Special Week is the main symbol character of Umamusume: Pretty Derby. She is a cheerful girl from the countryside of Hokkaido who dreams of becoming the best Umamusume in Japan. Known for her huge appetite, pure heart, and hardworking spirit, she is very friendly but sometimes shy around girls her age. Special Week lost her real mother shortly after birth but was raised with love by a human foster mother. She is the main protagonist of Season 1 of the anime and the first part of the main story in the game, facing tough races, strong rivals, and sometimes her own doubts, but always running toward her dream with endless courage and hope.
Special Week has dark brown (almost black) bob-cut hair with a special white streak in her bangs, inspired by the real horse’s blaze (white stripe). Her right ear wears a purple ribbon, and her head has a white braid-shaped ornament. The back of her hair is tied with a purple string.
Her eyes are the same color as her birth mother’s.
Her tail moves with her emotions, making it hard for her to hide her feelings.
Height: 158 cm
Weight: Slightly below average (she gets nervous before races)
Three Sizes: B81 / W56 / H81
Shoe Size: Left 23.5 cm, Right 23.0 cm
Special Week is friendly, open, and straightforward. She is cheerful and energetic, and although she becomes shy around new girls her age, she warms up quickly.
She is very hardworking and never gives up, even in tough times.
She is extremely good at eating a lot, sometimes shocking others with how much she can eat (even in “ton” units!).
She is honest and pure, always wanting to make her moms proud and to be someone others can depend on.
Special Week struggles with technology, like train station automatic ticket gates.
She is not very good at hiding her feelings—her tail gives her away!
Special Week grew up in rural Hokkaido.
Her birth mother died soon after giving birth, so she was raised by her mom’s human friend—a strict but loving foster mother.
Special Week dearly calls both her birth mother and her foster mother "Mom."
She exchanges letters often with her foster mom and treasures their relationship.
Because she grew up mainly with humans and not other Umamusume, she gets easily nervous around other girls her age.
Special Week’s dream is to become the best Umamusume in Japan, and she works hard for it.
She has excellent stamina and strength, making her good at middle and long-distance races.
She can eat incredible amounts of food—enough to surprise even her rivals.
Her special skill is giving detailed and lively food reviews.
She is sensitive to cooking sounds.
Her best school subject is PE (Physical Education).
In-Game Abilities
- Main Distances: Middle distance and long distance
- Best Tactics: Leading or closing
- Special Skill: "Shooting Star" (increases speed when she overtakes others in the final part of a race)
- Unique Skills: High stamina, strong willpower, and lots of motivation
Friends and Rivals
- Silence Suzuka: Her room-mate, role model, and closest friend she met right after transferring to Tracen Academy. Suzuka’s racing style inspires her deeply.
- Tokai Teio: She looks up to Teio, and they become good friends.
- Grass Wonder: A peer and strong rival who pushes her to improve and often supports her when she doubts herself.
- El Condor Pasa: Another peer from the "Golden Generation" and a friendly rival.
- Seiun Sky & King Halo: Strong rivals from her year, often racing against her in the big competitions.
- Tsurumaru Tsuyoshi: She worries about Tsuyoshi, the "secret weapon" girl who joined races late due to bad health.
- Gold Ship: They interact often and Gold Ship loves teasing Special Week.
- Oguri Cap & Rice Shower: Both known for huge appetites, Oguri is her “big eater” partner outside racing, while Rice is someone she shares meals with.
- Daiwa Scarlet, Mejiro Bright, Cesario, Buena Vista, Maruzensky: Other friends, mentors, and sometimes rivals.
Family
- Raised and loved by her foster human mother.
- Inspired by the memory of her birth mother and her foster mother.
- Her eyes are inherited from her birth mother.
- When eating corn, she always focuses and eats it in total silence.
- She likes using a letter set to keep in touch with her mom.
- Her smartphone wallpaper is always a photo with her mom from home visits.
- She can tell the brand of milk by taste and is great at giving piggyback rides, making people sleepy.
- Her tail movement and ears easily show her emotions.
- One of her secret points of pride is being able to guess the day’s lunch menu over 70% of the time.
- The white part of her bangs is not just colored hair, but an extra "special" lock, based on the real horse’s blaze.
“Mom, please watch! I’m going to become the best Umamusume in Japan!”
