Music / Nogizaka46

"Hard Work, Gratitude, Smile. We are the 46 that will climb the slope of Nogizaka!"

Produced by Yasushi Akimoto of AKB48 fame under Sony Music Entertainment, Nogizaka46 is AKB's first official rival group. Divided into generations instead of teams (like in SDN48, a former sister group to AKB) and without a theater they regularly perform, their image is more mature than AKB's.

Like AKB48, they have their own sister groups: Sakurazaka46 (formerly Kanji Keyakizaka46), Hinatazaka46 (formerly Hiragana Keyakizaka46), and Yoshimotozaka46 (a mixed-gender group with a much wider age range). Collectively, Nogizaka46 and its sister groups are part of the Sakamichi series.

The group is represented by the color purple and currently has 43 members (they usually have 46 members maximum), spanning five generations. The group's captain is Manatsu Akimoto and their vice captain is Minami Umezawa.

Besides performing music, they also have their own television shows, dramas, and stage plays, including:

• Nogizakatte doko?, (often shortened to Nogidoko), hosted by Bananaman (Osamu Shitara and Yuki Himura) ^note  Nogizaka's first variety show, started in 2011. Ended in 2015 and was replaced by Nogizaka Kōjichū.
• Nogiten and Nogiten 2^note  This show generally focused on the Under members. Ended in 2019.
• Nogibingo!, hosted by Ijiri Okada^note  Nogibingo! is separated by season, unlike its AKB counterpart which was an ongoing show. It had ten seasons. Ended once the original show ended.
• Nogizaka46 SHOW! (episodes of AKB48 SHOW! dedicated to them, ended in 2019 along with the original show)
• Nogizaka Kōjichū (Nogizaka Under Construction, often shortened to Nogichū), hosted by Bananaman^note  Started in 2015, this show replaced Nogizakatte Doko?
• Nogizaka46 Eigo (Nogieigo), hosted by Taku Suzuki and real English teacher Tetsuya Yasukochi ^note Has two seasons with different casts for each, save for Maaya Wada.
• Nogizaka46 Sekai Tabi: Konno-san hotto itteyo!^note A travel show where two Nogizaka members go overseas without the supervision of staff... allegedly
• Nogizaka Doko e, hosted by Saraba Seishun no Hikari (Tetsuya Morita and Higashi Bukuro) ^note This show focuses on the fourth generation members. Not to be confused with the other NogiDoko. Ended in 2020.
• Nogizaka Skits, hosted by Saraba Seishun no Hikari ^note The successor of Nogizaka Doko e. Primarily focuses on the fourth generation members as they perform sketch comedy. The second season added the third generation members.
• Nogizaka46 All Night Nippon^note Radio show originally hosted by Mai Shinuchi, then taken over by Shiori Kubo; formerly AKB48 All Night Nippon.
• Nogizaka Otameshichū (Nogizaka Under Trial), hosted by Taku Suzuki, a show for Under members to try out new skills, Spiritual Successor to Nogieigo (same host, production team, and time slot)
• Nogizaka Star Tanjou (Nogizaka Stars are Born), hosted by Pekopa (Shupei and Taiyu Shoinji), this show is a retro music show featuring the fourth gens singing songs from the Showa and Heisei periods. The second season features a previous gen guest member each episode.
  • Nogizaka Shin Star Tanjou (Nogizaka New Stars are Born), hosted by Ozwald, this is a continuation of the last show, with the same comcept and format, but now focuses on the fifth generation members.
• Hatsumori Bemars (A 12 episode series about softball with superpowers like Shaolin Soccer)
• Asahinagu (A stage play and movie adaptation of a manga)
• 16-nin no Principal
  • 16-nin no Principal deux
  • 16-nin no Principal trois
  • 3-nin no Principal
• Joshiraku
• Zambi (A stage play, tv series, and mobile game)
• Borderless (A joint Sakamichi TV show that also featured members from Sakurazaka46 and Hinatazaka46)
• Many of their music releases also included original short films starring the members.

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If you wanna bring big tropes, sing out:

• Abandoned Catchphrase:
  • Mai Shiraishi once had a catchphrase that incorporated her love for mayonnaise (I come from Planet Mayora of the fourth dimension). She only did it once, presumably that one time being the first episode of Nogizakatte Doko?. It has since become somewhat of an Old Shame for her.
  • A majority of the members, particularly the first gens, have catchphrases that they no longer use. Kana Nakada is probably the only one (of the first gens) that still uses the catchphrase that was created for her on Nogizakatte Doko?.
  • In Nogizaka Kōjichū episode 60, fathers of several members propose a catchphrase for their daughters, which most of them dislike. Averted by Sayuri Inoue, whose proposed catchphrase refers to her love of Super Sentai.
  • Haruka Kaki's old catchphrase is an imitation of Sunshine Ikezaki's main gag, which is overly long and animated. Her favorite senior Mizuki Yamashita also did something similar during her first appearance on Nogizaka Kōjichū.
    The unprecedented and incomparable Nogizaka 4th gen! The woman who loves and is loved by the number 8! Audition entry number was 18! Student number was often 8! The woman loved by all things 8! Yes, it is I, Sunshine Kaki... (mimes explosion from her chest) Haruka! Yeah! Justice!
• Abandoned Hospital: In episode 96 of Nogizakatte Doko?, a few members (namely Kazumi Takayama, Sayuri Matsumura, and Erika Ikuta) had to go to an abandoned hospital as punishment as their stories from the previous episode weren't scary.
• Accent Interest: Episode 99 of Nogizakatte Doko? had the members do a love confession in their native dialect.
• Accidental Misnaming: One of Ami Noujo's nickname, Johnson, originated from this. Osamu Shitara had misheard Ami recall a time when Kazumi Takayama called her "Jo-san". This nickname became popular among the fans and stuck.
  • In episode 126 of Nogizaka Kōjichū, Mizuki Yamashita revealed that Reika Sakurai kept misnaming her as Mitsuki during an MC segment. Though this could simply be Mizuki's name having the 月 kanji (which can also be read as Tsuki).
  • Rei Seimiya says that people mistakenly call her "Kiyomiya" due to 清 also being read as Kiyo.
• Accidental Pun: Episode 123 of Nogizaka Kōjichū has Osamu Shitara accidentally make a pun off Misa Eto's name (Misa ga misadameru), to which only Asuka catches and laughs at.
  • Shitara does it again in episode 188 of Nogizaka Kōjichū, making an accidental pun with Hazuki Mukai's name (Mukai, mukaiattemite). This time the members notice and aren't that impressed.
• Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: In Nogizaka Kōjichū episode 59, Kana Nakada's father reveals that he created her name after a night of drinking, which she seems to consider as this trope despite her pride in her palindromic name.
• Alliterative Name: A few.
  • Nanase Nishino.
  • Nanami Nishikawa.
  • Hina Higuchi.
  • Yuuki Yoda.
  • Miyu Matsuo.
  • Satsuki Sugawara.
• Alternate Character Reading:
  • In Nogizaka Kōjichū episode 115, Himura deliberately reads Momoko Ōzono's surname as "Ōen" and "Daien" to coax her into correcting him. It takes three attempts until she does.
  • Rei Seimiya occasionally reminds people that her surname is not read as Kiyomiya, but approves of the nickname "Kiyo" anyway.
• Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Whenever they do a family survey, expect the members' parents to reveal some embarrassing things that they rather not be told.
  • Kana Nakada's father is the biggest culprit. Kana doesn't seem to be close with him, going as far as to not invite him to their concerts. This strain seemingly stems from a time when Kana's dad teased her about having a crush when she was a kid.
• Analogy Backfire: In episode 25 of Nogizaka Kōjichū, Kazumi Takayama comments that Asuka Saito still relies on her mother at 17 (at the time), stating that she (Kazumi) was internet shopping when she was 17. The other members remind Kazumi that she got scammed due to internet shopping.
• And Your Reward Is Interior Decorating: A live-action version, the members' chairs in Nogichu were given a modest upgrade in 2021 as reward for completing a series of challenges. It started when Asuka Saito complained that they've used the chairs since the first Nogizakatte Doko? started in 2011 and those are the least comfortable among all the main Sakamichi variety shows.
  • As a side note, Hinatazaka46 made the same request in their show a year before (since their chairs, while quite fancy, were too tall for them) and got them without having to jump through any hoops.
• Animal Motif:
  • As Asuka's name has the same kanji characters as "flying bird" (飛鳥, read as hichou), birds are often associated with her.
