Kaede Hozuki

Kaede Hozuki is introduced as a high school girl and close friend of Mihari Oyama, the protagonist’s younger sister.

Despite her flashy, gyaru-like fashion, she is actually a “high school debut” type who used to have a plain style through middle school.

She is very skilled at housework, loves fashion and makeup, and often acts as a reliable older sister figure.

Mahiro, who is technically older in age, ends up admiring her more like a big sister than Mihari.

In the anime adaptation, director Shingo Fujii explained that Kaede’s bust size is sometimes exaggerated in the artwork to reflect Mahiro’s emotional perspective, even though her official design is not that extreme.

Her design changes between manga and anime are dramatic, especially in body shape and overall sexiness.

She eventually becomes a university student, entering the same university as Mihari (though in a different department).

She has a younger sister, Momiji Hozuki, who later becomes Mahiro’s classmate.

Name: Kaede Hozuki

Gender: Female

Series: ONIMAI: I'm Now Your Sister!

Age: 17 → 18 (from second-year high school to third-year, then first-year university, around chapters 67–69 and later)

Birthday: September 12

Height: 157 cm

Weight: 52 kg

Blood Type: A

Occupation: High school student → university student

Family: Younger sister – Momiji Hozuki

Hobbies / Likes: Fashion, makeup, stylish clothes

Notable Skills: Housework (cooking and general chores), fashion coordination, makeup

First appearance (manga): Chapter 7

First appearance (anime): Episode 3 (with a middle-school flashback silhouette in Episode 1)

Voice Actress (CV): Hisako Kanemoto

Representative lines include light, gyaru-like greetings such as:

“It's Kaede, nice to meet you!”

And playful, big-sister-style offers like:

“If that's how it is, leave it to your big sis!

I’ll teach both of you everything, hands-on!”

Initial Appearance and First Meeting with Mahiro

Kaede first appears in manga chapter 7 (anime episode 3).

Mihari calls her over to the Oyama home to help reintroduce the reclusive Mahiro to social interaction.

Their first meeting is extremely embarrassing: Mahiro accidentally opens the bathroom door while Kaede is using the toilet.

This shocking encounter becomes their unforgettable introduction.

Mihari then deliberately leaves Kaede and Mahiro alone together.

Initially, Mahiro is wary and intimidated by Kaede’s flashy gyaru style.

However, after cooking together and Kaede teaching Mahiro how to apply makeup, the two quickly grow closer.

By the end of this encounter, Mahiro begins to see Kaede as an “older sister” and becomes very attached to her.

Shopping Trip, Swimsuits, and the Theater Incident

In manga chapters 9–9.5 (anime episode 3), Kaede goes shopping with Mahiro and Mihari.

They pick out casual clothes and swimsuits together, highlighting Kaede’s talent for fashion coordination.

Later, they go to see a movie.

When Mahiro leaves for the restroom and takes a long time to return, Kaede worries and goes to check on her.

Kaede finds that Mahiro has had an accident in the restroom and gently helps her clean up and recover from the embarrassment.

Through this kind and non-judgmental support, Mahiro becomes even more attached to her, reinforcing the “reliable big sister” dynamic.

Ongoing Support and “Big Sister” Position

From that point on, Kaede appears repeatedly as a key support character in Mahiro’s daily life.

She advises Mahiro on what present to get Mihari, helps pick out swimsuits, and gives tips for selfies and photo booths.

While Mihari is technically Mahiro’s younger sister, Kaede often functions as the reliable “older sister” who can be asked about “girly” topics.

Mahiro naturally uses a softer, more childlike tone of voice when speaking to Kaede, showing how safe and comforted she feels around her.

Kaede also enjoys that Mahiro is at least somewhat interested in fashion compared to most of their friends.

Because Mihari, Momiji, and Asahi are not very fashion-conscious, Kaede is delighted to have Mahiro as a partner for makeup, outfits, and styling fun.

University Life

In chapter 90, Kaede passes her university entrance exams.

By chapter 95, she has already enrolled.

She ends up at the same university as Mihari, though they belong to different departments.

Their relationship shifts into a senior–junior dynamic at university, while they remain close personal friends.

Kaede joins a cooking club, which fits her skill set and love for housework and food preparation.

