Eli Ayase

Ayase Eri, or also known as Ayase Ellie from her ''Solo Live! - Beloved Ellie'', is one of the nine main characters in Love Live! She is 17 years old and a third year. Eri was born on October 21st and is a Libra. She has blonde hair with ponytail and blue eyes. Her main color is blue/light blue. She is 162 centimeters tall, and her blood type is B. Eri is voiced by Yoshino Nanjou.

Background
Eri is partly Russian from her grandmother. She has a younger sister name Arisa, though two brothers in the manga. She told Sonoda Umi that her family has been living abroad when they were little and hasn't really adapted the lifestyle in Japan yet. Her grandmother is also an alumni of Otonokizaka High School, which urge her more to defend her high school from getting closure. In episode 7, it is shown that her mother and grandmother did ballet through the glimpse of her photos in her room, and its a legacy passed down to Eri as she also a ballet dancer herself when she was younger. However, later it is revealed that Eri was actually at the bottom list in ballet compared to the other dancers and hardly pass the auditions. Due to her constant failures, she given up her dream in ballet and gradually closing her heart and even distance herself from trying to achieve her dream, to shine and dance again.

Personality
Eri is shown as a perfect role model to the student in Otonokizaka High School. With her as the student council president, she is often portray as a cold and strict character due to her responsibility and often against Honoka and her friends forming an idol group to get more attention from the public. However, ironically, Nozomi revealed that Eri was also thinking the same idea but was rejected by the Chairman.

Eri is highly respected and well-known among the students, especially her juniors. Unlike Nozomi, she is appeared rather stoic and skeptical in the early episodes. But it is shown that Eri is actually very kind and caring towards her close ones like her little sister. Despite of that, she is also dependable as her grandmother trust her to prevent the school from getting shut down.

Throughout the episodes, Eri gradually received a character development in her personality. She's gradually losen up and able to smile compared to her stoic appeareance in the early episodes.

In the series, Eri tends to say the Russian word "хорошо" [xərɐˈʂo] ('good').

Clubs and Hobbies

 * Student Council - President
 * Good at quilting and crafts.

Chronology
Eri is the student council president of the school, and is sadden by the news of it shutting down. Eri is determined to save the school, but at first declines Honoka's idea of creating an idol group to save the school, but she herself is told that she cannot take her own action to save school by the chairman of the committee. In Episode 7, it is revealed that Eri taped the first performance of the school idol group. She says she did this so that she could show the other girls that they had no fans, but her plan went wrong due to the huge reaction to this video. She also says that she doesn't support idol groups, because, compared to herself, they are, including A-Rise's, dancing were amateur. Umi Sonoda told Eri that she can't say that, but Eri ignored her and walked away. When Umi told Nozomi what she said, Nozomi told her that Eri was a ballerina and an expert at dancing. Therefore, Umi wanted to ask Eri to teach μ's how to dance and be their choreographer. However, Nozomi told her that there was something else Umi had to do: help the others study for their exams.

In Episode 8, a flash-back revealed that Eri constantly failed passing the ballet auditions when she was young. Because of this, it gave an impact to her personality, where she set boundries between dreams and reality. She gave up her dream in dancing and grew to be a realist. Seeing how other idols shine throughout the internet and screens, Eri is no other than feeling envy of their success. Deep down in her heart buries a strong desires shine, but because of her past disappointment, she is afraid that she will get hurt again. Due to this scar, Eri believes that Honoka and her friends are only wasting their time on something they soon to fail, just like her in the past. Honoka however confronts her, told her that they won't give up trying no matter what. Her determination has added more confusion in Eri, which shakens her between her contradiction. Nozomi told Eri that she worked so hard for others, and thought of others more than herself, thus questioning her what is it she really wants to do, as Ayase Eri, not as a Student Council's President; Arisa also said the same thing. These had given her a silent pause and regrets in giving up her dreams.

Knowing these truth, Honoka and her friends approached Eri and asked her to join the group. Even though she was not really convinced at first, but seeing this as a way for her to rise back again, Eri finally join μ, together with Nozomi as well.