  • Teresa Ikeda is associated with ducks, as she likes them and collects rubber ducks. It wasn't made up for TV either, as it was first discovered by fans on her old personal Twitter account.
• Anime Theme Song:
  • "Tsuki no Ōkisa" was the theme song for Naruto Shippuden's 15th season.
  • "Ima, Hanashitai Dareka ga Iru" was used as the theme for The Anthem of the Heart.
  • As far as ending themes go, two subunits for the group performed The Moment You Fall in Love. ~Confess Your Love Committee~'s credits song "Daikirai na wa Hazu Datta".
  • "Sora Tobira" was used as the theme for Nanatsu no Taizai.
  • The Karaage Shimai (Sayuri Matsumura and Erika Ikuta) sang "1・2・3" for Pokémon Journeys: The Series.
• Ascended Extra: Any Under member that makes it into senbatsu, especially those that have been around for a long time before making their first senbatsu (like Ayane Suzuki).
  • Asuka Saito can be seen as this. At the beginning, she was in and out of the senbatsu, being in three of the first ten singles and usually in the third row. She reclaimed a senbatsu spot for the eleventh single (and became a senbatsu regular since then). She then gained a spot in the second row before becoming the center for the group's 15th single.
• Audience Participation Song: Live performances of "Oide Shampoo" have the audience chanting the fanmade call "Kana Nakada only, Kana Nakada only, my Kana Nakada only" (中田花奈しか、中田花奈しか、俺の中田花奈しか) in the interlude, regardless of whether or not she's in the lineup (or still a member at all).
  • When Hiragana Keyakizaka46's second gen covered the song in that group's last show before rebranding, some of the audience changed the call to "Hina Kawata only", since she was the center.
• Auto-Tune: Generally used to cover up members that aren't strong singers (such as Manatsu Akimoto).
• Bad Boss: Nanase Nishino's 22nd single individual PV is a power harassment prevention short film featuring her as the abusive boss, notably speaking her rarely-used Kansai accent.
• Bad Liar: Minami Hoshino struggled with a prank segment on Nogizakatte Doko?, where she tried to coax Seira Hatanaka to give her money. Though years later she won a game of Werewolf which requires deceiving the other players.
• Beach Episode: Episodes 47-48 and 200-201 of Nogizaka Kōjichū had the group play some games at the beaches of Guam and Okinawa respectively.
  • Episode 111 of Nogizakatte Doko? had a few members play at a beach in Okinawa, much to the dismay of the other members in the studio that didn't get to go.
• Bifauxnen: Yumi Wakatsuki, especially when she usually has short hair and has a thin figure.
  • Some members would dress as men for mousou themed episodes of Nogizakatte Doko?, Nogibingo!, or Nogizaka Kōjichū.
• Big Brother Attraction: Asuka Saito and Minami Hoshino play this part in Nogibingo! 5 episode 9 (with Miona Hori tagging along as their friend). Ashurin reveals later that even foreign fans had asked her to reprise this role in handshake events.
  Ashurin: They came to me and said [in English], "Baka aniki, please!" So it seems I have older brothers all around the world.
• Big Brother Mentor: Bananaman are designated the group's official onii-chan and actually act like it, often giving the members encouragement and advice. Outside Nogizaka Kōjichū, the two groups also often guest star in each other's events and shows.
• Big Eater: Erika Ikuta and Sayuri Matsumura are known to be two of Nogizaka's biggest eaters. They once held a competition to determine the number one glutton, with the pair eating bowls worth of rice. In the end, Sayuri won the battle.
  • Hazuki Mukai gave Matsumura a run for her money when the pair had a eating contest on Nogibingo!. She has also been shown to be a big eater on other programs.
  • The entire group can be considered this, in most variety shows they're in, they are mostly eating or talking about food.
• Birthday Buddies:
  • Mai Shiraishi and Manatsu Akimoto, and Mai is a year older. Manatsu has pointed out that Maiyan tends to get the bigger cake, allegedly because she's more popular.
  • The 4th gen's Haruka Kaki and Yuri Kitagawa were born on the exact same day (notwithstanding the time zones, since Yuri was born in California).
• Bizarre Taste in Food: Nogizaka Kōjichū episodes 105 and 106 reveal several members' unusual culinary preferences.
  • In Nogizakatte Doko episode 114, the members held a contest to see who was the biggest eater. The members were given a bowl of rice and brought a condiment that they usually have along with rice. Some interesting combinations were revealed, such as Sayuri Matsumura's mayonnaise with rice or Asuka Saito's chocolate with rice.
• "Blind Idiot" Translation: Miona Hori and Maaya Wada attempt to translate what Yuri Kitagawa says in episode 192 of Nogizaka Kōjichū.

  Yuri (in English): My favorite food is tomatoes, but I also like bread.
  Miona (in Japanese): My maid's name is... Palaio?
  Maaya (in Japanese): My favorite food is... humans.

• Boyish Short Hair: Rina Ikoma and Yumi Wakatsuki tend to sport short hair. Other members, like Rena Yamazaki, have also cut their hair fairly short.
• Broadcast Live: Aside from the rare Showroom sessions and more recent online concerts, they've held several Nogizaka46 Hours TV online streams, each running for 46 hours and featuring various activities by the members and guests.
• The Bus Came Back: Many graduates took part in the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic charity song, "Sekaijū no Rinjin yo". Each member and graduate recorded their own part at home.
  • A few graduated members returned for a surprise appearance during the group's 10th Year Birthday live. Namely, Rina Ikoma and Marika Ito one the first day, and Erika Ikuta, Mai Shiraishi, Nanase Nishino, Kazumi Takayama, and Sayuri Matsumure on the second day.
• But Not Too Foreign:
  • Erika Ikuta was born in Düsseldorf, Germany. A Running Gag in her early career was that people were always highly impressed by this. Her first photobook was also shot in Düsseldorf.
  • Asuka Saito is half Burmese.
  • Seira Miyazawa is 1/4 French.
  • Yuri Kitagawa was born in California. Rei Seimiya also lived in that state's Foster City as a child.
  • Haruka Kuromi was born in Hong Kong. She has revealed in the group's blog that she has a middle name, Rachel.
  • Inverted with Ayano-Christie Yoshida. Despite her name, she was born and raised in Japan. Her family had planned to move to Hawaii and gave her a name that would be easy to use in Hawaii.
  • Also inverted with Teresa Ikeda. Many fans thought she was half-Japanese due to her first name, but she revealed on Nogizaka Kōjichū that there was no reason whatsoever for her name being Teresa.
• But Now I Must Go: When a member graduates, they usually have a small segment at the end of an episode where they say their goodbyes. Popular members get an entire episode dedicated to them.
  • Many graduated members are still signed on to Nogizaka management, including those who have nominally retired from showbiz like Himeka Nakamoto.
• Butt-Monkey: Ami Noujo and Maaya Wada tends to be this, the former for her quirky character and the latter for her baka character.
  • Bananaman's Yuuki Himura is this, always being the butt of jokes on their show. Will always get the most weirdest gifts from the members, to the point that it looks like they are mocking him. His appearance is always teased by Shitara and the members, which he usually takes well, unless you mention his moles or chin.
• Captain Smooth and Sergeant Rough: The Fake Cutie captain Manatsu Akimoto and The Comically Serious vice-captain Minami Umezawa.
• Catchphrase: "Doryoku, Kansha, Egao. Uchira wa Nogizaka noborizaka 46!" ("Hard Work, Gratitude, Smile. We are the 46 that will climb the slope of Nogizaka!").
  • A few members have their own specific catchphrase that they say, though they seldom do it.
• Celebrity Paradox: In Hatsumori Bemars, the group and AKB48 exist even though their members portray the characters.
• Colour-Coded for Your Convenience: The group's main color is purple.
  • At concerts, each member has a specific light stick color (or combination of colors) for their fans to wave.
  • A nameless unit consisting of Mai Shiraishi, Kazumi Takayama, Nanami Hashimoto, Mai Fukagawa, and Sayuri Matsumura wore color coded ponchos for the MV of Dekopin.
• Comedic Sociopathy: Nanami Hashimoto apparently likes the misfortunes of others. They even did an entire episode (#70) about it on Nogizaka Kōjichū.
  • Asuka Saito has been proclaimed to be a sadist by the other members, and it is shown that she is rough with the kohai members. They also reused the misfortune storytelling episode with her as the judge in Nogizaka Kōjichū (#220-221).
    • She also describes herself as "dark" when appealing to a group of foreigners in another episode, and in yet another episode she reveals her enjoyment of "dark" music, particularly Evanescence.
