Revue Starlight

An elite academy known for its long history of participating in stage performances, as well as a respected institution.

Karen Aijō (愛城 華恋, Aijō Karen)

Voiced by: Momoyo Koyama[1] (Japanese); Brittney Karbowski[5] (English)

The main protagonist of the series, who made a promise to Hikari twelve years ago that they will stand on the "Revue Starlight" stage; one that she never forgot. She is energetic and loud-mouthed, but very friendly. She always loved the theater after seeing that performance with Hikari and works hard to make her dream come true. She doesn't like mornings, but enjoys practice at daytime. In the Revue Starlight auditions, she uses a cutlass.

Hikari Kagura (神楽 ひかり, Kagura Hikari)

Voiced by: Suzuko Mimori[1] (Japanese); Patricia Duran[5] (English)

Karen's childhood friend who was also amazed by Revue Starlight. After losing some of her brilliance as a result of losing the Revue auditions in England, she transfers to Seisho Academy to get a second chance in the Japanese auditions, later making a promise to Karen that one day they will stand on the stage. While she is very calm and mature for her age, she remains concerned for Karen's participation in the auditions. However, she is extremely terrible in studying, and doesn't know how to cook. She fights using a rope dagger, which was originally a sword before she lost the England auditions.

Maya Tendō (天堂 真矢, Tendō Maya)

Voiced by: Maho Tomita[1] (Japanese); Olivia Swasey[5] (English)

A hardworking and talented stage actress who is top of the class. Born to a prima donna mother and stage actor father, she has spent most of her life on stage. She has a reserved personality, but gets along with the others well. She has a great respect for those who work hard and wish to be the best, the most notable person being Claudine. Due to this they have developed a rivalry with each other. She is often called "Maya-sama" by the others due to her position as the top of the class and her amazing abilities. She fights using a long rapier.

Claudine Saijō (西條クロディーヌ, Saijō Kurodīnu)

Voiced by: Aina Aiba[1] (Japanese); Christina Kelly[5] (English)

Born from a Japanese father and French mother, she is a talented girl who has been acting since her childhood. Originally believing to be the best actor, she transfers to Seisho Academy expecting to be the "ace" of the class. She realizes how limited her skills are after meeting Maya whose skills exceed her own. Wishing to surpass Maya and become the top of the class, she develops a rivalry with her. She fights using a longsword.

Mahiru Tsuyuzaki (露崎 まひる, Tsuyuzaki Mahiru)

Voiced by: Haruki Iwata[1] (Japanese); Maggie Flecknoe[5] (English)

Karen's best friend and roommate who is very shy despite her great talent. Throughout her childhood, Mahiru was praised for her talent on the stage and with a baton, winning many awards. However, after transferring to Seisho Academy, she realizes how inferior she is compared to others and began relying on Karen as support. She began gaining her independence after battling Karen, realizing she can shine on her own. Despite this, she is always admiring Karen and dreams to become her stage partner, becoming jealous towards Hikari due to them being childhood friends. She fights using a mace.

Junna Hoshimi (星見 純那, Hoshimi Junna)

Voiced by: Hinata Satō[1] (Japanese); Shannon Emerick[5] (English)

An honor student with high academic scores who is also the class representative. She chose to be a stage actress against her parents' wishes. Due to her inexperience on the stage, she fears that she will fall behind the others in the class and works extra hard in improving her performance. She sometimes overthinks despite having good judgement. She fights using a bow and arrow.

Nana Daiba (大場 なな, Daiba Nana)

Voiced by: Moeka Koizumi[1] (Japanese); Luci Christian[5] (English)

Junna's best friend who is also a mother figure towards the girls although she is the same age as Claudine and Maya. She is not only talented at music and dance, but also production as well. She is nicknamed "Banana" due to her name, her distinctive hairstyle and her habit of eating banana. It is revealed that she has previously won the Revue auditions, using her privilege as Top Star to go back in time and reexperience the 99th Seisho Festival's production of Starlight countless times. She fights using a katana and a wakizashi.

Futaba Isurugi (石動 双葉, Isurugi Futaba)

Voiced by: Teru Ikuta[1] (Japanese); Chelsea McCurdy[5] (English)

A kind- hearted and strong combatant despite her short stature and sharp tongue. She is Kaoruko's childhood friend, who is dubbed her "Number 1 fan" by Kaoruko. She has always been supporting Kaoruko and originally transferred to Seisho Academy to be with her despite her lack of knowledge in theater. Her ambition has grown exponentially from then as she wishes to have the lead role like the others in her class. She is roommates with Kaoruko and often takes her to school on her motorcycle. She fights using a halberd.

