Azusa Nakano

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Azusa Nakano is one of the main characters from the K-On! anime and manga.

The Light Music Club's first new member after Yui, who joins in her freshman year (with the rest in their second year). She's also the secondary guitarist. Originally starting out as a very firm and demanding member, not tolerating the club's lackidasical attitude, their propensity for social eating and slacking off eventually rub off onto her and she eases up. Still, she's a committed musician, being born and bred to musically inclined parents, and often becomes the one who needs to keep the club on task besides Mio.

In the AWA fics, Azusa is a student at the AWA Academy and is part of Class 10.

In the XP4 fics, Azusa debuted in the XP4 Heroes Coalition - Welcome to Herowood.

Appearance

Azusa has long, straight, and seemingly thin black hair, which she wears in pigtails, and brown eyes that have a red-orange tint. Compared to Mio's black hair color, Azusa's hair looks purple-tinted in the anime. She is the shortest member of the group. Azusa's skin is a similar shade to those of the other girls, but she's sensitive to sunlight and tans easily even with heaps of sunscreen on.

Azusa wears a school uniform. The Sakuragaoka uniform consists of a navy blue blazer, a solid white buttoned shirt (under the blazer), a colored ribbon (different colors for different student years, Azusa's year is red), a light steel blue skirt, stockings or socks (Azusa's are black), and maroon shoes.

Personality

Azusa is a self-proclaimed novice guitarist who has been playing the guitar since she was in fourth grade because her parents play in a jazz band. Despite her low self-esteem and modest attitude, she is extremely talented and superior to her senior, Yui Hirasawa(who also plays guitar), in many ways.

Since she expected the Light Music Club to be a serious club with ambitious members, she is often disappointed by the laziness around her. Shortly after joining, her disappointment made her go as far as having a rage attack during a club meeting and considering leaving the club to join other bands. However, encouragement from her senior, Mio Akiyama, removed her last doubts and she joined the club for real, although she still often nags about the club's lack of activities. When doing so, she can be quite cynical and judgmental.

Over time, she slowly became used to the club's slow pace and often gets teased because of it. She has a certain weakness for sweets and can be calmed down rather easily, sometimes just from being petted. Every now and then, she is shocked about how quick she got used to the club's laziness and tries to change it.

Azusa is easily overwhelmed by good musical performances, seen when she watches the Light Music Club's concert or Sawako Yamanaka's performance speechlessly. She also gets a tan very easily, seen twice during a trip to the beach and also once during a music festival (even after applying sunscreen). The manga shows that she tans in mere seconds. She often suffers from this, like not being able to take a bath due to the sunburn, not being recognized by friends due to her drastic change in appearance or needing to hide the tan lines by wearing a longer skirt at school. Azusa is in some ways similar to Mio. Both can get embarrassed and shy (like when Sawako brings in new costumes) and mostly, they are the only ones who are assiduous and anxious to move the band to practice.

Azusa is also very smart and structured. She once created a strict daily plan for Yui to study for finals and also organized the band's graduation trip to London. She told Mio once that she loves planning things.

Although she mostly appears to be calm, she also has a eruptive nature and is easily snapped when someone makes fun of her. She can also be pretty stubborn to show no weaknesses. By the time she became the president of the Light Music Club, she also became rather bold, especially against the supervisor Sawako.

Azusa is often hugged or otherwise physically contacted by Yui (and less often, Ritsu), who considers Azusa cute due to her small size. Yui gave Azusa the nickname "Azu-nyan" after Sawako made Azusa put on cat ears.

Azusa can't stand being lonely. At the graduation of the original club members, she begged them under tears to not graduate before her since she didn't want to be lonely, despite knowing her request was selfish and immature.

Azusa has a very thoughtful side and often worries with herself being capable of being good enough at the guitar or being a good president for the Light Music Club. However, she does not let her personal worries bother her in times where her leadership is needed and she does all in her might to help her friends out, so in the end, she quickly became just the kind of president her underclassmen needed.

The anime shows that Azusa is very fond of animals, yet she is distanced or even nervous in front of them at first.

Azusa can be considered to be a tsundere since she tries to hide her feelings for Yui with harshness and easily gets embarrassed when she is petted, hugged or otherwise teased by her.

Also, while nowhere as strong as Mugi, Azusa still possesses remarkable physical strength for her size, being able to drag a crying and screaming Yui (6 centimeters taller and 4 kilograms heavier than she is) behind her back to study for her remedial-exams with one hand.

XP4 Fanfics

Azusa is part of the Heroes Coalitions as a trainee. She also attends the Vanguard Academy as a student.

XP4 Heroes Coalition - Welcome to Herowood

In Chapter 1, Azusa, alongside everyone, arrives at the RoosterTeeth Hotel in Herowood. She, alongside Mio Akiyama, Ritsu Tainaka, Tsumugi Kotobuki and Yui Hirasawa, met up with New Day Jose and Regan Bladeworks and later witnessed the confrontation between Yui and Robin Rose but are shocked when the two kissed and revealed themselves to be a couple.

In Chapter 12, Azusa is amongst the performers in the Royal Musical Gala at the Majestic Dome of Herowood.

XP4 Heroes Coalition - Neo-City Diaries

In Chapter 61, Azusa is amongst the students present inside the music room of the Vanguard Academy.

XP4 Heroes Coalition - Date A Live

In the Epilogue, Azusa is amongst the students present inside the Vanguard Academy.

DreamTheater Intermix: The World Within

Azusa is a student in the City Saints Academy.

