Characters / Highschool of the Dead

The cast of Highschool of the Dead and associated tropes.

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Takashi's Group

Takashi Komuro

Voiced by: Jun'ichi Suwabe (JP), Leraldo Anzaldua (EN)

A young man who is among the first to notice that things at his high school have gone very very wrong. While he and Rei promised to marry each other, it's been several years, and with his apparent growing disinterest in her, she is now involved with his best friend, Hisashi. Things only get more complicated between the two as "they" spread, and Hisashi became one of "them", forcing him to Mercy Kill his best friend.

Takashi quickly takes a leadership role with the group, through his decisive nature and desire to protect his friends.

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• All Men Are Perverts: Takashi isn't above perving on his female teammates:
  • When he and Shizuka went riding, in chapter 5, he said she needn't hold onto him so tightly. But it was obvious from his expression that he was enjoying it; especially since her breasts were pressed against his back while her hand was on his crotch.
  • He also admitted to enjoying feeling her butt, while he was carrying her, and said it was soft.
  • Saeko also caught him staring at her boobs through her Sexy Soaked Shirt, in chapter 16.
  • In chapter 23, he had an Imagine Spot of Rei and Saeko in nothing but bath towels, when Saya mentioned sex as one of the reasons humans are willing to fight. Which was the only part he cared about.
  • And, in the "Drifters of the Dead" OVA, he hallucinated about Saeko throwing herself at him, then having sex with her.
• Badass Normal: With nothing but his skill in baseball, he manages to survive & rack up an impressive kill count. More obvious given the fact that most of his other True Companions have at least some sort of combat/martial arts training.
  • Later he upgrades to a riot shotgun that Chris Redfield would be proud of.
• Batter Up!: A baseball bat is the first weapon he gets his hands on. Later chapters shift his weapon of choice to a riot-suppression shotgun.
• Betty and Veronica: The Archie to Rei's Betty and Saeko's Veronica.
• Chick Magnet: Saya used to have a crush on him, he's in an ongoing Love Triangle between Rei and Saeko, and while Shizuka isn't really interested (since he's a student, plus she's 10 years older than he is), she implied she'd still be willing to give it up to him, when she thought he wanted to have sex with her^note see the Covert Pervert and Say It with Hearts entries in her section.
• Childhood Friend Romance: He and Rei were an item, sometime before entering middle-school. They even promised to get married when they were younger, complete with a Pinky Swear. But they drifted apart, after Rei had to repeat her junior year and began dating Hisashi. Their romance resparked after Hisashi's death.
• Childhood Friends: He and Saya have been friends since kindergarten.
• Cluster F-Bomb: Likes to drop 'em all over in the English dub.
• Combat Pragmatist: On occasion.
• Cooldown Hug: In the anime, Takashi gave one to Saeko off-screen to calm her down after she confesses to her sadistic tendencies. However, this scene does not happen in the manga.
• Determinator: When rescuing Alice/Arisu, as well as in basically everything else he does.
• Did They or Didn't They?: Noted in the Unresolved Sexual Tension entry.
• The Empath: To an extent, as he can at least partially understand what drives the members of his group. He was able to empathize with Saeko's violent nature, due to having similar impulses himself, and recognized Saya had become attached to Hirano to the point that she'd likely lose it if anything were to happen to him.
• Erotic Dream: See the Sexy Discretion Shot entry on the main page.
• Everyone Has Standards: Takashi may be a pervert, but even he draws the line at Saya and couldn't believe that his friend, Morita, actually wanted to go out with her.
• Expy: He's basically Rick Grimes as a Japanese high school student.
• Failed Attempt at Drama: When Takashi announces intent to leave for Shintoko Third Elementary, the rest of the gang appropriately react except for Zeke/Zero who responds by peeing on Takashi's leg.
• Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!: Invoked near the end of chapter 17, when he saw Saeko was preparing to let herself be killed by "them" because she felt she could no longer live with herself, knowing her true nature. Takashi responds by telling her to embrace herself for who she is, sins and all, and live for him. She accepts.
• Heh Heh, You Said "X": When Saya told him money and sex were two of the reasons blood is spilled in human relationships, "sex" was the only part he cared about. Which caused him to imagine Rei and Saeko in bath towels and slowly taking them off...
  Takashi: (perv expression) "S-sex". Heh, heh, hahaha."
• Idiot Hero: Good with a baseball bat. Not so good with actually thinking through the consequences of his actions.
• Jack of All Stats: He is not as efficient of a fighter as Rei or Saeko, nor as accurate a shooter as Kohta, or even as intelligent or worldly as Saya or Shizuka, but Takashi is no slouch in any category. Also counts as a mild subversion because even though he may not be as skilled as the others in their trades, he is indisputably physically stronger than the rest of his teammates.
• The Leader: The one area Takashi shines in is decisiveness. Alone, he may doubt his own ideas, but after consulting with his allies, he will know the best possible course of action.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Takashi never knew the reason Rei had to repeat her junior year, because she wouldn't open up to him about it. So he began to ignore her, which eventually lead to their breakup. It wasn't until she confronted Shidou at the Takagi Estate, that he learned what'd happened.
• Love Triangle: Is one awkward situation from being literally fought over by Saeko and Rei.
• Missing Mom: Hasn't seen his mother since the outbreak; not that he isn't extremely worried about her.
• Moral Event Horizon: Invoked when he used a live human as zombie bait as punishment for threatening to rape Rei and kill him. He's the only one who thinks he's crossed the line at that point; in fact, he's still redeemable by the rest of his team's standards. He also notes to himself that he may have killed Hisashi (and wasn't too upset by it) partly out of jealousy over Rei.
• Morality Chain: Or rather Sanity Chain, especially to Saeko. He also realizes that most of the team plays this role to one another.
• Mr. Fanservice: In the OVA, he wears a very tight-fitting pair of speedos that tend to slightly show off his cheeks, along with a pair of boots.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: A bit of a pattern with him. First, his decision to take Shidou's group with them, allowed Shidou to escape the school and nearly lead to Shizuka being gang raped, had Hirano not prevented it. And trying to rendezvous with Saya and Rei's families winds up leading Shidou there too.
• Old Flame: He and Rei used to date each other back in middle-school, but drifted apart when Takashi began to ignore her. They've begun to rekindle their feelings for each other in the aftermath of Hisashi's death.
• Only Sane Man: While everyone is at least moderately sane, Takashi’s main advantage is that he’s fully conscious of his grip on the Sanity Ball and can keep the others in line. He does constantly worry that his grip may end up slipping, and worse, knows very well that any freakout would have a domino effect on the team and get everyone killed.
• Ordinary High-School Student: At least until "they" showed up.
• The Plan: Does one against the gas station nutjob by throwing his bat onto the ground and shooting him. He and Rei then leave the nutjob to die, having made enough noise to attract the zombies.
• Pragmatic Hero: With shades of Nominal Hero. He's aloof and willing to do whatever it takes to ensure his groups' survival, even if it means cutting their losses, or abandoning others to die - as he did with Asami. Though the fact that he made an exception to save Alice and Zeke shows that even ruthlessness has its limits.
• Raging Stiffie: Rei inadvertently causes him to have one in chapter 6, by making out with him in only a camisole and a pair of thong panties. So he breaks the kiss and tells her they should stop, while averting his gaze. It takes Rei a moment to realize why, until she looks down between his legs:
  Rei: (giggles) "Oooohh... you got a stiffie."
• Red Is Heroic: The only character to wear red, signifying his role as leader.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Red to Saeko's blue.
• The Resenter: He didn't want to admit it, but he eventually faces the fact that he was jealous over Rei dating Hisashi. She was also aware of it and threw it in his face, during in an emotional outburst shortly after Takashi had to kill him, because Hisahi had become one of "them". Though she immediately apologized for it.
• Ship Tease: Ample amounts with Rei and Saeko, even more so in the anime version in the latter's case (see the related entry on the main page).

• Sir Swears-a-Lot: In the anime's English dub.
• Sociopathic Hero: To a certain degree. He acknowledges that a part of him actually likes the lawlessness brought about by the Zombie Apocalypse when he enjoys smashing a cash register at a gas station. Earlier on he notes to himself that he may have crossed the Moral Event Horizon when he killed Hisashi without being too bothered about it. He's able to relate to Saeko's Ax-Crazy impulses because of this.
• Standardized Leader: Played with. Takashi himself worries that he’s got no real outstanding skills compared to the rest of the (useful) members of the team, yet given the flaky cohesion and variable sanity of the group, his ability to keep everyone on a leash is quite invaluable. The kicker is that while he may be the most centred of the group, he’s not completely stable either and he knows it.

• Thanks for the Mammary: Intentional or not, Takashi grabs Saeko brutally by the breast in the park, probably to keep her from contemplating Suicide By Zombie again.
• Took a Level in Badass: Along with the rest of the cast.
• Unlucky Childhood Friend: Zigzagged. Rei broke up with him, after believing he had abandoned her^note see the Held Back in School entry in her section and began dating his best friend, Hisashi. But they've rekindled their romance in the aftermath of Hisashi's death.
• Unresolved Sexual Tension: The anime plays up the attraction between him and Saeko, with added amounts of ship tease which aren't seen in the manga. Such as implying they may have had sex during episode 9, and again during the "Drfiters of the Dead". Though the latter incident turned out to be a hallucination.
• Would Hit a Girl: He slapped Rei in the first chapter/episode to get her to listen to him, when he tried to tell her and Hisashi that they had to hurry and leave the school. And belts Saya in the "Drifters of the Dead" OVA, when she starts coming onto him while under the influence of hallucinogenic smoke (to his shock and embarrassment, Saya gets masochistic and begs him to hit her again).
• Would Hurt a Child: If they're zombies, they're fair game as far as Takashi's concerned so he treats them the same as any other might come across. When Saeko froze because she saw two of "them" were kids, Takashi blew both their brains out without hesitation.

Rei Miyamoto

Voiced by: Marina Inoue (JP), Jessica Boone (EN)

Takashi's old Love Interest and classmate, as well as a member of the lance fighting club. Frustrated with his apparent lack of interest, Rei started dating his best friend Hisashi, though she still harbored feelings for him. When Hisashi is bitten, Rei faces the question of whether it is right to act on her maintained feelings for Takashi so soon after he was forced to kill his best friend. Headstrong and resilient, Rei is a strong combatant and valuable asset to the group.