    • In a food review segment, Ashurin remarks that crushing the cup-shaped cookie she's eating is an expression of human being's innate desire to destroy.
    • In Nogizaka Apartment, she tends to goad the other characters into conflicts For the Lulz.
  • And the king of sadists isn't even part of the group. Bananaman's Osamu Shitara loves to troll the members.
• Cool Car: The "Gomen ne Fingers crossed" MV features the members as street racers driving both American muscle and Japanese cars.
• Cool Teacher: Tetsuya Yasukochi, the English teacher in Nogieigo. He's actually a high school and college teacher in real life, as well as a travel photographer. Has also revealed that he lives in Roppongi (an upscale Tokyo neighborhood), which leads the members to assume that he's Secretly Wealthy.
• Cosplay: Plenty of times across NogiBingo!, Nogizakatte Doko, and Nogizaka Kōjichū.
• Country Mouse: Rina Ikoma and Ayane Suzuki both hail from rural Akita, the former had a hard time adjusting to the air in Tokyo.
  Ikomachan, muttering while doing a Tokyo scavenger hunt in Nogizakatte Doko? episode 10: I don't know where I'm going. So many buildings, so many people, so many trains, and the air's so thick. Seriously, why is the air so thick?!
  • Yuuki Yoda hails from the rural Shika Island in Fukuoka.
• Courier: Miona Hori's Nogizaka Cinemas episode features her as a courier delivering a tape from a production house to the TV studio, while battling mercenaries sent by a rival producer, who is her estranged father.
• Cover Version:
  • Their first publicly released song, "Aitakatta kamo Shirenai", was a cover of AKB's first major label single, "Aitakatta", rearranged in a minor key. The music video is a near replica of "Aitakatta"'s, and features AKB48's then-front member, Atsuko Maeda.
  • The group also covered AKB's "Heavy Rotation" for a commercial.
  • Nogidan, one of the group's sub-unit, covered Kishidan's "One Night Carnival". They even performed it with the original band at one point.
• Crossover:
  • From 2014 to 2015, Rina Ikoma held a concurrent position in AKB48 Team B, while Rena Matsui of SKE48 held a position in Nogizaka.
  • Episode 87 Nogizaka Kōjichū was a one hour crossover episode with their sister group, Keyakizaka46. The following episode also featured their sister group, but was simply a clip show of scenes that didn't make the one hour special.
  • Select members have also performed with AKB48 members as part of a unit for AKB48 singles, such as SakamichiAKB and IZ4846 with IZ*ONE members.
  • AKB's Rina Hirata is the unofficial teaching assistant in Nogieigo until her graduation.
  • Miona Hori cameoed in Majisuka Gakuen, and Nanase Nishino and Mai Shiraishi appeared in its spinoff Cabasuka Gakuen.
  • AKB's Haruka Shimazaki and HKT48's Sakura Miyawaki cameoed in Hatsumori Bemars.
  • AKB48 Show! sometimes gets turned into Nogizaka46 Show!, where the entire episode becomes about Nogizaka and covers any events or concerts that they have going on.
  • Nogizaka46 have also appeared in AKBingo! in 2014.
  • Sayuri Matsumura, and other Nogizaka members, co-hosts Yoshimotozaka46's main variety show.
  • All three female Sakamichi groups collaborated in the drama Borderless (it was originally written with Kanji and Hiragana Keyakizaka members in mind). Nogizaka was represented by Seira Hayakawa and Sakura Endo; Sakurazaka sent Yui Kobayashi, Risa Watanabe, and Hikaru Morita; and Hinatazaka had Kyoko Saito and Hiyori Hamagishi.
• Cunning Linguist:
  • Rei Seimiya, Yuri Kitagawa, Sayaka Kakehashi can speak English along with their native Japanese.
  • Rena Yamazaki can speak Chinese, which helped them when they held concerts in Shanghai. Haruka Kuromi can speak Mandarin.
• The Cutie: Minami Hoshino.
• Darker and Edgier:
  • The MV of "Inochi wa Utsukushii" goes for a more gothic theme.
  • The MV of "Ōkami ni Kuchibue wo" is about an all girl school that gets overtaken by student-turned-werewolves. Well, sort of, the students are still human, wear gothic clothing, and bite their victim which turns them into werewolves, so they're more akin to zombies.
  • Zambi is definitely a stark contrast to the more brighter Hatsumori Bemars.
  • "Actually..." itself was considered this, with fans comparing the theme and mood of the song to Keyakizaka46.
• Dating Sim: Their mobile game, Nogikoi, is basically this.
  • They have also did few a dating simulation segments on Nogibingo!, one time with fictional anime characters.
• Digging Yourself Deeper: In episode 72 Nogizaka Kōjichū, it was shown that Manatsu Akimoto had slipped during the summer tour, during the fireworks display, and was even told not to slip during the concert beforehand. She tried to defend herself by saying it was only this one time, to which the members remind her this isn't the first time she's slipped.
  • She tries the same excuse again in episode 124 Nogizaka Kōjichū.
• Dislikes the New Girl:
  • Nanase Nishino to Manatsu Akimoto. When Manatsu Akimoto returned from her hiatus in late 2012, she was immediately given a spot in the second row of senbatsu (for the fourth single), this meant that someone had to be pushed back, and that someone was Nishino (she felt that her spot was taken by Manatsu and that she had been "kicked out" of the Fukujin - members from the first two rows). From late 2012 to early 2014, the pair had a bitter relationship, with the two barely talking to each other.
  • Minami Hoshino was this to Miona Hori. When Miona entered senbatsu for the seventh single and became the center, Minami got sent to the Under girls. In addition, they are of similar age (Miona being a year older), so Minami felt that she had been replaced by Miona. Unlike the Nanase and Manatsu relationship, the two got over their differences and became friends soon after.
  • The original MV for "Actually..." features Mizuki Yamashita locking center Aruno Nakanishi in an unused studio room for an entire day since she has a bad feeling about her joining the group. As it turned out, Aruno got suspended in real life due to a scandal and a second version of the MV without her was produced, while the original became a bonus content (see the YMMV page for details).
• The Ditz: Maaya Wada. She won the original contest to find Nogizaka's number one idiot. She has shown time and time again that she isn't the brightest bulb. What's even scarier is that she has a drivers license.
  • Third generation member Reno Nakamura has since taken the title of "baka queen" from Maaya, having won the title in episode 140 of Nogizaka Kōjichū.
  • Fourth generation member Mayu Tamura is also not very smart, naming her hometown as one of the prefectures of Shikoku. Fellow fourth generation member Saya Kanagawa would also fall into this.
  • Nogizaka Kōjichū #319-320 held a third round of the baka queen test, with fourth generation member Nao Yumiki taking the title.
  • In a Nogizaka, Star Tanjou! episode, Maaya, Reno, and Nao cover a song by Shuchishin, a 2008 boy band made up of three actors who did poorly in a quiz show.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: During a bag check in Nogizakatte Doko?, Shitara pulls out a face massager from Manatsu Akimoto's bag, being unsure if he should show it to the camera due to its rather phallic appearance. Cue laughter and squees from the members.
• "Do It Yourself" Theme Tune:
  • The theme song for both Nogizakatte Doko? and Nogizaka Kōjichū is their "Overture".
  • The theme song for Hatsumori Bemars is "Taiyō Knock", their 12th single.
  • The theme song for Asahinagu is "Itsuka Dekirukara Kyou Dekiru", their 19th single.
  • The theme song for Zambi is "Mosugu ~Zambi Densetsu~", from their fourth album.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: The group's first two or three singles were more idol-like, energetic, and up-beat. Apart from the summer singles (and a few exceptions), most of their songs now are more slower and are closer to ballads.
  • It'll sometimes feel odd to see Misa Eto or Asuka Saito in any Under songs or MV, since they are senbatsu regulars.
  • Both Nogizakatte Doko? and Nogizaka Kōjichū can be this. The former had guests on the show that taught them various things (and to be fair, this was when they were starting out). The latter had a "member of the week" format, where the whole episode focuses on a certain member, with the intention that everyone would get an episode.
• Earn Your Title: They sometimes do various championships to find a "queen" of a certain subject or theme, such as the "Biribiri Queen" (the most panicky) or the "Comment Queen" (best at making comments for a talk show).
  • Erika Ikuta earned the title of "The Gahaku" (the "artist") for her strange and awful drawings. She also gained the title of "Biribiri Queen".
  • Reika Sakurai earned the title of "Comment Queen" and "Nabe Queen".
  • Ayane Suzuki earned the title "water balloon queen" on Nogizaka Kōjichū for her ability to catch water balloons.