Kaoruko Hanayagi (花柳 香子, Hanayagi Kaoruko)

Voiced by: Ayasa Itō[1] (Japanese); Savanna Menzel[5] (English)

Futaba's childhood friend from Kyoto who was born into a privileged family. As the granddaughter of a Japanese dance master, she is a high-class lady who had fame as a child. She was always told to practice and act a certain way which caused her to turn to Futaba for fun and support. This caused Kaoruko to grow reliant on Futaba, whom she forced to transfer to Seisho Academy with her. Despite her elegance, she is very calculating. She fights using a naginata.

A school which used to be one of top best, but now is on the verge of complete decline. A group of stage girls there have decided to fight and prevents it from final closure and regains back its position.

Tamao Tomoe (巴 珠緒, Tomoe Tamao)

Voiced by: Tomori Kusunoki

Kaoruko's another childhood friend alongside Futaba and the head of Performance Department at the school. She holds a unique fondness for the school as her grandmother and mother both graduated from here. With the Performance Department facing closure due to its decline in performance, lack of success and decrease of membership, she strives to fight for its survival and prevents it from being closed. She has a weakness, however, and only Kaoruko can see it. She fights using a tachi.

Rui Akikaze (秋風 塁, Akikaze Rui)

Voiced by: Risa Tsumugi

She's a year younger than Tamao, but studies together with her since junior high. A kendo practitioner, she is very well excelled. Despite this, she has a stage fright. She has a friend, Yuyuko, whom she will call her "Yukko" instead. She's obsessed with anything of Tamao and is always afraid of losing Tamao. She fights using an odachi.

Ichie Otonashi (音無 いちえ, Otonashi Ichie)

Voiced by: Azumi Waki

Although her surname means "silent", she's actually a frequent troublemaker with a rioting energy. She isn't a deep thinker but has a straight-thinking and while is clumsy, she is willing to work and transform her to be a better stage girl. She has once aspired to be a singer during junior high. She's very close to Fumi. She fights using a Japanese war fan.

Yuyuko Tanaka (田中 ゆゆ子, Tanaka Yuyuko)

Voiced by: Iori Saeki

A frequent sleeper who even brings a pillow to the class, however in spite of her sleeping hobby, she is actually a very educated and smart person. However, she doesn't like showing it directly and always works hard in secret. She has a dog named Momoko. She dreams to become a rakugo storyteller. She fights using kunai.

Fumi Yumeōji (夢大 路文, Yumeōji Fumi)

Voiced by: Reo Kurachi

A student who transfers from Siegfeld to Rinmeikan to escape the unknown trauma of the past. Fumi is a serious, strong-headed and determined person, owning by her previous trait in Siegfeld. Ichie has a fondness to her, but Fumi doesn't like it. Initially, she refuses to participate, but Tamao's kindness and her determination influences her to return to the stage. She works as a part-time waitress in a coffee shop and is obsessed with ponzu. She has a younger sister, Shiori, whom she is fond of. However, mysterious circumstances caused her to eventually distance herself from her. Later on, it is revealed that she gradually became arrogant in her abilities during her time in Siegfeld and became insecure when it was clear that Shiori had the ability to surpass her talents. The guilt of resenting Shiori for it caused her to drop out and transfer to Rinmeikan. She fights using a swordbreaker.

A relatively new school and has been stereotyped negatively for its frequent technological involvement on music and lack of successful stage girl performances. The stage girls of the school is determined to change the image.

Aruru Otsuki (大月 あるる, Otsuki Aruru)

Voiced by: Megumi Han

A stage girl without any stage performance background, however she's always full of happiness and never lets any sadness drown her down. Her happiness and cheerful attitude makes her easier to improve performance. Her childhood friend, Misora, has described her singing voice as "hoarse" and has been afraid of Aruru becomes unsuccessful. She fights using Colt Single Action Army.

Misora Kanō (叶 美空, Kanō Misora)

Voiced by: Ayana Taketatsu

Aruru's childhood friend and a more cautious person. Coming from a stage family background as her parents own a small theatre, she persuades the same option to become a stage girl, though her parents react with skepticism due to hardship. She has two younger sisters and two older sisters. Despite her cautiousness, she is also a food addict, often eats a shocking amount of food to keep up her stamina. She's good at basketball and other sports. She fights using a Wild Punch spear.

