Character Guide
Bellona (female gray wolf. Junior) Daughter of Legoshi and Juno. Raised by Legoshi and Haru. Bellona looks like and is tall like her father but she has her mothers eyes. Being raised around a bunch of rabbits, she has no prey drive, which causes her to doubt she is a real wolf. As a wolf, she is a bit headstrong and protective of her pack, especially her sister Lucina. Her name comes from the Roman goddess of war who is the daughter of the goddess Juno. Called Bell by her family. Pronounced Ba-LOW-na
Lucina (female white dwarf rabbit. Freshman) Step-sister* to Bellona and one of four littermates from Haru and a surrogate father unknown to the kits and Bellona. The other littermates are known as The Boys. Lucina is very much her mother's daughter and gets much attention from everyone. Very close to Bellona, she moderates some of her sister's aggressiveness. Alternates between partaking in and being a foil to her brothers' antics. Her name comes from the Roman goddess of childbirth and light who is the sister of the goddess Bellona. Called Lucy by her family. (*Lucina and Bellona would never use this term.)
Mars (Male white dwarf rabbit. Freshman) Littermate to Lucina, Mars is the boldest of The Boys. He has had a bit of a crush on his step-sister Bellona. His name comes from the Roman god of war who is the brother and consort of Bellona.
Vulcan (Male white dwarf rabbit. Freshman) Littermate to Lucina, Vulcan is the brains of The Boys. His name comes from the Roman god of fire, metalworking, and the forge and brother to the goddess Bellona.
Jack (Male white dwarf rabbit. Freshman) Littermate to Lucina. Jack is the most affectionate and thoughtful of The Boys. He is named after Legoshi's boyhood friend.
Bela. (male golden lab/borzoi(?) mix, junior) Adopted son of Jack and Els. Mostly cheerful with the rare sullen mood. As a very gentle dog, carnivores do not take him seriously. Tall for a dog, he is still slightly shorter than Bellona. His name is pronounce BAY-la, It was his name at the orphanage, and his new parents felt he was too old when he was adopted to want to change it. (Outside the Beastars universe, his name comes from Bela Lugosi.)
Spring (female Angora goat, freshman) Adopted daughter of Jack and Els. Quiet and shy, she observes more than most. Has a close bond with her brother, Bela. Spring's name is a homage to Haru (both names sharing a meaning), since Haru is credited/blamed for setting Jack and Els up.
Gozen (female, Siberian snow tigress, junior) Brash, proud, and ambitious. Also very manipulative. Does have a genuine kind side that is rarely seen. Named after a female samurai warrior.
William (male, Bengal tiger, upperclassman) Bold but taciturn boyfriend of Gozen. Also a family friend of Bela and Spring, for whom he has a mysterious fondness. At home, they call him Junior.
Jasmine (female, whippet, junior) Playful spirit and having recently broken up with her boyfriend, Bellona suspects her of being attracted to Hina. Named for the author's whippet.
Hina (female, red deer, junior) Pretty, quick-witted, and attacked to girls. A bit of a wildcard when it comes to attracting attention. Her name can mean sun-vegetables, chick, or doll in Japanese.
Indah (female orangutan, underclassman) Slightly shy leader of the gardening club cultivation team since she is one of the few members actually interested in gardening. Her name is Indonesian, meaning beautiful one.
Saya (male beaver, underclassman) Studious and industrious, another member of the gardening club who actually enjoys gardening. Named for the Native American folklore hero. Friends sometimes call him Gariben.
Bagheera (male black panther, adult) An extremely rare midnight blue panther, he adopted his name in a ploy to take advantage of his color and gain followers for his cult. The name comes from a myriad of Beastarian folklore featuring a blue panther. Some of that folklore seems to have leaked into our world and reached Rudyard Kipling.
Characters from the original series.
Haru & Legoshi: Haru bought a garden shop from a retiring owner soon after graduating. She and Legoshi live in the apartment over the shop with their five children. Bellona came from an unintended pregnancy after a very brief tryst between Legoshi and Juno. After learning of Juno's pregnancy, Haru lobbied hard to adopt the pup since she always wanted to raise a little Legoshi. The four white dwarf kits were sired by Haru's cousin in an arranged surrogate parentage but his identity has been kept from the kits as per his wishes.
Juno: Juno got pregnant from a one-time affair with Legoshi. By the time she found out, Legoshi had moved in with Haru in her garden shop. Haru insisted on adopting the pup as her and Legoshi's own and offered to take Juno in until the pup was born. Juno and Haru became very close while living together. While initially staying away from Bellona, Juno has since become a large part of her daughter's life. Juno has had a string of romances and jobs since leaving school and now lives alone across town from Bellona and her family.
Gouhin: Gouhin is still very much Gouhin.