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Maison Ikkoku's Residents

Yusaku Godai

Voiced by: Issei Futamata (JP), Jason Gray-Stanford and Brad Swaile (EN)

The protagonist of the series. He lives in Room 5. He is a poor 20-year-old ronin studying for his college entrance exams after failing in the past year. He is madly in love with Kyoko.

Accidental Pervert: Whenever he is caught doing or seeing something perverted, it is never intentional on his part.
Anguished Declaration of Love: Towards the end of the series, he gets Kyoko alone with him in a park and states assertively that she's indeed the one he loves and that no other woman interests him, which leaves Kyoko speechless.
Adaptational Attractiveness: In the early manga, Yusaku looks like this, not exactly bad-looking but only slightly better than Ataru's level of plain, especially with the parted bangs. However, in the anime, he looks younger and cuter◊, basically a short-haired version of Ranma.
Babies Ever After: At the end of the series, he and Kyoko get married and have a daughter.
Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Kyoko. It's very downplayed compared to Takahashi Rumiko's other series as they never get anywhere near as hostile and abusive, but Godai's immaturity and perversion does get on Kyoko's bad side early on.
Butt-Monkey: He's often teased by his neighbors. He also tends to make a fool of himself because of his indecisiveness.
Chivalrous Pervert: He may ogle Kyoko all the time but he would never coerce her into doing something she doesn't want to.
Clueless Chick-Magnet: He sometimes doesn't realize just how good-looking he is.
Competing with a Corpse: Yusaku has a crush on Kyoko, but she isn't interested in getting into a serious relationship at all because she's still mourning the death of her husband Soichiro, who passed away a few years before the story takes place. Soichiro's memory is the main obstacle for Yusaku and Kyoko to overcome before they can become a couple.
The Ditherer: To his own detriment, Kyoko's annoyance, and the great comic enjoyment of everyone else. He never grows out of it, but he does learn to take responsibility for the decisions he does finally make.
Dogged Nice Guy: He keeps trying to make Kyoko fall in love with him, but tries to not be too pushy because he knows she still loves her late husband.
Dub Name Change: Hugo Dufour in the French dub.
Friend to All Children: He's shown relatively early on to be good with children when Ikuko shows up (though at first he is only nice to her to learn more about Kyoko). The only real exception is Kentaro, which is a more familiar sight in Rumiko Takahashi's works, but Godai occasionally has friendly moments with him too. He goes on to work part-time at a preschool, and eventually becomes a preschool teacher by the end of the series.
Get a Hold of Yourself, Woman!: He one time slapped Kyoko, because she was just going too far in an argument they were having, namely that she got so angry at him when they argued over a gift he received from Kozue that she refused to ask him for help when she nearly fell off the roof, and just dangled there until he noticed.
Grew a Spine: At the beginning, Godai is a complete pushover. By the end of the series, while still a quite affable man, he has become way more assertive and will no longer hesitate to strike back whenever someone goes too far with him.
Innocently Insensitive: He can come off as a jerk, but he doesn't mean it.
Likes Older Women: Though Kyoko is only about 2 years older than him.
Longing Look: Many times for Kyoko. He just loves watching her taking care of her job.
Love at First Sight: The moment Kyoko enters the scene, he falls head over heels for her. Hard. Very hard.
Nice Guy: The story does not shy away from the common faults of this character type, such as indecisiveness, spinelessness, and mediocrity, but it also suggests that Godai's innate kindness and decency, combined with his willingness to grow, more than compensates in the long run.
Private Tutor: Kyoko gets him a job as a tutor for her niece who took a big liking to Godai.
Reused Character Design: He has the same face and hairstyle as Tsubame Ozuno from Rumiko's other manga Urusei Yatsura.
Rich Suitor, Poor Suitor: The poor suitor to Mitaka's rich suitor. Both guys are pursuing Kyoko, but Godai is a Starving Student with no job while Mitaka is the heir of a very wealthy family.
Ridiculously Average Guy: At first, there's nothing remarkable about him besides being the protagonist.
Romancing the Widow: He's hopelessly in love with Kyoko, a young widow who recently lost her husband not even a year after their wedding. Kyoko does develop feelings for Godai, but is struggling with her wish to be loyal to her husband's memory.
Rōnin: He's the modern definition of this trope at the very start of the series, having failed to get into college the first time around. Fortunately, he doesn't stay one for long, since he manages to enter college about halfway through volume 1.
Second Love: Kyoko had sworn to never fall in love again after her husband's untimely death. That starts to change as she slowly falls in love with Godai, although she has a hard time coming to terms with it.
Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The Sensitive Guy to Shun's Manly Man. In contrast to the cocky playboy, Godai is humble and insecure as he has no real experience with women.
Shirtless Scene: Several times and it can be seen that he has a quite nice body all in all.
Starving Student: Godai works to pay for his studies, but he never has money for anything. And when he has some money, he spends it on presents for Kyoko.
Took a Level in Kindness: While he isn't exactly a jerk at the start, his immature behavior worries and annoys Kyoko. As the story progresses, he matures into a genuinely kind and helpful man.
Umbrella of Togetherness: Sharing an umbrella was used many times for him and Kyoko as a loving gesture.
Unlucky Everydude: He's inept and unlucky like the hero of another Takahashi's work. However, unlike Ataru, he's also a well-meaning Nice Guy.
Will They or Won't They?: His relationship with Kyoko was teased througout, mainly owed to Kyoko feeling that she must be faithful to her late husband and Yusaku sometimes being unable to act on his feelings. The series ends with them married and having a baby daughter.
Who Would Be Stupid Enough?: Godai is easily tricked by Kozue into kissing her (or rather, she kisses him). Later, while trying to show how he was misled, he tries the same trick on Kyoko. She doesn't fall for it and he realizes just how dumb he was to have been tricked by something so simple. And less than a minute later Kyoko pulls the same trick on him and he falls for it again. Twice.
Yank the Dog's Chain: Happens to him SEVERAL times over the course of the story.

