The Portal of Zeta: iDOLM@STER Neo Vision

[ZetaFlare]

Himi Shiori (氷見詩織, age 13). A quiet, enigmatic, almost emotionless girl. While she appears cold, she really has a caring nature. Growing up with a family of very traditional standards, she doesn't speak much at all and is very naive of most technology of the modern age. Instead, she's a very artistic girl who prefers to let her pen do most of the talking, writing poems and traditional Japanese artwork. With her beautiful, somewhat haunting looks and an icy, blank stare (that scares even NAZO), there are rumors going around that she could be a yuki-onna. She's often picked on in school for being "old-fashioned," unable to speak up, easily submissive, and even being a "monster." She becomes an idol in order to get in touch with a more modern form of art. Can an artist with almost no physical expressions really become an idol?
She has a strong Visual stat, but lacks Dance. Due to her somewhat emotionless nature, her tension changes are pretty small. She might not care, but you still want to give her some attention.
Birthday: December 31 (Capricorn)
Blood type: AB
Hobbies: Poetry, origami
Image color: White
Image song: Eternal Snow (Full Moon o Sagashite)
Appeal element: Ice
Preferred VA: Kana Asumi

Note: Shiori wears gray stockings in her casual outfit.

[liza94]

He looks like Ryo!

Sakura looks like a chibi version of Haruka from Kimi ga nozomu eien

Asō Miku (麻生未来, age 14). Another main character. Although she's all-around happy and has a positive outlook on life, she essentially fails at everything she does, from classes to hobbies. Because of this, she is constantly mocked by her classmates and nagged by her parents and teachers. Naturally, when she tries out to become an idol, the judges were quick to reject her. However, one of the guest judges of the audition happened to be Sakura. Sensing something special about her singing, she introduces her to ZetaPro, who cautiously accepts her. Is she really a talentless, unlucky girl doomed to a life full of fail? Or could it be that she has yet to awaken her true potential?
She starts with piss-poor stats across the board, but as she levels up, her stat growth becomes exponential, higher than any other idol. Her appeal focus changes depending on her strongest stat. Character is on par with Sakura's due to her positive attitude.
Image color: Gold
Image song: Purachina (Card Captor Sakura)
Appeal element: Life
Preferred VA: Saki Fujita

Interesting note: She was originally named Mirai until a couple weeks after Million Live was released.

Miku-chan is so cute! How such a cute girl can be so unlucky? I'm sure she has a talent and it's... being cute! I also like the fact that her appeal element is Life.

Mitsurugi Jun (御剣純, age 15). The otaku of the group. Most of her time is spent playing video games and watching anime. She's especially fond of the mecha genre. She also has a bit of a humorous side to her, often making references to anime and video games just to brighten up the mood. While she appears to be an undisciplined slacker, she has a surprisingly good memory and can perfectly emulate anything she reads, watches, or plays.

Add She is even huger fan of both Chihayas than Yukiho-Master and you will get me!

[ZetaFlare]

Igarashi Yoshino (五十嵐佳乃, age 12). One of ZetaPro's loli trio, I thought of making her a combination loli-meganekko. While she has a genius IQ, she's still very childish in nature. While she's easily excited, she gets so caught up in her happiness that she's prone to clumsy moments from forgetting to do something important (i.e. putting on a bra or her glasses) to simply tripping and falling over due to running around or leaping so much, dropping her glasses in the process. Why does Yoshino wear glasses anyway? Well, she was born with so-so eyesight at birth. Over the years, her vision kept getting worse and worse. If this continues and is not treated soon, it will eventually mature into full-on blindness. Now she's trying to quickly make money to pay for an operation to cure her eyesight. With a bit of karaoke experience under her belt, she figured becoming an idol might be the best choice because she wanted her job to be fun. Her catchphrase is "glasses...glasses...glasses..." which she often mutters to herself when she drops her glasses and she's feeling around the ground for them.
She has a decent Vocal stat, but the rest of her stats are pretty low. Worst Visual stat in the game. One of the best Character stats in the game, so it's very easy to manage her tension.
Birthday: June 11 (Gemini)
Blood type: A
Hobbies: Mahjong, chess, card games
Image color: Lavender
Image song: Hanbun wa Mama no Scenario (Dream C Club)
Appeal element: Thunder
Preferred VA: Yukari Tamura

