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Maison Ikkoku
Character Guide

Yusaku Godai

Godai is the main character of Maison Ikkoku. At the beginning of the series Godai is a "Ronin" a student who has graduated from High School but not yet been accepted into a University. Godai lives in room five of Maison Ikkoku and falls in love with the new building manager, Kyoko Otonogashi, soon after she moves into the building. Throughout the series Godai is almost constantly broke, and looking for work while struggling with school. Godai is a bit of a pushover and is often taken advantage of by the "Loon Squad."


Kyoko Otonashi

Kyoko is the manager of Maison Ikkoku and lives in the manager's room (no room number). OTONASHI is her late husband's name, Soichiro Otonoashi recently died and is still mourning her husband's death. Maison Ikkoku is owned by Kyoko's father in law Grandfather Otonashi and Kyoko moves into the building in order to figure out her life after Soichiro. Her dog is named Souichiro-san after her late husband. She is still on the Otonashi family register, but her parents want her to get off and come home or remarry.


Hanae Ichinose

A Middle aged woman who lives in room 1 of Maison Ikkoku with her husband and son. She drinks often, and is quite often seen drunk dancing with Japanese fans. Along with Yotsuya and Akemi, she comprises part of the "loon squad" that makes fun of Godai all the time.

Mrs. Ichinose is also a gossip-monger and many times she has created interesting situations at Maison Ikkoku by passing on incomplete or incorrect information.


Mr. Ichinose


Mr. Ichinose leaves for work early every day and he is almost never seen by the tenants of Maison Ikkoku, nor the readers or viewers of the series.

Kentarou Ichinose

A young boy at the beginning of the series, Kentarou would have been about ready to graduate from High school by the end of the series. He is often embarrassed by his mother's behaviour, especially when she is drunk (which is fairly often).

Kentaro believes that he is the only normal person at Maison Ikkoku, at first he believed that Kyoko was "normal" but his faith in her was quickly shattered.

Kentarou was a regular fixture in the first half of the Manga series, but was mostly absent from the second half.

Yotsuya

A mystery man, Yotsuya is his family name and no one knows his first name, for that matter no one knows anything about Yotsuya including his age or what he does for a living (in the anime he gave his first name several times, a different name each time). He lives in room four and apparently, three generations of his family have, at one time or another, lived in Maison Ikkoku.

Yotsuya regularly makes his way into Godai's room in order to embarrass Godai, blackmail him, steal food from him or peep into Akemi's room through a hole in the wall between her and Godai's rooms.

Akemi Roppongi

Akemi is a very sexy red head in her twenties. She works as a waitress and lives in room 6 of Maison Ikkoku. Whenever at home she wears see thru lingerie and is very unbashful. Along with Mrs. Ichinose she is often drunk and with Yotsuya they make up the Loon Squad, always partying (most often in Godai's Room).

Mr. Soichiro

Kyoko's dog, named after her late husband.


Shun Mitaka

Kyoko's tennis coach and Godai's main rival for her affection. Mitaka is very successful in his life and very popular with the women, he is well off, very confident and very handsome; in many ways the polar opposite of Godai.

Mitaka is far to successful to live at a boarding house like Maison Ikkoku and instead he has a very nice apartment that is "Big enough for two, should he ever decide to marry." Unfortunately for Mitaka he has a phobia of dogs and his intended is very attached to her's.

Sakamoto

Sakamoto is Godai's best friend, another Ronin that Godai meets while studying to get into University. Godai often hangs out with Sakamoto and occasionally stays at his place whenever he has an arguments with Kyoko. Unlike Godai, Sakamoto never seems to have any problems with girls but he is unable to find "the one."

Incidently, Sakamoto has a cat called Kyoko-baby, which leads to an interesting misunderstanding at one point.

Kozue Nanao

Kozue is "sort of" Godai's girlfriend throughout the series, a situation that doesn't bode well for his attempt at a relationship with Kyoko. Kozue is an extremely cheerful girl, almost always in a good mood, except when she suspects that Godai doesn't feel quite the same way about her as she does about him.

In all honesty Godai does not feel the same way about her, but he does not have the spine to tell her.


Mr. Otonashi

"Grandfather Otonashi" is the father of Kyoko's departed husband and the owner of Maison Ikkoku. When his son passes away he allows Kyoko to become the manager of his boarding house and is always very supportive of her; he cares for Kyoko as if she were his own daughter.


Ikuko

Kyoko's niece and Grandfather Otonashi's granddaughter, she lives with her parents and Mr. Otonashi. Godai tutors Kyoko throughout the series and is very pleased with her progress despite the fact that she is usually more interested in talking than studying.

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