Revolutionary Girl Utena, a Japanese anime television series created by Be-Papas, features an extensive cast of characters. The series' protagonist is Utena Tenjou, a tomboy middle school student who is drawn into a series of sword duels to win the hand of Anthy Himemiya, a mysterious student known as the "Rose Bride". The characters were created by series director Kunihiko Ikuhara, and were designed by Chiho Saito. Saito's designs were then adapted for use in the television anime series by Shinya Hasegawa. The character names follow a motif of being related to plants when written in kanji; "Utena" (萼), for example, means "calyx".
Primary characters Utena Tenjou
is a tomboyish, courageous and naïve character who lives to emulate the idealized prince figure from her childhood. She is forthright, honest and friendly. Nearly all the girls in school adore her. She both subverts and conforms to the stereotypes she embodies as a noble warrior and a naïve magical girl in danger of becoming a damsel in distress. The series chronicles her journey to protect her friend Anthy and become a truly noble Prince. Utena's complex relationship with Anthy, going from strangers to close friends (who nonetheless resent and misunderstand one another) to blooming into love, is one of the most important themes in the series. In the manga, Utena's relationship with Anthy is only that of friendship and it's hinted she has feelings for Touga. In the movie, Utena went to Ohtori to find Touga after the two apparently broke up. She mistakenly believes Anthy is the cause for the breakup, but soon forms a relationship with Anthy. Their relationship becomes more sexually tinged compared to the TV series. The characters are seen kissing both in the TV show credits and the movie. Her Dueling Rose is white.
Anthy Himemiya
is a mysterious, shy girl whose distant expression and superficial politeness mask a complex, darker personality. It is said that she has no thoughts or desires of her own; she will do anything her master expects of her. Because of her "doormat" behavior, other characters tend to project their wants or desires onto her, and she is always the target of their eventual rage. Her past and current personality are simultaneously tragic and sinister, and her personality shifts between selfless love, passive-aggressiveness, cruelty and learned helplessness. Like Utena, Anthy also subverts and conforms to the stereotypes she embodies as both a princess and a witch. Near the end of the series she betrays Utena and stabs her with the sword of Dios as she is afraid of the change that Utena represents. When, despite this, Utena tries to save Anthy and takes the Swords of Hatred in her place, Anthy in a way has been revolutionized by Utena's love and is neither controlled by Akio nor does she remain the Rose Bride. She leaves the school to find Utena. In the movie, Anthy is portrayed as much less manipulative and more open.
Supporting characters Ohtori Academy Akio Ohtori Voiced by: Jūrōta Kosugi (Japanese, TV series); Mitsuhiro Oikawa (Japanese, film); Josh Mosby (English)
is Anthy's mysterious older brother. In the anime, Akio was a prince named Dios in his previous life, and it is in this guise that he meets with Utena, inspiring her to become a prince. He conspires to regain his power by taking Utena's sword, exploiting Anthy as a wedge through their incestuous and power-driven relationship. He is ultimately thwarted by Utena's sacrifice; Anthy finds the courage to finally leave him and Ohtori Academy behind, and his fate from this point on is unknown. In the manga, Akio and Dios are gods, the former having killed the latter in order to gain his power. In the film, Dios is the lord of the flies rendered in human form by Anthy's magic; Akio is dead, having thrown himself out of a window after realizing Anthy was lucid when he drugged and raped her. Akio's given name is derived from the Japanese name for Venus the , which is identified with Lucifer.
Dios
is the prince who gave Utena the rose signet ring. In the manga, Dios is conceived as one of the two consciousnesses that once resided in the body of the Prince, who was defeated by Akio and turned into the Sword of Dios that resides within Anthy.
Student Council Touga Kiryuu
is the president of the Student Council and Ohtori's resident playboy, Touga is an arrogant and handsome young man whose desire to be powerful drives him to cruel, unscrupulous deeds and whose manipulative abilities are second only to Akio. He is the only regular Council Member who deliberately involves himself in Akio's plans. Despite his talent and intelligence, Touga eventually realizes that he's not as influential as Akio, and this causes him to change his ways as he tries to discover a new method to gain power. In the manga his sexual behavior is downplayed and he becomes a servant to Utena in order to help her as well as get close to her. In the movie, he used to be Utena's boyfriend but something happened that caused them to drift apart. In the movie, instead of Dios, Touga is the main motivation for Utena to go to Ohtori. He is gentle and noble but it is shown in a flashback that he was raped by his adopted father. An episode was planned that focused on this aspect of Touga's past in the TV series, but due to Takehito Koyasu's absence this plot point never came to be. His Dueling Rose is red.