  • Yuuri Saito earned the title of "Bento Queen".
• Eating Lunch Alone: In Nogizaka Kōjichū episode 394, Mio Yakubo reveals that she hasn't made friends at university, since her classes are held remotely in the first year, and often eats lunch alone in the women's restroom after they returned to on-campus classes. Yuri Kitagawa then suggests that the emergency stairs would be preferable, implying that she's the same.
• Embarrassing Old Photo: Episode 93 and 94 of Nogizaka Kōjichū had members share what they considered their worst photo (alongside their best). Most were old photos from the early days, some even going into detail on why they dislike their photo.
  • In episode 63 of Nogizaka Kōjichū, Kazumi freaks out when a family friend tries to show the other Nogizaka members purikura of Kaz and his daughter.
  • This tended to happen when Nogizakatte Doko? did a birthday episode which highlighted members in their childhood days, which of course the parents would provide some embarrassing photos or videos for the show.
• Engrish:
  • Despite their best efforts, the cast of Nogieigo can't seem to escape this, although they usually still manage to communicate effectively. The cast for the second season seem to fare a bit better than the previous one (before they brought back Maaya), which leads the hosts to comment that the show finally feels like an actual English edutainment show.
    • In Nogizaka Kōjichū #236, Maaya starts the show by saying that the 12th month in English is "winter". In the very next episode, it is reported that she failed the 4th level of the Eiken English proficiency test, which is middle school level (she retook it 4 months later and passed).^note Said test was the focus in Nogieigo, where she actually came close to passing.
  • In an episode of Nogizaka Kōjichū, they go to Guam and attempt to appeal to a group of tourists in English.
    Reika Sakurai, in English: My name is Reika Sakurai. I'm captain, but I'm very ponkotsu! Eto... my inside head... my head is popcorn!
    Nanase Nishino, trying to explain Seven Is Nana: My name is Nanase. Seven! Nana, Seven. Lucky Seven. Japanese seven, ikooru^* (equals), Nana. I rabu animals. I rabu snake.
  • A few of the members tested their English skills again in a special episode of YOU wa Nani Shi ni Nihon e? (Why Did You Come to Japan?), which is hosted by Bananaman.
  • The narrator of Nogizaka Kōjichū even gets on this during Yoda's viper hunting challenge. When Yoda catches five vipers, the narrator proclaimed "I habu^note have five habu".
  • A Running Gag in the Nogidan radio show is Miyu Matsuo struggling to understand Rei Seimiya's perfect English in the English language segments.
  • In an episode of Nogieigo, Nick points out that Yuri Kitagawa had to downgrade her native pronunciation to Engrish so that the others could understand her.
  • Rei Seimiya also has to switch to Engrish when singing "Gomen ne Fingers crossed", but gets to show off her native pronunciation in "Actually...".
• Even the Subtitler Is Stumped: Usually happens when Kazumi Takayama speaks, due to her voice causing her to slur her words. An example would be in a valentines episode of Nogizaka Kōjichū where she tried to explain her and Momoko Ozono's relationship but slurs her words halfway.
  • Also sometimes happens for the other members when they talk while they are flustered.
• Everyone Looks Sexier if French: Variant; the group's image is based on the Japanese perception of elite French private school students, in contrast to AKB which represent normal public school girls. Among others, this means much less bikini and lingerie photoshoots, more demure personalities, less revealing costumes, and no flashy accessories or nail art.
• Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Lampshaded in some Nogizakatte Doko? ("Where is Nogizaka?") episodes where Bananaman would find themselves in the studio without the members.
• Expository Hairstyle Change: Himeka Nakamoto used to sport twin tails but opted to ditch them once she turned 20.
  • Yuuki Yoda decided to cut her hair during the group's 46 Hour Live in 2020. She did so in the hopes that it'd make her look more mature.
• Face Your Fears: They attempted to do this in an episode of Nogizaka Kōjichū, specifically by hypnotizing them first. It didn't work.
• The Fake Cutie: Manatsu Akimoto is the group's resident burikko. She likes to feign clumsiness and claim that she's the cutest member of the group.
• FanGirl: Plenty.
  • Nanase Nishino is a fan of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, doing a pose when they walk down the stairs on Music Station. She also does it during the instrumental choreography of "Jikochuu de Ikou!"
  • Sayuri Inoue is a fan of Super Sentai and had a guest role in Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger.
  • Kotoko Sasaki is a fan of Fairy Tail, she met the creator in person during Nogibingo! and has a location in the manga that is named after her. She also got herself a manual transmission driver's license (which is harder to obtain than automatic) because she likes the character Rei Furuya in Case Closed who drives a manual Mazda RX-7, even though she doesn't intend to drive stick.
• Fanservice: Despite being an idol group, surprisingly averted: their concert outfits' skirts are always at least knee-length, and they wear Modesty Shorts under them. Their photobooks on the other hand...
  • Played straight with Mai Shiraishi's second photobook, Passport, in which she posed in bikinis and lingerie and had a few handbra shots. The book went on to sell 447,000+ copies and, until 2020, was the highest-selling solo female photobook in history (for perspective, 10,000 copies sold is considered good enough for photobooks).
    • Erika Ikuta's second photobook, Intermission, was released in January 2019 and surpassed Mai's photobook in first week sales with 178,688 copies sold, and it's just as lewd as Mai's photobook (granted, both were made by the same publisher). As of April, it has also exceeded 300,000 copies, and contrary to popular belief about photobooks, a third of its buyers are reportedly females of all ages, thanks partly to her work in musicals.
    • Yuki Yoda's photobook also sold 130,000 copies in its first week.
  • The "Oide Shampoo" music video where they lift their skirts to reveal their petticoats was met with criticism from the Moral Guardians who believe it's the same as a Panty Shot (petticoats are technically undergarments, but skirt-length and worn on top of other underwear).
  • The mousou requests on Nogibingo! can be this, although it's mostly the requests made by a certain Noboru Okada^note Ijiri Okada's real name that are the most adult.
  • Prior to joining Nogizaka, Misa Eto was a gravure model, so there are some bikini pics of her laying around the net. She was also on a TV show that involved her being in a bikini, Ami Noujo was also on this TV show.
    • Similarly, Sayuri Inoue was on an idol show before joining the group, which had her in a bikini most of the time.
    • Misa and Sayuri also released photobooks with bikini and lingerie shots, which sold decently.
  • In Nogizaka Kōjichū episode 127, the members make their appeal to be selected for location shooting in Thailand, some by promising to wear revealing clothes, or in Sayuri Matsumura's case, being recorded while receiving a spa treatment. Unfortunately, her agency only allows a few shots of her leg being massaged and censors everything else.
  • Some members would have roles in dramas that have them playing more adult roles.
  • In Nogizaka Kōjichū #235, Asuka Saito remarks that their new captain, Manatsu Akimoto, often bends the rule against showing too much skin.
• Feather Boa Constrictor: Reptile lover Nanase Nishino enthusiastically wears two ball pythons in the first episode of Nogizaka Kōjichū. Nanami Hashimoto, Yumi Wakatsuki, and Mai Shiraishi also wear one each, the latter with much reluctance. Nanase does it again in several other shows.
• Fire-Breathing Diner: Episode 100 of Nogizakatte Doko? had a competition to find who was gutsy enough to fill a bowl of udon with chili and eat it upon each turn. Sayuri Matusmura and Erika Ikuta took the challenge, both big eaters, and never backed down, using up all the chili the show provided. In the end, Erika threw in the towel.
  • Nanami Hashimoto was known for having powdered chili in her bag to put on food. Episode 30 of Nogizakatte Doko? showed just how much chili she puts on her food, even when the food she was given was already spicy to begin with.
• First-Name Basis: Members are usually referred to by their first names if their nickname is just their given name. The Saitos (Asuka, Chiharu, Yuuri) and Itos (Nene, Marika, Karin, Junna, Riria) are also rarely referred by their surnames.
  • Minami Hoshino laments on this during Nogizaka Kōjichū #259, saying that she feels jealous when Bananaman refers to Asuka and Maaya by their first names and wants them to start calling her by her first name, which they eventually do.
• Fish out of Water: To pray for the success of the group's 15th single that she centered, Asuka Saito traveled to her mother's homeland, Myanmar, as shown in Nogizaka Kōjichū episode 68. She is taken aback by the lax safety and hygiene standards there (compared to Japan), and when she arrives at the Golden Rock holy site, it turns out that only men may offer their prayers on the rock, so she has to ask her tour guide to pray on her behalf. Nevertheless, she's happy to celebrate her first birthday abroad in Myanmar, and even receives a surprise visit from her mother's sisters.
