Characters / DieBuster

This is the list of characters of DieBuster. Caution with the spoilers.

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Nono

Voiced by: Yukari Fukui

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• Action Girl: Is actually capable of fighting space monsters on her own due to the strength granted to her due to being a robot, allowing her to keep up with Dix-Neuf somewhat. When she fully awakens as Buster Machine No.7, she actually becomes much stronger than Dix-Neuf.
• Ascended Fanboy: She admires a person known as "Nonoriri" and desires to pilot a Buster Machine to be like her. Eventually she actually becomes a Buster Machine.
• Ascended to a Higher Plane of Existence: Word of God states that her Heroic Sacrifice ascended her "beyond time", and that she still has a chance of returning someday.
• Badass Adorable: An adorable young girl who is also impossibly strong.
• Badass Armfold: Following in the footsteps of Noriko Takaya.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Tycho finds out the hard way that you should never take being a Topless for granted when around her.
• Big Damn Heroes: In episode 4, after feeling Lal'c is in danger, she activates her buster machine powers, warps to where Lal'c is and saves the day by slashing the enemy and the planet in two.
• Big Little Brother: Despite referring to Lal'c as onee-sama, she appears to be around the same age as her and is a good head and shoulders taller as well. She's also several millennia older than her.
• Big Sister Worship: Almost half of her lines are gushing over how cool Lal'c is.
• Blessed with Suck: By the second half of the series, she possesses power that far surpasses the Topless at the cost of having the fate of all of humanity placed on her shoulders and getting isolated from her friends.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: A cute, ditzy waitress one minute and an unstoppable fighter the next.
• Cursed with Awesome: At the beginning of the series, she's a strong durable android that is capable of fighting against space monsters to a certain degree at the cost of not being able to become a Topless.
• Cute Clumsy Girl: She's clumsy and not very bright, but makes up for it with enthusiasm.
• Decoy Protagonist: The story is really more about Lal'c than her, though she is still highly important to the plot.
• The Ditz: She's not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, and frequently requires Lal'c's help to understand various things.
• Endearingly Dorky: Her adorably earnest sincerity when attempting to be taken seriously as a potential member of the Fraternity is seen as cute by Nicola.
• Expy: She's one to Noriko due to being an eager-yet-clumsy trainee pilot who worships their older sister figure. It turns out to be invoked, as she is subconsciously trying to emulate Noriko's behavior. Tragically, her being a Buster Machine prevents her from ever actually becoming like Noriko.
• Failure Is the Only Option: Nono will never become a Buster Machine pilot and fulfill her dreams. Even after awakening her true power as a Buster Machine, she is never able to live out her dreams of being a heroic Ace Pilot.
• Fiery Redhead: Gains red hair after awakening to her nature as a Buster Machine, and is still just as passionate and intense as she ever was.
• Genius Ditz: Despite her usual idiocy, she takes to learning the controls to a Buster Machine incredibly quickly. It helps that she actually is one.
• Genki Girl: Endlessly enthusiastic about everything.
• Goggles Do Nothing: Wears a snazzy pair as Buster Machine No. 7.
• Hard Work Hardly Works: Try as she might, she just can't ever seem to activate a Buster Machine. This is because she's actually a Buster Machine herself.
• Heroic BSoD: In the final battle, she had one after failing to defeat the final boss.
• Heroic Sacrifice: After defeating the last enemy, a huge black hole is created as result of the battle. Nono sacrifices herself to stop it and to save Lal'C and the earth.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: Gradually grows into this with Lal'C.
• Idiot Hair: Which apparently acquires telekinetic abilities when she awakens as a Buster Machine.
• Innocent Fanservice Girl: Has no problem ripping her top off if it means becoming a Topless.
• Line-of-Sight Name: Her name is derived from the first thing she said upon being discovered: "No...no...ri....ri...ko..."
• Meaningful Name: In two ways:
  • Her name contains the same root as the name of her idol Nonoriri.
  • It also sounds close to Nana.
• Ms. Fanservice: Short skirts, skin-tight spandex and full frontal nudity are a common occurrence for her.
• Mysterious Past: While The Reveal of Nono's true identity as Buster Machine No. 7 and her idol Nonoriri being Noriko clear a couple of things up, we're still never made privy to a lot about her; Why was she stuck in a meteor when her caretaker found her, and why does she know about Noriko? Her determination to keep Earth intact for Noriko to return home to implies she knew something about Noriko's final mission and her journey home, but that's about it.
• Nice Girl: Generally sweet and bubbly, though she knows when to get serious with others.
• Only One Name: Has no last name.
• Physical God: As the most powerful Buster Machine and an eternal Topless, she's one of the most powerful beings in existence.
• Power Dyes Your Hair: Her hair turns a radiant orange when she awakens as a Buster Machine.
• Really 700 Years Old: As Buster Machine No. 7, she's actually several thousands of years old.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The passionate red oni to the more cynical Lal'c's blue oni.
• The Reveal: Nono is Buster Machine No. 7.
• Ridiculously Human Robot: Looks (and apparently feels) just like an ordinary teenage girl, but is actually some kind of robot. A Buster Machine, to be more exact.
• Robot Girl: Though you'd be forgiven if you forgot that she was one.
• Rose-Haired Sweetie: Pink-haired and incredibly kind and innocent.
• Scarf Of Ass Kicking: As Buster Machine No.7.
• Statuesque Stunner: Stands at a tall 5'7, making her much taller than most of the other girls in the series, most noticeably Lal'c.
• Supporting Protagonist: As she can't pilot a Buster Machine, she stays out of most of the major battles. After awakening as a Buster Machine she passes the protagonist spot firmly to Lal'c.
• To Be a Master: She desires to become a great Buster Machine pilot and be like her idol "Nonoriri"- aka, Noriko Takaya.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: Girly girl to Lal'c's tomboy.
• Tomato in the Mirror: Nono can't pilot a Buster Machine because she is a Buster Machine.
• Took a Level in Badass: She starts as a clumsy maid in a modest restaurant and ends saving the entire galaxy in an awesome way.

