About “Zombieland Saga” in a few words:

Zombieland Saga is a 12-episode anime series that follows the story of Sakura Minamoto, a high school girl who is suddenly killed in a traffic accident and brought back to life as a zombie by a mysterious man named Kotaro Tatsumi. Together with six other zombie girls, Sakura forms an idol group called Franchouchou with the goal of saving Saga Prefecture through music and dance. Combining elements of horror, comedy, and music, Zombieland Saga offers a unique and entertaining take on the idol genre.

Meet the characters from Zombieland Saga

The Policeman

Okay so The Policeman is that wonderfully uptight background hero who tries to keep everything legal and orderly in the chaos of Zombieland Saga — and fails gloriously, but with heart. He’s by-the-book, then five seconds later he’s letting a zombie idol sprint through a crosswalk because “well, it’s urgent,” which cracks me up every time. Stoic face, secretly soft spot for the girls (and also for stray cats? I think he feeds one, or maybe that was the traffic cone), and he always looks like he’s had one too many bad nights chasing undead pop stars. He does his job with weird loyalty and a baffling tolerance for glitter and bad choreography.

Lily Hoshikawa

Lily is sunshine in a pastel dress and honestly the purest ray of chaos in the group — bubbly, earnest, and so, so honest about who she is, which is just lovely. She’s this adorable, sharp-witted kid-voice idol who can drop a killer line and then immediately ask if anyone brought snacks (yes snacks are her love language). She’s proud and fierce and also kind of a secret gamer? ( picture Lily sneaking time for handheld games backstage, I swear ). She flips between shy sweetness and razor-sharp sass like it’s a stage trick, and you can’t not love that mix.

Sakura Minamoto

Sakura is the heart-on-her-sleeve heroine — clumsy, bright, hopelessly optimistic, and also somehow the glue holding the whole ridiculous project together. She wakes up in undead chaos and basically chooses “be an idol” like it’s the only sensible thing, which is both pure and absolutely chaotic-brave. She cries at commercials, cheers at the weirdest things, and will absolutely try to make friends with a vending machine out of politeness (maybe I’m exaggerating, maybe not). There’s this constant mix of wanting her old life back and embracing the absurd future, and it’s kind of the cutest emotional rollercoaster.

Junko Konno

Junko is 80s idol glamour wrapped in a slightly tragic, forever-sweet package — think vintage microphones, slow hand waves, and more soft-focus than is medically necessary. She’s very old-school polite but can drop a surprisingly dark line that makes you go “oh!” — it’s the contrast, honestly, that slays me. Sometimes she acts fragile like porcelain and other times she absolutely slams a performance like she’s lived ten lifetimes (which, plot-wise, she kind of has), and then she buys too many hair ribbons on impulse. She’s resigned to fate but also stubbornly optimistic, like someone who keeps cassette tapes in a digital era because feelings.

Yuugiri

Yuugiri is elegant, mysterious, and moves like she’s been performing for a hundred years (which is dramatic and also probably true), all geisha grace meets pop-idol poise. There’s this constant calm about her, like tea and moonlight, but she also drops these wry comments that reveal she’s totally keeping count of everything — the best poker face ever. She looks composed but has tiny bursts of modern obsession (ramen at midnight? karaoke battles?) that make you laugh because you did not expect that from someone in a kimono. She balances haunting beauty with unexpected humor, and honestly I could watch her rehearse a bow for hours.

Ai Mizuno

Ai is the ex-pro idol perfectionist turned salt-of-the-earth support-goddess — serious, sharp, and secretly the one who fixes everything when the chaos hits. She’s cool and collected to the point of being intimidating, but then she’ll cry watching a badly edited PV and you’ll be like wait what, tears? She has this intense dedication to craft (stage layouts, breathing techniques, hair pins — she notices everything) but also low-key enjoys dumb internet memes, which is adorable. She’s leader-energy but very “I will smack you with a mic if you slack,” in the best way.

Saki Nikaidou

Saki is loud, tough, and somehow both delinquent and deeply romantic, like a punk-rock heart with glitter on top. She’s the “I’ll beat you up then bake you cookies” type — loud shouts, dramatic fists, but also an enormous squishy soft spot for her friends and for sentimental junk. She comes off brash and sometimes very, very blunt, yet will cry at a love ballad at 3 a.m. while holding a stuffed animal (yes, really). She collects bandanas and bad decisions but also weirdly detailed knowledge of fashion trends from the 90s — don’t ask me how that fits, it just does.

Tae Yamada

Tae is the wild card in the best way — messy, weirdly endearing, and totally unpredictable (like sometimes human, sometimes horror-comedy, always meme-worthy). One moment she’s gibbering and smashing things with raw enthusiasm, the next she’s accidentally adorable and somehow steals the scene with zero intention to do so. She has this gloriously chaotic energy that feels like a midnight snack run that became a heist, and also she might be part cat? I think she naps in odd places, that’s confirmed. She’s the kind of character you can’t fully explain, which is exactly why the show needed her.

Koutarou Tatsumi

Koutarou is the gloriously over-the-top, slightly deranged manager with a heart of gold and an agenda like ten steps ahead (and sometimes sideways). He believes in the project with the intensity of someone who sleeps in his suit and probably talks to posters at 2 a.m., which is both inspiring and a little alarming. He’s chaotic, dramatic, occasionally shady (in a lovable way), and also surprisingly sentimental — he’ll sob at a bad rehearsal like it’s a national tragedy. He runs on equal parts passion, weird plan B’s, and sheer force of will, and honestly he makes the whole thing work just by refusing to give up (also his wardrobe choices deserve a separate praise post).