Nico Yazawa

Yazawa Niko is one of the nine main characters in Love Live! She is 17 years old and a third year, despite how she looks. Niko was born on July 22nd and is a Cancer. She has black hair tied up in double ponytails and red eyes. Her main color is pink. Niko is 154 centimeters tall, and her blood type is A. Niko is voiced by Sora Tokui.

Background
In Episode 5, it is discovered that during her first year in high school she started an idol group. However, one by one the members gave up because Niko's goal to become an idol was too much for them and they couldn't keep up.

Personality
Normally Niko has quite an aggressive personality, but when she takes on her alternate personality she becomes a happy, upbeat character who is always smiling.

A common joke in the series is that she's often ignored by the members μ's at her attempts at being the better idol. An example at an attempt is in episode 10 when Niko claims that she has a personal chef like Maki, and Kotori falls for the lie unknowingly. However, Niko accidentally forgot about her lie, and ends up cooking for everyone, where the truth is revealed.

Clubs and Hobbies
Yazawa Niko is the Idol Research club president and is interested in fashion, therefore she designs the group's outfits with Kotori.

In episode 10, Niko is shown to be a very skilled cook despite saying she never cook before.

Chronology
Yazawa Niko first appears in episode 1 in a noticeable disguise that consisted of a scarf and glasses. Niko was at UTX when Kousaka Honoka appears, watching A-Rise perform on a screen. Because of Niko's first attempt at becoming an idol failed, Niko showed resentment towards A-Rise. Not knowing who they were, Honoka asked Niko who the group on the screen were. Shocked, Niko explains to her that they're a school idol group, and that UTX was getting a lot of students because of their fame.

Niko doesn't appear until episode 5 when she confronts Honoka and Kotori to tell them to break up μ's. Later on, Niko meets the rest of μ's who ask her to end her Idol Research Club so they can create a School Idol Club, since they have enough members to form a club. Niko flat out refuses and tries to run away but fails because of her lack of stamina and Hoshizora Rin catching her. Still remaining stubborn and her belief in μ's being inexperienced idols based on their lack of personas, Niko says no again and locks them out.

The school's vice-president Toujou Nozomi explains to μ's that Niko once attempted to become a school idol, but failed because Niko set the bar too high for her group. Her group's members quited one by one. After some thinking, Honoka comes up with the idea to join Niko's Idol Research Club to ask Niko to teach them how to improve μ's. Happily, Niko accepts the offer.

In the next episode 6, Nozomi was recording interviews with μ's until she asked Honoka why she is the leader when she does nothing. Niko then suggests to have a karaoke and dance contest to determine the leader. Secretly, her plan was to outshine everyone else, which would then make her the leader of μ's. However, it backfires when everyone gets similar scores. Honoka then brought up the idea that μ's doesn't need a leader and everyone agrees (although everyone except Niko still believed that Honoka should've been the leader).

In Episode 7, Chairwoman Minami tells the group that if they don't pass the exams, they won't get to perform in the Love Live! tournament. Needing the school's permission to go, this puts pressure on Honoka, Rin, and Niko. Luckily, all the members pass the exams, in the end.. However, when they were about to tell the chairwoman, they overhear her telling Ayase Eri that the school will stop accepting students and shut down next year.

Success of the open day from the previous episode earns μ's an expansion to their club room in Episode 9. μ's has also reached the 50th mark in school idol group rankings, so the group heads out to Akihabara where they discover they're featured merchandise. Niko, not being able to find any items of her, freaks out and begins looking through the rest of the members' merchandise. Niko soon comes across merchandise of her and happily takes pictures of it. In Akiba, they discover that Kotori has been secretly working a maid café after school to build confidence. In the end of the episode, μ's has a new song called Wonder Zone.

In Episode 10, μ's head out to the beach, where they're supposed to train but end up playing on the beach all day. Eri, wanting to break the barrier between under and upperclassmen, creates a rule where no one can use the respectful honorific 'senpai', anymore. Koizumi Hanayo, however, seems to be the only one struggling with the new rule. In the middle of the night, Nozomi starts a pillow fight and all but Umi joins in. Unfortunately, a pillow hits Umi, waking her up and causing her to be cranky. This causes her to throw a "supersonic pillow" at the girls, scaring Hanayo. Maki, who was not participating at the beach earlier in the episode, now helps the girls by knocking out Umi with a pillow, making her fall asleep again. At the end of the episode, all the members of μ's hold hands and watch the sunrise on the beach.

In Episode 11, μ's has reached rank #19, meaning they are eligible to perform in the Love Live! tournament. However, things don't go their way when they are unable to secure a spot on the auditorium for the upcoming school festival, thanks to Niko failing a lottery spin. Honoka suggests that they instead hold their performance on the school rooftop where they train, but the other members are slightly hesitant to this idea but eventually agree. For the whole episode, Kotori is preoccupied about a letter she received in episode 9. Umi notices her distress and calls her later that day, discovering that Kotori had been wanting to tell Honoka something. Honoka, meanwhile, had overworked herself for the whole episode that she wakes up with a fever the day of the festival, but goes to school, anyway. At the concert, μ's perform No Brand Girls. The concert seemed to have been going great until the end of the song where Honoka faints.

In the next episode 12, μ's is shocked by Honoka collapsing. The fans are also surprised, and Eri explains to the crowd that one of their members had an accident. NIko tells Nozomi that they're not giving up, but she replies by saying that it's impossible for Honoka to continue performing, while two girls leave. Later on, μ's visits Honoka and discover that she is recovering with a sprained leg. They tell Honoka that they have forfeited from the Love Live!, which makes Honoka blame herself. They quickly say to her that it was everyone's fault. All the members of μ's gets depressed, but continues their practice routine.

Kotori is also disappointed in herself for not telling Honoka about the letter. Maki, Rin, and Hanayo tell the group that the school has been saved and they all celebrate. Umi urges Kotori to tell the group her decision, but is hesitant. So Umi tells the group that Kotori is moving to a fashion boarding school. Everyone is surprised, but Honoka gets angry at her. Kotori tells them she wanted to tell them herself, but she couldn't and ran.

On the rooftop, μ's plan to do one final live before Kotori leaves. Honoka then tells them that it was her fault and that none of this would've happened. The members tell her to stop but Honoka says that the school is saved. She also says that there's no reason to keep on performing and that's it's impossible to go against someone like A-Rise. Honoka then tells them that she quits, but before she leaves, Umi slaps her cheek and tells her that she didn't think that she's that kind of person. Also that she's the worst there is.

In Episode 13, Eri decides to put μ's on a hiatus. Despite this, Niko tells Hanayo and Rin to continue practicing. Later, while on her way home, Honoka comes across Niko, Hanayo, and Rin training. Niko tells Honoka that she loves being an idol and that everything that has happened is because Honoka quit being an idol. Rin and Hanayo tell Niko that she's being too harsh on her, but Honoka tells them that Niko is right.

After Honoka brings back Kotori from the airport, later on in the episode, μ's performs Start:Dash!! in the auditorium, despite wearing their school uniforms, and this time with the auditorium filled with people. Afterwards, Honoka tells the crowd to say "μ's Music Start!" and μ's are in the school idol ratings again.