Interesting note: Her image song was almost Little My Star from Makai Tenshi Jubril, but I thought the lyrics we a little too ecchi (especially for one of ZetaPro's loli trio) for a series like this. In her casual outfit, she wears shorts underneath her skirt.

[MetalPredat0r]

Hey, Zeta. I'd just like to say this is a pretty interesting project you're working on. I like the designs, concepts, backstories, and personalities you give the characters. I also like the fact that you went with making it a "New Generation" type story which I feel is a lot easier to create your own lore while still keeping the standard Idolm@ster universe in mind going through with this. Hopefully this project expands to something bigger in the future.

[ZetaFlare]

Tachibana Hinata (橘日向, age 12). The Yayoi of the group. Extremely hyper, friendly, and has loads of energy to burn, but she can't stay still for 5 seconds and has zero volume control. She's also very careless/carefree to the point where some people think she's just plain stupid. Sometimes, she'll just say something random out of the blue or during the worst possible moments. Hinata has one older brother, Hideo, who looks remarkably similar to Kenji. Later, we discover she actually has ADHD. Naturally, when she announced that she will become an idol in order to prove that even people with disabilities can become superstars too, her peers mocked her in disbelief. Hideo, however, supports everything she does, claiming no disability should hold her back. Still, she wants to keep her ADHD a secret from the public, fearing that her career would be ruined if the word spread. Tends to shout "Wahoo!" when excited, quoting her favorite character Klonoa. Often calls Kenji "Onii-chan" out of confusion between him and Hideo.
She has a decent Dance stat, but the rest of her stats are pretty low. Worst Vocal stat in the game. One of the best Character stats in the game, so it's very easy to manage her tension.
Birthday: April 9 (Aries)
Blood type: O
Hobbies: Video games, soccer
Image color: Orange
Image song: LOVE SHINE (DDR)
Appeal element: Sun
Preferred VA: Hisayo Mochizuki

[ZetaFlare]

Hanasaki Emi (花咲笑美, age 10) ZetaPro's youngest idol. Playful, silly, and constantly smiling, she loves nothing than bringing smiles and laughter to everyone she entertains. She's got a comedic singing style all her own full of improvisation skills such as slurs, cutesy lyric altering, shouts, and sound effects. Still, she is just a child and will sometimes get pouty whenever she doesn't have her way, but tries to even make her pouts sound funny. Most of her influences came from her parents, both of whom are involved in comedy. She plans on becoming Japan's first "improv idol." With her unique singing style, can Emi become the entertainer she always wanted to be? Or will no one take her seriously, forcing her to unwillingly change her game plan for the sake of her fans? Emi uses very cutesy speech, sometimes using onomatopoeia instead of verbs. Because she thinks "producer" is hard to say, she nicknames Kenji "P-chan."
EDIT: I gave her two more tics. She speaks in the third person and has a distinctive laugh: "Kyahahahahaha!"
She has a decent Visual stat, but the rest of her stats are pretty low. Has the best Character in the game because it's almost impossible to get rid of her smile.
Birthday: July 25 (Leo)
Blood type: B
Hobbies: Blogging, comedy routines
Image color: Yellow
Image song: Oh! Mama Go To (Dream C Club)
Appeal element: Flower
Preferred VA: Haruko Momoi

Note: Emi wears kneesocks with her casual outfit.

