Rina Tennoji is a main character in Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club. She is a first year at Nijigasaki High School. She is a member of QU4RTZ, a unit under Nijigaku. Her image color is paper white, though she is also represented with gray.
Background[]
In the ALL STARS story, she was invited to become a school idol by the player character. Along with Ai Miyashita and Ayumu Uehara, she works with Famitsu App.
Personality[]
Rina is not good at conveying emotions on her face. Because of this, she makes use of the "Rina-chan Board", a sketchbook that she draws her emotions on. Rina is also friends with Mia, who met her in Chapter 22 of ALL STARS.
Despite her flaws, Rina is still trying to change herself by communicating and talking more with her friends. She admires Ai for her confidence and friendliness. Rina gets nervous easily but continues to try her best.
As a school idol, she hopes that people will cheer for her so that she can show everyone her true smile.
Clubs and Hobbies[]
Rina is very good with technology and "creating things". She wears the "Auto Emotion Convert Rina-chan Board" on stage and other activities that require both hands. She's often seen with gadgets such as a quadcopter or just working on a tablet or laptop. She makes and enjoys talking about apps. She has a pet robot cat named Aran (ใขใฉใณ).
She often shows a strong interest in science. She excels in both Science and Math but struggles with her Japanese class.
Rina is good with arcade and video games. She also seems to have a deep fondness for animals.
Appearance[]
Rina is very short with a slim figure. She has messy pink hair which reaches her shoulders and yellow eyes.
Other Data[]
| Official Introduction from Website[1] |
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 A very cute girl. Really! |
| Official Introduction from Famitsu App Website[2] |
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Sorry, did I keep you waiting? Am I ready for the video? Yup, Iโm ready to start whenever. Though, Iโm a little curious. About you inviting me to be a school idol. Why did you ask me? Huh? Was it troublesome? No, nothing like that. If anything, Iโm glad. See? Rina-chan Board: โSmiling โชโ. Iโm so happy that Iโm actually super fired up. Really, I wish I could convey my feelings with my own face, but Iโm bad at it, so no matter what, I end up expressionless. Because of that, I was wondering why you would ask someone like me to be a school idol. What? You had a gut feeling that I like school idols? Thatโs why? A gut feeling... I donโt really get it. Donโt apologize. Itโs not like I feel bad about it. Actually, I think itโs funny. To put it another way, you have high hopes for me, right? Iโm really happy to hear that. No one has ever said anything like that to me. Now I have a little more self-confidence. Rina-chan Board: โAhem โชโ Fufu, thatโs kind of how Iโm feeling right now. By drawing my face on a board like this, I want to convey my feelings to everyone, and do my best as a school idol. If I can get along with everyone like this, Iโll be very happy. Because I want to make a lot of friends. First, Iโll work hard on this introduction video, so you better ready yourself. Rina-chan Board: โMun!โ [TL note: โMun!โ is just a sound effect. If youโre not familiar with Japanese pronunciation, it sounds like โmoonโ. Probably a grunt of determination.] |
| Question & Answer Corner[3] |
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Being frank, how has it been, working with Famitsu App? Have you gotten used to helping out at Famitsu App? I think Iโm getting used to it, a bit at a time. But since there are a lot of people around, itโs still tough. Because I havenโt really conversed together with this many people before. But itโs really fun talking to such a variety of people. This much fun: Rina-chan Board: โWhee โชโ
Itโs very fun. Itโs great to be able to do different things from what I do at home or at school. They mostly have tasks that I havenโt done before, so there might not be that much I can work on, but Iโm still very glad that theyโve let me work on a variety of things. Perhaps the staff at Famitsu App are angels?
Ayumu-san and Ai-san invited me. โLetโs do this togetherโ, they said. Hardly anyone ever asks me to do anything together like that. So I accepted their offer instantly. I wanted to make an commemorative recording of it, and when I asked them to say it again, they were kind of surprised. Thatโs a good memory, too. Rina-chan Board: โV โชโ [TL: as in the peace sign]
With Ayumu-san, we talk about being a school idol a lot. Often, we talk about trying our best together. Also, thereโs Ayumu-sanโs childhood friend??, who was the one that invited me to be a school idol. Perhaps Iโve listened to her talk about them a lot as well. When she talks about them, Ayumu-san seems really happy, and I like that person as well, so I smile when I listen to her. Ai-san teaches me about a lot of things. She knows a lot, whether itโs about academics or about having fun. And she gives me things like candy and tsukemono [TL: pickled vegetables], so I love her. But listening to her belting out rapid-fire puns is honestly kind of a tough situation.
