo: Thus, her appearance in that manga is this trope.
* HeroWorshipper: A massive one for Harue.
* MegaManning: During her National semifinals match she reveals that, besides her bowling-influenced style, she also copied some aspects of Harue's old play style and mixed it with her own.
* {{Motifs}}: Her gameplay is strongly influenced by bowling.
* NumberOneDime: Let's just say that Arata ''really'' treasures the necktie that Harue gave her ten years before.
* TheReliableOne: Arata is chosen as ClubPresident for this reason.
----
!!Harue Akado
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SakiHarue_8270.png
->''"I left something behind at those semi-finals back then. But if I can personally experience that tournament again, I might be able to get it back."''
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/NaomiShindo
Harue is the adviser of Team Achiga and herself an alumna of a past incarnation of the team that shocked Nara Prefecture by defeating high-ranking Team Bansei ten years ago and qualifying for the Nationals. Unfortunately, one brutal loss to Sukoya later at the semifinals (as a Vice-Captain), and Harue was traumatized after losing too many points beyond repair. She stopped playing for years after that, and for a while was content to teach the kids of her hometown's children's club. She is eventually scouted by Kumakura, and spends the next few years playing professionally for the Hakata Evergreens, a Fukuoka-based corporate team.
When financial woes (and an early playoffs exit) forced the Evergreens to disband, Harue goes back to her hometown to think of what to do next, only to be surprised by the revival of her old high-school team, gunning anew for the Nationals. Seeing it as a chance to redeem herself, she decides to become club adviser, intent to see if her protégés can succeed where she failed.
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* BreakTheCutie: Losing her team too many points during her match against Sukoya, which in turn cost Achiga the chance to advance further in the Nationals, really did a number on poor Harue.
* BrokenAce: Back in her day she was touted as one of Team Achiga's greatest players. Then came Sukoya, and she was never the same again. Fortunately she got better as the days passed mentoring the current Team Achiga, more so after they reach the National finals, helping her regain her self-confidence.
* HistoryRepeats: As Harue told Nozomi while the latter was driving her back to Achiga, the Evergreens were on a roll during last year's tournament. However, come the National playoffs, Harue once again failed the team, as she is still having flashbacks of that devastating loss to Sukoya back in high school.
* HyperAwareness: Harue has a surprising knack of noticing things that others, including pros, commentators and coaches, would miss, like Sumire's tell or the trigger of Awai's other abilities. While it might seem to come out of nowhere, especially since she's never shown any of this prior to the semis, the way it's presented actually makes sense since while other coaches look only at the players' records (see Team Kiyosumi's Hisa or Team Himematsu's Funakubo), Harue actually watches the videos of the accompanying match. It's alluded that she does this ''repeatedly'' too.
* HypocriticalHumor: Giving Kuro a bop on the head and scolding her for sexually harassing Nodoka in their first meeting, when she herself was fascinated by Nodoka's breasts.
* InformedAbility: Harue is never shown actually giving her wards ''any'' kind of playing advice. Whether or not this is a sign of a hands-off coaching style begs to be seen, although she does have them play many games with each other, and arranges for matches with other schools. Then we're finally shown several instances of her doing ''actual'' coaching, personally retraining Kuro, fresh off a bad game against Teru. Apparently all the coaching she did prior to this was done off-screen.
* MyGreatestFailure: Losing her team too many points, which led to its elimination in the Nationals. As such, she relates to Kuro, who lost too many points during the semifinals.
-->"If you lose big, keep moving forward even if you lose again."
** MyGreatestSecondChance: As such, she treats tutoring the first reincarnation of Team Achiga in a decade to be her one last chance to redeem herself. So much so she declines an offer from Hayari (courtesy of Toshi) to become a pro until after the tournament.
* PoorCommunicationKills: In a case that was largely the result of bad timing, she tells Team Achiga in no uncertain terms that they're unlikely to get through the semifinals with both Teams Senriyama and Shiratodai. Later that night, the girls happen to overhear a conversation between her and Kumakura regarding her going pro, which causes some of them to believe that she had given up on them.
* RedBaron: "Legend", though only to the girls of Team Achiga and the Children's Mahjong Club.
* TearsOfJoy: Cries in relief after her protégés finally accomplish the one thing she failed to do ten years ago -- reach the National finals.
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Click [[Characters/{{Saki}} here]] for the characters portal.
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!Kiyosumi High School -- Nagano
The mahjong club of Kiyosumi, an otherwise nondescript school from Nagano Prefecture, was restarted by Hisa Takei two years ago and was its lone member until Mako Someya joined the following year. After an influx of freshmen, the club enters its first mahjong tournament.
As of the current chapter, Team Kiyosumi, which made waves by winning the Nagano tournament in its first competitive season ever, is playing at the National semifinals Side B, against Himematsu (from their quarterfinals bracket, B-1), Rinkai and Usuzan, while Saki and Nodoka, 3rd- and 2nd-placers at the Nagano individuals, respectively, are slated to play at the National individuals.
!!Saki Miyanaga
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saki_saki_5776.png
->''"Mahjong is fun, isn't it?"''
->'''Year:''' 1st\\
'''Position:''' Captain\\
'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KanaUeda
Saki is a shy, bookish freshman who claims to hate mahjong in spite of her near-supernatural luck which allows her to consistently end matches with ±0 (which is harder than winning). After Nodoka helps her confront her personal demons -- that is, a bad impression of her own sport because her family used to be sore losers and arrogant winners -- she decides to join Kiyosumi's mahjong team, hoping to one day reach the National Inter-High School Tournament and see again her estranged older sister Teru, the current national champion, whom she hadn't seen since their parents separated.
Aside from her uncanny ±0 play style, she has affinity to get a rare yaku Rinshan Kaihou off the dead wall. After the Nagano quarterfinals, it is revealed Saki still uses her old ±0 style, except that instead of settling down with that score, she actually manipulates everyone else's scores in her favor.
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* {{Adorkable}}: Would you believe that one of the most dangerous girls in mahjong is also a shy bookworm who tends to get lost in competition venues and frequently trips on thin air?
* AwfulTruth: She's aware that Teru is angry with her, but is quite disturbed to hear her [[IHaveNoSon telling people that she doesn't have a sister]], making her wonder if reconciliation is impossible.
* BadassAdorable[=/=]BadassBookworm: Cute as a button, isn't she? Well, try telling that to everyone who discovered how dangerous she is on the table.
* BattleAura: In the form of a burning right eye.
* BornLucky: ItRunsInTheFamily.
* CharacterTitle: Of every title in the series, even the ones she has no direct involvement in, such as ''Achiga-hen'' and ''Shinohayu''.
* CharacterDevelopment: Used to dislike mahjong with a passion due to several bad memories of playing it, but as the first season rolled she learns to gradually love her sport, as she openly tells Koromo.
* TheChessmaster: Everybody who has played against her deeply fears her ability to manipulate scores and still go around smiling like it's nobody's business.
** During the Nagano semifinals, she helped Kana get past ±0, but because she formed a basic yaku, she couldn't just win with ron, so the only way for her to score is to draw a 6-dotted tile, to which Saki called pon, meaning there's only one of the 6 dots left. While Kana panicked over the last one, Saki ''knew'' it's on the dead wall which was untouched unless by kan, and drew said 6-pin for her. She then declared kan, so Kana could steal it with a chankan -- except earlier Saki opened her point sticks drawer ''before'' Kana can declare ron, in the process opening more kan dora that helped raised Kana's point by 3 han and earn 16,900 points. Which was more like a HopeSpot, because Saki's quick play ruined Kana's chances.