Lal'C Mellk Mal

Voiced by: Maaya Sakamoto

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• The Ace: One of the most talented pilots in the Fraternity, and boasts the highest kill count.
• Ace Pilot: An excellent pilot all around, is considered to be one of the top three Topless in the Fraternity, alongside Nicola and Tycho.
• Affectionate Nickname: Both Nicola and Tycho call her "Princess". In Tycho's case, it begins as a derogatory nickname but grows into an affectionate one following her Character Development. And of course, we can't forget Nono's "Onee-sama".
• Ambiguously Brown: Her ethnicity is never commented on.
• Battle Couple: With Nicola. At least initially.
• Break the Haughty: Her cockiness is shattered over the course of the series, causing her to become much more humble and down-to-earth in the process.
• Coming of Age Story: The story is more of one for her than it is for Nono.
• Cool Big Sis: Gradually grows into one towards Nono over time.
• Cool Bike: She has a sweet-looking motorcycle.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: She initially was a bit cold towards Nono, but she starts to respect and consider her a true friend over time.
• Dude Magnet: The men of the military fawn over her the second they see her. Lal'c acts uninterested but pridefully smiles to herself when out of their sights.
• Expy:
  • Of Kazumi Amano, due to being a more experienced pilot who becomes a Cool Big Sis to the main protagonist. Unlike Kazumi, however, Lal'c is initially quite disdainful towards Nono, and takes a while to warm up to her. Also unlike Kazumi, Lal'c is steadily revealed to be the actual main protagonist of her story.
  • She is also a physical one of Lieutenant Kitsurubami from FLCL.
• Famed In-Story: Widely respected as one of the most talented Topless of her time at the beginning of the series.
• Generation Xerox: Implied to be very similar to how Casio was in his days as a pilot. Thankfully, she manages to turn out better than he did.
• Heroic BSoD: Goes through one in episode 5. Not only was she severely injured during the fight with the Eternal Topless, but she and the rest of the Topless are now being persecuted by all of humanity. To make matters even worse, her mentor/hero/boyfriend has a complete breakdown and attempts to rape Nono. It takes a pep talk from Nono to get her back in fighting shape.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: Grows to become this with Nono over time.
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: The tiny girl to Nicola.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While stern and somewhat haughty, she possesses a kind and heroic heart.
• Little Big Brother: While she's forced into the role of Nono's onee-sama, she's much, much shorter than her.
• Lonely at the Top: Lal'c is the top-ranking Topless in all of the Fraternity, and is incredibly famous as a result, but is look upon with a combination of fear, jealousy and resentment by both the government and her peers.
• Pintsized Powerhouse: She's quite short, but is one of the most powerful Topless alive.
• Onee-sama: Forced into this role by Nono. While she grows to accept it, it really becomes Nono who teaches her to change her worldview, not the other way around.
• Red Baron: "The Curve Breaker", for her record-breaking kill count as a pilot. She later acquires another one "Planet Mover".
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue oni to Nono's red, though she's very capable of being Hot-Blooded.
• Smug Super: She's quite haughty about her position as the top-ranking Topless, though this gets steadily broken down as the series goes on.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: The tomboy to Nono's girly girl.
• Took a Level in Badass: Helps Nono snap out of a Heroic BSoD and, along with her, defeats the last enemy with a powerful double inazuma kick.
• Tsundere: Acts cold and uppity towards both Nono and Nicola, but is capable of becoming highly emotional with both.