Kyoko Otonashi

Voiced by: Sumi Shimamoto (JP), Ellen Kennedy (EN)

The female protagonist of the series. She is a beautiful, 22-year-old widow who takes on the task of managing a broken-down boarding house. She lives in the manager's room.

Babies Ever After: At the end of the series, she and Godai get married and have a daughter.
Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Godai. They aren't as dysfunctional as most of Rumiko's couples, but especially early on, Godai's immaturity clashes with Kyoko's hidden temper.
Betty and Veronica: Early in the series, Kyoko is the Veronica (Tsundere widow mourning her husband) to Kozue's Betty (ordinary Girl Next Door). Later on, she becomes the Betty to Ibuki's Veronica. While Kyoko still has Tsundere tendencies towards Godai, she's a mostly levelheaded and down-to-earth adult in contrast to Ibuki who is a bratty teenager acting as Godai's Stalker with a Crush.
Beware the Nice Ones: She's sweet and polite, but also has a violent side.
Bitch Slap: She occasionally slaps Godai in the face due to her latent Tsundere-ness.
Cannot Spit It Out: For all the grief she gives Godai over his reluctance to break up with Kozue, Kyoko is equally guilty in terms of her relationship with Shun Mitaka. Though it's clear that she cares for him, it's also blatantly obvious that she doesn't see Mitaka as somebody she wants to marry. However, she doesn't say anything when Mitaka breaks off his engagement to Asuna to be with her, nor does she deny a relationship when Asuna politely confronts her about it. Even after meeting his parents, and being whisked away by Shun while Godai is screaming after them, she doesn't spit it out that she doesn't feel that way for him until the very last minute.
Can't Hold Her Liquor: She usually avoids drinking too much because she can't handle alcohol.
Clingy Jealous Girl: Downplayed; she doesn't like Godai seeing other girls, but is more mature and controlled about it than most of Rumiko Takahashi's heroines due to being older. Kyoko is rational enough to realize Ibuki is an immature Stalker with a Crush and bravely resists her provocations.
Clueless Chick-Magnet: Gender inverted and justified. She's trying so hard to stay loyal to her late husband's memory that she doesn't even notice several men would like to date her.
Devoted to You: Both Godai and Mitaka are so hopelessly in love with her that they constantly turn down many of their romantic prospects on the off chance that Kyoko is interested in them.
Drives Like Crazy: Her reckless driving scares even Mitaka and Godai. Kentaro even says of her that she "drives like a man".
Dub Name Change: Juliette Rozier in the French dub.
Dude Magnet: Men see her as attractive and she has two male suitors constantly competing for her attention.
First Girl Wins: She's the female protagonist and Godai falls in love with her right in the first chapter/episode. She ends up as his wife and the mother of his daughter.
He Is Not My Boyfriend: She tries to deny it whenever people say she's dating Godai or has feelings for him.
Her Heart Will Go On: In an early chapter, when Kyoko and Soichiro's father go to the cemetery to pay their respects to Soichiro, Mr. Otonashi tells her that although he doesn't want her to forget his son, he implores Kyoko to move on since it's not healthy for a woman as young as her to be so obsessed with a dead man, and he would gladly give her his blessings if she fell in love with someone else, but Kyoko doesn't feel ready for it. By the end of the story, Kyoko does move on with her life, marries Godai and they have a child together, but she still fondly remembers Soichiro as her First Love.
