Figures from canon
This is a list of characters from the computer game Canon , which has been adopted by various media. The protagonist of the plot is Yūichi Aizawa who is involved with the five female heroines Ayu Tsukimiya, Nayuki Minase, Makoto Sawatari, Shiori Misaka and Mai Kawasumi. There are also other characters, but they play a subordinate role and do not develop a deeper relationship with Yūichi.
main characters
Yūichi Aizawa
- 相 沢 祐 一 , Aizawa Yūichi , voiced by Atsushi Kisaichi (2002 anime), Tomokazu Sugita (2006 anime, PSP game), Miwa Yasuda (as a young Yūichi)
As the protagonist of the plot, he is a friendly and self-indulgent high school student. He has no memory of his past, but gradually regains these memories, in which he mostly experiences that he has hurt the feelings of the girls around him in his past. He has slight problems dealing with the sensitivity of women and keeps making small but mean jokes with them. Nevertheless, he is good-natured and manages to make new friends with ease.
Almost nothing is known about his background and his family, except that his parents are abroad for professional reasons and he therefore has to live with his aunt in the Minase family's house . Starting from this point, he accompanies the viewer through the plot and, depending on the plot section, enters into a closer relationship with the five main female characters. His background and many parts of his character were deliberately set loosely so that the player can identify with the role.
Ayu Tsukimiya
- 月宮 あ ゆ , Tsukimiya Ayu , spoken by Yui Horie
Among the female characters, she is the most important personality for the action, who initiates the action in the form of a small, energetic, loving and naive " angel " (a kind of spirit that is indistinguishable from normal people). In conversations she repeatedly uses the masculine personal pronoun boku ( 僕 , dt. "I") when she speaks of herself. The sound ugū ( う ぐ ぅ ) joins their unusual language . Ayu uses these as an expression of an oppressive feeling such as frustration or fear, which she uses so often that it comes close to a speech impediment.
As the most important heroine of the adventure, she graced the official cover of Key together with the somewhat underdeveloped Nayuki . It was created by the writer of the scenario Naoki Hisaya . Shortly before he wanted to present the first draft of the plot, he remembered always wanting to write a story in which a ghost waits for the protagonist to return. So he discarded some of his previous ideas and quickly knitted a new framework for Ayu together. As a result, Ayu and her storyline became the basis of canon, which caused him some worries in the course of production, in order to be able to link the energetic nature of her with the basic mood. The speech errors only developed in the course of the writing process. Like most other characters, Ayu is characterized by a favorite food - Taiyaki .
Its external appearance was designed by Itaru Hinoue . She had no requirements to meet with the design and called Ayu her favorite canon character, who made her wear a large duffle coat to symbolize her strengths of character. In addition, gloves corresponding to the winter scenario were added, which contrast with their shorts. Itaru got the inspiration for the wings and the angelic appearance at a festival in Osaka . In the creation process, these wings were removed again because it was feared that they would reveal parts of the plot . Nevertheless, in the end, the opinion sat again through the wings attached to the backpack. Another well-known trademark of Ayu is her red headband , which gives Yūichi the last necessary clue to discover her secret.
At first, Yūichi repeatedly meets with Ayu, who rushes at him in the city's shopping streets. They spend a little time together and slowly build a friendship with one another while they are together looking for a lost Ayu. But she can neither remember its appearance nor the place of the loss. Yūichi always gets the feeling that she already knows her. He is also surprised that he does not know the school Ayu supposedly goes to. He finds the fact that Ayu has no relatives even more strange, although she denies this.
When he desperately wants to visit her school, he sets off with Ayu. You run deeper and deeper into the forest and find the stump of a single tree in a clearing. The angel Ayu then breaks down in tears and has to leave him. When looking at the tree, some memories come back and he can also partially remember the young Ayu. So after Ayus disappears, he tries desperately to find an angel figure that he once buried with her. He receives support from Nayuki and Jun until he finally finds the angel. Inspired by this, he can remember the supposed death of Ayu and runs to the clearing in the middle of the night. He is surprised by a snow storm and falls asleep from exhaustion on a forest path.