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• Action Girl: She fights out of necessity, rather than desire, but will adamantly protect her friends. Especially Takashi.
• Ambiguously Bi: There are several scenes where Rei interacts with her female teammates in more than friendly terms. The group shower scene in the manga sees her groping Shizuka and Saya’s breasts in amazement at their size. In the anime, the latter is replaced with Rei groping Saeko. And while she may have been fantasizing about Takashi in the OVA, did it really come across as a surprise out of universe that she was kissing Saeko?
• Anguished Declaration of Love: Done in the 11th episode, while they're at the Takagi Estate, which plays out differently from the manga version, where she simply tells him instead.
• Aren't You Going to Ravish Me?: Zigzagged in the 11th episode, when Takashi pins her to the bed after she confesses her feelings for him. But when he doesn't go any further, she asks him why he's hesitating. Takashi replies it's because he wasn't sure how to feel about it, or whether she was being honest with him. Rei tells him she doesn't know how else to be with him, so he accepts and leans down out of frame, which is soon followed by the sounds of their lovemaking. But they're forced to stop moments later, since she hadn't fully recovered from her back injury.
• Attempted Rape: Nearly happened to Rei, during chapter 4, while she and Takashi were at the gas station. Takashi put a stop to it by putting a bullet in thug's shoulder. Seen during episode 4 in the anime.
• Betty and Veronica: She's the "Betty" of the duo, being that she's Takashi's childhood friend and the Girl Next Door with a crush, since they used to date each other.
• Cannot Spit It Out: Averted. She was initially burdened with guilt, for rekindling her feelings for Takashi so soon after Hisashi's death. But she finally accepted it and told Takashi how she felt in no uncertain terms.
• Caught the Heart on His Sleeve: Rei grabs hold of Takashi's sleeve, causing him to go silent after having yelled at her about needing to get over Hisashi's death.
• Childhood Friend Romance: With Takashi. They promised to get married when they were kids, but they drifted apart after she had to repeat her junior year and started dating Hisashi. After Hisashi's death, their feelings resurface.
• Clingy Jealous Girl:
  • In the aftermath of Hisahi's death, she rekindles her relationship with Takashi and becomes jealous anytime he seems to be getting close to Saeko, who lampshades it by explaining to Takashi that girls can be weak at times and said he should talk with her.
  • Rei confirms it in chapter 12, when she tells Takashi she couldn't go on if he ever fell in love with another girl - only to run into Saeko on her way out and becomes suspicious of what she was doing outside his room.
• Dance Battler: At least once, with what can only be described as a "kendo pirouette" in Episode 5.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Fell victim to this the year before, as she reveals in Episode 11.
• Distress Ball: It only happens to her on three separate occasions, which were all short-lived and meant to show that, while capable, she's not infallible.
• Drowning My Sorrows: Gets drunk the night after Hisashi dies.
• Fragile Speedster: Rei mostly relies on her agility in combat. She is shown reeling badly once she gets hit and it takes her time to dispatch zombies if she confronts them head on, only getting the One-Hit Kill in surprise attacks.
• Girly Bruiser: See the Violently Protective Girlfriend entry.
• Girl Next Door: While the other females in the group are meant to cater to different fetishes, Rei's look and her manner invokes a tomboy quality, befitting the "childhood friend" type.
• Hair Antennae: She has a pair of hair strands that always curve upward near the front of her head. Best seen here and here.

• Heartbroken Badass: After Hisashi's death, the void he left is quickly filled by Takashi.
• Held Back in School: Rei was forced to repeat her junior year by Shidou, as retaliation against her father for investigating his father on suspicion of corruption. She was justifiably bitter, because of the grief it caused her father, who asked her to keep the matter to herself^note having assured Rei that he'd be able to arrest Shidou and his father if the investigation went as planned. Therefore, she couldn't tell Takashi about what'd happened, which caused him to begin to ignore her. It was around that time that Rei began growing closer to Hisashi, believing Takashi had abandoned her.
• It's Personal: She can't stand the sight of Shidou, knowing he was responsible for making her repeat a grade just to get back at her father, for exposing his father's corruption. Rei held her temper and kept it to herself since her father assured her that he'd be able to arrest both of them if his investigation went smoothly. But when she confronted him at the Takagi Estate, she couldn't contain her anger any longer and nearly killed him for what he'd done to her.
• Jerkass Realization: After Takashi Mercy Kills Hisashi, Rei is bitter and chews him out over it, remarking that Takashi must have hated him and enjoyed doing it since Hisashi and Rei were dating. When this nearly leads to Takashi willingly going to fight a massive amount of Them, which would undoubtedly lead to him being Devoured by the Horde, Rei immediately backpedals, apologizes, and begs Takashi not to leave her alone.
• Kissing Discretion Shot: Invoked twice between her and Takashi:
  • First seen in the 6th episode, where she gives Takashi a "Shut Up" Kiss on the stairwell, with his back towards the viewer. Invoked again while they're at the Takagi Residence, by having Takashi lean down out of frame after she confesses her feelings for him.
  • It's used only once in the manga (chapter 10), after Rei's love confession. The next panel shows them silhouetted as they make out with each other.

• Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: Best defines the contrasts between Rei and Saeko. Rei's the wholesome Girl Next Door, and Saeko's the sexy Blood Knight.
  • Whereas Rei is a Martial Pacifist (noted directly below), Saeko is Ax-Crazy and a Blood Knight. In her recount of how she'd once been accosted by a would-be rapist, Saeko told Takashi that seeing his fear was exhilarating for her and incited her to beat him savagely. For Rei, seeing Shidou's fear had the opposite effect.
  • This is also reflected in their ongoing Love Triangle with Takashi, with Rei being the 'wholesome' girl with a crush, while Saeko prefers to be the seductress and lets her sex appeal do the talking. This is further reflected by the difference in how they dress, which Rei lampshades in chapter 27:
    Rei: (incredulous) "What the heck is THAT!? Aren't you embarrassed showing off like that!? I can't believe you're walking around like that!!"
• Martial Pacifist: Though a skilled and capable combatant, violence isn't in Rei's nature (with exception); making her the polar opposite of Saeko.
  • She couldn't bring herself to kill Shidou, a man she loathes, even though she'd been given sanction to do it. Having seen his fear and cowardice, she decided he wasn't worth it.
  • Also seen during the escape from the mall, when she openly stated that she hoped she'd never get used to killing, even if it's "them".
• Ms. Fanservice: The original, as she provided breast bouncing and Panty Shots in the prologue alone. There's also an entire episode in which she's only clad in a Modesty Bedsheet due to getting massage therapy.
• Naginatas Are Feminine: She was a member of the Soujutsu Club, before the outbreak, and spent years being taught at home by her father as well. Her starting weapon was a makeshift polearm but later upgraded to a Springfield M1A1 .308 battle rifle with a bayonet attachment.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. Her sparing Shidou comes back to bite the team big time, twice. First, when the EMP goes off, he loses control of the bus, breaking a barricade and letting "them" storm Saya's family estate, and then Shidou goes to Rei's neighborhood, and with his cult manages to convince the neighbors to lock Rei's mother out while she was foraging for supplies.
• Old Flame: Rei used to date Takashi, back when they were in middle school, but they drifted apart during a particularly rough time in Rei's life. She realized she still had feelings for him in the aftermath of Hisashi's death and is hoping to rekindle what they once had.
• Overshadowed by Awesome: If it weren't for Shizuka, you'd wonder why she's so concerned about how she "stacks up" compared to other women, since she's hardly lacking in that regard.
• Please, Don't Leave Me: To Takashi. After he killed a turned Hiashi, Rei accuses Takashi of being jealous of Hiashi out of grief. Emotionally distressed, Takashi was about to go on a suicide charge against Them, but Rei stops him and begs him not to leave her. Thankfully, it worked.
• Plucky Girl: She has her moments of insecurity, but she tries not to dwell on them for long.
• School Uniforms are the New Black: Maintains most aspects of her school uniform.
• Secret-Keeper: Honoring her father's request to withhold the truth about why she had to repeat her junior year, is what eventually led to her breakup with Takashi.
• Secret Test of Character: Mr. Takagi gives her permission to personally execute Shidou in front of everyone at the mansion; however, she decides he's Not Worth Killing, leading Mr. Takagi to laugh and bellow, "Well put!"
• "Shut Up" Kiss: She gives one to Takashi, to cut him off when he tells her to get over Hisashi's death.
• Sins of Our Fathers: Her father just happened to investigate Shidou's father for corruption (who was desperate to keep his post amidst the investigation). Unfortunately, he had influence and his son happened to teach at Rei's school.
• Skinship Grope: During the bath scene in episode 6, she was incredulous at the sheer size of Shizuka's breasts and absolutely had to see, for herself, if they were real. After a few good gropes, she realized they were, then began scoping out Saeko's and Saya's breasts to see how hers measured up to theirs.
• Small Girl, Big Gun: Rei isn't much shorter than any of the other survivors, but everyone looks small next to a Springfield M1A1 rifle.
• That Didn't Happen: In the "Drifters of the Dead" OVA, she and Saeko end up frenching each other in the nude, while each was hallucinating that they were making out with Takashi. After recovering from the effects, they both agreed that what happened on the island, STAYS on the island.
• Tights With A Skirt: Looks like she's wearing this in one shot in Episode 3, probably due to a minor and hard-to-spot continuity snarl.
• Tomboy: In both appearance and temperament and compared to the other girls.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: Tomboy to Saeko and Shizuka's Girly Girls.
• Town Girls: The Butch to Saya's Neither and Shizuka's Femme.
• Violently Protective Girlfriend: If anyone tries to threaten Takashi, she won't hesitate to put them facedown on the floor. As one of Shidou's students found out, in short order.
• What the Hell, Hero?:
  • Directed toward Takashi, who let his lingering resentment get the better of him by assuming she was comparing him to Hisashi, simply because she said he sucked for not having any spare change on him.
  • She also gives him an earful, while she was being treated at the Takagi Estate, for using her breasts to repeatedly absorb the recoil from firing a sniper rifle and worsening her back injury.

Saeko Busujima

Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro (JP), Taylor Hannah (EN)

Calm and collected, Saeko is a high school senior and president of the Kendo Club. She is one of the few survivors of the initial outbreak, and after meeting up with Takashi and the others, she lends her considerable skills with the sword to the team. Reliable in the extreme, she takes great pride in her abilities and in the abilities of her comrades.