** During the Nagano finals, Koromo was forced to discard the 1-pin tile she drew to keep her yaku, knowing this will play right into Saki's hand.
** At the National quarterfinals, she broke Kasumi's streak by discarding 8-sou for Kyouko's call. She also declared kan simply to shift drawing order to her favor; whether or not Kyouko's win of that hand is orchestrated, Saki quickly wrapped that match up with a cheap hand to take the lead.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: A minor case, but Saki's thought processes don't usually match that of a normal player. She often comes to conclusions at odds with what observers to her matches can really see, and ends up with a 1/5 in her Analysis statistic. To wit...
** During the Nagano finals, she started to worry that Yumi can stop her Rinshan ''all the time'', even as the latter muses that she has most likely used up her luck for the year in that single move.
** During the National quarterfinals, she panics and sees ''Kyouko'', the only normal player in the match, to be the biggest threat on the table (and the last person she wants to continue to the semifinals), and ''not'' the goddess-possessed Kasumi. Even as ''everyone else on the table'' starts to fear Saki as though she was the Devil incarnate, complete with intimidating BattleAura and supernatural manifestations (in this case, a localized earthquake).
* CuteBookworm: Outside the mahjong table Saki likes nothing more than to read.
* CuteClumsyGirl: She manages to trip over nothing near the end of Season 1 Episode 6 after unwittingly intimidating Team Ryuumonbuchi with her BattleAura, and again in Episode 23.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[http://sadpanda.us/images/1628808-0UZ5S3N.png There is a clear reason why the Miyanaga sisters broke apart and why Saki is an unstable emotional wreck most of the time.]]
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Earned a reputation for herself after beating the nigh-invincible Koromo.
* {{Dismotivation}}: Saki's default state at the beginning of the series. As mentioned by Hisa, she doesn't even think about winning for a second. She's moved on since then. Mostly.
* TheDreaded: Never mind that outside the mahjong board Saki is just like your average cute dorky schoolgirl. Everybody else who played her (or at least watched intently) deeply fear her ability to control the points in her favor.
* {{Expy}}: Of Min Yuri, the deuteragonist of Ritz' previous manga, ''Manga/{{Fatalizer}}'', being a timid girl with a fearsome power.
* FinishingMove: A yaku rinshan kaihou off the dead wall, which she can frequently use.
* {{Foil}}: To Nodoka, in that she stopped enjoying mahjong due to bad experiences playing it with her family, in contrast to Nodoka, who made friends with that game.
* HeroicBSOD: After hearing that Teru has disowned her. She's not entirely surprised, but begins to doubt whether even facing and winning against Teru in mahjong will be enough to make up with her.
* HyperAwareness: According to Hisa, Saki is very good with hands-on mahjong because of this. In many occasions it's implied she could sense the presence of tile, or even see it before she draws it. Showcased wonderfully when she played online for the first time, where she complains that she cannot intuitively sense the flow of the game.
* ImpossibleTask: Her ±0 style. As said in Season 1 Episode 1, even a pro's winning percentage is 30% on average, and breaking even like Saki did is even harder when done on purpose. Not to mention, it's implied that Saki started playing with this style when she was around six.
* InSeriesNickname: She gained quite a number from her fellow players.
** Mako -- "Zero Child"
** Momo -- "Rinshan Kaihou-san"
** Koromo (and other players) -- "Rinshan-user"
* LetsGetDangerous: Whenever she plays seriously. Just try to pull off what she does all the time even once. One extreme case is finishing her second game in the club with four concealed triplets, on a draw after a tsumo, and thinking that would make her score ±0. Come the Nagano finals, Koromo plays into three consecutive kan, and by the tournament rules, had to pay for all the points Saki would've earned, thus ending in Saki's comeback victory.[[hottip:Note:For those who want the exact combo, it was "An all-circles all pons/kans three concealed pons/kans three kans 1 red dora tsumo after a kan" worth 32,000 points. Don't forget about that rule, either...]]
* MeaningfulName: "Saki" means "to bloom." Saki's signature move, Rinshan Kaihou, means "the flower that blooms atop the mountain." Lampshaded in a flashback.
-->'''Saki''': "Bloom? It's the same! As my name!"\\
'''Teru''': "That's right, Saki. On a tall mountain beyond the forest, that's where the flower blooms. You are just like that flower... strong..."
* MetaphoricallyTrue: Due to HeroicSelfDeprecation and {{Cloudcuckoolander}} tendencies, many of her statements result to this. In the beginning, Saki said she always lost against her family, triggering her dislike of mahjong. From the words alone, it would lead us to believe that she's not good. Further context reveals, however, that she can score ±0 at will, causing her to [[ILetYouWin always lose]], but it also shows her ridiculous luck and skill.
* NoSenseOfDirection: During both the Nagano and National tournaments, she often gets lost in the venues.
* NoSocialSkills: Initially Saki had no understanding of a mahjong player's honor. This is best shown in her first game with Kiyosumi, when she unwittingly hurt Nodoka's pride as Inter-Middle High Champion by winning four times with a ±0 and once with a yakuman, then proceeded to revert to ±0 as a grace for Yuuki (who was lamenting her lack of points) after winning a match several points ahead of Nodoka. This is lampshaded at one point by Koromo (who has her own difficulties with making friends), in which, after saying that she decided not to follow Nodoka into the building where Achiga was having its semis match...
-->'''Koromo:''' "Saki, you're bad at socializing as usual."
* OpenSecret: While it's never blatantly kept secret, neither Teru nor Saki, or anyone who knew, reveal their (strained) relationship to public, Teru having only denied having a sister twice in the anime to Sumire and Junko. However, it didn't stop players with good analysis skills like Mihoko and Hiroko to guess that there ''is'' a connection. And in ''Achiga-hen'', all three players Teru faced looked really shocked at her declaring kan, having expected a Rinshan Kaihou.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: Saki is this to media as they care more about Nodoka, last year's Inter-Middle High Champion. They didn't even mention Saki in the introductions to the second Nagano semifinals. This is in contrast to many of Saki's rivals, who seem more interested in her than Nodoka. Lampshaded in ''[[Manga/{{SakiAchiga-hen}} Achiga-hen]]'' by Hiroko and Izumi, when they discussed a certain first-year who can beat even the most seasoned third-years.
-->'''Hiroko''': "And there's also that first year player from Kiyosumi."\\
'''Izumi''': "Do you mean Haramura?"\\
'''Hiroko''': "No, it's Saki Miyanaga."
* ParentalAbandonment: Saki's parents are separated, and her mother and Teru seem to be living in a different prefecture. She lives with her father, who only appears on screen a handful of times.
** SolomonDivorce: Saki's parents haven't legally divorced yet, but the sisters each living with different parents still fits.
* PowerLimiter: Saki plays better when she is without socks because it helps remind her of the first time she played mahjong and considered it fun.
* PowerWalk: Depicted in Season 1 Episode 6, when she walked past Team Ryuumonbuchi, only to trip on her own feet five steps later, and again in ''Achiga-hen'', while passing by Team Achiga, complete with BattleAura, intimidating Kuro, Harue and Shizuno even as it turns out that [[NoSenseOfDirection Saki is just trying to find her way]].
* RedEyesTakeWarning: She's normally a good girl even with red eyes, but if you're playing against her it's a valuable warning.
* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: With Nodoka.