Master of the Mixed Message: Kyoko alternates between keeping Yusaku at arm's length and getting visibly pissed off and jealous when he talks to other women. Her puzzling behavior is due to Kyoko being a widow who has just lost her husband: she is falling for Yusaku, but she is not ready yet to move on.
The Mourning After: She has a hard time letting go of her late husband. It's also deconstructed because it's recognized as unhealthy behavior and Kyoko keeps avoiding a new romance in an attempt to keep Soichiro alive in her heart. Her main Character Development is accepting Soichiro's death to move on with Godai.
Moving Beyond Bereavement: Kyoko has been a widow for several years when the story begins and has a difficult time letting go of her late husband Soichiro. Early in the story, Soichiro's father tells her that she needs to move on, and has his blessing if she meets someone else. By the end of the series, Kyoko finally moves on by marrying Yusaku, though she still remembers Soichiro as her first love.
Nice Girl: She's normally kind and caring to everyone.
Plucky Girl: A more mundane take on the trope but her diligence, strong will and overall resilience make her one of these.
Punny Name: Her family name Otonashi literally means "soundless" (and the second kanji means "nothing" or "zero", in keeping with the other characters' Numerical Theme Naming), but it also sounds like "otto-nashi", meaning "without a husband", which references how she's a widow.
Reused Character Design: With her hair down, Kyoko looks indistinguishable from Sakura, a character from Rumiko's other manga Urusei Yatsura. The only notable difference is that Kyoko has Tareme Eyes in contrast with Sakura's Tsurime Eyes.
Silk Hiding Steel: While Kyoko is a subversion of the Yamato Nadeshiko she initially seems to be, she still falls into this trope. She's usually sweet and polite, but she does have a tough and strong-willed side that comes out when her buttons are pushed and she's the only thing keeping Maison Ikkoku from descending into chaos.
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: She doesn't like jerks and greatly prefers gentlemen, something both Mitaka and Godai know and use in order to get her to choose between them.
Stepford Smiler: Despite her sunny disposition, she's still mourning her late husband.
Tareme Eyes: Her eyes are large and round to highlight her gentle character.
Teacher/Student Romance: She met her late husband while he was working as a temporary teacher at her high school.
Tsundere: Sweet (Dere) type. Kyoko is normally kind, cheery and pleasant, but she tends to turn cranky and violent when Godai (usually) inadvertently does something to her displeasure.
Will They or Won't They?: It takes a long while for Kyoko and Godai to make progress in their relationship despite their obvious feelings for each other. In their case, it's more understandable because Kyoko needs to accept her husband's death and Godai needs to mature before they can get into a healthy relationship. At the end of the series, they get married.
Yamato Nadeshiko: Subverted. Her perfect Japanese housewife persona hides her repressed Tsundere nature and it's a way to cope with the loss of her husband.

Hanae Ichinose

Voiced by: Kazuyo Aoki (JP), Daphne Goldrick and Kathy Morse (EN)

A short, middle-aged woman who is rarely seen sober. She lives with her husband and her son, Kentaro, in Room 1.