The next morning he wakes up in the bed of the real Makoto Sawatari who happened to find him. When he recovers and realizes that the two Makotos are very similar, he returns to the clearing again. The re-emerging Ayu expresses the third and final wish that Yūichi should forget her forever. He refuses this, whereupon the angel disappears again. In the spring of next year he and Akiko have a conversation. She now holds him strong enough to endure the truth and shows him the true tragic fate of Ayu. She has been in a coma since her fall seven years ago. Since finding out about this, he and his friends have been visiting her regularly in the hospital. They try to take care of Ayu as best they can until Yūichi can remember his gift, a red headband. He wanted to give this to her when she said goodbye. When he finds him near the tree and you sit down, she wakes up from the coma. Sitting in a wheelchair, still weak, Ayu confesses her love for Yūichi.
Nayuki Minase
- 水 瀬 名 雪 , Minase Nayuki , spoken by Mariko Kōda
Nayuki is Yūichi's cousin , who has been in love with him since childhood. She is all the more disappointed that he cannot remember his past when he once hurt her feelings while standing in shock. Nevertheless, she makes every effort to show him around town and to familiarize him with his new school. Nayuki has to find out again and again how Yūichi breaks even small promises and meets with the other girls.
Besides Shiori, she has the quietest but also the most sleepy character. She needs a whole army of alarm clocks to wake up, which usually does not work completely. She stumbles into the bathroom half asleep and often falls asleep again at the breakfast table. As a result, she is often late and forced to run to school, making her the best runner in school. Even at school, she always falls asleep in the afternoons, despite her efforts to stay awake. She tells much more slowly than the other characters, which further reinforces this tired but comfortable impression. To Yūichi's annoyance, she kept telling us about things that are so obvious that they don't need to be said.
Despite her very adult appearance, she shows her childlike side in her relationship with strawberry ice cream, which she likes most. But she also likes animals and although she is allergic to cats , she cannot stop herself from petting them. With the inclusion of Piro in the family circle, this involuntarily leads to funny situations again and again.
Her mother is seriously injured in a serious car accident and has since been in the hospital's intensive care unit, for which Nayuki blames herself because Akiko was on her behalf. So she spends a long time with Yūichi in the waiting room of the hospital and her usually very friendly, motivating personality gives way to a deep depression. At home she locks herself in her room and soon no longer manages to suppress Yūichi's past deeds and tries to keep him as far away from her as possible. It is now up to Yūichi to free her from this depression again, which he only succeeds after he has regained some of his memories and realizes that he once smashed a gift and ran away without a word. Months later, Akiko fully recovers from her accident and the departing Yūichi leaves a message on Nayuki's talking watch, on which he confesses his love for her.
Makoto Sawatari
- 沢 渡 真 琴 , Sawatari Makoto , voiced by Mayumi Iizuka
Makoto is the rebirth of a small, injured fox that Yūichi had to leave behind ten years before the main story began. In the present she appears as a person behind Yūichi, attacks him and collapses exhausted. He carries her back to his guest apartment, where she comes to and is looked after by Nayumi and Akiko. She suffers from amnesia related to her transformation from a fox to a human and can only remember being angry with Yūichi. Some time later she at least remembers her name, which she borrowed from the secondary character Makoto Sawatari , but mostly speaks of herself in the third person.
Makoto has no experience of people's everyday life and finds it difficult to fit into the social structure of a family. Nevertheless, she repeatedly plays pranks on Yūichi at night, which even awaken Nayuki from her deep sheep. Little by little she gets along better and better with Yūichi and also manages to integrate into the family. When a quarrel about Piro, a small cat she had run into, which she ruthlessly threw off a bridge, escalates, Makoto stays away from the Minases' house. Concerned about Makoto, Yūichi goes in search of her and finally finds her on Monomi Hill together with Piro.
As a result of the exertion, Makoto lies in bed with a high fever. The miracle of the incarnation has the side effect that it loses more and more of its human ego during these bouts of fever. Before long, Makoto can no longer brush his teeth on his own and can no longer handle the chopsticks properly. She loses more and more of her human qualities and falls into the mental state of a toddler. So soon she only gives the sound Aū ( あ う ぅ ) in different variations to express her feelings.