• Fluffy Tamer: As punishment for having the highest penalty points during their trip to Okinawa, Yuki Yoda is tasked with capturing the very venomous Okinawan vipers, with the guidance of an experienced viper handler. Despite being terrified at first, in the end she managed to capture five of them.
• Food as Bribe: Played with. Shitara would sometimes joke that Nogizaka won't do anything unless there is a reward (which is usually food).
  • Reversed in episode 80 of Nogizaka Kōjichū, when Shitara did a complete 180 (after teasing the members for doing a soft campaign episode) when the members mentioned that they had bought gifts from Hokkaido for Bananaman.
• Fortune Teller: Kana Nakada has received tarot card training from TV fortune teller Yoshiyuki Hamaguchi and appears in Nogizaka Kōjichū in a Paper-Thin Disguise as Fortune Nakada.
• Friendly Rivalry:
  • AKB member Mayu Watanabe frequently goes to Nogizaka concerts, and performed with them in a unit called Mayuzaka46 for the song "Twin Tail wa Mou Shinai". Nogizaka members also appear in her drama Saba-dol.
  • Haruna Kojima, also an AKB member, did a song with them as well in a one-shot unit called Kojizaka46.
  • Rina Ikoma also performed in several AKB singles and even placed 14th in their 2014 elections. She herself couldn't believe she ranked that high in her first and only participation in a rival group's popularity poll.
    Ikoma-chan's speech: "May I ask you something? ... Do you know who I am?"
  • A few members from the 48 Group have been to Nogizaka concerts and have a Nogizaka oshi.
  • Miona Hori is known to hang out with NGT48's Yuka Ogino and HKT48's Meru Tashima.
  • An example from within the group would be Manatsu Akimoto and Mai Shiraishi, with the former's cutesy acts or tripping over generally receiving condemnation from the latter.
  • A 2021 AKB48 variety miniseries is titled Surpassed by Nogizaka, The Imperiled AKB48's Great Counterattack, but doesn't actually involve Nogizaka46 beyond the namedropping.
• Friendship Moment: Nanase Nishino and Manatsu Akimoto had one during the second year birthday live in 2014, where Nanase welcomed Manatsu back into the group after one year of bitterness.
• Funny Foreigner:
  • Nick, the American recurring guest in Nogieigo. He's a professional comedian under the Sun Music agency and speaks fluent Japanese, but pretends not to, although he often comments on the girls' Japanese exchanges (which he supposedly doesn't understand) in English or outright quips in fluent Japanese.
  • To an extent, Harry Sugiyama, who hosts a radio show with Asuka Saito.
• Fun with Homophones:
  • There's Nogidan (乃木團 "Order of Nogi", which has collaborated with the rock band Kishidan) the rock band subunit and Nogidan (乃木談, short for Nogizaka ni Soudan da!, "Discuss It with Nogizaka!") the radio show.
  • Rika Sato's catchphrase is "National language, mathematics, science (理科 rika), social studies... what's everyone's favorite subject?"
  • Haruka Kaki has revealed that her extended family habitually attends their shows carrying pictures of persimmons (柿 kaki, different character from her surname 賀喜).
  • The top and bottom ranks in the academic tests are called Intellect Queen (頭脳王) and No-Intellect Queen (頭NO王), both of which are pronounced zunou-ou.
• Fun with Palindromes: Kana Nakada's name is the same read backwards (なかだかな), it is also a focal point in her catchphrase.
• Gamer Chick:
  • In Nogizaka Kōjichū, Mai Shiraishi crushes Himura at Bomberman. She also plays various video games in her YouTube channel.
  • The members also love to play Werewolf (1997) during breaks between concerts. They have also played the game for the 46 hour live shows.
  • Hinako Kitano is known to be a gamer, playing Counter-Strike and Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout.
  • Several members play Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
  • A few episodes of Nogizaka Kōjichū have the members play videos games against Bananaman.
• General Failure: The members see their former captain, Reika Sakurai, as this.
• Genre Throwback: The 4th gen variety show Nogizaka Star Tanjou! is a throwback to Showa era music TV shows, in contrast to the members who were mostly born in the 21st century. Every episode features a segment where one of them duets a Showa or Heisei era hit song (technically anything from between December 25, 1926 and May 1, 2019, but mostly 80s or 90s stuff in practice) with a popular artist from that era. It's no coincidence that the host duo Pekopa are famous for their catchphrase "Let's turn back time!"
• Girlish Pigtails: Many of the members tend to sport this, especially the younger members.
• Girls with Guns:
  • The music video for Barette has the members partake in a shootdown with a gang.
  • The music video for Wilderness World has the members wield various guns.
  • In Nogibingo!9 episode 10, Manatsu Akimoto and Kana Nakada get to vent their frustration by mowing down rows of plates with an MP5 airsoft gun.
• The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: Himeka Nakamoto and her little sister Suzuka, frontwoman of BABYMETAL. Exaggerated by the fans to the extent Himeka gets very annoyed if they bring it up at handshake events and the like. In reality, while Himeka has been more than willing to dish on minor grievances (like Su's habit of raiding Himeka's closet), she has also implied the two are close, and Su has never publicly said one word against her older sister.
  • When a fan commented on her 755 page that the two sisters are indistinguishable, this is Himetan's reply.
    I'm very happy about the people who support us sisters who are doing our best in different environments, but I don't want you to say that, even if it's just a joke. We are on completely different levels. SU-METAL is a much better artist than I am, and to say that you can't tell the difference is discourteous to her.
  • In an idol TV show, host Seiji Chihara (a proud Babymetal fan who was even interviewed for their tenth anniversary booklet) is almost too ecstatic when Maaya Wada mentions that Himeka is Su's sister. He also mentions that he's in the same position since his comedy partner, "Junior" Chihara, is also his real younger brother (and apparently more popular than him).
• Graceful Ladies Like Purple: Given their more conservative image and their main color.
• Gratuitous English: Their songs become this whenever an English word pops up. "Influencer" is a common song that is picked on mainly because the group puts heavy emphasis on the "sa" (インフルエンサー) part of the word, which in turns makes it sound like they're saying "Influenza" instead of "Influencer".
  • "Sing Out!" is littered with these. "Bring peace" is a glaring example, with both Japanese and international fans mistaking it as "green peas".
  • "Route 246". Good lord. Three quarters of the song is in English.
• Gyaru Girl: Nogichū episodes 277-278 are the High Schooler Quiz segment, where Bananaman and the older members guess the meaning of gyaru slangs, while a trio of younger members called the Gyaru 3 (Ayame Tsutsui, Renka Iwamoto, and Tamami Sakaguchi) offer hints and explanations for the slangs.
• Halloween Episode: Nogizaka used to do Halloween themed episodes on their main variety show where they dress up and say a heart catching phrase.
• Hated Hometown: Mai Shiraishi rarely ever talks about her home prefecture Gunma, or her home town, although she has never spoken any ill towards the place. In their documentary, her mother revealed that Mai was severely bullied during her school days in her hometown, so you could say she has very strong reasons not to bring up her hometown.
• Hates Wearing Dresses: Rina Ikoma dislikes wearing dresses, proclaiming that the skirts are a hassle. One of the things that shocked her during her concurrency with AKB48 was the shortness of their skirts, which are on average around half the length of this group's.
• Height Angst:
  • Minami Umezawa points out that due to her height (170 cm), her face would often get cut off on tv screens. She even recalls an absurd example where a website decided to put an ad right on her face in a group photo, rather than placing it elsewhere on the photo.
  • Ranze Terada is frustrated whenever members who are not even taller than her (155 cm) call her Shorty, and vents it out on a vase with a bat in Nogibingo!9 episode 10.
  • Yuuki Yoda's Nogizaka Cinemas drama is about her character's frustration that her height (153 cm) supposedly prevents her from advancing in her lifelong interest, jazz dance.
• Home Field Advantage: Inverted in Nogieigo, their educational TV show about learning English, where the Running Gag is that the guest members always outperform the regular cast (except AKB48's Rina Hirata, a native speaker – she's from Arizona – and de facto teaching assistant).
• The Idiot from Osaka: Sayuri Matsumura. Her voice and hand movements sometimes gets noticed, and she can sometimes be the more comedic member of the group. The other Osakan member, Nanase Nishino, is more serious and rarely lets out her Kansai dialect except when actually portraying characters who fit this trope.
• I Know Karate: Maaya Wada learned karate as a child and was able to break a piece of wood with a kick (much to her own surprise).