Accent Adaptation: In the English dub, she sounds like a stereotypical Jewish Mother. Given her gossipy and meddling nature, this seems appropriate.
Adaptational Attractiveness: She's overweight in the manga/anime, but thin in live action adaptations.
Alcoholic Parent: Much to Kentaro's embarassment.
Ambiguously Bi: She can get quite flirty with Kyoko in a playful way (early in the series, she casually puts her hand on Kyoko's butt, noting that she has 'nice hips') but she also has a husband and a child.
Apron Matron: She's a quite authoritative housewife, so she's often seen in an apron.
Embarrassing First Name: Her first name means: "flower branch".
Gossipy Hens: Her and the neighbours constanly gossip about other people.
Hard-Drinking Party Girl: She's a bit older than most examples, but she's definitely fond of her booze and enjoying herself.
Hidden Depths: Underneath the above exterior, she really is an experienced woman, wife, and mother, and often dispense sage advice on Kyoko.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While Akemi and Yotsuya may occasionally do a Pet the Dog scene or two, Hanae does this more often as she is very much a Team Mom in the show and will prove being actually helpful in serious situations.
The Matchmaker: At the start of the series, she tries to get Kyoko to try an arranged marriage.
Nosy Neighbor: Not to the point of Yotsuya but she is quick to meddle in other tenant's business whenever she hears or sees something that catches her interest.
Team Mom: Of the tenants. Between her, Yotsuya and Akemi, she's the most responsible of the three. It probably helps that she's an actual mother.
Your Size May Vary: She may be around shoulder-height to the other characters...or she may barely come up to their waists. This seems to depend on Rule of Funny.

Yotsuya

Voiced by: Shigeru Chiba (JP), Gerard Plunkett and Ron Halder (EN)

A mysterious man who finds enjoyment in mooching, voyeurism, and generally tormenting his next-door neighbor Godai. He lives in Room 4.

Accent Adaptation: Yotsuya's very formal way of speaking in Japanese is adapted into English as a quasi-British accent.
Age Lift: While he was of a Vague Age in the manga/anime, in live action adaptations, he tends to get played by clearly middle aged actors.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Implied. He's very quirky and quite weird in his ways, despite his overall perfect politeness when he speaks. However, his life and day-job are a total mystery to everyone in the boardhouse.
Cloudcuckoolander: He is clearly highly educated, speaks eloquently and is often quite perceptive but his behaviour is... bizarre to say the least.
Covert Pervert: Has a voyeuristic streak a mile wide.
Enemy Eats Your Lunch: He's a chronic food thief, and he'll often take Godai's food and eat it right in front of him just to mess with him.
Expy: Rumiko Takahashi's Rumic World manga "Dust Spurt" has a secret agent character named Mr. Sekhoi who looks exactly like Yotsuya. This is the source of some fan speculation that they are the same person.
Four Is Death: Stays in room 4, his name has a four in it, and he's easily Godai's most disruptive neighbor.
Identical Grandson: He looks exactly like his grandfather, causing a bit of confusion when his likeness appears to show up in old photos, adding to the mystery who he is and what he does.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Very often when it is time for someone to explain a misunderstanding he is the one to do it. The 'heart of gold' comes from it being very obvious him going way out of the way to 'accidentally' bump into the very person he needs to explain the situation to...usually in an area no one else would see them.
No Full Name Given: His given name is unknown.
Nosy Neighbor: The poster boy for this trope in Anime, a position for which he has still little competition to this day.
Obliquely Obfuscated Occupation: It is never said nor revealed at any point in the story what he does for a living. The other tenants often lampshade this, as well as suspect him being a member of the Yakuza.
Porn Stash: Early in the series he was caught trying to leave a store with one until all the porno magazines were falling out of his coat though.
Secret Agent: Highly suspected of being this. See the Expy entry above.
There Was a Door: One time used a log to break into Godai's room and spy on him.
Yakuza: Only discussed in-series whenever someone tries to figure out his job. Since he is never seen shirtless to display the usual tattoos of this profession, it's only assumed he is either that or a spy.

Akemi Roppongi

Voiced by: Yuko Mita (JP), Janyse Jaud (EN)

A boozy bar hostess who is usually known to lounge around wearing skimpy lingerie clothing while hanging around Ikkoku. She lives in Room 6 and works a short distance away in a bar named Cha-Cha Maru.