“Trainer, I did it! I’m first place!!”
“Yes! I’m Special Week!”
“My dream is to become the best Umamusume in Japan! I’ll do my best for my moms!”
“I just really love running!”
“Yes! My dream is to become the top Umamusume in Japan…! I’ll take on anything!!”
Early Life and Joining Tracen Academy
Special Week lost her mother soon after birth and was raised by her mother’s close human friend. She grew up in Hokkaido, surrounded by nature but not many other Umamusume, which made her nervous around peers.
Her dream is to become Japan’s number one Umamusume, a promise she made to both her mothers.
She moves to Tracen Academy in Tokyo, where she is inspired by seeing Silence Suzuka race live. Special Week is shy but quickly becomes friends with Suzuka, who becomes her roommate and idol.
Season 1 - The Main Story
Team Sirius and First Races
In the main story, Special Week wishes to join the same team as Silence Suzuka. However, she accidentally makes a mistake during her first selection race (running to the wrong goal line!), so she gets assigned to Team Sirius.
Despite this, she is welcomed and supported by new teammates and begins chasing her dream seriously.
Facing “Golden Generation” Rivals
She meets and races against other strong girls of her generation: Grass Wonder, El Condor Pasa, Seiun Sky, and King Halo.
Her journey includes major races like the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), Kikka Sho (Japanese St. Leger), and others.
At first, she loses to her rivals and struggles with her weaknesses, like running up hills and overeating before races.
With help from trainers and friends, she learns new running styles, works even harder, and wins the Japanese Derby along with El Condor Pasa in a thrilling photo finish.
Mid-Story Growth and Setbacks
Special Week faces tough races, sometimes losing or placing second. She learns that being “the best” is about more than just wins, and tries to fight for her dream, not just to run beside Silence Suzuka.
She falls into a slump, sometimes doubting herself, but her teammates and rivals keep supporting and challenging her.
Final Battles
In her senior year, Special Week takes on the Emperor’s Prize (Spring), facing Mejiro Bright (the previous champion).
She briefly loses sight of why she runs, hits a slump, but rebounds and challenges Montjeu (represented as "Broye" in the story), the champion of the Arc de Triomphe, in the Japan Cup.
She wins, becoming Japan’s “Grand General,” earning admiration from both Japanese and international rivals.
Anime Highlights
- Her amazing appetite and eating contests with others are used for both fun and to show her cheerful spirit.
- She tends to trip and make funny mistakes, which makes her even more lovable.
- Her big heart, honesty, and never-give-up attitude inspire everyone around her.
- Sometimes, she learns new training methods or skills the hard way (like realizing “slipstream” from watching other animals).
Other Appearances
- In spinoff manga and games, she sometimes becomes round from overeating and floats in the pool!
- In crossovers like Granblue Fantasy and Shadowverse, she appears as a guest or playable character.
- In the game, she is the center face of the title and intro scenes.
- As the iconic “main character” of the franchise, she is often used in promotions, events, and collaborations.
Character Data
- Nicknames: "Spe," "Special Week," "Spe-chan"
- Birthday: May 2
- School Year: Junior High Division, Tracen Academy
- Dorm: Ritto Dormitory
Songs
- "Yes! I’m Special Week!"
- "I Did It, Trainer! I got First Place!!"
- "My Favorite Mark is The Main Favorite ◎"
- "Thank You, God"
Inspirations
Special Week is based on the real racehorse Special Week, who became a legend in Japanese horse racing, winning the Japanese Derby, both the Spring and Autumn Emperor’s Prizes, and the Japan Cup.
The real horse was also an orphan, raised by a foster mother and even a huge draft horse who nursed him. This loving, unusual upbringing inspired Special Week’s story in the anime and game.
Despite being big and eating a lot, the real Special Week was loved for his gentle personality, courage, and stubborn will to keep running even after setbacks.
Fun Facts
- She is super good at recognizing milk brands just by taste.
- She is great at piggyback rides—people soon fall asleep when she carries them!
- When eating corn, she never talks and just focuses.
Special Week’s mix of innocence, courage, hard work, and cheerful spirit have made her a beloved mascot for Umamusume: Pretty Derby and a fan favorite for years.
💬 Community Discussion
Talk about this anime with people who actually care.