Best Your Lie in April Characters That You Should Know Ranked

You must be familiar with this tearjerker anime that has got its popularity since it was first aired. Your Lie in April is a romantic drama manga series written and illustrated by Naoshi Arakawa. It has been adapted in to an anime television series and multiple stage productions. The manga itself was serialized in Kondansha's shonen manga magazine: Monthly Shonen Magazine from 2011 to 2015.

On 2014, an anime television series adaptation was made by A-1 Pictures on Fuji TV's Noitamina block and an original video animation episode was released in May 2015. Not stopping there, a live-action movie adaptation was also released in September 2016, and the stage play of the manga will premiere hopefully in May 2022.

The manga itself received mixed reviews, with several critics praising the plot and characters. Meanwhile, the anime adaptation was largely acclaimed by critics for its plot, animation, and soundtracks.

Your Lie in April Story Plot

A fourteen year old piano prodigy, Kosei Arima, becomes a famous child musician after winning several music competitions. After his mother's death, he has a mental breakdown while performing at a piano recital, which results him in no longer being able to hear the sound of his own piano even though his hearing overall is fine.

After two years that Kosei has not touched the piano ever again and also does he not focus on any activities, he spent most of his time with his two friends: Tsubaki Sawabe and Ryota Watari. Later on, he met a free-spirited violinist, Kaori Miyazono, whose playing style reflects her carefree personality. Kaori then helps Kosei return to performing the piano and shows him that his style of playing the piano can be free and groundbreaking.

Even though there are obviously enough main characters to love, there are several other characters that we think you might love in the series.

10 Best Your Lie in April Characters Ranked

Here are the list of the best characters in Your Lie in April that you might love, starting from both of our main characters. Keep in mind there are some spoilers ahead. 

10. Watari Ryota

Watari is the player character of the show. He is the best friend of Tsubaki and Kosei as he tags along the two on the series. Although he is being used by Kaori to fulfill her greater ambition, he presents a very important message to us all. Many of the characters in the series have a tragic backgrounds, and Watari is one of the normal ones.

Many at times, we imagine that we are the hero of the story and we have to carry great burdens on our shoulders. But, that is not usually true. We are just an average human being with a very normal everyday problems. Watari provides support to his friends and lives each of his day with enthusiasm and grieves when tragedy kicks in. Watari is telling us that being normal is completely okay.

9. Saitou

Many of you might not remember Saitou at all. Saitou is the guy that Tsubaki dates on the majority of the series. She confesses to him as they started dating. However, Tsubaki is actually in love with Kosei.

Saitou is one of the first characters to learn the major theme of the series: letting go. He recognizes Tsubaki's real feelings, and breaks up with her not out of love, but out of care. Rather than continuing the relationship for attachment, he lets her go so that she can pursue her true love.

8. Nagi Aiza

Nagi is the younger sister of Takeshi Aiza. She initially despises Kosei because of her natural loyalty to her brother. As the story goes on, Kosei becomes her tutor and Nagi seemed to be unhappy about it. She constantly protested over her musical arrangement to Kosei.

Time after time, she gets closer to Kosei, even though she's still nervous about performing for her schoolmates. However, when it's her performance time, she puts down all the nerves and performs with all her heart. She presents a message of growth, and her natural character shows us that anyone can be a better person every single day.

7. Tsubaki Sawabe

Tsubaki is one of the support characters in the series and also one of the best Your Lie in April characters. She has been best friends with Kosei since they were young. She has seen his rise and fall as a musician and stayed with him every step of the way. Tsubaki also has a crush on Kosei but she seemed to deny that it's real. Because of this, she is hesitating whether to let Kosei play music once again or not, since she fears that music will take Kosei away from her.

But what we can learn from Tsubaki is that she let Kosei go so that he can pursue his own happiness. Even so, she still remains as his best friend and doesn't go all salty about his decisions at all.

Sometimes, letting go is not just about our happiness, but about our loved one's as well.

6. Emi Igawa

Emi has similar roots to Takeshi when it comes to Kosei. She saw a performance of Kosei while she's younger and gets inspired by the performance. However, Takeshi sees Kosei as a rival, meanwhile Emi sees him as an ideal. She saw the pureness and passion of Kosei's performances and Emi becomes troubled to see Kosei's later performances becomes dull and monotonous.

She spends time trying to push Kosei further in order to see Kosei on stage once again. Her insight to Kosei seems to be unique and different from any other characters. Emi shows us that sometimes different perspective is important when evaluating our lives.

5. Takeshi Aiza

Just like Kosei, Takeshi has been playing the piano from a young age and practices every day. He was inspired easly on the methodical and masterful performances that Kosei puts on and Takeshi dreams of surpassing Kosei. Then, this dream gets crushed as Kosei faces his tragedy and quits the piano.

While the viewers knew the reason why Kosei lost his inspiration, Takeshi doesn't. But, despite that, he continues to practice constantly to pursue his role model, even though Kosei is basically no longer present. His dedication is a testament to anyone, and should be followed.

4. Saki Arima

Even though so many viewers might hate the mother of Kosei Arima for being the reason Kosei lost his ability to hear his own piano because she often portrayed pushing Kosei harder and harder to the point where she abused Kosei sometimes, she actually has good intentions on doing so.

When she learned that Kosei has talent in playing the piano, she pushes him to become the best because Saki wants Kosei to be able to make a living once she's gone. This also being said that her desperation also brought on by her terminal illness that causes her to act more and more enraged. Saki shoes us what kind of lengths a mother will go to protect her children, even if it means to harm them as the result.

3. Hiroko Seto

Hiroko is the piano teacher of Kosei and she was initially the one who introduced Kosei to the joy of playing the instrument. The first time she discovers Kosei's natural talent, she encourages him and his mother to be tutored by her. At first, it all goes well, before Kosei's mother's death.

With Kosei falling into depression, Hiroko felt guilty. She constantly has a second thought about her decision to bring Kosei to the world of music. Despite that, she's still walking forward and does her best to take care of her daughter and Kosei at the same time.

It is understandable for anyone to give up when facing these kind of situation, but Hiroko didn't.

2. Kosei Arima

Kosei is the main character of the series since the series' story revolves around him. After his mother's death, his ability to hear the piano goes along with her. For years, he has lived under the pain of depression at his inability to pursue the dream that he once held a great passion for. As he met Kaori, he learns to accept that the thing that holds him back is not his mother's death, but his own fear.

When he faced his fear by the end, he can play a beautiful song. It is said that courage is not being fearless, but having fear and carrying it on under any circumstances, and Kosei projects that courage.

1. Kaori Miyazono

Kaori is a violinist that was also inspired by Kosei when she was younger. Originally, she was a pianist. But, after seeing Kosei's performance, she dropped the piano to play the violin because she has been dreaming of playing alongside Kosei on stage.

However, she is hindered by an illness that slowly deteriorates her health that causes her to constantly revisit the hospital. At some point, she learns that she might die anytime from her illness. Yet, she doesn't give up. She starts to live each day like it's her last, dresses how she wants and do anything in her power to make Kosei face the music one more time.

From Kaori, we can learn to live our days like it's our last. It is very easy for any of us to break into an accident or a sudden illness. So, like Kaori said:

“We should live our lives to the fullest. You never know, we may be dead by tomorrow.”