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• Action Dress Rip: To both herself and Shizuka-sensei.
• Action Girl: Her skills as the former captain of the Kendo Club and her insatiable bloodlust makes her one of the most lethally efficient members of Takashi's group. A fact he acknowledged himself, by encouraging her to embrace that part of herself, to better ensure his own chances of survival.
• Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Tall, beautiful, dark-haired, composed, and widely respected by her peers.
• Ambiguously Bi: She has several homoerotic moments with Rei, with the two largest being when Rei groped her in the shower in the anime (and she moaned in response) and in the Cosplay of the Dead bonus chapter where she dressed Rei in a very revealing outfit and tried making it even more revealing by tearing the skirt. When Saya tells her it might be too much, Saeko questions what was so wrong with that. The creators seemed to have this view of her as well, otherwise the scene in the OVA of her and Rei kissing naked wouldn’t have worked so well, even if they were hallucinating Takashi.
• Anti-Hero: She's one of the good guys, yet she takes so much pleasure in violence that even she can get scared of herself.
• Attempted Rape: As part of her backstory.
• Ax-Crazy: Saeko isn't "all there" as she just enjoys the feeling of beating the ever-living shit out of someone a bit TOO much. And this was when she had a wooden katana. When she gets her hands on a real sword, well...
• Badass Longcoat: In chapter 29, she dons a rain slicker that resembles the trenchcoat worn by Vash the Stampede.
• Betty and Veronica: As the "Veronica" of the duo, Saeko prefers to let her sex appeal do the talking and has no reservations about flaunting it in front of Rei. She's even modified her school uniform to include a lacey pair of black thigh-high stockings and stiletto-heeled boots, along with a matching mini-skirt that has a split seam so high that it flashes her panties (also black) when she walks.
• The Big Girl: Saeko is possibly the team's best close-range combatant, thanks to years of training in Kendo, and relishes any opportunity to cut loose.
• Blood Knight: It used to burden her with self-loathing, but Takashi snapped her out of it^note since her fighting ability makes her invaluable to their group's survival. From then on, she revels in almost orgasmic pleasure from cutting down zombies, as it allows her to indulge in her violent impulses without restraint. Which makes her the polar opposite of Rei.
• Born in the Wrong Century: A warrior of her caliber is an anachronism in the technologically-advanced 21st century; more fitting for the battlefields of the Tokugawa Era.

• Close-Range Combatant: As captain of her school's Kendo Club, she naturally favors her bokken instead of firearms.
• Cool Big Sis: Was this role to the party of heroes until Shizuka began taking a more assertive role in the group.
• Combat Stilettos: Saeko trades in her rather sensible running shoes for high-heeled boots after the girls go through a wardrobe change.
• Cute and Psycho: Seen in chapter 17 of the manga, which is the anime's ninth episode (covered in the Ax-Crazy entry).
• Dark Action Girl: Being both a Lady of War and the kendo captain, she manages to run the gamut rather neatly by herself. Saeko's well aware of her violent impulses and gets to indulge in it whenever she's cutting down waves of zombies.
• Did They or Didn't They?: After Saeko tells Takashi about her sadism (episode 9), he cuts her off with a kiss. The scene fades to the next morning, where Saeko appears to be either tying her skirt back on, or her panties (both have side-ties), as she and Takashi exit the temple - implying they may have had sex. In the manga version of the scene, the implication isn't anywhere near as blatant.
• Dodge the Bullet: Seen in episode 8, during her now memetic bullet time sequence, where she narrowly avoids being shot twice. The first one passes directly between her legs, making it a literal Panty Shot, due to the gratuitous close-up. While her boobs dodged the second shot independently of each other!
• Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: Inverted with her and Hirano; he's the team Gun Nut, she's the sword-wielding, ex-Kendo Club captain Blood Knight. She later asks to learn how to use a gun, but still stands out for her proficiency with her sword.
• Hadaka Apron: In the anime version, she dons one in episodes 6-8. The same arc takes place in chapters 6 and 7 of the manga. Enjoy.
• Heroic BSoD: She briefly contemplated letting "them" take her while thinking that she was no better than "they" are, but was inspired to accept her bloodlust, by Takashi, who told her to live for him.
• Huge Schoolgirl: While she was just one year from graduating, she still a high schooler and stands at 174cm or 5'8½".
• Immodest Orgasm: She either had one, or was close to it, at the end of episode 9. After being turned on by Takashi's speech, she goes on to cut her way through the attacking horde. At the end of which, she smiles and exclaims, "YES!!"^note which is accompanied by a row of kanji reading: "I'M GETTING WET!!"
• Interplay of Sex and Violence: See the Immodest Orgasm and Orgasmic Combat entries.
• Irony: Sometime before the outbreak occurred, Takashi's friend, Morita, said he wished he could've seen Saeko in an apron and a thong, though Takashi said it'd never happen. He was wrong, but sadly, Morita wasn't around to see it.
• Japanese Delinquents: Subverted, since she isn't actually part of a gang. Rather, she's the captain of her school's Kendo Club. It's her character design and general attitude which creates the impression - from being tall and darkhaired, the skirt of her school uniform being longer than the other girls, and the bokken she carries at her side (which is eventually replaced with a real katana).
• Katanas Are Just Better: The sword that Don Takagi gives her is an example despite Hirano's annoyed explanation that an average katana would be rendered useless after beheading, at most, four of "them". Saeko has been going strong with her sword for more than ten chapters now, and doesn't seem to be slowing down. Also, swords may be more practical than guns since "they" only hear and our heroes have to travel through hordes of "them".
  • Funnily enough, it's the resident Gun Nut that talks her into keeping and using the sword, and he specifically points out that it's of superior craftsmanship to most modern or mass-produced-infantry-quality swords, and in the right hands (which it definitely is) can maintain its killing potential with very little maintenance. Eventually Saeko does ask to be shown how to use a gun along with her sword.
• Kimono Fanservice: She provides this when the group is staying at the Takagi residence.
• Lady of War: Saeko's skill with a sword is matched by her grace and composure in battle. At one point she throws a bamboo parasol into the air, sprints forward and cuts down a zombie, then gracefully catches it before it has a chance to hit the ground.
• Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: Saeko makes up the dark half of the duo (see the related entry in Rei's section). Her Ax-Crazy nature and use of raw sex appeal to attract Takashi contrasts Rei's more moderate personality and aesthetics.
• Luminescent Blush: Seen in chapter 16 of the manga, when she notices Takashi staring at her breasts through her Sexy Soaked Shirt.
• Lust Object: The anime plays up Takashi's attraction to Saeko far more than the manga does. Such as when he first sees she's wearing nothing but an apron and a thong in episode 6, and slips up twice while staring at her breasts. But the "Drifters of the Dead" OVA exaggerates the UST by having Takashi hallucinate that Saeko is coming on to him.
• Ms. Fanservice: She’s arguably the most popular character for this reason. Tall, dark, and sexy, with a calming deep voice, is shown in a state of undress many times, and is the star of the Matrix Boobs scene. She also shared kissing scenes with both Takashi and a lesbian one with Rei while both were naked in the OVA, though the former was a hallucination.
• Promoted to Love Interest: The anime blatantly ups the Ship Tease with Takashi (especially in the OVA).
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Girly girl to Rei's tomboy.

Saya Takagi

Voiced by: Eri Kitamura (JP), Maggie Flecknoe (EN)

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• Academic Alpha Bitch: And HOW! The girl is a mental giant.
• Action Mom: She essentially adopts Alice as her daughter while constantly fighting off zombies. And she will go into Mama Bear mode whenever anyone threatens Alice.
• Action Survivor: If the situation calls for it, Saya participates in combat despite struggling with it.
• Adoptive Peer Parent: Saya becomes Alice's new "mother" while she is still a high school student.
• Affectionate Nickname: She begins to refer to Alice as "Munchkin", as a sign of her growing attachment to her.
• Bedmate Reveal: See the Did They or Didn't They? entry.
• Berserk Button: She's tsundere as it is, but she really hates when Alice refers to her as "Saya-chan", rather than the more respectful term of address, "Saya Onee-sama".
• Bratty Teenage Daughter: See The Resenter entry.
• Bright Slap: Tries this on Hirano, after the latter's Heroic BSoD, but fails. Before so, she was on the receiving end from her mother, and even before that, it was Takashi.
• Catchphrase: She throws the word "stupid" around quite a bit.
• Childhood Friend Romance: She used to have a crush on Takashi when they were younger, and it was implied she might've still had feelings for him at the beginning of the manga. But she's gotten over it and has moved on, since developing an attachment to Hirano.
• Childhood Friends: She has been friends with Takashi since kindergarten.
• Cross-Popping Veins: Saya does this the most when talking with Kohta.
• Cute Little Fangs: At least one is always visible, even while she's sleeping.
• The Cynic: Usually, but considering that most of the group are cynics to a degree themselves...it doesn't say much.
• Did I Just Say That Out Loud?: As the girls are preparing to leave Rika's apartment to pick up Takashi and Alice, she asks what's keeping Hirano, which leads to the following (at 1:31-1:52):
  Saya: "Where's Hirano?"
  Rei: (absentmindedly) "What? I think he's still upstairs."
  Saya: (annoyed) "Geez... I don't know whether he's sharp, or slow."
  *background music stops as Hirano shows up fully loaded for bear, stunning the girls *
  Hirano: (wonders why they're all staring) "What? What's the matter?"
  Saya: (turned on) "Oh wow... you look so sexy..."
  Hirano: (surprised) "Oh! You really think- (suddenly realizes what she just said) "Wait a minute..."
  Saya: (changing subject) "Get in the car!"
• Did They or Didn't They?: She has a Type 2 with Shizuka near the end of "Drifters of the Dead", after hallucinating spending the night with her Mom. By morning, the effects had worn off and she sees she was lying naked on top of Shizuka, who was also naked. It's never said whether they actually had sex, but they agree to pretend it didn't happen.
• Erotic Dream: In the 7th episode, she's shown on the couch with her legs spread while dreaming of Hirano. Then her thought bubble dips between her legs and wiggles, making her blush and moan.
• Everyone Can See It: It takes a while for them to get there, but by chapter 28, it's obvious that the others support the idea of her and Hirano hooking up. Alice most of all.
• First-Name Basis: She initially referred to Hirano as either "fatty", or "fatass". By chapter 21, things had changed between them to where she now openly addresses him by his first name.
• Girlish Pigtails: Has the typical hairstyle of a Tsundere. No point in guessing why.
• Give Geeks a Chance: It hasn't happened yet, but she's getting there. When Hirano asked her out, it made her blush.
• Heroic BSoD: Shortly after the drill incident below, she has a freakout. She recovers remarkably quickly, though.
• Incest Subtext: (anime only): In the OVA, Saya accidentally inhales hallucinogenic smoke that causes her to mistake Shizuka for her mom. During this, Saya strips her and imagines cuddling naked with her mom in a hot spring. The drugs wear of by morning, revealing she's naked on top of Shizuka, who's also naked. Instead of being shocked by the implication, Saya seems more disappointed that her hallucination wasn't real.
  Saya: (mumbling, while covering her breasts) "You're... you're not my mom..."
• Insistent Terminology:
  • She always tells Takashi to call her by her first name.
  • Alice will always address Saya as "Saya-chan", no matter how many times Saya reminds Alice to call her "Onee-sama".
• Insufferable Genius:
  • In the anime, she often lauds her intellectual superiority over Takashi and the others and frequently calls them "stupid". At one point, going so far as to say she was smarter than all of them combined; albeit during an emotional outburst after nearly being killed.
  • Her manga portrayal mostly averts this, by having her occasionally take digs at Hirano about his weight - with the understanding that her bark is worse than her bite.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Despite her own feelings for Hirano, she was willing to step aside so he could be with Asami and even suggested taking her with them. Then told Takashi he should worry about his own relationship problems, when she saw the look in his eye.

