The MOST IMPORTANT Character in Love Live! | Who is Honoka Kousaka?

In the world of Love Live, μ’s is a legend. They are a light that inspired the hearts of many across the nation and even the world, a miracle that changed the world of school idols as we know it. Even outside of just the anime, the impact of μ’s is still felt to this day, going so far as to cause quakes in the fandom at the mere mention of their return. The legendary nine’s impact was so great that it touched our hearts in a way that couldn’t be replicated, creating a feeling that couldn’t be replaced. A group of normal girls who despite their normalcy were brighter than any other upon the summit of Love Live—that’s who μ’s was. For a group like that to exist that united nine inherently different personalities under one flag, one dream that would last until the end of time, what kind of person would it take to lead them, to create such a bond? For this group of blazing lights full of passion, the one who guided their way was possibly the brightest light of them all.

This is Kousaka Honoka, a normal girl who changed the world.

You would never expect the leader of such a group like μ’s to be someone as plain and ordinary as Honoka. In grades? Barely passing. In looks? Completely average. Skills? Not many if any at all. Honoka was by all means a regular highschool girl living her life to the fullest. What she wanted to do, she did. If she wasn’t interested in her classes, she simply fell asleep, not that she ever really had an interest to begin with. If she felt like eating, she would eat, especially anything that wasn’t the Japanese sweets that she was sick of being surrounded by all her life. All she wanted was what she wanted at that moment, her life decided on a whim. But it was that attitude that shaped her worldview: if she wanted to, she could do it. Everything would work out so long as Kousaka Honoka desired it.

And that is what led her to the creation of μ’s.

See, when Honoka does something, it’s as if she knows that she can’t do it alone. Or rather, she doesn’t want to. She finds it far more enjoyable, so much more fun to be surrounded by her friends and people she can share this fun with because the best way to have fun is when others have fun with you. This isn’t to say she’s completely reliant on them or won’t do it without them, as she was fully willing to be a school idol by herself. Simply put, it would just be more fun, more enjoyable, and more entertaining if her friends were with her. As a result, her two close friends, Sonoda Umi and Minami Kotori, were constantly getting caught up in her nonsense. Getting them into trouble, getting hurt and overall doing things that just seemed like a waste of time from the outside, there was no point…at least it looks that way at first. But by following Honoka up a tree, despite how scary it is and how dangerous, what she and her friends saw was a sight that was unforgettable. By joining her in a game of tag, Umi gained a friend that cared about her and loved her, giving her companionship. And, by her strong desire to save her school, Kotori, Honoka and Umi created something that changed the world.

There is nothing exceptional about Kousaka Honoka except for that desire, and that belief that she can do anything so long as she wants to do it is extraordinary. Always acting without thinking without a care or fear in the world. A single, unremarkable and normal girl with a drive and passion that shone like a star is the perfect leader for a group like μ’s, which became known for being themselves as a group that could only exist in the world of school idols–exceptional because of their normalcy with a shine that gave hope to everyone who laid eyes on them. And at the lead was a girl who gained the hearts of everyone who saw that passion.

Things like doubt and failure didn’t exist in Honoka’s mind because she never had reason to believe that such a thing could hold her back and to the girls she pulled along with her that was admirable. Nishikino Maki didn’t have hope of fulfilling her dream of being a musician. Her life was planned out for her, so playing music would be a waste of time, let alone wasting her time dancing around in silly clothes to soulless pop music. What would be the point? 

But why should that matter if you’re having fun?

This annoying, loud mouthed senpai who was significantly less mature than the girl at the piano insisted that she be a school idol for such trivial little things. Their costumes are pretty, their songs are fun and doing it looks fun. Shining up there on stage and pouring your heart out looks fun, and what is the point of doing anything if you’re not having fun? 

Hoshizora Rin didn’t see herself as feminine and Koizumi Hanayo didn’t think herself fit to be an idol, but that didn’t matter to Honoka. In her eyes, Rin was adorable and had an attitude that radiated warmth. In her eyes, Hanayo was unbelievably cute and if she simply wanted to she could be an idol, and not just any idol, one that would help them save their school. Yazawa Nico had already given up on her dreams because she had already failed to see them through, but here was this girl and her friends coming to her everyday reminding her of that dream, but instead of forcing their will upon her, Honoka simply invited her to run with them. Ayase Eli saw them as amateurs, something that was clearly a waste of time to someone who stood in the professional world and still fell. Her dreams no longer existed, but this girl had the nerve to say that what she was doing had the power to save their school. Those girls were happy onstage while Eli was unable to smile. Eli pushed them down, insulted them, stood in their way to prevent their progress, telling them there was no way they could succeed, yet despite everything she did, Honoka still reached out her hand to her–because it’s far more fun to do things with your friends. No regard for how it inconveniences others yet a strong desire to give them joy as they shine together. No care for whether or not it would fail. No worries about the potential waste of time that this could be existed in the mind of Kousaka Honoka and that in and of itself was what gave those nine hope, what gave Otonokizaka hope. Worries and doubts are thrown to the wind so long as that desire filled their hearts, because what could possibly go wrong?

Nothing could…right?