[ZetaFlare]

Hijikata Chiyo (土方千代, age 20). A veteran idol who has been performing for five years. Cool, calm, and serious business, her years of experience have taught her just what it means to be an idol. Unfortunately, her career has been littered with several stumbling blocks ranging from selfish, incompetent production staffs to living in the shadows of 765 and 961. However, she did achieve decent success and a sizable fan base from her work as both an idol and a supermodel until her contract expired. Determined to shoot for the top no matter what it takes and aware of the company's reputation, she is quick to sign a contract with 961pro after reading Kuroi's ad in search for new talent. What could have been the motivation for her to shoot for the moon? It's almost like she's hiding something...
She has strong Dance and Vocal stats, but her Character is very low due to her high standards. Loses tension from Normal lessons AND communications.
Birthday: August 22 (Virgo)
Blood type: A
Hobbies: Tennis, modeling
Image color: Brown
Image song: Koi no Yokushiryoku (Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker)
Appeal element: Earth
Preferred VA: Yuu Asakawa

EDIT: I fixed her hair on her casual pic. I feel a lot better with this one.
Interesting note: Earlier in Chiyo's career, she wore her hair in twin drills similar to Kasane Teto.
Chiyo is unavailable at the start of the game. She must be unlocked in Story Mode. Defeat Kuroi's unit during a forced Festival, then complete your leader's story. Chiyo, Hotaru, and Karen defect from 961pro and join ZetaPro, becoming fully produce-able.

[ZetaFlare]

Kuroba Hotaru (黒羽ほたる, age 17). Pretty much the Shikamaru of the group. She's easygoing, laid back, and somewhat lazy. She's shown to have incredible musical talent, but prefers not to develop her singing as she feels that all that practicing will just be a waste of time. Hotaru actually comes from a family of esteemed musicians. Her mother is an opera singer and her father is the concertmaster in a local symphony orchestra. Naturally, when they discover their daughter's hidden talent and that she does not wish to do anything with it, they resort to drastic measures. Knowing 961pro's reputation, they send her to Tokyo against her will to become an idol under Kuroi's wing. They will not allow her to return to Sapporo until she reaches the top. To make matters worse, they inform Kuroi of their decision, allowing him to use it as inspiration to get Hotaru off her butt. Will she succeed? Her catchphrase is "Jeez. What a pain."
She has strong Vocal and Visual stats, but her Character is very low due to her lack of motivation. Loses tension from Normal lessons AND communications.
Birthday: April 20 (Taurus)
Blood type: AB
Hobbies: Bird watching, stargazing
Image color: Black
Image song: Don't Say Lazy (K-On!)
Appeal element: Darkness
Preferred VA: Miyuki Sawashiro

Note: I'm not sure if they look that way or not, but in her training outfit pic, Hotaru is wearing spats.
Hotaru is unavailable at the start of the game. She must be unlocked in Story Mode. Defeat Kuroi's unit during a forced Festival, then complete your leader's story. Chiyo, Hotaru, and Karen defect from 961pro and join ZetaPro, becoming fully produce-able.

[ZetaFlare]

Karen Hoshikawa (カレン・星河, age 15). Energetic, fashionable, and a bit flirty, she was born of a Japanese father and an American mother. Her mother was a Broadway performer who taught her how to sing and dance at a young age. Unfortunately, with her brighter skin, blonde hair, and baby blue eyes, she feels as though she can't fit in. Her reputation at school is rather mixed. On one side, her dazzling beauty and wardrobe have become very popular. On the other side, though, are the closed-minded anti-foreigners who ridicule her for her American blood. While she does get asked out often by boys, there is only one who really catches Karen's eye--her long-time classmate and childhood crush Seiya Oozora. She decides to become an idol in order win his heart, then confess to him at the peak of her popularity. Seeing that 961pro was searching for new talent, Karen immediately goes there to audition, where Kuroi is quick to accept her. Will her little love story come true? Or is there something she doesn't know that will change her plans entirely?
She has strong Visual and Dance. Her character is right around the middle, making her the easiest to manage among Kuroi's new unit in terms of tension.
Birthday: July 1 (Cancer)
Blood type: AB
Hobbies: Travelling, shopping
Image color: Magenta
Image song: Seikan Hikou (Macross Frontier)
Appeal element: Star
Preferred VA: Yuka Iguchi

Karen is unavailable at the start of the game. She must be unlocked in Story Mode. Defeat Kuroi's unit during a forced Festival, then complete your leader's story. Chiyo, Hotaru, and Karen defect from 961pro and join ZetaPro, becoming fully produce-able.