• Like an Old Married Couple: By now, she and Kohta practically are a married couple with Alice as their adopted daughter. Chapter 29 hangs a massive lampshade on it.
• Lust Object: For both Hirano and Takashi's deceased friend, Morita.
  • Hirano's got it bad for her and definitely wants to get into her hot pants (see the Nerds Are Sexy entry in her section, and the Erotic Dream entry in his ).
  • During the bonus story at the end of chapter 23, Morita also wanted to tap it. He spends an entire page going on about how hot she is and said she had breasts like a bikini model's.
• Mama Bear: Don't mess with Alice while she's around, 'cuz she's just as violently protective of her as Hirano is.
• Meta Girl: Of the main cast, she's the one who breaks the fourth wall most frequently.
• Ms. Exposition: As the smartest girl at their school (and likely the cast), she's usually the one to explain important plot details to both the other characters and the readers:
  • She was able to accurately assess why going to the staffroom for help was a bad idea and explained why the police hadn't responded to the outbreak at the school. And she was the first to note the zombies were blind and react to sound instead.
  • She also gave a detailed summation of how HANE's and EMP's work, after all the electronics at the Takagi Estate went dead, in chapter 15.
  • And during chapter 28, she tells them about the JSDF'sevacuation plan, after finding a report about it (albeit, with help from Alice) on one of the computers at the police HQ where Rei's father was stationed.
  • It was even lampshaded by WatchMojo.com, during their countdown for the Top 10 'Anime Cliches'. No.8 on the list was: "overuse of exposition", where they specifically single out Saya (seen at 2:20-2:31).
    WatchMojo: "An example of this is Saya Takagi from Highschool of the Dead, who, due to her outstanding intellect, will often analyze the group's condition and sum it up for the audience."
• Ms. Fanservice: Takashi ogles her during her introduction and has shown as much skin as Shizuka, Saeko, and Rei.
• Nerds Are Sexy: Hirano certainly thinks so, as he becomes attracted to her after finding out she wears glasses. She even caught him perving on her, in chapter 5, and booted him for it. And if you look closely at the panel where she's giving her EMP explanation, you can see he's both awestruck and drooling over just how smart she is.
• Ojou: Her family is extremely wealthy, complete with a large estate and a Big Fancy House.
• Parental Substitute: Alice eventually comes to regard Saya and Hirano as her parental surrogates within the group.
• Pink Means Feminine: Saya has pink hair, wears matching pink hightop sneakers and, while she and the others were resting at her family's estate, she wore a frilly pink blouse.
• The Resenter: Because of her family's status, her parents expected much of her. The pressure to live up to their standards was stifling for her, which caused her to resent them and is the reason she developed such an abrasive personality. Her bitterness grew when she thought they had failed to protect her during the outbreak. It takes a slap from her mother, followed by a stern lecture to finally make her realize how much they cared for her.
• Rich Bitch: She doesn't flaunt her family's wealth, but she definitely has the attitude.
• Shorttank: She's had the attitude right from the start, being she's tsundere and a Tomboy with a Girly Streak. But it doesn't become official until chapter 18, where she dons her jean shorts and suspenders + T-shirt ensemble.
• The Smart Girl: Takashi and the others quickly learn to rely on her as the brains of their outfit.
• Smart People Wear Glasses: The Smart Girl of the group, with glasses to show it.
• This Is a Drill: Cornered by one of them in a supply closet, she desperately grabs for a weapon... and gets it in the forehead with a battery-powered drill.
• Tomboy with a Girly Streak: Despite her family's wealth and her upbringing, Saya isn't exactly what you'd call ladylike. She tends to use strong language and prefers to be in thick of things, rather being left on the sidelines as it makes her feel useless. Which she later explained to Hirano, as her reason for wanting to fight. She also prefers to dress casually, but is just as comfortable in feminine wear, likes pink, and beginning in chapter 18, wears a ribbon around her left ankle as a fashion accessory.
• Town Girls: The Neither to Rei's Butch and Shizuka's Femme.
• Tsundere: Type A. She mostly gives Hirano a hard time, but shows signs of being attracted to him. The most telling instance, by far, was when she pretended not to care that Asami and Hirano were getting closer, but was visibly concerned that he might've chosen to stay with her.
• Tsurime Eyes: Has the typical sharp eyes of a Tsundere, for whatever reason.
• Unresolved Sexual Tension: Between her and Hirano, to where they've both dreamt about having sex with each other.
• Uptown Girl: She is the daughter of a wealthy and influential family, while Hirano is just a middle-class loser Otaku.
• Well, Excuse Me, Princess!: Saya very often is hard on Kohta, especially when calling him names regarding his weight. However, Saya had blushed profusely when, on a whim, Kohta asked her out.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Directed at her father, when she demands to know what he meant by "entrusting her" to Hirano.
• Will They or Won't They?: With Hirano (covered by the Ship Tease entry on the main page).

Kohta Hirano

Voiced by: Nobuyuki Hiyama (JP), Mark X. Laskowski (EN)

Sixteen-year-old Kohta was a school loser and bully magnet. "Their" appearance changed everything — his secret obsession with firearms prepared him well for his big break as the gang's resident marksman. Because of this, he winds up teaching the others how to use guns.

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• Acrofatic: He keeps up with the more physically fit members of the group incredibly well when he doesn't have the benefit of staying back to snipe.
• Action Dad: Becoming Alice's adoptive dad doesn't stop him from shooting down zombies.
• Adoptive Peer Parent: He ends up becoming Alice's new "father", despite still being a high school student.
• Ascended Fanboy: The Zombie Apocalypse has allowed him to finally cut loose and use all his gun lore.
• Berserk Button: Threatening women and children around Kohta is a good way to get a bullet through your head or a garrote around your neck. See directly below.
• Beware the Nice Ones: An easygoing, kind-hearted, and generally placid soul... who carries enough firepower to depopulate a mid-sized South American republic, and can deploy all of it to deadly effect at a moment's notice. After learning Kohta had training from a Blackwater mercenary, Takashi states that he's glad Kohta's on their side.
• Beware the Silly Ones Switches between a loser-ish Otaku and a psycho when a gun is involved.
• Big Beautiful Man: Even though he's a short fat nerd with glasses, he's actually generally drawn with relatively handsome features. Takagi soon takes a liking to him as well.
• Big Damn Heroes: Hirano gets two crowning moments:
  • He came to Alice's rescue, to save her from a horde that'd been drawn to the sound of her crying over her dead father. When Takashi asked what he was doing^note since they had agreed not to use their gus, so they wouldn't attract "them" to their hiding place, Hirano's response was: "IT's. A. LITTLE. GIRL!!"
  • The next time was to stop Shimada from raping Shizuka, after he refused to back down to Asami. So Hirano ducked into a nearby hardware store, quickly fashioned a garrote, then came back and dispensed justice.