* SamaritanSyndrome: Has a tendency to help her opponents. Whether her help will be good or bad varies on the occasion.
* SelectiveObliviousness: Nodoka's crush on her is quite noticeable to others, but Saki herself seems unaware of it.
* ShowerOfAngst: Takes one after being unable to bring herself to come see her sister's team in the National semifinals Side A.
* ShrinkingViolet: When not wrecking players like it's nobody's business, Saki would rather retreat into a book or into a chat with Nodoka.
* SpiritedCompetitor: Come the Nagano tournament, she is quite excited by the prospect of being able to play against so many other strong players.
* SuperMode: "Awakened" Saki, which manifests during her National quarterfinals match against Kasumi, Toyone and Kyouko, causing a ''minor earthquake to shake the venue''. Except this was actually the manifestation of her ''fear'' over the otherwise completely normal Kyouko, causing her to revert to her ±0 style... even as the latter begins to discover what makes Saki a force to reckon. Whether this is a true Super Mode or actually her ''default state'' prior to her parents' breakup is still under debate.
* SweetAndSourGrapes: Despite her stated dislike of mahjong early in the series, she's good enough to break even, which is more difficult than winning, much to Nodoka's frustration. It's indicated, however, that her ability to manage this feat is in part because she doesn't feel the pressure of winning. Once she enters the tournament, she commits herself to winning.
* TakeAThirdOption: Saki's prominent ±0 playstyle. Back then, she doesn't want to win because everyone will get angry at her, and of course she doesn't want to lose her New Year money or candy. Faced with bad choices, she then decided to make it so she doesn't win or lose.
* TalkingThroughTechnique: Her plan for reconciling with Teru, as the last time she saw Teru, she was unwilling to speak with her at all. This may be part of the reason why, even after getting to Tokyo, Saki is hesitant to go over to see Teru.
* [[WellDoneSonGuy "Well Done, Sis" Girl]]: She desperately wants to reconcile with Teru and get her approval, no matter how distant Teru seems. In the anime, she even has a dream about a younger Teru congratulating her younger self.
* WideEyedIdealist: Saki's idea that she can reunite her family by playing Mahjong sure is a stretch, although she does acknowledge its near-impossibility.
* WillfullyWeak: Before she decides to play seriously, she would instead aim for ±0, which is like ending a game of poker with the same amount of chips you started with.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: She's an incredibly dangerous player, known for pulling off pattern-breaking moves that ruin even the most calculated plays... and she's deep down a sad kid with a broken family, a sister who doesn't even acknowledge her, and a relative who may or may not be dead.
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!!Nodoka Haramura
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saki_nodoka_84.png
->'''Year:''' 1st\\
'''Position:''' Vice-Captain\\
'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AmiKoshimizu
One of the newer members of Team Kiyosumi, Nodoka was last year's Inter-Middle High Champion, and is considered a genius at the sport. In spite of her calm, mature appearance (and a big shelf), she has a somewhat childish side -- she cannot sleep comfortably without her penguin plushie Etopen. After losing six straight games to Saki (with a ±0, even), she initially disliked her, but upon learning of her emotional baggage, becomes her best friend and confidante.
Nodoka plays in a careful, analytical way, and is quick to discount any aspect of the game that is [[StrawVulcan not "logical"]]. She also plays online mahjong under the username "Nodocchi", where her style of deciding the best probability of getting a winning hand with quick draws and discards, thus disrupting her opponent’s pace, makes her one of online mahjong's best players. In addition, at Hisa's recommendation, she carries Etopen to help settle her down while playing in tournaments helping her reach her heightened state -- "Nodocchi Mode", in which she appears as her online avatar, dressed in white with a halo and white wings, under which state she gains quick hand-building abilities.
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* AgentScully: Because she doesn't believe in superstition, she simply doesn't notice when something weird is up. This is shown in full force come the National quarterfinals, where where by just playing normally she [[SpannerInTheWorks unwittingly derails Sae and Kinue's joint effort]] to block out Hatsumi's ability.
* AntiMagic: Because her style is [[AgentScully logic-based]], she is immune to any debuffing abilities other players can throw at her. She is still susceptible to players using self buff type abilities however, although her absolute efficiency control will usually keep her even with such opponents.
* BadassAdorable: Not quite to the extent of Saki and Koromo, but she still counts.
* BadassNormal: In a series chock-full of high-impossible powers and sheer luck, her strength lies in calculating odds, and is probably the closest the series has to this trope.
* BattleAura: An emanation of her "Nodocchi" avatar.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Nodoka is both mature and serious, as well as pretty childish, evidenced whenever she hugs Etopen while playing.
* ButtMonkey: She (and her huge breasts) is typically the subject of many of her friends' jokes. It also doesn't help that she always tries to put up a serious facade.
* CannotSpitItOut: She doesn't openly tell Saki how she feels about her. In Season 1 Episode 25, after praying at a shrine, Nodoka tells Saki that she wishes to to stay by her side forever.
* DCupDistress: Of all the busty girls in the series, Nodoka is the most sensitive about her size, particularly when people tease her or express fascination with her pair.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Subverted -- if anything, her pride was getting a beating when Saki outplayed her with ease the in the first five games they had, and she is upset by the realization that Saki, with her ability, could have won, but chose not to. She befriended Saki not because she was defeated but because Saki has a legitimate reason to keep playing mahjong and join their club.
* [[EducationMama Education Papa]]: Her father disapproves of her choosing to forgo going to a prep school in Tokyo to stay at Kiyosumi, and has contempt for mahjong and the town she lives in.
* EveryoneHasStandards: Despite her refusal to believe in the occult, she can't bring herself to express her opinion on that matter to Kuro after hearing about her dora ability's relation to her MissingMom.
* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: Etopen, her penguin plushie. It later becomes a plot point, when Hisa suggests that she hold it while playing to improve her confidence.
* {{Expy}}: Of Sigrid Aoyama, the main character of ''Manga/{{Fatalizer}}''.
* FantasyForbiddingFather: Her father doesn't think much of Mahjong, saying that it's purely a game of luck, that training camps are a waste of time and that the friends Nodoka makes through it won't be of any use in a "hick town" like where she lives. He seems to tolerate her playing mahjong to the extent that it doesn't interfere with anything more important, and reluctantly decides to "consider" letting her stay where she is if she wins the Nationals, though.
* {{Foil}}: To Saki. Her disapproving father aside, Nodoka actually enjoyed the sport and has made lots of friends with it, in stark contrast to Saki, whose bad experiences playing it with her family gave her a negative impression of mahjong.
* GagBoobs: They're prone to minor {{Gainaxing}}, and are the subject of several jokes throughout the series.
* GirlishPigtails: Turns into a single sidetail during the finals, however.
* GirlsLoveStuffedAnimals: She always carries Etopen around, even during matches.
* INeedToGoIronMyDog: Calls Saki to the restroom after Yuuki's match in the Prefectural Finals despite her initial reluctance. Once inside, Nodoka tells Saki that this was so that Yuuki could cry over her loss beyond her peers' earshot.
* InvisibleParents: Her mother, whose job is apparently why she had to move away from Achiga, is never seen.
* MsFanservice: [[RoseHairedGirl Pink hair]], [[GirlishPigtails pigtails]], [[ZettaiRyouiki thigh-high stockings]] and even [[GagBoobs huge tracts of land]].