[ZetaFlare]

Shigure Setsuna (時雨刹那, age 19). Dark, cold, and suffering from a horrible childhood, Setsuna is the lone wolf of the group. She can also be downright rude at times, brushing anyone aside if she feels like they are getting in her way. When she was 5 years old, she was the sole survivor of a car accident that killed both of her parents. It was rumored that she was singing along to the radio just before the crash. As the incidents became more numerous, she gained an infamous reputation of having a "cursed" singing voice. She was even called the Siren because people who are drawn to her voice are often led to their deaths, much like the siren in mythology. Everyone avoided her in school and treated her like trash. Still, she enjoys singing. It's good stress relief for her. She often sings/practices by herself, choosing to follow her own methods. Despite her lack of professional training, her voice is just amazing. She decides to become an idol, wishing that people would appreciate her talents without all these superstitions going around.
Best Vocal stat (on par with Chihaya's), but worst Character stat in the game. Can easily lose about three times the tension she gains. Loses tension from Normal lessons AND communications. You'll have to be extra vigilant to keep her tension high, lest she drag the whole unit down with her.
Birthday: November 13 (Scorpio)
Blood type: AB
Hobbies: Singing to self, cooking
Image color: Indigo
Image song: Fukai Mori (Inuyasha)
Appeal element: Time
Preferred VA: Eri Kitamura

Setsuna is unavailable at the start of the game. She must be unlocked in Story Mode. Defeat her in a special Festival that becomes available after your first True Ending, then complete your leader's story. Setsuna will then sign a contract with ZetaPro, becoming fully produce-able.

[Amazing_Grace]

Shigure Setsuna (時雨刹那, age 19). Dark, cold, and suffering from a horrible childhood, Setsuna is the lone wolf of the group. She can also be downright rude at times, brushing anyone aside if she feels like they are getting in her way. When she was 5 years old, she was the sole survivor of a car accident that killed both of her parents. It was rumored that she was singing along to the radio just before the crash. As the incidents became more numerous, she gained an infamous reputation of having a "cursed" singing voice. She was even called the Siren because people who are drawn to her voice are often led to their deaths, much like the siren in mythology. Everyone avoided her in school and treated her like trash. Still, she enjoys singing. It's good stress relief for her. She often sings/practices by herself, choosing to follow her own methods. Despite her lack of professional training, her voice is just amazing. She decides to become an idol, wishing that people would appreciate her talents without all these superstitions going around.
Best Vocal stat (on par with Chihaya's, if not even higher), but worst Character stat in the game. Can easily lose about three times the tension she gains. Loses tension from Normal lessons AND communications. You'll have to be extra vigilant to keep her tension high, lest she drag the whole unit down with her.
Image color: Indigo
Image song: Fukai Mori (Inuyasha)
Appeal element: Time
Preferred VA: Eri Kitamura

She's my favorite so far. Eri Kitamura's voice is from the heavens, I swear.

Ah, also, in iDOLM@STER 2, if I remember correctly Chihaya's Vocal stat is maxed out at 30. I'm pretty sure 30 is the highest it can get, right? So~, um...if I'm not mistaken, it'd be impossible for her to be higher than Chihaya, but on par with her makes perfect sense because Eri Kitamura's voice is perfect.