• Break the Cutie: Meeting Asami was perhaps the best and worst thing to happen to him.
• Covert Pervert:
  • Seen in chapter 5 when Saya caught him checking her out on the sly and boots him for it.
    Saya: (at Hirano) "YOU LECHER!!"
  • And in the following chapter, he asked Takashi if he wanted to see whether there was anything to "protect" the girls from while they were bathing, but Takashi wisely chose to live.
• Crazy-Prepared: Being extremely knowledgeable about guns in Japan automatically puts him in this category. He also never misses a chance to loads up on as many guns as he can hold on to.
• Crippling Over Specialization: While he is phenomenal with firearms, Kohta is completely incapable of using melee weapons, which hampers him when the group must be quiet. And, of course, there's always the definite possibility that he may run out of ammo at any moment.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Can switch between "bumbling geek" and "walking instrument of death" with frankly worrying rapidity.
• Declaration of Protection: Hirano protected Saya during the outbreak at the school and told her he'd keep her safe, as they were boarding the bus, during their escape. But, near the end of chapter 15, her father made it official by entrusting Saya's safety to him, just before they were forced to abandon the Takagi Estate. Despite her initial objection, she gradually accepts him as her personal bodyguard, of sorts.
• Erotic Dream: Brought on by hallucinogenic smoke, in the "Drifters of the Dead" OVA, where he wound up humping a broomstick. With the implication being that he thought he was banging Saya.
• First-Name Basis: For nearly half the manga, he referred to Saya as "Takagi-san", switching to "Saya-san" after she granted him and the others permission to address her by her first name. Beginning in chapter 28, he drops the "san" honorific and she's shown to be okay with it.
• Friendly Sniper: Eager, but a nice kid overall.
• Friend to All Children: Though he is one of the first to accept the notion that not everyone can be saved, he immediately swings into action to protect Alice/Arisu, knowing that the gunfire will draw more of "them" and compromise their hideout.
• Gratuitous English: Spent some time in America and naturally, this carried over. This mostly occurs when he's describing guns.
• The Gunslinger: Kohta is an excellent marksman with many different types of guns, but he usually uses the AR-10 Rifle which has been remodeled in the style of a Knight's SR-25 Sniper Rifle.
• Heroic BSoD: He began showing signs of PTSD after having to Mercy Kill Asami.
• Hidden Depths:
  • That geeky shell hides a deadly efficient gun-enthusiest with an itchy trigger finger.
  • While under the influence of hydrangea, he ironically imagines himself as a peace loving hippie calling for revolution and protesting America's involvement in Vietnam. While he was certainly hallucinating, a quip of his afterwards suggests there is a hidden aspect of him.
• Improbable Aiming Skills:
  • It's his ability to line up headshots with terrifying speed, precision and regularity that makes this short, chubby Otaku one of the group's most effective combatants. Justified in that he did get a few lessons from a former Delta Force operative at a Blackwater firing range.
  • Best seen in chapter 26, when he fires a shot directly between Takashi and the others and scores a headshot on an approaching zombie. Which was done in a split-second when noticed it from the corner of his eye. While the shot saved Alice's life, it could just as easily taken it, which is why Saya belts him for it. Twice.
• Improvised Weapon User: Within pages of his introduction, he MacGyver'd a nail gun and a length of wood into a semi-automatic carbine, which kept him in good stead until he got an actual gun. Later he defused a tense situation by assembling a garrote from materials found at a hardware store.
• Let's Get Dangerous!: Considering his school life and personality, did anyone expect him to be so competent in a Zombie Apocalypse?
• Like an Old Married Couple: He and Saya are practically married already, with Alice as their adopted daughter.
• Living Emotional Crutch: By chapter 26, Takashi believed Saya had become so attached to Hirano, that he was concerned when he began to suffer PTSD, due to having to Mercy Kill Asami. And tells Shizuka that if he were to die, Saya would likely lose the will to live.
• Long-Range Fighter: A gun otaku, turned gun specialist, after spending a month training on an American Blackwater firing range. Hirano's expertise makes him an invaluable asset to their group, since he often lays down cover fire and even begins teaching the others how to use firearms.
• Mentor Archetype: Teaches the others how to use guns.
• Mercy Kill: He kills Asami at her own request before "they" get her.

• Nosebleed: Kohta has had quite a few so far.
  • He had a mild one when Shizuka kissed him on the cheek in a drunken stupor.
  • And again when she turned up half-asleep and buck naked, while the others prepared to leave her friend's house.
  • Happens yet again when Asami hugged him.
• Otaku: If it has anything to do with firearms, he's all over it.
• Papa Wolf: You better don't mess with Alice with Hirano around.
• Parental Substitute: The group 'adopts' Alice, after saving her and Zeke, but Hirano and Saya are the two who look after her; essentially acting as her new 'parents'.
• School Swimsuit: Seen in the "Drifters of the Dead" OVA, where he wore a girl's PE swimsuit and actually seemed to enjoy it.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Because of the nature of the setting, this is both his best quality, but also makes him a potential liability to himself and the others:
  • Such as when he disregarded the "no shooting" agreement in order to save Alice (see the Big Damn Heroes entry).
  • Subverted near the end of chapter 25, when Takashi put his foot down]] for the sake of the group, by preventing Hirano from helping Asami.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: While not exactly a war veteran, Shizuka remarked that Kohta's starting to show PTSD symptoms normally seen in soldiers.
• Slasher Smile: Kohta does this a lot. It contrasts very nicely with being a bumbling, spineless nice guy Otaku most of the time.
• The Smart Guy: Shares this position with Saya, although his specialty is weaponry, whereas Saya's is more worldly facts.
• Sociopathic Hero: But more emphasis on "hero". Although Kohta has, at times, shown a ginormous Slasher Smile while threatening or injuring people... It's implied early on that he was dangerously close to falling off the deep end and going on a shooting spree. The zombies just beat him to it.
• Something Else Also Rises: Done twice at different points in the anime:
  • The first time it happens, is when he sees Shizuka naked in episode 6, which causes him to grip his sniper rifle between his legs while it twitched as though he had an erection (which he probably did).
  • It happens again in the OVA episode, where he wound up humping a broom handle in a bathing suit, while he was hallucinating. Though the camera angle and twitch animation made it appear that he was jerking off.

• Squishy Wizard: Excellent in firearms but even he admits that his physical fitness is poor and that he is useless in melee combat.
• Unresolved Sexual Tension: See the related entry in Saya's section.
• Will They or Won't They?: With Saya.
• Yank the Dog's Chain: Even after Asami freaks out and calls Hirano some hurtful stuff, she actually does like him. And they seem to get along very well. Yay for Hirano. Then Asami pulls a Heroic Sacrifice, and Hirano has to shoot her in the head so she won't turn into one of "them".

Shizuka Marikawa

Voiced by: Yukari Fukui (JP), Monica Rial (EN)

A 27-year-old spinster who served as Fujimi High's School Nurse. While ditzy, Shizuka is naturally very calm, and little fazes her. She is often the group's driver and, being good at her profession, she tends the other character's wounds.

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• Action Dress Rip: Saeko did her the favor the first time, so it'd be easier for Shizuka to run. She does it herself in chapter 26, before hopping on Alice's bike to give Hirano a piece of her mind for nearly allowing himself to be killed.
• Attempted Rape: Shizuka has nearly been a victim twice:
  • When she and the others decided to split off from Shidou's group, Shidou tried to manipulate her into staying with them, with clear intentions towards her (noted in the second Fridge entry).
  • While they were at the mall, Shizuka wandered off with Shimada to find a bed to rest in. Except he had other ideas, and would've succeeded were it not for Asami and Hirano.
• Bedmate Reveal: With Saya, near the end of the "Drifters of the Dead" OVA.
• Between My Legs: Episode 9. While she's naked.
• Beware the Silly Ones:
  • When some of the students on the bus complain about Shizuka's driving and Takashi's group plan to escape by heading into the city, she hits the brake and practically tells them all to shut the fuck up. Cue students shutting the fuck up.
  • Later, she gives Hirano a Pep Talk like a veteran drill sergeant.
• Badass Driver: Don't let her ditzy and emotionally supportive demeanor fool you - she's one mean badass behind the wheel.
• Big-Breast Pride: Shizuka takes great pride in the gargantuan size of her breasts and couldn't resist flaunting them in front of Rei, during the bath scene in chapter 6:
  Rei: (absolutely incredulous) Th-THEY'RE HUGE!!
  Shizuka: (smug, while fluffing her breasts) Yeah... I get that a lot.
• Car Fu: Despite not having handled any weapons per se, Marikawa-sensei has the highest body count of all the survivors due to her, ahem, forceful driving.
  Hirano: How can she make the Humvee move like that???
• Cloudcuckoolander: She is always dazing off.
• Covert Pervert: It doesn't show often, but Shizuka's mind seems to be firmly in the gutter:
  • Such as the time she grabbed Takashi's crotch, when they went riding in chapter 5. Made moreso by the dialog in the anime version:
    Shizuka: (one hand covering Takashi's crotch) "Whoa! It's been so long since I felt something like this!"
    Takashi: (smiling dreamily) "Um... you're talking about the motorcycle... aren't you?"
    Shizuka: (feigning innocence) "Whaaat? What did you say? I can't hee~aar yooo~uuu!"
    Takashi: (a bit louder) "Uh... I was just saying-"
    Shizuka: (still playing innocent) "I can't hear yoooo~ouuu!"
  • She was also quick to assume he wanted to have sex with her when he said he "needed her"^note Takashi only wanted her opinion of Hirano's emotional state at that time. While she replied it wasn't the time, or place for it, her blush and the way she was smiling implied she might've consented otherwise.
  • Also, when they raid the convenience store, Shizuka picks up a box of condoms and is seen smiling to herself. When Hirano asks to borrow one, she blushed and wanted to know why? But seemed just as interested that it was to protect the barrel of his rifle from being clogged by grime and mud.
  • And when Hirano tells Alice she's holding a net launcher, Shizuka smiles and has an Imagine Spot of lying with her legs spread, while he used it to squirt semen all over her^note since "net" is a slang term for "semen". Hirano literally sees what she's thinking and clears up the misunderstanding.
  • Then she takes it and stuffs it in her cleavage, because she thought it was the best place to put it.]] Saya and the others tell her she didn't have to do that.
• Did They or Didn't They?: After being effected by hydrangea smoke in the OVA, she hallucinates about spending the night in bed with Rika. But once the effect wears off the following morning, it's revealed that she had actually spent the night with Saya. It isn't said how far things went, or if anything happened at all.
• The Ditz: Shizuka could at least pretend to realize there's a Zombie Apocalypse outside.
• Drives Like Crazy: Her one redeeming ability for much of the series. Whenever she's behind the wheel, she tends to rack up body counts that Saeko and Hirano could only dream of.
• Dumb Blonde: She has long blonde hair and is the most ditzy character in the series.
• Erotic Eating: She can be seen choking on a banana in one scene, after Saya announces that she may not be able to continue on with the group.
• Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Looks all set to deliver a bike-powered slap to Kohta during his B.S.O.D., but instead she gives him a pep talk. It works out the same way.
• Hidden Depths: She was the one to snap Kohta out of his short PTSD-esque period when Takashi, Alice/Arisu, and Saya failed.
• The Load: Subverted, see the Team Benefactor entry.
• Lust Object: Her age (27) hasn't stopped anyone from finding her sexually appealing. Takashi's friend, Imamura, said she was hot specifically because she's an older woman. Takashi and Hirano have also been aroused by her, while Shimada said she had a nice body, right before trying to rape her; and even Shido of people is shown to be physically attracted to her.
• Marshmallow Hell: Whenever she's scared/startled there is a very good chance someone's going to end up with her breasts in their face. Or pressed up against their back.
• Meaningful Name: "Shizuka" means "quiet and peaceful".
• The Medic: It isn't often that she gets to apply her expertise, since the others are good at avoiding serious injury. Though she was able to treat Rei while they're at the Takagi Estate, after she hurt her back in a fall. And she was able to diagnose the old woman at the mall as having Rheumatoid Arthritis, from what her husband told her.
• Ms. Fanservice: Which is to say, she's the one female character who this trope applies to the most in a series like this. Her breast are enough to incite Rei's envy, and the rest of her figure's nothing to sneeze at either. She provides most of the fanservice in the series and there's even a time where she's out naked when everyone else had dressed up.
• Neutral Female: Aside from her Car Fu moments, Shizuka is completely incapable of direct combat.
• The Not-Love Interest: Though she can be a bit of a tease (when drunk), she has no romantic interest in either Takashi, or Hirano. And they never think of her as anything other than the group's designated driver.
• Say It with Hearts: Whenever she's being flirtatious, or thinking something perverted:
  • First seen while Rei was groping her and (apparently) touching her inappropriately, not that Shizuka seemed to mind.
    Shizuka: (from off-panel) "No! Not THERE! ♥ No more! ♥"
  • Also when Takashi was carrying her while she was drunk and unintentionally grabbed her butt, causing her to whimper]] and flirt with him.
  • Seen again when she thought he wanted to have sex with her, causing her to blush tell him it wasn't the time or place for it. She's seen smiling while surrounded by hearts, implying she might've gladly consented if they hadn't been in public, or surrounded by "them".
  • Also when Hirano asked to borrow a condom from her, her tongue takes the shape of a heart when she asks why.
• School Nurse: Her position at Fujimi High before all hell broke loose.
• Statuesque Stunner: Shizuka is very tall at 176cm or 5'9½".
• The Team Benefactor: While it may not seem like it at first, Takashi and the others' survival is largely due to Shizuka's contributions.
  • She was the one who made their escape from the school possible, by suggesting they head to the Teachers' Lounge to get a set of keys to one of the buses. And, she was the only one who knew how to drive it, along with all the other times her driving has gotten them out of hairy situations.
  • Shizuka also provided them with a place where they could eat and rest at the end of their first day, by letting them use her friend's apartment. A decision that enabled Hirano and the others to also arm themselves, since it gave them access to Rika's weapon's cache and ammo supplies. Plus, access to a new vehicle and a change of clothes.
  • And she was able to treat Rei's back injury, effectively keeping their fighting force at four strong. Whereas without her medical expertise, one of their best combatants might not have recovered.
• Team Mom: She has a very calm personality, and takes care of the group's injuries.
• The Tease: In moments like the time she went riding with Takashi, or the time she got drunk and came onto both him and Hirano.
• Token Adult: She's 27 and is the only one of the main characters that's out of highschool. Despite this, Takashi leads the group, while Saya is the brains. Shizuka mainly serves as their driver and, occasionally, as medic.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: Girly girl to Saeko's tomboy.
• Too Dumb to Live: So... with a horde of "them" right outside her office windows, with the glass cracking beneath the strain, and her assistant desperately urging her to hurry up and leave since "they'd" be breaking through at any second, she... decides to take her time. Then when "they" broke through and swarmed the poor guy, rather than try to help him, or at least run for it, she spaces out while watching him being Eaten Alive, 'til it finally dawned on her to ask what his name was. Had Saeko not shown up at that moment, Shizuka would've been dead.
• Took a Level in Badass: Gained gained several levels when she talked Kohta out of committing suicide by zombie. For bonus points she tore her own skirt beforehand.
• Town Girls: The Femme to Rei's Butch and Saya's Neither.