• Important Haircut: Miona Hori had one when she was sent to the Under members for the first time. At the time she was considering either graduating or getting a haircut for a fresh start.
• Impossible Task: A recurring theme in Nogizaka Kōjichū is the summer holiday task episodes, where members challenge themselves by learning a skill over the summer. Now, consider that this is also during the time they have their summer tour, among also having other jobs to do, it might seem impossible for them to find time to do something just for the show.
  • Taken up to eleven with Himeka Nakamoto's task, who wanted to be able to do tongue-twisters (so she could become an announcer). The task was deemed too simple, so it was changed to her trying to attempt to sing Scatman. Yes, Scatman. Her practices proved fruitless as she failed to complete the task.
• I Never Said It Was Poison: During a discussion about her robot dance, Yumi Wakatsuki questions why they needed a "Les^note as in lesbian Robo", even though no one said anything about her being a lesbian (Shitara even calling her out).
• Kawaiiko: Manatsu Akimoto acts this way, which no one seems to appreciate. Her usual English self-introduction when speaking to foreigners is "the cutest girl in Nogizaka46".
• The Klutz: Manatsu Akimoto tends to trip over a few times. Although whether she is actually clumsy or doing it on purpose (to look cute) is debatable.
  • Episode 112 of Nogizakatte Doko? had Himeka Nakamoto dribbling a basketball, attempting a layup, then unceremoniously crashing into the post (because her collision literally moved the backboard, she didn't make the layup either). For the record, such clumsiness runs in her family, and fans of both agreed her little sister Suzuka would have failed even harder.
• Large and in Charge: Minami Umezawa stands at 170 cm, the tallest member in the group's history^note Beaten in the Sakamichi Series only by Mizuho Habu of Sakurazaka46 who stands at 171 cm and currently holds the vice captain position, and highly touted to be Manatsu Akimoto successor as captain. Subverted by Reika Sakurai and Manatsu Akimoto who stands at 156 cm and 154 cm respectively.
• Late to the Punchline: Maaya Wada is said to be this. She'll miss a joke said by a member, realize it later, and compliment that member for making the joke. This in turns kills the joke.
• List Song: "Arakajime Katarareru Romance" lists the star signs. It's quite catchy as well.
• Lethal Chef:
  • Erika Ikuta. When the group were tasked to cook a meal during the early days of Nogizakatte Doko?, Ikuta was assigned to make dashimaki tamago. Things took a steep nosedive when she poured the scrambled eggs directly on top of the hot plate, and tried to stop the overflowing eggs with an anchovy and kelp. She did eventually put the ingredients onto a pan, but it was already too late. What eventually made it on the plate was a pile of mess that tasted nothing but anchovies.
    • Although she has apparently gotten better in recent years, making a convincing looking dashimaki tamago during a bento contest. However, the dashimaki tamago were still tasteless.
  • Sayuri Matsumura is also this. During the Nogizakatte Doko? cooking check, she was tasked with making Gomoku Chahan (Japanese fried rice), where it looked like she just grabbed any ingredients, mostly those not part of the recipe, "chopped" them by ripping them apart with her hands, and unceremoniously throwing them in a pan. What resulted was a very off putting dish that had no semblance of fried rice and tasted crazy spicy.
    • She didn't even bother to cook during the bento contest and instead opted to pull a prank on the hosts by sabotaging her rice-balls with wasabi and spicy mustard.
• LGBT Awakening: Mizuki Yamashita's 27th single individual video is about her character coming to terms with the revelation that her ex-boyfriend left her for a man.
• Living a Double Life: Erika Ikuta's individual video for the "Gomen ne, Fingers Crossed" single features her as the secret boss of a yakuza gang in addition to idol. When she discovers that a rival gang member happens to be her fan, she interrogates him as her idol self by playing him a song on an electric piano which doubles as an Electric Torture device, in order not to expose her secret life (the thug is too happy about the private show to question why his idol is also a Torture Technician).
• Location Song: "Route 246" is titled after a real highway connecting Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Shizuoka prefectures.
• Location Theme Naming: The group was named after Sony Music Entertainment's office building on Nogizaka street in Akasaka, where they were first introduced to the public (their management office is actually in the SME Rokubancho building, not too far from there). Their sister groups are subsequently also named after real sloping streets (sakamichi) in Tokyo, except for Yoshimotozaka, which is named after their Osaka-based management company, Yoshimoto Kogyo.
  • The title Nogizaka Kōjichū ("Nogizaka Under Construction") alludes to this.
  • They also customarily have their coming-of-age ceremony (seijin-shiki) at the Nogi Shrine (乃木神社) near the Nogizaka building.
• Love Confession: Hinako Kitano's Nogizaka Cinemas drama presents this as a competitive event, where a random high school boy is selected by the organizers as the target and teams of high school girls race to create a suitable situation and deliver the confession.
• Meaningful Echo: In the music video for "Kaerimichi wa Toomawari Shitakunaru", Manatsu Akimoto says "Okaeri" (welcome home) to Nanase Nishino when she returns to the dance rehearsal. This is a callback to when Nanase Nishino said the same thing to Manatsu during the second year birthday live (in 2014) after the pair had a bitter relationship.
• Meaningful Name: According to Yasushi Akimoto, the "46" is meant to be a direct challenge to AKB48, in that they will succeed with less members.
• Meido:
  • A recurring skit on Nogizaka46 Show! is them becoming maids that tend to cause more trouble than helping, but get away with it through sheer cuteness and tsundere.
  • Himetan, Miria Watanabe, and Rina Ikoma try their hands at working in a maid café in Nogibingo!7 episode 5.
• Mock Surprise Reaction: Episode 95 and 96 of Nogizaka Kōjichū was this. The members had to do a re-take of a reaction shot under the pretense that the camera malfunctioned the first time. Unsurprisingly, the re-take reactions weren't that good.
• Mondegreen Gag: Maaya Wada had once incorrectly sung the line of their debut single "GuruGuru Curtain" and did not correct herself until years later. She had misheard the lyrics "Hiraita mado, fukikonda kaze ga" as "Mirai tamago, fukikonda kaze ga".
• Mood Whiplash:
  • "Fusen wa Ikiteiru" can be this to first time listeners, due to the sudden rapping in the bridge.
  • The MV for "Barrette" has Miona Hori shoot Mai Shiraishi after saving her from some gang members.
• Naginatas Are Feminine: Some members trained to use the naginata for their stage play and movie adaptation of Asahinagu.
• Music for Courage: "Route 246" encourages its listener in both Japanese and English.
• Never Had a Birthday Party: Sayuri Inoue reveals in Nogizaka Kōjichū episode 106 that she has never received birthday cakes or proper birthday presents from her family, as her parents are very conservative and favor her brother as their sole heir. She cried Tears of Joy when the Nogizaka members gave her her first birthday cake in her life.
• The Nicknamer: Hina Kawago was known to give nicknames to various members. Mai Fukagawa's nickname, Seibo (holy mother), was given by Kawago.
• Nobody Touches the Hair: Sayuri Matsumura had part of her hair styled as "antennas" that she didn't let anyone touch.
• Non-Appearing Title: "Nigemizu" and "Route 246".
• Non-Indicative Name: Like in AKB48 where they definitely have more than 48 members, Nogizaka rarely, if ever, have 46 members at any point in time (it's usually less). Its sister group Yoshimotozaka46 was the only one to actually debut with 46 members.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: Members like Manatsu Akimoto, Sayuri Matsumura (who went to a famous, highly ranked high school in Osaka and was interviewed about it several times), and Himeka Nakamoto may look ditzy, but prove themselves to be smart during general knowledge quizzes and Nogieigo.
  Himura: Since you do that Himetan Beam thing of yours, people seem to think you're dumb.
  Himetan: But actually I am smart!
• Office Lady: Mai Shinuchi landed a desk job at a media company shortly after her debut, and was nicknamed the "OL Idol" until she quit in 2018 to focus on her idol career.
• One-Steve Limit: Like with AKB48, averted. They've had three Mais (Fukagawa, Shiraishi, Shinuchi), two Sayuris (Inoue, Matsumura), two Rinas (Ikoma, Yamato), three Hinas (Kawago, Higuchi, Okamoto), four Seiras (Miyazawa, Nagashima, Hatanaka, Hayakawa), three Renas (Ichiki, Yamazaki, plus SKE48 exchange member Matsui), two Minamis (Hoshino, Umezawa), two Nanamis (Hashimoto and Nishikawa), two Yuris (Saito and Kitagawa) two Harukas (Kaki and Kuromi), two Sakuras (Endo and Kawasaki), and two Naos (Yumiki and Tomisato).