Brutal Honesty: When she has a point to make, don't expect her to be diplomatic, especially when she's sober.
Deadpan Snarker: Likes to snipe at Godai and Kyoko for her own amusement.
Fanservice Pack: Inverted. Her usual clothes in the anime early on is practically see-through. And you can clearly see her breast at times. Later episodes changed it to non see-through clothes.
Fiery Redhead: Zigzagged. She's only rowdy when intoxicated, otherwise she is rather chill and soft-spoken.
Hooker with a Heart of Gold: A variation. She isn't a hooker but a late-night barmaid which is regarded as somewhat similar in Japan (even though sex isn't necessarily involved). As for the heart of gold, it shows up later in the series when she decides to step in and trigger Kyoko's jealousy and force her to be more honest with herself with regards to Godai.
Lady Drunk: Since her job is being a late-night bar hostess, she often comes back home drunk as a skunk to the point that Kyoko and Mrs. Ichinose may have to carry her back to her room. Or she mistakes Godai's room for her own.
Last-Minute Hookup: With Master. She's even seen moving in with him by the finale.
Ms. Fanservice: A shapely young woman who spends most of her time in a negligee.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Akemi lays a brief but huge one on Kyoko after Kyoko's ultimate hissy-fit towards Godai.
- Akemi: I can't believe you. Crying and carrying on over a guy you won't even let hold your hand. What's wrong with you? You think I'm so desperate I'd bother to steal a man from a neurotic twit like you? Grow up!
Shameless Fanservice Girl: She often walks around the apartment wearing nothing but a transparent negligee.
The Tease: More than being actually promiscuous, she is more about teasing than actually doing it.
Urban Legend Love Life: Despite her sultry demeanour and her job, she hasn't been with as many men as people think.

Kentaro Ichinose

Voiced by: Chika Sakamoto (JP), Saffron Henderson and Sharon Alexander (EN)

Hanae's son. He is a grade-school-aged brat, generally seen trying to get between his mother and her bottle.

Bratty Half-Pint: He's a quite disruptive presence who often causes mischief and gets into petty squabbles with Godai.
Crush Blush: He immediately blushes and acts bashful whenever Ikuko is around.
Height Angst: He's a short boy even for his age, which is something he's quite sensitive about.
Only Sane Man: He's one of the residents with most common sense, especially when his mother is around.
Precocious Crush: He had a small crush on Kyoko early on, calling her his future wife. His crush soon changes to Kyoko's niece who is closer to his age.
Puppy Love: He has a crush on Kyoko's niece, Ikuko, who is only a couple of years older than him.
Satellite Character: He's not seen that often due to him being a very young boy, and is mostly there to assuage his mother's antics.

Nozomu Nikaido

Voiced by: Ryō Horikawa (JP)

Originally intending to move into an upscale establishment called "Rikkoku-kan", a typographical error on the lease papers brings him to Maison Ikkoku relatively late into the story as an accidental tenant. He led a relatively sheltered life before entering the story, and he moved into Maison Ikkoku as he started college against the wishes of his protective mother.

Adapted Out: He does not appear in the TV anime.
Back for the Finale: Appears in the Wedding Preparations OVA, which happens right before Godai and Kyoko's wedding.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: His main character trait; he seems pleasant enough on the outside, but can be amazingly vindictive towards perceived slights.
Foil: To Yotsuya whom he dislikes a lot. Unlike Yotsuya who is very shrewd and perceptive, Nikaido is often oblivious and not very bright.
Handsome Lech: Will readily chase the girls he meets, be it Yagami, Kyoko herself or even her niece Ikuko but he's so inept at social interactions that it never works, despite being a rather rich and decent-looking boy.
Innocently Insensitive: He never really means harm outright but he has a clear tendency to say the damnedest things out loud without ever checking if it's appropriate or not.
Mama's Boy: The reason why he moved into Ikkoku-kan is mostly because he wanted to be separate from his overprotective mother. That, and the fact that he mistook the boarding house with another one.
New Neighbours as the Plot Demands: A late addition to the story's premises who exists mostly to have room 2 inhabited and to serve as a Foil to Yotsuya.
Out of Focus: After the volume that introduces him, he mostly fades into the background.
Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: He thoroughly dislikes Yotsuya's antics and, unlike Godai, he will retaliate in kind whenever Yotsuya provokes him but their "rivalry" is incredibly petty.
The Unseen: A manga-only character.
Upper-Class Twit: He's from a rather affluent family but is often noted as incredibly inept and incapable of understanding any situation he witnesses, mostly because he's completely oblivious to the relationships of his co-tenants.

Soichiro-san

Voiced by: Shigeru Chiba

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/soichiro_dog.jpg

Kyoko's dog. He is a large and white Samoyed dog that was found as a stray by Soichiro Otonashi, Kyoko's late husband.

Big Friendly Dog: Which annoys Mitaka big time as the dog is always all over him.
Dead Guy Junior: He is named after Kyoko's late husband.
Dogs Are Dumb: Often accused of being as stupid as a broomstick.
Formally-Named Pet: Soichiro Otonashi attempted to name him "Snowy", but for whatever the reason he always responded to Soichiro-san.

