The anime series Kill la Kill, produced by Trigger, features a cast of characters with a variety of designs and abilities. is a fictional high school situated in Tokyo Bay, Japan. The characters consist mainly of students who wear , which give their wearers superhuman abilities. The protagonist Ryuko Matoi is a transfer student who searches for her father's killer, teaming up with one of her new classmates, Mako Mankanshoku, as they fight against the iron-fisted and hot-tempered student council president, Satsuki Kiryuin, and her mother, Ragyo Kiryuin's, fashion empire.
Main characters
Ryuko Matoi
is a 17-year-old schoolgirl and the protagonist of the series, who transfers to Honnouji Academy to find the one who murdered her father, Isshin Matoi. She possesses the Scissor Blade, one half of the that Isshin created to destroy uniforms empowered by Life Fibers. At the start of the series, she acquires a special "kamui" uniform named Senketsu, which grants her special abilities. She lives with the Mankanshoku family.
After arriving at Honnouji Academy, Ryuko vows to fight her way up Honnouji Academy and eventually reach Satsuki Kiryuin, as she speculates she knows who killed her father. Despite having a strong temper, she forms a friendship with Honnouji student Mako Mankanshoku, who supports her emotionally and calms her down when necessary. She is initially used by Satsuki and the Final Four, as her fights with them and fellow students help Satsuki improve and perfect the Goku Uniforms. Ryuko is later revealed to be Satsuki's younger sister, who was presumed dead during the battle at the Honnouji Academy Cultural & Sports Grand Festival, and became a human infused with Life Fibers as a result of being experimented on as a newborn baby by their mother Ragyo. She was saved by her father, Soichiro Kiryuin, who assumed the identity of Isshin to raise her protected from Ragyo's reach.
Upon learning of Satsuki's true intentions to overthrow their mother and save humanity, Ryuko allies with her and the Final Four, ultimately managing to save the world from the Life Fiber threat. With the world free to wear normal clothing again, Ryuko starts a new chapter in her life alongside Mako, Satsuki, and her newfound friends in the Elite Four and Nudist Beach.
Satsuki Kiryuin
is an 18-year-old schoolgirl and the president of Honnouji Academy's student council. Her signature weapon is the Life Fiber severing katana , administering Goku Uniforms to students using various hierarchical schemes such as a no-late day event and battle royale-esque tournaments such as the Naturals Election.
When Ryuko arrives to Honnouji Academy, Satsuki decides to don the Kiryuin Family's kamui and manages to take command of it through force of will. But unlike Ryuko, who established a symbiosis with Senketsu, Satsuki is unable to use Junketsu's full power and can only use it effectively for short periods of time. Satsuki serves as a major opponent to Ryuko for most of the series, utilizing Honnouji Academy as a means to eliminate her mother and the Life Fiber threat. Satsuki makes her move to assassinate Ragyo during the Honnouji Academy Cultural & Sports Grand Festival to celebrate the schools' subjugating, but is captured while learning Ryuko is her younger sister, who was presumed dead.
After being freed by Nudist Beach with Junketsu modified to be more compliant, Satsuki makes amends with Ryuko before they team up to face Ragyo in the series finale. In the OVA epilogue, Satsuki closes down Honnouji Academy as it had fulfilled its purpose while giving Rei closure.
In the events of Kill la Kill the Game: IF, Satsuki is placed in a dream-based reality while first donning Junketsu, with the events of the series storyline playing out. While facing the Primordial Life Fiber, Satsuki briefly powers up into before being consumed by her delusion. But Ryuko saves Satuski while loaning her the Rending Scissors to destroy the illusory world. However, this causes her to awaken with no memory of the events.
Mako Mankanshoku
is an energetic second-year student who is Ryuko's classmate and best friend. She immediately befriends Ryuko upon the latter's arrival at the school. Mako lives with her parents and younger brother in the slums of Honnō City. She is described as an "uber air-head" whose "unbelievable actions never cease to shock and awe the people around her." Despite putting herself in dangerous situations, she has a good heart and cares deeply for Ryuko, providing her with constant encouragement. Senketsu notes that Mako is vital for getting Ryuko to relax.
When she runs the Fight Club, she receives a two-star Goku Uniform styled like that of a delinquent. She later gets a second copy of it to wear to help defend the Naked Sol with the Elite Four and other club presidents during the final assault against Ragyo. Her humanity and kindness are often put to the test, like when she is pressured to fight Ryuko to keep her newfound social status, but resists after seeing her injured , and when she manages to appeal to her friendship with her, calming her down or defending her from danger.
Senketsu
is a talking sailor uniform that Ryuko finds beneath her house. He is a , an outfit made entirely of Life Fibers, which provides its wearer with superhuman abilities in exchange for their blood. Initially, it absorbs a large amount of her blood and only allows her to act for a limited time. However, it is soon able to fully synchronize with Ryuko as she gets over her embarrassment of wearing such a skimpy outfit. Whenever Ryuko destroys a Goku Uniform, Senketsu absorbs its Life Fiber. Mikisugi later reveals that Isshin Matoi designed Senketsu from Ryuko's DNA to enable her to fight against the propagators of the Life Fibers. It was only after the revelation of Ryuko's hybrid nature that Senketsu is revealed to be partially human. Though Ryuko defeats Ragyo, Senketsu starts dissolving from having absorbed both their allies' Life Fiber clothing and Ragyo's as he uses his final moments to safely get Ryuko back to Earth.
