Hsuboshi Gakuen: Idol master There will be characters trained to become performing idols. Each character will have a different level of abilities and personality, and it will be up to the player to improve their singing, dancing, and expressions as a producer.
When Bandai Namco published for the first time Gakuen Idolmaster In March 2024, it revealed nine playable characters but only added details for three of them: Saki Hanami, Temari Tsukimura, and Kotone Fujita. The company gradually revealed the names of the remaining 6 characters.
Rinami Himesaki (voiced by Yuri Usui) is a third-year student and the student council secretary. She has the natural personality of an older sister, but she lost her confidence after the previous unit tried to portray her as a younger sister.
Sumika Shiun (voiced by Miya Minato) is a cheerful girl who can get along with anyone but is often lazy to study. She participated in international ballet competitions but an accident left her with an injury that hindered her progress.
Hiro Shinosawa (voiced by Reina Kawamura) is a mysterious genius who completed his academic tests and graduated from college but failed to get any marks in practical skills. Somehow, she likes to take lessons that do not suit her at all.
Lilja Katsuragi (voiced by Kana Hanaiwa) is a half-Swedish girl who aspires to become an idol despite lacking experience in singing and dancing. She is also close friends with Sumika, who studied ballet in Sweden.
China Kuramoto (voiced by Mao Ito) is a girl from a wealthy family who aspires to become an idol despite having the lowest performance skills compared to all other students.
The ninth and final playable character at launch will be Mao Arimura (voiced by Tsumugi Nanase). The third-year student is also Rinami’s classmate and the director of Hsuboshi Academy’s Idol major dormitory. She aspires to become a “cool prince” idol because she is also inspired by opera troupes.
However, these nine characters will not be the only ones appearing in the game. During that time NicoNico Chokaigi 2024 event, Bandai Namco revealed three more characters that will appear as NPC opponents at launch. They will also play important roles in the game’s plot with strong connections to the original playable characters in the game. Gakuen Idolmaster.
Ume Hanami (voiced by Ayane Matsuda) is Saki’s younger sister who enrolled in Hsuboshi Academy by filling a vacancy. She was also an athlete with outstanding physical ability like her sister.
Misuzu Hataya (voiced by Non Harusaki) is Temari’s childhood friend, who was also in the same idol group as the latter.
Sena Juo (voiced by Mashiro Hitaka) is the granddaughter of Hatsuboshi Academy principal Kunio Juo. She also holds the position of student council president. Sena will appear mainly in Kotone Fujita’s story.
Bandai Namco ends the new content reveal with a new popular song titled “Hajime” (Beginning). While each playable idol has their own unique songs, they can all perform this song when they debut.
Hsuboshi Gakuen: Idol master will be available for iOS and Android mobile devices in Japan in spring 2024.