Other Characters

Shun Mitaka

Voiced by: Akira Kamiya (JP), John Payne (EN)

A wealthy, educated young man who hails from an elite family. Mitaka works as a ladies' tennis coach more out of love for the sport than any need for financial support.

Ambiguously Brown: He is very tan-skinned in both the anime and the manga.
Babies Ever After: He marries Asuna and they have twin babies together, with more on the way.
Broken Ace: Mitaka seems to be The Ace at first - drop-dead gorgeous, athletic, and even an excellent cook - but he has his own issues.
The Casanova: Known for his romantic conquests, he actually has to convince Kyoko that he isn't all about sex.
Cock Fight: Whenever Godai and him meet, you can be sure this will happen if Kyoko is around. In fact, this is one of the driving forces behind the series.
Comforting the Widow: Often accused of doing this.
Everyone Has Standards: He and Godai may be love rivals and will fight each other at any given opportunity, but when Godai got really sick in the manga, Mitaka was willing to cook him food while shooting down Godai’s protests. Although they still went back to their usual squabble, even Mitaka was disgusted by the tenants abandoning Godai when Kyoko instructed them to look after him.
Expy: He's a less arrogant and more kind-hearted version of Mendou, another rich playboy from Rumiko's early manga Urusei Yatsura.
Happily Married: He marries Asuna near the end of the series. Even though he only agreed to the marriage because of a misunderstanding, he's shown to be happy with her and they have several children.
If I Can't Have You…: Feeling that he was indeed losing to Godai, he briefly delved into this.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Does have a slight tendency to go from this to Jerk with a Heart of Jerk.
Ladykiller in Love: He's a total playboy, but is focusing all his attention on Kyoko. In the end, however, he marries Asuna instead and they start a family together.
Meaningful Name: "Shun" means "twinkle".
Perfectly Arranged Marriage: His arranged fiancee Asuna is head over heels in love with him and after proposing to her due to a misunderstanding, he warms up to the idea a bit more, and eventually falls in love and marries her. He actually thought he could really like Asuna if he hasn't already set his sights on Kyoko.
Privileged Rival: He's considered the primary threat to Godai's relationship with Kyoko for being wealthy to the point of not having to work, brilliant and excessively handsome.
Rich Suitor, Poor Suitor: The rich suitor to Godai's poor suitor. In contrast to Godai who is a Starving Student, Mitaka comes from a wealthy family and has a job as a tennis coach, giving him confidence that he can woo Kyoko and provide for her.
Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Manly Man to Godai's Sensitive Guy. Unlike the insecure and wishy-washy Godai, Mitaka is very self-confident and an experienced ladies' man.
Shotgun Wedding: After a previous drunken night with Asuna, Mitaka hears that "she" is pregnant. He assumes that he got Asuna pregnant, and vows to marry her to set things right. After he proposes and everything is set in stone, he discovers that her dog is the one who had actually been knocked up by his dog.
Supreme Chef: He's a very good cook.
Tall, Dark, and Handsome: The best-looking male character of the series, which at first strikes quite some insecurities in the more plain-looking Godai.
Thanks for the Mammary: Happened one time when he tried to prevent Kyoko from falling.
Twinkle Smile: Iconic of his character. This seems to run in the family, even with the pets of said family. He even passes it down to his daughters.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Hilariously dog-phobic! He gets better.

Kozue Nanao

Voiced by: Mina Tominaga (JP), Rochelle Greenwood and Anna Cummer (EN)

Godai's steady date and generally serves as an obstacle for him in his pursuit of Kyoko.

Betty and Veronica: The Betty (ordinary Girl Next Door) to Kyoko's Veronica (Tsundere widow mourning her husband).
The Bus Came Back: For the epilogue where we see that she has moved on to a whole new life.
Demoted to Extra: During the middle of the series when Ibuki was becoming more of a recurring character she only occasionally appeared. This was even given a little bit of a Lampshade Hanging near the end of the series.
Girl Next Door: She's the most normal person Godai knows as well as the friendliest of his suitors.
Happily Married: She ends up marrying a co-worker, Kentaro, at the bank she works at and moves away to Nagoya with her new husband.
Nice Girl: She's one of the nicest characters. Her only real flaw is how oblivious she can be regarding Godai's true romantic feelings.
Power Hair: Subverted. She does have the hairstyle but she is no leader. Even stranger for fans familiar with Tominaga's other work, you half expect her to give up Godai for her tank, or her Police Robot.
Put on a Bus: Literally put on a train when she figures Godai is in love with someone else than her.
Romantic False Lead: She acts as a love rival for Kyoko early in the series, with Godai going in a few dates with her when he's upset about Kyoko spending time with Mitaka. Kozue ends up leaving the story after she learns about Godai's love for Kyoko.

