About “Hibike! Euphonium” in a few words:

‘Hibike! Euphonium,’ also known as ‘Sound! Euphonium,’ is an anime series produced by Kyoto Animation. It follows the journey of the Kitauji High School Concert Band as they strive for musical excellence under the guidance of a strict new adviser. The story centers on Kumiko Oumae, a euphonium player, and her fellow band members as they navigate the challenges of competitions, personal growth, and the complexities of high school life.

Meet the characters from Hibike! Euphonium

Reina Kousaka

Reina is that scorchingly focused person who makes music feel like a weather front — intense, precise, and somehow absolutely magnetic. She comes off icy and impossibly proud, but then she’ll do something tiny and soft that makes you forget she’s been glaring five minutes ago (don’t ask me what, I swear it’s real). Obsessed with purity of tone and solo moments, she can intimidate a room and then quietly cheer on someone like it’s nothing, which is wild. Also, low-key dramatic about practice schedules and possibly hoards snacks in her bag though she would adamantly deny it.

Kumiko Oumae

Kumiko is the flustered, thoughtful heart of the group — always daydreaming one second and being unexpectedly practical the next. She’s endlessly curious, insecure in the cutest way, and somehow manages to narrate her own life in her head like it’s a slow, slightly embarrassed movie. She swings from “I have no idea what I’m doing” to “okay, I will absolutely fix this” and it’s adorable and maddening at once. Also, she collects tiny ephemera (ticket stubs? doodles?) and forgets where she puts them, which is basically her whole personality arc.

Kanade Hisaishi

Kanade is quietly bright and reliably sweet, the sort of person who organises pencils and also remembers everyone’s birthdays, often before they do. She gives off a very calm, “I have snacks in my locker” energy — steady, supportive, a little shy but absolutely earnest. Not flashy, but you notice her when she smiles, and she has this clumsy bravery where she’ll step up when someone needs a hand. Sometimes she contradicts herself and says she hates attention and then subtly basks in it for two hours, which is delightful.

Asuka Tanaka

Asuka is the loud, glamorous tornado — brash, hilarious, and secretly very complicated (of course she is, come on). She teases like it’s an art form, will flirt with an entire practice room, and then somehow anchor the whole band with a single, ridiculous comment that makes everyone snap to attention. There’s this crazy charisma mixed with vulnerability that you only catch in the tiniest pauses, and she loves being theatrical yet can be quietly meticulous about important stuff. Oh and she claims to hate rules but is suspiciously good at following them when it matters, which is peak Asuka.

Natsuki Nakagawa

Natsuki is the warm, dependable friend who makes everything feel safer — soft-spoken but stubborn in the best way. She’s the one who’ll hand you a tissue and then eat the rest of the cookies, very sweet and also surprisingly fierce about band things. She gives off an easy, supportive vibe, like sunshine with a hint of mischief; she can be playful and then turn serious in three seconds flat. Honestly, she probably has a tiny plush in her bag and also can beat you at a sudden contest of will, so watch out.

Mizore Yoroizuka

Mizore is composed, sharp, and a little bit inscrutable, the kind of person who keeps a perfect pencil case and maybe also a secret list of pet peeves. She takes music very seriously and expects the same focus from others, but she’s not cruel — just brutally honest, which sometimes reads as cold even though she’s quietly loyal. There’s this stillness to her that hides a lot, and occasionally she’ll do something unexpectedly tender and you will absolutely melt (don’t tell her I said that). Fun fact: she claims to dislike sweets but always has something sugary in her pocket, so who knows, maybe it’s all a ruse.