Akane Sakurada: Gravity Core
Akane is the fourth child out of the nine siblings in the Sakurada family. In Joukamachi no Dandelion, Akane is the focal point throughout the pre-election held by her father, the current king. In this town, the Sakurada children are distinguished by abilities, which are distinct only to those of the royal family. As a result, Akane has been gifted with a special ability: Gravity Core. This ability allows Akane to enhance her agility and strength, and can also be applied to people from her direct touch. Shy to a nerve-wracking degree, Akane cannot bear the thought of the town’s two thousand cameras watching her every move. Not knowing what to do, Akane hides behind one of her siblings, or uses Gravity Core to escape the cameras from above.
One of Akane’s treasured locations is school, where the royal family is treated just like any other student. In this regard, she is able to function without embarrassment, not knowing that she has a secret fan club that loves to see her squirm. As the class representative, it’s her job to motivate the class for student council functions, such as beautifying the town, even if it means being out in the public eye. As the election battle commences between the siblings, Akane has made a name for herself, despite her best efforts. Her sense of justice pushes her to capture thieves and save cats from trees, which makes for hot headlines in the town news. More popular than she thinks, Akane doesn’t realize that there’s also a poll running on the internet that’s filled with pictures and gossip about herself and her siblings. It’s only worse when embarrassing incident after embarrassing incident occurs for our shy character. This debilitating personality trait makes it difficult to go out in public, let alone run for the throne.
At first, Akane held no interest in becoming the next king, thinking that her eldest sibling, Aoi, is the perfect candidate for the job. Akane starts to take the campaign seriously when Aoi mentions that by becoming king, she will be able to change the constant surveillance system. Although becoming the next king would put her in the spotlight more often than not, she believes in her cause and starts to campaign through public speaking. Her struggle is not without support as Aoi and Kanade pull their resources together in order to fool Akane into thinking that she is disguised from the public. As she becomes the town hero under the alias Scarlet Bloom, her view of the public is not as terrifying as she once believed. Akane’s air-head type personality leaves her baffled after a little girl she saved knew that she was Scarlet Bloom without her disguise. With this, her rise to the top inches up another notch. Although she is a long way from overcoming her fears, Akane is diligently working to gain favor with the public. Through her distinguished hard work and fair sense of justice, she continues to slowly rise in popularity with the people of the kingdom. Akane is willing to sacrifice her comfort and face the humiliation she feels in the spotlight to live in peace.
Aoi Sakurada: Absolute Order/Invisible Work
Aoi is the eldest daughter of the Sakurada family. As far as the election poll goes for deciding the next king, she steadily maintains first place. Her popularity stems from the genuine friendliness she exhibits towards anyone she meets, be it children or the elderly. None of her siblings seem to comprehend why Aoi doesn’t wish to be king, but they don’t know her true ability. She possesses Absolute Order, the ability to make a person obey her every command, whether they wish to or not. Aoi finds herself overwhelmed with this ability, and believes that she has no right to become king with a power she has little control over. Absolute Order has frightened her ever since she was little, and even as she enters her graduating year of high school, she is still haunted by its power. Her ability has even made her doubt the special friendships she has forged with her three closest friends that she has had since childhood. As far as her siblings are concerned, her ability is Invisible Work, where she is able to remember every detail in her life even if it is insignificant. Aoi is also the catalyst for the elections, since her parents had decided that they would decide the next king upon her graduation from high school. Being as she has no motivation to become the next king, Aoi cheers on her siblings, especially Akane. In this spirit, she advises her siblings on various subjects pertaining to the campaign.
Shū Sakurada: Transporter
Shū is the second child, and twin of Kanade, in the Sakurada family. He resembles his father, Sōichirō, the most out of all the children. Shū’s ability is Transporter, which allows him to teleport himself or others to any location. His motivation to become king is to stop his twin Kanade from becoming king. Although he rarely campaigns, he urges Akane to try to break free of her shy ways and goes with her when she does public speaking. His blasé actions lend to his friendly interactions and relationships with the town populace. Initially, Shū’s career goal was to become a professional soccer player, but an accident catalyzed by Kanade injured his legs in a way that made it impossible for him to carry out his dream profession. He has made peace and forgiven her, but she cannot bury the past or forget her actions. Hana Satō, a returning classmate and childhood friend of Shū, confesses her love to him. Afraid of his position as a potential king, he holds off on confirming his feelings. In truth, he has loved her ever since they were childhood friends and continues to hold a bright flame for her. After hearing his father talk about his love to Satsuki, Shū gains the courage to return Hana’s feelings and trusts that she will stand beside him even if the media puts him in the spotlight. After confessing his true feelings, Shū gains greater motivation to become a contender in the fight for the royal crown.