Ibuki Yagami

Voiced by: Yuriko Fuchizaki (JP), Alexandra Carter (EN)

A high school student who develops a crush on Godai while he works as a student-teacher.

Betty and Veronica: Being an obsessive Stalker with a Crush who actively tries to seduce Godai, Ibuki is the Veronica to Kyoko's down-to-earth Betty.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She acts nice and all, but it's only a veneer that hides a much less appealing personality.
Class Representative: Which is how she could get to spend more time with Godai.
Clingy Jealous Girl: Much more than Kyoko. She's very jealous of Kyoko and calls her "the widow", which is a derogatory way to refer to someone in Japanese since the kanji's literal meaning is "the one that has yet to die".
Daddy's Girl: Coddled and spoiled by her father who she refers to as "papa" instead of "oto-san", which was a quite familiar way to talk to one's dad back in the 80's.
Didn't Think This Through: When she discovers in episode 80 that Godai is working at a bunny girl themed cabaret club, she decides to woo him by employing as a bunny girl herself! She should have put in serious consideration that a- no relationships allowed between employees at the cabaret club and b- Godai was her friggin' teacher, thus he has legitimate proof that she’s underage and a high school student. Sure enough, Godai immediately reveals all of this to the manager of said club, who fires her on the spot, and warns her not to come back.
Expository Hairstyle Change: Upon entering college, she switches from her trademark Girlish Pigtails, to a more mature wavy hair and hairband.
Fille Fatale: Won't hesitate in using sexual innuendos and risqué situations in order to get Godai to view her as a potential lover.
Girlish Pigtails: A strange type. She doesn't get full-blown one but rather small ones while keeping the rest of her hair loose. It's used to mark her as an immature teenager on her way to womanhood.
In Love with Love: She appears to be more interested in being in a tragic romance than in Godai himself.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While she is a lot less sympathetic than the likes of Kozue and is often seen as a temperamental brat who needs to learn that she can't always get what she wants, Ibuki does occasionally get some sympathetic moments and even occasionally does try to help Godai out.
Loving a Shadow: She developed her crush on Godai after misinterpreting him as a sort of tragic romantic hero.
Manipulative Bitch: Will do anything to get what she wants.
The Rival: Of Kyoko. And a rather nasty one at that since she will use any insult, fabricate any story whenever they're in the same room so as to drive her to her wit's end and will never miss an occasion to antagonize her.
Sore Loser: In the OVA, when she learns that Godai and Kyoko are getting married, she outright threatens to fight Kyoko physically and almost got to it hadn't Akemi interrupted her. She even went as far as to demand Godai to leave Kyoko due to a “mysterious letter”, while Kyoko is sitting right next to him!^note
Stalker with a Crush: Ibuki is a saner version of this towards Godai. While she's more immature and entitled than an outright psychopath, she is still a good case for a restraining order.
Teacher/Student Romance: She gets a crush on Godai while he works as a student-teacher at her class. It's entirely one sided on Ibuki's part, but it still heavily bothers Kyoko, even if Godai doesn't reciprocate Ibuki's feelings. Probably because it reminds her of something.
Unrequited Love Lasts Forever: At the end of the series, Ibuki goes to an all-girls college still hanging into the dream that she can be with Godai someday, even though he's already a married man and a father.

Asuna Kujo

Voiced by: Hiromi Tsuru (JP), Valerie Sing Turner (EN)

A classically demure Japanese maiden from a wealthy family. Her family and Shun's uncle have arranged a traditional Japanese marriage between her and Shun (against Shun's wishes).

