Oshi no Ko has surpassed 15 million copies in circulation and became popular when the anime started airing in April 2023, achieving the number one spot in the world trends on X (formerly Twitter) during the first episode's broadcast. The anime sparked a surge in secondary creations, with YOASOBI's hit theme song "Idol" inspiring numerous cover videos and dance videos on TikTok's official anime account. In addition to idols and actors, characters such as directors and production staff also appear, realistically depicting the world of entertainment and gaining popularity. Occasionally, it addresses themes that become real social issues, which has sparked discussion.

Synopsis

Oshi no Ko follows the story of Goro, a gynecologist who dies in a certain incident and is reincarnated as the child of his favorite idol, Ai Hoshino. This event leads him to pursue a career in the same show business as her.

Goro was a country gynecologist influenced by his patient, a girl named Sarina, to become a fan of the idol Ai Hoshino. After his death, he is reborn as Ai's child, Aqua Hoshino. Aqua's twin sister, Ruby Hoshino, is the reincarnation of Sarina. Ai, who continues her idol activities in secret after giving birth, becomes so popular that a live concert at Tokyo Dome is planned. However, she is stabbed and killed at her home by an obsessed fan named Ryosuke, in front of Aqua and Ruby.

As he grows up, Aqua suspects that Ryosuke was instigated by someone behind the scenes and concludes from Ai’s connections that his biological father is that person. Believing his father is in the entertainment industry, Aqua decides to follow the same path as Ai for revenge.

Characters（Season 1）

アイ (Ai)
Voice Actor：高橋李依 (Rie Takahashi)

Ai became an idol after being scouted by Strawberry Productions, and at 16, she is already a central figure in the idol group "B Komachi." In the first episode, while her idol career is thriving, she visits the rural hospital where Goro works to secretly undergo pregnancy and childbirth, away from the public eye.

アクア (Aqua)
Voice Actor：大塚剛央 (Takeo Otsuka)

Aqua is the reincarnation of Goro, a gynecologist, who was reborn as Ai's son while retaining the memories of his previous life.

His full name is "星野愛久愛海 (Aquamarine Hoshino)", a name given by his mother Ai, which is considered quite unusual and flashy, sometimes referred to as a "kirakira name" in Japan.

Because he retains memories from his previous life, Aqua is exceptionally wise and mature for his age, which has surprised many adults around him. When he acted in a movie that Ai was involved in, he was called "precocious" by the director, Taishi Gotanda.

Aqua grew up receiving Ai's love, but after a certain incident, she decided to follow Ai's path to show business.

ルビー (Ruby)
Voice Actor：伊駒ゆりえ (Yurie Igoma)


Ruby is the daughter of Ai Hoshino and the twin sister of Aqua. Like Aqua, Ruby is a reincarnation and retains memories from her previous life. In her past life, she was Sarina Tendōji, a patient of Goro's who died while hospitalized.

Her full name in kanji is "星野瑠美衣 (Ruby Hoshino)". Like Aqua, her name is considered flashy or "kirakira name" in Japan, but the name Ruby is seen as relatively more acceptable than Aqua's.

She has been a fan of Ai since her days as Sarina Tendo, and since her reincarnation as Ai's daughter Ruby, she has been a "troublesome otaku". She continues to pursue her dream of becoming an idol and pursues a career in show business.

有馬かな (Kana Arima)
Voice Actor：潘めぐみ (Megumi Han)

Kana Arima is portrayed as a character with high acting skills in the story. During her time as a child actress, she was very popular and known for her incredible ability to cry on cue in dramas, earning her the nickname "the genius child actress who can cry in 10 seconds."

``the genius child actress who can cry in 10 seconds' is pronounced as ``jyu-byo-de-na-ke-ru, ten-sai-ko-ya-ku' in Japanese.
"10 seconds" part sounds similar to "重曹(jyu-so = baking soda )," leading Ruby to jokingly call her "the genius child actress who licks baking soda( jyu-so-wo-na-me-ru, ten-sai-ko-ya-ku )." This has made her affectionately known as "jyuso-chan" among the readers.

Kana co-starred with Aqua in a movie during her child actress days. During this time, she felt that Aqua’s acting (with the memories of the adult Goro) was unsettling, which bruised her pride as a genius child actress. Later, when they attended the same high school, she would often tease Aqua, who is a year younger.