Kanade Sakurada: Heaven’s Gate
Kanade is the third child, and twin of Shū, in the Sakurada family. Her motive for becoming king is the strongest of all her siblings. She wishes to advance medical research in order to find a cure for Shū’s injured legs and correct the mistake she’d made in the past. Her ability is Heaven’s Gate, where she can materialize any object as long as she has the funds in her bank account to make the item, whether it be a real or imaginative. In most cases the item is fictional and usually costs an absurd amount of money. With this, it’s as if she also has a side ability to drain her bank account. She is always busy trying to gain favor with the public to boost her popularity in the elections. As vice president of the student council, she excels in putting on productions and attending functions. Even as she aims for the top, her concern for her siblings is palpable. The friendly rivalry for king does not stop her from wishing Akane would stop being afraid of the public. Kanade even goes as far as helping find a disguise for Akane that will inevitably boost Akane’s popularity. Kanade’s cool and composed demeanor rarely shows any chinks, but that wall of emotion isn’t without its flaws. Her mien is comprised for efficiency, never wasting a moment or opportunity. She strives with all her might to continue up the election poll, always on her toes for the next campaign.
Haruka Sakurada: Lots of Next
Haruka is the fifth child, and twin of Misaki, in the Sakurada family. He has no genuine motive for becoming king, and even wishes against the position. His true aim is to become head advisor for the king, someone that helps lend support. With his ability, Lots of Next, it is easy to see that his position as advisor would be beneficial to the country. Lots of Next allows Haruka to calculate endless possibilities, in any magnitude, effortlessly. His ability is constantly put to use in predicting outcomes, as demonstrated in a game challenging the siblings to use their abilities as an introduction to the public. His silent personality lends him a mysterious air, giving hints to his calculating persona. Haruka’s abilities are put to the test as Kanade poses the challenge that not all of his calculation could possibly be accurate. He had a split second of doubt, but quickly deflected that doubt and waited as his predictions became true. Not one to create schemes for campaigns, he aids Misaki with her royal campaign for the crown. Not only does he help Misaki, he also helps Akane. Embarrassing incidents that Akane innocently finds herself in are posted on an internet site designed for the election poll. Without Akane knowing, Haruka has been editing those incidents and edging the gossip away from her. Although his skills remain in the realm of possibilities, it is no question that he remains loyal in his intentions towards the campaign.
Misaki Sakurada: All for One
Misaki is the sixth child, and twin of Haruka, in the Sakurada family. Her ability, All for One, is composed of clones that replicate herself in the form of the seven deadly sins: envy, greed, gluttony, lust, pride, and sloth. During school she manages her clones’ schedules, as each are valuable members of various clubs around the campus. Her clones gain considerable praise from the good work they do, making Misaki downcast. Since her siblings are busy with club activities, Misaki takes care of doing an interview they are scheduled to attend. To her, this seems like a simple task and not as important as the work her clones accomplish. She feels that her clones’ work is not her explicit work, which makes her feel slighted. Berating herself, Misaki comes to the conclusion that she really isn’t needed and that only her clones are wanted. It isn’t long before her siblings take notice of her behavior and show her how much Misaki herself is needed in their family. Taking notice of Akane’s campaign progress, Misaki questions whether she should run for king and holds a summit with her clones. With this, she comes to the conclusion that her clones would be a benefit for any king to have on hand. After learning Haruka’s wish to be the king’s advisor, Misaki is even more determined to become king so that she can have him by her side. Haruka writes speeches for her, but after taking notice of everyone’s hard work, Misaki decides to take control of her campaign and win it for herself. With a renewed spirit, Misaki joins the fevered campaign aiming to reach the top.
Hikari Sakurada: God Hand
Hikari is the seventh child of the Sakurada family. Her ability is God Hand, which allows her to manipulate life force, whether to increase or reverse its growth. The limitation is that the ability will only last for twenty-four hours, and when the time is up, the object will return back to its original state. As a young girl, Hikari is always trying to come up with a way to increase her popularity, especially in regards to the royal campaign. On a trip to the grocery store, Hikari notices a cat trapped in a tree. Hoping to save the cat and be noticed for the good deed, she increases her growth and reaches for the cat. He escapes from her clutches, but she finally catches him and looks down to notice just how revealing her outfit had become. Akane rescues the both of them, and Hikari decides that one failed attempt isn’t enough to keep her out of the campaign. After watching the renowned idol Sachiko perform, Hikari is inspired to follow her career path in order to increase her rank in the elections. Haruka acts as her training agent, but they cannot find any work. Using God Hand, Hikari increases her growth, so that her age doesn’t come into question when going to auditions. A talent agent recruits her, but it isn’t long before they find out that she is part of the royal family. Hikari’s parents allow her to become an idol under the alias of Light Sakuraba. Although she landed a job as an idol, her popularity as Hikari remains the same, since no one can know that she’s the new artist on the block. Even though her plan failed, Hikari continues to work on her popularity in regards to the election ranks.