Babies Ever After: She gives birth to Mitaka's twin babies and is pregnant again in the epilogue.
Happily Married: Mitaka agrees to marry her after a misunderstanding caused him to think he got her pregnant. Despite this, they look like a quite happy married couple in the end.
I Feel Angry: Never visibly angry. When she learns about the existence of Kyoko, she just kindly tells her that she doesn't approve of Kyoko courting her fiancé.
Mistaken for Pregnant: After a previous drunken night with Asuna and hearing "she" is pregnant, Mitaka assumes that he got Asuna pregnant, and vows to marry her to set things right. After he proposes and everything is set in stone, she reveals it's her dog who's pregnant.
Naïve Everygirl: Not as Everygirl as Kozue, given her family's just as rich as the Mitakas.
Ojou: Combined with Shrinking Violet. She's a high-class, demure and pristine young woman who is also modest and sof-spoken.
Perfectly Arranged Marriage: She is head over heels in love with her arranged fiance Mitaka and after proposing to her due to a misunderstanding he eventually falls in love with her and they get married.
Prone to Tears: She looks so pure and fragile that even Godai and Kyoko where shocked when they see her pregnant with Mitaka's children. Shown in a huge way when Shun tries to break off their engagement initially. She faints on the spot and when she wakes up she immediately cries, much to Mitaka's discomfort. Shown even more when she tries to join Mitaka's tennis club and meets her "rival" Kyoko. Even though she feels anguished inside she can't bring herself to be mean to Kyoko and is instead very awkwardly pleasant to her.
The Rival: To Kyoko for Mitaka. However, in stark contrast to Yagami, Asuna doesn't antagonize Kyoko at all and calmly tells her that she doesn't approve of her courting he betrothed, to which Kyoko consents in an equally polite and respectful manner.
Yamato Nadeshiko: While Kyoko may be a subversion, Asuna plays it straight.

Master

Voiced by: Norio Wakamoto (JP), David Kaye (EN)

Akemi's boss. He tolerates Akemi's obvious incompetence as a waitress because his feelings for her are more than just that of a boss to an employee.

Commuting on a Bus: A constant background character that interacts regularly with the main cast.
Last-Minute Hookup: With Akemi. See below.
Local Hangout: Owns the Cha-Cha-Maru, the local bar/café at which Akemi works as a barmaid and where Godai and Kyoko have their wedding soirée.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Has no other name in-series than "Master", which is the usual name given to barmen in Japanese culture.
Only Sane Man: Oftentimes misunderstandings or clarifications happen at his bar but he's the only person who gets what's going on because he's the only sober party. And since most of these happenings get more misconstrued by the drunken antics of the characters, he's often the one stepping in to clarify what everything was really about.
Pair the Spares: With Akemi. He tries to propose to her indirectly during the extra OVA which explores the wedding's preparations and outright tells her that he wants her as his wife during the finale. And she moves in with him.
Satellite Character: His character is entirely defined through Akemi and his feelings for her.

Soichiro Otonashi

Voiced by: Hideyuki Tanaka (JP), David Kaye (EN)

Kyoko's deceased husband and former high school teacher. Kyoko always spoke very highly of him.

The Faceless: We are never shown his face when he is in flashbacks. It's also a Running Gag that Godai always failed to see his face in any kind of medium. Even when Godai does finally see him, the reader still doesn't.
Happily Married: His father knows that the time Soichiro was married to Kyoko was the happiest of Soichiro's life.
The Lost Lenore: He was Kyoko's first love and husband, but his untimely death left her widowed too young to remain a widow all life long despite her insistence on it, which causes a problem for her family.
Posthumous Character: He has been dead for a while by the time Kyoko moves to Maison Ikkoku. A vision of him did appear once in Kyoko's dream, calling her a fool for fighting with Godai.
Shrinking Violet: Only alluded to by Kyoko the rare times she talks about him.
Teacher/Student Romance: He met Kyoko while he was working as a temporary teacher at her high school.

Characters / Maison Ikkoku

Maison Ikkoku's Residents

Yusaku Godai

Kyoko Otonashi

Hanae Ichinose

Yotsuya

Akemi Roppongi

Kentaro Ichinose

Nozomu Nikaido

Soichiro-san

Other Characters

Shun Mitaka

Kozue Nanao

Ibuki Yagami

Asuna Kujo

Master

Soichiro Otonashi

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Characters / Maison Ikkoku

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Maison Ikkoku's Residents

Yusaku Godai

Kyoko Otonashi

Hanae Ichinose

Yotsuya

Akemi Roppongi

Kentaro Ichinose

Nozomu Nikaido

Soichiro-san

Other Characters

Shun Mitaka

Kozue Nanao

Ibuki Yagami

Asuna Kujo

Master

Soichiro Otonashi

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