WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Horimiya Season 1, now streaming on Funimation.
Though Horimiya centers around the burgeoning relationship between its co-protagonists Kyoko Hori and Izumi Miyamura, they have a strong and growing support cast of friends and family surrounding them. Each of these characters has his or her own unique personality, challenges and inner struggles.
The overarching message in Season 1 is that there's more to every character than initially appears on the surface. Confidence can mask insecurity while buffoonery can mask fierce loyalty and unbending friendship. Here's a guide to all the major players introduced, as of Episode 8.
Kyoko's fun-loving, adventurous little brother takes an immediate liking to Miyamura. While Kyoko runs the home, Sota usually follows her instructions and does his homework but also loves drawing and watching TV. He accidentally sent his sister's stress rate into overdrive when telling her that he saw Miyamura getting close to another girl, but it was an honest misunderstanding.
Though he enjoys Miyamura's regular presence at the Hori household, Sota loves his big sister dearly and worries about losing her someday. Kyoko made it clear that Sota will never lose his loving family.
Kyosuke and Yuriko are Kyoko and Sota's often-absent workaholic parents, though both have spent more time at home in recent episodes. Kyosuke's job is currently unknown but his off-the-cuff personality, comedic gags and scruffy appearance make for a fun dynamic -- especially when he teases Miyamura and puts him in awkward spots. Though he's well-meaning, he often comes off more like a child than a parent.
Yuriko also works for long periods but makes a stark contrast to her husband as a soft-spoken, polite and kindhearted motherly figure. She loves Miyamura and is extremely grateful that he helps Kyoko and looks after Sota.
Kyoko's best friend and closest confidant, Yuki is a cheerful bundle of energy and often a loving goofball on the surface. She's also exceptionally observant of her friends and looks for subtle ways to help them out, whether it's changing the topic of conversation, listening or making a joke.
Recently, however, she's enduring her own inner struggles. She increasingly appears to have romantic feelings for her close friend Toru Ishikawa and is secretly downhearted at seeing him grow closer to another girl. But nothing ever stops Yuki from being a loyal and benevolent friend.
Toru is a longtime friend of Kyoko and Yuki and has also become good friends with Miyamura. Much more complex than he appears, Toru struggles after being romantically rejected by Kyoko and then watching her bond with Miyamura become a committed relationship. But like Yuki, he's a loving and accepting friend who is always there for others when needed.
Though he doesn't realize it yet, he's becoming the center of two girls' affections: Yuki and Sakura Kono. He's often on the end of hilarious comedic gags but is also temperamental at times and will face some difficult choices of his own very soon.
A member of the Student Council at school, Sakura is deeply shy and introverted but possesses a kind heart and has developed feelings for Toru. She suffers from inner doubts about her appearance and avoided talking to Toru for a long time, but an accident brought the two of them together and they've since become friends.
Sakura's best friend is Remi Ayasaki, also of the Student Council. The two girls' personalities are polar opposites in many ways but they share a loving bond and are always there for each other. Sakura also enjoys talking to Yuki, though an awkward conflict may arise if Sakura finds out they share the same crush.
The outgoing and often immature Remi is Sakura's best friend and is in a relationship with Student Council President Kakeru Sengoku. She's hilariously hapless when it comes to Student Council work -- which led to a violent moment between the President and Miyamura -- but deep down she's a passionately loyal and kindhearted friend.
Her teasing goes too far at times, such as when she angers Kyoko by asking her permission to date Miyamura. But Remi is also observant of her surroundings and emotionally supportive of Sakura and Kakeru as they both endure self-confidence issues.
The first friend Miyamura made in junior high and an important cornerstone of his story. Koichi Shindo is jovial, often silly and prone to occasional hijinks, but he has a kind heart and never judges others before getting to know them. As a mostly silent young boy, Miyamura was judged as a freak by his classmates and didn't talk to anyone. Koichi took it upon himself to reach out to Miyamura and despite being different in many ways, the two formed a bond that remains as strong as ever today. He drives Miyamura up the wall at times, but it's always in good fun.
The Student Council President and boyfriend of Remi Ayasaki, Kakeru had a rough intro to the series: He wrongly blamed Hori for a mistake Remi had made and was subsequently headbutted by Miyamura, but he's since become more integrated with the rest of the gang.
Kakeru initially comes off as pompous and too quick to judge, but Episode 8 reveals another side of him that dislikes confrontation or attention and is even somewhat cowardly -- especially when insects are involved. Though he and Remi are very different personalities, their mutual affection and chemistry are clear to see.
An underclassman at school, Honoka stalks Miyamura and demands to know when he's going to break up with Kyoko. Turns out she has a huge crush on Kyoko and wants to go out with her, so she follows Miyamura everywhere and annoys him frequently.
However, the two strike up a surprise connection when they find out they are neighbors and Miyamura invites Honoka over for cake one day. It's revealed she had an older brother whom she idolized, but he passed away of unknown causes a year ago. With Miyamura's penchant for taking care of others, their relationship is morphing into a big brother/little sister dynamic.
The soft-spoken Akane Yanagi is in love with Yuki and plucks up the courage to ask her out. His extremely good looks -- which even leave Miyamura and Toru somewhat lovestruck -- belie a humble and gentle demeanor. Yuki, however, doesn't reciprocate his feelings. So Toru pretends to be Yuki's boyfriend so she doesn't have to reject Akane outright.
Akane seems perfect on the surface but has one serious flaw: terrible eyesight. The poor guy bumps into walls and even mistakes statues for real people. But aside from the two protagonists, Akane is the one other character who has full clarity on his feelings and knows what he wants.
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