Alice/Arisu Maresato

Voiced by: Ayana Taketatsu (JP), Brittney Karbowski (EN)

Seven-year-old Alice/Arisu was rescued from "them" by Takashi after a group of hideaways killed her father and closed the door on her. Being an innocent ray of sunshine amidst the bleakness of their situation, the group quickly took a liking to her and has since adopted her as a little sister figure.

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• Bring My Brown Pants: She pees on Takashi's back after he rescues her from a zombie horde.
• Cheerful Child: To say she lost both her parents and found herself with a group of strangers, only moments later, she's taken it remarkably well. Her cheeriness has even rubbed off Takashi and the others, somewhat.
• Children Are Innocent: Enforced in universe. When she asks what weapon she gets to use, Kohta tells her that he, Takashi, and Zeke/Zero are her weapons. At the same time though, they do acknowledge that eventually, she's going to need to be given a weapon. They're just trying to avoid making her do so for as long as they can manage.
• Curious as a Monkey:
  • While Saya's on the computer at the police station, Alice sees a button and presses it on impulse, causing Saya to snap at her... until she sees it's brought up the information she was looking for.
  • Also seen in chapter 29 when she asks Hirano what condoms are for and why he's never used one... in front of Saya!
• The Cutie: Even in the midst of a gun battle, while they were surrounded by "them". Despite being terrified (evident from her trembling hands), she still wanted to help.
• Damsel in Distress: Hirano and Takashi came to her rescue in chapter 7, to save her from a horde of "them". She nearly falls victim again, after falling off her bike in chapter 29, causing Saya to go into Mama Bear mode.
• Happily Adopted: She is "adopted" by the group after her father dies, with Kohta and Saya acting as her foster parents.
• Harmful to Minors: She sees her father get fatally impaled.
• The Heart: She's everyone's little sister because she's " an innocent ray of sunshine amidst the bleakness of their situation".
• Heartwarming Orphan: For all of them, including Saya, who affectionately refers to Alice as "Munchkin".
• Please, Don't Leave Me: Seen in episode 8, when it appeared that Hirano and the others were about to die, he tried to convince Alice to escape by saying they'd be right behind her. Except she saw through it and refused to go, because the thought of being alone again terrifies her more than "they" do.
• Rescue Introduction: Introduced when the group goes to save her from "them" after her father's death.
• Shipper on Deck: She's closest to Hirano and Saya, as though they're her foster parents within the group. So when it seemed they were getting closer she waves a pair of flags.]]
• Spell My Name With An S: Alice or Arisu?
• Tagalong Kid: She's been a part of their group ever since Hirano and Takashi saved her from "them".
• Token Mini-Moe: The only prepubescent character in the cast where the majority of characters are either adults or teenagers.

Zeke/Zero

Alice/Arisu's pet dog. He and Alice/Arisu were almost killed but for Hirano and Takashi's intervention. He accompanies the gang as Alice/Arisu companion and can differentiate who are the living and who are the undead.

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• Beware the Nice Ones: In the OVA Beach Episode, Zeke/Zero gathered some leaves for the people to start a camp fire, which turned out to be hydrangea leaves. This resulted in the hilarious and very absurd Mushroom Samba of the rest of the episode. After the credits, Zeke/Zero is shown gathering the leaves again, with an evil smirk on his face.
• Canine Companion: To Alice. Wherever she goes, he goes.
• Dub Name Change / Genius Bonus: Zeke is known as Zero in the official English dub. The Mitsubishi A6M Reisen fighter plane had the official reporting name of "Zeke" among the Allies, but it is far, far better known as the Zero.
• Evil-Detecting Dog: Zeke will bark whenever there's any of "them" lurking nearby, which tells them to prepare themselves.
• Something Else Also Rises: In this scene, where he gets wedge between Rei and Shizuka's breasts; causing his tail to jut straight into the air, near Rei's mouth. Making it the only time anyone was ever jealous of a dog.
• Spell My Name With An S: Zeke or Zero?

Asami Nakaoka

An 18 year old female patrol officer that Takashi's group meets at the mall. She has a kind heart and a rather timid personality, often referring to herself as "this officer". Because she's inexperienced, she tends to overcompensate when helping civilians.

When her CO^note "Commanding Officer" (i.e. direct superior) left the mall to go for help, she was left in charge of overseeing the other mall survivors. Maintaining order proved to be a difficult task for her, until Hirano and the others came to her aid. She quickly developed feelings for Hirano, creating an uncomfortable love triangle between them and Saya.

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• Badass Adorable: She has her moments.
• Big Damn Heroes: Subverted. She may not have been the one to stop Shimada from raping Shizuka, but she at least stalled him long enough for Hirano to show up. And she sacrificed herself to save a child, despite fearing for her own life.
• The Cutie: It's apparent from the moment Takashi and the others first meet her. She's presented as cheerful, perky, and eager to make a good impression as a police officer.
• Early-Bird Cameo: She's first seen in chapter 0, being chewed out by her CO, Matsushima. Sadly, both of them are eventually killed.
• Face Death with Dignity: The last we see of her is a smile and salute, through Kohta's sniper scope.
• The Glomp: Towards Kohta.
• Got Over Rape Instantly: Hirano saves Asami from Shimada's attempted rape. Immediately afterward she thanks him on the rooftop and heavily implies that she's available and interested in him.
• Heroic Self-Deprecation: Despite all she'd done to help the mall survivors, seeing how calm and rationally Hirano was handling things, following the incident at the clinic, made her feel inadequate as an adult and as an officer. Being rejected by him moments later, only made it worse.
• Honor Before Reason: Justified by her status as a police officer. This culminates in her heroically sacrificing herself to rescue the bratty kid who had earlier shanked one of the mall survivors.
• Kill the Cutie: A newly assigned traffic officer stationed alone at a mall during a Zombie Apocalypse, without so much as a sidearm to protect herself. Who then went above an beyond the call of duty to save a kid from "them", despite being terrified. You can guess how it ended for her.
• Luminescent Blush: Seen when she first fell in love Hirano and while she was dropping hints that she was available and interested, while they were alone on the roof.
• Mauve Shirt: Takashi's group first met her in chapter 18 and she was given seven chapters worth of focus and development before she sacrificed herself, to cover their escape.
• Mercy Kill: Does one for Tamaru, after he was caught by "them". Five chapters later, she asked Hirano to do the same for her, before "they" got to her.
• New Meat: Asami gives off the sense that she has just graduated from the police academy and has never really had a serious assignment before all hell broke loose.
• Nice Girl: Right down to having Innocent Blue Eyes and willing to do whatever it takes to help the survivors left in her care.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: She was fresh from the academy and only recently assigned to her post at the mall, so her inexperience showed. Which made her an easy scapegoat for the group of survivors, who foisted the responsibility for their situation squarely on her, despite all her efforts to help them.
• Rescue Romance: She fell hard for Hirano after he stood up to Shimada for her and followed him up to the roof, moments later, to thank him. Then she made it clear how she felt about him.
• Say It with Hearts: Or simply a heart, period, upon seeing Hirano take charge for once.
• Shoot the Dog: Used after Hirano turns her down, to make the rejection hurt less.
• Third-Person Person: Japanese police officers are specifically trained to never use first-person pronouns when speaking to other people and instead refer to themselves as "this officer". Asami, being the nervous rookie she is, slips between this variant and the regular Third-Person Person variant, mainly because she is so inexperienced. She only addresses herself as "I" right before she dies.
• Yank the Dog's Chain: She was offered a chance at happiness with Hirano and his friends, but circumstance and her duties as a police officer wouldn't allow it.