* NewTransferStudent: During ''Achiga-hen''. She transfers schools quite a bit, and unfortunately, has difficulty settling down with a group of friends. Her goal in the series is to convince her father to let her stay at Kiyosumi by winning the tournament.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: While Nodoka's logic usually helps her most of the time, in a world where everyone can summon goddesses and cause localized earthquakes, it is still bound to fail her at some point. During the National quarterfinals, she kept foiling Kinue and Sae's plan to stop Hatsumi's power because it's just a coincidence to her. And even after she saw Hatsumi's open hand she chalked it up as a big coincidence. Sae is so annoyed she let Hatsumi complete her yakuman in Nodoka's dealer turn as revenge. The sad thing is that Nodoka is unperturbed and chalked it up again as another coincidence, much to their shock.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: She is the only player in Team Kiyousumi the media cares about because of her prestigious ranking, so she overshadowed everyone else in her team, including Saki. However it's the other way around to fellow players.
* PowerGivesYouWings: Under "Nodocchi Mode"
* {{Pride}}: Slightly [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]], but of all the Kiyosumi players, she's the most competitive, and the most concerned with her image, getting quite embarrassed when her teammates find out about her sleeping with Etopen.
* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: With Saki.
* SayingTooMuch: When playing against Kuro, she mentions offhandedly that she hasn't seen any dora tiles, inadvertently revealing that she doesn't have any. She then learns about Kuro's dora ability.
* SecurityBlanket: Etopen, her penguin plushie.
* SweetAndSourGrapes: She's initially upset that Saki, who claims she doesn't like mahjong, could beat her without so much as batting an eye. However, when Saki dedicates herself to winning the tournament so that she can reconcile with Teru, Nodoka befriends her.
* VaporWear: A shot of her backside in Season 1 Episode 1 more or less confirms that she's not wearing anything underneath her uniform.
* WhatTheHellHero: Saki and Nodoka's relationship got off to a rough start, as Nodoka expresses frustration with Saki's ±0 style, claiming she felt insulted. With Saki resolving to go to the nationals and face her sister, Nodoka drops her attitude and becomes Saki's confidante.
* ZettaiRyouiki: Wears a pair of white ones as part of her school getup.
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!!Yuuki Kataoka
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saki_yuuki_1643.png
->''"Tacos rock!"''
->'''Year:''' 1st\\
'''Position:''' Vanguard\\
'''Voiced by:''' Creator/RieKugimiya
Yuuki is Nodoka's good friend since their days at Takatobara Junior High School and her diminutive, energetic antithesis, having enrolled at Kiyosumi solely because its cafeteria sells tacos.
Yuuki specializes in rapid point-farming at the East round, giving her a greater chance of starting as the first dealer, leading Hisa to place her as Team Kiyosumi's starter, though she tends to lose steam come South round, causing her to lose points she earned in the East round.
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* BadassCape: Wears one throughout the Nationals, as if to send a message that Team Kiyosumi is no pushover.
* BigEater: Kid really loves to eat. Especially if tacos are involved.
* BirdRun: Occasionally does this in Season 1 to further emphasize her childish demeanor.
* BiTheWay: While she seems to want Kyoutaro to "check her out", Yuuki's really quite fond of Nodoka's bosom, much to the latter's discomfort.
* BookDumb: A genius at mahjong, but her brain completely burns out after filling in an arithmetic training book with (mostly wrong) answers.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: She must eat tacos to fuel her mahjong prowess.
* CripplingOverspecialization: She blows the field at East Wind... and can do not much else come the other rounds. Come the National semifinals, Hisa tried to remedy this by having her change priorities from big hands to cheap but quick ones with the intention of getting a parenchan; while Yuuki finished her semifinals match in a distant third place, it's implied that the results will be clear in the finals.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Just because she's a cutesy airhead doesn't mean she doesn't know how to lead the way in any match.
* CuteLittleFangs: A further proof of her childishness.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Considers her rivals from other schools in the Nagano tourney her friends, even the likes of Mihoko, who badly defeated her during their finals match. As such, she hates it when some reporters deride Nagano players as second-rate, since they're not just insulting her and her teammates, but also everybody else from that region.
* EverybodyHatesMathematics: Yuuki's weakness at mathematics is a problem in the long run, as she often miscalculates the scores.
* ExpressiveShirt: The cat-belt thingie that's lip-synched to her speech.
* GenkiGirl: And almost every scene featuring her is bound to be filled with her infectious, childlike energy.
* GirlishPigtails: Wears her hair with a pair of these, in line with her childish demeanor.
* HypocriticalHumor: Asking "No matter how you look at it, isn't she [Koromo] just a kid?" when she herself also looks and acts much younger than her age. Hisa lampshades on this.
* IdenticalStranger: Nishida, when seeing a photo of Nodoka's friends from Achiga, mistakes a younger Ako for her, since she was in the room at the time.
* InnocentFanserviceGirl: Just watch any of the training camp episodes. She and Team Eisui's Hatsumi may as well be soulmates.
* [[MrExposition Ms. Exposition]]: Lots and lots of Mahjong-specific TechnoBabble.
* OlderThanTheyLook[=/=]TokenMiniMoe: Appears to be around 10, in spite of being 15 or 16.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: Many consider her a weakling despite her ability to farm points in East Wind. And she would've gotten away with a strong lead during the National quarterfinals, too, had Komaki not fallen asleep and got a direct sanbaiman hit on Yuuki.
* PowerUpFood: Tacos, or anything that rhymes with it (To a lesser extent), such as ''tako''yaki.
* TookALevelInBadass: Happens before her first major match in the Nationals, where she comes into the venue sporting a cape and vows to show everyone that Kiyosumi isn't a weak team. Prior to the National semifinals, at Hisa's recommendation she also began learning how to deal with big hands and playing with fast combos. While she only managed to put Kiyosumi at third-place (due to Suzu's explosion), Satoha notes the acceleration of her hands, and muses that she must have been training with both Teru and Kuro in mind.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Tacos, which she considers to be the source of her Mahjong skills.
* VerbalTic: She often ends sentences with "da jo" or "da je".
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!!Hisa Takei
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saki_hisa_551.png
->''"Would you live the one life you're given in such a calculated way?"''
->'''Year:''' 3rd\\
'''Position:''' Lieutenant\\
'''Voiced by:''' Creator/ShizukaIto
Hisa is the StudentCouncilPresident (or "[[InsistentTerminology Student Congress President]]", as she'd rather have it) of Kiyosumi High School, as well as club leader of its mahjong team, now in her final playing year. Having once went by the surname "Ueno", back in middle-school she shared a rivalry with Mihoko Fukuji, currently of Team Kazekoshi, but mysteriously withdrew from individual competition.
Her style revolves around "hell waits," meaning she'd be on standby for anyone with either one tile left in play or requiring one tile to win, disorienting her opponents and allowing her to trick them into playing right into her hand. She also tends to choose the route with the lowest win rate. Despite her strength, she prefers being a team player, which she became come third year.
-----
* AgentMulder: In contrast to reality-focused Nodoka, Hisa is always prepared to take the supernatural elements of mahjong into account to plan for her strategy.
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Asks her quote of Nodoka when talking about her playstyle.
* {{Badass}}: Given the proper encouragement and training, and with an experience playing at the individuals, Hisa can become one of the most dangerous team players in Japan.
* ClubPresident[=/=]StudentCouncilPresident: Is president of both Kiyosumi's mahjong club and it's student [[InsistentTerminology congress]].
* CoolBigSis: To the freshmen of Team Kiyosumi.