It’s not as if Honoka had never failed before. She failed tests, she didn’t excel at athletics and even her debut as a school idol was a failure. But Honoka’s mindset is simply if she wants it, it will happen, if she falls, she can always get back up. If there’s an obstacle, just keep trying hard and you’ll conquer it. She didn’t care about tests until it stood in her way of being able to be a school idol, so she conquered it. Athleticism didn’t matter to her until it stood in the way of her goal, so she tried as hard as she could. The failure that signaled the start of μ’s journey wasn’t the end because her goal wasn’t to fill the auditorium, it was simply to perform with all she had and touch the hearts of others, and in that she succeeded. She had a second chance. But to perform in Love Live!, they only had one chance. There was no “fail and get back up again,” it was win or lose and she lost…and more importantly, it was all her fault. She pushed herself because she thought she had to. The dance had to be perfect, so she changed it up. Her moves had to be amazing, so she ran and practiced until her body gave out. The others believed in her, the weight of that success crushed her, but so long as she wanted it, as long as she kept trying she would succeed. But she didn’t. She took the weight of that responsibility and it crushed her. Her belief that formed the core of who she was was proved wrong right before her eyes. She started to doubt herself. Maybe she didn’t have to try so hard. Maybe they didn’t need to be school idols. After all, the school was saved. They did their job. The goal they pursued, to save their school, had been reached, so why try so hard? After all, trying so hard is what made them fail. It was all her fault.

The flaw in Honoka’s mindset is this: to believe you can do anything if you just try is a belief that places the weight on your shoulders. It’s a path you have to walk alone, and in Honoka’s case it blinded her to her surroundings. She had always pulled people along without caring for their feelings because so far everything had always gone right. She relied on others when she thought she needed to, but that was all. She didn’t rely on anyone fully and was perfectly fine if they didn’t join. She only asked them to do so when she thought it was right. But μ’s is the group with no center. It’s a group that exists only as nine, and as such it’s a group that comprises of not any one person’s feelings but their love and passion united. So far, they had all been following Honoka as she pulled them forward. In Eli’s own words, it’s Honoka’s mindset that got them this far, but it’s that same mindset that made them fail. It was that same mindset that destroyed their unity, that caused her to ignore her friend’s feelings because all she saw was what SHE wanted, and the group that was their combined feelings couldn’t operate if they didn’t understand each other…if they didn’t rely on each other.

Honoka always pulled others forward, but she never let them help her, to push her forward or to run alongside her.

μ’s isn’t μ’s without its nine members together, and Honoka may have led them, but it would never have happened without the rest. Umi’s lyrics, Kotori’s costumes, Eli’s dance training, Nozomi’s support, Maki’s music, all of it pushed her forward yet she still thought she had to pull everyone. That wasn’t the case, it was never the case. She needed to realize that. She needed Kotori, she needed Umi, she needed everyone just like they needed her. Sure, Honoka got where she was because she just pursued what she wanted and tried as hard as she could because she believed she could, but no one person can carry the weight of nine, no one person can weather a storm alone. Believing in yourself is pointless if it’s only you that you can believe in. Fighting as hard as you can is pointless if it’s just you. μ’s was all of their feelings, not just hers. Her love was shared with them. She didn’t love dancing and singing because it was her alone, even if it started that way. It was because there were others around her singing and dancing and loving it just like her that it wasn’t a fleeting emotions but a passionate love she couldn’t give away. That’s why she tried so hard. Because it was for them, for that love she had felt, but her alone wasn’t enough. The hearts of nine could only be carried by nine. Her interest wasn’t half-hearted, it was real. That’s why they followed her. All she was missing was the fact that she couldn’t do it alone. Honoka’s light saved others, but a school idol isn’t someone who shines alone. If her light saved others, then she needed to let the light of her friends save her too.

A school idol is someone who fights against their mediocre selves alongside others. Not one pulling the rest and not a group pushing one. It’s a group of girls running alongside each other, their hearts resonating and their love being unified, creating a light brighter than any single one of them. They need each other because without the other, how can they find their shine? Their feelings can’t be hidden from the others out of consideration but thrown full force at each other. That’s what the group that Honoka created was like, what it stood for. She wanted to shine, so did they. She wanted to sing, and so did they. She wanted to dance with those girls that she saved and saved her; that gave her a place she could belong and a passion she never had before. 

Honoka was always awkward. She acted without thinking simply because she didn’t know how to express how she feels. It’s too hard to think about, and it was much easier to just move forward without worrying about what came next. But μ’s is a group of nine whose hearts are united, with feelings shared and clashing until they become one. Honoka’s failure was her inability to see the feelings of others and express how the weight she felt to them. Her fear of going forward came from that realization, causing her to hold back. For the first time, she realized the feelings of everyone around her and feared that she would make the same mistake again, but now she wasn’t alone. At the graduation ceremony for the third years, she says that when she couldn’t find a way to show people how she felt, she discovered music. You don’t need a speech, you don’t need carefully worded sentences, because all of that is shared through song. Through song, Honoka declared that she wanted others to share her passion and her love. Through dance, she opened the door to hers and her friends’ hearts. Through her earnest, heartfelt emotion, she returned the love that so many that supported her gave her. By becoming a school idol, she was able to become more conscious of the feelings of others, relying on them as they relied on her, her position as school council president a symbol of that. No longer was she pulling people along…she was letting them run alongside her. 

She was someone who led by simply lighting the path that was dark for those who couldn’t didn’t have that passion. Her unwavering desire to see what lies ahead changed the lives of those who didn’t see a future for themselves. Her love for the present gave others who never enjoyed the everyday to love every moment that became a memory. Running endlessly into the light with those she loved and loved her as well, who told them that she wanted to go there not by herself but with everyone, sharing the love and feelings that drove her to move. That is Kousaka Honoka, the girl who changed the world and inspired others around her with a blinding light that illuminated the hearts of those who found themselves in the dark

…that same light that changed the life of the normal monster.