Teru Sakurada: Limit Over
Teru is the eighth child of the Sakurada family. His ability is Limit Over, where he inhabits super strength. He has made a contract with his mother, Satsuki, that he won’t use his power needlessly. In order to keep his promise, Teru feels that he must become stronger and overcome trials, such as going on errands. His first task is going to the grocery store, which affords various trials. Shiori, the youngest sibling, accompanies him, because she is worried about his carelessness. On the way home, a stray dog blocks the road, leaping to attack Shiori. Teru taps into his abilities, stopping the dog before it could harm her. Even though he promised not to use his powers, Teru held no qualms in accessing them to protect his little sister. He completes the errand, feeling satisfied and happy to have gained even the slightest of strength. As part of the Sakurada family, Teru has his own style when it comes to the royal campaign. On his campaign flyer, he asks the public to follow him to the end of the world. When his siblings question why he would ask that of the people, he simply replies that he thought it sounded cool. As a young member of the family, Teru doesn’t have a concrete motive for wanting to become king. Although Teru isn’t a serious contender in the campaign, he takes it seriously in his own unique form.
Shiori Sakurada: Soulmate
Shiori is the youngest of the nine siblings of the Sakurada family. Her ability is Soulmate, where she can converse with living and non-living things. Shiori is thoughtful, caring, and observant of her siblings. Even though Shiori is the youngest, she takes responsibility for herself, especially when Akane becomes ill. Instead of having someone sleep beside her, Shiori pushes Kanade to stay beside Akane for the night. Her concern for her sister far outweighed any concern she might have harbored for herself. Likewise, when Teru takes on an errand, Shiori feels she must accompany him, since she worries about his careless personality. In her own way, she’s able to show her concern for her siblings. When communicating with other things, Shiori exhibits a polite and caring manner. As a vacation, the Sakurada siblings went to the beach. One of their activities included smashing a watermelon, which none of them could achieve. Shiori felt bad for the watermelon, and after voicing her concern, it split into perfect slices for her. Her sincerity comes across in her conversations with inanimate objects, making the interactions all the more innocent. Since she is still a child, Shiori has no motivation for becoming king. Not only that, but she does not directly participate in the campaign, even though she is ranked on the election polls. As the youngest, she watches and supports the rest of her siblings as they compete for the throne.
Satsuki Sakurada: Queen
Satsuki plays three different roles: mother, wife, and queen. As a mother, she cares for her family, wanting them to live as normal a life as possible, despite their royal ancestry. She always makes sure that her husband and children are fed, cooking breakfast and dinner daily. When she leaves her children to attend functions as the queen, Satsuki knows her children will be safe and entrusts them with the household. The chores are never a problem, as each of her children select a chore at random. This system proves effective, even if Akane draws the grocery store chore every week. As a wife, Satsuki took on the challenge of being a friend to someone who was royal. Unlike the other students of her high school, Satsuki embraced Sōichirō as a friend, instead of being afraid of his title as king. She welcomed him into her home, where she took care of her siblings while her parents worked. After that encounter, she continued to be friends with him, and eventually they fell in love and got married. As a queen, Satsuki stands beside Sōichirō, undaunted by the bombardment of publicity and functions. Even though she knew there would be trials, she held her head high and did not back down from her true love. In regards to the current election campaign for king, her only role was agreeing for the election to take place the year of Aoi’s high school graduation.
Sōichirō Sakurada: King
Sōichirō has the responsibility of balancing his three roles as father, husband, and king. As a father, he takes his parenting seriously, always making sure his children are well-looked after via the two thousand cameras throughout the town. His children may cause him trouble, but he cherishes every one of them. As a husband he treasures Satsuki, enamored by her direct confrontation when they first met, even though he had just taken over as the king. Since his parents had died in a tragic car accident, Sōichirō took over the throne in his very first year of high school. He still speaks of their first moments fondly, recounting the time Satsuki's family had enthralled him. Her many siblings made Sōichirō want a big family too, so that his children never feel alone. As a king, he is dedicated to his country, always looking out for the people. Often times he stays late at the castle, coming home late and forgetting to take his crown off. He has a high penchant for wearing the crown at the dining room table. His plan to decide the next successor was conceived when his first child, Aoi, was born. Now that the time has arrived to hold the elections, Sōichirō is intrigued as to who will succeed the throne.