Nicola Vacheron

Voiced by: Mitsuo Iwata

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• Ace Pilot: Considered to be one of the three most skilled pilots in the Fraternity, alongside Lal'c and Tycho. Even then, he's suggested to be the most skilled of the three.
• Ambiguously Brown: Like Lal'c, he's dark-skinned but it's never commented on.
• Attempted Rape: Tries to rape Nono in a desperate attempt to restore his lost Topless powers in episode 5.
• Bait the Dog: Presented as a cool and supportive Big Brother Mentor-type to both of the leads, as well as a love interest to Lal'c, but is gradually revealed to be a selfish, desperate and pathetic Manchild who was Driven to Villainy in an ill-fated attempt to never grow up.
• Battle Couple: With Lal'c. It doesn't last.
• Big Brother Mentor: He's something of an idol to Lal'c. He also functions as one of sorts to Nono, due to being one of her primary supporters in her effort to become a Topless.
• Big Damn Heroes: Narrowly saves Lal'c and Captain Hatori's fleet from a space monster in episode 2.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Presents himself as a kind and friendly young man, but is steadily shown to actually be selfish, cowardly and manipulative. According to Lal'c after she catches him trying to rape Nono, she had suspected that he was one the entire time she knew him.
• Break the Haughty: His fall from cocky Ace to pathetic scumbag is a sight to behold.
• Broken Pedestal: Becomes one to Lal'c by episode 5.
• Brought Down to Normal: Loses his Topless powers completely sometime between episodes 4 and 5.
• Demoted to Extra: In episodes 5 and 6. Justified in that he both completely loses his Topless powers and destroys his relationship with Lal'c in episode 5.
• Despair Event Horizon: Crosses this towards the end of episode 4, where he learns that the power that he had been assisting the Serpentine Twins in uncovering was actually a universe-threatening space monster, rather than a way of maintaining his Topless powers like he had thought. Soon afterwards he fully loses his Topless powers, falls into a deep depression and later attempts to rape Nono in hopes of somehow regaining his lost powers.
• Expy: One half of one to Coach Ohta, due to being a handsome Big Brother Mentor to the two leads who sees potential in the heroine that no one else does, and later enters into a relationship with the Cool Big Sis. Like Coach, Nicola is also grappling with an illness, in his case his ever-nearing expiration date as a Topless. Unlike Coach, however, Nicola is laid-back and lighthearted. Also unlike Coach, Nicola is a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing.
• Growing Up Sucks: He's close to reaching his expiration date for being a Topless, and will lose all of his powers as a result. His desperate efforts to avoid having this happen to him cause him to endanger the entire universe and eventually attempt to rape Nono.
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Stands a good One Head Taller than Lal'c.
• Important Haircut: Gets his hair cut short after losing his Topless status and joining the military, in an effort to make himself appear more "adult".
• It's All About Me: While he appears heroic and supportive of both Nono and Lal'c, at his core he only sees both as a means to an end on the path to maintaining his powers as a Topless. By episode 4, he's willing to authorize universe-threatening projects due to the slim chance that they may allow him to keep his powers.
• Karmic Transformation: By the final episode, he has become the exact kind of overly-serious and uppity military drone who compensate for their jealousy of the Topless by acting in an exaggeratedly mature manner that he made fun of in episode 2. Even more ironically, his commanding officer is the exact same guy that he made fun of.
• The Leader: The field commander of the current generation of Topless, and is just under the Serpentine Sisters on the power hierarchy.
• Manchild: A light-yet-important example. Nicola is only 18, barely even qualifying as an adult, but does things such as collect action figures and play video games during meetings. He's also so terrified of entering the adult world and losing his Topless powers that he's willing to risk destroying the universe to remain young forever. After he fails to do this, he goes in the opposite direction and tries to act as stereotypically "adult" as possible in order to cover up his jealousy of the remaining Topless.
• Meaningful Name: Shares his last name "Vacheron" with a Swiss luxury watch manufacturer, in reference to his desperate struggles to avoid running out of time as a Topless.
• Mellow Fellow: Generally cool, calm and friendly. We steadily learn that this is a front and that he's actually incredibly desperate and cowardly.
• Nice Guy: Basically the only person who is supportive of Nono's dream of becoming a Topless at the beginning of the series. Turns out it's only because the Serpentine Twins believed that she held the key to becoming an Eternal Topless.
• The One Guy: The only male pilot on the main team, though this is balanced somewhat by Casio's presence and the fact that Nono doesn't actually do any piloting. It's especially noticeable as there was never a male pilot on the main team in Gunbuster. This foreshadows the fact that he eventually loses his status as a pilot.
• Power Incontinence: He's close to reaching his expiration date and losing his powers, which causes his Buster Machine to occasionally "short out" while he's piloting it. It continues to get worse as the series goes on before he loses his powers entirely.
• Smug Super: Incredibly cocky about the great power being a Topless gives him, and is openly disdainful towards the military for being much less effective than the Topless at fighting space monsters. The fear of losing his power and becoming normal is enough to drive him to do several horrible things.
• Supporting Leader: He's the field leader of the Fraternity, but only serves as a supporting character to Nono and Lal'c. Following the Fraternity's destruction in episode 4, he loses this position both literally (he becomes a lieutenant under Hatori in the military) and metaphorically (he is no longer viewed as a leader or a mentor by either of the leads).
• Unwitting Pawn: Is manipulated by the Serpentine Twins into unsealing the Eternal Topless throughout the first four episodes under the belief that it would allow him to keep his Topless powers.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: He loves to tease Casio, but he also seems to be pretty close with him.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: We never see what happens to him after the time skip.