[ZetaFlare]

Ri Kotone (李琴音, age 16) Her real name is Li Qinyin, but everyone who reads her kanji pronounces it "Kotone." Born in China, raised in Japan, she is a very perky girl who loves to perform. Unfortunately, due to her past, she has developed kind of a hatred for men. When she was very young, she and her mother were heavily abused by her father. She soon fled to Japan along with her mother and grandmother so they wouldn't have to put up with him again. It also didn't help that some boys in her school bullied and harassed her because of her origin. Outside of school, Kotone works in her mother's tea house as a mascot girl and entertainment provider, ranging from spinning plates on sticks to simply singing or dancing. With quite a bit of performance experience under her belt, she decides to become an idol in order to promote her family's tea house. Will working with Kenji tell Kotone that men are not as evil as she's been told over the years? Being Chinese, she tends to use the suffix "-aru." Think of Hetalia's China.
Best Dance stat in the game, but Character is very low due to her distrust of Kenji.
Birthday: October 17 (Libra)
Blood type: A
Hobbies: Preparing tea, stage shows
Image color: Crimson
Image song: DragonLady (Dream C Club GoGo)
Appeal element: Sound
Preferred VA: Saori Hayami

Kotone is unavailable at the start of the game. She must be unlocked in Story Mode. Defeat her in a special Festival that becomes available after your first True Ending, then complete your leader's story. Kotone will then sign a contract with ZetaPro, becoming fully produce-able.

[liza94]

What a variety of characters to pick from!
My favourites are Miku, Jun, Shiori, Emi, Hotaru, Karen and Setsuna, I'm looking forward to their stories!

She's my favorite so far. Eri Kitamura's voice is from the heavens, I swear.

Same here. I wonder if Setsuna speaks in a Makoto-like voice.

[ZetaFlare]

Oh boy...here we go...

Kōsaka Kaori (香坂かおり, age 18). While she is easygoing and possesses king-size breasts goddess-like beauty, this creamy-blonde quarter-Russian is incredibly ditzy, stresses easily, prefers to go her own pace, and can never seem to get her head out of the clouds. Formerly worked as an idol for 573pro pronounced "KoNaMi". Unfortunately, her producers sought to promote her more for her sex appeal than her actual talent. Naturally, when her strict mother got word of this, she immediately revoked her contract and sued 573pro for a tidy sum. Wishing that her daughter be more ladylike, she refuses to allow Kaori to work as an idol again. Still, she really enjoyed idol life, watching her fellow idols perform. She now seeks to start from square one with a new agency, hoping it would help her construct her future. Sure her 573 name was cleared, but will her past come back to bite her? Her voice is very similar to Plutia (from Neptunia). Her catchphrase is "Uwaao!" which she utters whenever shocked or stressed out.
Best Visual stat, but worst Dance stat in the game. Character is low due to the fact that she stresses very easily.
Birthday: March 3 (Pisces)
Blood type: B
Hobbies: Going to the spa, blowing bubbles
Image color: Peach
Image song: Toki no Kakera (Dream C Club)
Image song with 573pro: Ikenai Lip Stick (Dream C Club)
Appeal element: Aroma
Preferred VA: Hitomi Harada

Note: While wearing her training outfit, she will zip up her jacket for auditions.
Interesting note: Kaori is really meant to be a walking, talking Konami reference. A few of her communication events contain references to Konami games. In fact, she's actually based on the final "boss" from Sexy Parodius (who shares her name)
Kaori is unavailable at the start of the game. She must be unlocked in Story Mode. Defeat her in a special Festival that becomes available after your first True Ending, then complete your leader's story. Kaori will then sign a contract with ZetaPro, becoming fully produce-able.

[ZetaFlare]

Same here. I wonder if Setsuna speaks in a Makoto-like voice.

Yeah, Setsuna does have a deep voice akin to Ms. Heero Yuy XenoMakoto. I was actually more inspired by Kitamura's work as Homura from Senran Kagura, who also has a pretty deep voice. Still, that doesn't mean I forgot about the many high-pitched voice girls she has voiced (including Uni from Neptunia). She's very versatile. I love her singing voice too. Can you imagine her singing Fukai Mori?