List of Highschool of the Dead characters

This is a list of the fictional characters featured in the Highschool of the Dead manga by Satō Daisuke and Satō Shouji. The series follows a group of high school students, the high school's nurse, and a young girl as they fight their way to safety through the deadly streets of Japan during a worldwide catastrophic event known as the "Outbreak". Lead by sophomore Takashi Komuro, the focal group of survivors consists of six others and a small dog. For the most, each individual plays a key role in maintaining everyone's survivability. The authors used role-playing terminology to categorize the specific attributes each character brings to the group. Rei Miyamoto, Saeko Busujima, and Kohta Hirano are considered fighters because of their exceptional skills with weapons; Saya Takagi described as the wizard due to her intelligence and deduction skills; Shizuka Marikawa assigned the role of priest as she is a licensed physician. Within the story, anyone who had been infected and turned into a zombie are called "them" as they are no longer considered human by any of the living characters.

The manga series also features numerous other characters, some of which play antagonistic roles. An example of this is Shido, a teacher at Fujimi High School, who is depicted as manipulative and sadistic. He is the object of disgust by Saeko and more so by Rei who hates him for ruining her life and her father's reputation.

Characters

Major

;nihongo|"Takashi Komuro" |小室孝| "Komuro Takashi" :A 17 year old sophomore high school student, Takashi is in the same class as Rei whom he has been friends with since childhood. He's loved her ever since she made a childhood promise to marry him when they were older. However it was his hesitance and ignorance about her feelings that caused tension in their friendship which led to her starting to date his friend Hisashi. He was one of the first people to notice that something was wrong in the school and quickly took action to escape with his friends. His relationship with Rei was shaken further when he was forced to kill her boyfriend after he was bitten and had turned into a zombie. Soon afterwards their relationship was amended. His resolve to protect Rei at all costs and everyone else in the group earned him their respect and admiration as a leader despite his own feelings of inadequacy. He often acts brash and will go out to risk his life to save or protect someone on a whim. Similar to Saeko, Takashi confessed that he's found an exhilaration in killing "them".

:Though initially depicted as a poor student who often skips class, he's proven to be a very reliable person that all the characters can count on. Like the rest of the group, Takashi is determined to find his parents and to make sure that they're safe.

;nihongo|"Rei Miyamoto"|宮本麗|"Miyamoto Rei" :Classmate and childhood friend of Takashi, they've known each other since kindergarten. When they were little she promised that one day she would marry him. Despite liking Takashi, their relationship was at odds at the beginning of the manga due to his indecisiveness. It was then that she started dating one of his friends, Hisashi, since he wouldn't make a move. As the story progressed they ended up reconciling their relationship. She doesn't find it above herself to reprimand Takashi for acting carelessly. She worries about his well-being yet admits that his selflessness nature is one reason why she fell in love with him. Headstrong and reliable, Rei has proven to be a skilled combatant and strong asset to the group.

:Initially in the same year as Saeko, Rei was held back despite being an excellent student. Her father- a police detective- had been investigating the corruption behind the father of Shido, one of the teachers at her school. As a result of this he held her back purposefully. Rei bears a lasting grudge against him and feels uneven whenever he's around.

:After having escaped the high school and resting at the family mansion of Saya, she and the group are in search of their parents.

;nihongo|"Saeko Busujima" |毒島冴子| "Busujima Saeko":A high school senior and president of the school's kendo club, she is extremely skilled with a bokken and close combat. Calm and collected with a sense of pride in her skills and those that she's with, Saeko is among the most reliable of the group. Everyone can count on her combat skills to pull them through a tough spot if need be. Not much is known about her family except for her father who had traveled abroad on a self-defense conference before the advent of the Outbreak. She has shown fondness towards Takashi and believes in his abilities to get them through the crisis.

:Four years prior to the start of the story, a man had attempted to assault her. Armed with her bokken, she easily disposed of the would-be assailant, breaking several of his bones before the police came. This experience revealed her sadistic tendencies; she enjoyed holding the power to inflict pain on another human being. In addition to her reliance on killing the undead in order to survive, Saeko continually struggles with this part of her self, which causes momentary weaknesses in her otherwise strong demeanor. After telling Takashi her story and encountering a group of undead afterwards, for a second Saeko considers letting herself get taken away. She is stopped by Takashi who restores her confidence and resolve. After this she accepts herself and promises to continue fighting with Takashi whom she now counts on to be responsible for her actions.