As expected, everyone seemed surprised at first. But they adjusted surprisingly quickly. Humansโ ability to adapt is incredible. After they got used to it, weโve had a lot of fun. Iโm happy to be able to converse with this. Truly, the Rina-chan Board is a impressive invention. Rina-chan Board: โEhe โชโ
I canโt. Itโs embarrassing, and a little scary. Because I canโt express my true feelings with my own face... You see, I always end up looking displeased or bored. I get anxious about disappointing people because of an expression like that. So, please wait a little longer. Because someday, once Iโve worked hard enough, Iโll be able to smile with my own face.
Why did you start being a school idol? It really is strange how Iโm a school idol, right? Yup, I think itโs really strange too. After all, youโd think that Iโm the furthest thing from a school idol. But there was someone who asked me. It made me really happy, and I decided to try my best. Thatโs why I became a school idol.
I think the Rina-chan Board is my unique feature. Itโs a little different from an appeal point, though. But if someone remembers me because of that, thatโd make me happy. And if I could do things like live shows with everyone, itโd be really fun. Rina-chan Board: โExcitedโโชโ
Um, it might sound weird coming from me, but I want to try to be a school idol that can make everyone smile. Iโm not good at expressing my feelings on my own face, so to compensate, Iโd like to make everyone smile a lot. And, if I could see that many smiles, maybe I could naturally smile as well. One day, I want to be able to smile with everyone, using my real face. Thatโs my dream.
There is one thing I want to try a bit. Just thinking about it makes me nervous, but I want to try having a handshake meeting. I want to try talking directly to the people cheering me on. Oh, wait, what I do about the Rina-chan Board when Iโm shaking someoneโs hand? Muuun, Iโll have to improve the Rina-chan Board to prepare for that. |
| Monthly Rankings (July 2017)[4] |
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 I placed 1st? I didnโt expect this development. |
| Monthly Rankings (August 2017)[5] |
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 I didnโt expect at all that Iโd be in the top three again. |
| Monthly Rankings (October 2017) |
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 |
Video[]
Songs[]
The songs featuring Rina are:
TOKIMEKI Runners
Love U my friends
Mirai Harmony
Just Believe!!!
Nijiiro Passions!
Sweet Eyes
NEO SKY, NEO MAP!
Zensoku Dreamer
Yume ga Koko Kara Hajimaru yo
Hurray Hurray
L! L! L! (Love the Life We Live)
Miracle STAY TUNE!
Colorful Dreams! Colorful Smiles!
Twilight
Yume ga Bokura no Taiyou sa
Ryouran! Victory Road
Future Parade
Level Oops! Adventures
Eien no Isshun
OUR P13CES!!!
Wachu Gonna Do
KAGAYAKI Don't forget!
Sugar Sugar Yummy Yummy Parfait
Waku Waku! Monday Morning
Go Our Way!
SINGING, DREAMING, NOW!
WawawaโWhat's up!
Fly with You!!
New Year's March!
Nijigasaki Gakuen Kouka
Doko ni Itemo Kimi wa Kimi
LIVE with a smile! (Featuring Aqours and Liella!)
Chronology[]
| Ep. | Title | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | "The First Thrill" (ใฏใใพใใฎใใญใกใญ "Hajimari no Tokimeki") |
October 3, 2020 |
| 02 | "CutestโกGirl" (Cutestโกใฌใผใซ "CutestโกGฤru") |
October 10, 2020 |
| 03 | "Shout Out Your Love" (ๅคงๅฅฝใใๅซใถ "Daisuki o Sakebu") |
October 17, 2020 |
| 04 | "The Uncharted Path" (ๆช็ฅใชใใใ "Michi Naru Michi") |
October 24, 2020 |
| 05 | "Something I Can Only Do Right Now" (ไปใใใงใใชใใใจใ "Ima Shika Dekinai Koto o") |
October 31, 2020 |
| 06 | "The Shape of Smiles (ใ๏ผโฝ๏ผใ)โโ" (็ฌ้กใฎใซใฟใ(ใ๏ผโฝ๏ผใ) "Egao no Katachi (ใ๏ผโฝ๏ผใ)") |
November 7, 2020 |
| 07 | "Haruka, Kanata, and Beyond" (ใใซใซใซใใฟ "Haruka Kanata") |
November 14, 2020 |
| 08 | "Shizuku, Monochrome" (ใใใใใขใใฏใญใผใ "Shizuku, Monokurลmu") |
November 21, 2020 |
| 09 | "Friends but Rivals" (ไปฒ้ใงใฉใคใใซ "Nakama de Raibaru") |
November 28, 2020 |
| 10 | "Summer Begins." (ๅคใใฏใใพใใ "Natsu, Hajimaru.") |
December 5, 2020 |
| 11 | "Everyone's Dream, My Dream" (ใฟใใชใฎๅคขใ็งใฎๅคข "Minna no Yume, Watashi no Yume") |
December 12, 2020 |
| 12 | "Blossoming Feelings" (่ฑใฒใใๆใ "Hanahiraku Omoi") |
December 19, 2020 |
| 13 | "School Idol Festival (The Place Where Everyone's Dreams Come True)" (ในใฏใผใซใขใคใใซใใงในใใฃใใซ๏ผใฟใใชใฎๅคขใๅถใใๅ ดๆ๏ผ "Sukลซru Aidoru Fesutibaru (Minna no Yume o Kanaeru Basho)") |
December 26, 2020 |
| Chapter | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| 05 | "Heart Expression" | |
Etymology[]
- The name Rina is a common female name and can be written with various kanji characters. (็) (ri) means "glassy, lapis lazuli". (ๅฅ) (na) can have multiple meanings and can be associated with various sounds like "na."