This also continues her role as someone who can support others through domestic skills and hospitality.

General Features and Style

Kaede’s defining traits are her flashy gyaru fashion, vivid hair color, and curvy figure.

She favors trendy outfits, attention-grabbing colors, and often slightly revealing clothes.

Although she currently looks like a confident gyaru, this is a deliberate “high school debut” look.

Until the end of middle school, she had a plain and modest appearance, similar to her sister Momiji.

She enjoys experimenting with makeup, coordinating outfits, and choosing swimsuits.

Her style emphasizes her femininity and specific “sexy” points, especially in the anime version.

Manga Version

In the manga, Kaede has red hair tied in a ponytail.

Her overall design is relatively simpler and less extreme than the anime version.

She is still the largest-busted character in the manga cast, but not to a comically exaggerated degree.

Within the standards of the time, her chest was actually considered fairly modest for a designated “big bust” character.

Her middle school appearance, shown in flashbacks, is much plainer.

She had straight, short hair with blunt bangs and a somewhat “kokeshi doll” vibe, very similar to Momiji’s look.

This simple design matched her backstory as a previously plain girl who transformed her image in high school.

Anime Version

In the anime, Kaede’s design undergoes one of the most radical changes of the cast.

Her hair color is changed to bright pink with a blue inner-color accent, giving her a very flashy and modern gyaru aesthetic.

Across the anime, body-type differences between characters are greatly amplified.

Kaede’s bust, already the largest in the manga, is further emphasized to the point that it often looks extremely voluptuous.

Her body is portrayed as extremely curvy, with her bust sometimes appearing almost weaponized in scale.

Her casual outfits show more skin, and her swimsuit is changed to a cross-halter bikini that heightens her gyaru image.

The anime frequently uses shots that highlight bounce and movement in her chest.

However, director Shingo Fujii clarified that her official settings give her a somewhat smaller bust, and that certain scenes simply exaggerate her size to reflect Mahiro’s emotional perception.

In practice, this leads to scenes where her bust seems modestly large in everyday moments but becomes dramatically huge in sexually charged or swimsuit scenes.

Some shots are so exaggerated that viewers might wonder whether any standard bra or swimsuit could realistically contain that size.

One standout example is the scene where Kaede teasingly tells Mahiro, “You haven’t done it yet, have you?”, while leaning in suggestively.

In this moment, her chest is drawn especially large and imposing, clearly amplifying Mahiro’s flustered reaction.

Reception of the Design Changes

The anime’s radical redesign of Kaede can fairly be called a “major overhaul.”

Her hair color, styling, overall body shape, and level of sexual emphasis differ greatly from the original manga.

On illustration platforms such as Pixiv, this led to two distinct fanart trends.

Many artists draw a “manga-style Kaede,” while others focus on the “anime-style Kaede,” with the latter being more common due to the sexier design.

A large portion of fanart depicts her in swimsuits, lingerie, or otherwise revealing outfits.

Among anime-style fanart of Kaede, images where she is fully clothed are actually in the minority.

R-18 works featuring her surged dramatically after the anime aired, with some counts suggesting around 40% of tagged images on certain sites being explicit.

Even non-R-18 illustrations tend to highlight her body with swimsuit or sexy fashion that shows extensive skin.

Part of why this overhaul was accepted is that the manga’s popularity before the anime was relatively modest.

Additionally, changing standards for “big bust” designs made her original chest size feel understated for a “busty character,” leading the author to reportedly approve the anime’s bust expansion after considering audience expectations.

At the same time, some fans dislike fanart that focuses only on sexualization while ignoring her core character trait: being a kind, warm, older-sister-like presence who rarely behaves in an overtly sexual way in the manga.

Because of this misalignment, some people jokingly call Kaede “the biggest victim of the anime adaptation.”

Kaede is fundamentally kind, cheerful, and extremely approachable.

Her flashy appearance can intimidate people at first, but her true nature is gentle and caring.

She likes taking care of others and often slips naturally into an “older sister” role, especially around Mahiro and her sister Momiji.

Her skill at cooking and housework makes her a reliable helper in everyday situations.

She is also a passionate fashion lover who enjoys dressing herself and others up.

