About “The World Ends With You” in a few words:

“The World Ends With You” is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix. The game takes place in modern-day Tokyo and follows a teenager named Neku Sakuraba as he participates in a deadly game where the stakes are high and the consequences are dire. Along the way, Neku encounters a colorful cast of characters and must work with them to survive and unravel the mysteries behind the game. The series has received critical acclaim for its unique gameplay, engaging storyline, and memorable characters.

Meet the characters from The World Ends With You

Shoka Sakurane

Oh my gosh Shoka is that dizzy-but-terrifyingly-wise pop idol energy, like sugar and glitter with a tiny razor hidden in the bow. She’s bubbly, theatrical, and somehow always knows exactly what to say to get under someone’s skin — in a good way? — and then offers you a cup of tea like nothing happened. Loves sparkles, loves attention, but also low-key notices the small stuff people miss (tickets stub under a shoe, the way someone taps their pen). She’ll brag about being hopelessly clumsy and then flawlessly juggle three things while giving advice about life choices; honestly, I think she practices the chaos. Little habit: collects random song lyrics in a notebook and sometimes confuses them for real memories.

Tosai ‘Fret’ Furesawa

Fret is loud, proud, and full-on protective older-brother energy with a sideways grin and a rap for every situation — he’s the soundtrack to a street that never sleeps. He talks tough and dresses sharper than you’d expect for someone who swears they live in a hoodie, and beneath the loud jokes is this weirdly organized brain (like, he actually remembers everyone’s laundry day). He’s impulsive, yes, but will throw himself between someone and trouble without a second thought, which makes him a little terrifying in the best way. Probably obsessed with sneakers and forever trying to get Beat to eat something… and also maybe he cries during cheesy commercials, but don’t tell anyone.

Nagi Usui

Nagi is the quietly cool type who gives off a practiced “I don’t care” vibe but definitely does care — about fashion, about small injustices, and about getting the last slice. He’s the kind of person who speaks slowly, like every word is a small punctuation mark, and then drops a one-line burn that’s somehow fair and poetic. He’s not flashy but has this effortless style and a thousand tiny opinions about what music belongs on which corner of the city. Also, tiny unpredictable thing: he has a weird soft spot for plush toys and will defend them in public, which is both adorable and slightly confusing.

Neku Sakuraba

Neku is the classic grumpy headphones boy who acts like he hates everyone but will make the most intense, awkwardly sincere friendships once you break his barricade. He’s sharp, quick-thinking, and paranoid in the cutest way — like thirteen emergency plans in his back pocket — and yet he softens in these moments that feel way too real for his usual snark. He lives for rhythm and puzzles and is endlessly sarcastic even when something genuinely moves him (and it does sometimes; he’ll pretend it didn’t, obviously). Quirk: insists on wearing the same headphones for emotional consistency, but also buys new ones on a whim and forgets he did.

Daisukenojo ‘Beat’ Bito

Beat is the small but explosive package — loud, fiercely loyal, and with a temper that’s mostly about feelings; his bat is basically an emotional amplifier. He’s rough around the edges, says what everyone else is thinking, and has this hilarious vulnerability when it comes to people he cares about (suddenly flustered, adorable, and slightly defensive). He hates being told to calm down (naturally) and will defend his friends like a dural armor statue, but then go buy them ridiculous gifts at odd hours. Little contradictions: claims to hate shopping but comes home with three hats and a dessert he couldn’t resist.

Rindo Kanade

Rindo is such a chill enigma — cool, reliable, but the kind of friend who will drop an unexpected hot take and you’ll be rethinking everything for days. She’s pragmatic and grounded, the “let’s solve it” person, but also surprise: secretly indulgent about little pleasures (ramen at midnight, weird collectible figurines). She reads people like a book and will give you brutally honest advice that actually helps, even if it stings at first. Also, she mutters to herself when thinking and sometimes names inanimate objects for comfort, which I adore.

Sho Minamimoto

Oh boy Minamimoto is the gloriously chaotic genius who speaks in equations and memes and is somehow both a terrifying villain and a trivia night champion. He has that brilliant-but-psychotic vibe — loves order in a math-y way but causes absolute mayhem just to test hypotheses, and his speech pattern (riddles, numbers, agony) is iconic and slightly unnerving. He’s obsessed with being superior, but also performs these tiny, bizarre acts of kindness? (Probably an experiment, or maybe not.) Quirky detail: insists on measuring the emotional weight of things in kilograms and will correct your grammar with a smile that could slice bread.