- Rina's surname Tennoji means "heaven/heavenly, sky, imperial" (ๅคฉ) (ten), "king, prince, monarch, sovereign, potentate" (็) (no) and "temple" (ๅฏบ) (ji). It is said to be a surname derived from the Shitenno-ji temple.
Trivia[]
General[]
- Rina fulfills the smile attribute of the NijiGaku first years.
- Rina has different nicknames from different members of Nijigaku: Kasumi Nakasu calls her Rinako (to match Shizuku Osaka's nickname Shizuko and Shioriko Mifune's nickname Shioko) and Ai calls her Rinari. In ALL STARS, Nozomi Tojo calls her Rina-chi.
- In ALL STARS, Ai credits herself with assisting Rina in coming up with the Rina-chan board, and helps her with the drawings.[6]
- Because Rina uses the board for the most of the time in the game, the fans created a lot of fanart illustrations to speculate what Rina's real face looked like. A tag called ็ด ้ก็ๅฅ (sugao rina lit. Rina with a natural face) was created for such illustrations. The tag became irrelevant when the officials decided to reveal her true face in ALL STARS on December 1, 2019.
- Rina is the shortest out of all of the Love Live main characters at 149 cm (or 4'11").
- Most of Rina's song titles are all written in katakana. This is likely due to the fact that she isn't very good with emotional expression and how she struggles with modern Japanese.
- The auto-emotion convert Rina-chan board has hardware that senses faint electrical signals in the facial muscles to display different expressions.[7]
- It is implied that her auto-emotion convert board is waterproof, as she is able to swim with it.[8]
- A real version for Rina's auto-emotion convert board was made for Chiemi Tanaka to wear on stage. However, due to various technical problems, the camera behind the board was not made, therefore it is impossible for Chiemi to dance with the board on. According to Chiemi, she can see the light from Love Live Blades, but she is still unable to walk on her own.
- Rina is the third character to be slapped, except not by a childhood friend this time. The first two characters to be slapped by childhood friends are Honoka Kosaka and Kanan Matsuura. Rina was also not slapped through the head, unlike Honoka and Kanan, and only slapped on the hand.
- Despite the Love Live! Virtual School Idols being announced first in early 2022, Rina is the first from the Love Live! Series to debut as a Virtual YouTuber.[9]
Media-Specific (Manga, Anime, School Idol-Diary)[]
- The 18th chapter of the Famitsu App 4koma shows Rina being capable of crying, though this only applied to that continuity.
- Her robot cat, Aran, was first mentioned in the radio dramas then made its way into Miyako Hito's "Nijiyon" 4komas. The design was then adapted into an illustration in Dengeki G's magazine, made a brief appearance in Rina's Tsunagaru Connect insert song MV, and finally adapted into one of the illustrations for School Idol Festival ALL-STARS.
- The Mirai Harmony PV shows that her board can instantly change her drawn expressions without flipping them, likely just for subtle/background laughs.
- In the Nijigasaki High School Idol Club Anime, Rina doesn't possess the "Rina-chan board" until episode 6, The Shape of Smiles (ใ๏ผโฝ๏ผใ).
- Needless to say, after said episode, she tends to pull up her board at will (whenever expressing something extreme or something primary like tasting a good pancake) as she seems fine to talk without it.
- In Shizuku, Monochrome she even had a drawn expression of Shizuku's face during an "orchestrated" capture with Kasumi, giving a call back to the Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS main story line, where she did the same for Emma and Karin.
- Shizuku's version of the Rina-chan board also makes an appearance during Nijigasaki High School Idol Club Shuffle Festival when Kaori Maeda (as Shizuku) performed Doki Pipo โ Emotion.
Gallery[]
- Please refer to this character's Image Gallery.
References[]
- โ Member Profile Translation
- โ Famitsu App Introduction Translation
- โ Rina Tennoji Q&A Translation
- โ PDP Monthly Rankings July 2017 Translation
- โ PDP Monthly Rankings August 2017 Translation
- โ Love Live! School Idol Festival! ALL STARS
- โ Rina Tennoji bond episode #33 from Love Live! All Stars
- โ Love Live! All Stars main story chapter 18
- โ Rina's V-Tuber Debut Announcement