Tsukasa Ebisu (恵比寿 つかさ, Ebisu Tsukasa)

Voiced by: Emiri Katō

One of the best stage girls in the school, however she suffers an injury that forces her to withdraw for few months prior to the main series. Being convinced by Aruru, she returns to the stage. She has a strict upbringing due to her wealthy family, thus very serious about working to improve stage skills, but she always cares about her friends. She fights using Dust Devil axes.

Lalafin Nonomiya (野々宮 ララフィン, Nonomiya Rarafin)

Voiced by: Miyu Tomita

She is a year older than Aruru and Misora, yet she appears to be very childish, cute, carefree and energetic girl with passion to rabbits. She's a former model and is of German origin throughout her mother. She's very dynamic and serious in stage girl performance. Misora once resembles Lalafin to her sister. She fights using a One Millionth hammer.

Shizuha Kochō (胡蝶 静羽, Kochō Shizuha)

Voiced by: Mikoi Sasaki

She is formerly the President of Frontier School of Arts Stage Expression Course with an excellent stage skill but she initially declines the offer to become a stage girl. However, with Aruru, Misora and Lalafin's convinces, she joins the stage. She's a very tall girl and very health-conscious student. She is also a renowned gamer and incredibly fonds of computer. She fights using a scythe.

A school with a great reputation for having impressive infrastructure, good curriculum and diverse staff. The school is a major rival of Seisho. Five major students there are referred as Edels.

Akira Yukishiro (雪代 晶, Yukishiro Akira)

Voiced by: Hotaru Nomoto

The Frau Platin and the head of the Music Acting Department, she is considered as the most elite student of Siegfeld. However, she is uncompromising and doesn't have great communication skills despite her popularity, often being very serious on working hard to become a model stage girl. Maya Tendou has been her rival since junior-high. She's unfamiliar with digital equipment, as she struggles to use computer to iPhone. Akira is noted to be incredibly fond of Shiori compared to the other Edels, though she is still very strict to Shiori in order to get Shiori improve. In one of her chapter later, she reveals to Shiori that, it was her fault that she was unable to keep Fumi stay. She fights using a jousting lance.

Michiru Ōtori (鳳 ミチル, Ōtori Michiru)

Voiced by: Yuka Ozaki

The Frau Saphir. She is a fellow Edel and very close to Akira. However, contrast to Akira's strict personality, Michiru has a softer, friendlier, energetic and outgoing personality. She's always supportive to anyone facing problems. She fights using a German greatsword.

Yachiyo Tsuruhime (鶴姫 やちよ, Tsuruhime Yachiyo)

Voiced by: Haruka Kudo

Holder of the title of Frau Perle, Yachiyo is very elusive and hides her main intentions, often provokes anger from other Edels due to her mischievous antics. Despite this, Yachiyo is also a renowned tailer, has a knack on design and sewing. Like Akira, she is noted to be fond of Shiori. She fights using a crossbow.

Liu Meifan (リュウ・メイファン, Liu Mei Fan, 柳梅凡)

Voiced by: Yume Takeuchi

The Frau Rubin from China who was a famous child actor back home. She speaks fluent Japanese and always full of determination. She is fond of fortune-telling, being influenced from her grandfather, however most will avoid her fortune telling because of her predictions tend to bring bad lucks. She's also a dog-lover, and a crybaby sometimes. She fights using a serpent spear, which is driven from her favorite Three Kingdoms General Zhang Fei.

Shiori Yumeōji (夢大 路栞, Yumeōji Shiori)

Voiced by: Hikaru Tono

Fumi's younger sister and the new Frau Jade, who replaced her after impressing Akira during the auditions to search for a new Frau Jade. Contrast to Fumi's edgy behavior, Shiori is rather nicer, softening, less strict and easier to be afraid than Fumi. As a child, Shiori was frail and only started going to an actual school recently out of a desire to become a stage girl. Despite Fumi's distance and mysterious departure, Shiori respects Fumi and expresses her wish to restore their relationship. Akira is incredibly fond of her and treats her more leniently than the other Edels due to her age and fragility. She fights using a saber.

A school introduced in the stage play THE LIVE #2 Transition.

Koharu Yanagi (柳 小春, Yanagi Koharu)

Voiced by: Kanon Nanaki

The “Genius of Seiran,” a stage girl whose reputation and capabilities are acknowledged even by Seishou’s Maya Tendou.