Currently working as a freelance entertainer, she will begin her idol career with Ruby as the new ``B Komachi''.

MEMちょ (MEM-cho)
Voice Actor：大久保瑠美 (Rumi Okubo)

MEM-cho is a self-proclaimed high school senior who is successful as a YouTuber. She always wears a headband with black horns. Despite her cute appearance and gentle way of speaking, she comes from a single-parent family and has had to work hard, earning tuition for her younger brothers after her mother fell ill.

She co-stars with Aqua and Akane Kurokawa in the romance reality show "My Love with a Star Begins Now (LoveNow)" Having long aspired to be an idol, she is persuaded by Aqua to join and starts idol activities with Ruby and Kana Arima in the newly formed "B Komachi."

黒川あかね (Akane Kurokawa)
Voice Actor：石見舞菜香 (Manaka Iwami)

Akane Kurokawa is a 17-year-old high school junior who works as an actress. She is the young ace of "Gekidan Lalalai," a theater company known for its highly skilled actors. She is serious and diligent, possessing the talent to thoroughly embody a role through extensive character development.

She appears in the romance reality show "My Love with a Star Begins Now (LoveNow)" alongside Aqua and MEMcho. Amid struggles to stand out, an accident leads to her receiving criticism from many viewers on social media.

Akane studies Ai of the idol group B Komachi for the role, and surprises Aqua by playing Ai to perfection.

Characters（Season 2）

アクア (Aqua)
Voice Actor：大塚剛央 (Takeo Otsuka)

Ruby's twin brother. He enters the entertainment industry to find the person responsible for killing his mother, Ai. He is affiliated with Strawberry Productions and works as an actor, playing the role of Tōki in the stage play "Tokyo Blade."

有馬かな (Kana Arima)
Voice Actor：潘めぐみ (Megumi Han)

A child actress since a young age, Kana was once praised as a "genius child actress who can cry in ten seconds." In the stage play "Tokyo Blade," she plays the role of Tsurugi. She also performs as an idol in the group "B-Komachi," invited by Ruby.

黒川あかね (Akane Kurokawa)
Voice Actor：石見舞菜香 (Manaka Iwami)

An actress affiliated with the theater troupe "Lalalai." She plays the role of Saya-hime in the stage play "Tokyo Blade." She meets Aqua on a reality dating show and becomes part of a business couple with him.

姫川大輝 (Taiki Himekawa)
Voice Actor：内山昂輝 (Kōki Uchiyama)

The leading actor of the theater troupe "Lalalai." He plays the protagonist Blade in the stage play "Tokyo Blade."

鳴嶋メルト (Melt Narushima)
Voice Actor：前田誠二 (Seiji Maeda)

A model and actor who co-starred with Kana Arima in "Kyou wa Amakuchi de." He plays the role of Kizami in the stage play "Tokyo Blade."

鴨志田朔夜 (Sakuya Kamoshida)
Voice Actor：小林裕介 (Yusuke Kobayashi)

A popular actor who mainly performs in 2.5-dimensional stage plays. He plays the role of Monme in the stage play "Tokyo Blade."

CAST（Character : Voice Actor）

In addition to the English notation, kanji characters and their readings in Japanese are listed.
日本語での表記、読み方、英語表記を記載しています。

Season 1
アイ (Ai): 高橋李依 (Rie Takahashi)
アクア (Aqua): 大塚剛央 (Takeo Otsuka)
ルビー (Ruby): 伊駒ゆりえ (Yurie Igoma)
有馬かな (Kana Arima): 潘めぐみ (Megumi Han)
MEMちょ (MEM-cho): 大久保瑠美 (Rumi Okubo)
黒川あかね (Akane Kurokawa): 石見舞菜香 (Manaka Iwami)
ゴロー (Goro): 伊東健人 (Kent Ito)
さりな (Sarina): 高柳知葉 (Tomoyo Takayanagi)
アクア (幼少期) (Young Aqua): 内山夕実 (Yumi Uchiyama)