* EnemyMine: During the National semifinals Side B, she realizes that if Team Usuzan falls under 0, both they and Team Kiyosumi will be eliminated. She then decides to prevent that from happening while trying to gain points against Rinkai and Himematsu. However, she's also aware that Team Usuzan will need to win off anyone, including Hisa, so the latter decides that she'd promptly rid herself of Team Usuzan once Team Kiyosumi hits at least second-place.
* FriendlyRival: With Mihoko, which has actually toned down from their junior-high days.
* GenreSavvy: She is well aware that some rather unlikely things tend to happen around a lot of players, including herself winning with really bad waits.
* GirlishPigtails: Wore her hair on a pair of hairbands during her previous competitive season. She does so again come the Nationals.
* {{Guile Hero}}ine: Skilled at manipulating other players' thoughts to her advantage.
* HeroicBSOD: Prior to the National quarterfinals, she becomes stricken with fear and convinces herself that her opponents are too strong, and ends up screwing up the early portion of her match and falls to last place, before she regains her composure and help Team Kiyosumi claw its way back to second place.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Mako.
* HonorBeforeReason: During the Nagano individual finals, she trusted her ability to the very end. It allowed her to win the hand but it lowered her score such that she couldn't overtake Saki.
* IdiotHair: Not that she's an idiot, but she does have one.
* InsistentTerminology: She'd rather be called "Student ''Congress'' President", and even then she strongly prefers going by "Buchou" ("Club President") over that.
* TheLastDance: Since she is in her third year, the current tournament will be her last chance to compete.
* MsExposition: She shares this role with Yuuki.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: During the National quarterfinals, Saki is worried that Hisa is not playing like her usual self, but Nodoka believes it's a good thing that she isn't doing her "hell waits" style like usual, and Mako notices the abrupt change and restored confidence in herself, wondering if she's really alright.
* PassiveAggressiveKombat: Her play style in a nutshell.
* PerformanceAnxiety: For all her smarts, one of Hisa's most glaring weaknesses is that she tends to worry too much about her chances of winning, which led to a full-on HeroicBSOD during the National quarterfinals, from which she only recovered at the last minute.
* RuleOfCool: Her FinishingMove when she has a game-winning hand.
-->'''Mihoko''': "That poor tile..."
* SlasherSmile: Tends to sport one whenever she thinks she has the upper hand.
* SpotOfTea: Occasionally seen sipping a cup of tea together with Mako.
* {{Troll}}: Has some shades of this, as her initial idea for having Nodoka play with Etopen at her side was for "joke material," and she, possibly deliberately, gives some [[InnocentInnuendo misleading double entendres]] about what happened between her and Yumi at [[ClingyJealousGirl Momoko's]] presence.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Seems to be getting onto this with Hiroe, whose taunting her to get her out of her HeroicBSOD in the quarterfinals has given way to good-natured banter in the semifinals.
* WillfullyWeak: In the Nagano individuals, she didn't play seriously until she heard the argument between Saki and Nodoka.
* YouAreNotAlone: A main source of Hisa's emotional strength lay in her realization of how far she has gotten since first stepping onto Kiyosumi -- from solo player in her first year to a two-girl team with Mako come second-year... to having not only a full team, but dozens of friends and supporters (inside and outside school, including regional rivals) in her final year.
----
!!Mako Someya
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saki_mako_6490.png
->''"That view that the president said she wants to see... I will also show it to Grandpa!"''
->'''Year:''' 2nd\\
'''Position:''' Sergeant\\
'''Voiced by:''' Creator/RyokoShiraishi
Mako is the sole eleventh-grader in Team Kiyosumi, as well as Hisa's best friend and confidante. Her peculiar manner of speech appears to be a result of being raised by her grandfather -- she uses the [[JapanesePronouns pronoun]] "washi", which is usually used only by old men. Her family owns a mahjong parlor (maid cafe in the anime).
Mako plays with her photographic memory, which she calls “Spindle Territory”. During matches, she takes of her glasses and compares the game to others she has seen in the past.
----
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Having watched thousands of mahjong matches early in life, she uses memories of them to develop her own strategies to get around her opponents' plays.
* [[DramaticNecklaceRemoval Dramatic Glasses Removal]]: When she does get serious.
* TheGlassesComeOff: She does this when using her PhotographicMemory.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Hisa.
* IDontKnowMortalKombat: She often loses to raw or inexperienced players because they play in a method outside of the scope of her ability. This was apparently remedied via studying Maho's style at training camp.
* JapanesePronouns: Mako uses the pronoun "washi", which is normally the domain of older men. She was raised by her grandfather, so she apparently picked up his speech habits; in a flashback in Chapter 117, another member of Mako's family tells her that even if she likes her grandfather, she shouldn't mimic his speech patterns..
* [[SirNotAppearingInThisTrailer Madam-Not-Appearing-in-this-Pinup]]: In several magazine pinups where Saki, Nodoka, Yuuki and Hisa were present, Mako was entirely absent.
* OhCrap:
** During the Nagano finals, when Kaori gets a Yakuman on her during Mako's dealer turn, which Kaori, in her inexperience, had claimed was a cheaper hand.
** When she realized that Hao is playing ''Chinese'' mahjong, something with which Mako has no familiarity.
* PhotographicMemory: Mako has memorized nearly every match she's seen played at her grandpa's mahjong parlor. In practice, though, this tends to yield mixed results -- it failed her against Kaori, a total newcomer with an unpredictable playstyle, as well as Hao, who plays a completely foreign form of the sport, but helped her win against the more orthodox-minded Aislinn.
* ScaryShinyGlasses: Gets them at times, such as when challenging Kaori to a rematch of their Nagano finals match (with Tomoki and Miharu). [[EpicFail Kaori wins again.]]
----
!!Kyoutaro Suga
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saki_kyoutarou_8201.png
->'''Year:''' 1st\\
'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JunFukuyama
TheOneGuy of Team Kiyosumi, who mostly serves as comic relief and errand boy, as well as Saki's long-time classmate since middle school. Between his mediocre skills, his unrequited crush on Nodoka (and later Mihoko), and being delegated with heavy work by Hisa, Kyoutaro generally has a hard time. His relative lack of familiarity with mahjong allows him to act as TheWatson, giving Hisa and Yuuki the opportunity to explain things for the benefit of the audience. During the tournament, he becomes their errand boy and is currently serving as Yuuki’s... taco delivery boy.
-----
* ButtMonkey: He spends most of his time running errands for the club, and isn't very good at mahjong.
* DaydreamSurprise: The story will occasionally segue into his {{fanservice}}y fantasies of Nodoka and/or Mihoko.
* HeroicBSOD: PlayedForLaughs after the Nagano individuals, where he loses badly and is eliminated by lunch time (albeit partly because the men's tournament had more participants and an earlier elimination).
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: He gets this at times. For example, in the anime, Hisa said she locked the ''three'' first-years out of the mahjong club so Yuuki can focus on studying for the exam she has to retake. Mako then reminds Hisa that there are four first-years, and it shows Kyoutarou out doing errands as usual.
* TheOneGuy: The sole male in the mahjong club, and one of the few recurring male characters in the series.
* TheWatson: His relative inexperience at mahjong allows Hisa and Yuuki to play [[MrExposition Ms. Exposition]].
----
!Achiga All-Girls' Academy -- Nara
Not considered a powerhouse unlike neighboring Bansei, Team Achiga once upset the balance of power in Nara ten years ago when it eliminated Bansei in the prefectural qualifiers and eventually qualifying for the Nationals, only to fall at the semifinals to the eventual champions, led by Sukoya, with their ace player Harue being traumatized into quitting, and ultimately disbanded next year after a disastrous prefectural season. Its resurgence after nine years of inactivity, as well as the fact that it qualified once more for the Nationals, has surprised some observers.