Shidou's Group

Koichi Shidou

Voiced by: Kissho Taniyama (JP), Illich Guardiola (EN)

Class 3-A's teacher. Rei had beef on him since he flunked her out because of their fathers' radically differing political beliefs. He doesn't care much for the lives of others, and even in the midst of the zombie apocalypse, is apparently planning to build a cult centered on himself.

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• Bait the Dog: He's first shown leading his students away from "THEM", and then kicks a boy who hurt himself to the undead.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He sets himself up as a kind and caring instructor, but even before the Zombie Apocalypse, he was a sociopathic asshole who only cared about himself. The only ones who are fooled by his act are his followers, and that's because they're too blinded by their fear and desperation to see him for the monster he really is.
• Blatant Lies: Shidou could almost turn empty flattery into an art form, if his followers weren't so easily manipulated, and if he wasn't so hammy.
• Corruption of a Minor: Thanks to his own perversion and sexual lust, the students left in his care become a group of deviants, who openly engage in full-blown orgies. Two of whom become a pair of lesbians.
• Crocodile Tears: Yes, he can and will cue these up to further play on his students' heartstrings like violins.
• Dirty Coward: For all his bravado, Shidou's a sniveling weasel, immediately running at the sight of "Them" and cowering in fear when Kohta points a gun at him. His cowardice is the only reason Rei opts not to kill him, declaring he's not worth the effort.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Prior to the beginning of the series, Shidou used his position as Rei's teacher to make her repeat her junior year, as instructed by his father - because of a grudge he had against her father for exposing his political corruption.
• Equal-Opportunity Evil: Shido's group includes male and female students, the latter of which includes a gay couple. The second any of them speak of turn, he shows his teeth.
• Establishing Character Moment: When one of his students tripped and sprained his ankle, Shidou smashed his face in with his heel, rather than help him up. Then smugly declared there was no place for the weak in "the new world" and left him to die.
• Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: He loves his mother deeply and her suicide still hurts him in the present. He (rightfully) blames his father for it.
• Evil Is Hammy: As time passes, Shidou's theatrics become increasingly flamboyant and cheesy; making grand, flailing gestures with his arms. All the while praising his students as beacons of hope and light, who serve as shining examples for him.
• Evil Teacher: If his students' minds weren't so fragile, it'd be easy for them to see him as the charlatan he is.
• Freudian Excuse: Make no mistake on what a slimy scumbag Shidou is, but his early life wasn't exactly grand despite being the son of a prominent politician. His parents would frequently argue, with his father revealed to have cheated on his mother, leading her to drink heavily and later die of alcohol poisoning. After becoming a teacher, he found out that his father secretly had another son with the woman who the man had cheated for, and losing his birthright of being the political successor to his father.
• Four Eyes, Zero Soul: He has no reservations about condemning others to die, if they aren't blindly obedient to him, or suit his ideals.
• Harbinger of Impending Doom: Every time he shows up, something bad is going to happen. Even if he's not on-screen, he's causing problems for the protagonists. When they meet Rei's mother, she's locked out of her hideout by her ungrateful neighbors, while she was looking for supplies, on the word of "a really strange guy with a group of kids" while "THEY" are bearing down on her.
• Hot Teacher: He's a young, well-dressed and handsome man, which helps cover just how much of a scumbag he is. His tendency to make creepy expressions still makes his true character obvious.
• Hypocrite: He's a Social Darwinist who believes only the weak die but he's a Dirty Coward who will do anything to save his own skin.
• It's All About Me: It didn't take Saya long to recognize Shidou's agenda and point it out to Hirano and the others. Which is why she decided it was best for their group to leave him.
• Lack of Empathy: When a teenager begged for help, Shidou kicked in the face and left him for dead and didn't care as long as he was saved.
• Manipulative Bastard: Shidou took advantage of their fragile minds and desperation for guidance, by ingratiating himself to them. He shamelessly flattered them and let them do as they pleased, under the guise of humility. It worked.
• Narcissist: Manipulates his followers to think of him as a god who will protect them in his cult and will do anything to survive, even if it means killing or leaving others for dead as long as he makes it out unscathed.
• Nothing Personal: He doesn't hold anything against Rei when he held her back a year, seeing it as a way to ensure he can finally bring down his father's political career.
• Not Worth Killing: The only reason Rei spared him, is because she saw him as the sniveling coward he was, despite his bravado, and decided he wasn't worth it.
• Put on a Bus: To near-literal levels. Shidou and his students are placed in a bus when Souichiro tells them to leave the Takagi estate.
• Sadist: Held back Rei another year just to toy with her for her father investigating his father and even takes pleasure in manipulating his followers and seeing other people die.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: His signature attire is a pinstripe suit.
• Smug Snake: At least, until he's faced with someone like Takagi, Hirano, and Rei, who can put him in his place.
• Social Darwinist: See the Establishing Character Moment entry.
• The Sociopath: When it comes down to it, Shidou cares for no one but himself. Anyone who doesn't follow suit with his ideals, such as Yamada, is promptly gotten rid of. He curries favor with those with simple minds and base desires, like himself, which puts him at odds with strong-willed students, such as Takagi (who goes so far as to compare him to a cult in the English dub) and Hirano, who sees through his facade from the start.
• Strike Me Down with All of Your Hatred!: Subverted. Though he dared Rei to kill him when she held him at knife-point, his perspiration revealed his cowardice at the thought of actually being killed.
• The Unfavorite: His choosing to be a teacher causes a rift between him and his father. Not that their relationship is healthy, to begin with.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Admittedly not his fault, but when the emp went off, his crashing the school bus is what allowed the Takagi compound to be overrun.
• Trapped in Villainy: Implied. All he wanted was to become a teacher, which he accomplishes. However, this did not sit well with his father, who wanted him to follow him into politics. Despite this, his father still has control over him as he was able to force Shidou to flunk Rei since her father is one of his father's political adversaries/critics.
• Villainous Breakdown: Shidou lost his composure and verbally lashed out at Rei for looking down on him. It was the last straw. Having learned of Shidou's corruption and seeing his cowardice firsthand, Souichiro ordered him and his students to leave his estate.
• Villainous Lineage: As much as Shidou despises his father, in the end, he's just like him. Possibly even worse.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: In the anime, he disappears after his Unwitting Instigator of Doom moment.

Miku Yuuki

Voiced by: Airi Sakuno (JP), Emily Neves (EN)

One of the Fujimi High School Students who had escaped and joined Shidou's group. She helped Shidou enter the Takagi compound using her sex appeal.

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• Distracted by the Sexy: Shidou and his group are able to enter the Takagi compound by using Yuuki's ample bust size to distract the guards.
• Fanservice Extra: She's a minor character whose sole purpose is to provide T&A, as evidenced by each of the few scenes she's featured in.
• I Have Boobs, You Must Obey!: The guard outside the Takagi Estate was about to turn Shidou's group away. So Miku leaned out the bus window to dangle her large breasts and her visibly erect nipples in front of his face. The appreciative guard immediately changed his mind and let them in.
• Ms. Fanservice:
  • She's featured prominently during the orgy bus scene, with one panel placing emphasis on her breasts and her see-through mesh halter top. Two focus on her thighs, the latter one shows one of the boys spreading her legs as he was preparing to enter her.
  • A few chapters later, she uses her sizeable endowments to persuade the guard outside the Takagi Estate to let them into the compound. It works.
• Really Gets Around: Prior to the outbreak, there were rumors about her being spread around school. While the validity of the rumors is never confirmed, she's later shown having sex with several boys during the orgy scene. One panel even shows her having a three-way.

Takagi Estate Survivors

Soichirou and Yuriko Takagi

Voiced by: Joji Nakata (Soichirou - JP), Yoshiko Sakakibara (Yuriko - JP), Andrew Love (Soichirou - EN), Shelley Calene-Black (Yuriko - EN)

Parents of Saya Takagi. Soichirou is a Japanese ultranationalist who married Yuriko, a woman who had connections with the New York Stock Exchange and therefore their family fortunes increased.

After the initial stages of the outbreak their mansion was converted to a stronghold and refuge for survivors within the area. They take a liking to Takashi, Saya's childhood friend. Soichirou also expresses interest in Saeko, daughter of the Busujima family, and presented his sword to her.