Tycho Science

Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro

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• Ace Pilot: Her skills as a pilot are second to Lal'c's.
• A Day in the Limelight: The third episode is entirely focused on her, showing her distrust against Nono and the Topless (despite being one) and her past.
• Always Second Best: Try as she might, she's never able to beat Lal'c's kill score.
• Berserk Button: She gets incredibly angry whenever anyone suggests that Topless are capable of doing whatever they aspire to so long as they have the determination for it. She gets mostly over it following episode 3.
• Big Damn Heroes: Arrives on the battlefield with a new buster machine just in time to save the children, Lal'C and Nicola from an alien attack.
• Character Development: Goes from a mean, arrogant bully to Lal'c and Nono's trusted friend over the course of the series. By the epilogue she's the only character who Lal'c has maintained contact with over the time skip.
• Child Prodigy: While all Topless are in their teens due to the Competence Zone restrictions of their powers, Tycho is the youngest of the known pilots at only 13 and boasts the second highest kill count after Lal'c.
• The Cynic: The most vocally opposed to the idea of Nono ever becoming a Topless, as well as generally the most jaded member of the team. She gets better after episode 3.
• Deadpan Snarker: She's generally a lot more sarcastic and rude towards Nono when interacting with her than the other main characters are.
• Everything's Sparkly with Jewelry: Sports one crescent-shaped and two bobble-shaped earrings. They are revealed to be Tragic Keepsakes.
• Expy: To Jung Freud, due to being a third Buster Machine pilot who serves as a rival to the main duo before befriending them midway through the series. Also like Jung, she is named after a real life philosopher.
• Freudian Excuse: Her hatred of those who see the Topless as capable of doing anything stems from her being unable to use her Topless powers to save her crush's life as a child.
• Ineffectual Loner: Prior to befriending Nono, she was good, but permanently stuck in Lal'c's shadow.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Haughty, competitive and blunt, but also a sincere and caring friend.
• The Lost Lenore: Her childhood crush dying of an illness is what caused her to resent those who believe that the Topless have the power to do anything.
• Named After Somebody Famous: Named after the philosopher Tycho Brahe.
• The Rival: To Lal'c for the position of top-ranking Topless. She becomes a friendlier one after episode 3.
• Sweet Tooth: Frequently seen eating sweets.
• Token Mini-Moe: Of sorts. While she doesn't look particularly younger than Lal'c and Nono, she's only 13 and is still played for fanservice at various points.
• Took a Level in Kindness: Nono convince her Topless elite isn't useless and not only she saves the day, but starts to trust Nono and the Topless.
• Tragic Keepsake: The earrings she wears were made for her by her crush shortly before he died.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: She was a sweet child... until her childhood crush died. After that, she became very cold.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Her relationships with both Nono and Lal'c evolve into this over time.
• Wise Beyond Their Years: While this applies to all Topless to some degree, Tycho certainly carries herself with far more gravitas than the average 13 year old.
• Younger Than They Look: She doesn't look much younger than Lal'c, but is actually only 13. It helps that Lal'c is quite short for her age.