Supporting characters
Honnouji Academy Elite Four The are the leaders in Satsuki's student council. They wear Three-Star Goku Uniforms.
Uzu Sanageyama
is a former leader of the Northern Kanto Gang who joins Satsuki after she single-handedly defeated his gang. He regulates the athletic clubs at Honnouji Academy, including the Boxing Club and the Tennis Club. Sanageyama specializes in kendo and possesses the three-star Goku Uniform, , which takes the form of a large armored bōgu. He initially possesses , which allows to him to predict his opponent's moves with super fast eyesight. However, after suffering a defeat from Ryuko, he chooses to have his eyes sewn shut, heightening his other senses and giving him a more powerful , which allows him to perceive things with no blind spots. During the final battle with Ragyo, he unseals his eyes, not wanting to hold back against her. He also receives upgraded uniforms such as Blade Regalia MK.II, Blade Regalia MK.III, and .
Houka Inumuta
is a hacker who got caught hacking into the REVOCS Corporation by its security staff and was offered a part in Satsuki's group. He is in charge of Honnouji Academy's information and strategy committee, aiding the student council by analyzing the performance of Goku Uniforms and kamui in battle, and helping the Sewing Club with upgraded uniforms. His three-star Goku Uniform, , allows him to quickly calculate attack trajectories and use optical camouflage to hide from his opponents. Upgrades include Probe Regalia MK.II, which makes him appear as a polygonal model, and his ultimate uniform of .
Ira Gamagoori
is a towering, muscular man who is Satsuki's loyal enforcer who leads the disciplinary committee at Honnouji Academy. His three-star Goku Uniform is the , which takes the form of bondage gear. By enduring such masochistic attacks, he can activate its second transformation, , which covers his body in thorny whips. His upgraded uniform, Shackle Regalia MK.II, resembles a sarcophagus, and his ultimate uniform is the .
During his teenage years where he was the student president of Rinne-Dō Junior High, Ira tried to save a student from a force suicide by two influential students named Hōjō (whose father runs a company) and Imagawa (whose father is the chief of police). He was aided by Satsuki and her servants using their "Kiryuin Deluxee Trampoline" as Gamagori grabs the bouncing student. Gamagori witnesses Satsuki defeating the Hōjō and Imagawa's followers after she and Mitsuzō showed the newspaper article mentioning Kiryuin Corp acquiring Hōjō Corp in a merger and Imagawa's father being arrested for accepting bribes. After a later duel with her, Gamagori became loyal to Satsuki. He is 20 years old, having waited two years after graduating Rinne-Dō Junior High before enrolling at Honnouji to assist Satsuki with her plans. He drives a pink 1959 Cadillac Eldorado.
Nonon Jakuzure
regulates the school's non-athletic clubs, such as Gardening Club and Biology Club. Among the members of the Elite Four, she has been with Satsuki since kindergarten and thus claims that she knows her best. She possesses the three-star Goku Uniform , which transforms into a giant sound system that produces powerful soundwaves and can transform into a flying airship. Later, she receives an upgraded version, Symphony Regalia MK.II, that miniaturizes the airship in a jetpack. Her ultimate uniform is .
Mankanshoku family The is Mako's family that resides within Honnō City's slums. They take Ryuko in after the latter transfers to Honnouji Academy.
Barazo Mankanshoku
is Mako's father. He is a doctor that runs a back-alley clinic in Hannō City's slums. Barazo admits that he may have killed more patients than he has saved.
Sukuyo Mankanshoku
is Mako's mother. She is a carefree housewife who is kind to Ryuko and makes croquettes with mystery meats.
Mataro Mankanshoku
is Mako's younger brother. He is a delinquent who initially tries to rob Ryuko when he first encounters her.
Guts
is the Mankanshoku family pug. He is dressed in a light bluish-grey hooded sweater. In episode 2, Mataro says that they named him Guts "because he eats with a lot of gusto".
Nudist Beach is an organization that serves as a resistance against the REVOCS Corporation.
Aikuro Mikisugi
is Ryuko's enigmatic homeroom teacher. He secretly observes and aids Ryuko by leading her to Senketsu. Whilst generally having the appearance of a frail, shaggy teacher, he is actually a glamorous smooth-talker with a habit of slowly stripping his clothes and making moves on Ryuko whenever they are in private, much to Ryuko's embarrassment. Aikuro reveals to Ryuko the existence of Nudist Beach and his being one of its members (though she did not believe him due to the organization's ridiculous name). Whenever he strips, pink light radiates from his nipples and from his crotch, obscuring them. Mikisugi's character design is based on people such as TM Network's vocalist Takashi Utsunomiya and Kenji Sawada, people who appear smart and good-looking.
Tsumugu Kinagase
is a scientist at the Nudist Beach organization and an acquaintance of Aikuro who sports a red mohawk on top of short black hair. He bears a strong hatred of kamui, which stems from an experiment where his close sister, , died when the kamui she had volunteered to test ran her blood dry. His weapon is a sewing machine pistol that fires needles which severs the connections between the Life Fibers in kamui and Goku Uniforms and their wearers. The needles also act like acupuncture, in that it can immobilize opponents and invigorate them afterward. His catchphrase is .
Isshin Matoi