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• Action Dad: Soichirou, who is able to behead several of "them" with just one slash of his katana.
• Action Dress Rip: Yuriko on her own accord.
• Action Mom: Yuriko. Before giving birth to Saya, she trained to protect herself from muggers in New York. This becomes really useful when the Zombie Apocalypse starts. She's even introduced after using a flamethrower to save everyone.
• Badass Family: Just look at their other tropes and what their daughter's like.
• Battle Couple: Hell yes. They fight back-to-back while taking out the zombies overtaking the mansion.
• Benevolent Boss: Both to their Ultranationist followers and Takashi's group.
• Big Damn Heroes: Yuriko pulls this one off in Episode 8.
• Bolivian Army Ending: They're last seen fighting "them" at their own mansion. We haven't heard from them since.
• Born in the Wrong Century: If this was not the 21st century, Soichirou would have been the paragon of what it means to be a Japanese Warrior, in martial skill AND nobility of soul.
• Crazy-Prepared: They live in an extremely fortified, semi-self sufficient compound. Even though it's temporary, it proves to be one of the safest shelters against the zombies.
• The Don: Soichirou is the leader of an uyoku dantai, or right-wing nationalist group. He commands a small army of loyal, militarized men and protects and controls a territory after the fall of law and order. As a bonus, uyoku dantai have historically had an association with organized crime in Japan, but this is not confirmed or denied in the Takagis' case.
• Do with Him as You Will: As soon as he discovers that Shidou flunked Rei because her father was investigating Shidou's own Corrupt Politician father, Soichirou gives Rei free reign to take revenge and kill him. When Rei ultimately decides he's Not Worth Killing, Soichirou instead banishes Shidou and his followers from his estate.
• Everyone Has Standards: While they suffer from Honor Before Reason, offering shelter and protection to even the civilians that actively oppose their efforts to keep Them under control, Shidou and his followers are just too evil for them to tolerate. As soon as Soichirou learns from Rei what a scumbag Shidou really is and how he flunked Rei on his Corrupt Politician father's orders, he gives Rei free reign to take revenge on him, and when Rei decides he's not worth it, he forces Shidou and his students to leave.
• Fourth-Date Marriage: They got married the day after they met, according to Saya.
• Get Out!: Having seen Shidou's true colors and cowardice with his own eyes, Soichirou orders him to leave along with his students, recognizing that said students have been tainted by Shidou's evil.
  Soichirou: Get outta here! And take your students! The ones who have already been infected by your evil!
• The Gunslinger: In contrast of her husband, Yuriko whips out a sub-machine gun, and is pretty damn good with it.
• Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: Soichirou wields a sword while Yuriko uses a sub-machine gun.
• Honor Before Reason: They offer shelter and protection to civilians, even those who actively oppose their efforts to keep "them" under control. Except Shidou and his followers.
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: Yuriko, who plays the quiet, demure wife in public, is singlehandedly responsible for a hundredfold increase in the Takagi family fortune. And her firearm skills dwarf most.
• Katanas Are Just Better: Soichirou rejects guns in favor of his sword. Considering he can cut three or four zombies with each slice, he is probably right.
• Kicking Ass in All Her Finery: Yuriko is wearing an elegant gown during her and her husband's Last Stand.
• Lady of War: Yuriko.
• Large Ham: Soichirou. It helps that Joji Nakata is PERFECTLY cast for this role.
• Last Stand: Both choose to hold off "them" while Saya and her friends escape to safety. Exactly how this ended remains unknown.
• Ms. Fanservice: Like majority of the female characters, Yuriko is well-endowed and is in great shape. Hirano even ogles her.
• Non-Idle Rich: They are pretty wealthy, as their Big Fancy House shows. That doesn't stop them from fighting off the zombies overtaking their mansion.
• Patriotic Fervor: While downplayed, they are explicitly the head of an uyoku dantai, a Japanese type of group or fraternity characterized by intense nationalism, reactionary politics, imperial apologetics and protests of leftist and foreign interests.
• Reasonable Authority Figure:
  • In Episode 10, he correctly identifies Hirano as a badass—pretty damn impressive, considering he's on the floor weeping like a baby at the time—and stops his men from trying to take his guns.
  • And in Episode 11: "What's that, little girl, you say this man, the son of my political ally, flunked you because your father was investigating his for corruption? Well, okay then, you have my permission to kill him." So basically, to Soichirou, if you avenge your ne'er-do-well father on his well-meaning antagonist's daughter, it's a Moral Event Horizon and grounds for a summary execution by your victim.
• Silk Hiding Steel: Whenever her husband is speaking, Yuriko can be seen maintaining a demure composure... Until "they" break into the complex and she and her husband have to fight for their lives.
• Stacy's Mom: Hirano ogles her during her Action Dress Rip.
• Tall, Dark, and Snarky: Soichirou is imposing both physically and in character.

Others

Hisashi Igo

Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano (JP), David Matranga (EN)

Rei's new boyfriend and Takashi's best friend. He's shown to be calm and cool-headed, and was even willing to believe Takashi when told about a murder in front of the school, even arming them with makeshift weapons. By these characteristics, one could be forgiven for thinking he would be the protagonist.

Unfortunately, despite boasting hand-to-hand combat abilities, he was bitten by a zombie teacher and asked Takashi to mercy kill him. However, Takashi hesitated and Hisashi became a zombie before finally being killed. Rei was haunted by his death and as a result distrusted Takashi for a while.

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• Always Someone Better: He is this to Takashi, early on Rei almost consistently bring him up, seemingly to get Takashis' goat, it takes a couple of Big Shut Ups' for her to get the message.
• Better to Die than Be Killed: Averted. He wanted to commit suicide so he wouldn't turn into one of "them". Unfortunately, he doesn't make it in time and isn't killed until he gets up briefly as one of "them".
• The Bro Code: Him dating Rei after her break-up with Takashi causes tension between them.
• Dead Star Walking: Voiced by the very famous Mamoru Miyano in the original, set to be a major player in the story... killed off very early in.
• Decoy Protagonist: At first, one might assume he's the main character, until he turns into one of "them".
• A Friend in Need: Hisashi provided Rei with the emotional support she needed, after Shidou flunked her. Since she thought Takashi had abandoned her, she broke up with him because of her newly developed feelings for Hisashi.
• Good Old Fisticuffs: Hisahi gets bitten by one of "them" while trying to restrain it in a choke hold. In all fairness, he had no way of knowing it'd be able to rotate its head 360º.
• Nice Guy: According to Rei, it was part of the reason she fell for him.
• Romantic False Lead: He was Rei's boyfriend. Unfortunately, for him, while she was the female lead, he wasn't the protagonist. And since the story is about a zombie apocalypse, one can guess how they resolved that issue....
• Sacrificial Lion: His two deaths are the threshold through which Takashi and Rei pass to gain the will to survive this apocalypse.
• Temporary Love Interest: He is introduced as Rei's boyfriend, but they got rid of him in the very first episode.
• Too Dumb to Live: How he gets infected, he puts a ZOMBIE in a headlock, slightly subverted by the fact that, instead of biting down on his forearm, it rotates it's head 180 to bite his bicep.
• Two Guys and a Girl: He teamed up with Takashi and Rei during the outbreak, at Fujimi High.
• Undignified Death: His wish to be Mercy Killed before reanimating didn't happen, and his best friend was forced to deliver the finishing blow by whacking his head.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: Poor guy didn't make it past the first chapter.

Misuzu Ichijou

Voiced by: Naoko Seto (JP), Melissa Davis (EN)

Toshimi's BFF, whose cowardice ends up getting them both killed.

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• Character Death: At least in the anime; in the manga, she simply gets turned.
• Death by Adaptation: In the anime, she doesn't make any further appearances after she and Toshimi get killed, so the viewer is left to assume that the zombies crushed her head instead of simply turning her.
• Death by Irony: A rather humorous one at that.
• Death by Pragmatism: She tried to save herself by throwing Toshimi under the bus. Less than a minute later, she was either dead (anime) or turned (manga).
• Dirty Coward: Her Fatal Flaw, as all of the entries here can tell us.
• Fatal Flaw: Her cowardice.
• Heel–Face Door-Slam: In the anime.
• Karmic Death: Guess what happened after she kicked Toshimi down the stairs?
• Off with Her Head!: At least in the anime, where she doesn't make any further appearances afterward; in the manga, she's shown to have "hooked up" with Morita in (un)death.
• Red Shirt: She and Toshimi only seem to exist as examples of what not to do in a zombie apocalypse to last more than minutes; Misuzu in particular is a classic case of cowardice leading to a very bad end, to put it lightly.
• Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: Not long after betraying Toshimi, Misuzu is attacked and killed by zombies.
• Too Dumb to Live: She couldn't have picked a worse moment to be yellow in the face of danger.
• Wrong Genre Savvy: Even she thought that if she and Toshimi stuck together, they'd make it through alive. Rather quickly, her cowardice gets the better of her as Toshimi gets snatched by the zombies, and you probably know what happens to them next.

Toshimi Niki

Voiced by: Kaori Shimizu (JP), Luci Christian (EN)

Misuzu's BFF, who loses her life when she's grabbed by a zombie mob on the stairs and dragged to her fate.

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• Character Death: Unlike Misuzu, she's confirmed to be dead.
• Fan Disservice: The last thing seen from poor Toshimi in the anime is her lower body, with her yellow panties on display as she's Eaten Alive.
• Red Shirt: She and Misuzu only seem to exist as examples of what not to do in a zombie apocalypse if you want to last more than minutes; Toshimi in particular is a classic case of hopeless idealism that's put down before she was onscreen for even one minute.
• Too Dumb to Live: Sure, Misuzu being too yellow (not to mention too noisy) to live didn't help matters, but Toshimi is the one who walked blindly into the clutches of the zombies.
• Wrong Genre Savvy: She and Misuzu practically skip hand-in-hand away from the zombies chasing them, harping on about how the power of their Pseudo-Romantic Friendship will carry them through the dark times ahead. Then poor Toshimi gets grabbed, and it goes as wrong as expected...

Takuzo

Voiced by: Nobuhiko Okamoto (JP), David Wald (EN)

A leader of his own survival party who briefly joins Takashi's group. His own group scatters after he dies, except for his girlfriend Naomi, who chooses to die with him.

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• Red Shirt: He dies in the same chapter he was introduced in, only minutes later, as he and his group were trying to get to the buses to escape.
• Sixth Ranger: Briefly to Takashi's group, but was killed soon after.
• Together in Death: With his girlfriend, Naomi, who chose to die with him when she saw he no longer had the chance to escape.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: In the anime version, he dies before he even has a chance to reveal his name. The manga at least had Naomi call out to him.

Rika Minami

Voiced by: Junko Takeuchi (JP), Melissa Davis (EN)

A special ops police officer who happened to be Shizuka's roommate. Cold sniper at heart, or not so cold. She had been held up in the airport along with other special forces, clearing zombies so that the airport can be used by survivors to escape.

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• A Day in the Limelight: Has a chapter involving her situation in the airport, to Tajima's Heroic Sacrifice, and finally able to contact Shizuka. And seeing an EMP bomb out the airport window until the chapter ends.
• Back-to-Back Badasses: With her partner, Tajima.
• Cliffhanger: Last seen getting ready to head back to the mainland to look for Shizuka.
• Crazy-Prepared: Kept a stockpile of ammunition and high powered weapons in her own home.
• Fair Cop: Member of the police special forces and is as good-looking as the rest of the cast.

• Good-Looking Privates: She was in the military prior to her police career.
• Gun Nut: Perhaps even morso than Hirano, as she kept the locker in her apartment loaded with a bevy of illegal firearms and assault rifles.
• The Gunslinger: Rika is almost as proficient at headshots as Hirano, though his speed is shown to be greater.
• It Has Been an Honor: After she sees her partner Tajima's been bitten, she salutes him then leaves him to take himself out along with the fuel tanker. Which also took out all the zombies in the vicinity of the blast.

• Strictly Professional Relationship: Though Tajima flirts with her on occasion, their partnership is a platonic one.

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