  • In regards to surnames, they've had five Itos (Marika, Nene, Karin, Junna, Riria), three Saitos (Chiharu, Yuri, Asuka), and two Inoues (Sayuri and Nagi).
  • All three female Sakamichi groups have/had Saitos and Watanabes. Interestingly, the four Watanabes (Miria, Sakurazaka's Rika and Risa, and Hinatazaka's Miho) left their respective groups between mid-2021 and mid-2022, bringing the count from four people to zero.
  • Both the fifth generation and Hinatazaka's second generation have a Nao (Tomisato and Kosaka) and a Miku (Ichinose and Kanemura).
• Otaku: Episode 121 and 122 of Nogizaka Kōjichū was a quiz game where the questions (about the members) were made by the Quiz King, Yohei Furukawa, who is a Nogizaka fan and apparently knows more about the members than the members themselves.
  • Shiori Kubo is an unabashed Nogizaka otaku, getting very excited over certain thins about the group or their music that most people wouldn't think of.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Some members are often called by their nickname almost exclusively, like Himeka Nakamoto who gets called "Himetan" more than "Nakamoto" or "Himeka".
• Otaku Surrogate: Sayuri Matsumura (anime), Sayuri Inoue (Super Sentai), Rina Ikoma (anime), to name a few.
• Overshadowed by Awesome: Reika Sakurai felt this way when Nanase Nishino did her bungee jump for the eighth single campaign, having bungee jumped herself for the sixth single. Gets overshadowed even further by Nishino jumping from 233 meters, whilst Sakurai jumped from 40-ish meters.
• Passing the Torch: Yumi Wakatsuki passed her "Hashi-kun" gag to Miona Hori, much to her chagrin.
• Picked Last: In episode 19 of Nogizaka Kōjichū, the (at the time) senbatsu members were split into two teams, with the double centers (Nishino and Shiraishi) being the captains and having to choose who they wanted on their team. It came down to Manatsu Akimoto and Minami Hoshino, with Manatsu not even being picked by either captain.
• Police Are Useless: Another skit they do on Nogizaka46 Show! has them as police officers who don't really help the person making a claim.
• Precision F-Strike: Despite their image, they habitually address their audience with the rough omaera before the more upbeat songs in their concerts.
• Product Placement:
  • Several episodes of Nogizaka Kōjichū involve them hunting for appliances at the Bic Camera electronic store. Sometimes, the products are brought by the store to the studio for them to consider. The Panasonic Cuble washing machine is a favorite, even though it costs about $3000.
  • In Nogizaka Kōjichū 248, Asuka decides to promote her (and Yamashita and Umezawa's) live action series adaptation of the manga Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, all while pretending to be talking about the manga.
  • The Nogizaka Apartment Web Video Series is made to promote the Cupstar instant ramen brand.
  • Sakura Endo brought soba noodles from her family's shop, Ensoba, during her introduction in Nogichu.
  • Rei Seimiya promotes her grandmother's tomatoes on her blog and Nogizaka Kōjichū.
  • The Nogikoi Days shorts feature their characters discussing love while enjoying 7-Eleven food and drinks.
  • After the 2022 46 Hour TV, there's an after-party live stream where the adult members enjoy Asahi beer.
    • Former members like Mai Shiraishi and Nanase Nishino have also appeared in Asahi commercials.
• Pronouncing My Name for You: In the second generation introduction episode of Nogizakatte Doko?, Karin Ito stresses that her name is pronounced "Ka-ri-n" (with emphasis on the n) and not "Ka-rin" (without the emphasis).
• Psycho Psychologist: Shiori Kubo's character in the drama Kuroshinri ("Black Psychology") is a Manipulative Bastard who teaches people on all sides of a conflict just enough psychological tricks to keep things entertaining for her. However, many of those people are Asshole Victims, and although she does make good people suffer in the process, all involved parties in each case get what they deserve in the end, making her more of an Anti-Hero.
  • She also has unexplained Teleportation powers and can take people to Another Dimension for training, and is also a Badass Bookworm with her staff.
• Questioning Title?: Nogizakatte, Doko? ("Where is Nogizaka?").
• The Quiet One: Ayane Suzuki and Kotoko Sasaki. Of the two, Ayane is the least talkative, rarely cracking a smile. The two have gotten better in recent times however.
• Recognition Failure:
  • In the special episode of YOU wa Nani Shi ni Nihon e?, Sayuri Matsumura interviews a white foreigner who claims to like Nogizaka46 (even though he likes Keyakizaka46 more), but he doesn't recognize her until she flusters him by introducing herself at the end.
  • In a September 2018 episode of the variety show Waratte Koraete!, the man Erika Ikuta interviews also thought she's from Keyakizaka46.
• Recycled Premise: When presenting her Quiz Club, Kazumi Takayama suggests copying an entire premise or format of other quiz shows, to which Bananaman jokingly wonder if there will be any repercussions in doing so.
  • Nogizaka Kōjichū does this a lot. They would usually redo a premise after about two years, which by then there are new members (or the older members that didn't get to do it the first time get to do it the second time).
• Recycled Title:
  • Nogizakatte, Doko? (Where is Nogizaka?) and Nogizaka, doko e? (Nogizaka, Where To?) were both shortened as Nogidoko.
  • Nogizaka, Star Tanjou! is named after the Showa-era Nippon TV talent show, Star Tanjou!.
• Redemption in the Rain: Miona Hori's long take solo song "Tsumetai Mizu no Naka" ("In The Cold Water") has her dancing and singing in the rain on a building rooftop. She announced her graduation in the end, after removing her school uniform blouse (the costume for "Barrette", of which she was the center) to symbolize leaving the warm and comfortable environment of the group to "reenter the cold water".
• Right for the Wrong Reasons:
  • In Nogieigo episode 19, when asked to choose an item she'd use when she's thirsty, Ami Nojo picks a teapot and cup set, because although she doesn't know what it means, "thirsty" has the sound "tea" in it. Taku comments that she has created a miracle.
  • In episode 140 of Nogizaka Kōjichū, Maaya correctly guessed the number of the Apollo spacecraft that landed on the moon. When asked how she guessed it, she concludes that two rockets are better than one.
• The Rival:
  • They were pushed as the official rival of AKB48 in their first few years, after which the concept was downplayed, until both groups started bringing it up again in 2021.
  • It was announced that producer Yasushi Akimoto and the talent agency Avex would launch another official rival group in 2023, in addition to or replacing AKB48.
• Running Gag: Several.
  • Yumi Wakatsuki's "Hashi-kun" gag, which she learned from a comedian to get rid of her serious character. It has since been passed on to Miona Hori.
  • Ami Noujo will always play the sleazy male character in Nogibingo!.
  • Some early mousou requests on Nogibingo! will always be on the masochistic side.
  • Asuka Saito's clay figure she made in elementary school has shown up three times. Neither Asuka, Fukagawa, Himura, Higuchi, or Kanagawa wants it.
  • Manatsu Akimoto's tripping, slipping, and general clumsiness always gets looked down on, as the members are suspicious as to whether she's doing such acts on purpose.
    • In tandem, whenever Manatsu does something suspicious, expect Mai Shiraishi to turn into Kuroishi^note switching Shira meaning white with Kuro meaning black, giving Manatsu a Death Glare and some harsh words.
    • Manatsu in turn doesn't miss the chance to tease Maiyan when the former aced a general knowledge quiz while the latter is among the bottom half.
      Manatsu: How does it feel to be the only one left of the older members?
      Maiyan, with a Kuroishi Death Glare: I think it does have its merits.
  • Himura-san will not look at the members with perverted eyes. Zettai! ^note When Himura was given a choice to join a clique within Nogizaka, one of them was Tulip and their main rule was that they'd go to an onsen together. You can guess which one he joined.
  • The sizes of Manatsu Akimoto and Asuka Saito's head often gets picked on, the former having a large head and the latter having a small head. The size of Manatsu's head has also caused problems when she tries on hats or helmets.
  • When there is food to be won in a game, Bananaman will always sample them first to see if they "taste good", much to the members dismay.
  • During the Bento and Nabe Queen Grand Prix episodes on Nogizaka Kōjichū, Kazumi Takayama would also sample the bento/nabe the members made, usually bringing a friend.
  • The "Shitara's Woman" series of running gag involves the members trying to get Shitara's attention and compliments, commonly trying to get him to notice when they have cut their hair.