As of present Team Achiga, now coached by Harue, has qualified for the finals, which will be the highest the school will have attained regardless of outcome, in the process overtaking the massive lead of two-time defending champion Shiraitodai.
!!Shizuno Takakamo
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SakiShizuno_5159.png
->''"Nodoka! We will definitely make it to the finals! So Nodoka, join us! In the finals!"''
->'''Year:''' 1st\\
'''Position:''' Captain\\
'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AoiYuuki
The daughter of a confectioner, Shizuno is one of the first girls her age that Nodoka befriended during her stay in Nara. Energetic and excitable, she is the driving force behind the revival of Team Achiga, as well as its unprecedented return to the Nationals after a decade. Outside of school, she is never seen without her trademark track jacket and... [[GoingCommando nothing else, actually]]. While an above-average orthodox player, Shizuno is noted for her determination and energy.
During the National semifinals Side A, however, Shizuno ultimately reveals her hidden power: "The Lord of the Mountain Depths". Born of her love for long walks along the mountains around her hometown, this ability lets her intuitively sense possible draws from the dead wall (which can be read as "mountain"). Coupled with the dice roll results, she can use this to counter or outright negate her opponents' abilities.
----
* ACupAngst: Not in-series, but Shizu has voiced her insecurities regarding her bust size (compared to her friends) during a post-credit skit in ''Achiga-hen''. A manga omake has her distressed after noticing that Ako's height and chest size have increased since they were in elementary school, while hers have largely remained the same.
* AGlassInTheHand: In ''Zenkoku-hen'', does this with a rice ball while taking a break from practice to eat lunch with Kei and her friends.
* AntiMagic: What Shizu's ability effectively is, as it shuts down both Ryuuka's Toki-fueled futuresight and Awai's double-riichi explosion.
* ArchEnemy: A ''very'' disgruntled Awai has labeled Shizu as this after catching her off-guard with her hidden ability. [[UnknownRival The feeling is not mutual.]]
* BadassBoast
-->"Senriyama are strong. Shiratodai are strong. We know that...! But we're strong too! And compared to this morning, right now, we are much stronger!"
* BadassNormal: Even commented on by Team Senriyama's Hiroko, when she notes how Achiga's juniors and seniors show weird draw patterns. As a freshman, Shizuno is obviously not included.
* BattleAura: Shizu has ''two'', as revealed in the finale: a fiery halo, like the ones seen with Japanese temple guardians, and a gigantic Brocken spectre, the latter of which only Awai can see. Might be an unintentional ShoutOut, given an [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica earlier series]] [[Creator/AoiYuuki Shizu]] and [[Creator/ChiwaSaito Awai's]] voice actresses were part of.
* BluntYes: Gives one to Nodoka when they were in Achiga together. Keep in mind that the two are in elementary school at the time.
-->'''Nodoka''': ''(struggling to keep up)'' "Shizu, Ako...! ''(Gulp)'' You're going too fast... There's no need for running. Why sprint away all of a sudden? Are you kids?"\\
'''Shizuno''': "''Yes, we are!''"
* ChildhoodFriends: With Ako, Kuro and (before her transfer to Nagano) Nodoka.
* {{Determinator}}: If there's anything sure about Shizu (aside from not wearing pants) it's that she will ''never give up'', no matter how stacked the odds.
* DullEyesOfUnhappiness: PlayedForLaughs after Koromo floors her during a training session.
* EleventhHourSuperpower: The "Lord of the Mountain" stance. Koromo says that Shizuno, while using it, thwarted her latter two attempts at Haitei Raoyue, but it only fully manifests in the Captains' match of the semifinals.
* EnlightenmentSuperpowers: The way she awakens to her hidden ability is not unlike Japanese ''yamabushi'' monks in the ancient ages. Or perhaps a taoist.
* GenkiGirl: Shizuno is such a big bag of cheerful energy that, in an extra chapter, she spontaenously decides to take a mountain hike (missing Kuro and Nodoka in the process) ''because it looked fun''.
* GilliganCut: She declares that she's "got this" before her quarterfinals match, before the camera cuts to her in dire straits.
* GivingSomeoneThePointerFinger: She has a tendency to do this at times.
* GoingCommando: Par for course for the franchise, but Shizu's a glaring example for ''Achiga-hen'', as she runs around with just the jacket of a tracksuit, without the pants, which makes it ''painfully'' obvious that she's not wearing anything underneath. Ironically her concept art has her wearing spats.
* NatureHero: Spending long hours like a mountain monkey have awakened in her an intrinsic mahjong power.
* MissingStepsPlan: Since Shizuno is [[GenkiGirl highly enthusiastic but not much for thinking things through]], this happens with her plan to see Nodoka again. Thankfully, some of her friends, such as Ako, help her fill in the missing steps.
-->1. Go to Achiga\\
2. ?\\
3. Go to the Nationals\\
4. Face Nodoka again!
* PluckyGirl: Especially evident in the last match of the quarterfinals, where, after a difficult beginning, she perseveres and gets just the draw she needs to win.
* TomboyishPonytail: Wears her hair like this, although it's more as a testament to her energy.
* WorthyOpponent: She sees Saki as this, lampshaded in ''Achiga-hen'' Episode 3, when Saki scared her off with BattleAura while walking away casually. For a while Shizu was UnknownRival to Saki, until Koromo warn her about Shizuno's hidden ability. Considering Saki's surprisingly mild reaction to Koromo's warning, whether the rivalry feeling is mutual or not yet is still under debate.
----
!!Ako Atarashi
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SakiAko_4578.png
->'''Year:''' 1st\\
'''Position:''' Lieutenant\\
'''Voiced by:''' Creator/NaoTouyama
Another girl Nodoka befriended while in Nara, Ako is Shizuno's neighbor and childhood friend. The younger sister of Harue's old teammate Nozomi, Ako was the second-best player of the children's club that Harue oversaw. She attended a different middle school than Shizuno and Nodoka (Adamine Middle High School, to be exact), and actually planned to enroll in Bansei, but after she hears about Shizuno's plans she gladly enters Achiga instead, where she serves as Team Achiga's ace in the hole, being the only girl with some experience in a national tournament, having placed sixteenth overall during the Nara tourney back as a player for Team Adamine.
Ako's style seems to revolve around scoring via quick hands with small point totals.
----
* ACupAngst: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]], because while she's not exactly flat-chested, she does occasionally wish she had breasts as large as Yuu's.
* BadassNormal[=/=]BoringButPractical: Ako's way of playing is not flashy at all, but it does its job, allowing gains without the massive risks that could be found in some of her teammates' playstyles.
* ChildhoodFriends: With Shizuno, Kuro and (for a few years) Nodoka.
* GilliganCut: While discussing her strategy for her National semifinals match against Team Shiraitodai's Takami...
-->'''Shizuno:''' "So what's the plan? Try to avoid dealer repeats and when you are in tenpai as dealer, say you aren't?"\\
'''Ako:''' "That's right. [[TemptingFate A pretty simple counter strategy]]."\\
''(Cut to the match)''\\
'''Ako:''' "[[OhCrap Or so I thought! This is bad!]]"