Casio Takashiro

Voiced by: Takumi Yamazaki

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• Ace Pilot: Was the top-ranked Topless of his generation and the pilot of Dix-Neuf.
• A Day in the Limelight: While he doesn't get an entire episode to himself like Tycho, a substantial portion of episode 4 focuses on his final attempt at reclaiming his identity as a Topless.
• Anti-Role Model: Casio hopes that his general patheticness will encourage the younger Topless to work hard to develop healthy lives after losing their powers in order to avoid becoming like him.
• Big Brother Mentor: Functions as this to all of the current Topless, being a former pilot who knows the ins and outs of both combat and the life of a Topless. He functions as one to Lal'c in particular, due to previously piloting Dix-Neuf himself.
• Brought Down to Normal: Lost his Topless powers long before the start of the series and has never been able to fully adjust to living without them.
• Cool Shades: Sports a pair not unlike Coach Ohta's. Unlike Coach's pair, though, Casio's just contribute to his Otaku appearance. They served as a straighter example when he was younger.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: While Casio generally comes off as a wacky goof, he knows when to get serious if the situation calls for it.
• Dirty Old Man: He's introduced perving on Nono and Lal'c in the shower.
• Expy: The other half of one to Coach Ohta. Like Coach, Casio is a retired former pilot who now functions as a mentor-figure and Mission Control to the heroines. Compared to the trim and serious Coach, however, Casio is far more shlubby and casual.
• Future Loser: Casio is the face of every possible bad thing that could happen to a Topless after they lose their powers. He is incapable of letting go of his time as a pilot, does everything in his power to remain as close to the Buster Machines as he can despite being totally incapable of doing anything with them and expresses fear at the thought of having to do anything beyond them. On top of that, he's aged pretty horribly.
• Glory Days: Clings to his past as a Topless incredibly tightly.
• Gonk: Compared to his four wards, who consist of three girls who each qualify as Ms. Fanservice in their own way and an attractive young man, Casio, with his scruffy appearance, short and fat stature and large lips, stands out as quite ugly.
• Growing Up Sucks: Casio has never fully accepted living without the powers of a Topless, and remains as fully-emerced in the Fraternity as he possibly can as a non-Topless in order to avoid having to learn how to.
• I Was Quite a Looker: Believe it or not, he looked like a fairly stereotypical "Hot-Blooded cool guy" mecha anime protagonist in his youth, as shown by his character design notes.
• Manchild: Interacts almost exclusively with children between the ages of 13 and 18, still plays with action figures and generally acts like an overgrown kid. This reflects his inability to move past his time as a Topless, as he has yet to have mentally matured past the age he was when he still had his powers.
• Meaningful Name: Named after a watch manufacturer, like Nicola. Similarly to Nicola, this reflects his fixation on having "run out of time" as a Topless and his undying obsession with regaining some of it.
• Mission Control: As he can no longer pilot a Buster Machine himself, the closest he can get to participating in combat is shouting out technobabble during fights.
• Nice Guy: While he's a bit of a jokester and a pervert, Casio is generally a friendly and affable guy who is always willing to provide moral support and guidance to the current Topless.
• Otaku: Closely resembles the stereotypical image of one in both design and personality. This coincides with his Manchild image, as his inability to mature beyond his life as a Topless is reminiscent of an otaku's failure to grow out of their obsessions and enter the "adult" world.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Nicola likes picking on him, but they're still good buddies.
• What If the Baby Is Like Me: He's all too aware of the struggles adult life has on former Topless, and tries his best to steer the younger Topless away from following his example. The epilogue shows that he succeeded in teaching Lal'c and Tycho how to grow into normal adults, at least.

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