Season 2
姫川大輝 (Taiki Himekawa): 内山昂輝 (Kōki Uchiyama)
鳴嶋メルト (Melt Narushima): 前田誠二 (Seiji Maeda)
鴨志田朔夜 (Sakuya Kamoshida): 小林裕介 (Yusuke Kobayashi)

Theme Songs

Opening theme
【1st season】　"IDOL" by YOASOBI

Ending theme
【1st season】　"QUEEN BEE" by Mephisto

Opening theme
【2nd season】　"Fatal" by GEMN

Ending theme
【2nd season】　"Burning" by Hitsujibungaku

STAFF

Season 1
【Original Work】 赤坂アカ×横槍メンゴ (Akasaka Aka & Yokoyari Mengo)
【Director】 平牧大輔 (Daisuke Hiramaki)
【Assistant Director】 猫富ちゃお (Nekotomi Ciao)
【Series Composition & Screenplay】 田中仁 (Hitoshi Tanaka)
【Character Design】 平山寛菜 (Kanna Hirayama)
【Sub Character Design】 澤井駿 (Shun Sawai)
【Chief Animation Director】 平山寛菜 (Kanna Hirayama),吉川真帆 (Maiko Yoshikawa),渥美智也 (Tomoya Atsumi),松元美季 (Miki Matsumoto)
【Main Animators】 納武史 (Takeshi Nou,沢田犬二 (Kenji Sawada),早川麻美 (Asami Hayakawa),横山穂乃花 (Honoka Yokoyama),水野公彰 (Kimiaki Mizuno),室賀彩花 (Ayaka Muroga)
【Art Director】 宇佐美哲也 (Tetsuya Usami) [スタジオイースター (Studio Easter)]
【Art Settings】 水本浩太 (Kota Mizumoto) [スタジオイースター (Studio Easter)]
【Color Design】 石黒けい (Kei Ishiguro)
【Director of Photography】 桒野貴文 (Takafumi Kusano)
【Editor】 坪根健太郎 (Kentaro Tsubone)
【Music】 伊賀拓郎 (Takuro Iga)
【Sound Director】 高寺たけし (Takeshi Takadera)
【Sound Effects】 川田清貴 (Kiyotaka Kawada)
【Animation Production】 動画工房 (Doga Kobo)
【Theme Songs】
OPテーマ：「アイドル」YOASOBI("IDOL" by YOASOBI)
EDテーマ：「メフィスト」女王蜂("QUEEN BEE" by Mephisto)

Season 2
【Original Work】 赤坂アカ×横槍メンゴ (Akasaka Aka & Yokoyari Mengo)
【Director】 平牧大輔 (Daisuke Hiramaki)
【Assistant Director】 猫富ちゃお (Nekotomi Ciao) 仁科くにやす(Kuniyasu Nishina)
【Series Composition & Screenplay】 田中仁 (Hitoshi Tanaka)
【Character Design】 平山寛菜 (Kanna Hirayama)
【Sub Character Design】 澤井駿 (Shun Sawai),横山穂乃花 (Honoka Yokoyama),渡部里美(Satomi Watanabe)
【Chief Animation Director】 平山寛菜 (Kanna Hirayama),吉川真帆 (Maiko Yoshikawa),渥美智也 (Tomoya Atsumi),松元美季 (Miki Matsumoto)
【Main Animators】 早川麻美 (Asami Hayakawa),水野公彰 (Kimiaki Mizuno),室賀彩花 (Ayaka Muroga)
【Art Director】 宇佐美哲也 (Tetsuya Usami) [スタジオイースター (Studio Easter)]
【Art Settings】 水本浩太 (Kota Mizumoto) [スタジオイースター (Studio Easter)]
【Color Design】 石黒けい (Kei Ishiguro)
【Director of Photography】 桒野貴文 (Takafumi Kusano)
【Editor】 坪根健太郎 (Kentaro Tsubone)
【Music】 伊賀拓郎 (Takuro Iga)
【Sound Director】 高寺たけし (Takeshi Takadera)
【Sound Effects】 川田清貴 (Kiyotaka Kawada)
【Animation Production】 動画工房 (Doga Kobo)
【Theme Songs】
OPテーマ：「ファタール」GEMN("Fatal" by GEMN)
EDテーマ：「Burning」羊文学("Burning" by Hitsujibungaku)

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Source : ORICON NEWS