Working together, the Makoto members try to make the remaining time as pleasant as possible. Nevertheless, Makoto only feels really comfortable in the arms of Yūichi and expresses the desire to marry him. Shortly before the end of her existence, Makoto wears two small bells on her wrist. She often plays around with these like a little cat and enjoys the sound of them. However, over time she loses more and more of her cognitive abilities and strength, so that even this she no longer succeeds in the end. When, after another episode of fever, her last day seems to have come, Yūichi takes her to Monomi Hill , where he will marry her in an impromptu wedding. In contrast to the legends, Makoto does not turn into a full-fledged person, but falls asleep in his arms - before she disappears.
Shiori Misaka
- 美 坂 栞 , Misaka Shiori , voiced by Hiroko Konishi (DC and PS2 game), Akemi Satō (anime, PSP game)
Shiori has had a weak body since she was born and is therefore very susceptible to diseases. She has a very calm, quiet voice and is the only female main character that Yūichi has not met in his past. Despite her calm demeanor, she is very skilled in her argumentation and tries to propagate a feeling of strength through ironic allusions. Although she is a first-year student, she has not attended school since the first grade in upper school.
During class, she is noticed by Yūichi in the backyard of the school. Shiori hides her illness from him and presents it as a long-lasting cold. Since then, she has met with Yūichi almost regularly, but after short conversations he has repeatedly sent her home to cure herself. In the conversations she tells him about her love for acting and constantly invents new reasons and excuses to escape from reality.
She largely ignores the situation that her sister Kaori Misaka denies her existence and her life is in acute danger. However, Yūichi learns of the prognosis of the doctors, who only give Shiori hope of seeing her next birthday. He decides to reconcile the two sisters at an early celebration. On this Kaori succeeds in overcoming the barrier built up to Shiori and no longer denying it. On the same day, after a kiss, Yūichi and the hospitalized Shiori parted ways. After a long stay and in the company of her sister, she is finally healed as if by a miracle.
Mai Kawasumi
- 川 澄 舞 , Kawasumi Mai , voiced by Yukari Tamura
Mai is a classmate of Yūichi who is already in her third year, the senior year of high school. She has magical tears that can cure deadly diseases. However, she does not use them because she was despised for it in her past. She spends the nights in the hallways of the school, armed with a sword, waiting for demons to appear . Her best friend is Sayuri Kurata, with whom she spends most of the time at school. Nevertheless, she does not reveal anything to Sayuri about her nightly stay. In general, she is extremely introverted and can hardly be persuaded to say a word. Their communication is mostly limited to very short and indifferent answers.
When Yūichi forgets Nayuki's school records at school, he has to fetch them in the middle of the night. In the school hallway, he meets Mai, who arouses Yūichi's interest with her unusual appearance. In the next few days he meets with Mai and her friend more often. At night the hungry Mai brings food over in the hope of engaging them in conversation. Again and again he watches her on the hunt for the demons, which are initially invisible to him. They gradually get closer in the nightly conversations, even if Mai remains taciturn and does not let go of her sword even during meals. Since Mai hardly speaks, he tries again and again to lure her out of the reserve with targeted provocations, so that she has to answer at least "yes" or "no".
Mai's reputation at school hits rock bottom when she once again destroys school windows while hunting. Yūichi invites her to a school ball, where she ensures respectful recognition through her dancing talent. Suddenly, however, the demons appear during the event and attack the guests. But they are only properly perceived by Mai and Yūichi. During the argument, her friend Sayuri is injured by one of the demons and in the eyes of those present, Mai seems to be dismantling the furniture until she finally succeeds in killing the demons. When she is about to be thrown from school for good, Yūichi's friend Jun Kitagawa, one of the organizers of the ball, succeeds in interpreting the action as part of the event.
Although they believed to have defeated the last of the demons, Yūichi is attacked again by a demon. In this argument, he realizes that they are a side effect of Mai's own supernatural powers. The moment he tries to explain it to her, Mai can no longer withstand the pressure and stabs himself to death. While she is dying, part of her strength materializes in the form of the young Mai, to whom he assures that he will never be alone again will leave behind. Mai saves herself with the help of her own abilities and regains her belief that she can live in harmony with this power. Mai then has to spend some time in the hospital, where she shares a room with her friend Sayuri. In the spring of next year, Mai and Sayuri will graduate together.