;nihongo|"Saya Takagi" |高城沙耶| "Takagi Saya":First making her escape with fellow classmate Kohta Hirano, she is the daughter of an influential Uyoku dantai politician and her family is deeply involved in Japan's politics. A self-proclaimed genius, Saya's knowledge and deductive capabilities have allowed the group to escape from harm. She was among the first to conclude that "they" were attracted to only sound. Despite coming from a prestigious family she despises her parents whom she thought had given up on her in this crisis. It was before their escape from the mansion that she managed to makeup with her parents. Other than Rei, she is the only one who has a history with Takashi Komuro since they were children and is hinted to having deeper feelings for him.

:Slightly self-conscious, she detests the fact that people neither address her by her first name nor look her in the eyes while speaking. The only exception to this is Kohta with whom she has a strange friendship with. Saya's grown very attached to Alice and acts like a mother figure in this time of crisis. She does her best to keep intact Alice's innocence and will severely scold anyone who would dare attempt to tarnish that to the any degree.

;nihongo|"Kohta Hirano" |平野コータ| "Hirano Kōta":A 16 -year old sophomore student who was often bullied in school, Kohta is a gun otaku and knows the ins and outs of the firearms and any military-related equipment that the group may comes across. At the beginning of the story he helped Saya Takagi escape danger, though only did so by following her orders. His skills as a marksman has proven to be an invaluable asset to keeping everyone alive. On a one-month trip to America he was trained by the US military contractor Blackwater USA which furthered his obsession over weapons.

:His crush on Saya is one-sided as he on occasion tries to ask her out only to be rejected. Before leaving the family mansion of Saya, her father entrusted her safety to Kohta. He's grown very attached to Alice with whom he is often around playing with.

;nihongo|"Shizuka Marikawa" |鞠川静香| "Marikawa Shizuka" :The school nurse at Fujimi High School, she is rather ditsy as compared to the rest of girls in the group. Her large bust size is often used as a comical element in the story. A 27 year old bachelorette she lives with Rika Minami, a sniper of Japan's Special Assault Team. Her home was used as a safe haven for the group once they escaped the high school. As a nurse she is responsible for the health and care of everyone in the group and is efficient at doing so.

:Despite being the only adult in the group, she is emotionally fragile and doesn't know what will become of her life since the Outbreak started. Like the rest, Shizuka worries that she will never see her family or friends again.

;nihongo|"Alice Maresato" |希里ありす| "Maresato Arisu":Only 7 years old she was saved from being attacked by several undead by Takashi after her father was killed by members of a household who wouldn't allow them safety. Innocent and passive, Alice is the only member of the group that maintains a cheerful attitude despite all their troubles and the loss of her parents. Looking up to everyone in the group as a bigger brother and sister, she is unwilling to leave them even if it's for her own safety.

:Alice is often seen playing around with a small dog named Zeke whom they had picked up while saving Alice, and Kohta who she has grown fairly attached too. Presiding over her as a mother figure is Saya whom she has also grown attached too.

Minor

;nihongo|Shidō|紫藤|::He is Class 3A's teacher. Rei Miyamoto is afraid and is disgusted by him and Saeko Busujima says his name with a scowl, showing that he apparently is a sadistic and villainous character. Both girls have good reasons to do so as we see him leaving behind a student who has sprained his ankle and even kicking him back towards a group of zombies chasing them. He then makes a speech about how weaklings do not deserve to exist. It was implied by Hirano that Shidō allowed bullies to beat him up as he watched with glee "Highschool of the Dead Manga" - Vol.2 Chapter 5] . It is assumed that the formers story is true because he pointed the nail gun at Shidō without blinking or hesitating to punch a nail wound to his face.

:He has a desire to be a leader and some of the characters have theorized that he is trying to build a new religion with him on top as leader. Shido is an apparent coward in the face of extreme danger, as seen when being threatened by a grazing head shot with a nail gun on Hirano's part ["Highschool of the Dead Manga" - Vol.2 Chapter 5.] , but nonetheless, proves to be a manipulative, villainous and sadistic character.

:He is last seen by the main group when they abandon him on the bus, leaving him with only those willing to follow him. He reappears one more and is seen watching over an orgy between his followers on the bus at the end of Chapter 11, in a sort of Charles Manson-ish brainwashing (he allows his followers to do as they will, calling it "free time"). He seems to have a spy inside the base of humans set up at the mansion, who, as of Chapter 12, is relaying vital information about the morale of the people there. He is seen to keep his followers in line through intimidation, forcing them to follow him lest they incur his wrath or be left to fend for themselves. He sees the people that follow him as angels that will help usher in a new age, since they are youthful teenagers. Shido then accuses one of the teens on board the bus of showing weakness, the boy having shown concern for the welfare of his family. He convinces the rest of the group to eject the 'weak link' for the sake of the New World. Highlighting how far Shido has turned the minds of his followers, they callously throw the teen off the bus, going so far as to bid him farewell as he attempts to get back on the bus, only to fail and be subsequently attacked by a zombie.The teen is later seen in his undead form in chapter 15 when the dead break into the estate.