* IGotBigger: Back in their childhood, Shizuno was OneHeadTaller than Ako. Come tenth-grade, the latter has already grown taller (and bustier). Shizuno airs her distress about this development, and the fact that she largely remained petite, during a post-credits skit.
* IdenticalStranger: When she was younger, she resembled Yuuki. When Nishida is interviewing Nodoka about her friends on the Achiga team, she even mistakes Ako for Yuuki in an old photo.
* JapaneseSiblingTerminology: Uses "Onee-chan" on her older sister Nozomi, and "Yuu-nee" on her friend Kuro's older sister Yuu.
* OhCrap: After realizing that she won with a cheap hand against Takami. She enters a minor HeroicBSOD, and Hitomi has to get her attention.
* TheLancer: To Shizuno and Team Achiga.
* TemptingFate: She thinks it's simple to avoid dealer repeats against Takami, but when she gets down to it, she can't manage to do so.
* UndesirablePrize: Ako knows she shouldn't win as a dealer when Shibuya is on the table, but does so nonetheless.
* YankTheDogsChain: In ''Saki Biyori'', she plays online mahjong and gets into a yakuman tenpai, only to lose her connection.
----
!!Kuro Matsumi
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SakiKuro_139.png
->''"Even if you don't come back... I'll be waiting."''
->'''Year:''' 2nd\\
'''Position:''' Vanguard\\
'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KanaHanazawa
The youngest daughter of the owner of Achiga's local inn, Kuro was the star of Achiga children's mahjong club, of which Shizuno, Nodoka and Ako were members. Although the club disbanded when Harue went pro, Kuro patiently continued to look after their clubroom, hoping her friends would return one day. All her hard work paid off when, years later, Shizuno and Ako return to share her goal of going to the Nationals, so they could play with Nodoka again.
Kuro has a special ability that helps increase the points of her hands: ''all'' dora tiles sooner or later get drawn to her. This means that when she scores, she usually scores big, but limits the kinds of hands she can make. There is another downside to this -- she cannot discard dora tiles, lest she lose the ability to gather doras for a few games afterward.
----
* AchievementsInIgnorance: By holding on to her dora, she (unwittingly) manages to keep Teru from running roughshod over her competition.
* CryCute: Breaks down before Yuu after her National quarterfinals match, where she lost too many points to Toki, and again after her semifinals match, this time in regret over how she (apparently) did nothing while Toki and Kirame sacrificed themselves to spare their teams (and Achiga) from Teru's rampage.
* FailedASpotCheck: PlayedForDrama -- Kuro never noticed that her win against Teru was only made possible by the sacrifices done by both Toki and Kirame. She only learns about it when her friends point it out to her after the Vanguard match. At this point she breaks down crying, blaming herself for (apparently) doing nothing to help.
* FreudianExcuse: In an extra chapter, Yuu suggests that Kuro likes large breasts because they remind her of her mother.
* GlassCannon: Kuro's style can be compared to this, where she's capable of scoring huge hands when the situation is right due to her dora magnet ability. However her defense is terrible, and an opponent who knows about her ability can literally play around her -- as shown by Toki during the quarterlies of Side-A, where she ran away with a 90,000 point lead.
* InvisibleParents: Kuro and Yuu's father is apparently alive and runs their family's inn, but has never been seen.
* TheLoad: For a good chunk of the Vanguards' match against Teru, all Kuro could do was flinch and whimper while Kirame and Toki did most of the work fending away Teru's streaks.
* MissingMom: Her (and Yuu's) mother died when they were very young, which badly affected the girl. It's also the reason why Kuro is unable to let go of any dora tiles, as she feels it would mean saying goodbye to her mother again. [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness Nodoka, normally dismissive of the supernatural, can't bring herself to dismiss Kuro's beliefs regarding dora tiles to her face]].
* MyGreatestFailure: Constantly losing team points during her turn at the table during the Nationals -- when the group is debating whether Harue has lost hope in their chances of victory, she blames herself for losing so many points. Also, during the semis, failing to realize that the two other Vanguards on the table (Toki and Kirame) had formed an impromptu alliance, and as a result was not able to ''actively'' help them in taking down Teru.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: As with Yuuki, she often ends up facing some of the best players in Japan, unless they have a different approach (such as deliberately aiming to survive the round, rather than win, like Shindouji does). It's best indicated in how her sister Yuu, who's about her skill level, tends to win the Sergeant match, in which there is less likely to be strong players.
* RedBaron: "The Dragon [[SheIsTheKing Lord]] of Achiga"
* SkinshipGrope: Gives one to her sister in the brief shot of the girls on the beach in the PSP game's opening.
* SpannerInTheWorks: When Kuro finally stopped being TheLoad, her first major move ''halts'' Teru's rampage by way of discarding a dora, a move she is normally loathe to use. Even before that, Toki, noticing how upset Kuro appears, thinks that she has (unwittingly) proven helpful by attracting all the dora tiles, making it more difficult for Teru to increase the value of her hand.
* ThanksForTheMammary: When taking a step back on the street, she accidentally puts her hand on the invisible Momoko's breasts, and for a moment, mistakes her for her sister, based on touch.
* TheWorfEffect: Kuro is supposedly one of the best players of Team Achiga; however, come the Nationals, her dora-focused playstyle, as well as going up against some of the best players (including Toki and Teru herself) made her lose the most points per match. By contrast, Yuu, who is approximately Kuro's skill level and has a relatively easier time in the Sergeants' match, has gotten positive scores throughout the tournament.
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: In the match against Teru, she has an internal monologue about all the people she's parted from, before preparing to discard her dora tiles, declaring that even if those she parts from won't come back, she will still wait.
* ZettaiRyouiki: A black pair.
----
!!Yuu Matsumi
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SakiYuu2_6954.png
->''"Kuro-chan has always been the one to save me... But today, it's [[JapaneseSiblingTerminology Onee]]-[[ThirdPersonPerson chan]]'s turn to fight!"''
->'''Year:''' 3rd\\
'''Position:''' Sergeant\\
'''Voiced by:''' MAKO
Yuu, Kuro's older sister, is the sole twelfth-grader in Team Achiga, and one of two (besides Arata) without a direct connection to Nodoka. Sickly ever since she was young and easily chilled, Yuu is always seen wearing layers upon layers of thick clothing, complete with mufflers and mittens, even during summer. Like her younger sister, Yuu is a competent player, but her skill is complemented by a special ability to draw "warm" tiles (any tile with a red component to its face) to her hand. Unlike Kuro's ability, though, it doesn't have an associated drawback.
----
* AttackItsWeakPoint: As she effectively avoids Sumire's arrows, she then scores against her when her defense is at its weakest.
* BigSisterInstinct: Usually inverted, in that Kuro usually protects Yuu from bullies back in their childhood, but played straight during the National quarterfinals, when she decides to return the favor after Kuro loses many points in the quarterfinals, thinking it's her turn to stand up for her little sister.
* BlankWhiteEyes: Fairly common when she gets flustered.
* DeclarationOfProtection: Her quote, as seen above.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: In her first scene, she's shown relaxing under a kotatsu in summer when she greets Kuro, then displays her shyness when she's surprised to see Ako (whom she knows) and Shizuno. After she gets over her shock at hearing that they want her for the revived Achiga mahjong club, she says she's very happy, having wanted to be in the children's club with her sister.
* {{Foil}}: The Matsumis can be seen as one to the Miyanagas. Kuro and Yuu are very close (even after their mother's death), in sharp contrast to how a tragedy tore Saki and Teru apart.