This can sometimes lead her to push fashion and styling onto friends who are less interested, such as Asahi.

Her way of speaking is casual and playful, with a light gyaru vibe.

She sometimes uses teasing or slightly suggestive lines, but usually in a good-natured, not predatory, way.

Mahiro Oyama

Mahiro Oyama is the main protagonist of “ONIMAI: I'm Now Your Sister!”.

Kaede is the first person outside Mahiro’s family that she truly opens up to after becoming a shut-in.

At first, Mahiro is frightened by Kaede’s loud gyaru fashion and energy.

But after cooking together and learning makeup from her, Mahiro relaxes and starts to genuinely enjoy Kaede’s company.

Kaede becomes someone Mahiro looks up to as a “big sister.”

Mahiro’s voice naturally becomes higher and more innocent when talking to Kaede, showing how much she wants to be doted on.

Kaede also sees Mahiro almost as a second little sister.

She is aware that Mahiro is the same age as her own sister Momiji and is the younger sister of her beloved friend Mihari, which makes Kaede instinctively protective toward her.

Even when Kaede is out with her own friends, if she spots Mahiro, she immediately pulls Mahiro into the group to include her.

This sometimes flusters Mahiro, who is shy and prone to running away, but Kaede doesn’t let her hide.

Mahiro is usually indifferent to seeing other girls, like Momiji or other middle-school girls, in underwear or even nude due to her altered mindset.

However, Kaede’s notably attractive figure is one of the few things that still elicits a reaction from Mahiro.

They address each other warmly as “Mahiro-chan” and “Kaede-chan” in Japanese terms, which translates to a very affectionate, friend-like “Mahiro” and “Kaede” with a subtle cute nuance.

Their relationship blends friendship, mentorship, and a cozy, pseudo-sibling bond.

Mihari Oyama

Mihari Oyama is Kaede’s close friend and Mahiro’s younger sister.

They have known each other since middle school.

Even after Mihari skipped grades and entered university early, leaving Kaede behind in high school, they continued to visit each other’s homes regularly.

They are close enough to go out on “Christmas dates” as best friends.

Kaede is the one who helped Mihari learn cooking and gain fashion sense, all to “make her big brother happy.”

In return, Mihari sometimes tutors Kaede in academics, which is notably shown in the anime.

Thanks to Mihari’s help, Kaede once ranked 22nd in her middle school final exams, a solid achievement for her.

Their relationship is mutually supportive: Kaede offers lifestyle and fashion skills, Mihari offers intellectual and study support.

In a comedic but worrying scene, Mihari gets tipsy after just one cup of amazake, a sweet, low-alcohol drink.

She turns into an aggressive kisser, smothering Kaede with kisses—likely including on the lips, judging by angles and poses.

Mihari then completely forgets everything that happened.

This incident leads Kaede to sternly declare that Mihari is “banned from alcohol for life,” highlighting her protective side.

They call each other by their first names without honorifics, indicating very close friendship.

Even during middle school, Mihari was already calling her “Kaede,” although Kaede still used “Mihari-chan” at that time, gradually dropping the extra cuteness as they grew closer.

Momiji Hozuki

Momiji Hozuki is Kaede’s younger sister.

Their sisterly bond is very strong and affectionate.

Personality-wise they share qualities like kindness, approachability, and a good sense of responsibility.

However, in style and body type, they are almost opposites: Kaede is flashy and curvy, while Momiji has a boyish, more modest figure.

Momiji admires Kaede as a good older sister but also feels some jealousy over Kaede’s glamorous body.

Kaede, in turn, is aware of Momiji’s special feelings for Mahiro.

She tries to gently encourage the relationship between Momiji and Mahiro.

For instance, when Momiji wants to take a photo booth picture alone with Mahiro, Kaede agrees on the condition that Momiji lets her style her in a gyaru fashion for that occasion.

This results in Momiji getting a gyaru makeover, something outside her usual comfort zone.

Kaede uses fashion as a way to push her sister into bolder steps toward her own crush.

Kaede and Momiji refer to each other simply as “Momiji” and “big sis.”

Kaede’s own past as a plain middle-schooler, with short bangs and simple hair, mirrors Momiji’s current style and makes their contrast even more interesting.