• Sailor Fuku: Used frequently, most notably in "Seifuku no Mannequin". Most of their early outfits, and the outfits worn by newer generations when they first enter, are designed to look like school uniforms.
• Sand In My Eyes: In episode 75 of Nogizakatte Doko, Kazumi Takayama stated that she wasn't going to get emotional and cry during the surprise performance for a graduation ceremony, only to get emotional and cry at the end of the performance. She claims that she cried because of her pollen allergy.
• Shout-Out: In the "Tokitoki Mekimeki" MV, Yuuki Yoda plays with a very familiar short green lightsaber.
  • Nogichū episode 315, which focuses on her, goes up to eleven with the Star Wars references.
• Signature Move: Some members have a signature move.
  • Himeka Nakamoto has her trademark "Himetan Beam". Although "beam" is an English word, she insists that the move's name should always be written in hiragana (ひめたんびーむ).
    • Nanami Hashimoto also does a variant ("Nanamin Beam"), usually doing it unwillingly. Many other members have also done their take on the move.
  • Sayuri Matsumura has her "Sayuringo Punch".
  • Manatsu Akimoto shoots fans' hearts with a "Zukkyun!"
  • Other members have tried to make a signature move to help their popularity, such as Hina Kawago with her "Kawago Chop" or Ami Noujo and her "AmiAmi Hurricane".
  • Nogibingo host Ijiri Okada has his high-speed flapping tongue.
• Skinship Grope: A few members are known to grope other members butts, usually Rina Ikoma or Mai Shiraishi. Maaya Wada once recalled a time a member groped her chest.
• Slumber Party: Most episodes of Nogibingo! end with a slumber party segment where several members talk about the episode and their lives in general.
• The Smart Girl: Manatsu Akimoto and Kana Nakada share the top spot in the group's first academic test in Nogizakatte, Doko? Manatsu also plays the Badass Bookworm Harvard in Hatsumori Bemars.
  • Rena Yamazaki and Yuri Kitagawa both went to the prestigious Keio University and often appear on quiz shows. They both also perform well whenever Nogizaka Kōjichū does a quiz episode.
• Smells Sexy: "Oide Shampoo" is about the singer's infatuation with a girl's shampoo scent.
• The Something Song: "Nogizaka no Uta" (literally Nogizaka's song).
• Spiders Are Scary: An episode of Nogieigo discusses how people in the West are generally terrified of spiders, while in Japan they don't have a particularly scary reputation.
• Spotlight-Stealing Squad: The fourth generation members got three TV shows all for themselves (although older generation members are invited in the second seasons) in addition to appearing in the group's existing shows. They also made several appearances in outside shows without their seniors.
• Stealth Pun: The MV for "Barrette" (バレッタ baretta) contains gunfight scenes, which uses bullets (バレット baretto). It might also be a reference to the 70s series Baretta.
• Streaking: The host of Nogibingo, Ijiri Okada, often does Type 2 around members. It's a sort of initiation rite when a new generation is about to enter the show.
• "Super Sentai" Stance: Two episodes of Nogibingo! (though in separate seasons) were themed around superheroes. The participating members would do a pose for their character, especially Sayuri Inoue who goes full ham.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute:
  • In the early days of the 3rd generation's entrance, fans often noted how Minami Umezawa looked similar to Mai Shiraishi. Then, when Shiraishi graduated in 2020, Minami Umezawa would often take her center position in the song Synchronicity.
  • Former member Rena Yamazaki graduated from the prestigious Keio University, speaks fluent Chinese, and often appeared in quiz shows. Yuri Kitagawa entered Keio in 2020, speaks native-level English, and often appears in quiz shows. As of 2022, unfortunately neither of them have been included in the senbatsu (title song lineup); as Renachi puts it during her Achi Kochi Audrey appearance, her showbiz career has been supported by TV Asahi (Q-sama quiz show broadcaster) and NHK (she had her own show there) rather than the group's management.
• Suspiciously Specific Denial: When asked what she cooks at home, Asuka Saito denies that she cooks anything special. Manatsu says that Asuka always never tells the members what she cooks.
• Team Mom: There are many examples of this, the more obvious one being Mai Fukagawa who was given the nickname "Seibo" (holy mother).
  • Other examples include Karin Ito, who cares for the members a lot - especially the second gens, even after graduating.
• Terrible Artist: Erika Ikuta. Her drawings are interesting to say the least.
  • Mai Shiraishi and Miona Hori are bad drawers as well.
  • Averted with Nanase Nishino, Marika Ito, and Yumi Wakatsuki, who are quite a good artists (Nanase had wanted to go to art school before becoming an idol). Rena Yamazaki, Haruka Kaki, Nagi Inoue, and Teresa Ikeda are among the other good artists as well.
• Temporary Name Change: Kazumi Takayama is in charge of changing members' names when deemed necessary (mostly if the name is considered unlucky) in Nogizaka Kōjichū. She tends to recommend the name "Doremi", sometimes to several people in the same episode. Of course, the names are only used in the episode.
• Tempting Fate: On one of their single campaigns, whilst hiking a mountain, Manatsu Akimoto states that if they fall or slip they could die. Cut to a few seconds later where Manatsu trips.
  • Might also count as a hilarious in hindsight, both Mai Fukagawa and Nanami Hashimoto said that they did not want the center position in an early episode of Nogizaka Kōjichū. Come 2016 and they both have centered one song each. Granted it's their graduation song, but still.
• Theme Naming: The members in the sub-unit Wakasama-gundan all have the 美 (mi) kanji in their names. Averted, now that Miona Hori is the new leader of the gundan.
  • Minami Umezawa has stated that she and her siblings all have ocean related names.
• Through His Stomach: Episode 39 of Nogizakatte Doko? had Kazumi Takayama, Mai Shiriashi, Sayuri Matsumura, and Erika Ikuta cook for Himura (the first three to appeal to him, while Ikuta for revenge for her failed dashimaki tamago). The former two did well, the latter two... unsurprisingly did not.
  • They held a bento contest and nabe contest during Nogizaka Kōjichū where they had to do a small skit attempting to win their boyfriend (Himura for the bento contest, the viewer for the nabe contest) with the food they made.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Yakiniku, beef tongue, or just meat in general, is the usual go to food for the members.
  • Mai Shiraishi used to claim that she came from a mayonnaise planet in the fourth dimension called Mayora.
  • Minami Hoshino likes bread, particularly plain bread.
  • Asuka Saito has flown to other countries just to sample premium beef cuts.
  • Reika Sakurai has an affinity towards sea urchins.
  • Momoko Ozono likes tomatoes.
  • Rei Seimiya is the "professor of oranges".
• Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Himura is often compared to pigs and his wife, announcer Aika Kanda, is occasionally brought up in Nogichu.
• Uncle Pennybags: Manatsu Akimoto and Himura buy Yuuki Yoda a $3000 Panasonic Cuble washing machine as reward for winning a contest.
  • Manatsu also pays for items bought by the five Sakamichi members who go with her to a home center in the Nogi to Keyaki to Hinata documentary.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: Yoshimoto Ayaka and Yamamoto Honoka were two first generation members that left the group before the group even got their own variety show. Nothing is known about those two members apart from Yoshimoto being the original choice for center.
  • The three second generation kenkyuuseis also left very shortly after their introduction, all at around the same time.
  • Some of the first generation members that left a year or two after the group's debut single can be this, due to them rarely ever making any appearances on their main show.
• Wholesome Crossdresser: As their official brother, Himura occasionally crashes their performances as "Himuko" after learning their dance routines and is always warmly received by both them and the audience.
  • As her final act in Kojichu, Kazumi Takayama double-centers with Himuko in a performance of "Influencer".
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Mai Shiraishi is this trope to the T. It has been showcased a few times that she just does not like snakes. Nanase Nishino, however, is an aversion as she loves snakes and other reptiles.
  • Yumi Wakatsuki is also afraid of snakes.
  • Miona Hori does not like ghosts or haunted places. Although she loves horror movies.
• Why We Can't Have Nice Things: The members often complain about their catering during the Zenkoku tours, specifically that they don't get enough gyutan. They have a ticketing system where a member can only get a plate of gyutan if they have a ticket, which would lead to Sayuri Matsumura hoarding the tickets from staff and other members. The next day, the tickets had their names on it, meaning they can only get one ticket each.
• Woman Scorned: In Nogibingo! 5 episode 9, Mai Shiraishi and Chiharu Saito beat a guy up after they realized he had confessed his love to both of them.
• Wrench Wench: The first short of Nogikoi Days features Asuka Saito and Yuuki Yoda as mechanics working in a garage.