Setsuna Ashikaga is a female figure skater from the Namijo Crown Figure Skating Club who appears in the manga series Medalist, first introduced as a first-year junior high school student and former winner of the Chubu Block Novice A competition.
Setsuna is portrayed as a highly driven young skater who trains intensely even when no one at her school knows what she is doing.
She longs for recognition not as a “genius” but as someone who is giving everything she has to skating.
She is a previous champion in the Chubu Block Novice A category, having won the title the year before Inori Yuitsuka competes in the same event.
Within Namijo Crown Figure Skating Club, she is one of the notable junior skaters alongside other rising talents.
One of her defining wishes is to become better and better at skating, showing both ambition and insecurity.
She is keenly aware of how easy it is to be overshadowed by more famous skaters and wants her efforts to be seen.
Full Name: Setsuna Ashikaga
Gender: Female
Affiliation: Namijo Crown Figure Skating Club
Occupation/Role: Junior competitive figure skater, student
Age: First-year junior high school student (at her first appearance)
Birthday: December 14
Blood Type: A
Height: Not specified
Voice Actor: Not specified
Setsuna has a stubborn and resolute personality, described as someone who never bends once she has decided on something.
This strong will drives both her training and her reactions to competition results.
In competition, she openly expresses her frustration when things do not go as planned.
After losing her chance at back-to-back wins, she complains that she wanted the “two-time champion” label so she would not be hidden in the shadow of Hikaru Kamisaki.
She is passionate to the point of intensity about the things she loves.
This passion shows up not only in skating but also in her devotion to light novels and illustrators.
Setsuna loves light novels and genuinely reveres illustrators, treating them like celebrities or idols.
If someone criticizes illustrators, she becomes angry and defensive, showing how deeply she cares about their work.
Her admiration reaches the level of near-fanatic excitement when she meets an illustrator she respects.
During an official practice session, she becomes so overexcited after encountering a “god-tier” artist on the ice that the illustrator themselves is somewhat taken aback by her reaction.
Despite her prickly pride and stubbornness, she also reveals a vulnerable side in her inner thoughts.
She wishes that someone, anyone, would acknowledge that she is working herself almost to death in a place no one at her school even knows about.
Setsuna has hair that is grown out to around shoulder length at the back.
Her most distinctive accessory is a hair ornament shaped like a cross mark worn on the right front side of her hair.
This cross-shaped clip makes her easy to recognize on the ice and helps emphasize her energetic, slightly edgy visual impression.
Her overall look is that of a modern junior high school girl with a strong personal style.
Setsuna is a member of Namijo Crown Figure Skating Club and trains as a competitive singles skater.
Her notable achievement is winning the Chubu Block Novice A competition in the year before Inori Yuitsuka’s appearance at the same event.
Because of this previous victory, she enters the following season with the expectation and desire to defend her title.
Losing the chance at two consecutive wins frustrates her deeply, especially because she feels overshadowed by Hikaru Kamisaki.
She is conscious of hierarchy and visibility within the skating world.
The “two-time champion” title represents to her not just a result but a shield against being ignored or overlooked.
Teammates and Clubmates
Setsuna skates at the same club as other characters such as Main and Marika (specific details of these two are not clearly described in the given text).
How close she is with these particular clubmates is not explicitly known, and their day-to-day interactions are not detailed in the available material.
Her interactions suggest that she is not isolated within the skating community.
She appears to connect with various skaters across clubs and regions during and after competitions.
Relationship with Inori Yuitsuka
Inori Yuitsuka competes in the Chubu Block Novice A competition one year after Setsuna’s victory.
Setsuna’s status as the previous champion places her in a benchmark position relative to Inori’s rise.
While the detailed emotional dynamics between Setsuna and Inori are not spelled out in the provided text, the structure of their results invites comparison.
Setsuna’s desire to maintain visibility and recognition contrasts with Inori’s emerging presence on the competitive scene.
Relationship with Hikaru Kamisaki
Hikaru Kamisaki is a highly prominent skater whose presence casts a long shadow over other competitors.
Setsuna worries that, without a repeat victory and the title of two-time champion, she will be completely hidden behind Hikaru’s radiance.
Her comment about being overshadowed by Hikaru reveals both respect and frustration.
She wants to stand out in her own right rather than being known only as “another skater behind Hikaru.”
Relationship with “God-tier” Illustrator Skater
During an official practice session, Setsuna encounters a fellow skater who is also a “god-tier” illustrator.
This person is one of her skating peers and an artist whose work she already admires deeply.
The moment she realizes who they are, Setsuna becomes extremely excited, gushing over them as a fan.
Her level of enthusiasm is so intense that even the illustrator, who is used to praise, is startled and somewhat overwhelmed.
They exchange contact information after this encounter, indicating an ongoing connection.
From then on, whenever they meet, Setsuna respectfully and enthusiastically calls them “Sensei,” treating them like a beloved mentor or star creator.
Other Skating Friends
After the Chubu Block competition, Setsuna is seen in friendly interactions with skaters such as Rinna SARUKAWA and Momome Takeda.
While the exact depth of these relationships is not fully detailed, her comfortable behavior around them suggests that they are on good terms.
These connections reinforce the idea that Setsuna is part of a broader network of young skaters.
She is not just a lone rival but a member of a living, social junior skating community.
Setsuna is acutely aware that most of her classmates at school have no idea what she is doing outside of class.
She trains and competes in a world that they never see, which sometimes makes her feel invisible.
She expresses a quiet wish that someone would recognize how hard she is working, even if she is never called a “genius.”
For her, acknowledgment of effort is just as important as praise for innate talent.
Her central longing is captured in her own thought: she wants someone to know that she is giving everything she has in a place far from the everyday lives of her peers.
At the same time, she constantly tells herself that she wants to become even better, never satisfied with her current level.
This mix of stubborn determination, hunger for recognition, and pure love for both skating and illustration gives Setsuna a vivid, relatable presence in Medalist.
💬 Community Discussion
Talk about this anime with people who actually care.