Supporting characters
Akiko Minase
- 水 瀬 秋 子 , Minase Akiko , spoken by Yūko Minaguchi
Akiko is the mother of Nayuki and Yūichi's maternal aunt and plays an important role in her plot because she is the only person she can relate to to her fatherless daughter. She has an undisclosed job and takes care of the Minases' house. In addition to preparing all kinds of food, she is known for her special homemade jam, which she offers to every guest. But she is also the only person who finds this jam edible. To outsiders, she makes a very carefree impression, cannot refuse a request and makes important decisions within a second. So she takes Ayu and Makoto into the household without further inquiry and leaves a familiar impression in dealing with supernatural phenomena. Always smiling, she generously overlooks the mistakes of others and seems to know neither anger nor anger.
Kaori Misaka
- 美 坂 香 里 , Misaka Kaori , spoken by Ayako Kawasumi
Kaori is Shiori's sister and, together with Nayuki and Jun, attends the same class that Yūichi later joins. She is described as very smart and, as the class representative, knows her way around the school and with the residents of the city. She often shows her cool side to Jun, who is in love with her, and uses him again and again as a "carrier" for her things. At first she had a very close relationship with her sister, but she cannot handle the thought that Shiori might soon die. She has been fleeing this nightmare since the third year of school and denies the existence of her sister in the hope that it will make it easier for her to say goodbye. Nevertheless, she often stands at the school window during breaks and watches Shiori. But she lacks the courage to face her sister. Only at a celebration initiated by Yūichi shortly before Shiori's possible death does she manage to overcome the barrier that had built up. Since then, the relationship between the siblings has normalized.
Sayuri Kurata
- 倉田 佐祐 理 , Kurata Sayuri , voiced by Tomoko Kawakami
Sayuri is Mai's only friend and the daughter of a wealthy family. She always tries to be friendly and helpful and often uses very formal but polite language. Her friend always tries to support her and completely ignores the demons that emanate from Mai.
Although Sayuri is a supporting character, the plot goes deeper into her backstory and the beginning of her friendship with Mai. It tells of the strict upbringing by her father and the birth of her younger brother Kazuya. But also how she made up her mind to be just as strict with her brother as her father was with her. However, Kazuya developed very slowly and could not speak any words even in kindergarten. Little support from Sayuri and almost never smiling, he fell ill. Shortly before his death, she understood her mistake and began to play with him for the first time in her life. Since his death she has spoken of herself in the third person.
After she was seriously injured by one of the demons in the plot section of Mai, there are various alternative endings in the game that are related to Sayuri. So there is an end where she fights a food fight with Mai and Yūichi and she puts off her artificial smile.
Mishio Amano
- 天野 美 汐 , Amano Mishio , spoken by Maaya Sakamoto
She appears mainly within Makoto's story arc and is an initially mysterious student whom Yūichi observes more closely. Amano had previously witnessed the rebirth of a kitsune and witnessed its tragic end. Since then, she has shown little external emotion. When Makoto's condition worsened for the first time, Yūichi warned against Makoto without going into the background. But since she already has experience in dealing with the kitsune, she can directly differentiate between supernatural beings and humans and her Makoto succeeds in keeping alive longer through targeted inquiries in which parts of Makoto's fresh memories return. Nevertheless, she advises him to slowly but surely say goodbye to Makoto, as a bad ending is inevitable.
Jun Kitagawa
- 北 川 潤 , Kitagawa Jun , voiced by Tomokazu Seki
He is one of the few male characters in Canon who becomes a good friend of Yūichi. Together they often crack strangely exaggerated jokes, such as that they wear the same clothes every day, which is logically always the case because of the school uniforms. He appears again and again in smaller supporting roles and is hopelessly in love with Kaori Misaka, who ignores his feelings and assigns him to the "bearer" of her things. As a friend, he stands by Yūichi and is also happy to take the blame if one of Yūichi's friends gets into trouble.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Canon. Key , accessed August 14, 2008 (Japanese).
- ↑ a b Kadokawa Shoten (Ed.): Kanon the animation - Dream Days . 2002, ISBN 4-04-853522-6 .