Biography

In Chapter 14, Azusa, alongside Ushio Makunouchi, Coco Kiryu, Mio Akiyama, Ritsu Tainaka, Tsumugi Kotobuki and Yui Hirasawa, are seen inside a bus while waiting to stop at their destination while being creeped out at the same time by the Bus Driver. After the Bus Driver drops them off in front of the City Saints Academy's surface appearance, they came across Sunset Shimmer whom proceeds to explain everything. After getting themselves registered, they entered the building and are greeted by the sight of the school's true appearance, much to their awe and shock.

In Chapter 15, Azusa, alongside Ushio Makunouchi, Coco Kiryu, Mio Akiyama, Ritsu Tainaka, Tsumugi Kotobuki and Yui Hirasawa, are seen being shown around the City Saint's Academy by Sunset Shimmer while coming across Dan Mandel and Chris Pearson along the way. Later, Azusa and the girls then came across Dash Baxter, Chicken, Kwan Phan, Rudolph "Lightning" Jackson, Scott Wallis and Gary Smith and the boys tried to flirt with the new girls, she then witnessed Ushio, Coco and Ritsu attacking the boys.

In Chapter 16, Azusa, alongside Mio Akiyama, Sunset Shimmer, Tsumugi Kotobuki and Yui Hirasawa, watches Coco Kiryu, Ritsu Tainaka & Ushio Makunouchi beats up Dash Baxter, Chicken, Kwan Phan, Rudolph "Lightning" Jackson, Scott Wallis & Gary Smith when Edd Gould, Tom Ridgewell, Matt Hargreaves, Tenma Daytona Romeoford, Eddward "Edd & Double D" Marion Vicente, Edwin "Ed" Horace Hall, Rolf Von Olsson, Sally Bollywood, Doowee McAdam, Shizuka Kasagi, Eddy Skipper McGee & Cody Emmett Jameson Anderson arrives and after Dash & his goons ran off when they saw Eddy, everyone made their way towards the Sugarcube Corner while getting to know each other at the same time. Upon arriving at the cafe, they saw Dan Mandel, Chris Pearson & Pinkie Pie having a conversation at the counter and they were later shocked when it was revealed that Dan and Eddy are cousins.

In Chapter 17, Azusa is present inside the Sugarcube Corner where she witnessed Eddy Skipper McGee and Dan Mandel beating-up each other alongside the two knocking out Tenma Daytona Romeoford. After Pinkie Pie stopped them with Dan & Chris Pearson leaving the cafe, Azusa and the rest got themselves some cupcakes and went separate ways. After their tour concluded, Azusa and the rest settled themselves inside the Corona House.

In Chapter 21, Azusa, alongside Mio Akiyama, Ritsu Tainaka, Tsumugi Kotobuki and Yui Hirasawa, are seen joining Doowee McAdam, Eddward "Edd & Double D" Marion Vicente, Edwin "Ed" Horace Hall, Rolf Von Olsson and Sally Bollywood at their table inside the cafeteria of the Corona House. Later, they witnessed Yui Yuigahama leaving the place after realizing that she was assigned to guide the new students, much to their concern and confusion.

In Chapter 22, Azusa, alongside Mio Akiyama, Ritsu Tainaka, Tsumugi Kotobuki and Yui Hirasawa, were mentioned to have remained in the cafeteria after Doowee McAdam, Eddward "Edd & Double D" Marion Vicente, Edwin "Ed" Horace Hall, Rolf Von Olsson and Sally Bollywood left. Azusa and the girls later met up Ushio Makunouchi and Coco Kiryu when they left the cafeteria.

In Chapter 25, Azusa, alongside Mio Akiyama, Ritsu Tainaka, Tsumugi Kotobuki and Yui Hirasawa, ran out of the Corona House and made their way towards the location of a live event in hope of getting to the front rows.

In Chapter 26, Azusa is referred to by Hidenori Tabata.

Trivia

• In the AWA fics, Azusa has a crush on Flash Sentry and late became his girlfriend.
• In the AWA fics, Azusa is cousins with Ichika Nakano, Nino Nakano, Miku Nakano, Yotsuba Nakano and Itsuki Nakano from The Quintessential Quintuplets.
• Her guitar is a Fender Japan '69 Reissue Mustang in Candy Apple Red, specifically the version with matching headstock color; the matching headstock color is a trait exclusive to this particular model, only made by Fender Japan. After Yui named both her own and Mio's guitars, Azusa named her own Muttan, (taking the first syllable, like Ritsu/Ri-chan; "-tan" being an alternate of "-chan") as Muttan sounds like "Mustang".  She does not have the Tremolo Arm (commonly known as a Whammy Bar) installed, though it comes standard with the guitar.
• Her surname is taken from former P-Model keyboardist/programmer Teruo Nakano
• The kanji of her given name, when read "azusa" as in her name, refers to either of two tree species: the Japanese cherry birch and the yellow catalpa.
• The other girls sometimes comment on how much Azusa and Mio resemble each other (especially during the few occasions when their hair is styled the same way) to the point where they could pass for sisters.
• Both Ui and Jun mistake Azusa for a stranger when they see her tanned for the first time. This happens twice with Ui, despite the fact that she was visiting Azusa at home and had seen the tan once before.
• Though she claims to dislike being treated like a cat or a child, Azusa's behavior is often considered cute by the other girls (and indeed by many fans of the series) and this causes the other girls to treat her that way. Examples of her "cute behavior" include pouting when no one is willing to practice, and meowing like a cat when startled or sad, and forgetting she had animal ears on overnight.
• Her parents used to be in a jazz band, and this musical influence encouraged her to become a musician herself.
• Jun and Ui have described her as an anime figurine on at least two occasions.

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