* HiddenBuxom: It's not obvious from how she dresses, but Kuro is correct, and her breasts are comparable to Nodoka's.
* IKnowYouKnowIKnow: After realizing Izumi has her figured out in the quarter-finals, she remembers that she's played against her sister and her other friends, who know her even better than Izumi does. Thanks to this strategy, and the fact that Hiroko mis-identified Yuu's drawing pattern, Yuu manages to win the Sergeants' round.
* IllGirl: It's unclear why exactly she has to dress in multiple layers to stay warm even in summer, but her condition has been present since she was a small child.
* MissingMom: Half of the reason why she works in the school greenhouse is because it's warm, and the other half is because it has many of her mother's favorite flowers.
* NiceGirl: In spite of her shyness, she's kind, good-natured and polite.
* ScarfOfAsskicking: Her muffler, while usually making Yuu look more cuddle-worthy, can also turn into this, as shown in her match with Sumire.
* ShrinkingViolet: She has some problems with social awkwardness, especially when she says that she had wanted to join the mahjong club, but didn't feel as though she could.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: Yuu looks almost exactly like her mother, except for hair color.
----
!!Arata Sagimori
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SakiArata_6453.png
->''"I didn't want to see her surrounded by kids. I wanted to keep watching her in her dignified and strong phase."''
->'''Year:''' 2nd\\
'''Position:''' Vice-Captain\\
'''Voiced by:''' Creator/YumiUchiyama
The granddaughter of the owner of the local bowling alley, Arata is probably Harue's biggest fan. While an avid player since very early in life, she stopped after Harue's team lost during the national semifinals. After some convincing by Kuro, she finally joins Team Achiga as club president, finally rounding off their roster.
Arata's main play style is very much influenced by bowling, especially with how she prefers waits using "pin" tiles. As Hiroko quickly notes, the tiles she ends up playing usually looks like the (bowling) pin arrangement one gets after the first roll in bowling (or ryanmen waits). This ''not'' her only way of playing however, as she also has another "outdated" style that is inspired by how Harue played ten years prior.
----
* {{Ascended Fan|boy}}girl: Idolized Harue throughout her childhood, and eventually became one of her protégés come high-school.
* BadassBoast: At the semifinals, when Harue worries that her old necktie will be bad luck, Arata reassures her that she will take it to the finals.
* BrokenPedestal: Arata pretty much lost all faith in the game after she found out that Harue quit mahjong, even casually. It caused her to stop playing for ''years'' as a result, and she initially refused to join Team Achiga because she wanted to see Harue as a pro, rather than teaching children mahjong.
** RebuiltPedestal: ...But Harue returning to mentor Team Achiga brings her back to the game as well, especially after hearing about Harue playing for a corporate team.
* ClubPresident: Harue chose Arata for the position in spite of Yuu being a third-year, because she is composed and reliable.
* CustomUniform: She wears Harue's necktie instead of the ribbon for her uniform.
* CynicismCatalyst: After Harue stopped playing mahjong, Arata becomes somewhat more gloomy and cynical than when she was as younger, even after Harue returns to coach her and the others.
* {{Expy}}: She's pretty much a carbon copy of Ritz Kobayashi, the mangaka, as [[TheCameo she appears]] in ''TheLegendOfKoizumi''.
** EarlyBirdCameo: Thus, her appearance in that manga is this trope.
* HeroWorshipper: A massive one for Harue.
* MegaManning: During her National semifinals match she reveals that, besides her bowling-influenced style, she also copied some aspects of Harue's old play style and mixed it with her own.
* {{Motifs}}: Her gameplay is strongly influenced by bowling.
* NumberOneDime: Let's just say that Arata ''really'' treasures the necktie that Harue gave her ten years before.
* TheReliableOne: Arata is chosen as ClubPresident for this reason.
----
!!Harue Akado
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SakiHarue_8270.png
->''"I left something behind at those semi-finals back then. But if I can personally experience that tournament again, I might be able to get it back."''
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/NaomiShindo
Harue is the adviser of Team Achiga and herself an alumna of a past incarnation of the team that shocked Nara Prefecture by defeating high-ranking Team Bansei ten years ago and qualifying for the Nationals. Unfortunately, one brutal loss to Sukoya later at the semifinals (as a Vice-Captain), and Harue was traumatized after losing too many points beyond repair. She stopped playing for years after that, and for a while was content to teach the kids of her hometown's children's club. She is eventually scouted by Kumakura, and spends the next few years playing professionally for the Hakata Evergreens, a Fukuoka-based corporate team.
When financial woes (and an early playoffs exit) forced the Evergreens to disband, Harue goes back to her hometown to think of what to do next, only to be surprised by the revival of her old high-school team, gunning anew for the Nationals. Seeing it as a chance to redeem herself, she decides to become club adviser, intent to see if her protégés can succeed where she failed.
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* BreakTheCutie: Losing her team too many points during her match against Sukoya, which in turn cost Achiga the chance to advance further in the Nationals, really did a number on poor Harue.
* BrokenAce: Back in her day she was touted as one of Team Achiga's greatest players. Then came Sukoya, and she was never the same again. Fortunately she got better as the days passed mentoring the current Team Achiga, more so after they reach the National finals, helping her regain her self-confidence.
* HistoryRepeats: As Harue told Nozomi while the latter was driving her back to Achiga, the Evergreens were on a roll during last year's tournament. However, come the National playoffs, Harue once again failed the team, as she is still having flashbacks of that devastating loss to Sukoya back in high school.
* HyperAwareness: Harue has a surprising knack of noticing things that others, including pros, commentators and coaches, would miss, like Sumire's tell or the trigger of Awai's other abilities. While it might seem to come out of nowhere, especially since she's never shown any of this prior to the semis, the way it's presented actually makes sense since while other coaches look only at the players' records (see Team Kiyosumi's Hisa or Team Himematsu's Funakubo), Harue actually watches the videos of the accompanying match. It's alluded that she does this ''repeatedly'' too.
* HypocriticalHumor: Giving Kuro a bop on the head and scolding her for sexually harassing Nodoka in their first meeting, when she herself was fascinated by Nodoka's breasts.
* InformedAbility: Harue is never shown actually giving her wards ''any'' kind of playing advice. Whether or not this is a sign of a hands-off coaching style begs to be seen, although she does have them play many games with each other, and arranges for matches with other schools. Then we're finally shown several instances of her doing ''actual'' coaching, personally retraining Kuro, fresh off a bad game against Teru. Apparently all the coaching she did prior to this was done off-screen.
* MyGreatestFailure: Losing her team too many points, which led to its elimination in the Nationals. As such, she relates to Kuro, who lost too many points during the semifinals.
-->"If you lose big, keep moving forward even if you lose again."
** MyGreatestSecondChance: As such, she treats tutoring the first reincarnation of Team Achiga in a decade to be her one last chance to redeem herself. So much so she declines an offer from Hayari (courtesy of Toshi) to become a pro until after the tournament.
* PoorCommunicationKills: In a case that was largely the result of bad timing, she tells Team Achiga in no uncertain terms that they're unlikely to get through the semifinals with both Teams Senriyama and Shiratodai. Later that night, the girls happen to overhear a conversation between her and Kumakura regarding her going pro, which causes some of them to believe that she had given up on them.
* RedBaron: "Legend", though only to the girls of Team Achiga and the Children's Mahjong Club.
* TearsOfJoy: Cries in relief after her protégés finally accomplish the one thing she failed to do ten years ago -- reach the National finals.
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