:Later on, his history and background with Rei was shown when his father was involved in Japanese politics and had Rei retained as a favor of getting back at his stepbrother"Highschool of the Dead Manga" - Chapter 14 ] . When threatened with a rifle mounted bayonet by Rei he seems scared witless until he realizes that no one would come to his aid before daring her to kill him. When she turns away and says that he is not even worth killing his fury is shown. He is seen being ordered to leave the estate with the students he brought but ends up crashing into the forklift when the EMP Blast temporary stopped the bus removing the concrete blocks which served as the barrier against the undead. He recovers conscious in time to see the undead horde advancing through the gap in the barrier now."Highschool of the Dead Manga" - Chapter 14 ] It's unknown what has happen to him as his followers were seen leaving the Bus in the chapter 16 .

;nihongo|Rika Minami |南リカ| "Minami Rika" :Rika is the chief of first squadron in the prefecture police and an expert sniper in the Special Assault Team sent to clear the nearby airport of any zombie stragglers. She is close friends with Marikawa Shizuka and has the desire to go and save her from the outbreak of zombies. Unknown to her, they had stayed at her residence and have fled in her Humvee. She has been held up in the same airport alongside surviving passengers who were suppose to fly out with surviving Special Assault Team and Special Security Team operatives alongside airport security guards, customs officers and firefighters in clearing the airport of any stragglers by reducing the zombie strength. when her partner/observer helped her use the jet fuel in a tanker to immolate the zombies. She later receive a phone call from Shizuka and they have a very brief conversation before the whole area goes into a massive blackout due to an EMP surge that cuts off all communications and vehicle engines.

Other

;Asami Nakaoka: :A young traffic enforcer, Asami is in charge of guarding the Mall and protecting the group of survivors sheltering there. Easily scared and intimidated by others, her authority quickly waned amongst the survivors until Kohta and Takashi intervened by handing her a standardized police firearm and building up her confidence. She developed a liking for Kohta after he helped her subdue a civilian who was about to sexually assault Shizuka. She later accompanies Takashi to help obtain blood plasma for a sick survivor, and is forced to mercy kill Tamaru when he is bitten by "them".

;Tajima:A lieutenant in the Special Assault Team, he and Rika were partners and responsible for securing the airport runway from "them". After getting bitten by one of the infected he sacrificed his life by exploding a gas tanker in order to secure the path for more survivors. After returning to the airport terminal, Rika recommends that Tajima be posthumously promoted for his sacrifice if they survive the Outbreak.

;nihongo|Hisashi Igō|井豪永| "Igō Hisashi"::Rei's classmate and boyfriend, he, Takashi, and Rei were among the first to try and escape the rampage at the school. On their way out of class he was bitten by an infected teacher and subsequently turned into one of "them" afterwards. Aware of his fate he instructed Takashi to kill him just as he turned. A brief bitterness between Rei and Takashi occursed as a result from his death.

;Souichiro Takagi::Leader of a radical Uyoku dantai group in the Tokonosu district, he is an extreme right-winger who showed his leadership to the survivors when he rallies them to kill the zombies in order to save Japanese society from collapsing. He added a rather pointed illustration by killing his zombified subordinate. Later on, he insists that Kohta give up his weapons. However, Kohta's friends (including Saya) rallied for Kohta and supported him. It is implied that he was impressed by their willingness to challenge him and allows Kohta to maintain the weapons he took from Rika's house.

:It is also shown that Saya hates her father more than her mother because he didn't ensure her safety when the outbreak started in Japan. Souichiro seems to be a sword expert and is skeptical about Hirano's reasons of keeping his guns until he's confronted by everyone in the main group except for Marikawa, who defends his reasons for protecting his daughter. It is currently shown that he and his followers are preparing to leave the estate in two days time and is told by Takashi if he and his friends are not back with their parents by then, they should leave without waiting for them. However, when the zombies manage to enter the estate due to a gap from one of the barrier's inadvertently created by Shidō, the Takagis ,their followers , and the survivors fight to hold off the invading horde until the rest of the survivors could go to other areas of the neighborhood that were not breached. Before Takashi & his entourage leave the estate, Kohta and Takashi swore to Saya's father to protect her and Saya tells her parents that she loves them before they attempt their escape. Souichiro and his wife were last seen fighting against the horde with rest of the estate survivors while saying that they were proud of their daughter and the friends she made.

;Tamaru Hiro::One of the survivors in the mall. He helped the others to get the equipment in the hospital for the old lady that needed a blood transfusion, however he was bitten in the end and asked the others to shoot him with Asami honoring his request.

References

ee also

* Highschool of the Dead