Suzu Minase (南風涼, Minase Suzu)

Voiced by: Minami Tsukui

A stage girl who attended the same middle school as Seishou’s Mahiru Tsuyuzaki. Suzu was the ace of the cheerleading squad just as Mahiru was the ace of the baton twirling team. Inspired by Mahiru's skills at a baton twirling meet, she requested to incorporate baton twirling into cheerleading routines. Her dream is to stand on the same stage as Mahiru and see the view from it together with her.

Hisame Honami (穂波氷雨, Honami Hisame)

Voiced by: Yoko Kadoyama

A stage girl who attended the same middle school as Seishou’s Nana Daiba.

Kyōko Yakumo (八雲響子, Yakumo Kyōko)

Voiced by: Yuka Kobayashi

Seiran's club teacher.

Giraffe (キリン, Kirin)

Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda (Japanese); Jay Hickman[5] (English)

A mysterious talking giraffe who watches over the Revue Starlight auditions, granting the winner the ability to stand on any stage they wish.

Chitose Tsuruhime

The 58th Student Council President of the Siegfeld Institute of Music who had gone disappeared in mystery. She is first mentioned in the Re:LIVE version as Yachiyo is looking for the traces of her vanished sister.

The series began as a stage play performed at the AiiA 2.5 Theater in Tokyo.[1] The first performances, titled Shōjo Kageki Revue Starlight: The LIVE #1 were held from September 22 to 24, 2017, and a re-run titled Shōjo Kageki Revue Starlight: The LIVE #1 revival took place from January 6 to 8, 2018.[6] A new stage play titled Shōjo Kageki Revue Starlight: The LIVE #2 Transition was performed at The Galaxy Theatre in Shinagawa from October 13 to 21, 2018[7], and a re-run titled Shōjo Kageki Revue Starlight: The LIVE #2 Revival was performed at the Maihama Amphitheater in Chiba from July 12 to 15, 2019.[8]

A manga adaptation of the musical drawn by Tsubaki Ayasaki, titled Butai Revue Starlight: Show Must Go On (舞台 レヴュースタァライト SHOW MUST GO ON), and a 4-panel manga series by Makimaki Mawaru, Yonkoma Starlight (よんこま すたぁらいと), both began serialization in Bushiroad's Monthly Bushiroad magazine from January 6, 2018.[9] A third manga written by Kanata Nakamura and illustrated by Sora Goto, Shōjo Kageki Revue Starlight Overture (少女☆歌劇 レヴュースタァライト オーバーチュア), began serialization in ASCII Media Works' Dengeki G's Comic magazine from January 30, 2018.[10]

A 12-episode anime television series by Kinema Citrus aired in Japan between July 12 and September 27, 2018.[11] The series is directed by Tomohiro Furukawa with series composition by Tatsuto Higuchi and character design by Hiroyuki Saita.[12] The series was released on three Blu-ray Disc/DVD volumes, each containing additional original video animation shorts, between October 24, 2018 and February 27, 2019.[13][14] The opening theme is "Hoshi no Dialogue" (星のダイアローグ, Star Dialogue), while the ending theme is "Fly Me to the Star", both performed by Starlight 99-gumi, the series' voice actors. Sentai Filmworks has licensed the anime and is streaming the series on Hidive with English, Portuguese and Spanish subtitles, and is also dubbed in English.[15] MVM Entertainment acquired the distribution rights for the UK and Ireland via Sentai Filmworks.[16] A spin-off comedy series, titled Shōjo Konto All-Starlight (少女☆寸劇 オールスタァライト), was announced on March 31, 2019.[17]

On November 3, 2019, during the "Revue Starlight 3rd StarLive 'Starry Diamond" concert, it was announced that the series will receive two new films. The first is a compilation film titled Rondo Rondo Rondo that was slated to premiere in May 29, 2020 but is currently delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the second is a brand-new anime film.[18][19]

A Japan-only smartphone game titled Shōjo Kageki Revue Starlight -Re LIVE- developed by Ateam and Bushiroad[20] was released for Android devices on October 22, 2018, and an iOS version was released on October 28. This game features a new story that differs from the anime series, and features 24 characters from 4 different acting schools, including the nine main characters from the anime, and features gacha gameplay elements.[21] A worldwide version of the game, localized into English, Korean, and Traditional Chinese, was released on April 22, 2019.[22]