Kyouichi Saionji
is the vice-president of the Student Council and captain of the kendo team. Kyouichi is temperamental, egotistical, prone to angry rages, and often cruel. Kyouichi's lack of self-control stems from insecurity, a lifelong rivalry against Touga from which he is always at the losing end, and the fear that everyone and everything he knows will eventually die. He is obsessed with Anthy because he views the Rose Bride as a mindless doll who will never disobey him, and thus be with him forever. His Dueling Rose is green.
Juri Arisugawa
is captain of the academy's fencing team, Juri is one of Ohtori's most highly respected students, and even the teachers appear to be in awe of her. Her aloof, intimidating manner hides her secret love for her childhood friend, Shiori. Of the Student Council Duelists, she is thought to be the most noble, and thus the one with the most potential to become a Prince, but her nobility and the strength that comes with it are constantly undermined by her desires and despair. In the manga, she is in love with Touga and hates Utena for being a rival to his heart. Juri's Japanese voice actress Kotono Mitsuishi previously worked with Ikuhara on Sailor Moon, where she voiced the title character. Her Dueling Rose is orange.
Miki Kaoru
is an ingenuous and polite seventh grader who befriends Utena, despite their role as possible opponents in the duels. He is especially known for his skill with the piano. In spite (or because of) his genius, he is lonely, sheltered and insecure, and seeks a person who is just as pure and talented as him. With the exception of their two duels, Miki is mostly a friend to Utena. In the anime he has a crush on Anthy, whereas in the manga he has a crush on Utena. His Dueling Rose is light blue.
Nanami Kiryuu
is Touga's dramatic younger sister, often used as comic relief throughout the series. Her love for her brother borders on obsession and incest, and she is often seen using devious means to punish the people who take Touga's attentions away from her. Despite this, she displays a certain childish innocence in her desires, that is distinctly at odds with Akio and Anthy's relationship. Though her motivations are considered the least ambitious out of all the Duelists, they are no less real to her, and she suffers just as much as all the other Student Council members throughout the series, being a constant victim of her brother's manipulations. She is only shown in a photo in the manga and has no role in the movie, but is briefly shown as a cow, referring to one of the "gag" episodes of the series where Nanami turns into a cow. Her Dueling Rose is yellow.
Ruka Tsuchiya
is the former captain of the fencing team and a former member of the Student Council. His cunning, manipulative behavior belies a hidden desperation to live and help the one he loves, and his influence on Juri becomes one of the major turning points for her character. His Dueling Rose is dark blue.
Students Wakaba Shinohara
is Utena's best friend. She is cheerful, but feels surrounded by "special" people and doesn't know how to become special herself. Thus, she develops an obsession with creating situations where "special" people (namely Utena and Saionji) must rely on her in some way, which allows her to feel special by virtue of these "special" people being dependent on her. Wakaba sees herself as a perfectly average person and is only happy when she takes care of people because she does not feel like she has any other talents. Wakaba does not realize the importance of her role in the story – her crush on Kyouichi Saionji and his rejection caused Utena to become involved in the duels in the first place, and her empathy and passion rescued Utena from a slump after the first Touga duel. She ends up becoming a Black Rose Duelist, having been twisted by her hatred for Anthy and envy towards Utena, as well as her blind desperation to keep Saionji from returning to school and leaving her.
Kashira Shadow Players Voiced by: Maria Kawamura, Satomi Koorogi, and Kumiko Watanabe (Japanese); Amanda Goodman, Carol Jacobanis, and Lisa Ortiz (English)
The are a theatre troupe who appear in nearly every episode to comment on the episode's themes in the form of an allegorical shadow play. Their relationship to the cast of the series is initially unclear, as they appear only as silhouettes and do not interact with other characters; as such, they assume the role of a Greek chorus that only the audience can perceive. As the series progresses, the Shadow Players gradually interact with and are acknowledged by the other characters, and appear in person towards the end of the series to invite Utena to one of their plays. The players have no given names but do have distinct hairstyles, and are referred to in the series' credits as , , and , respectively.
Kozue Kaoru
is Miki's twin sister, Kozue feels overshadowed by her brother's talents and reacts by sleeping with many different men. She's extremely possessive of Miki to the point where she physically hurts anyone who tries to hurt or "steal" him. In the manga, Kozue's brother complex is purely innocent and she acts more like Nanami does in the TV series. In the movie, Kozue is in an implied incestuous relationship with her brother but Miki is shown breaking it up. Later on, Kozue is shown as a car implying she is either also helping Miki to escape Ohtori or simply helping Utena and Anthy.
Shiori Takatsuki