Asahi Ouka

Asahi Ouka is Momiji’s classmate and a lively, energetic girl.

She has known Kaede since childhood.

To Kaede, Asahi feels like “another little sister.”

Asahi often visits the burger shop where Kaede works part-time.

Kaede frequently treats Asahi to something when she drops by, showing her generous, big-sisterly nature.

However, Kaede’s love of fashion sometimes leads her to drag Asahi into clothing and styling sessions.

Since Asahi herself is not that into fashion, she can find this a bit exhausting.

Even so, there is genuine affection between them.

Asahi calls Kaede “big sis” (specifically “Momiji’s big sister” in nuance), while Kaede simply calls her “Asahi.”

Their dynamic mixes gentle teasing, minor exasperation, and long-standing familiarity.

Miyo Murosaki

Miyo Murosaki is one of Momiji’s classmates and a self-proclaimed “yuri fan.”

Her relationship with Kaede is relatively recent compared to Kaede’s longstanding bond with Mihari and Asahi.

When the group plans a beach trip, Miyo, who also has a well-developed bust for her age, approaches Kaede to ask for advice on choosing a swimsuit.

Kaede, as a fellow busty girl, helps her navigate the difficulty of finding supportive yet cute swimwear.

This practical, body-positive help makes Miyo deeply appreciative.

From then on, Miyo begins to regard Kaede as a respected “big sister” figure.

Since Miyo is an only child, having someone like Kaede or Mihari as an older-sister-type presence feels very special to her.

Kaede’s friendly attitude and real-world advice give Miyo the kind of sibling relationship she never had at home.

Nayuta Tenkawa

Nayuta Tenkawa is another of Momiji’s classmates, known for being airheaded and naturally cute.

Kaede has some interaction with Nayuta through group activities.

They have spent time together at events such as barbecues and trips to the beach.

While Nayuta is not as closely bonded to Kaede as Mahiro or Momiji, there is a comfortable acquaintance between them.

Kaede treats Nayuta kindly as part of the younger-sibling circle around Momiji.

Their relationship is friendly and casual, fitting the broader “extended family” atmosphere of the group.

Kaede is voiced by Hisako Kanemoto in the anime adaptation.

At the time of the anime’s broadcast, Kanemoto was in her mid-30s, which influenced the mature nuance of her performance.

Fans have praised her portrayal for giving Kaede a warm, reliable, “kind gyaru” vibe.

Her slightly adult tone makes Kaede’s lines as a caring big sister feel convincing rather than shallow.

Some watchers highlight the swimsuit-fitting scene as especially impactful due to Kanemoto’s calm, teasing yet reassuring acting.

This mature performance allows viewers to “relax” even in more fanservice-heavy scenes because Kaede’s personality feels grounded and gentle.

Among Kanemoto’s roles, some fans describe Kaede Hozuki as one of their favorites.

The combination of her voice and the character’s design contributes strongly to Kaede’s popularity after the anime.

Before the anime adaptation, the manga version of Kaede was not especially prominent in fan communities.

Even including official drawings by the original author, there were only a handful of illustrations tagged with her name on major art sites.

After the anime aired, the situation changed dramatically.

Fanart featuring Kaede Hozuki skyrocketed into the thousands, with the number continuing to grow.

Many of these new works use the anime version of her character design.

Her flashy hair, extreme curves, and revealing outfits make her a natural fit for fanservice-oriented art.

Her R-18 artwork ratio reached startling levels, with estimates around 40% on certain platforms.

Even non-explicit illustrations tend to gravitate toward swimsuits, underwear, or outfits that emphasize her bust.

For some fans, Kaede’s anime redesign transformed her into a symbol of “sexy gyaru big sister.”

However, this also led to tension within the fandom.

People who prefer the manga version, where Kaede’s personality is more highlighted than her body, often dislike art that depicts her as constantly horny or outright predatory.

They argue that such portrayals ignore her canonical behavior as a warm, reliable, and generally non-sexual big sister figure.

Because the anime design differs so strongly from the original manga in both look and tone, Kaede is sometimes described as the “greatest casualty” of the adaptation.

Despite this, there is no doubt that the anime’s version of Kaede significantly boosted her visibility and overall popularity within the “ONIMAI: I'm Now Your Sister!” fandom.